{"id":92614,"date":"2019-08-25T16:57:21","date_gmt":"2019-08-25T23:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=92614"},"modified":"2019-08-25T16:57:21","modified_gmt":"2019-08-25T23:57:21","slug":"yahapalana-versus-maha-sangha-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2019\/08\/25\/yahapalana-versus-maha-sangha-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"YAHAPALANA VERSUS MAHA SANGHA Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA\u00a0 PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

The Maha Sangha continued to show opposition\nto Yahapalana in 2019. The result was a ding- dong battle between the Sangha\nand Yahapalana.  The Maha Sangha have\nopposed Yahapalana on a range of issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sangha have spoken out against the   new constitution that   Yahapalana was planning to foist on the\ncountry. Ven. Bellanwila Wimalaratana said that Kotte Sangha Sabha had met and\ndecided unanimously that \u2018this constitution making process was not timely\u2019. Problems\nof the people in the North and the East could not be solved with a couple of\nsentences in a Constitution, he said. Ven. Keppetiyagoda Sirinimala of Getambe\ntemple also spoke against the new constitution. Yahapalana is \u2018playing around\nwith the country\u2019 ,he said. \u2018Now all of us and the country are going to be\ndestroyed.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sangha\nopposed other activities too. The Sangha opposed the decision to display\nphotographs of intelligence operatives \nbefore the public. They compared it to the Millenium City attack. Ella\nGunawansa, Medagoda Abhayatissa, \nIttakande Saddhatissa and \nPahiyangala Ananda all protested about \nthis  before the media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sangha also pounced on industrial\nventures. Magalkande Sudatta and Pahiyangala Anandasara spoke very vehemently\non the subject of the hospital waste brought from UK. \u2018There are    103 containers. They have been getting\nthese down in 2016 and 2017 too\u2019, said the well informed bhikkus. Thinniyawela\nAnandasagara showed  the camera the\ncustoms details of the consignment where it came from and who had got it down.. Jathika Bhikshu Peramuna\nrepresentative  Vatinapana Somananda  also \ncommented on the  subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A delegation of the Maha Sangha undertook an inspection tour of\nthe construction work on the second stage of the Central expressway. The tour\nstarted from Gettuwana junction in Kurunegala. Lakshman Kiriella and other\nMembers of Parliament were present. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sangha took a\nfirm stand on Muslim separatism. From\ntheir comments made to the media, it was clear that the Maha Sangha   had known about Muslim extremism and  have been watching Muslim separatism for a\nlong time. They were well informed about Muslim activities. They spoke of\nmadrasas,   Sharia University, date palms\nand the use of Arabic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the National\nConference on Peace Harmony and Coexistence, July 2019, Omalpe  Sobitha commented  openly on the \nMuslim  separatism, \u2018 why  do they wish to have separate law, dress, schools,\nuniversities\u2019, he asked.  At an Anti\nWahabi meeting at Kurunegala in July 2019 \nthere were three monks  on the\nstage. There were also four rows of bhikkus in the audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individual bhikkus  were active on this subject.  Pahiyangala Anandasara \nhas pursued the matter of the illegal Muslim settlements at Wilpattu.\nMedagoda Abhayatissa said on television news that he has evidence that at\nKattankudy 20 persons were killed according to Sharia law. Nithyawela Palitha\nsaid it was charged that the police had accepted money from Muslims and were\nrefusing to record complaints against Muslim extremism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamburewela Chandraratana said that    Yahapalana was preparing a Bill make the Batticaloa\nUniversity\u201d (Hisbullah\u2019s institute) and other such bodies legal. Once the Bill\nis passed it will not be possible to go to courts on the matter. Atureliya Ratana led a large procession in\nBatticaloa against the Batticaloa University\u201d In August 2019.  Many bhikkhus participated and television\nnews showed them shouting slogans. There was also a satyakriya of about 30\nmonks with two Catholic priests and one Hindu priest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sangha also\ndecided to try their hand at national policy. A \nSamagi maha sangha samuluwa\u201d  \nwas  organized by all Ceylon\nBuddhist Association   in March 2019, to\nformulate a framework of national policies to protect peoples’ rights\u201d. Nothing\nwas heard of this thereafter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in August 2019 The Buddha Sasana\nKaryasadhaka Mandalaya, composed of 12 very senior, erudite monks and 14\nPresidents of Buddhist organizations, with Diviyagahe Yasassi Nayaka Maha thera\nas President came up with a set of recommendations for candidates standing for Elections\n.  A sub-committee of monks  prepared the initial draft, presided over by\nVajiraramaye Nanaseeha (formerly Olcott Gunasekera) together with  lay persons. Diviyagahe Yassasi and  Thirukanamale Ananda presided over the final\ndraft . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This document  was submitted to the\nMahanayakas of the three Nikayas, the Archbishop of Colombo, the Bishop of the\nColombo Diocese, the  Kurrukal of the All Ceylon Hindu Congress and the\nPresident of the  All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama.  These persons also\nplaced their signatures to the recommendations indicating their approval and\nendorsement.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The document was titled “Towards the dawn\nof a new political culture of integrity in Sri Lanka” and subtitled\n“Recommendations that are proposed by Heads of all Religions on the\ninitiative of the Buddhasasana Karyasadhaka Mandalaya in respect of candidates\nstanding for Elections”.  It was published in the three languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The document was officially handed over at the\nceremony at  BMICH to the President,\nPrime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and all leaders of political parties\nor their representatives; also to the Secretary-General to Parliament, the\nElections and Bribery Commissioners and to Ministers and MP and members of the\npublic.       I\nhave included this here as  an\nexample  of the Sangha \u2018s new activism.\nIt is unlikely that anyone would to take action on these recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mangala Samaraweera said publicly that Sri\nLanka was not a purely Buddhist country.  In retaliation, Nithyawela Palitha openly\naccused Mangala Samaraweera of vancha and dusahana.\u2019There are 47 files against\nhim\u2019, he said. \u2018I have them with me\u2019. He said Mangala had sold some Benz and\nBMW cars got in 2014 for CHOGM at less than their real value. 55 Benz, 55 Nissan  Tirana \n60 Nissan Silfie   were  sold by Mangala’s ministry. Mangala was also\ninvolved  in the  SAGT commission. Mangala had brought down\ncontainers of karunka, pepper, ethanol. He is the  one person who had most  abused state property , he is a  darunuma thakkadiya, and hora, he owns 6\nhouses in London , said the  monk. He is\na fashion designer,  he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finance\nMinister Mangala Samaraweera  promptly\nreplied. He said  that he would sue\nthe  two private television channels for\nRs.1000 million each for giving wide coverage to the recent unsubstantiated\nallegations against him made by Thiniyawala Palitha. Anybody can make this\ntype of wild allegations, but any responsible media organization should be\ncareful before giving publicity to them. I was not even the subject minister\nwhen some of those alleged incidents happened,\u201d he said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yahapalana government\n was deeply antagonistic towards the Maha\nSangha and was determined to  hit   hard. Shakthika\nSathkumara,  wrote a story on a gay monk.\nHe was promptly locked up.\nBut that was only the preliminary.  Yahapalana\nthen charged that there had been considerable sexual  abuse of samanera in the Buddhist temples. This\nis the first time that this charge has been made so openly. Therefore  it is significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ranjan Ramanayake announced publicly that  there was sexual abuse of samaneras in the\nBuddhist temples. He said this was an open secret.  He \ntold the television media that he has a folder of appeals from samanera\nand  showed the file. He said that  had shown it to the Prime Minister too. Then he added that the bhikkus who are\npolitically active  today are doing so\nbecause they have all been sexually abused. \nThis  absurd  statement is good for a laugh, but the Sangha\ndid  not think it funny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sangha responded instantly. From Uva, High\npriest at Ella, Kithalelle Shanthasiri, flanked by about nine monks   protested \npublicly about the remark. Pahamune Sri Sumangala, and  Amburevela Chandraratne scolded\nRamanayake  at a media conference and\nsaid \u2018this is a crime and Ramanayake  should\nbe arrested.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Muruddeniya Dhammaratana, said that  there are others behind what Ramanayake said.\nHe is only a tool. Jamburevela Sangharatana said that  Ramanayake has got together with an American\nNGO and is saying things which could create in the public a sense of anger and\nrepulsion (kalakereemak) towards the Sangha. There is the danger that others\nmay use this accusation. Then we monks\nwill have to stop the work we are doing against this government . Television\nnews showed about ten monks going to the police division to inquire about the\nmany complaints made on this matter. Police said they have received 6 complaints\nand they will look into it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ramanayake\nwas Catholic and   the Catholic Church quickly distanced itself\nfrom the remark. Catholic bishop P.S.K. Francis \nsaid he was concerned about the remark. \u2018It is now time for the\nCatholic  clergy and the Sangha to join\nhands to ensure independence in this country. I apologize if the Sangha have\nbeen insulted.\u2019 Ranjan Ramanayake  then\nwent to  Malwatte and Asgiri,  worshipped \nand apologized if he had hurt the feeling of  silvat bhikkus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By his\nconduct, Ramanayake, who is a Christian, broke one of the golden rules which\nneed to be observed, particularly, among multi religious and multi cultural\nsocieties, observed an analyst. One of the guidelines to be followed is, that,\na follower of one religion should refrain from making disparaging remarks about\nthe teachings of other religions, or of institutions belonging to other\nreligions. Even if the Minister\u2019s remarks only related to a few monks, as\nclaimed by him, it would invariably, reflect on the institution of the Maha\nSangha and therefore, should be a \u2018No go\u2019 area, as far as any person who is not\na Buddhist is concerned, concluded the analyst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During\nBritish rule, in the 19th<\/sup> and 20th<\/sup>  century, the \nProtestant church  (which permits\nits priests to marry), would have watched the Buddhist   temples very closely and if there was regular\nsexual abuse, of samaneras and older bhikkhus, it would have been  immediately exposed.  I specifically looked for such  observations in the research literature ,but\ncould not find any. This can be taken as confirmation that there was no broad\nbased sexual abuse going on,  at the\ntime, because if there was, then the \nProtestant church would  jolly\nwell have  pounced on it and publicized\nit. That would have been the best way to \ndiscredit the Maha Sangha. NOTE: I have used the term \u2018Ven\u2019 in the first\nparagraph and discontinued it thereafter.(Continued.) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA\u00a0 PIERIS The Maha Sangha continued to show opposition to Yahapalana in 2019. The result was a ding- dong battle between the Sangha and Yahapalana.  The Maha Sangha have opposed Yahapalana on a range of issues. The Sangha have spoken out against the   new constitution that   Yahapalana was planning to foist on the country. Ven. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92614","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=92614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92614\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}