When craving outride philosophy….

It has now become a trend to construct a temple in every possible nook and corner of a scenic landscape in Sri Lanka. Recently photos of a temple that is under construction atop the Bathalegala mountain went viral on social media. While many such mountain tops are sensitive ecosystems, many believe that constructing temples would also disturb hikers. An alternative school of thought is that hikers tend to pollute these environments, and building a temple in the way would solve the issue. Many have come to the fore to argue that a temple was built at this same place many years ago.

Some also compare Sri Lanka and India by pointing out that temples such as the Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand are also built in a hilly area, but people worship at these temples without protesting against their locations. However, the two situations are starkly different. Many self-proclaimed monks are of the view that constructing a temple would help ‘protect’ Buddhism. But what is there to ‘save’ in Buddhism should be the million-dollar question.

Buddhism is not a religion. Gautama Buddha preached the way of life through His teachings, and it has to be regarded as a philosophy. But today, not only are His teachings being distorted to suit populist agendas, but they have also been diluted to support these kinds of irresponsible moves. The writer is of the view that Sri Lanka has enough and more temples. The need of the hour is for those learned monks to come to the limelight and preach the actual teachings of the Buddha. The Buddha had a close relationship with nature. He learned from nature. But centuries later, His followers are attempting to destroy nature in the guise of ‘protecting’ Buddhism.

The construction at Bathalegala mountain was halted following the intervention of environmentalists. But the matter doesn’t end there. The untouched scenic beauty of Sri Lanka should be preserved for future generations, similarly, the teachings of the Buddha too should be rightfully preserved and taught for future generations.