Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

05 November   2017

Minority Dream Come True

Today, 05 November is the anniversary of the day in 1998, when holy powder materialised on my  picture Sri Sathya Sai Baba who to my mind at that time was an ‘external saint’. On that day unknown to me then – the Sydney Morning Herald published an article about the University’s Financial Management system confirming that I was ‘right’ but for which I was punished. I was listed as a mentally ill person by the Australian Mental Health system for sharing the above experience with the authorities. But knowing that Divinity was with me – I was able to keep going and found fulfilment through my wider Public Service – of  global standards.

As per this week’s news about the role of education – the message came through the  Minister of Education, the Hon Akila Viraj Kariyawasam who is reported to have said that the country can eliminate racism and religious intolerance and move forward only through education:

[The Minister said he gained much experience throughout these three years that he held office as the Minister of Education on the narrow mindedness of certain individuals.

He said it was disappointing to see racist sentiments in certain people adding certain individuals attempted to attack the government and himself claiming that they had replaced Sinhala teachers of a certain school with Muslim teachers.

He said he viewed this as a cry of help by weak individuals who have no other means to cling to.

He noted people who are not narrow minded would never spread racism further remarking if we are able to plant seeds of unity among 4.5 million children we will be able to maintain the country’s unity in future.] - ‘Racism can be ended through good education’ by newsradio.lk

When reading the above, this morning, I was reminded of the following message from a Sinhalese whom I met during development work in Sri Lanka:

[Now Sri Lanka is more democratic than Australia. You left the country to find more  democracy. Have u found or not...Now Australians are racists. Better come to SL and live.]

I took the above message as an expression of friendliness. I responded as follows:

[….As for me finding democracy here  - yes, I have and I enjoy that in other parts of the world also including in Sri Lanka. It’s in the mind

Looks as if you are still looking. Look within you and live in your Truth]

I guess we do not pause in our living to ask ourselves as to whether we are democratic or not. No, I did not come to Australia to find democracy. But the rule of law applied on Equal footing to those who were not bound to me by belief – helped me find the Truth and live as an Australian in Australia. At physical level - I am still a minority in Australia but am treated with warmth and respect by majority Australians I come across in my daily life. Our home and our current global investments seem to motivate from within.

I needed to recognize the injustice that led to my pain especially at the Australian workplace and take action through the available pathways in Administrative and Judicial systems. I could have overcome the pain by finding another job but something within the University system made me to pause and discover the Common pathway to become more Public. I wrote and wrote from my heart in addition to taking action through Due Processes. There were times when I would feel the urge to do something and that urge came from within. I respected that as the urge of Truth and this kept me going.  Ultimately when I learnt that my book ‘Naan Australian’ had found a home in the National Library of Australia, I realised that I was  accepted by Natural Forces as Australian and beyond as global, confirming that the urge of Truth is an inner force and is most reliable for our peace of mind and happiness.  

Under ‘Summary’ is the following description: History of a race discrimination case towards an Australian Tamil citizen of Sri Lankan origin by University of New South Wales.

Under ‘Available From’ is the following information: Library of Congress- New Delhi Overseas Office

The Library of Congress is presented as follows:

 [Books and libraries were essential to America’s founding generation. Most of the founders received vigorous classical educations. It follows, then, that most of the members of the new U.S. Congress, which met first in New York City and then in Philadelphia, were also avid readers. In both cities, Congress had access to sizable libraries: the New York Society Library and the Free Library of Philadelphia.

In 1800, as part of an act of Congress providing for the removal of the new national government from Philadelphia to Washington, President John Adams approved providing $5,000 for books for the use of Congress—the beginning of the Library of Congress. A Joint Congressional Committee—the first joint committee—would furnish oversight. In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson approved a legislative compromise that made the job of Librarian of Congress a presidential appointment, giving the Library of Congress a unique relationship with the American Presidency. ]

To my mind, it was a global force that carried the book back to Australia from Sri Lanka where it was published, valued by America – the highest known investor in Democracy through its office in India – by an institution with the following mandate:

‘Acquisitions for the Library of Congress are geared to the information needs of our primary clients--members of Congress and their staffs. Acquisitions for participating libraries in the South Asia Cooperative Acquisitions Program serve the teaching and research needs of the academic community, and, increasingly, of the estimated one million Americans of South Asian descent.

The New Delhi Office and its sub-offices collect a wide range of material dealing with South Asia including monographs, newspapers, journals, official gazettes, pamphlets, maps, sound and video recordings, and electronic media.’

Who took it there? I do not know. When I do not know the cause and I like the effect I say ‘Thank you God’. When I do or do not know the cause and don’t like the effect and am not able to correct the outcome, I say ‘Please help me God’. Now I believe that when I thus completed experiences at the highest level available to me – but do not take immediate credit – they become ‘Reserve Energies’. I now better appreciate why lawyers ‘plead’ in Court. They draw on this ‘Reserve Energies’ developed when they paid their respects to Judges and used case-laws with respect. The parallel for the litigant is actual practice of that law.

I believe that this then goes to boost the confidence and motivational force of all those who contribute to the system that supported me while I made the journey.

Along with the above mail from Sri Lanka, came another from Singapore, asking me for a lesson on Thesawalamai Law – as applicable to those of Northern Sri Lankan origin. The inquirer is of Vaddukoddai origin. To me, it came from my investment in my first employer in Australia – Mr. Shivapathasundaram. Last night my husband Param & I had just arrived home after being part of the wedding reception of Ganeshwaran and Laura. Ganeshwaran is the son of Shivapathasundaram (Sundaram), an Australian of Singapore origin, whose parents were of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. During the post-funeral period when Sundaram passed away and his widow and children needed support – I would invoke Sundaram in my mind  - so I would identify with their needs – as if I were their husband and father. When we were traveling to his Bankstown home for the 8^th day ceremony and I was thinking deeply about what to do in terms of Sundaram’s business about which his wife Kaye knew very little, my eyes were drawn to a truck in front of us carrying the name ‘Budget’ which was also the name of Sundaram’s travel business and the message ‘No flights for Bankstown’. This message was to protest against the expansion of Bankstown airport. To my mind, the message cleared my mind for the problem-solution I was thinking about. I put my foot down with Kaye firmly and said that Ganeshwaran was not to leave school prematurely but needed to complete his education as per his father’s expectations. I was able to so guide due to appreciating the goodness in Sundaram.

Yesterday, the speakers at Ganeshwaran’s and Laura’s wedding reception, said ‘thank you’ to Ganeshwaran’s father Sundaram. One of the speakers asked me to give him some insight into Sundaram and I said that he wanted his son to study at Sydney Grammar School, graduate as a doctor and also become a member of the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground) Club. As per my knowledge Ganeshwaran did achieve the first two. Last night, the uncle of the bride came over to me a couple of times and said that there was no other place on earth where he would rather be. There was beautiful fusion of cultures and much appreciation for Kaye – who made it where many others failed. Australia made it possible for that mother. I myself was reminded of my husband’s description of Australia as the land of milk and honey!

This morning I realised that Australia has helped me confirm and record my Sovereignty at the workplace which would benefit many heirs of the Community bound together by Common belief. Ganeshwaran became a doctor through the University of NSW – the very institution in which I felt deep enough ownership to  institute action as per my true experience.

One of the bestmen and the Master of Ceremonies had Sinhalese names but they were obviously bound to the groom by their medical education in Australia.

I quote from the article Beware, the ‘enemy’ within by fellow Australian and Buddhist monk Bhante Dhammika:

[Just recently a Sinhala friend passed me a Colombo newspaper and in it was a report about someone, a monk as it happens, claiming that Buddhism was in imminent danger and what he and his supporters were going to do about it. To my amazement some of the actions he was proposing were a march and a demonstration, and he ended by even suggesting that this might include violence. I thought I had read the passage mentioning this incorrectly. “A Buddhist monk, a bhikkhu, a representative of the Buddha, threatening violence? No that can’t be right,” I said to myself. So I re-read the section only to discover that I had read it correctly first time. Politicians threatening violence I could understand. Overly excited sports fans becoming violent I have heard of before. I know gangsters quite often threaten or resort to violence to get what they want. But a Buddhist monk! I could hardly believe my eyes.

During my life I have often found that when I am confronted by some problem or some quandary that I can usually find something the Buddha said that can offer me guidance and advice. So after reading the article I started looking through the suttas to see if the Buddha said anything about some of the problems this person said was endangering Buddhism and what can and should be done about it. I turned to the Buddha’s third discourse, the Fire Sermon (Adittapariyaya Sutta) and I read his powerful and poignant words: “Burning, burning! The whole world is burning! Burning with what? Burning with greed, hatred and delusion.”

In its simplest terms this pinpoints the root cause of all our self-inflicted problems. One person’s greed, hatred or delusion evokes similar reactions in the person who it is directed towards. Someone who takes the Dhamma seriously has the courage, the wisdom and the patience to break the cycle by not giving in to those three ugly qualities. This reminded me of what the Buddha said in the Dhammapada: “Hatred never ceases through more hatred. It is through love that hatred ceases. This is an ancient truth.” And of course greed and delusion likewise never peter out by being more greedy or more ignorant.]

The above, stated in secular terminology would go as – ‘Bad Governance never ceases through more Bad Governance. It is through Good Governance that Bad Governance ceases’. Given democratic form – when a Government is recognized as bad, the Equal & Opposite force is needed to terminate that Bad Governance. This has been proven to be through the Tamils who have expanded their Political mind through this Reserve  Energy in Politics the manifestation of which was blocked in Sri Lanka – not only by the Government but also by the LTTE which wanted a separate country in which armed power would rule above Democratic power.

But every person who submits to the highest unseen and often unknown power after doing her/his best within the system available to one, gets her/his return through the system of Nature – which is driven by Dharma presented as follows by Wikipedia:

 [ In Hinduism, dharma signifies behaviours that are considered to be in accord with rta, the order that makes life and universe possible, and includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and ‘‘right way of living’’. In Buddhism dharma means "cosmic law and order"]

Those who live close to their conscience, often recognize the ways of this path of Dharma which to my simple mind is righteousness. Australian monk Bhante Dhammika continues to state:

 [This Dhammapada verse in turn reminded me of something somewhere in the Samyutta Nikaya which I spent 15 minutes trying to find and eventually did. It says this: “Worst of the two is he who retaliates when abused. He who does not retaliate wins a battle hard to win.” ]

LTTE retaliated against those who tried to supervise them and those whom they claimed attacked the group they claimed to represent – ‘ victims of racism by Sinhalese Government’. I was ruled as a loser by Australian Administration and Judiciary but I believe that I won the battle against racism and hence feel Australian as I do now. At Government level, here in Australia, by attributing credit to Indigenous Australians at Public ceremonies, we are confidentially achieving the cosmic balance.

Bhante Dhammika continues as follows:

[These and other things the Buddha said are talking about solving or at least skilfully managing problems on a personal level, but I wondered if he ever said anything about protecting the Dhamma from threats it might encounter. So I called on my good friend Ven. XYZ, a Sinhala monk I have always respected for his considered and practical wisdom.

I emailed him about what I was looking for and within a short time he got back to me with two references from the Samyutta Nikaya. I looked them up and the first one said this: “Earth, water, fire or wind cannot make the good Dhamma disappear. But foolish people right here will make it disappear.” Startling words indeed, and ones that every Buddhist should ponder very carefully. According to the Buddha, external objects or events cannot make the Dhamma disappear but foolish people (mogha purisa) actually within Buddhism can.]

The above is a good example of manifestation due to Buddhism being processed through an expanded/broadened  mind. Not only Buddhism but any system that neglects its core purpose, ends up developing its own internal enemy. Not many Australian leaders have had the inner experience of Democracy. Pain when internalised becomes the seat of the inner power through which the person experiences the system. Those who avoid pain or worse shift their pain to others – lack insight – represented by the Third Eye in Hinduism.

Buddhism foremost in the Constitution through its Dharma - marks the  frivolous parliamentarians wrong through the Good Energies invested in that parliament – including by non-Buddhists. The first one to so fall was then Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike who was killed by a Buddhist monk. Next was his wife Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike who lost the Sinhalese  position of Opposition leadership to Tamils in 1977. Most recently in 2015 – it was Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa who continues to want to keep Buddhism foremost in the Constitution due to his ignorance of how the system of Dharma and therefore Buddhism works. If they insist on killing Buddhism from within – Tamils will continue to keep their Equal status as Leading  Opposition in Parliament.