Fly Buddhist flag in all temples - Ven Rahula

Priyanka KURUGALA

The people must hoist the Buddhist flag in all the temples of the country since now, said Peradeniya University lecturer Dr Ven Kotupitiye Rahula, addressing the 125th Buddhist Flag anniversary ceremony at the Independence Square in Colombo, Wednesday.

He said that it is the responsibility of the Government, monks and the people to protect our culture and religion. The Government can make a massive influence on culture, Buddhism and the language, he added.

"Today we are facing so many problems in our Buddhist identity. Now the standard of the Buddhist Flag has been neglected. The size of the Buddhist flag should be in the ratio of 2:3.

"The flag should be hoisted to flutter in the wind. No outside symbol should be incorporated in the Buddhist flag".

Some people wrap flags on their bodies when they organise free meals or pandals, with no respect for it, he said.

Wrong sermons are preached by some monks giving wrong meanings to the Tripitaka. Pansala, Aramaya and Viharaya are the words Sri Lankans used to indicate the temple throughout history. Asapuwa is a new word being used now. At present the word paramitha is used for romantic reasons. Those are misuses, he emphasized.

Addressing in English, Ven Ananda Thera from Holland, said the Buddhist revivalist movement was first headed by Ven Weliwita Saranankara Thera who encouraged scholar monks to spread Buddhist learning throughout the country. However with the arrival of the British in 1796 the process was negated.

The visiting French journalist J. Barthelmy Sainte-Hilair has gone on record to say that the situation in the country was such that monks did not have the vitality to save Buddhism. This is wrong as Buddhist leaders worked for the revival of Buddhism.

Buddhist Theosophical Society Chairman S.E. Weerasekera also addressed the gathering.