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　　 The essence of his proposal for a new constitution is that Sri Lanka should have a new government that is not based on party politics but is based on the dhamma. Guru B feels that the competition between the political parties in Sri Lanka has been the ruin of the country. To replace the current system, he proposes a new democratic government that employs the dhamma as its standpoint. Specifically, he would base it on the Buddha's teaching of the "Dasa Raja Dhamma" or Ten Royal Dhammas, and the "Seven Dhammas To Prevent Decadence Of Society". Guru B explained that he had this idea about three years ago but now people have encouraged him to come forward with the proposal.

　　 Based on dhammic principles, his constitution proposes to attain three primary objectives: the welfare of the people; the unity of the people; and unity for the country. These objectives are to be achieved by following what he calls four principles, although some of these so-called principles sound more like further objectives. The four principles state that government, "(1) should safeguard the democratic rights of the people, (2) should not be a burden to the people, (3) should ensure that the rulers gather in harmony, conduct affairs in harmony and disperse in harmony, and (4) should ensure that suitable and worthy citizens emerge as the nation's rulers." These principles extend the ideas of the Dasa Raja Dhamma: although it is important to note that the proposed constitution does not mention Buddhist teachings too explicitly because Guru B wants to respect the ethnic and religious diversity in the country as much as possible. The proposal just sets out these four principles, which he sees as democratic and neutral. However, Guru B's constitution does contain an item proclaiming that "the State is obliged to safeguard and foster the Buddha Sasana" while also protecting the "existing places of worship of other religions." The inclusion of this statement echoes previous Sri Lankan constitutions and the concerns of SBF and SBN, and demonstrates that this new constitution would not be a complete break with that.

　　 This new government would be a democracy with independent executive, legislative and judicial branches. One significant difference from the present system in Sri Lanka would be that the legislators would serve without pay in honorary but elected positions. He hopes that this feature would help to eliminate both corruption and competition, which he regards as two of the most destructive aspects of the democratic system. The Guru explained that the people are ready for such a system because "they are fed up with the exploitation by the present system."

Summary:
　　 Guru B is of interest because he exemplifies several of the themes shaping both the meditation movement and contemporary Buddhism. In him we see some of the ways that the theme of economic encompassment affects the meditation movement. Through his appeal to the upper classes and business people, he addresses problems that have been created by the global economy and the related changes in society. Buffeted by the ups and downs of the open market economy that was adopted by the government in the late 1970's, people want to find ways to "fight back" and to retain or regain their Buddhist orientation. By applying the dhamma to these issues, Guru B has come to be seen as an exalted guru. His authority stems from both his knowledge

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of the Buddhist scriptures and what his followers believe about his own attainments in meditation. His authority also seems to derive somewhat from his ability to keep one foot in each of the two contrasting worlds, the dhamma and business.

　　 His venture into the realm of government demonstrates the political encompassment of the meditation movement. The idea of a no-party system has been espoused by various people in Sri Lanka for some time. In recent years it has been proposed by A.T. Ariyaratne of Sarvodaya also. What is interesting here is that a meditation guru is stepping into politics. The meditators may be seeking wisdom, but they still exist in the political context and cannot ignore the current situation in the country. So this guru proposes to correct the situation by drafting a new constitution based on the dhamma. This shows that SBF and SBN are not totally unrelated to this whole movement. The constitution that Guru B proposes is very much oriented toward Sinhala Buddhism, even though he is careful in his draft not to stress this point because he hopes that the Tamils and other minorities will accept the principles of this new constitution.

　　 Is this draft constitution a means by which this guru seeks to come to power himself? I asked him whether he was interested in serving as president of this form of new government. He replied that he would not compete for the presidency under this system, however, if the people came to him and invited him to serve as president, that would be different and he would be glad to make the necessary sacrifices and serve. He views this move as consistent with his career as a dhamma teacher and meditation teacher because it would enable him to put the dhamma into practical effect. This would be "his one big final dhamma dana (gift)." Guru B explains that this kind of government could bring peace and that if such a system were in place, people would find it much easier to practice meditation.