American Buddhist Net

KOTTE: President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who attended the 150th Anniversary commemoration of the Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Mahasangha Sabawa held at Raja Maha Viharaya, Sri Jayawardenepura, Kotte, yesterday said that since the inception of the Maha Sangha Sabawa one and a half centuries ago, the service rendered by it for the propagation of the Buddha Sasana was enormous and invaluable.

LINK TO ORIGINAL

It was by admitting a group of Buddhist Novice Monks including Ven. Welivita Sri Saranankara Thera to the Higher Ordination that the Shyamopali Maha Nikaya was inaugurated in Kandy in the Buddha Era of 2296.

The venerable Buddhist Monks so entered the higher ordination mastered Buddhist clerical discipline and studied Buddhist Dhamma Texts for 10 years from there onward in the two Maha Viharayas of Malwatte and Asgiriya in Kandy and appointed Ven. Welivita Saranankara Thera as the Sangharaja in the Buddha Era of 2307.

That was the first High Ordination Ceremony conducted under the auspices of Buddhist Monks of Sinhala origin known to the Buddhist history of Sri Lanka, recounted the President.

The President said that as time passed by it became difficult to conduct the Higher Ordination Ceremony in Kandy and the seat of Higher Ordination was shifted to the Kotte Raja Mahaviharaya with the dawn of Poson Full-moon in the Buddha Era of 2398.

From there onwards the enormous service to the Buddha Sasanaya rendered by the venerable Buddhist Monks of the Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha is invaluable.

It pioneered the religious and educational progress of the country while producing well disciplined and erudite Buddhist Monks in the calibre of Ven. Walane Sri Siddhartha Nayaka Thera, Ven. Vadibhasinghe Bedigama Rathanapala Nayaka Thera, Ven. Kirulapone Wimala Nayaka Thera, Ven. Labugama Lankananda Nayaka Thera, Ven. Professor Kotagama Vachissara Nayaka Thera and Ven. Professor Walpola Rahula Nayaka Thera, said the President.

In addition, the Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Sangha Sabha established a number of "pirivenas" in different parts of the island to teach and propagate Buddhism through the Buddhist Order, he said.

The President thanked the organizing committee of the ceremony for inviting him to address the occasion and wished the Sangha Sabha strength and courage to continue its invaluable service to the country and its people for many more years to come.