‘Dhamma School programme in Jaffna, the ideal healer’

Priyanka Kurugala in Jaffna

Commencing the Dhamma school programme in Jaffna is an ideal way to introduce the Buddha’s teachings to the Tamil community and is important to build religious harmony among all ethnic groups in the country, Tamil Buddhist Association president A Ravi Kumar said.

“This move will set right all misconceptions and wrong ideas drilled into the minds of the Tamil community in Jaffna about the Buddha during the past three decades,” he said.

Kumar said the Tamil Buddhist Association is not targetting any person for conversion to Buddhism. “Everybody has the opportunity to come to us and understand what is Buddhism, in accordance with the Buddha’s word Ehi Passiko, meaning come and see,” he said. “Buddhism is not a religion.

'Buddhism is a philosophy and a way of life. Everybody can follow the teachings of the Buddha and obtain peace of mind,” Kumar said.

The first Dhamma School in Jaffna was commenced centered at the Naga Vihara in Jaffna, yesterday.

It will direct the people towards reconciliation in the North who suffered under three decades of LTTE terrorism. The Tamil Buddhist Association is launching the Dhamma School programme in Jaffna.

“Tamil Buddhists who lived in the North were threatened by the LTTE and all activities which were launched by the Tamil Buddhist Association were deactivated,” he said.

The wrong ideas were inculcated by the LTTE in the minds of the Tamils that the Buddha belongs exclusively to the Sinhala majority. This has to be corrected, Kuimar said.

He said World Tamil Buddhist Association president L Logeswaran will provide funds through bank accounts opened by the Tamil Buddhist Association to each child in the first group of the Dhamma School programme in Jaffna.

These funds will be spent for the children’s education. This group will consist of 50 children. The Maha Sangha, the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress and the Army will assist.