Author: TELO Admin

The 88th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and religious leader of the Tibetan people, who is respected by the whole world, a Buddhist monk with a heart filled with kindness, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was held in the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka on July 06.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who perfecting himself for worldly Enlightenment is the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet and holds two titles, the King and the Sangharaja of the Tibetan People. Tibet was the first and the only country in the world to have such a unique feature. Also, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who has the virtue of compassion and generosity, has earned the respect of the whole world for his patience, kindness, compassion and the ocean of knowledge on Buddhist Philosophy and many other fields like science, logic etc. His Holiness has written more than 100 books based on Buddhist doctrine and has delivered an uncountable number of teachings based on Sutra, Abhidhamma, Vinaya and many other topics.

Based on the great kindness arisen from the Buddha’s teachings and following an unchanging policy of non-violence, His Holiness was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1989 for his unique peace ability for peacemaking.

The occasion of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 88th birthday was celebrated by millions of his followers and devotees from all over the world in their respective countries. In order to celebrate his birthday in Sri Lanka, in a meaningful way, an International Scholarly Symposium was organized by the University of Kelaniya; Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies, Department of Philosophy, Department of Sanskrit and Eastern Studies, the Foundation for Buddhist Brotherhood and the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) in the premises of University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

The occasion was graced by the Chancellor of the Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine, Most Ven. Dr Niyangoda Vijithasiri Anunayake Thero as the Chief Guest, former Vice Chancellor of Central Tibetan University, Saranath Prof. Most Ven. Geshe Ngawang Samten as the Keynote Speaker and Most Ven. Dr. Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Mahanayake Thero as the guest speaker.

Most Ven. Dr. Waleboda Gunasiri Anunayake Thero, Most Ven. Prof. Pallekande Rathanasara Anunayake Thero, Most Ven. Dr. Madampagama Assaji Anunayake Thero and Most Ven. Elikewala Seelananda Nayaka Thero participated in the event representing the three Main Nikayas of Sri Lanka.

Snr. Prof. Chandima Wijebandara, Snr. Prof. UdithaGarusinghe, Prof. Jayantha Waththevidana, Dr Chaminda G. Gamage, Dr Anuradha Mahasingha represented different seats of higher learning. Members of Buddhist organizations from various countries, namely, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, Thailand, and Myanmar also joined the symposium. Academics, diplomats, and scholars joined in representing different fields as dignitaries. The inauguration programme was held at the Faculty of Humanities Auditorium, the University of Kelaniya.

Ven. Dr. Deniyaye Pannaloka Thero (Senior Lecturer, Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies) delivered the welcome address at this event welcoming the eminent guests who participated in this grand International Symposium and the Chairman of the Foundation for Buddhist Brotherhood Dr Damenda Porage addressed the scholarly gathering explaining the objectives of the conference. Then, all the participants witnessed His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s special video message.

Most Ven. As the guest speaker, Dr Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Mahanayake Thero made a very important statement in his ‘anusasana’. He said, ‘During His Holiness, the Dalai Lama’s annual visit to Bodhgaya in 2022, our Most Venerable Mahanayake and Anunayake Theros who were among the delegations met His Holiness and invited him for a pilgrimage in Sri Lanka. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has informed me in writing that he accepted the invitation. Accordingly, if the arrival of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Sri Lanka occurs, millions of followers and devotees from all over the world will also come to Sri Lanka, which will be a huge boost to the tourism industry. Not only that, the arrival of his followers from America, Europe, Japan, Vietnam, India, Thailand and many other countries and some of them are also giant investors who will invest in the business sector of Sri Lanka. Undoubtedly, alleviating the current economic crisis on a poverty-stricken island will be a great strength.

After this, a congratulatory message from the Snr. Prof. Nilanthi De Silva, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya was read and a short documentary video on His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s religious and social mission was presented.

The renowned Tibetan scholar former Vice Chancellor of the Central Tibetan University Snr. Prof. Geshe Ngawang Samten delivered the Keynote speech of the inauguration programme of the Scholarly Symposium under the theme of “His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s Commitment to Humanity”. He eloquently explained the commitments of the Dalai Lama and how important they are to the sustainment of the modern world.

In his address, the Chief Guest, Chancellor of the Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine Most Ven. Dr.Niyangoda Vijithasiri Anunayake Thero said ‘Today we celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 88th birthday, which is respected and celebrated by the whole world. The Dalai Lama is known as the spiritual leader of the Buddhist world. Not only Asian Buddhist countries, but even Western countries have also accepted him as a global Buddhist leader. His Holiness was able to achieve his spiritual goals. He created followers and a strong spirituality for himself. His Holiness himself set the background for this, and his foundation is Buddhist doctrine. Our foundation is also Buddhist doctrine. Buddhist teachings help to create a disciplined and peaceful world.’

Then the vote of thanks was proposed by Snr. Lect. Ms Sanjeewani Rupasinghe of the Department of Philosophy marking the end of the Inauguration Programme.

After offering the afternoon alms to more than a hundred Maha Sangha who were present, the distinguished guests and other guests enjoyed lunch followed by scholarly discussions on His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and his Commitment to Humanity and Tibetan Buddhist culture. The Deans of the Social Science Faculty Prof. M.M. Gunathilaka and the Faculty of Humanities Dr. Sudath Senerath also participated in the programme.

After awarding souvenirs and certificates to the participants, the head of the Department of Sanskrit and Eastern Languages, Prof. K.B. Jayawardena proposed the vote of thanks and subsequently the International Multilingual Scholarly Symposium which was held on the occasion of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 88th birthday under the theme ‘Buddhist Commitment to Humanity’ ended in a grand note.

The man charged with clawing Sri Lanka out of bankruptcy says he had warned about economic calamity years before it hit — and was pressed into retirement for his troubles.

Central bank chief Nandalal Weerasinghe was asked to return to the island nation last year to help steer it through a financial collapse that triggered months of food shortages, petrol queues and nightly blackouts.

The 63-year-old says his mandate coincides with Sri Lanka’s one final opportunity to rescue itself from a cycle of economic shocks that stretches back decades.

“There’s no excuse this time, no second chance, we have to get it right this time,” he told AFP at his Colombo office this week.

“This is where I think crisis is an opportunity.”

Weerasinghe was the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s number two when Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected president in 2019 on populist promises of generous tax cuts.

Government debt soared as Rajapaksa pursued an unorthodox policy of printing exorbitant amounts of money while holding down exchange and interest rates to spur growth.

“As the senior deputy governor, I always raised concerns,” Weerasinghe said.

But with Rajapaksa’s administration steamrolling objections from him and other senior central bankers, Weerasinghe said he felt he had no option but to take early retirement.

“Obviously I saw if those policies continued in that way… we’ll end up in a situation that I said at that time was exactly what happened,” he added.

Weerasinghe had decamped for a quiet life in Australia, spending time with his children and hitting the golf course five days a week, when Rajapaksa asked him to come back and helm the central bank.

He returned to a country in chaos, its currency in freefall and the government days from defaulting on its $46 billion foreign debt.

The Covid-19 pandemic had dealt a hammer blow to already precarious public finances, as the island’s lucrative tourism industry shuttered and remittances from Sri Lankans working abroad dried up.

Foreign exchange reserves had almost been exhausted, leaving importers unable to buy goods necessary to keep the economy functioning.

Supermarket shelves were empty, long lines snaked from fuel stations, and thermal power stations were forced to ration electricity for 13 hours each day.

By July, Rajapaksa had fled the country after months of protests demanding his resignation for mismanaging the crisis.

– ‘China on board’ –

Rajapaksa’s successor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has sought to repair the nation’s finances through a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund bailout.

The rescue package commits Sri Lanka to an austerity regime of steep tax hikes and an end to generous consumer utility subsidies, both of which have proven deeply unpopular.

Its passage was reportedly held up for months when China — Sri Lanka’s largest bilateral creditor — resisted agreeing to a haircut on its loans.

Chinese debt has been controversial politically, with Rajapaksa and his elder brother Mahinda — himself a former president — accused of taking Beijing’s money to finance costly vanity projects.

Weerasinghe said the delays to the IMF package were understandable because Beijing was a relatively “new player” to bilateral lending.

“China is fully on board, and agreed to support Sri Lanka and help Sri Lanka to come out of this crisis,” he said.

– ‘End of the story’ –

Last year brought Sri Lanka’s worst economic downturn in its 75-year history as an independent nation, with GDP contracting 7.8 percent and inflation hitting 70 percent at its peak.

But the island’s tea- and tourism-dependent economy is no stranger to shocks, with foreign exchange shortages triggering recessions and government rationing of consumer goods numerous times in prior decades.

Sri Lanka had already gone to the IMF cap in hand 16 times before last year, but failed to stick with agreed-upon reforms, giving it a serious credibility gap.

Weerasinghe said the country had two choices this time around: if it sticks to its current IMF programme, its economy would return to normal within “two to four years”.

If it did not, Sri Lanka would no longer be indulged if it fell off the wagon and returned to its spendthrift ways at the first sign of stability, he warned.

“This time, the 17th time with the IMF, is different,” he said.

“If you are trying to go back to another programme, that will be most difficult, and I think that will be the end of the story.”