Malicious forces are conspiring to ruin the moral conduct and noble practices and traditions of Buddhists and to mislead and draw our young Buddhist monks towards fruitless and hopeless struggles, said Southern Province Governor Dr. Hemakumara Nanayakkara said.
The foremost objective of such vicious forces is to generate discord among the Maha Sangha and thereby to promote schism and destroy pure Buddhism and a spotless Buddhist society, the governor said.
He made the above remarks at the ceremony to offer credentials to Chief Incumbent of the Keeridola Daham-Lena Aranya Senasana in Elpitiya and Panna Pradeepa Bhavana Madyasthanaya of Thalgaspe in Galle, Ven. Ronnaduwe Gnanathilake in respect of his appointment as Galle District Deputy Sanghanayake of Shyamopali Vanavasa Maha Nikaya of Maha Vihara.
Since time immemorial, our venerable Maha Sangha has rendered an enormous contribution dedicating their lives to raise the Buddha Sasana and our motherland. Hence it is the obligation and duty of all Buddhists to protect and foster the Maha Sangha by providing them with Siv Pasa Upasthana. However, it is regrettable to note that there is a remarkable dearth in the number of discipline-compliant Buddhist monks today. In some areas, certain Buddhist temples have been devastated and closed down owing to the absence of Buddhist monks, he added.
The Governor who observed that some non-governmental organisations and institutions at present had launched discourteous missions by way of forming new religious sects to convert Buddhists into other faiths or cults, urged that the state rules and regulations instituted in respect of such unwarranted operations should be further strengthened and implemented properly and firmly.
Since the time of the ancient kings, the Maha Sangha always provided necessary guidance and advice in the rule of the country. A wide scope colloquium between the Maha Sangha and state rulers should be convened without further delay to review, discuss and formulate and introduce new preventive initiatives to arrest the adverse growth that is presently taking place in Buddhism and the Buddha Sasana, he reiterated.
A large number of the members of the Maha Sangha, regional politicians that included Parliamentary Affairs and Lands Minister Gayantha Karunathilake, Law and Order State Minister Piyasena Gamage and former Parliamentarian Geetha Kumarasinghe participated.