War Crimes did by Sri Lankan Army…

Sri Lanka and Government Army of the country have been subjected to criticisms by International community, because of allegations of war crimes directed at them. A commission appointed by former secretary of UN, Ban Kyi Moon too concluded that at least 40 000 civilians were killed during the last stages of the civil war, based on “credible sources.” However people of the Sri Lanka and government is denying all these claims vehemently. So there may be the question “Who is telling the truth, Sri Lanka or International?” Most of the international community who is raising these concerns has no intimate experience at war field and what happened really. So in that sense they can be misguided. On the other hand Sri Lankan people and Government too can be biased because of their chauvinism. Since all these parties are not so credible, I found a party who can’t be biased for the country, and know intimately what happened in the war field. So let’s ask from them. They are the former members of LTTE, soldiers of the Tamil liberation army defeated by government forces. They have no reason to lie to protect the country (they fought for a separate country for their race) or government or Sri Lankan Army.

Following witnesses which have been translated into English are taken from an article published in Lankadeepa newspaper (one of the major Sinhala language newspapers of the country) under the title “Former LTTE members who came to the right path.”

Varman Gopika – I’m a former LTTE member. They (LTTE) called me Gopi. I joined with them when I was about 16 of age. In 2007 they ordered that someone from every family must join to their army. So I joined them on behalf of my family. It was a very unfortunate incident. We… still young children were given only a 14 days training and were sent to the battlefield. We didn’t keep any expectations about our future. In Pudumathalan I was wounded. …From the landmines. So I was fortunate to avoid the being in combat and so I’m alive.  I was given a blood of a wrong group by our members and I’m still suffering because of that.

When we are surrendering to the Sri Lankan Army, we lost our all hopes about the life. We did it because we have nothing other to do. We thought that they will surely kill us. But what they did? They give us food, since we haven’t got any food for days. They rehabilitated us. And they recruited us with their forces and give us these new lives. Now we have got bank loans and have a bicycle and earning a salary. My husband is also in the civil security force. We didn’t have such dreams as family life etc. when we were members of the LTTE. Now we are fortunately get everything wanted for a beautiful life because of the army and civil security force. So we owe them very much and give merits and blessings to them, honestly.

Genesh Nirosha – I’m Ganesh Nirosha. My alias was Kavipriya. I worked as a R.P.G. leader in the LTTE. I lived in Vishvamadu. I had to join with them at age of 17. I joined with them so that my younger brother will complete his education. I was trained in Muthiankattu and faced many battles. In Pudukudiirippu  I was to be in the midst of a hard battle. SL army attacked us without a pity. I was hit in my stomach. I covered the wound from a piece of cloth and crouched back. Our members gave me medicine at Mancholei. I have given a blood of a wrong group and now I’m facing the side effects. When I was hit, our members left me and escaped. When I came to Mancholei I found that my mother and father had done even my funeral ceremonies thinking that I was dead. They had gone to Zones ruled by SL Army. At the time army was attacking to the Mancholei too. A lot of our members died from the combat. I was the only survived one. I surrendered to the army. They sent me immediately to get medicine. It was like a dream. When surrendering I hoped that they will kill me at the very moment. They care about me than our members did. I got well soon and then rehabilitated. I was in a wheel chair for years. My husband left me at the time. After I got completely cure, I joined with the Civil Security Force. Now I’m serving for years. (Now I can) I teach my child well. And I can care about my parents. I didn’t hope that I was able to have such a beautiful life.

Kanapathipillei Thawarasa – I joined with LTTE when I was 14 years old. I was given the alias Bharathiraj. It was in 1991 I joined with them. Now I’m 42. I have many experiences in the battlefield (for I served for very long time). I can’t remember the number of battles I was in. It was the Wanni mission most dreadful battle I was in apart from the Jayasikuru mission. I did not have no hope about my life at that battle. We can’t even think of how to face, we were severely got hit. But we fought till the last moment. However I got wounded at Mullivaikkal. I was badly wounded when I was found by the army. When I heard the Sinhala words, I left the desire to my life. I wish that I had a Cyanide capsule to commit suicide. I hope that I got shower of bullets on my head. But the youth (who found me) gave me water to drink! Then I was carried to the hospital on the shoulders of the soldiers of the SL army. I could not believe what was happening. I was given the medical treatments there. Then was rehabilitated and given this job to earn and carry on my life. 

However there may be the question that, “since those former LTTE members have been “rehabilitated” by Sri Lankan army, maybe they are saying these things perhaps they have been brainwashed or they are saying that under the duress?”

If this question popped in your mind too, I think you must watch this video. How Rathnapriya Bandu, who was a colonel of Sri Lanka army worked with and helped to rehabilitated LTTE members, was given a farewell by them.

Can such an emotional act be a fake?

Muhammad and Buddha : Who was the Scientific One?

Every religion says that it is the only true religion. But since the content, goals and teachings of those religions differ from one to one, all these claims can’t be true. So how can we know who is telling the truth? We can’t check the truthfulness of their teachings about afterlife etc., for such notions are beyond our experiences. But we can check the truthfulness of their claims about the Earth, Sun, Stars etc., for today we know about them than in the old ages in which those religious teachers lived. If a teacher lived in ancient times, has said correctly about those entities and facts which were then unknown and was impossible to known from technology existed in that ages, we can only assume that, that knowledge has been acquired through supernatural powers they had, and hence can consider it as a certificate of the truthiness of that teacher and religion he preached. And further we can conclude that, since only one truth can be existed, all other religions and teachers are false.

Comparison of the Scientific Knowledge of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Gautama Buddha

First we’ll look at the astronomical knowledge of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Here is Bukhari 4.54.421;

Narrated Abu Dhar:

The Prophet (ﷺ) asked me at sunset, “Do you know where the sun goes (at the time of sunset)?” I replied, “Allah and His Apostle know better.” He said, “It goes (i.e. travels) till it prostrates Itself underneath the Throne and takes the permission to rise again, and it is permitted and then (a time will come when) it will be about to prostrate itself but its prostration will not be accepted, and it will ask permission to go on its course but it will not be permitted, but it will be ordered to return whence it has come and so it will rise in the west. And that is the interpretation of the Statement of Allah: “And the sun Runs its fixed course For a term (decreed). that is The Decree of (Allah) The Exalted in Might, The All- Knowing.” (36.38)

This hadith is also reported in Bukhari6.60.326, Bukhari6.60.327, Bukhari 9.93.528, and Muslim1.0297

Here is Bukhari 2.018.167 also;

Narrated Abu Musa:

The sun eclipsed and the Prophet (ﷺ) got up, being afraid that it might be the Hour (i.e. Day of Judgment). He went to the Mosque and offered the prayer with the longest Qiyam, bowing and prostration that I had ever seen him doing. Then he said, “These signs which Allah sends do not occur because of the life or death of somebody, but Allah makes His worshipers afraid by them. So when you see anything thereof, proceed to remember Allah, invoke Him and ask for His forgiveness.”

It’s interesting to me to compare the Islamic prophet’s knowledge regarding sun with that of the Buddha.

in  Chulanika Suththa of The Threes of  Anguththara Nikaya (Numericals), [3.2.3.10], Buddha says to the Anandha thero;

“A thousand times the world in which the sun and moon revolve and light up the quarters with their brightness is called a thousandfold minor world system. In that thousandfold world system there are a thousand moons, a thousand suns, a thousand Sinerus king of mountains, a thousand Jambudipas (Indias), a thousand Aparagoyanas, a thousand Uttarakurus, a thousand Pubbavidehas, and a thousand four great oceans; a thousand four great kings, a thousand [heavens] of devas (angels/gods) [ruled by] the four great kings, a thousand Tavatimsa [heavens], a thousand Yama [heavens], a thousand Tusita [heavens], a thousand [heavens] of devas (angels/gods) who delight in creation, a thousand [heavens] of devas (angels/gods) who control what is created by others, a thousand brahma worlds.”

According to this paragraph “a thousandfold world system” is something consists of thousand suns and thousand worlds. We know that galaxies are consisting of thousands of stars like our sun. The other information in this paragraph is to indicate that there are many planets like ours in such a system. Existing geographical beliefs regarding the earth too have included indicating that those are similar kinds of planets to ours. Buddha may have just told that “there are many planets like this” and to make it more understandable, those who have written discourses of the Buddha may have added contemporary beliefs on geography and other myths regarding the earth. (It’s after about 500 years of the great demise of the Buddha, discourses of the Buddha were written in books. Until then they came in oral tradition.) 

Buddha lived 2500 years ago. But he knew about even the galaxies. But this is not the most interesting fact concerning above quote. It defines the “thousand times the world” as an area in which the sun and moon revolve around. This is not geocentricism since it does not say “sun revolves around the world/earth.” Instead it says “the sun revolves around the thousandfold world system.” Since a thousandfold world system is an entity consisting of thousand stars, it can’t be our solar system. So it does not say sun revolves around the earth, it says sun revolves something consist of thousand stars. The only entity we know that consisting of thousand stars is galaxy we live in or “milky way”. So Buddha has said sun revolves our galaxy. Is that true?

Here’s a quote from an article from a site monitored by NASA.

“The Sun, and everything that orbits it, is located in the Milky Way galaxy. More specifically, our Sun is in a spiral arm called the Orion Spur that extends outward from the Sagittarius arm. From there, the Sun orbits the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, bringing the planets, asteroids, comets and other objects along with it. Our solar system is moving with an average velocity of 450,000 miles per hour (720,000 kilometers per hour). But even at this speed, it takes us about 230 million years to make one complete orbit around the Milky Way.”

So if a person who lived 2500 years ago has acquired such an unbelievable astronomical knowledge like sun travels around the Galaxy, what do you think about it? Have you any doubt regarding “higher spiritual state and wisdom” attained by such a one? And about that religion?