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Sri Lanka Mourns the Passing of Ven. Udugama Sri Buddharakkhita Rathanapala Mahanayaka Thera
Buddhistdoor International, Staff Reporter, 2015-04-15
17/04/2015 16:04 (GMT+7)
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The Chief Prelate of the Asgiriya Chapter of the Siamese Sect* in Sri Lanka, Ven. Aggamaha Panditha Udugama Sri Buddharakkhita Rathanapala Mahanayaka Thera (Ven. Sri Buddharakkhita Mahanayaka Thera for short), passed away at the age of 85 on 8 April while undergoing treatment at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. The late Mahanayaka Thera was receiving medical treatment in Kandy General Hospital in Sri Lanka before he was flown to Singapore at the end of March.

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Ven. Sri Buddharakkhita Mahanayaka Thera. From asgiripirivena.org
 
Issuing a statement, the president of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, said that he was deeply shocked to hear the news of the Mahanayaka’s passing away. “I wish to record my profound sorrow on behalf of the Government and the people of Sri Lanka and myself on this occasion . . . The selfless services rendered by Most Venerable Udugama Sri Buddharakkitha Thero brought greater light to the Buddha Sasana,” he was quoted as saying in NEWS.LK. The president acknowledged the Thera’s tireless efforts towards the unification of the three sects of the Mahasangha. Prime minister Ranil Wickramasinghe’s condolences also echoed that of the president’s.
 
Ven. Sri Buddharakkhita Mahanayaka Thera was born in 1931 and received his higher ordination in 1951. He succeeded Venerable Palipane Sri Chandananda Mahathera in 1999 as the 20th Mahanayaka Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter. Throughout his career as the Chief Prelate of the Asgiriya Chapter, he has been an outspoken figure against corruption in both the sangha and successive Sri Lankan governments. As the Mahanayaka, the highest monastic position with the duty to advise the state on important matters and decision-making (a traditional practice followed since the introduction of Buddhism on the island), the Thera had always emphasized righteous governance for the benefit of the island.

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Maithripala Sirisena seeking blessings from Ven. Sri Buddharakkhita Mahanayaka Thera after being elected as the new president of Sri Lanka. From News1st
 
Meanwhile, the US also extended its condolences to the Sri Lankan people. “Sri Lankans and Americans who knew him respected the late Mahanayake's ceaseless efforts to improve the lives of all Sri Lankans through his exemplary life and the teachings of the Buddha,” ColomboPage quoted the US embassy in Colombo as saying.
 
The remains of the Mahanayaka Thera were brought to the island on the same day of his passing. Since then, it has been kept in state at the Asgiriya Mahavihara for the public to pay their last respects. The government of Sri Lanka had declared 12 April a day of mourning for the Mahanayaka Thera. The public was also informed to raise yellow flags and have national flags at government institutions at half-mast on 12 April. Furthermore, all liquor shops and bars were instructed to remain closed. According to SLBC, President Sirisena directed Karu Jayasuriya, Minister of Public Administration and Buddhasasana, and Kandy District Secretary to ensure all arrangements were ready for the cremation ceremony, which was held on 12 April at 2:00 p.m. at Kandy Police Grounds.

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Ranil Wickramasinghe seeking blessings from Ven. Sri Buddharakkhita Mahanayaka Thera after being elected as the new prime minister of Sri Lanka. From News1st
 
The ceremony included full state honors, which included 17 gun salutes by the Sri Lanka Army while the Sri Lanka Air Force scattered flowers from the air. According to News1st, there were 500 Army personnel, 250 Navy personnel and 250 Air Force personnel present, while an armed force of 1000 personnel marched on either sides of the funeral motorcade. Several local and foreign dignitaries, including monastics from India, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand, attended the ceremony, which was broadcast live on Rupavahani, Sri Lanka’s national broadcasting channel. The dignitaries further included President Sirisena, several ministers, Field Marshal Gen. Sarath Fonseka and Army, Navy, Air Force and Police chiefs.
 
* The Siamese sect (Siam Nikaya), originally from Thailand, is one of the three major Sri Lankan monastic sects. The other two are the Amarapura Nikaya, originally from Myanmar, and the Ramanna (Ramanya) Nikaya. The Thai monk Upali brought the Siam Nikaya to Sri Lanka in 1753 to revive the practice of higher ordination after it became extinct on the island.

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