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THE SUPREME SANGHA COUNCIL TO BECOME A SHIELD AVOIDING INFLUENCE OF POWERFUL POLITICIANS ON MAHANAYAKAS TO MAKE STATEMENTS AIDING ANTI NATIONAL ACTIVITIES

A picture of the National Sangha Conference meeting held at the Maha Maluwa of the Temple of the Tooth in which the formation of the Supreme Sangha Council was announced (Photo by Picture by Gamini Ramanayaka)

By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles

November 15, 07.00 AM:The Formation of the Supreme Sangha Council was done to relieve the Maha Nayaka Theros from the undue political pressure on them aimed to stop them from acting according to their conscience for the betterment of the nation said Puravidya Chakravarthi and President of the National Sangha Conference, Ellawala Medhananda Nayaka Thera addressing a mammoth public meeting of the Buddhist monks in which nearly an estimated one thousand monks took part in the Maha Maluwa of the Temple of the Tooth in the historic hill capital of Kandy.

Described as the deterrent of undue state power practiced on the Maha Nayaka Theros especially of the Malwatte and Asgiriya chapters and also other nikayas of Buddhist monks the Supreme Sangha Council would be the final authority of Sangha that would speak on behalf of the Sinhala race, the Buddha sasana and the country at large, according to statements made at this meeting

The Venerable Medhananda Nayaka Thera said the Supreme Sangha Council would seek the advise of the Maha Nayakas of the three main Nikayas of Buddhist monks and the Supreme Council had also the blessings of the Maha Nayakas.

Venerable Medhananda said, for instance an attempt had been made by certain unscrupulous elements recently to use the influence of the Maha Nayaka Theras for the release of the LTTE convicts sentenced to death for the blast of the Temple of the Tooth and at least one of those traitors happened to be from Kandy.

The Venerable speaker said the duty of the Supreme Sangha Council would be to shield the Maha Nayaka Theros from such undue pressure and speak on behalf of the nation in an authoritative manner.

The idea of the Supreme Sangha Council was born amidst the protests of the majority of Buddhist monks of the island against certain statements made by the Maha Nayakas of Malwatte and Asgiriya regarding the dealings of the Ranil Wickremesinghe government with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) allegedly under the pressure of the state power of the UNF government and its aid from the tax payer money od the state coffers to the Siyam Maha Nikaya for its anniversary celebrations.

An authoritative Supreme Sangha Council had been necessitated by the present situation that challenged the very existence of the Sinhala race, Buddha Sasana, and the integrity of the island by groups of separatists and politicians who had vested interests, Venerable Ellawala Medhananda said.

The Supreme Sangha Council would ultimately have twenty members including those nominated by the Three Maha Nayakas of the three sects. Venerable Medhananda said the Supreme Council would be free of partisan and other obligations. He categorically said this was not formed to hold a brief either to the President or the Prime minister of the country. “Ours is,’ he said , “ a genuine effort for the protection of our race , religion and the motherland.”

Under an oath taken in front of the Temple of the Tooth , eleven names of the Supreme Council were announced . The rest of the names would be announced on a later date, the organizers said

Venerable Medhananda said since the times of Devanam Piyatissa, a contemporary of the Asoka the Great of India, the Buddhist monks have been working closely with the Sinhala kings for the protection of this country. He said in the discharge of this historical duty the Buddhist monks, under this supreme council would not subdue itself to any individual, political party or a government unjustifiably.

Dr. Omalpe Sobhitha Thero said there were two major threats to the Sinhala race and Buddhism today. They were the LTTE who were seeking a separate state and unethical conversions of Buddhists using Western money, especially from the United States.

He said there was archaeological evidence in the North and the East that they were part of the historical civilization of the Sinhalese for thousands of years. He said under no circumstances the two provinces could be delivered on a platter to a bunch of separatists.

The Venerable Thera said one could not expect that either Ranil Wickremesinghe or Chandrika Kumaratunga would come to the aid of the people to protect their country. The nation also could not wait until they would come to their aid

The participants of the meeting walked in a procession from Keppetipola Hall in Kandy to the Maha Maluwa of the Temple of the Tooth along Dalada Veediya

(15/11/03 go2lanka.com)