Regarding the above-titled two excellent articles in The Island of 12 May 2025, I would like to add these thoughts as a lay follower of Buddha.

The word, Sarana, has several meanings, including ‘in someone’s footsteps’, ‘seeking refuge’, ‘thinking about’, and ‘even marriage’, depending on the context.

After enlightenment, the Buddha reflected that his teaching was difficult to understand and follow for the majority of the world enamoured with seeking happiness in sensory indulgence. Only a few realise even impermanent happy or pleasant experiences ultimately bring further unhappiness when they do not last. In addition, illness, old age and death adds up to a sum total unsatisfactory nature of life, Dukkha. However, he did not exclude those who did not have the insight to understand Dukkha or resources, the time and the will to grasp his deep teaching to escape from the relentless cycle of life and death named samsara accompanied by Dukkha.

For them he prescribed the Dhamma of moral discipline with five precepts and their positive applications such as generosity, compassion and tranquillity of mind and avoiding spontaneous action to lead a life in harmony with the world. These are the first steps of his eightfold path. He even advised the laity on social ethics (sigalovada sutta), how to earn and spend wealth righteously (vyggapaccha sutta), to avoid wrong habits leading to social decay (parabhava sutta) and explained one becomes an outcast by action and not by birth (vasala sutta).

For them, looking at the peaceful and tranquil Buddha image as well as reciting Dhammam saranam gacchami is a mantra that serves as psychological support to encourage Buddhist practice and a beacon of hope in lieu of a powerful Deus in times of trouble. This culture has given solace to humankind for over 2500 years. This is the meaning of the phrase ‘Dhammo have rakkathi dhammacari’ meaning living according to Dhamma provides protection. It is psychological protection to be strong in adversity.

For some of them not believing or wandering about after death also he advocated this level of practice. Buddha explained in his discourse named Apannaka Sutta, such action would win the wager on after life.

We should not bemoan that they do not follow the essence of his teachings but accept and encourage them to practise the basic steps.

For those who are fortunate to be able to grasp and follow his deep teaching to escape from the cycle of samsara, Dhammam saranam gacchami is a promise (gacchami is a first-person verb) to themselves to be repeated as many times as possible to follow his footsteps or the path he prescribed. According to modern neurology repetition of a promise will make a strong circuit of connected neurons in the brain for determination by neuroplasticity. As everybody else, they are also subjected to the hindrances to following Buddha’s path as eightfold vicissitudes of life: gain/loss, fame/shame, happiness/ misery, praise/ blame. Both pleasant and unpleasant circumstances may become a hindrance. Such a strong determination made latent in the mind will come to their help to overcome the hindrances and progress in the path.

Light of Asia

There is a story that Edwin Arnold named his book Light of the world, but was persuaded by his publishers to change it to Light of Asia as they thought it would cause much displeasure among the Christian population. However, in time it proved to be the Light of the world as the article explained. Not having read the book by Jairam R, I do not know whether this fact is mentioned in it.

Upali Abeysiri

The scientific community in the English-speaking world publishes its research findings using technical and scientific English (naturally!). It has its own specialist vocabulary. Many words are exclusive for a particular technology as they are technical terms, also called ‘jargon”. Also, the inclusion in research papers of mathematical and statistical terms and calculations are important where they support the overall findings.

There is a whole array of specialist publications, journals, papers and letters serving the scientific community world-wide. These publications are by subscription only but can easily be found in university libraries upon request.

Preparation Before Starting Research

There is a standard procedure for a researcher to follow before any practical work is done. It is necessary to evaluate the current status of work in this field of research. This requires reading all the relevant, available literature, books, papers, etc., on this subject. Critical evaluation of this reading material enables the researcher to understand the current status of the research and any aspects of weakness or previous shortcomings. In this way the student can get ‘up to speed’ and in tune with the preceding research work done in this field. During this process new avenues for research and investigation may open up for research and investigation.

Reporting on research results is best when it is measurable and can be quantified. Figures mean a lot in the scientific world. Sizes, quantities, ranges of acceptance, figures of probability, etc., all are used to lend authority to new research findings.

Such writings are carefully crafted works of precision and clarity. Not a word is out of place. All words used are nuanced to fit exactly the meaning of what the authors of the paper wish to convey. No word is superfluous (= extra, not needed); all is well manicured to convey the message accurately to a knowledgeable, receptive reader.

STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) research topics these days rely heavily on statistics and the ‘design of experiments’ statistical approach to prove an argument and it is required that the researcher should be familiar and conversant with these statistical techniques of inquiry and evaluation in the effort to add the necessary weight to his or her findings.

Peer Review

Note that before a paper can be accepted for publication it must be submitted to a panel for peer review. This is where several experts in the subject or speciality form a panel to assess the work and approve or reject it. Careers depend on well-presented reports.

Personal Achievement

Academics quote the number of the research papers they have published with pride. They are the status symbols of personal achievement par excellence! And most importantly, these are used to help justify the continuation of funding for the upcoming academic year.

The Real Reason for the Importance of English World-wide

We are all much richer due to the investigations done in the English-speaking world by the investigative scientific community using English as a tool of communication. As a result, people from all around the world are using the internet to access these research findings thus establishing the English language as a major form of reliable information dissemination.

Foot-dragging by Sri Lanka

Sri Lankans should not exclude themselves from this process of knowledge creation and dissemination. Sri Lanka needs to enter this scientific world and issue its own publications in good English. Sri Lanka needs experts who have mastered this form of scientific communication and who can participate in the progress of science! In scientific research, the best progress in innovation, it seems, is when students can all collaborate. It is then that the best ideas develop and come out.

Work Opportunities

The most wonderful opportunities open up from time to time for graduates of the STEM subjects mainly in companies using modern technology. The reputation of Sri Lanka depends on having a horse in this race – quite apart from the need to provide suitable careers for its own population. People have ambitions and need to be able to rise up intellectually and get ahead. Intelligent people need the opportunity and space to develop their talents. Therefore, students in the STEM subjects need to be able to read, analyse and compare several different research papers, i.e., students need to have critical thinking skills – in English. Often, these skills have to be communicated. Students need to be able to achieve this high standard of English.

Students need to be able to put their thoughts on paper in a logical, meaningful way, their thoughts backed up by facts and figures according to the principles of the academic, research world. But even natural speakers of English have difficulties in mastering this type of English and doing analyses and critical thinking – therefore, it must be multiple times more difficult for Sri Lankans to master this specialised form of English. Therefore, special attention needs to be paid to overcoming this disadvantage.

In addition, the researcher needs to have knowledge of the “design of experiments,” and be familiar with everyday statistics, e.g., the bell curve, ranges of probability, etc.

How can this high-quality English (and basic stats) possibly be taught in Sri Lanka when most campuses focus on the simple passing of grammar exams or IELTS?

Over to you NIE, Maharagama!

Sri Lanka needs teachers with knowledge of this erudite, specialist form of English report writing supported by mathematical statistical “design of experiments” knowledge. Secondly, this knowledge has to be organised and systematised and imparted over a sufficient time period, years, sufficient for students with ability and maturity to become valuable members of the world-wide English- speaking research community. Over to you NIE, Maharagama!

Priyantha Hettige

In recent times there have been far too many road accidents most of which could have been prevented if punitive measures were taken in time. Innocent passengers riding buses, three wheelers, and cars have lost their lives as a result of such crashes.

The recent fatal accident where a SLTB bus plying from Kataragama to Kurunegala ran off the road and went down a 300-foot precipice at Gerendiella in Kotmale killing 23 passengers and injuring many more is a case in point.

According to one survivor who had crawled out of a window, the bus had been driven at excessive speed and the driver had suddenly applied the brakes and sent the bus careering down the pallang. In his sleepiness, the driver may have accidentally trod on the brake pedal causing this fatal accident.

The bus had been carrying 60 to 80 passengers at the time. When the wreck was lifted by a crane up on to the road, people wondered how some passengers escaped death as it was so badly damaged.

In my memory, this was the second SLTB bus that had veered off the road and gone down a precipice. The first was when a CTB bus similarly went down a precipice in Dowa, near Bandarawela in the last century. Fortunately, there were not this many deaths.

The worst bus accident before Kotmale was in 2005 when a bus was hit by a long-distance train at the level crossing in Polgahawela, due to the negligence of the driver who had tried to get across with the approaching train in sight!

It was good of the Speaker and the Deputy Minister of Transport to visit the scene of the accident in Kotmale, and hopefully they will instruct the SLTB management to take proper precautionary action to avoid accidents of this nature in the future.

The SLTB Depot Mangers should ensure that drivers assigned to drive long distance buses in the night have had a good rest during the day so that they do not feel drowsy on the road. It would also be good if such drivers are tested for drugs or inebriation.

It has always been a practice of the owners of wayside eating houses to serve the drivers and conductors liquor and a free meal to attract them to stop at their outlets for the passengers to have a meal or other refreshments. The SLTB management should occasionally get the flying squads to check this too.

At present, most recently recruited drivers of the SLTB are those who have driven private buses and cannot shed their reckless driving habits. This is quite in contrast to the old drivers of the then CTB who kept to the rules and drove carefully.

It is time now for the police to be deployed on various roads where people drive at excessive speed to check on the drivers’ papers and ascertain whether they are inebriated. This must be done continuously and the wrongdoers brought to book. The police can do this now as there will be no political interference as earlier. The police should be very strict with the drivers of private buses and school vans to see that they do not change lanes without signaling and drive at excessive speeds even within city limits.

It has become very difficult and hazardous for older drivers who stick to the rules and obey even unwritten laws such as giving way to the traffic on the right at crossroads and roundabouts; and those entering main roads from side roads in heavy traffic and giving way to pedestrians at crossings. The main culprits are the bus drivers, both SLTB and private, three-wheeler drivers and motor cyclists.

HM NISSANKA WARAKAULLE