Betrayal of Buddhism by Buddhist monks

 January 17, 2014  

Sometime back the country has experienced Buddhist monks coming into direct politics. In recent times the country has experienced Buddhist monks grouped under various names rampaging in the streets, engaging in violence against other religions.
The topic, whether it is appropriate for Buddhist monks to engage in politics, was debated for a long time. In the 1940s Buddhist monks attached to Vidyalankara Pirivena took a bold step not only to engage in so-called politics as they interpreted but also to actively engage with it. The academic staff of the Vidyalankara Pirivena unanimously made a declaration dated 13th February 1946 which was subsequently called the Vidyalankara Declaration, justifying the reasons why Buddhist monks should engage in politics, which term was defined by them. The declaration was issued under the name of Kiriwaththuduwe Pragnasara who was the Head of the institution at that time.

Betrayal of Buddhism by Buddhist Monks by nelvely