Why Sri Lanka Is and Must Remain a Sinhala Buddhist Nation, custodian of Buddha Sasana

 

 

Sri Lanka is & must remain a Sinhala Buddhist nation not out of exclusion, but out of historical truth, civilizational continuity, and spiritual responsibility. For over 2,500 years, Sinhala Buddhist kings built this land with compassion, wisdom, and ethical governance rooted in the teachings of the Buddha—creating one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations. Today, this identity is under subtle but coordinated threat from multiple fronts: foreign NGOs imposing Western liberal ideologies, separatist movements seeking to rewrite history, religious fundamentalist & terror groups attempting to uproot indigenous spirituality, political opportunists chasing power, and global powers aiming to weaken Sri Lanka’s cultural sovereignty. A nation cannot survive if it forgets what it was built upon. Attempts are afoot to make people forget its roots. The Sinhala Buddhist heritage is not a political slogan—it is the foundation of Sri Lanka’s unity, morality, and soul. To protect it is not extremism; it is preservation of a sacred trust passed down through centuries.

 

Sri Lanka is one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Sri Lanka Is a Living Civilization, Not a Colonial Construct

 

Long before modern nation-states were even conceived, Sri Lanka was a flourishing Sinhala Buddhist civilization. Our kings, guided by the Buddha’s teachings, ruled with wisdom, compassion, and a strong sense of duty to their people and the Sāsana (Buddhist Order).

Our righteous kings were globally connected through ancient trade routes and diplomatic missions with India, China, Rome, Persia, Egypt, and beyond centuries before the idea of “international trade” was even thought of.

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We were not isolated island. We were respected. We were already connected with the world.

This was possible because of a stable, ethical governance model grounded in Buddhism—not through conquest or colonization.

We didn’t need colonization to become “civilized”—we were already a beacon of ethics, learning, and harmony, rooted in the timeless principles of Buddhism.

 

Buddhist Leadership is Peace, Not Division

For over two millennia of Sinhala Buddhist rule, there were no significant ethnic or religious conflicts.

Different communities lived peacefully under the umbrella of a Buddhist ethos that emphasized non-violence, tolerance, and harmony.

 

The ethnic problems we see today are not a result of Sinhala Buddhist governance, but rather the direct result of colonial divide-and-rule strategies that fractured our once-unified people.

 

The colonizers classified people by race and religion, promoted certain groups over others, and destroyed the natural social cohesion that had existed for centuries.

 

Article 9: Buddhist Values Benefit All, Not Just Buddhists

 

Sri Lanka’s Constitution gives Buddhism the “foremost place” under Article 9—but this is not religious supremacy.

Buddhism is non-theistic, non-violent, and inherently inclusive.

It doesn’t convert, dominate, or discriminate. It teaches universal ethics: compassion, mindfulness, self-restraint, truthfulness.

Protecting Buddhism means protecting a moral and cultural compass that has served all Sri Lankans—Buddhist or not—for thousands of years. This has been proven by the harmony that existed before 1505 & arrival of colonials that soon began to divide people with its legacy still continuing.

 

Sinhala Buddhist Identity Is Indigenous and Inclusive

 

Every great nation has a foundation. Ours is Sinhala and Buddhist.

That foundation is not anti-minority. It is pre-colonial, peaceful, and deeply rooted in the wisdom handed down through generation instilling the principles of Buddha’s teachings.

We don’t need to erase this identity in the name of multiculturalism—especially when multiculturalism is often promoted by countries built on the destruction of their own native cultures.

Sri Lanka didn’t need colonialism to be civil. Sri Lanka was a civilized nation before colonials arrived. If at all colonial policies & neoliberal mindsets have only uncivilized our people & taken away the humanity & compassion that was part of their identity.

 

Sri Lanka is being used now as a modern experiment by attempting to subtly erase its ties to the ancient civilization. The efforts to degrade the Sinhala Buddhist values passed down through centuries are today promoted as “diversity” but the aim is quite the opposite. Sooner than later it is important to understand that the solution to Sri Lanka’s problems is not to bid farewell to our roots but to return to them.

 

Buddhism was & is the Foundation of Peace, not Division

 

For over 2,500 years, Sinhala Buddhist rule brought unity, education, and social order without systemic ethnic or religious conflict.

It was only during after 1505 & the implementation of divide & rule policies that our identity was weaponized & divisions were constructed. We are today suffering the legacies of these divisive policies launched across 400 years of occupation.

 

This so-called “Ethnic conflict” is not a result of Sinhalese or Buddhism—it’s a result of colonialism.

 

Article 9 Enshrines Universal Values, Not Supremacy

 

The Sri Lankan Constitution gives Buddhism the foremost place through Article 9—the architects of Sri Lanka’s Constitution did not shirk their civilizational duty.

 

Theravada Buddhism finds its origins in Sri Lanka. It was the Sinhalese who gave it shape & developed it to what it is today.

While Buddhism is admired globally, its purest form—Theravāda Buddhism—has been preserved, protected, and practiced in Sri Lanka for over 2,500 years. Thus, Sri Lanka is not just another Buddhist country. It is the guardian of the original, unbroken lineage of the Buddha’s teachings.

 

Theravāda Buddhism, which Sri Lanka has safeguarded for centuries, is not exclusive or forceful, it teaches compassion, mindfulness, and non-attachment relevant to Buddhists & non-Buddhists alike. Non-Buddhists can live peacefully under Buddhist principles because Buddhism is not about belief – its about behavior of both mind & body.

Article 9 supersedes all western dogmas of freedoms & rights because Article 9 envisages the nation’s foundation to be moral, peaceful & just for everyone not just Buddhists & duty takes prominence over rights. When everyone fulfils their duties automatically rights are fulfilled.

 

Buddhism Is Global Soft Power—But Its Soul Is in Sri Lanka

 

Today, global leaders even those who are not Buddhist use Buddhism as a form of soft power diplomacy. They know the power of using Buddhist principles over nations & continents.

 

Buddha Chose Sri Lanka Spiritually

 

According to the ancient chronicles and Buddhist tradition, the Buddha himself visited Sri Lanka three times, and he foresaw the island as a sanctuary for the Sāsana.

 

It was Sri Lanka, not any other land, that was spiritually chosen to be the nucleus of Theravāda Buddhism—a Dharmadveepa, a Sacred Island of the Dhamma.

 

That sacred trust continues to this day. To dilute it is not only cultural betrayal—it is spiritual blindness. As thousands of Buddhists & even non-Buddhists visit the Dalada Maligawa to witness the exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic, it reconfirms the commitment towards that symbolic duty.

 

Sri Lanka is not just a country. It is the Buddha Sasana, the sanctuary, and a sacred trust that Buddha has entrusted upon us & our duty to honor with our life.

 

Built by Sinhala Buddhist kings, protected by the Sāsana, and chosen by the Buddha himself—it must remain what it was always meant to be:  A Sinhala Buddhist nation, where all may live peacefully, but none may erase its historic civilizational identity.

 

 

 

Shenali D Waduge