This marks the second discussion in our series. The purpose of this series is to focus on a society that has fallen into severe economic, cultural, and spiritual hardship. How do we rise from this and move forward? How can we contribute to this process and support it?

Rather than prescribing solutions, these discussions focus on practical steps and sharing progress. We share what we’ve done, what has worked, and what has shown success, so we can learn and build upon it. This practical approach, we believe, can work—not as the only solution, but as one way to achieve success.

The President’s Call for Unity
On November 21, 2024, while addressing Parliament, the President emphasized the need to prevent racism and religious divisions in the country. This is significant for several reasons.

Sri Lanka, a country once poised for development like Japan, fell into poverty. Generations of youth were lost to violence, destroying a valuable human resource. Today, the country is at a point where even educated children prefer to leave, a situation stemming from our failure to build a unified Sri Lankan identity.

Instead, we divided ourselves by race, language, and religion, creating mistrust and acting against one another. Recognizing this, we made efforts to intervene, saying, “Don’t divide; we can’t progress this way.”

Challenges in Building Unity
Through small efforts, such as traveling to remote areas and working with children, we felt a sense of contribution toward uniting communities. However, it’s disheartening when these efforts are easily undermined by a few with political ambitions, who incite racism and violence for personal gain. The media amplifies such acts of violence, overshadowing the genuine efforts to unite people.

This is why individual efforts, while meaningful, cannot succeed without state policies. If the government doesn’t adopt such efforts, our actions are like a squirrel trying to empty the ocean with its tail—a futile attempt.

State policy must aim to create a nation free of racism and religious division. Only then can these efforts succeed. We commend the new government’s stance on this and believe we should support it in every possible way.

Lessons from Experience
From our experience working in war-affected areas, we’ve seen that people on both sides don’t harbor hatred. Even within my own family, despite losing my brother in the war, there is no hatred toward Tamils. Similarly, in the North, some families who lost members to the conflict—even as LTTE fighters—showed no hatred.

Artificial divisions have taught us to hate, leading even children from non-racist families to suffer and lose their lives.

The Role of Compassion and Shared Living
Why should a monk care so much about uniting people and eliminating hatred? Because that is our role: to foster compassion among people and build a society where love and understanding thrive—not just among humans, but toward all living beings.

We must live in harmony with nature, recognizing the rights of all beings. Dividing and competing out of greed will only harm us. Instead, we should embrace shared living and mutual respect, values rooted in every tradition.

Personal and Social Liberation
Buddhist teachings emphasize personal liberation and social liberation as interconnected. We cannot talk about personal liberation without addressing social justice, and vice versa.

During conflict, if someone feels denied justice due to their language or ethnicity, we cannot speak of personal liberation. Similarly, if hatred and revenge remain within individuals, social liberation is impossible.

At our institution, we work for personal liberation through programs that also promote social liberation. We’ve worked in the North and East, witnessing the challenges and resilience of communities.

Whenever racism or religious hatred arises, we intervene and remind everyone of the destruction it brings. However, as more children grow up wanting to leave the country, the future seems bleak.

A Call for Equality and Authentic Leadership
There is no point in claiming that we now have a nation, a religion, or a state if it has been reduced to poverty. Our teachings explain that the sense of self based on race, religion, or caste arises from delusion and ignorance.

No one is born with special rights. Opportunities should be available to all—Muslims, Tamils, Buddhists, and Christians alike. Talent, not religion or ethnicity, should determine success.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could hear this sentiment echoed by those who make policy decisions?

From now on, we hope to hold these discussions every Friday. We aim to explore ways to address challenges from a religious perspective and find solutions together. Let’s meet every Friday to continue this dialogue.