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President's Poson Message [Friday, June 29, 2007 - 10.35 GMT]
The greatest homage we could pay
to Arahat Mahinda who laid the foundation for spiritual and
intellectual development of our people is to create a peaceful
environment for them to live without violence, said President
Mahinda Rajapaksa in a message on the occasion of the Poson
festival.
The message:
"The arrival of Arahat Mahinda in Mihintale, Anuradhapura from India in 236 B.E. marked the advent of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It is a historic occasion, which opened vistas of a new culture.
"The spiritual development that accompanied the conversion of King Devanampiyatissa to Buddhism is ingrained in the hearts and minds of the Buddhist people.
"Our ancestors who gave pride of
place to the culture of “the tank, the stupa and the
temple” not only laboured to make our land self-sufficient but
also defended it at the cost of their lives.
"It is the cultural heritage we
derived from the advent of Arahat Mahinda that made it possible
to build great tanks, built enormous stupas and achieve
prosperity. It is a pleasure to note that a grateful public is
commemorating this historic event.
"The greatest homage we could pay
to Arahat Mahinda who laid the foundation for spiritual and
intellectual development of our people is to create a peaceful
environment for them to live without violence.
"King Devanampiyatissa who gave up
deer hunting for pleasure after listening to Arahat Mahinda
showed us the value of life.
"Similarly, Emperor Asoka was the
first among kings to realize that peace is the sole relief,
elixir and solace to all living beings. That is why he chose the
conquering of the dhamma over conquering lands.
“All fear punishment and similarly
death. Nobody should be harmed taking one’s self as an example”.
"On this Poson eve I appeal
to all to unite irrespective of racial, religious, caste and
party differences to create in this land well defended by our
ancestors, an environment where all could live peacefully
without fear.
"I wish all Sri Lankans a happy
Poson".
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