{"id":100309,"date":"2020-03-24T16:58:17","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T23:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=100309"},"modified":"2020-03-25T16:01:46","modified_gmt":"2020-03-25T23:01:46","slug":"unique-accomplishments-of-the-sinhala-buddhist-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/03\/24\/unique-accomplishments-of-the-sinhala-buddhist-nation\/","title":{"rendered":"UNIQUE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE SINHALA BUDDHIST NATION"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong data-rich-text-format-boundary=\"true\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>Dr. Daya Hewapathirane\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sri\nLanka is the only country in the world that was visited by the Buddha on three different occasions. During\nthese visits, the Buddha set foot on 16 different places within the country\nwhich are still venerated as sacred sites (for details see Deepawamsa written\nin the 3-4<sup>th<\/sup> century CE). <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sri\nLanka and Thailand are the countries with the largest collection of relics of the Buddha. The most venerated among\nthese relics are The Tooth relic, the right collar bone and the Alms Bowl of\nthe Buddha are enshrined in Sri Lanka. All stupas found across the island\ncontain relics of the Buddha.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sri\nLanka\u2019s Sangha Sasana or the\norganization of the ordained Buddhist community is the world\u2019s oldest institution,\nwhich is unique in being still active and operational in Sri Lanka for over\n2250 years. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Sangha Sasana has\nsurvived in Sri Lanka for a continuous period that is longer than all dynasties\nof Chinese emperors, and much longer than the Roman and British Empires. It is\nnoteworthy that it has survived without armies and weapons, but merely through\nthe power of virtue and wisdom.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The oldest recorded\ntree in\nthe world, the Sri Maha Bodhi, is in Sri Lanka. It is the southern branch from the historical&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bodhi_tree\">Sri Maha Bodhi<\/a>&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bodh_Gaya\">Buddha Gaya<\/a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/India\">India<\/a>&nbsp;under which Gotama <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Buddha\">Buddha<\/a>&nbsp;attained&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bodhi\">Enlightenment<\/a>. It was planted in 288 BCE&nbsp;and is\nthe oldest living human-planted&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tree\">tree<\/a>&nbsp;in the world with a known planting\ndate.&nbsp;It is respected by Buddhists all over the world.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>World\u2019s oldest Buddhist, architecture, sculpture, monuments, dagabas, shrines and monasteries are found in Sri\nLanka.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>World\u2019s\noldest Buddhist paintings, literature including poetry are found in Sri Lanka.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Remains\nof world\u2019s oldest royal palaces and landscaped gardens are found in Sigiriya, Sri\nLanka. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>There\nis widespread evidence that Sri Lanka\u2019s ancient Sinhala Buddhist builders and planners were quite familiar with the\nprinciples of building construction or structural engineering, and some of\ntheir structures have lasted for over 1600 years. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Lovamahapaya (Brazen Palace) was the world\u2019s oldest skyscraper, 145 feet\nhigh with nine stories and the building was about 400 feet in length. It took six years for the construction and accommodated about 1000 monks. Ruins of this\nbuilding are found in Anuradhapura.&nbsp; <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The largest known brick structures of the\nworld are the ancient Buddhist stupas or dagabas of Sri Lanka, prominent among\nthem being Jetavanaramaya, Abayagiriya, Ruvanweliseya, and\nTissamaharamaya.&nbsp;The Jetavanarama\nStupa is about 400 feet high and is the largest brick structure in the\nworld.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The high degree of sophistication in\nengineering technology and skills in\nsurveying are well reflected in Sri Lanka\u2019s ancient Buddhist structures\nand monuments. These skills were transferred to Buddhist architecture,\nsculpture, and other works of art. &nbsp;Brickmaking,\nplasters for reinforcing bricks and rocks used in buildings and making of huge\nstatues, both indoor and outdoor, are of special significance. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Engineering\ntechnology of the ancient irrigation system of the island is of special\nsignificance. The vast man-made reservoirs and irrigation\nsystems that were developed by the nation\u2019s Buddhist royalty in the past, which\neven today defy engineering interpretation. The earthen and stone\ndams and reservoir systems, the canal network and related water control and\nmanagement structures and techniques display the skills of ancient Sinhala\npeople. The canal system is characterized by minimum siltation. The Jayaganga\nis 54 miles long and its first 17 miles gradient is ONE inch per mile. Our\nancient irrigation engineers, more than 2100 years ago, were the first\ninventors of both, the hydraulic surge chamber and the valve tower and to\nincorporate both principles in the same structure called the\n&#8220;bisokotuva&#8221; <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sustainable agriculture based on\nirrigation technology operational even today, some reservoirs being more than\n2000 years old. Adoption of\nenvironmentally friendly and compatible Water and Watershed management systems\nwhere the protection of forest land, soil and water resources were given\nhigh priority, thereby promoting\nenvironmental protection and biodiversity.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The brilliant surveying tradition of the ancient\nSinhala people is well reflected in the laying of the island\u2019s sophisticated\nirrigation system and related agricultural land management system. A sound\nunderstanding of the topography, geology and structure of the land was\nnecessary to plan and implement such sustainable water conservation and\ntransfer systems and to identify where reservoirs to be located and associated\nirrigated lands to be developed. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Mathematics and\nAstronomy\nwere highly developed in ancient Sri Lanka. The \u2018Sandesha kavya\u2019 (poetry)\nwritten in the 15<sup>th<\/sup> century refer to the teaching of Mathematics in\nSri Lanka. Geometry would have been a highly developed science in the past,\nbecause all the massive and complex structures designed and built in the past\nhad to utilize principles of geometry. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The sophistication of ancient City Planning is well evident in\nancient cities of Anuradhapura, Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa in particular. It\nincludes an amazing system of well laid out buildings and road network bridges,\nparks etc. Sigiriya had a system of underground canals. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A wealth of information on the country\u2019s past scientific\nand technological history lies hidden in the numerous ancient \u2018ola\u2019 palm-leaf manuscripts stored in Buddhist shrines\nacross the country, and in the National Archives and Museums.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Special types of plasters were developed and\nused on rock and on brick wall surfaces to effect paintings, ensuring their\ndurability.&nbsp; Some paintings found on such\nancient plasters are 1500 to over 2000 years old. Notably, the Hindagala, rock\nsurface paintings are over 2000 years old, and those of Sigiriya are more than\n1500 years. Pigments used in paintings are based on natural products and are\nused on varied surfaces \u2013 walls, ceilings, statues, wooden, cloth, earthenware.\n<\/li><li>Ancient Chinese reports refer to Sinhala ships\u201d. The\nbiggest ships that called at Chinese Ports during 4<sup>th<\/sup>-5<sup>th<\/sup>\ncenturies were from Sri Lanka. This is evidence of the marine engineering\nskills of the ancient Sinhala people. Sinhala ships crossed the ocean to Java &#8211; as\nIndonesia was known at that time. The present Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines\nand Maldives islands, and a good part of India were predominantly Buddhist in\nancient times, and there were close interactions and travel between these\ncountries. Sri Lanka was the ideal stop-over of the Ancient Sea farers sailing\nin the Indian Ocean to East Asia and Pacific. The ancient port of Mantota is\nreputed to have been an important port of call between China and Rome.<\/li><li>There was remarkable achievement in metal work industry \u2013 there were iron\nimplements during the 4<sup>th<\/sup> and 5 century BCE. The Tara statue and the\nAvaloketheesvara statue of Sri Lanka exhibited in several European, British,\nand American museums are considered among the best metal works of the past \u2013\noutstanding aesthetically.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sri Lanka\u2019s traditional pottery, ivory works,\nbrass works, lacquer work have a long history of development in the island and are\npopular household items even at present. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Medical Science \u2013\nAyurveda\nwas highly developed in Sri Lanka in the past. King Buddhadasa was a famous Ayurveda physician. Many books on\ndiverse aspects and issues pertaining to medical science and health were\nwritten in Sri Lanka, in Sinhala, Sanskrit and Pali languages. Among books\ncompiled by King Buddhadasa on medicine is the famous Saarartha\nSangrahaya\u201d.&nbsp; <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sri Lanka is the first country in the world to\nhave established a dedicated hospital in Mihintale, in the 3rd century BCE. There\nwere several other hospitals built in other ancient cities. The ruins of the\nhospitals in Mihintale and Polonnaruwa are still well evident. Several surgical\ninstruments were discovered in the ancient Polonnaruwa hospital premises. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>There were great physicians and surgeons in the\npast including Veterinary surgeons and animal hospitals. There is reference to\nelephants being treated for various health ailments. The world&#8217;s first recorded animal hospital was at Mihintale,\nestablished by King Devanampiyatissa in the 3rd century BCE<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The world&#8217;s first\nrecorded wildlife sanctuary was at Mihintale, established in the 3<sup>rd<\/sup>\ncentury BCE, by the Sinhala Buddhist king Devanampiyatissa.&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Popular traditional food ingredients of Sri\nLanka, especially the combination of spices popularly used in processing food namely\n\u2018thunapaha\u2019 including turmeric, ginger, garlic, curry leaf, cinnamon, coconut\nmilk are among the recommended healthy nutritional items of contemporary times\nacross the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sinhala language and literature originated in Sri\nLanka. From historical times, the\nSinhala language has been the defining element of the nation\u2019s culture.&nbsp; Sinhala\nis one of the world\u2019s oldest living languages.&nbsp; There have been a\nwide range of languages in the world, particularly in Asia which lived and died\nwithout leaving evidence of their existence, because they were never written\ndown. This is not the case with the Sinhala language. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The\nSinhala language grew out of Indo-Aryan dialects and exists only in Sri Lanka\nand has its own distinguished literary tradition. Overwhelming majority of\npeople of Sri Lanka are distinguished by their language \u2013 Sinhala, which even today has a strong unifying effect in\nour motherland helping to reinforce the solidarity of our people as a unique\ncultural entity in the world. Almost all\nplace names of the country from historic times, are in the Sinhala language\n\u2013 in the North, South, East, West and Central regions.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>There is a rich\ntradition of Sinhala Literature&nbsp; &#8211; prose , novels, poetry, lyrics, meaningful\nnames, Sinhala Songs, Sinhala Films and Sinhala jokes, Sinhala &#8216;baila&#8217; songs.\nSinhala Dances, Sinhala Drama, Sinhala motifs, designs, decorations, costumes,\njewellery, sculpture,&nbsp; architecture,\nhandicrafts, clothing, food and drinks.&nbsp; <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RECORED HISTORY OF\nSRI LANKA <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A good part of the long\nhistory of the island, has been recorded in an unbroken continuous manner. This\nwritten history goes back to over 2500 years and is described chronologically,\nin detail, in the ancient chronicles namely, Deepavansa (3<sup>rd<\/sup>-4<sup>th<\/sup>\ncentury CE), Mahavamsa (6<sup>th<\/sup> century CE), Chulavamsa, besides the\nRajavaliya, Pujavaliya, Dhatuvamsaya, Elu-Attanagaluvamsaya, Elu-Bodhivamsaya,\nMaha Bodhivamsaya,&nbsp; Thupavamsaya,\nDaladavamsaya and Viharavamsaya. This written\nhistory is supported by archaeological evidence, and reports of foreign\ntravelers of ancient times. Among archaeological evidence substantiating\nrecorded historic information are rock inscriptions.&nbsp; The written history of Sri Lanka is regarded as the second-most remarkable\nrecorded history in existence of an ancient and cultured civilization. It is\nsecond only to the records maintained by the Shang dynasty of Chinese emperors.\nThe historical chronicles narrate in detail the history of the country\nsince the arrival of Buddhism in 237 BCE or 3rd century BCE or about 2246 years\nago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The accuracy of this\nhistorical record of ancient Sri Lanka is generally accepted by means of other\nnumerous local and Indian edicts such as the&nbsp;\nrock edicts of Indian Emperor Asoka and records of the Fa Hien the\nChinese pilgrim monk, Roman historian Pliny and several others who have already\nbeen referred to. Also, by means of inscriptions, historical works, and\nliterary works as well as by way of ruins, renovated historical and Buddhist\nmonuments, ancient yet sophisticated irrigation networks, which extend the\nlifeline to date. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>HISTORIC MOTHERLAND OF THE\nSINHALA PEOPLE <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Compared to the other 196 countries\nof the world, Sri Lanka, the motherland of the Sihala or Sinhala people, is\nsmall, in terms of area (65,610 sq. km) and population (21 million). &nbsp;Sinhala is the ethnic group native to Sri\nLanka, forming the mainstream or the dominant\nindigenous community of the island for more than 2500 years. In fact, Sri Lanka is the only\nnational sovereign motherland of the Sinhala people. Their culture, way of life\nand their Sinhala language originated and developed in Sri Lanka. Sovereign\nnational rights of Sri Lanka rests with the Sinhala people who form the\noriginal dominant community of this country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The national\nculture of Sri Lanka is the Sinhala Buddhist culture, where Buddhist norms\nand principles and the Sinhala language form the foundations. With the arrival and spread of Buddhism in the island, there came an era\nof unsurpassed attainments and achievements.The island&#8217;s civilization\nachieved an individuality and identity that distinguished it from its\nneighbors. Sri Lanka\u2019s identity\nis based on the Sinhala Buddhist culture and the Sinhala language which is the\ndefining element of Sinhala culture. Despite foreign invasions, threats and\nvarious forms of challenges and atrocities, Buddhist culture has remained\nintact in the island, unlike the case with many ancient cultures in most other\ncountries in the world. &nbsp;Throughout most\nof its history, Sinhala kings and Buddhist institution of monks, played a major\nrole in the development and maintenance of Buddhist culture and institutions in\nthe island. The world recognition of the greatness of this unique\nSinhala Buddhist culture is reflected by the UNESCO designating ancient sites,\nincluding the ancient royal capitals of the Sinhala people such &#8211; Anuradhapura,\nPolonnaruwa, Mahanuwara (Kandy), Sigiriya and Dambulla as World Heritage Sites.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is only one nation in this island of Sri Lanka or\nSinhale. A \u2018Nation\u2019 is a self-identifying group of people who share a common\nhistory, a common language, a common culture and most importantly a homeland.\nIn other words, a nation is the most persistent alliance or organization of\nthree main social components -people-culture- territory. Culture can be defined\nas the system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that\nthe members of society use to cope with their world and with one another, and\nthat are transmitted from generation to generation through learning.&nbsp; In a broader sense, a subculture is any group\nwithin a larger complex culture who has interests that vary from those of the\nmainstream culture. In a more specific sense, it is a group with a distinct\nstyle and identity. Even though it is obvious that there are large number of\nsub-cultures within any given national culture, People live and think in ways\nthat form finite patterns that can be mutually constructed through a constant\nprocess of social interaction. The country&#8217;s predominant culture is Sinhala Buddhist.\nOver the centuries, both Hindus and Buddhists have co-existed well despite\noccasional politically motivated power struggles. One should not be confusing\nthe issue of citizens&#8217; rights with that of a nation&#8217;s identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>VICTORY OVER TAMIL TERRORISM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The historic victory over Tamil\nterrorism, with the elimination on 16 May 2009, of &nbsp;Prabakaran, the ruthless terrorist leader, led\nto a spontaneous elated reaction on the part of all patriotic citizens of Sri\nLanka. There was countrywide lighting of firecrackers and ringing of temple\nbells, and roadside gatherings of people serving and sharing traditional\n\u2018kiribath\u2019 in jubilation of the victory over terrorism and the dawn of peace in\nthe country after nearly thirty years of terror. It was a spontaneous\nexpression of the overflowing thrill, ecstasy and gratitude of ordinary people\nwho were overwhelmed by this great victory over terrorism, a menace that\nplagued Sri Lanka for some three decades. Roadside banners and posters\nhighlighted pictures of our gallant Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Defence,\nPolice and STF personnel, especially of those heroic ones who sacrificed their\nlives, fighting to save our nation from Tamil terrorists so that peace and\nstability would be restored in the country. They were expressions of the\noverflowing appreciation, joy and gratitude of our people towards the saviors\nof the nation \u2013 our heroic sons and daughters of the nation\u2019s military and\nsecurity forces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two weeks after the fall of\nPrabakaran, on June 03 009, our Nation celebrated on a formal basis, in a\nglorious manner, at the Galle Face grounds, our nation\u2019s Victory over racist\nTamil Terrorism,&nbsp; the grandeur of which was perhaps never witnessed in our\nland in its living memory. Here, then President of the country in his speech\nsaid that \u2026 t<em>his great and glorious\nvictory was achieved because of the younger generation \u2026. Young men and women\nfrom the four corners of Sri Lanka joined the Security Forces to free their\nMotherland. Some mothers and fathers gave their children to the Armed Forces\nand the police. When the eldest child had already sacrificed his life for the\ncountry, they gave more children to the Armed Forces. He said,  if anyone were\nto ask me what the secret of the victory is, I would extend my hands and show\nour beloved people, who include these mothers, fathers, wives who gave their\nclosest and dearest for this battle. Our entire nation owes an immense debt of\ngratitude to these mothers, fathers and wives. They sacrificed their children\nand loved ones for the nation, to save the lives of others. In order to defeat\nracist terrorism, the people of the country have a mature knowledge of the\nthreat before them. The fortune of a nation lies is such knowledge and\nmaturity\u2026\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>VIOLATION OF NATIONAL INTERESTS&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patriotic Sri Lankans will not\ntolerate any person or community whilst living in this Sinhala Buddhist Nation\nand considering it their home, deliberately misusing such privilege by scheming\nand adopting violent and extreme actions or contributing to such actions\nviolating the sovereignty, dignity, and territorial integrity of the Sinhala\nNation. This includes the ridiculously false and unfounded claims made by Tamil\nand Muslim leaders in pursuit of carving out ethnic or religious enclaves\nwithin the Sinhala Nation, merely because some of them had lived in some\nspecific places in the country for extended periods of time. Persons with such\nself-serving objectives and attitudes are traitors of the Nation and should be\ntolerated under any circumstances. There is no place in the Hela Nation for\nsuch traitors, double crossers, renegades, turncoats, collaborators of enemies,\ncriminals and terrorists, conspirators, connivers, schemers and emissaries,\nspies, secret agents, undercover agents, and double agents of the enemies of\nthe Sinhala Nation. The nation\u2019s patriotic forces, including Buddhist monks\nwho have from historic times been in the forefront in promoting and protecting\nthe Sinhala Buddhist culture of the island will not tolerate any disintegration\nof the national sovereignty, the cultural integrity, and the long established\nterritorial integrity of the country.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Genuine and practicing\nBuddhists of our country, or in general, those who strictly follow the Five\nPrecepts, should be more actively involved in politics either directly or\nindirectly. Most of the ills of our nation\u2019s political life could be attributed\nto the absence or withdrawal of genuine Buddhists from the nation\u2019s political\narena and the domain of the media where they could be quite influential in\nbringing about necessary changes in public opinion of issues that are of\nnational importance. Genuine Buddhists have a duty by the nation, which is\nfounded on Buddhist principles, to be fully involved and participating in\norganizations working for the welfare of the nation. This is particularly\nrelevant today because our nation is severely threatened at present by diverse\nnegative forces both local and foreign. It is the realistic Buddhist\nperspective to public life and decision-making, that is most needed today,\nespecially in the country\u2019s political domain. We need well educated, upright\nand patriotic politicians and professionals with unselfish and mindful interest\nin the welfare of the country to get to the forefront today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The nation is fortunate to have\na leader with such qualities and foresight, in her popularly elected new\nPresident of the country, but he needs an equally sound support base to &nbsp;bring about needed positive changes in public\nlife which at present is increasingly infected with dishonesty, crime, and\ncorruption. The impact and influence of patriotic and dedicated &nbsp;politicians and professionals can make a big\ndifference. They can help to generate a wholesome political culture,\ncharacterized by Buddhist approaches and attitudes and a truly Buddhist\natmosphere conducive to the development of a healthy political climate in the nation,\nso that all nationals will benefit irrespective of their diverse origins and\ncultural-religious inclinations. It is time that our practicing Buddhists\nentered the public arena in various influential capacities. Buddhism has always been engaged in various\nsocio-political contexts. The idea of interdependence is widely associated with\nBuddhism. Engaging in the lives of others through compassion, sacrifice and\nservice is the worthy spiritual path that the contemporary world needs to\nobserve. Buddhists should organize themselves or join legitimate organizations\nto become more socially engaged. They need to be better able to identify and\nunderstand social hardships, misery, and perils in their country, and do\nsomething tangible to relieve them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> <strong>Dr. Daya Hewapathirane&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong> <strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Daya Hewapathirane\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sri Lanka is the only country in the world that was visited by the Buddha on three different occasions. During these visits, the Buddha set foot on 16 different places within the country which are still venerated as sacred sites (for details see Deepawamsa written in the 3-4th century CE). Sri Lanka [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-daya-hewapathirane"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100309\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}