Top Stories 23/05/16 Sri Lankans mourn Buddhist chief monk

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Sri Lankans mourn Buddhist chief monk

Chief Prelate Ven. Dodampahala Chandrasiri Thera died in Colombo on May 16 at the age of 84

Chief Prelate Ven. Dodampahala Chandrasiri Thera. (Photo: Facebook)

By UCA News reporter

Published: May 18, 2023 11:54 AM GMT

Sri Lankan people, including Catholics, are mourning the death of a prominent Buddhist monk who dedicated his life to teaching the principles of Buddhism and the techniques of meditation.

Chief Prelate Ven. Dodampahala Chandrasiri Thera died on May 16 at the age of 84 while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Colombo.

His final rites will be performed with state honors at Independence Square on May 21.

Ven. Chandrasiri Thera was appointed the Supreme Mahanayake or chief prelate of the centuries-old monastic fraternity, Amarapura Maha Nikaya, in 2021.

He was a pioneer in setting up the quarters for monks, the Thapowana meditation centers, and launching a Buddhist education institution.

Catholic bishops said that Chief Prelate Ven. Chandrasiri Thera had rendered great service to the nation through his committed leadership.

"His passing away is a great loss to the country and its people at this hour," said Bishop Harold Anthony Perera, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in Sri Lanka (CBCSL) in a statement on May 17.

The statement, also signed by Bishop J.D. Anthony Jayakody, secretary general of CBCSL, expressed “deepest sympathies and condolences to chief prelates as well as to all Buddhist brethren” across the nation.

Ven. Chandrasiri Thera did yeoman service in spreading Buddhism all over the world and was awarded the honorary religious title of Aggamaha Pandita by the Myanmar government. He was also the recipient of a number of honorary titles awarded by institutions to appreciate his contributions to the religion.

He served as the president and the deputy president of the Amarapura Maha Sangha Sabha.

Thousands of Buddhist monks and lay people lined up at the Rajagiriya Kalapaluva Gotami Tapovanarama after his body was brought there in a special motorcade.

The Maha Sangha and people gathered on both sides of the road offering floral tributes to him.

Ven. Omare Kassapa Thera said that the monk formed many great followers and his death was a great loss to the country.

Nuwani Hasaranga, a Sunday school teacher, appreciated his humbleness and openness.

"He was a great teacher who was loved and respected by all the countrymen," she said.

Ven. Chandrasiri Thera was born on Dec. 20, 1939, and entered the order to become a monk in 1950. He was ordained in 1962.