IMMORAL HINDU PRACTICES

DISALLOWED IN MY MOTHERLAND

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane

It is often overlooked but is necessary to highlight in a most prominent manner that Buddhism,
the foundation of our nation’s culture prevented many discriminatory and criminal practices and
cultural norms of Hindu Indians from being adopted in our country. We are indebted to and
revere the founders and guardians of our nation – our Sinhala royalty and nobility and our
esteemed Mahasangha for protecting our nation from these extreme forms of Hindu Indian
prejudices, injustice and violence. In spite of being exposed to Hindu India from historic times
and in spite of our country being under the control of Hindu Dravidians for varying periods of
time in the past, Buddhist principles and cultural norms which form the basis of our nations
culture protected our nation and disallowed our people from observing unhealthy and
undesirable Hindu cultural norms widely practiced in India. These immoral practices of Indian
Hindus, being completely contrary to Buddhist teachings and social norms were not acceptable
to our people. In fact, they shunned these gruesome practices of Hindus. This is a clear case of
our people not being prone to blindly accepting whatever cultural norms that came to us from
India. Compatibility with Buddhist principles and adaptability to suit Buddhist norms were
fundamental considerations in the incorporation of elements of other cultures into to our own.
This has resulted in the development in Sri Lanka of a national culture that is unique to us, a
culture that strongly reflects Buddhist ethics and Buddhist principles. Our nation’s unique
Buddhist social structure is indigenous to our nation, it is home grown, and therefore gives our
nation a distinct identity as a highly refined, virtuous, ethical, gracious and honourable nation.

Cultural norms of our nation are founded on values cherished by our Sinhala Buddhist
civilization. These values inculcated in us by the Buddha Dhamma have been upheld by our
people for over 2300 years. A fundamental value that Buddhism imbibes in people is that life is
precious, that all sentient beings desire to live, fear death, harm and suffering and that one
should act in such a way that would guarantee the safety of life of all, along with their
possessions and belongings. The Buddha’s teaching emphasizes boundless compassion to all
living beings. The first precept of a Buddhist is that "I shall commit to myself that I shall not kill".
Buddhism does not teach or give a license to kill to suit one’s needs or because it is in-keeping
with religious beliefs. The Buddha admonished his followers not to blindly hang on to beliefs,
upholding them as the sole truth and denouncing the rest as false, for such an attitude is a
primary source of conflict. Buddhism teaches that the act of harm or kill will come behind you
and you will have to face the same repercussions either in this birth or the next birth, and when
it so happens you will have no place to hide. What is taught in Buddhism is not only to avoid
taking any kind of life, but also not to praise and promote violence, brutality and hostility. Non-
violence and non-cruelty are the fundamental principles in Buddhism.

The Buddha expounded that the phenomenal world that we inhabit, is engulfed in the “fires” of
greed, hatred and delusion raging fiercely in the hearts of people and they are the basic cause
of suffering in human existence. It is the struggle associated with the impulses of these three
mental poisons that causes so much pain, distress and destruction in human society. This is
clearly evident when we try to understand the Hindu attitude towards children and women as
enumerated in the foregoing paragraphs titled ‘Killing infant females’ and ‘Dowry Related
Killings’ in India.

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KILLING INFANT FEMALES

It is a common and widespread practice among the Hindus of India to kill infant females and
abort female fetuses because of the obsession among these Hindu Indians for sons. This has
been one of the most horrendous traditional practices and in fact, a criminal social norm of
Hindu India from early times. The dowry system as practiced in India as an indispensable
custom in Hindu marriages is the reason for this appalling community practice. The Indian Hindu
dowry system requires the family to pay out a huge amount of money when a female child is
married. Therefore, for a poor family, the birth of a girl can signal the beginning of financial ruin
and hardship. Much of this utterly discriminatory criminal anti-female bias is to do with cultural
beliefs and social norms of Hindu Indians. What is noteworthy is the fact that this ghastly
custom is by no means, exclusive to poor Hindus, but prevails irrespective of the social and
economic status and educational exposure of Hindu Indians, wherever they may live in the sub
continent. By avoiding or preventing a girl being born, a family can avoid paying a large dowry
on the marriage of their daughter. Girls with older sisters are often subject to the highest risk of
mortality.

SON PREFERENCE

In Hindu India, sons are the parent’s only source of security in old age. This is particularly so
where women have little economic independence or cannot inherit property. Son preference is
also strong because in India women have fewer opportunities to earn income and invest
household resources in female children. In Hindu tradition, sons are needed by Hindus for the
cremation of deceased parents. Only sons can light the funeral pyre. It is a strong belief among
Hindus that sons help in the salvation of the souls of dead parents by performing the ritual
called “pind daan”. In the Hindu tradition, only sons can pray for and release the souls of dead
parents, and only males can perform birth, death and marriage rituals. In contrast, Buddhist
funeral ceremony is a very simple rite that can be performed by the widow, the daughter, or
anyone else. According to Buddhist thought, future happiness does not depend on funeral rites,
but on an individual's actions while living.

India is a country with the most pervasive preference for sons and one of the highest levels of
child mortality for girls in the world. Child mortality for girls exceeds that of boys by 43%.
According to a recent report of the United Nations Children’s Fund, up to 50 million females are
missing from India’s population as a result of systematic gender discrimination. In other words,
about 50 million girls and women are killed or disappear in India every year owing to this
criminal socio-cultural norm among Hindus. In India, there are less than 93 women for every
100 men in the population. The accepted reason for such disparity is the popular practice of
female infanticide in India. In the year 2000, 68 of 1000 girls reported to have been born in
India did not live beyond their first birthday and 86 of 1000 births did not live beyond age five.

According to the UNESCO, the problem is getting worse as scientific methods of detecting the
sex of a baby and of performing abortions is improving in India. Diagnostic teams with
ultrasound scanners detecting the sex of a child are commonly available all over India. They
advertise with catch lines such as “spend 600 rupees now and save 50,000 rupees later”. These
methods are becoming increasingly available in rural areas of India, and the trend towards the
abortion of female fetuses is on the increase. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, Punjab, and Gujarat are the provinces with the strongest preference for sons. This was
revealed by the National Family Health Survey of India conducted in 1992-93. The first two
provinces – Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are the foremost Dravidian provinces of India with a
combined population that exceeds 120 million. Tamil Nadu is the homeland of the Tamils
wherever in the world they live, and culturally linked closely with the Tamils of Sri Lanka. It is
well known that caste is a primary component of Tamil culture in Sri Lanka. Hindu religious
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practices among Tamils have reinforced their caste system. In fact, people of so-called low
castes are not allowed in Hindu Shrines patronized by the so called high caste Hindu Tamils.
The savage Tamil LTTE terrorist movement clearly reflected caste differences and rivalries.
These terrorists were generally drawn from the Tamil fisherman caste which is a so-called low
caste among the Tamils.

HYPOCRITIC ATTITUDES

It is ironical, in fact hypocritical, that alongside the differential treatment and for that matter
discrimination in the most extreme forms against females, the Hindus hold several Goddesses
in high esteem and special kovils are built to venerate them. According to the Hindu religion, the
Supreme Being has both masculine and feminine traits and the female part is as important as
the male part. Among prominent goddesses in Hinduism are Durga symbolizing moral order and
righteousness, Lakshmi symbolizing wealth and fortune – material and spiritual, Saraswathi
symbolizing arts, music, knowledge and wisdom and considered as the consort of Brahma the
creator of the universe in the Hindu religion, Kali who is the violent and ferocious of all
goddesses and is referred to as goddess of death and Parvathi who the consort of Shiva, the
trinity god in Hinduism. How can Hindu males venerate female goddesses while indulging in or
subscribing to gruesome criminal actions against females in their day to day lives?

For whatever reasons some Sinhala Buddhists also venerate a few of these Hindu goddesses
but what is important to note is that there is no hypocrisy as far as the attitude of these
Buddhists are concerned, because unlike their Hindu counterparts, Sinhala Buddhists do not
subscribe to the differential treatment and discrimination against women in the real world they
live in. Also, it is noteworthy that Buddhists hold motherhood in high esteem irrespective of the
gender composition of her family. Mothers may have special attention for her sons but not at the
expense of her daughters. In Buddhism, motherhood is considered as a position of high
responsibility and respectability. Highlighting this special position of the mother, the Buddha
raised the status of women in society. The Buddha said that a person has none else as worthy
of honour and respect as one's own mother. In Buddhism, the woman as the mother is always
mentioned first when referring to the parental pair in the compound form “mata-pita”. The father
is considered as playing a secondary role in bringing up children. In his discourses the Buddha
highlights the close intimacy in the relationship between mother and her offspring, showing that
none else can provide that love and protection of a mother to her offspring. When a mother fails
in her duty as a mother, neglects or ill-treats her children, the impact of such action on the
children is highly injurious.

DOWRY RELATED KILLINGS

There are deep rooted prejudices against women in India. Cultural practices such as the
payment of dowry tend to subordinate women in Indian society. Although the dowry was legally
prohibited in 1961, it continues to be highly institutionalized and grooms often demand a dowry
consisting of a large sum of money, farm animals, furniture, and electronics. The practice of
dowry abuse is rising in India. When the dowry amount is not considered sufficient or is not
forthcoming, the bride is often harassed, abused and made miserable. This abuse can escalate
to the point where the husband or his family burns the bride, often by pouring kerosene on her
and lighting it and killing her. Such killings are reported as accidents or suicides by the family.

In Delhi, a woman is burned to death almost every twelve hours. The number of dowry murders
shows an increasing trend. A 1997 government report stated that at least 5000 women die each
year because of dowry deaths, and at least a dozen die each day in “kitchen fires” which are
intentional. These official records are under-reported to a great extent. According to the 1997
report dowry deaths are showing an increasing trend. Convictions being rare, and judges who
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are usually men are often uninterested and susceptible to bribery. The lack of official registration
of this crime is well evident in Delhi, where 90% of cases of women burnt were recorded as
accidents, 05% as suicide and only the remaining 05% percent were shown as murder. The
maternal mortality in India is the second highest in the world.

LOW STATUS OF WOMEN

The low status of women in India is confirmed by the Human Development Report (1995) of the
United Nations Development Programme where the status of women in India is placed in the
bottom one fourth (1/4) of all 195 countries in the world. There are approximately 10 million
prostitutes in India (Human Rights Watch, Robert I. Freidman, "India’s Shame: Sexual
Slavery…," The Nation, 8 April 1996). There are 300,000-500,000 children in prostitution in
India (Rahul Bedi, "Bid To Protect Children As Sex Tourism Spreads", London’s Daily
Telegraph, 23 August, 1997). The ‘devadasi’ tradition prevalent in many parts of India,
prominently in Dravidian Karnataka province, continues to legitimize child prostitution. Tamil
Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra are considered "high supply zones" for
women in prostitution (Central Welfare Board, Meena Menon, and “The Unknown Faces"). In
the Districts bordering Karnataka and Maharashtra known as the "devadasi belt", women are in
prostitution either because their husbands deserted them, or they are trafficked through
coercion and deception. A devadasi is a woman married to a god and many of them are
dedicated into prostitution for a goddess named Yellamma. Tamil Nadu Hindu leaders such as
Jayalalitha will be doing a better service by her Tamil people if her attention is focused on
uplifting the low status of women in Tamil Nadu where prostitution is rampant.

In 1997, there were reports of Indian armed forces arresting, torturing and molesting women
and girls in Kashmir. Every day the local newspapers report such incidences. (KASHNet,
Human Rights Information Network, 14 August 1997). Women and girls have been
systematically brutalized and raped by Indian forces in house to house searches in Kashmir
between October 1996 and December 1997. ("Rape and Molestation: A Weapon of War in
Kashmir," The Institute of Kashmir Studies," 1998). Here, it is relevant to note that, withdrawing
their earlier allegation against our armed forces, the USA State Department declared later that
there have been no reports that rape and sexual abuse were used as tools of war in Sri Lanka
by our Military forces unlike in other conflict areas around the world. It is noteworthy that our
Military forces are basically composed of Sinhala Buddhists and are guided by Buddhist values.

SRI LANKAN SITUATION: IMPACT OF BUDDHISM

The Buddha's liberal attitude toward women had a great impact on the behavior of both men
and women in Buddhist societies. The Buddhist doctrine of salvation through an individual’s own
efforts presupposes the spiritual equality of all beings, male and female. This assertion of
women’s spiritual equality, explicitly enunciated in the texts has had a significant impact on
social structures and how women are viewed in the world. Women and men alike are able to
attain the Buddhist goal by following the prescribed path; no external assistance in the form of a
priestly intermediary or veneration of a husband is necessary as in the case of Hinduism. The
Buddha condemned the caste structure dominated by Brahmins and denounced excessive ritual
and sacrifice.

Understanding the culture of our nation involves knowing the basic values developed and
promoted in Buddhism. They have exerted the greatest impact on all aspects of life in our
motherland. Whether one calls Buddhism a religion or a philosophy, it is a way of life for
mankind so that all beings who are here and everywhere live in comfort and security, without
any threat on anybody's account, to their continuance and survival- “Sukhino va khemino
hontu sabbe satta bhavantu sukhitatta”.
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As an integral part of the Buddhist spiritual path, compassion is a state of mind that is non-
violent, non-harming and non-aggressive. It is a mental attitude based on the wish for others to
be free of their suffering and is associated with a sense of commitment, responsibility and
respect towards the other. Genuine compassion is based on the rationale that all human beings
have an innate desire to be happy and overcome suffering. They have the natural right to fulfill
this fundamental aspiration. On the basis of the recognition of this equality and commonality,
one develops a sense of affinity and closeness with others. With this foundation one can feel
compassion regardless of whether one views the other person as a male or female, infant, child
or adult, Hindu, Muslim Buddhist or Christian of whatever caste. It is based on the other’s
fundamental rights rather than your own mental projection.

INNER DISCIPLINE OF BUDDHISTS

Gaining peace and tranquility of mind is what Buddhists seek because it is such a mind that
enables the development of wisdom and insight and thereby the experience of true happiness. It
is the cultivation of one’s mind that is central to Buddhism and not the observance of dogmas
and beliefs. Inner transformation by one’s own efforts is what Buddhists strive to attain. Inner
discipline is the basis of Buddhist spiritual life and this involves combating negative states of
mind such as anger, hatred, greed, and jealousy and the cultivation of positive states of mind
such as compassion, kindness, tolerance and caring.

“Greed” indicates uncontrolled desire for, and attachment to material and other forms of worldly
comforts, for wealth, dowry, power, fame and sons instead of daughters. The impulse of
“hatred” involves resentment, rage and envy that are triggered when our egocentric desires are
not fulfilled. These escalate into various forms of destruction and violence like in the case of
aborting female fetuses, getting rid of female infants and discriminatory treatment of daughters
as opposed to sons in Hindu families. “Delusion” refers to willful ignorance of reality or the
ignorance of the true nature of life and the world. The wisdom that illuminates and reveals the
true nature of life is referred to in Buddhism as “enlightenment.” Delusion clouds and obscures
the light by which one might see things in their true nature. It makes one believe in something
that contradicts reality.

BUDDHIST PRINCIPLES: THE FOUNDATION OF OUR NATION

Buddhist values are geared at developing a social ethic which, would contribute to co-existence,
mutual understanding, co-operation and total harmony. It is to achieve this goal that Buddhism
very strongly upholds that mankind is of one species, and hence everyone should be charitable
and liberal towards the others, be pleasant in speech to them, do whatever is beneficial to them
and above all, be impartial and treat all equally. To strengthen impartiality, people are advised
not to succumb to biases and prejudices not to give in to hatred, fear, confusion, but to rise
above them and do what is righteous. This concept of righteousness, which is designated by the
term ‘Dhamma’ in fact, provides the firm foundation for the whole of Buddhist culture. The
general admonition is to do what is righteous or Dhamma and avoid what is unrighteous or
adhamma and what is righteous is what is beneficial to one and others, as well.

On this basis all that is beneficial to oneself and others is considered meritorious or Punna and
wholesome or Kusala and their opposites as demeritorious or Paapa and unwholesome or
akusala. As Stanza No. 183 of the Dhammapada states: Not to do any evil, to cultivate good, to
purify one’s mind – this is the Teaching of the Buddhas. It is on this basic teaching that Buddhist
values are developed, lives are moulded and social relations are cultivated. This explains why
Buddhist culture attempts to nurture in the people a feeling for others, to mutually share with
others moments of happiness and joy, to show respect to elders, to care for parents to attend on
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the sick and destitute, to honour and respect those who are deserving, to treat guests and
visitors with friendliness and affection. These values brought and taught by Buddhism have
sunk deep into the ethos of our people. The Panchaseela or five ethical precepts for lay persons
provide additional content to the Buddhist conception of social institutions and conceptions of
the good. These precepts enjoin refraining from killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct and
intoxication. Put together, and viewed in a social context, they together constitute advice against
violence and actions likely to sow discord, and advice towards openness and integrity. These
more general values can inform the development of social institutions.

NO SEX PREFERANCE

Sri Lanka’s Constitution guarantees equal rights without discrimination on grounds of sex and
provides for affirmative action to ensure equal rights. In 1993, a “WOMEN’S CHARTER”
became law, providing greater policy coherence on women’s issues and this Charter has been
accepted as the cornerstone of all policy decisions on women by successive governments. A
democratic society founded on Buddhist principles enshrined in its social order and institutions
has a greater prospect for success, greater prospects for providing its citizenry with good lives
and in fact greater claim to moral legitimacy. Generally in Sri Lanka, especially among the
Sinhala people, there is no sex preference for males in child birth. In fact, having a daughter as
the first child is considered as a blessing and a good omen for the new family. Also, dowry is not
a primary consideration in most marriages in the Sinhala community. In some arranged
marriages the girls’ party may declare prior to decision on marriage whatever that is offered as
dowry for their child. Often it is left to parents to offer what they could in whatever form, for their
daughter, as a form of material assistance for the new couple to establish themselves
comfortably. In fact, in most arranged marriages the socio-economic standing of both parties,
including property ownership, financial standing, education and professional status are primary
considerations.

DAUGHTERS ARE ECONOMIC ASSETS

In contrast to the situation in India and other South Asian countries in general, in Sri Lanka,
increased economic opportunities for women have resulted in parents regarding their daughters
as economic assets rather than as liabilities. Increased opportunities of education for female
children have led to an increase in their income-earning potential and thereby raise their
economic value to their parents. Compared with other Southern and South Asian countries, the
status of women in Sri Lanka is found to be more advanced. The many social welfare
programmes of post-independence decades have helped to create favourable conditions for
women, promoting greater participation of women in the development process. These include
(a) rapid expansion of literacy and educational attainment of women, (b) improved life
expectancy and decline in fertility and (c) wider participation of women in formal and informal
economic activities.

Female literacy is quite high at 87% in Sri Lanka for several years. Female literacy in urban
areas is 91%, while the rural rate is 78%. School attendance is equally high for both sexes at
84 per cent. In 1987, nearly 60 per cent of married women in the age group 15-49 years had an
education beyond the primary level. The percentage of women entering universities in Sri Lanka
has increased to 54.3%. About 50% of our school going population consists of girls. According
to the New Internationalist, Issue 240 - February 1993, in developing countries of Asia and
Africa, fewer girls than boys go to school and they spend fewer years there. Out of 100 million
children not in primary school, two-thirds are girls.

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The maternal mortality ratio is 32 per 100,000, the lowest in South Asia, whilst the child mortality
rate under the age of 5 has declined to 10.2% per thousand live births. The average life
expectancy of women in Sri Lanka is 76 years which surpasses the male life expectancy rate.

The economic participation of women in the modern sector has shown a marked increase in
recent years and has helped to improve their social mobility. In manufacturing industries and
export oriented modern industry about half of the total employed are women. Increased
employment opportunities for women have given them a high degree of economic
independence and personal freedom. With the opening up of foreign employment opportunities
many women in our society play a constructive role in improving the economic conditions of
their families by working abroad. Today 48% of our overseas workers comprise women. In the
higher echelons of the public service and in the professional categories in the private sector
women are increasingly playing a key role. In urban areas, many women are higher wage
earners than their male spouses.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BUDDHIST AND HINDU MARRIAGES

In Buddhism, unlike in Hinduism and Christianity, marriage is not a sacrament. It is a purely

secular contract. In the Sigaalovaada Sutta the Buddha gives advice of a very practical nature
to a young layman on how spouses should treat one another. The marital union is approached
in a spirit of warm fellowship. The marital relationship is a reciprocal one with mutual rights and
obligations, which is a momentous departure from Hindu ideas of marriage. The significant
point is that the Buddha’s injunctions are applicable to both parties.

In ancient India a widow was expected to lead a life of strict celibacy and severe austerity upon
the demise of her husband, for she was thought to be bound to him beyond death. With the
death of husband she loses her social and religious status. In Buddhism, by contrast, death is
considered a natural and inevitable end for all beings. As a result, a woman suffers no moral
degradation on account of widowhood, nor is her social status altered in any way. In Sri Lankan
society, a widow does not have to proclaim her widowhood in any tangible way, such as
relinquishing her ornaments, shaving her head, or practicing self-mortification. The remarriage
of widows is a common practice with no stigma attached. The disgusting sati ritual is unknown
in Sri Lanka or any other Buddhist society. In India, in the year 1990, more than 50 widows were
burnt alive when their husbands' bodies were cremated in a ritual known as "sati," based on the
belief that a Hindu woman has no existence independent of her husband. (Sonali Verma,
"Indian women still awaiting independence," Human Rights Information Network: Indi News
Network Digest, Volume 2, Issue1648, 16 August 1997).

LESS VULNERABLE TO DISCRIMINATION AND OPPRESSION

What is important to note is that within the family, Sri Lankan women are less vulnerable to
discrimination and oppression than their counterparts in India and other South Asian countries.
The extreme situations of male dominance such as dowry deaths and widow immolation which
are common in Hindu India are unheard of in Sri Lanka. So is the traditional practice of child
marriages which is widely prevalent in India and totally non-existent in Sri Lanka. About 40% of
the world’s child marriages occur in India. According to UNICEF’s “State of the World’s Children
– 2009” report, 47% of India’s women aged 20to 24 were already married before their legal age
of 18, with 56% in rural areas.

These positive comments on the status of women in Sri Lanka do not imply that everything is
fine with Sri Lankan women. There are many serious issues and pervasive problems that
remain unresolved, such as sexual assault, rape and spousal abuse associated with alcohol
abuse, but the fact remains that on a comparative basis, the status of women in Sri Lanka is far
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better than that of women in India and other countries of South Asia. In general, women in Sri
Lanka are relatively free from extreme forms of discrimination and harassment that are
characteristic of Indian women and generally of women in other major Asian cultures. The social
freedom enjoyed by women in Buddhist societies such as that of Sri Lanka, has evoked
comment from many Western observers. A complete lack of segregation of the sexes has
distinguished Buddhist societies from those of the Middle East, the Far East, and the Indian
subcontinent, where segregation has often lead to the seclusion and confinement of women
behind walls and veils.

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane

January 28, 2011