Today we are facing a crucial time in our history. Our economy is in the doldrums. Governance has completely broken down in our country. The law and order situation is getting worse day by day, with murders, robberies, rapes and assaults becoming a daily habit. Our moral environment is deteriorating unbelievably fast. Our cultural traditions and values are disappearing so fast that our younger generations may not be aware of them at all. How can we rescue our nation from the abyss to which it is being dragged with increasing speed. The time has come for us to stand up and strive to save our country, save our nation from the dismal future that we are facing today.

The time has also come for the Maha Sangha to lead the nation and our people again at this crucial time, as they have always done during critical periods in our nation’s history. The advice and direction of the Maha Sangha has become essential and urgent to guide our people who are being led astray by the many forces of evil of our time.

The several generations of our people would remember how they were guided and advised by the Maha Sangha. Every Buddhist man and woman in this country from their young days have been taught the five precepts. The Maha Sangha guided the people to practice the noble eightfold path. The Maha Sangha educated our society on virtue seela; introduced the concept of wholesome and unwholesome actions that were called Punnya and Paapa and Kusala and Akusala.

The entire Buddhist teaching implores the people not to do evil actions and to do wholesome actions and practice wholesome deeds. In our country Buddhism played the role of forming our present civilization based on Buddhist principles and on Buddhist ethics, always under the guidance of the Maha Sangha.

But to-day where are we? We seem to have lost our way as a country, specially when it comes to ethical and moral values. Our rulers seem to have even forsaken the five basic precepts we were taught. We observe killing and violence across our society; our society has become brutalized and the degree of violence is growing like a cancer in its body.

Suicide has become common. Is this a sign that we are increasingly progressing towards anarchy? Take the second basic precept that we will refrain from stealing. But seeing the extent of corruption, abuse power and waste of people’s money in our society, can we pretend that it is not stealing in a scale never seen before in the history of our nation? Take the degeneration of our moral standards and values, specially among the so-called high. Look at the vast amount of lies and deceit heaped on our unsuspecting people. Consider the fifth precept and observe the large number of bars and taverns proliferating around the country. Consider the vast strides made in drug use and drug peddling. It is obvious that our nation, and its rulers, of whom the vast majority are Buddhists have dismally failed to even follow and abide by the five basic precepts.

This is why the people of this country are yearning for the leadership of the Maha Sangha today, to lead them away from the certain abyss that they are facing. The Maha Sangha has always been in the forefront of every national struggle. They have protected and protected and nurtured Buddhism against all odds. The time has come again for the Maha Sangha to lead the nation to prosperity, and away, from anarchy, chaos and despotism.
Siri Hattotuwegama
Ratmalana