Senaka Weeraratna

The most important question that people particularly Buddhists should ask themselves is, What are the lessons that we can learn from the total destruction of Nalanda University in the 12th Century? The answer lies in the necessity of Self Defense and the improvement of our abilities of Buddhist resistance. 

If the Buddhists cannot defend their own citadels no one else will do it for them. Nalanda University was ransacked and destroyed by an Islamic fanatic called Muhammed Bakthiyar Khilji, a Turk, and 200 other troops on horseback. With no armed guards at the entrance, it was a cakewalk for the intruders to destroy this magnificent tertiary institution. The lesson in the modern era for both Buddhists in Asia and members of the Sanatana Dharma in India is to improve your Self Defense capabilities. What happened on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka in 2019 and Nalanda University in 1202 in India are somewhat interrelated.

When a group of people is ideologically driven to destroy the faith and the religious edifices of other religions nothing will stop them as shown many a time in history books. If Buddhists continue to bury their head in the sand like the proverbial Ostrich when Buddhism is in danger, then Buddhists have only themselves to blame for any tragic consequences resulting from their inaction and lack of taking proper defensive measures.

Senaka Weeraratna