Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka started on March 31 a donation drive through temples to help the survivors of the massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
Venerable Balapitiye Siri Seevali Thera, secretary general of the Amarapura Maha Sanga Sabawe, said temples in all districts will be designated collection centers.
The monk told the media on March 30 that they “will provide a list of necessary items to be collected” for the earthquake victims.
Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Thera, an internationally renowned Buddhist scholar, led the prayers for those affected by the earthquake on March 31 at the All Ceylon Buddhist Conference.
A prayer service will also be held on April 3 at the Kalutara Bodhi Tree for those who lost their lives and for those injured or missing.
The March 28 disaster that struck the Sagaing Region of Myanmar, near the Thailand-Myanmar border, killed 1,700 people and injured thousands. Many are also reported missing.
Several homes and religious sites, including Buddhist temples, were also damaged or collapsed.
The Kalutara Bodhi Tree is deeply significant in Sri Lankan Buddhism. The prayers and offerings there are believed to offer spiritual solace to the deceased and swift recovery for the injured.
Sri Lanka and Myanmar are predominantly Buddhist, with Theravada Buddhism as their official religion. Both nations were once British colonies and inherited colonial administrative systems.
Some 70.2 percent of Sri Lanka’s 22 million follow Theravada Buddhism.
Over the years, Myanmar has donated elephants to Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka, and Buddhist monks and religious leaders from both nations have exchanged visits, strengthening the spiritual bond.
Some Myanmar monks have also studied in Sri Lanka, particularly at Piriven, the monastic college for monks’ education.
Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, general secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena Organization, expressed deep shock and sadness over the recent tragic events in Myanmar and Thailand, both devoted followers of Theravada Buddhism.
“The international community should offer maximum assistance to the affected countries,” he said.
Achala Aaluthge, a Buddhist from Kurunegala, recalled the international help received by Sri Lankans during natural disasters, such as the 2004 earthquake and Tsunami.
“Now, it’s our turn to offer the same support. With a majority of the people in Myanmar being Buddhists, this is an opportunity for us to show our solidarity and compassion during their time of need,” he told UCA News.
Father Anton Sriyan, executive secretary of the Catholic National Commission for Migration, urged the directors of 12 dioceses across the Indian Ocean island nation to “remember the people of Myanmar in our prayers.”
Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor of the Nagananda International Buddhist University, Dr. Bodagama Chandima Thero, had already made arrangements to send a foreign medical team to the country to provide medical aid.
Chandima Thero also appealed to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to act swiftly to provide relief to the people of Myanmar who have been affected by the disaster.
(With inputs from UCA News)
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