Don’t destroy our biological supermarkets - EDITORIAL

With the deluge continuing and hundreds of thousands of people seriously affected by the worst flood havoc in recent decades, we wish to.....

Sri Lankan Bhikkhunis

In the 6th century AD, 900 years after the passing away of the Buddha, the Sri Lankan Bhikkhuni Order reached China, headed by Bhikkhuni Devasara....

Use of flood aids; transparency, accountability essential

With heavy rains and gale force winds continuing for the eighth day yesterday while the south-west monsoon 

Why JO wants rival war heroes commemoration?

Torrential rains and floods shattered the prospect of two rival war hero commemorations. It also relived the 

The story of Upasampada

On May 21 Vesak Day the rites of Upasampada Karmaya or Higher Ordination was commenced at Asgiri

Leaving it in the hands of politicians alone would be deadly

The Constitution is the supreme law in our country.  The Constitution should enshrine principles, culture

Dissecting the disaster

On the other hand, as a country, we cannot  shirk our responsibly to look at the larger picture with a view

Buddhism, Nature and the Liberation from self

In the aftermath of the worst flood havoc in recent decades – with heavy rain, storms and landslides continuing 

“One-eyed Sivarasan” the mastermind behind the Rajiv Gandhi assassination

Rajiv Ratna Gandhi – India’s Prime Minister from 31st October 1984 to December 2nd 1989  was assassinated  at Sriperumbudur in the Indian state of  Tamil Nadu exactly twenty – five years ago on May 21st 1991.  Rajiv Gandhi was in  Sriperumbudur to address a  propaganda meeting in support of the Congress Party candidate Ms. Maragatham Chandrasekhar. The 47 year old Indian ex – premier was then

The worship of Buddha Images

There are three kinds of Buddhist worship. Buddhists worship the physical remains of the Buddha. (Sharirika Dhathu in Pali).

Buddha’s Mission and Journey to Kusinara

Millions of world Buddhists annually celebrate the Vesak full moon day, which falls in the month of May

Place emphasis on Pure Dhamma devoid of …isms! …at times of Trials, Tribulations and Turmoil

Dhamma is a very simple process, which is taking place universally and every moment in every being, which

Obama has failed on nuclear disarmament

During the Cold War barely a week went by without some reportage or debate on nuclear weapons...

Help flood victims as a Vesak ‘pinkama’

With weather patterns becoming unpredictable even with the use of hi-tech equipment, Sri Lanka is...

Comrades then not so now

The two most prominent veterans of the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have...

The true message of Vesak

The most significant aspect of Vesak, the Thrice Blessed Day is the enlightenment achieved by the...

The need of the hour is unity within the Sasana - Ven. Kirama Wimalajothi Thera

A true Buddha puthra with an iron will is Ven. Kirama Wimalajothi Thera. He is an epitome of

SriLankan issue in Parliament menu

As the debate on the restructuring plan of SriLankan Airlines got underway in Parliament last Tuesday

The 18th of May 2009 and the battle over meaning

Thrishantha Nanayakkara once said ‘All wars have been fought twice; once in the battlefield and once down 

Let us protect our biodiversity

On Sunday May 22, the international community marks an important day but unfortunately not many people 

If we don’t kill corruption, it will kill Sri Lanka

It is time we stopped talking about corruption and started taking some serious action.  Commissions and committees have outlived their usefulness. The people are tired and sick of the pace at which these various bodies, whether they are armed with judicial powers or not, proceeding against whom allegations are dragging on. The public ire and wrath is greatly amplified by the fact that one of the critical issues on which the current regime ra

Policy paralysis: Multiple crises and the political response

The present state of affairs in the country can be described only as a national calamity.  This is due to the convergence of a number of economic, social, environmental and political crises. All of these crises are serious and cannot be easily resolved. This is a time when one would expect those who are entrusted with the responsibility of managing public affairs to come up with the best possible collective response to deal with the situatio

50 years of planned tourism in Sri Lanka

In May this year, Sri Lanka will be completing its 50th year of planned tourism. Although the influx of foreign visitors to Sri Lanka had started during the later stages of the British rule, Sri Lanka was known to travellers all over the world for many centuries ago.  World-renown  travellers of the calibre of Fahien, Hyun San, Ibn Batuta, Marco Polo had visited the country from time to time. Manthai or Mahathittha in Sri Lanka was even

Be an ecofriendly citizen, harvest rainwater

With weather patterns changing furiously during the past few months because of global warming,  Sri Lanka has experienced a prolonged drought and the highest temperatures in recorded history. But the weather changed dramatically from midnight on Saturday and heavy rain during the past few days has left several districts heavily flooded. Several rivers, canals and reservoirs are overflowing, sluice gates have been opened and millions of litre

Seven Years Since

It is now seven years since the end of the war and the onset of a post-war situation.  In that time the roots of conflict were not addressed but sustained and even reproduced. In the North and East, people observed that things may have looked better, but felt worse.  There and throughout the country, rights were at best irrelevant and at worst subversive.  Then, sixteen months ago there was an election that promised to change every

President Sirisena invited to G7 Summit in Japan

In an unprecedented gesture our President has been invited as as guest of the G7 Summit which is to be held in Tokyo on the.....

The menace of a clannish herd

People had a raw deal always compared to what politicians had won for themselves after independence. Prior to 1970s, parliamentarians....

IS EQUALITY A MERE SLOGAN?

The Daily Mirror  interviewed well-renowned Sri Lankan Canadian writer Shyam Selvadurai regarding this concern. He was the.....

A Tribute to Sri Sri Ravishankar

Stepping beyond the boundary of fifty or sixty years in one’s life is a milestone that needs be symbolically marked. So much so, when....

Enforce SL laws as a means of stopping Indians poaching in our waters

This isn’t quite how the Indian press worded Narendra Modi’s request to Maithripala Sirisena when they met in New Delhi on Friday. The.....