New Pictures have emerged showing President Sirisena imitating President Rajapaksa, worshipping the sacred Tree in Anuradhapura. The resemblance is uncanny.
Such conduct was not seen during the tenure of President Jayewardene or Kumaratunga. President Rajapaksa seem to have pioneered worshiping tarmac, Tree worshipping of this nature and took astrology to new heights.
Is President Sirisena following in the foot steps of President Rajapaksa? We will let our readers judge if the voters have bought Old wine in new bottles.
ModernLankan / January 26, 2015
Can we please have our leaders act like SRI is a secular country. It’s never a good thing when the state gets involved in promoting religion. My criticism of Maithree is that , he can atleast try not to be seen on TV every day as the president of everyone promoting one religion.Like with developed countries we need to keep the state and religion separate. WE hear rumours of a planned coup all these murders and disappearances and millions of stolen money…Still not a single person has been brought to justice. My fear is the new president is too pal or close to key players of his old regime and have not uttered a single statement about justice and bringing anyone to justice regardless of who they are. I hope he doesnt sweep all this crime under the carpet , just arrest a few low level operators and keep anyone connected to the Rajapakse clan and family safe.
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Lasanda / January 26, 2015
Just because Sirisena wore modi clothes and got the minority vote does not mean he will be accepted by the majority sinhalise by worshipping our sacred Sri Maha Bodhi. He is a traitor just like Mangala, Chandrika and Ravi.
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Native Vedda / January 26, 2015
Lasanda
“He is a traitor just like Mangala, Chandrika and Ravi.”
Why are they all traitors?
Remember Mythiri has been a hard line Sinhala/Buddhist almost all his life just before he crossed over to opposition and was at times the defense minister. Probably he is still the hard line Sinhala/Buddhist defense minister
What is your problem?
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Lasanda / January 26, 2015
We had a stable and safe country under President Rajapaksa. We worked hard in this land in dreaming of a developed country in few years. These traitors changed it all for us just because of their greed for power.
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Native Vedda / January 27, 2015
Lasanda
“We had a stable and safe country under President Rajapaksa.”
Do you think so? Stability comes from how you treat your people not from barrel of gun, white van, war crimes, crimes against humanity, good neighborliness, knowing what is right and wrong, …….
Soviet union and other countries were stable until the rot set long before caught up with reality.
The stability that you are proud of was donated to you by Hindia and the west, better be grateful to them else they can take it away any time.
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anthe / January 26, 2015
If you are devout I don’t see what’s wrong.perhaps taking photographs is what is wrong. Worship is personal not public.
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Viveka_Kandy / January 26, 2015
This is a non news and trying to be against establishment type of article. For a person from Rajarata(basically for most Sinhalease) Sri Maha Bodhi holds same cultural significance that Temple of tooth to people from Kandy. There is no one I know who doesn’t go to Dalada maligawa (despite their belief) just because it is customary thing to visit there. He is the president of SL, so he has to do some of the customs that are adhered to the country. He only said that about believing in Astrologers using it to call shots in governing. The problem is MR take it to the ludicrous levels that is laughable, but most of these things are common things that most of SLns do. I am no Maithree fan but to his defense, he never claimed himself a liberal, atheist or an agnostic. Neither he is a western educated person. He always told that he is a simple man, from Polonnaruwa a villager who leads a simple life, a normal regular Buddhist like regular SLn. The difference I see is that MR is a tree-hugger to get what he wants, looking for some superficial powers, but MS do it out of his sheer belief. Even all the other leaders do things like that, including Obama goes to churches and never forget to claim how much he loves God, and Modi is as far as I know believe in million gods, and a very religious man. I see nothing wrong with that, because it is their belief. I have no problem with that as long as they are honest humanitarians who work for the betterment of the people of the country. Even if the president is an atheist, these do you think it is going to sit well with the people of SL if he is going to come out say from now on wards I will stop worshiping places of importance because it is heretic, or make no sense. These things are cultural, and practical. Any liberal leader of the world would do the same. Even AKD went to Asgiri and Malwathu vihara, as far as I know socialists don’t believe in religions. May be he had special promise made(like many SL do prior to elections) that if his life is spared and he would pay respect to the Bo Tree. He has all the right to believe a religion he wants there is a clear difference in the way the two of them worship.. I didn’t see anywhere he said that, I will not go to religious places. I will not do anything that MR did religiously. What I see in MS pictures is respect, in MR pictures lunacy.
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Vidalia / January 26, 2015
So, name it appropriately, ‘The Lunacy of CT news”, “in truth, journalism is processed”.
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Kalhari / January 26, 2015
Sadly the new president has done many disappointing things during the past two weeks.
1.Appointing Somarathne Dissanayake as the Rupavahini chairman.
2.Appointing a corrupt secretary (Abeykoon) to the president
3.Appointing his own younger brother Kumarasinghe who is not qualified and has a bad reputation as the Telecom head.
4.Appointing S B Dissanayake (who has a foul mouth and said that Mrs Kumaranatunge should be stripped naked and dragged along the road as an insne woman)to top post of SLFP. The very same Mrs Kumaranatunge is the one who initiated that move to have MS as the common candidate in the presidential election.
Failing to get rid of the corrupt chief justice Mohan Peiris until this moment.
The icing of the cake is MS is worshipping trees just like MR while the masses are waiting for a society with good morals, ethics and principles to be born and want some peace and justice in their lives. Are we expecting too much?
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Kalahari / January 26, 2015
Have you ever felt a desert-like lonliness, facing all the lions, hyenas and snakes of your imagination, with no weapon, no partner (to caress), nothing but silent, ugly, harmful aloe vera plants all around you? Giving up will only means death, while fighting, means death too.. (be cautious out there in the lonely desert).
– Pharoah Moe
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essie / January 26, 2015
How foolish can we get? MS and every citizen in this country can worship as they choose. What we need and should be looking for is good clean governance.
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Uthungan / January 26, 2015
Tree worshipping,stone worshipping,image worshipping are all an indication of the brain washing one has received in order to achieve a certain goal one is told to believe in.
The goal itself is an invention of the mind and to search for it outside is for purpose of seeking a meaning in life is a never ending pursuit like trying to find the limts for the ever receding horizon a fruitless task.
All of which are time wasting and unproductive.this the reason nothing gets done.
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paul / January 26, 2015
Instead of worshipping trees and stones, we must start beheading non believers as is the practice in non-idol worshipping countries. And of course bomb if there any stone statues..
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Wickramasiri / January 26, 2015
The criticism is exaggerated and blown out of proportion. Worshipping the Bo tree is a practice that has developed over many centuries just like worshipping of statues, stones, etc. It is not truly Buddhistic, but yet, has become a practice and is known as ‘Bodhi Pooja’. It is wrong to think that Sirisena is imitating Rajapaksa. President Premadasa did it. In fact most Buddhists do it and Sirisena is following a practice that that he has probably observed lifelong. It is a harmless practice with no real usefulness. Just let it be.
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Govinda / January 26, 2015
Déjà Vu
How can tree help man, just pray to god. And these trees are grown from the shit of the crow. There is no other way of Pollination for this tree. Go the temple and pray to the LORD.
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Cheran Raghavan / January 26, 2015
Go-inda… go-indaa…
What do you pray, not a Rocky-Phallus?
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Dhammika / January 26, 2015
I don’t see any important relevance in publishing these pictures other than to create racist disharmony. The sacred Bo tree has been a sacred symbol to all uddhists and the president has all the right to visit and pay homage to this tree which gave shelter to the Buddha and helped him to attain Buddha hood. Colombo Telegraph is stooping to a low level in journalism which was never expected of them.
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Don Sethang / January 26, 2015
What’s that’Buddhahood’, is it like Robinhood?
Colombo Telegraph is already stooped to the lowest of all levels, ages before.
Open your third eye Dhammkika, Lanka is soon turning out to be a Florance.
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paul / January 26, 2015
It may or may not be like Robinhood, but it certainly is not like Manhood which some religions prescribe to chop the tip off.
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Pilatus / January 27, 2015
It’s a pleasure to tipp-off you, anytime in leisure.
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sach / January 26, 2015
never expected? hell you are wrong!
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Ali / January 26, 2015
As an individual, let him worship anything that he believes in and that is his right. He definitely will get due respect for being non-corrupt leader who unites all the religions and races to think as Sri Lankans and that is what is needed at this time.
(As Victor Ivan said “MR united the lands, but not the religious and racial minds” – it was too late for him to realize how suicidal it was)
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Swin / January 26, 2015
My3 was the closest to MR so he is following him. He changed sides to get in to power. Then the party next he will say he is MR
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Samantha Wije / January 26, 2015
Most of the idiots who have commented are Tamil racists by the sound of it. One idiot says “appointment of central Bank Governor is a good choice” obviously since he is a Tamil. Thank god most Tamils living in SL are not Racists and we all live like brothers & sisters. That is why most Tamil brothers & sisters voted HE Sirisena to power. Only the morons who are living overseas are the ones who make fools out of themselves.
For your information you racist idiots, Buddhism teaches people to show gratitude and this tree gave shade to Lord Buddha when he attained enlightenment and it is a symbol of gratitude that is followed by Buddhists (including HE Maithripaala Sirisena) and NOT simply worshiping a tree. Wonder if you idiots could spell the word gratitude let alone knowing the meaning of it.
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Ambokke / January 26, 2015
Samantha Wijekotuwawela,
Buddha never worshipped the tree he sat under during his lifetime. He only worshipped the Maha Brahma.
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paul / January 26, 2015
It is better not to make statements of which one has no knowledge or understanding.
“More than two millennia ago, an exceptional human being and according to some one endowed with the greatest mind ever, Siddhartha Gauthama, the Enlightened One, stood for a week in front of the tree Asathu. This was upon attaining Enlightenment. The Buddha, we are told, paid tribute, showed gratitude and taught lesson by this simple but significant act of gazing upon the tree that given him shade in the long moments of reflection that resulted in the fruition of Nirvanic comprehension. Hour after hour, day after day, for an entire week, the Buddha gazed upon the tree, without blinking once”.
Tree. Inanimate. Symbolic. One might say it was unnecessary for someone who has vanquished his kleshas, but then again, it also indicates ‘teacher’ and exemplifies the virtue of humility.”
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Samantha Wije / January 26, 2015
Where in my comment did I mention That Lord Buddha worshiped a tree ? It is only a symbol of gratitude as I have very clearly mentioned.
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paul / January 26, 2015
Where did you read that Buddha worshipped Maha brahma? Quote your source. On the other hand, Buddha showed his gratitude to this tree and so do his followers ever since his enlightenment.
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Anokat Ratanajit / January 27, 2015
Paula, you asked the wrong man the wrong question:
“Where did you read that Buddha worshipped Maha brahma? Quote your source.”
The modern texts you see is not what Buddha preached. All texts of Buddhism are desolate of the word opting out “Brahma”, the job of successive Brahman pundits removed them from the text original texts to give a notion to the public that Siddharta’s sangha texts is far alien in thought than any religion in India, while the omnibus acknowledged him and his creed but doubtfully cast it away due to the absence of an Omnipotent source of creation is the defenite truth. But truly the Buddhist text still mentions all in all the concept of a creator. See the following:
“….Buddha taught regarding the 31 Planes of Existence and the countless inhabitants therein, including Maha Brahma”.
see: http://wisdomquarterly.blogspot.com/2012/03/god-maha-brahma-in-buddhism.html
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Anpu / January 26, 2015
When is My3 going to Thirupathi, Kathirkamam,…
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Ludicrous / January 26, 2015
To eat ‘Laddu’.
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T Wickramaratna / January 26, 2015
M3. What the voters expected was yaha Palanaya.Not to repeat what MR did in giving jobs to his own relations.Besides, the selections of some secretaries are also questionable. Henchmen of MR has already crept in to strategic places.BEWARE.
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Jagath Fernando / January 26, 2015
Please leave religious beliefs out of discussion.
Far more important matters to discuss and debate rather than religious issues.
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Paul / January 26, 2015
Amen to that!
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Deshapriya / January 26, 2015
What kind of base journalism is this? Isn’t there something something slightly more substantial you can write? There certainly is the danger that MS might go down MR’s path but this is certainly not an intelligent analysis of this danger. I am certainly questioning the quality of this website
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K.A Sumanasekera / January 26, 2015
May be Sira has to become an Anglican and to be hip like the Elite..
But then, Sira is not interested in a second term.
At the current rate of only 15 days for a Sibling to score, all can be easily accommodated in less than 90 days. even if it is Eleven in the Team.
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Weera / January 26, 2015
I don’t know about other readers, I get tired of watching any Leader wasting so much valuable time worshipping Bo trees, Temples and Kovils. This type of leaders have feeble minds or it is an act to show the masses that they are very religious. Buddhism is not a religion, it is all about Right Thinking and abstaining from wrong doings. If a Buddhist practices five precepts, there’s no need to worship Buddhist idols.
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Cyrus / January 26, 2015
A person’s faith is his own, but sadly as the president, he does not have much privacy. So everything he does will be scrutinised and analysed, with people putting their own spin on them.
It is made worse since the previous presidents made their religious practice a media and public relations campaign. This only works if the people buy it, if the people don’t buy it then this will stop both from the perspective of the politicians and the media(no ROI). So my recommendation is that we the people don’t buy this.
I personally prefer a leader who honestly strives to look at higher values (spiritual), than that is available in human wisdom; as long as they respect human beings and the environment we dwell in.
Petros
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paul / January 26, 2015
While a Buddhist worshipping a bodhi tree is uncivilised, everything done in the name of other religions is civilised and commendable.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/74385000/jpg/_74385688_021987081-1.jpg
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Bensen Burner / January 26, 2015
Maithripala for Gods sake must not play to the Buddhist gallery. Buddhism is made of much greater stuff. Bensen
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Dr.Goebells / January 26, 2015
Perhaps MS should start attending prayer meetings .
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crazyoldmansl / January 26, 2015
This has to be done to please the SINHALA BUDDHISTS!
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FAMOUS449 / January 26, 2015
May be because the majority of the Singhala Buddhists didn’t give him that significant majority votes to win the election very convincingly, uh?
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crazyoldmansl / January 27, 2015
Right now the majority of the majority probably sees him as a sell out to the minorities and a “threat to national security”. Sacred Bo tree worship and other ritualistic signals that attempt to confirm his Sinhala Buddhistness are therefore in order I presume.
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Huz / January 26, 2015
Aiyo CT. Don’t let the quality of your journalism stop. This sounds like a slightly less vicious article by Mahindapala.
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Lash / January 26, 2015
What’s wrong with worshiping this sacred Bo tree, like many Buddhists wish to? What has Colombo telegraph got against it?
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Paul / January 26, 2015
Let him worship what the hell he likes trees, paddy fields, lamp posts, upstair bungalows, anything.
But let him not appoint his brother as Chairman, Ranil’s three cousins as ministers, wives as additional Secretaries…..
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vishvajith / January 26, 2015
The past, is always present, even in the future.
To the readers,please don’t take it anymore seriously than the Christians kissing Pope’s ring or Hindu’s washing in the polluted Ganges.
It is what it is. The Gods are indifferent.
Broadly the Nation must be run through reason.
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WalaGemba Raja / January 27, 2015
I defend President MS or anyone who genuflects in reverence to a tree, tooth relic or anything that appeals to our masses in order to win votes from the MOADAYA’s of our country. This is fact and not fiction! If not, can anyone explain to me how 5 million MOADAYA’s still decided to vote for a CRIMINAL and a MURDERER?
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Chandana Perera / January 27, 2015
I think by publishing this news in the website, CT tries to insult Buddhism. Unfortunately those who comment in here either do not know the Buddhism or maliciously comment due to their own ideologies. First you should be able to respect other religions. See how President Obama respectfully planted a sacred Bo tree in India in his current diplomatic visit.
So I urge CT not to publish this sort of abusive news in future.
May triple gem bless you!
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dulminda / January 27, 2015
[Edited out]
We are sorry, the comment language is English – CT
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