Dr. Daya Hewapathirane The Muslim community in Sri Lanka is a small non-indigenous minority settler community amounting at present, to about 10% of the total population of the country. They are the descendants of small groups of Arab traders, exclusively males, who came to the island at different times in the past. In the late […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane  All salient aspects of the Sinhala Buddhist culture, tangible and intangible, either grew or evolved within the borders of Sri Lanka. Sinhala language and literature evolved and developed in Sri Lanka. All other languages used in Sri Lanka originated in other countries and therefore belong to or are associated with other nations. […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane    Muslim Hostility Since Ancient Times                                                             Those professing Islam have been the biggest enemies of Buddhists and Buddhism throughout history. Buddhists have suffered extreme forms of violence, untold persecution and discrimination from Muslims since the 12th century, with the ruthless Muslim incursions of ancient Buddhist nations in the Central Asian and Himalayan regions. […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane May 16th 2009 – People’s Spontaneous Post-Terrorism Reaction                                                 The historic victory over Tamil terrorism, with the elimination of the savage terrorist leader Prabakaran on 16 May 2009, led to a spontaneous elated reaction on the part of all  patriotic citizens of Sri Lanka. There was countrywide lighting of fire-crackers and ringing of […]

Dr.Daya Hewapathirane Vesak has fivefold significance for the people of Sri Lanka.  It marks (1)        the birth, (2)        the attainment of enlightenment, and (3)        the parinibbana or the final passing away of the Buddha, (4)        it signifies the beginning of the Buddhist New Year and (5)        the arrival in Sri Lanka, of Prince Vijaya, the […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane My motherland – whatever label you may wish to ascribe to it – Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Heladiva, Helabima or Sinhalay, is one of the few countries in the world that has remained intact within the same national borders, as a single political entity or island nation for over 2500 years or a […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane The Muslim community associated with Myanmar or former Burma, known as Rohingya Muslims are not indigenous to Myanmar. They are a relatively recent migrant community of Myanmar. Most of these Muslims are illicit immigrants who migrated from Muslim neighborhood regions of Bengal India during the British colonial period and later from East […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane Buddhists account for about 95% of the population of Thailand and most foreigners refer to it as the Land of Yellow Robes”. Buddhism has been the established ‘religion’ or spiritual force in Thailand for many centuries, according to some historic sources, since the 9th century, and therefore has had a marked influence […]

 Dr. Daya Hewapathirane WORLD’S FIRST BUDDHIST UNIVERSITY DEMOLISHED BY MUSLIMS. NALANDA: lIustrious International Buddhist University from 5th century CE to 12 century CE.   At the end of 12th century, Muslim invaders demolished the university, burnt down its priceless library, and mercilessly massacred its scholars including Buddhist monks In the 6th century BCE, Buddhism was well […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka March 2009 The following is an article I wrote ten years ago, in March 2009, and published in the Lankaweb in the same year, warning the then government to take necessary action immediately on the establishment of Muslim Madrasas, so that possible problems in the […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane Buddhists of Bangladesh are descendants of the earliest Buddhists of the Indian subcontinent and inherit the illustrious Buddhist culture and civilization of ancient India. Buddhism thrived in the greater Bengal region of northeast India from the early 3rd century BCE until the 12th century CE, making the region the last stronghold of […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane Kashmir has been referred to as Paradise on Earth” owing to its stunning natural beauty. The great Buddhist Emperor Asoka (273-236 BCE) was instrumental in introducing Buddhism to Kashmir. The introduction of Buddhism to Kashmir is of great historic importance because it was from Kashmir that Buddhism spread to the Himalayan region […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane     There are ample historic records which describe vividly the atrocities committed by Muslims against millions of Buddhists in several countries. Their criminality has not subsided despite their living among other religions in different countries. Buddhists have been the most victimized and harassed religious community in the world, owing to actions of Muslims […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane The Bodu Bala Sena is a movement under the leadership of group of distinguished, academically accomplished, and deeply patriotic Bhikkhus and lay Buddhists, dedicated to the task of revitalizing and reinforcing cultural nationalism in Sri Lanka, the only motherland of the Sinhala community. In spite of varied challenges and threats to which […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane The small communities of Tamils and Muslims living in Sri Lanka, amount to a total of about 24% of the country’s total population. These communities are descendants of groups of individuals, exclusively males, who initially arrived in this island at different times in the past for various purposes, and later settled down […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane.  All ethnic and cultural groups within society are not equal and therefore need not be treated in the same way. All people do not hold the same values. All those who are privileged to have  Sri Lanka was their home, should be aware of the fact that the foundation of our nation, […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane Historically, Muslims have gone to great lengths, even waging wars, to impose Islam, their version of what they deem to be the one and true way. The attitude and position of ‘exclusivism’ adopted by Muslims, that Islam is the only true religion and rejecting the legitimacy of other faith traditions, does not […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane The Muslims of Sri Lanka should be aware of some important historic facts about Sri Lanka, if they are serious on becoming a legitimate part of this great nation. First, they should realize that, they are a small settler community in this country amounting to about 9% of its total population. Prior […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane Sufism or the Sufi Muslim Ideology Traditionally, Sufism or the Sufi Muslim ideology had been the predominant Islamic spiritual tradition observed throughout Southern Asia, including Sri Lanka. Sufism is   considered to be the mystical, ascetic branch of Islam which emphasizes personal experience with Allah. Sufis can be members of either the Sunni […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane  The world renowned Israeli Professor Yuval Noah Harari, a historian, philosopher and author of the international bestsellers translated into 50+ languages and sold worldwide  with his book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” (2014) looking deep into our past, his second book  Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow” (2016) considering far-future […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane The elderly population (over 60 years) in Sri Lanka amounted to 2.5 million or 12.5% of the total population in 2012.  In three years or by 2021, Sri Lanka’s elderly population is expected to increase to 3.5 million (this compares roughly with the total population of Colombo and Kandy districts in combination). […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane   Noise can have a pronounced physical effect on our brains resulting in elevated levels of stress hormones. Studies have proven that silence is good for your brain and by maintaining silence, one can feel less stressed, more focused, and more creative. Silence releases stress and tension in the brain and body, while […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane With the emergence of the Bodu Bala Sena”  initiative, our motherland is witnessing a strengthening of the Sinhala Buddhist revivalist movement which was spearheaded  by the late, Most Venerable Gangodawila Soma Thera. The Bodu Bala Sena is a movement  under the leadership of a highly distinguished, accomplished and deeply patriotic group of […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane In recent years, Muslim extremists, evidently influenced by the Wahhabi form of Islam, have started a campaign to disrepute and undermine Buddhism, Buddhist Bhikkhus and the Buddha Sasana which is the foundation of the national culture of this nation. In parallel, these Muslim extremists are propagating within Sri Lanka, life-style, education system […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane In his book Sapiens – A Brief History of Humankind”, Professor Harari states that Buddhists have studied systematically the causes of happiness and the essence of happiness, which is the reason for the growing interest in the scientific community, both in the philosophy and meditation practices in Buddhism. Yuval Noah Harari is a […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane The Silk Road was well established centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, providing opportunities for diverse groups of people to share not only goods but also their ideas and knowledge, including their spiritual faiths. In Jesus’ time, Buddhism was already five hundred years old and had spread from India in all directions within […]

 Dr. Daya Hewapathirane  The Rohingya Muslim community in Myanmar are not indigenous to Myanmar. Most of these Rohingya Muslims are illicit immigrants who have illegally migrated to Myanmar starting in the British colonial period, from Muslim neighborhood regions of Bengal India. Later they continued to migrate from East Pakistan (present Bangladesh). Being illicit immigrants, the […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane HISTORY OF THE TAMIL COMMUNITY OF SRI LANKA    Tamils and Muslims living in Sri Lanka, amount to a total of about 24% of the country’s total population. They are descendants of groups of individuals, exclusively males, who initially arrived in this island at different times in the past for various purposes, and […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane Altered Traits – Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body                                                                                […]

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane Sufism or the Sufi Muslim Ideology In the past, political strife among Muslims in the world, resulted in their division into two major rival groups – Sunni and Shias. Sunnis who form the large majority are predominant in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Jordan, Turkey, Syria, Pakistan, Bangladesh. The Shias who form […]