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Sri Lanka Buddhism and Politics
Buddhism plays an eminent political role in Sri Lanka and
serves as a unifying force for the Sinhalese majority . Although
the monks must renounce worldliness, they of necessity maintain
close relationships with the lay community, whose members must
supply them with food, shelter, and clothing. During the past
century, as Sinhalese nationalism fueled lay devotion to
Buddhism, there was a proliferation of lay support organizations,
such as the All-Ceylon Buddhist Congress, the Colombo Buddhist
Theosophical Society, the All-Ceylon Buddhist Women's
Association, and the Young Men's Buddhist Association. The state
has similarly retained close ties with the
sangha (see Glossary).
Since the time of Asoka, the first great Indian
emperor (third century B.C.), the head of state has been seen by
Buddhist thinkers as the official protector of Buddhism, the
"turner of the wheel of the law"
(see Sri Lanka - Historical Perspective, 1802-1978
, ch. 4). One
of the recurring problems in the history
of Sri Lanka has been a definition of the state as the official
supporter of Buddhism, which in turn has been the religion of the
ethnic Sinhalese. To be successful among the Sinhalese, a
government must provide visible signs of its allegiance to the
sangha by building or maintaining dagoba, judging
disputes among the orders of monks, and fostering education in
the Pali Buddhist tradition.
Individual monks and entire sects have involved themselves in
party politics, but seldom do all families and orders unite
behind a coherent policy. When they do unite, they are a potent
political force. In 1956, for example, a rare union of monastic
opinion gave crucial support to the election of the Sinhalese
political leader Solomon West Ridgeway Diaz (S.W.R.D.)
Bandaranaike
(see Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka Freedom Party Rule, 1956-65
, ch. 1).
As of 1988, the sangha controlled extensive estates in the
interior of Sri Lanka and retained an independent power base
that, combined with high status in the eyes of the Sinhalese
population, gave the Buddhist orders influence as molders of
public opinion. Monks remained prominent at rallies and
demonstrations promoting ethnic Sinhalese issues.
Data as of October 1988
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