Catholic ping!
Buddhist extremists??? Isn’t that something like a fervent nihilist?
What happen to the peace loving Buddhist religion Hollyweird preaches?
That sounds more like the religion O’Peace than Buddhists.
This shocks me, I didn’t know the Buddhist were anti Catholic, or anti Christian.
Is this a Catholic cover up?
Was it really muslims in buddhist robes?
So much for the stupid trope so prevalent around here that only Muslims do this sort of thing.
Imagine if 1,000 Catholics attacked anyone of ANY religion ANYWHERE. It would be front page news around the world, commissions would be held, the UN would get involved, it would be wall to wall coverage on the MSM.
As a matter of full disclosure, some (not all) of the comments on the story at the above source indicate that the Christians attacked the Buddhist temple first.
Of course, keep in mind that these are comments and could be added in there by anybody, so I would take them only with an extreme pinch of salt. But there might be a little more to the story.
And here is the story on the Archdiocese of Columbo's web site.
(Of course, the above will make a few iconoclasts around here happy)
More pictures at the Archdiocese's site.
I'm shocked and saddened by this turn of events. I've always maintained a high regard for Buddhism, particularly the Theravada Buddhism practiced in Sri Lanka. I've enjoyed on ocassion the insights of Bhante Henepola Gunaratana in two he books that he wrote, Mindfulness In Plain English and Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness.
However, although I've said before that Buddhism provides, in my opinion, a highly-evolved system of ethics, in many aspects the best we can find outside of revealed religion, that is, of Judaism and Christianity and that, in the words of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council, we are called to recognize how Buddhism, in its various forms, realizes the radical insufficiency of this changeable world; on how it teaches a way by which men, in a devout and confident spirit, may be able either to acquire the state of perfect liberation, or attain, by their own efforts or through higher help, supreme illumination, these news from Sri Lanka give me pause.
Sure, I recognize that a religion, any religion, no matter how noble, can hope to shape every aspect of the civilizations they spawn for the best. Then yet again, I've never heard of a Catholic mob attacking a Buddhist holy place, whether in Sri Lanka or anywhere else.
I congratulate the Sri Lankan authorities for having arrested many of those responsible of this unjustified attack, and pray that Sri Lankan Catholics and Buddhists may coexist in peace, side-by-side and help and assist each other in the building of a civilization of peace and compassion.
Some bad weed? Moldy bread? Rice fungus?
Hmmm...they sound more like the Tamil Tiger-like group to me. Any news about their wider affiliations?
And here I’ve been thinking Buddhists were calm, peaceful folks.
Prayers lifted.