--- Piya Tan <libris@...> skrev:

> Dear Yong Peng,
>
> Again your good intentions are noted but history is
> not so kind :)
>
> The title "Chief High Priest" or the like was given
> by Ven Dhammananda's own Siam
> Nikaya (Sinhalese monks of the Goyigama caste).
> There are two other Nikayas in Sri
> Lanka, the Amarapura Nikaya (roots in Burma) and the
> Ramanna Nikaya (roots also in
> Burma).

...

> I think (I hope) the Sinhalese Buddhist monastic
> system is today less caste-centred
> than before (in the days of the kings).

I fear not, because of rigidity. Some years ago I
asked a bhikkhu of the Siam Nikaya about the matter,
and pointed out that his Nikaya limited itself to the
upper castes because of a royal decree when it was
founded; which is, as I see it, not a very strong
argument to keep the practice in the days of the
republic, especially since the caste system itself is
in fact Hindu, not Buddhist. But he said that the
matter wasn't important, since there are two Nikayas
who care about the lower castes anyway...

Of course, it may also be regarded as not quite
logical to obey a royal decree about caste
limititations while trying to practice a religion
founded by someone who 1. did not care at all about
caste and 2. had to refuse to become a king in order
to gain his wisdom.

But perhaps it was not safe to say so while kings were
still ruling in Ceylon, so I am not blaming those who
lived at that time.

Gunnar


=====
gunnargallmo@...

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