President pledges to propagate Theravada Buddhism globally

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that he will provide  the maximum state support to safeguard Theravada Buddhism to pass it on  to future generations and spread it globally.  

The President said this at a ceremony where he presided  over the launch of a new book, “Sinhala Dhammasadganipkarana,” which was  compiled by the Concise Tripitaka Compilation Board. 

The book is part  of the Abhidharma Pitaka, which consists of seven books, and is the  first book of the series to be published. The Minister of Buddhasasana,  Religious and Cultural Affairs, Vidura Wickramanayake, presented the  first copy of the book to the President.  

During the event, the President also received copies of  five other books that have already been published as part of the series,  including the Majjhima Nikaya, Sanyukta Nikaya, Anguttara Nikaya,  Khuddaka Nikaya, and Jataka Pali. The President presented these books to  the Maha Sangha, as a symbol of their popularization.  
Following the launch of the book, a meeting was held with  the Maha Sangha where President Ranil Wickremesinghe had mentioned  that there are many other important steps to be taken for the spread of  Theravada Buddhism internationally.  

The President also emphasized the importance of translating  the series of books that were translated into Sinhala, into English,  German, French and Spanish and pointed out that by doing so, Theravada  Buddhism could be spread to Western countries as well. President Ranil  Wickremesinghe also mentioned that the necessary provisions can be  allocated through the Ministry of Buddhasasana. 

 
Further, the president pointed out that by releasing all  these translations to social media, the usage can be increased, and he  also explained the possibility of jointly starting a separate centre  with the Ministry of Buddhashana in order to carry out these activities  formally.  

President Wickremesinghe mentioned that discussions are  currently being held with the Maha Sangha of the three chapters about  the establishment of a separate Abhidharma Centre for securing the  Abhidharma Pitakaya and a committee will be appointed for its future  work.  

The President also said that steps will be taken to start  the Mahavihara University similar to the Nalanda University after the  excavation of the Maha Vihara, which preserved Theravada Buddhism, is  completed.