Srilanka, April 23 — The most venerable Mahanayake Thera of the Lanka Amarapura Dharma Rakshitha Nikaya, Aggamaha Pandita, Rajakaya Pandita Sastrapati, the Incumbent of Bambalapitiya Vajiraramaya, venerable Trincomalee Ananda Maha Thera visited the Peliyagoda Vidyalankara Pirivena on April 09 to review the progress of the Tamil language education programme conducted by the Dharmavijaya Foundation. The Tamil language education programme, which began about 02 months ago with 31 student monks with the full approval of the most venerable Welamitiyawe Sri Gnanarathana Thera, the Parivenadhipathi of the Peliyagoda Vidyalankara, is currently being carried out as a very effective national mission, providing the opportunity for monks living far away to connect online.
The primary aim of the course, designed to equip monks with the ability to deliver sermons in Tamil through the support of the Dharmavijaya Foundation, is to remove linguistic obstacles and misconceptions so as to foster national harmony—a critical element for the nation’s progress. This initiative seeks to create a community that adheres to principles and nurtures values within individuals by implementing the vision of the late Venerable Madihe Pannasa Eliya Mahathera, who advocated for building the nation through personal growth. Additionally, another key purpose of this education program is to promote Buddhist philosophy, thereby promoting enduring communal peace across the country, potentially earning significant international acclaim for Sri Lanka.
The course is being conducted with the resourceful contribution of the Deputy Director of the National Institute of Education (NIE), Rajakaya Pandita Radaliyadde Seelananda Thera and Tamil language scholar Professor Vajira Prabhath Wijesinghe. The Tamil course has been planned for a full year and special attention has been paid to developing language skills based on preaching the Dhamma in Tamil.
Assistant Director Dhammika Lalith from the Pirivena Division within the Ministry of Education was among the first to speak. He mentioned that promoting inter-ethnic harmony is central to this administration’s policies as it plays a crucial role in advancing the nation. According to him, communication gaps between Southern regions—such as the Maha Sangha—and Northern and Eastern areas led to a prolonged three-decade conflict.
Dhammika highlighted that although the Tamil Language Program falls under both national and societal responsibilities and ideally should be managed either by the Ministry of Education or the Department of Buddhist Religious Affairs, he conveyed his ministry’s appreciation towards the Dharmavijaya Foundation for spearheading such significant work aimed at resolving core issues affecting the country.
He further noted that entry into the University of Jaffna has now opened up opportunities for advanced studies through instruction offered entirely in Tamil. This move paves the way toward achieving greater heights academically and ensures these monk students can qualify themselves for present openings available specifically for Tamil-language educators across various pirivenas.
In his progress review speech, the Venerable Mahanayake Thera addressed the students and said that by offering to learn Tamil at a young age, we will be able to provide a great comfort to our fellow Tamil people and we believe many valuable intellectuals will join our nation who will be able to resolve various misunderstandings that arise due to the inability to communicate properly. He said that by mastering the Tamil language well, it will be possible to address a large number of Tamil speakers scattered around the world. The most special thing here is not just learning the language but learning Buddhism in Tamil. Since there are a large number of Tamils who are interested in Buddhism, the successful completion of this course will enable them to perform a great social service. This linguistic knowledge could be used as a bridge connecting the North to the South he said.
Ven. Maha Nayaka Thera further said that a great social mission can be carried out to develop the knowledge of the Dharma of the Tamil monks living in neighbouring India.
The current Chairman of the Dharmavijaya Foundation, Isuru Thilakawardena, said that this Tamil language mastery programme is a great help in creating harmony among the nations and he would like to express special gratitude to Dr. Vajira Prabath, who is responsible for sharing the knowledge of this great cause.
Royal Pandit Sastrapati Vajira Prabhat, who is working with utmost dedication to the success of the Tamil language teaching course, encouraged the student monks and said that a disciplined monk who receives proper language practice is a blessing to the entire world.
The meeting came to an end with the Assistant Director of the Maharagama NIE, Rajakaya Pandita Radaliyadde Seelananda Thera, extending his appreciation towards several parties. He expressed deep gratitude to Vidyalankara Parivenadhipathi Velamitiyawe Sri Gnanarathana Thera for offering the necessary facilities and unwavering support for the programs; he also acknowledged the role played by the Dharmavijaya Foundation in orchestrating all the events. Furthermore, special recognition was given to Professor Vajira Prabath, whose extensive expertise gained over four decades significantly contributed to the teachings. It should be noted that classes have resumed following the New Year break.
