• Taking Buddhism piecemeal

• EPF refund anomalies

• Pensioners' allowances

• Setting the clock back

Taking Buddhism piecemeal

The Buddha has stated that outside of His Noble Eightfold Path, comprising Right Understanding, Right Mindedness, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, there are no saints.

Only after following His Path to its culmination, Nibbana, is the discipline named Sotapanna, Sakurdagami, Anagami, or Arahant - the four stages of sanctity, each eradicating certain defilements. Buddhism is to be accepted in its entirety, not as now, in bits and pieces, plucked out and broadcast as the teaching, or even worse, circulated under the name of the pilferer as his own discovery.

One such famous lifter - no doubt to ease his conscience - asserts that Vipassana was in India, got lost and then was found. Vipassana meditation appears first, repeat first, in the Buddha's Eightfold Path, as its Seventh Step, 'Samma Sati'. I did not exist before, neither in India, nor elsewhere.

Buddhism is very much in vogue, but mostly not as the Buddha taught it. Vipassana meditation is the rage, even western universities printing papers on it, but no mention at all of its originator, the Buddha, and for what all important purpose he preached it.

The Karaniya Metta (the Buddha's Loving-Kindness discourse) is selling like hot cakes in translated recordings in the west, as a psychological/physical enhancement therapy.

It must be pretty mind-boggling for anybody ignorant of the Buddha's right understanding of phenomena to be confronted with "...as a mother, at the risk of her own life, cherishes and protects her only child, so cultivate love towards all living beings..."! Psychiatrists say that many mental disorders are due to believing in other teachings, while at the same time trying to hang on to the Buddha Dhamma, which presents a totally different view.

Another trend is neo-Buddhism, given prime time on our TV and preached by hirelings paid to distort and destroy the true teaching. They cleverly start by hitting out at superstition, quoting especially the Buddha in the Dhammapada, "Mind precedes all mental states...", and triumphantly conclude that mind should replace their Atma/Soul stranglehold.

In emphasis, they discard the teachings altogether - the four noble truths, dependant origination, five niyamas, 31 planes of existence, five characteristics, sixfold sense-sphere, kamma and rebirth according to one's deed, etc. Shuddering at rebirth (even though in Buddhism, unlike in other teachings, bad kamma can be acted upon by good kamma) their innate dislike of karmically having to pay their dues, makes them reject it, especially the four woeful states.

"Who has returned to tell us it exists?" they wail, recoiling in horror, ignoring Rover and Kitty sprawling nearby. The Buddha calls the animal kingdom one of the four woeful states of existence, with no simile to describe its suffering.

We hear several neo-Buddhists are in bad shape, both mentally and physically, especially the principal promoter, not remembering in the afternoon what he had preached in the morning! Once, passing a herd of buffaloes, the Buddha smiled.

When asked why, He replied that there was more than one 'Sakvithi Raja' in the herd! The highest composite attainment, the realm of neither perception nor non-perception, was reached before the Buddha's advent.

But when its karmic term expires, plummetting down to buffalo status or worse is very possible. One good reason to take the Buddha's doctrine whole! From the deliverance preached by Him, which is the result of the true vision of reality, there is no fall.

PREMA RANAWAKA-DAS - Moratuwa

EPF refund anomalies

I retired from service in August 2005 and submitted my application for refund on December 1, 2005. Labour Department forwarded my application to the Central Bank on the 09.01.2006 with its approval for refund under advice to me.

EPF section of the Central Bank wrote to me on January 19, 2006, indicating the amount refundable and to obtain Tax clearance from Inland Revenue and forward to them to effect refund.

When I checked the amount shown by the EPF as refundable, I found that it was understated by approximately Rs. 148,000. I sent a registered letter to the Assistant Superintendent of EPF in writing under registered cover on the 23rd ultimo setting out details of the amount understated.

Since I did not receive any reply, I contacted him by phone recently and his reply was that the balance (the understated amount) will be refunded once the accounts are updated.

Will the superintendent or his Assistant reply the following questions which clear the doubts of the members of the fund? 1) My contribution for the first half of 2005 had already been acknowledged by the issue of Members Account Statement. How did you issue the Members' statement without updating the account? My 1st half contribution for 2005 was also not included in the amount mentioned in Assistant Superintendent's letter. 2) Contribution for July and August 2005 was also omitted by the department although the last employer certified the application, as required by the labour dept., stating the contributions remitted to the EPF in respect of the above mentioned months. 3) If the EPF cannot refund in accordance with the certification by the employer in respect of contributions for the last two months of employment, then why should the Labour dept. insists that the contribution should be certified by the employers. 4) If the position that the balance of approximately Rs. 148,000 in my case, will be refunded after updating the members' accounts is correct, is it not wrong for the purpose of Income Tax Clearance since it should be obtained on the full refund? 5) If what the Assistant Superintendent told is true, then all those who obtained refund in the year 2005, had they worked in few months of 2005, would not have received their full refund. His letter never mentioned that it is only a part refund, the title of the letter included the period that has not been included for refund. This is strange. As an Accountant by profession, I have the habit of checking the calculations and contributions whenever I receive the members' statement. Ordinary workers, I am sure, will simply accept refunds as calculated by the EPF. 6) Why should a member wait until the accounts are updated? Why can not the EPF refer the Returns submitted by the employer and prepare the refunds if accounts are not updated?

D. DEVAKUMARAN - Colombo

Pensioners' allowances

The pensioners have been granted increases and allowances from time to time, but the pensioners are not aware of these details, and they are not in a position to verify the accuracy of their pensions, especially when there are revisions of pensions.

Recently, pensions of all pensioners who retired prior to 01-01-97 have been revised, but the pensioners are in the dark in regard to the computation due to the lack of information regarding the increases and allowances paid from time to time until 31-12-96.

Similarly, the pensions of this category of pensioners are to be revised on the salaries which came into effect from 01-01-97 (B.C. Perera Salaries Commission)

Under these circumstances, it will be of great help to all pensioners if the Director of Pensions is kind enough to have a notification in the newspaper in all 3 languages giving the following information.

(a) Increases and allowances paid to pensioners as at 31-12-96.

(b) Increases and allowances paid to pensioners from 01-01-97 to 01-01-2006 (both days inclusive)

If this information is made readily available to the pensioners, there will be less pensioners calling over at the pension units of the Divisional Secretaries, for clarification of the accuracy of their pensions.

T. SATKUNANTHAN - Colombo 6

Setting the clock back

I refer to the letter by R. Singarayer (March 9) in which he explained that the proposed change of time in Sri Lanka by half an hour will be beneficial in terms of daylight saving time.

It is true that such daylight saving is possible and taking place in almost all the countries located far away from the equator.

For such countries day time is much longer than 12 hours during summer season and can be long as 20 hours if located near the North or South pole.

But for countries located near the equator the length of day time is nearly 12 hours throughout the year. Therefore the process of 'advancing the clock by one hour' is not relevant as a measure of energy saving.

Long ago all countries were using their Local Standard Time ahead (or behind) GMT in blocks of 30 minutes, for example the local time in Sri Lanka and India was five and a half hours ahead of GMT. Later on most countries including Sri Lanka got rid of 'half hour' which was considered as inconvenient in international business matters.

M. KARUNARATNE - Taiwan