Mahinda Karunaratne The Vesak poya falls naturally on the 29th May which by means that the Vesak should be in the month of May according to Julian calendar we follow worldwide. From time and memory there had been no shifting of Vesak (or even Poson) festival. Since the Yahapaalana govt. came in to power, it […]

Editorial Courtesy The Island April 24, 2018, 12:00 pm Winston Churchill famously dubbed Russia a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. How would one describe Sri Lanka, under the yahapalana government? One may call it a tangle, wrapped in a jumble, inside a muddle. Anything King Midas touched got transmuted into solid gold, we […]

By Cyril Wimalasurendra Courtesy The Island April 23, 2018, 11:54 pm All other Buddhist nations, the world over, are making grand preperations to celebrate Vesak Poya Day, on May 29, and it is absurd for Sri Lanka to celebrate Vesak on April 29, Malwatte Anunayake Ven. Niyangoda Sri Vijithasiri Thera says. Even the international Vesak Day […]

Senaka Weeraratna Hony. Secretary German Dharmaduta Society It is with great sadness that I am conveying to you the heartbreaking news of the death of our close friend and dedicated Buddhist worker, Mr. D. Ananda de Silva, Assistant Secretary, German Dharmaduta Society. I have been informed by his son Renuka that his father died early […]

Kalathma Jayawardhane Courtesy The Daily Mirror Buddhasasana Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera said yesterday the ban of pandals on Vesak and Poson Poya Days would not be changed and stressed the need to focus on the spiritual aspect of religion rather than on mundane activities. He told Daily Mirror that this prohibition on pandals would only apply […]

උඩරට අමරපුර මහ නිකාය සතු මහනුවර හන්තාන ජාත්‍යාන්තර බෞද්ධ මධ්‍යස්ථානයේ ගොඩනැගිලි පසුගියදා කිසියම් පිරිසක් කඩා බිදදමා විනාශ කර තිඛෙනවා. මේ සම්බන්ධයෙන් අද එහි විමර්ශන චාරිකාවක නිරත උඩරට අමරපුරපුර මහා නිකායේ මහනායක අතිපූජ්‍ය නුවරඑළියේ චන්ද්‍රජෝති නාහිමියන් ඇතුළු පිරිසකට පොලීසියෙන් බාධා එල්ලවුණා. අමරපුර මහ නිකාය සතු මෙම ජාත්‍යන්තර බෞද්ධ මධ්‍යස්ථානය කිසියම් මැර පිරිසක් විසින් මෙලෙස කඩා බිද […]

By Prof. M. M. J. Marasinghe B.A. (Hon.) (Cey.); Ph.D.(B’ham);D.Litt.(Hons.(Kelaniya) Former Professor and Head, department of Pali and Buddhist Studies; Vice Chancellor,(1987- 1993, University of Kalaniya Courtesy  The Island Buddhism was introduced into this Island during the reign of King Devanampiya tissa in the third century B.C. by the mission of Venerable Thera Mahinda. The Mahindian […]

By Palitha Ariyarathna Peace can srilanka afford on ethical foreign policy was really through provoking.It is true that if migettuwatte Gunananda and Angaraika Dharamapala were alive today, they would have questioned and stood up for the protection of Buddhism and welfare of Sinhala peoples But now political has become a family matters or business venture. […]

By Palitha Ariyarathna Buddha and Buddhist life began to criticize by many news in the world and it’s deeply hurting the Buddhist world.  Peoples who are deal always with the judgments and criticisms about Buddhism insulting the Buddha by making bikinis with Buddha or bodi satwa state, using Buddhist emblems in their toilet accessories, or posting […]

Jagath Sumathipala Candidate for the Post of President of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress (ACBC) Dear Dhamma brothers and sisters As you are aware, a new Executive Committee for the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress (ACBC) will soon be elected on January 06, 2018 with your vote.  I write to inform you of my well-considered decision to […]

Ven. Bhante Y. Wimala Each year all around the world people come together and experience the first moments of the first day of the New Year with enthusiastic and joyful celebrations. As the fireworks light the night skies, music and singing echo the whole planet. Dancing, hugs and kisses connect people to one another as […]

Professor N.A.de S. Amaratunga DSc Kandy Buddha’s reason for the renunciation of household life was his intention to go in search of the good and the peaceful and not in search of the truth as some Western commentators have interpreted.  He has clearly stated his goal thus; Being one who has left household life in […]

ඡායාරූප  චතුර  එස් .කොඩිකාර උපුටාගැණීම ලංකාදීප කිතුසමිදුන්ගේ  උපත  සිහිපත්  කරන  අසිරිමත් නත්තල් දිනය කරමින්  සරත් හෙට්ටිආරච්චි  පියතුමා මහා ඝංඝරත්නයට උදෑසන  දානය  පිරිනැමීම  මොරටුව කටුබැද්ද  අඹගහවත්ත  පාරේ පියතුමාගේ  පෞද්ගලික  මැදුරේ  අද(25) සිදුකෙරිණි.   එම අවස්ථාවට සබරගමුව විශ්ව  විද්‍යාලයේ  කුලපති   මහාචාර්ය  කඹුරුගමුවේ වජිර නාහිමි, මහාචාර්ය  මැදගොඩ අභයතිස්ස හිමි ඇතුළු සංඝරත්නය වැඩම  කළ  අතර  දානය පිරිනැමී⁣⁣මෙන්  අනතුරුව  සරත්  හෙට්ටිආරච්චි  […]

Senaka Weeraratna Life is the most precious possession of all living beings. No religion can deny this simple fact.  Reverence for life is the epitome of ethics. To confine the reverence for life to only one species and discard the claims to live unharassed of the other eight million species that share the planet with […]

By Manushi Silva Courtesy Adaderana President Maithripala Sirisena said that he will make an official request from Russian President Vladimir Putin to remove the temporary ban on Sri Lanka tea exports. The President made this statement at an event in Haputale, a short while ago. The Russian Federation temporarily banned tea imports from Sri Lanka on December […]

Senaka Weeraratna “Ordering by the beat of the drum that no animals should be killed within a radius of seven gau from the city, he gave security to animals. He also gave security to the fish in the twelve great tanks, and bestowing on (the region’s people) gold and cloth andwhatever other kind of wealth they wished, he commanded them […]

New project in the phase of completion of external structures, in Japan, to relaunch this millennial Buddhist University.

Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge  Meditation is a mental exercise and it enhances the state of awareness. Awareness is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events (Wikipedia). The meditative awareness is often called blissful awareness which is a higher state of consciousness. Higher consciousness involves the ability to be conscious of […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane In the name of revival of Hinduism in India, between 830 CE and 966 CE (or mid 9th to late 10th centuries) the ancestors of the present Hindus of India were ruthless against Buddhists and brutally killed Buddhist monks and followers of Buddhism and wantonly destroyed many thousands of Buddha statues, stupes […]

Public Seminar sponsored by the All Buddhist Congress of Democrats At a Public Seminar sponsored by the All Buddhist Congress of Democrats on the topic Sinhalayo – The Great Heroic Nation Nurtured by the Sinhala Bhikkhu Fraternity ”and held on Monday November 18, 2002 at the J.R. Jayewardene Cultural Centre, Colombo the following Resolution was adopted […]

by Dr. Asoka Bandarage This year marks the centenary of Visakha Vidyalaya, the renowned Buddhist girls’ school in Colombo, Sri Lanka, named after the chief female benefactor of the Buddha. The Buddha remarked, Visakha stands out foremost among my women lay supporters… of the Order.”1 The generosity (dana) of royal and wealthy patrons such as Visakha and Anathapindika, […]

Buddhist Times – Cover story – January 2003 Soon we will be celebrating Independence. For millennia, Buddhist monks have played the historic role of defending the nation’s integrity. They are the true heroes of our Independence. The Buddha had exhorted his disciples to wander from village to village instructing the people for their good and well […]

German Dharmaduta Society and Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya Sanrakshana Mandalaya The 50th anniversary of the founding of the Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya (Mitirigala Forest Hermitage) will be commemorated at a public meeting to be held at the Nissarana Vanaya Aranya commencing at 2.00 p.m. on Sunday December 3, 2017 (Unduvap Poya Day). A Postage stamp together with […]

Courtesy The Daily Mirror The British woman who was deported from Sri Lanka for having a tattoo of Buddha on her arm said she had to leave Facebook after being abused by extremists, the BBC reported today. The 41-year-old Naomi Coleman from Coventry won compensation on Wednesday after being detained in the country for four days, in […]

In 1069, King Vijayabahu I of Ceylon (then called Sinhale) asked King Anawrahta of Burma for aid against the Chola invaders from Tamil country. Anawrahta sent ships of supplies in aid of Buddhist Ceylon. In 1071, King Vijayabahu who had defeated the Cholas asked King Anawrahta for scriptures and monks. The Chola invasions had left […]

Myanmar Buddhist HanMg Says: November 5th, 2017 The Buddha in his wisdom did not expect a nation or the rulers to be lame ducks in the wake of an enemy invasion. However Buddha’s expectations from one who is training to be an Arhant whether monk or layman are different and it should not be mistaken […]

By L. H. Mettananda Date: Circa 1954 The forces that are working today against the continuation of the Swabahsa medium beyond 8th standard are certainly not a mushroom growth. It is possible to trace their origins to the very beginnings of British rule in Ceylon. Just as the Kenya Government while engaged in the campaign […]

By Senaka Weeraratna Buddhism has shaped the lives of our people, the identity, and the direction of our society in a way unmatched by any other religion. Buddhism has been the national faith for over two millennia and the bedrock of the culture and civilization of the Sinhalese people. Sri Lanka is the oldest Buddhist nation […]

හිටපු ජනාධිපති මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා ජාත්යන්තර බෞද්ධ හා සංස්කෘතික සම්මේලනයක ප්රධාන ආරාධිත දේශනයකට සහභාගිවීමට අද (28 දා) ඉන්දියාවේ මහාරාෂ්ඨ ප්රාන්තය බලා පිටත්ව ගියේය. ඉන්දියාවේ මහාරෂ්ඨ ප්රාන්තයේ, අවුරංගබාත් නගරයේ බෞද්ධ හා සංස්කෘතිය පිළිබඳ ජාත්යන්තර බෞද්ධ සම්මේලනය මගින් මෙම ආරාධනය කර ඇත. අවුරංගබාත් නගරයද ඒ අවට මහාරාෂ්ඨ ප්රාන්තය ප්‍රදේශයද ඉන්දියාවේ බෞද්ධයින් වැඩි දෙනෙක් ජීවඉත්වන ප්‍රදෙශයකි. අවුරංගබාත් නගරයද […]

Senaka Weeraratna An expanded version of the Opening Address of Welcome from Senaka Weeraratna, Chapter Leader, Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA) Colombo, Sri Lanka Chapter delivered at the 2nd Asian Buddhist Animal Rights Conference held in Colombo on October 26, 2017. Most Venerable Aggamaha Pandita Kotugoda Dhammawasa Mahanayake Thera, and Venerable members of the Maha […]