"Ledi Sayadaw was a Revolutionary"
Ashin Kovida's understanding of Buddhism has evolved over the years, leading him to a state of contentment and lack of worry. He now sees Buddhism as a timeless and adaptable philosophy that doesn't need to undergo radical changes but requires a shift in the way it is approached. He draws inspiration from Ledi Sayadaw, a 19th-century revolutionary monk, who spoke in plain Burmese to make Dhamma accessible. Ashin Kovida believes that Buddhism remains relevant by emphasizing the practice of its teachings rather than worrying about its preservation. He dismisses the idea that extremist or violent behavior is necessary to protect Buddhism, asserting that such actions contradict the essence of Buddhist teachings. His confidence in the enduring strength of Buddhism lies in its timeless wisdom and its ability to adapt and thrive in the face of changing times.
“Worrying about losing the Buddha’s teaching is not the way to the Buddha’s teaching. If you want to follow the Buddha’s teaching, just practice. That’s it!”
“Buddhism doesn't need to go anywhere! Ledi Sayadaw, he was revolutionary; so, he was criticized by the conservative monks. Because he gave a Dhamma talk in a plain Burmese language, while the other conservative monks, they speak Dhamma in Pāli, which nobody understands. And so we don't need to [do that]. Buddhism doesn't need to go anywhere, but the monks have to change the way to approach the Buddha's teaching.
The Buddha, I believe, the Buddha did not teach his theories, his philosophies; the Buddha just shared his experience. The experience, I think, is nature. That nature has always remained the same. Buddhism goes to that which is the internal, but the material, the modern, modernization goes to the external. It is different.
Buddhism will give us peace. If we worry about losing the Buddhism, I think this is against the Buddhist teaching. We don't need to worry about anything; we don't need to attach to anything that will make us peaceful. This is the Buddha's teaching. Worrying about losing the Buddha's teaching is not the way to the Buddha's teaching. If you want to follow the Buddha's teaching, just practice. That's it.
So, we don't need to worry. The monks only should have to change the way to approach the Buddha's teaching. And as you know, the monks have knowledge; but now, this is ‘borrowing knowledge,’ sutamayapaññā, cintāmayapaññā, and bhāvanāmayapaññā. There are three different kinds, different levels of wisdom and knowledge. Borrowing knowledge, they just learn from the books! They do not know anything if they do nothing about it. Maybe you know, there's an English saying, ‘Reading without thinking is like eating without digesting.’ So, Buddhist monks, if we just learn by heart, by heart without thinking anything. So, we learn a lot, but we don't know anything; that’s ‘borrowing knowledge.’ It will not help us to make progress or to develop physically or mentally or anything.
The doctors give us prescriptions. Just reading the prescriptions will not cure our diseases. It’s like [those nationalist, conservative] monks are reading prescriptions from the doctors. And then, thinking alone, thinking about the Buddha's teaching, also it will not help us. We have to study and then put what we have learned into practice; that will help us, I think. Now, the monks who worry about losing Buddhism. They do not really practice; they do not really think about it, an intellectual level.”