KAMALIKA PIERIS

Yahapalana’s attacks on the Maha Sangha are part of its attack on Buddhism, Buddhists and Buddhist worship. This anti-Buddhist strategy has clearly been planned well ahead and given to Yahapalana to implement.

Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka observed in 2016 we can see that strategies are being discussed among various NGOs and the present rulers seem to be going along with them,  one instance is the Katikawata Bill, the intention was to suppression of the sangha. There is no need for a Katikawata bill, the Vinaya rules are sufficient.  Kiribathgoda Ananda has over a 1000 monks under him. They conduct themselves well.”

Uduwe Dhammaloka continued, there is now a move by NGOs to say that ordaining young boys as monks is child abuse.  We know that as far as Buddhism is concerned adult ordination will never work. Monks have to be ordained when they are young otherwise they will never be able to conduct themselves in a manner required of monks. We now see subtle attempt to portray the ordination of children as child abuse. There was a video clip of a young samanera crying for his mother that was shared on social media networks some time ago. These subtle campaigns which strike at the very root of Sinhala Buddhist culture. If child ordination is eliminated the sangha will be gone in one generation.  

Derana   news on 10.9.19 showed a young man repeatedly slapping two samanera bhikkhus repeatedly for allegedly taking an item from a shop. An onlooker came forward and stopped him but only after about half a dozen slaps had been given. The next day Derana news showed the two samanera in hospital. The man was arrested and the camera showed him apologizing for his action.

Samanera bhikkhus are also featured elsewhere. The popular teledrama ‘Sidu’ features a village temple, its chief priest, his assistant Ven.  Rahula and two little samaneras, Soratha and Subhoda. ‘Sidu’ thus shows the three levels of bhikkhus in the Sangha community, senior, middle and junior, their role and the difference in attitude among them.  The samanera are shown to be normal, mischievous little boys, training to be priests. Before it became a soap opera, Sidu” was a lovely film. Buddhist philosophy was  woven beautifully into  a relaxing film which offered,  suspense, melodrama, excitement, ‘pight’, ‘comit’ and ‘luv’. 

The international conspiracy leaders have studied the Sangha as individuals and selected the most suitable bhikkhus for what they had in mind. These handpicked monks talk and behave in a manner designed to turn Buddhists against Buddhism. That is the nature of the conspiracy. Getting the monks involved is part of the conspiracy. This has also happened in Burma where monks were brought into disrepute., said Uduwe Dhammaloka.

There is a small group of monks playing a major role in creating disturbances in the country.  They paved the way for the present government to come to power. These monks were completely unheard of until they started creating disturbances on the streets. This is a small minority of monks with suspicious linkages to the west.  

It is these monks who were arrested at Homagama. They were brought to court like criminals with their heads covered, Things that were not done even in colonial times are being done now. Our monks are now aware of what is going on, we discuss these matters, concluded Uduwe Dhammaloka.

The pin pettiya in temples is also targeted. Some time ago, the pin petti of Alutgama and Dambulla viharas were sealed by the Department of Buddhist Affairs. The public protested and the Department gave in. In September 2019 another round of pin petti sealing  started. The pin petti at Badulla raja Maha vihara were sealed.

In September 2019, the audit Division of the Department of Buddhist affairs had come Tissamaharama Raja Maha vihara to do a surprise check of its pin petti. The petti were sealed to be taken for examination to the Department of Buddhist Affairs. The auditors has said that the temple had not maintained proper records of the pin petti money.

 The chief priests at Tissamaharama told Derana that they were unable to get the money they needed for the next perahera due to the bomb blast. They needed about 1.3  million .They needed  another 50 lakhs or so, to keep the chaitya whitewashed and  pay the workers and feed them for about two or three months. The Chief priest also observed that there was a Christian Church in Tissamaharama which had about three hundred acres of land. Are they checking there as well, he asked. ( This is an extract from the revised version of   Yahapalana versus Maha Sangha Pt 4”)