Senaka Weeraratna 

What should the Government of Sri Lanka do to contain the adverse effects on Sri Lanka in the rest of the World by the spread of the false narrative and pseudo history that the Buddha was born in Sri Lanka, including instituting action in court for wilful distortion of historical fact and diabolical undermining of the Buddha Sasana which the State is mandated under Article 9 of the Constitution to protect and foster?  

Query:  Senaka Weeraratna 

AI Overview Response is as follows:

To contain the adverse effects of the false narrative that the Buddha was born in Sri Lanka, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) must act under the constitutional mandate of Article 9, which requires the state to “protect and foster the Buddha Sasana”. 

Proposed actions to combat this, based on calls for state intervention, include:

• Legal Action and Court Proceedings: The State, particularly the Attorney General, is urged to initiate legal proceedings against individuals or groups spreading false narratives that undermine the Buddha Sasana. This includes treating the spread and dissemination of pseudo-history as a “civilizational injustice” and initiating action for distorting Buddhist history.
• Establishment of a Regulatory Framework: The Ministry of Buddhasasana is expected, as an overwhelming legitimate expectation of the Buddhist public, to establish a “Constitutional National Buddhist Heritage Commission” to monitor and protect against the distortion of Buddhist heritage.
• Preventing Misuse of Media: Authorities are called upon to act against social media and online content spreading, as reported, “myths” about the Buddha’s birth and travels.
• Archaeological Evidence and Education: The Department of Archeology is advised to officially refute these claims and bolster the promotion of authentic archeological findings (e.g., Lumbini). Educational curricula should be reinforced to highlight established Buddhist history.
• Utilizing the ‘Kathikawatha’ (Code of Conduct): The Sangha Council can pass regulations (Kathikawatha) to control monks who promote such narratives, in line with traditional methods of purifying the Sasana.
• International Engagement: To mitigate damage to Sri Lanka’s reputation in the international Buddhist community, the government should engage in educational efforts regarding the authentic history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka (as an “island of the Dhamma”) rather than a place of birth. 
• Investigate whether these bogus claimants and distortionists have foreign backers to continue the mission started in 1505 with the arrival of  foreign missionaries to dislodge Buddhism from its paramount place among religions in Sri Lanka 
• Legal Steps

• The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is constitutionally mandated under Article 9 to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana. Addressing the “Buddha born in Sri Lanka” narrative—which mainstream historians and archaeological evidence from Lumbini (Nepal) classify as a myth—involves a combination of legal, archaeological, and diplomatic strategies. 
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Legal and Judicial Measures

• Enforcement of Penal Provisions: The GoSL can use Section 291A and 291B of the Penal Code, which criminalizes acts intended to wound religious feelings or outraging religious sentiments through the distortion of teachings.
• Fundamental Rights (FR) Petitions: Legal precedents exist where individuals have filed FR cases in the Supreme Court to compel the Minister of Buddha Sasana to take action against threats to the Sasana’s integrity.
• Buddha Sasana Task Force: The establishment of a Task Force Advisory Council can facilitate formal legal and administrative dialogue on how to prosecute those spreading pseudo-historical claims that cause schisms and hurt to Buddhists, both locally and globally. The historical fact of a Buddhist Civilization built by the Sinhalese Race as seen in the ancient ruins of Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Dambulla, and Polonnaruwa among others must be treated as a non – negotiable. They provide undeniable evidence of a sophisticated, enduring civilization.  

Administrative and Archaeological Actions

• Official Debunking: The Department of Archaeology has previously stated that myths regarding the birth of the Bodhisattva in Sri Lanka will not be allowed to spread, as they harm the religion’s credibility.
• Scientific Excavations: Conducting excavations at sites associated with these myths (e.g.,

Hiriwadunna

) under the supervision of the Buddhist Advisory Committee to provide empirical evidence that refutes false claims. 

International Diplomacy and Outreach

• World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB): Utilizing global platforms like the WFB to reaffirm Sri Lanka’s adherence to the historical consensus of the Buddha’s birthplace in the ancient Indian subcontinent.
• Diplomatic Reassurance: Engaging with Nepal, India, China, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and the wider Buddhist world to distance the State from fringe narratives that threaten international religious harmony. 

Internal Sangha Discipline

• Mahanayaka Thero Intervention: Encouraging the Heads of Buddhist Nikayas to take disciplinary action against ordained monks who lead or support these distortions, potentially through disrobing for violating Dhamma Vinaya.
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Source: AI Overview