A political commentator has said that, given the deep respect attached to Buddhist monks and the image of the monk in the collective consciousness, the recent photograph of Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera is a shocking sight.
He said that seeing the Thera, who was previously seen wearing the Buddhist robe, suddenly appearing in white clothing or a jumper is unsettling for many people, as reflected in the reactions posted on social media. He added that this could become a separate subject of discussion within the Sinhala Buddhist community.
However, he said that during the period when Ven. Gnanasara Thera wore the robe, he should have been mindful of conducting himself in a manner that would not bring disrespect to the robe.
He recalled that during the period when the Bodu Bala Sena organisation was highly influential, the Thera acted as though there was no one above him, while the political strength of the Mahinda Rajapaksa camp was also used at the time to support that position.
Although the Thera now says that no government had ever interfered with his robe, the commentator said he should have anticipated that, given the nature of the path he was taking at the time, he could eventually reach a point where even his robe could be removed.
He further said that it was with that sense of power that the Thera even behaved aggressively in court, but ultimately lost the very symbol that represented his power—the Buddhist robe.
“You cannot do anything simply because you have the robe. We are subject to the law and to the laws of nature. When engaging in politics, we must also consider the pain that our political actions may cause other people,” he said.
Referring to the Defender vehicle procession associated with the Bodu Bala Sena, he said that the political environment at the time was one that even made Sinhala people feel fearful, while its impact on minority communities was even more significant.
He concluded that Ven. Gnanasara Thera may never have imagined that he would reach this point or lose the powerful symbol of the robe, but that outcome had already been written into the nature of the political path he had chosen.
“There is politics in wearing the robe, just as there is politics in removing the robe,” he added.
