This Friday Cassandra is on a very different tack or track. No dealing with politics; no criticism of politicians; no harping on the fate that befell our splendorous island and no mention of those who sent us down the pallang on account of their self-centeredness, huge hubris, power craze, corruption and lack of administrative ability. Why, you may query.

Does Cass think things are now hunky-dory; the economy is back on track and politicians have become honest, sensible and intelligent, even though short of being statesmen? Definitely not! The reason is that leopards don’t change their spots; dogs do not rid themselves of ticks, wayward children continue being stubbornly wayward. So, Cass decided to entertain her readers this Friday instead of adding fuel to their anger and frustration. She intends narrating a personal experience, which might annoy some stern Buddhists, but if Cass shoots shafts at powerful politicians, what is it to irritate a couple of Buddhists who we hope have metta within them. The second part of her article is mainly for the older women who read Cass’s Cry on Fridays.

New and now Buddhism

Got a dose of this on Saturday 4 November. Cass went to the Maitreya Hall in the premises of the Mettarama Temple in Bambalapitiya to listen to Ven Vajiraramaye Nanasiha Thera address the Servants of the Buddha and others. These Saturday talks have a long and almost unbroken history from the time of the inception of the Servants of the Buddha Society of devout Buddhists in 1921 founded by Dr Cassius Perera, assisted by W J Soysa, W A de Silva and Justice Hema Basnayake. Dr Cassius Perera later was ordained and took the name Kasssapa Thera. His granddaughter was present on the Saturday event I write about, having arrived from Australia.

Ven Nanasiha Thera spoke into a microphone but it was not loud and his voice may not have gone beyond the hall we were in. I was in the middle of the hall and soon was disturbed by an echo. Looking around I saw that a man across the aisle was listening to his cell phone, later explained to me by the possibility of listening via Bluetooth or whatever. This person could have moved away from being in proximity to others present. He would have heard the Ven Thera’s talk on his cell phone even from the back of the hall, not disturbing others.

Then midway in the Ven Thera’s talk a loudspeaker bana preaching in Sinhalese began in the hall of the temple. There was no possibility of hearing what Ven Nanasiha was saying. Here arose a question in Cass’ mind. The Maitreya Hall meeting of the Servants of the Buddha is on Saturdays starting at 4.30 pm, from way back, maybe for more than a hundred years. The temple monks know this.

So, could not the usual Bodhi pooja of the temple have been delayed somewhat on a Saturday, or the bana not amplified so loud? Cannot there be dialogue and a fitting in of two programmes so they do not clash? Looking into the bana maduwa Cass noticed only about 15 devotees listening to the bana in Sinhala. The temple monk would surely have been heard very well without the amplifier system. But no, that is the new trend of broadcasting very loud (annoyingly to others) every temple pooja, pirith and bana.

This happens in the most sacred place in Anuradhapura: at the Sacred Bo Tree. A constant drone of chanting goes on as people pay the kapuralas to mediate between themselves and gods; the Buddha Himself (?); to grant them their wants. At frequent intervals the vihara amplifies its poojas. Silence and quiet to meditate seem out of the question here, which is what should prevail and be done by devotees.

I wrote of one devout Buddhist who was not considerate of his trying-hard –to-listen neighbours. The other was met as Cassandra moved to leave the premises. Her car was parked within the temple premises without blocking any others. Her driver too was keen to listen to Ven Nanasiha and so sat in the Maitreya Hall. Coming out with rain starting to fall, we found a car very inconsiderately parked blocking all others from leaving the temple premises. Cass’ driver asked around who the owner/driver of the offensively parked car was. No result. Cass too, in spite of the falling rain, asked around.

She felt she should enter the bana maduwa and enquire but did not want to intrude, though by now her disdain for inconsiderate Buddhists was high. After many apologies for preaching overtime the temple monk ceased his sermon which the driver said had no Buddhism in it at all except criticism of society in general. Then a man in trousers emerged from the verandah of the vihara ge and moved his car allowing Cass’s to proceed out. He heard the driver’s question, saw Cass’s anxiety to get her car out and took no notice until he could please himself about moving his car.

A very long tale but it amplifies what is happening to our religion of great consideration, kindness and concern for others; and some who profess they are Buddhists being only concerned about themselves. Cass makes bold to say the religion or way of life preached by the Buddha who went through much, even self-mortification, to show a way out of unsatisfactoriness in countless rounds of birth, is degraded now. And some who outwardly proclaim to be devout Buddhists have not got over selfishness and egotism.

Inspiring story of determination

Cassandra watched on Netflix the film Nyad. A review in the November 3 Washington Post written by Sally Jenkins starts by saying nature and age are in conflict with the two women protagonists. The characters they portray conquer the two elements, “not in some trite, scripted or airbrushed way but with the sinews and cartilage of real athletes. Every now and then a cultural moment comes along that exposes how severely and artificially we continue to limit the conceptual range of female ideals, and the cannonball biceps of these actresses in their un-camouflaged 60s constitute a significant one. Sun-scorched, straw-haired, scored with tendons, they are glorious.”

Nyad, directed by husband and wife Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, is the biopic of marathon swimmer Diana Nyad who culminated her swimming career and records held for long distance swimming in the open sea by completing the 119 mile swim from Cuba to Florida in 2013 at age 64 with the help of her closest friend and trainer, Bonnie Stoll. In Nyad the swimmer is played by Annette Bening (age 65) and her friend by Jodie Foster (60).

As Sally Jenkins comments: “But there is a story within a story in the film: the friendship of two women frustrated by a Hollywood culture that permits so few dynamic roles for mature women and who do something about it. When Nyad began filming in a 233 by 233 -oot tank of water in April 2022, Bening showed up on set with stunt doubles, whom she promptly rendered bystanders. Bening trained under an Olympic swimmer for more than a year for her role in the film, and swam all through the filming. This meant eight hours each day in water, and swimming.

Cassandra is not merely narrating stories this Friday morning. Using old fashioned jargon she says there is a moral or morals in the story. Yes, there are messages that should come through.

The two actresses mentioned above may have been on the shelf, because Hollywood definitely is young-age worshipping. Once one’s looks and glam figure are somewhat lost, one is shelved a discard not only in Hollywood but more so in Bollywood. It happens in societies too.

Mercifully, in Sri Lanka the Aachie/Athamma are respected and given a place in family hierarchies. The younger generation usually respects and loves the old biddies. The old have much to give of experientially gathered knowledge and accumulated wisdom.

Very importantly, the film shows there are no limits placed in the path of the older woman that cannot be broken through. It was determination, will power, confidence in self and the belief of friends that got the swimmer Diana Nyad swimming more than 100 miles in shark infested waters. She had confidence in herself and trust in her coach and her team.

We, though a small nation, boast our own intrepid women. Politically, Mrs B comes to mind. She started off naively, answering questions on her policy as that of her late husband’s. But she matured in politics and came to know people well, so much so that during the latter stages, she was considered to be the only man in her Cabinet of Ministers.

Consider petite Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala who summited Mt Everest – the first South Asian woman to do so. She told Cassandra that it was a terribly hard climb though she had practiced climbing for long. Her Sherpa guide became intolerant of her and started reprimanding her severely until she wanted to send him packing and give up her hard-won place in the queue to the peak, and the ambition itself. She then realized he was goading her, knowing she was capable of that last stint of supreme effort. And with his help she won. She stood on the summit of the world on May 21, 2016, with the Vesak moon seen beside her. She continues her struggle, now against rampant prejudice as an activist for people’s rights.

We have innumerable women of strong spirit and determination, unsung, even unknown to the rest of the island. I definitely don’t mean dames like Diana Gamage. It is high time women of this nature turned their combined effort to fighting and finally eradicating corruption in the land. It’s men who in the majority fall prey to greed, particularly of power and money and turn to dishonesty. So, women should take over.

Major concerns

*Looks as if the brave Sports Minister’s attempt to clean out SLC is being thwarted by the highest in the land: puppet-stringed by vote promising supporters or those he is beholden to? Just too bad since corruption must be wiped out.

*One protest Cass approves of is the postal union’s strike against the sale of the iconic PO building in Nuwara Eliya, destined to be sold and surely demolished. It is a heritage site and not to be touched, particularly to earn money for State coffers. Get the money from high powered rogues, not sell the home silver.