Laws to control Buddhist monks will fail: BBS

The activities of certain monks who support political leaders seeking benefits have a negative impact on the entire Buddhist mission, BBS General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera said today.

“We are facing these problems because of not taking the right decision at the right time, a point which has not been understood by our political leaders,” the Ven. Thera said.

As a Buddhist organisation we urged the government to establish a commission to identify anti-Buddhist activities. Unfortunately, the government is not concerned about our request, he said.

However the Government is planning to bring an Act in the Parliament which can take the control of the activities of Buddhist monks. “We will not let the Act to be brought to the parliament. Ordinary people cannot put conditions on the clergy. If rules are to be implemented they should be proposed by the Chief Sangha Nayaka,” the Thera said.

We have so many invasive forces in the country which are against Buddhism. But it seems even the Mahanayakas are silent on these matters. That’s why we need a Sanghadikaranaya - a special court to hear cases of Buddhist monks. It’s high time that we do away with these worn out British laws,” the Prelate said.

This measure proposed by the government will only draw the attention of Sinhala Buddhists to a different path without allowing them to concentrate on the development of the country,” the Thera said.

If the laws are to be implemented they should be made according to Buddhist Laws and regulations. Not according to the laws of the white colonialists.

From now onwards, we will not present ourselves before any court or magistrate until we are called before a Sanghadikaranaya. “We respect the country’s law, but we are not going to bow before the white man’s law unless it is relevant to our country. We request all Buddhist monks to boycott the courts of this country. If the government fails to call for a Sanghadikaranaya we will break the civil law. Then the government has to convert every coconut tree into a gallows and every school into a prison to suppress the Sinhala Buddhist people.

So do not try to put your hands on the heart of the Buddha Sasanaya, the Prelate warned. (Chaturanga Pradeep)