Buddhism is the most marketable product right now, says social analyst Chinthana Dharmadasa.
Racism and so forth were sold until now in the name of Buddhism, giving a low value to the product called Buddhism, he says.
Dharmadasa was participating in Chatham Street TV YouTube channel’s ‘Heta Hadana Kayya – Machan’ programme moderated by Shanuka Karunaratne.
Explaning further, he said: “Buddhism is the most marketable product right now. We must sell Buddhism. Racism and so forth were sold until now in the name of Buddhism. People do not accept them as products. That gave a low value to the product called our Buddhism. That gave the message that Buddhism is a racist, non-dissenting subject. That is not what I am saying. Buddhism means the great symbols like loving-kindness and compassion. Buddhism also has an advanced methodology about an alternative life including meditation. We can sell Buddhism to the entire world. Because it is only us who have the copyright. It came from India, but India does not have the right. Buddhist marketing, Buddhist psychology, Buddhist trading and even Buddhist prostitution will do. Because there were Ambapalis in the past. That is the right angle. I am not belittling Buddhism. We can add a spiritual approach to every subject we know. That spiritual approach freshens up our subject. We can package it and give it back to the world.”
