President Ranil Wickremesinghe says he will ensure that maximum state support is provided to safeguard Theravada Buddhism to pass it on to future generations and spread it globally.
He also emphasized the importance of translating the series of books that were translated into Sinhala, into English, German, French and Spanish and pointed out that by doing so, Theravada Buddhism could be spread to Western countries as well
President Wickremesinghe also mentioned that the necessary provisions can be allocated through the Ministry of Buddhasasana.
Further, the Head of State pointed out that by releasing all these translations to social media, the usage can be increased and he also explained the possibility of jointly starting a separate centre with the Ministry of Buddhashana in order to carry out these activities formally.
He went on to mention that discussions are currently being held with the Maha Sangha of the three chapters about the establishment of a separate Abhidharma Centre for securing the Abhidharma Pitakaya and a committee will be appointed for its future work.
The President also said that steps will be taken to start the Mahavihara University similar to the Nalanda University after the excavation of the Maha Vihara, which preserved Theravada Buddhism, is completed.
These remarks were made during a ceremony where the President presided over the launch of a new book, “Sinhala Dhammasadganipkarana,” which was compiled by the Concise Tripitaka Compilation Board. The book is part of the Abhidharma Pitaka, which consists of seven books, and is the first book of the series to be published. The Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Vidura Wickramanayake, presented the first copy of the book to the President.
During the event, President Wickremesinghe also received copies of five other books that have already been published as part of the series, including the Majjhima Nikaya, Sanyukta Nikaya, Anguttara Nikaya, Khuddaka Nikaya, and Jataka Pali. The President presented these books to the Maha Sangha, as a symbol of their popularization.
Following the launch of the book, a meeting was held with the Maha Sangha where the President Ranil Wickramasinghe had mentioned that there are many other important steps to be taken for the spread of Theravada Buddhism internationally.
Representatives from the Compilation Board of the Synopsis Tripitaka, including Royal Scholar Most Venerable Dr. Balangoda Sobitha Thera, Venerable Medauyangoda Vijayakitti Thera, and Venerable Aggamaha Panditha Most Venerable Ananda Maha Thera of Trincomalee, were also in attendance at the event, along with the Secretary of the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Somaratne Vidanapathirana, and the Buddhist Affairs Commissioner General, Sunanda Karyapperuma.
