One year from now, Vesak Poya will mark a significant event - the 2600th anniversary of the Buddha's Enlightenment. An elaborate programme has been drawn up to commemorate this great event on the theme "reorganizing and revitalizing our moral life".
An end to unethical conversions, banning of private tuition classes on Poya days and Sunday mornings, curtailing of forces attempting to undermine Buddhism and Buddhist cultural activities, and refraining from holding functions devoid of Buddhist significance on Poya days are mentioned in a 20-point Plan of Action drawn up by a steering committee comprising the Maha Sangha and the laity with the accent on changing human behaviours as is expected in the Buddha's teachings.
Heads of all State and private institutions are being urged to take steps to create an ethico-moral environment within their institutions for all their employees to ensure an inner development of both character and attitude formation. A common Code of Ethics is to be drawn up for this purpose.
The need for a Buddhist reawakening in the country centred round all temples has been stressed with relationships between the laity and the Sangha to be strengthened for enhancing 'saddha' (confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha), morality, generosity and wisdom.
While Buddhist education is to be revised to comply with the Buddhist religious tradition, temples are to be provided with the necessary facilities to function properly.
Special attention will be paid towards the maintenance of temple buildings and procurement of equipment and other essentials for Dhamma schools.
The laity will be encouraged to have in their homes an environment conducive to the observance of the five precepts and to allocate and observe a specific time for Buddhist observances.
While religious activities in schools are to be designed in a manner to infuse greater discipline among school-going children, training workshops are being planned for teachers of Buddhism.
The need to take immediate steps to have the 'Buddha Sasana Bill' and the 'Registration of the Nikaya Katikavat Bill' has been emphasized along with the need for measures for the effective implementation of the provisions of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Act.
Attention has been drawn to the need to implement the recommendations of the Buddha Sasana Presidential Commission of 2002. |
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