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Sunday, 9 June 2013

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At UNESCO in Paris:

World yearns for peace – Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa

The following is the special address made by Chamal Rajapaksa, MP, Speaker of Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka at the inaugural session on “Buddhism and Interfaith Dialogue: Reconciliation Through Education”, organised by UNESCO in commemoration of the Vesak in Paris, France on 23rd May, 2013.

“Ven. Master Chin Kung and Venerable Members of the Maha Sangha, religious dignitaries, Your Excellency Katalin Bogyay, President of the General Conference of UNESCO, Janis Karklins, Assistant Director General of UNESCO, ambassadors and permanent delegates friends.

We gather this morning to commemorate not just the life and example of a philosopher, thinker and spiritual leader hailing from Asia, but to comprehend

His life and its example and the impact it had and continues to have on each and every one of us.Today, we reach further in understanding the need for dialogue among faiths, beliefs and ideologies. By so doing we are not only expanding our individual spheres of comprehension, our levels of knowledge and overall outlook on life, but also making a worthy contribution to the realm of oneness, to the concept of peace and to the notion of harmony.

I am very pleased to be here this morning at UNESCO on behalf of the President of Sri Lanka, House of Parliament and the people of Sri Lanka and to join this commemoration of Vesak, which is not only an International Day of observance declared by the United Nations, but is also the most important day for Buddhists all over the world.

Each year, the Day of Vesak gives us an opportunity to reiterate our determination to lead noble lives, develop one’s mind, practice loving-kindness and bring peace and harmony to humanity.

The decision this year to reflect upon the contributions of religious teachings towards re conciliation comes as people throughout the world desire calmness, serenity and above all peace. It repeat PEACE not just in their countries and societies but more importantly in their lives.Reverend Sirs, excellencies, Sri Lanka wishes to take a step forward. A step inspired by the Supreme Buddha, His teachings and His life.

These teachings encourage us to achieve the greatest of all conquests, that being the conquest of self, in a bid to rid our lives of the harms of passion, hatred and ignorance. The gift of Dhamma excels all other gifts.

The Buddha’s teaching is all about understanding-suffering, its origin, its cessation and the path to its cessation.

When people ask ‘What do you have to do to become a Buddhist?’ we say that we take refuge in the Buddha, in the Dhamma, the Sangha and to take refuge we recite a Pali stanza:

Buddhang saranang gacchami (I go to the Buddha for refuge)
Dhammang saranang gacchami (I go to the Dhamma for refuge)

Sanghang saranang gacchami (I go to the Sangha for refuge)When our lives are gripped by such negativity, the damage is endless and the price we pay is immeasurable. Reconciling through education, knowledge, wisdom and understanding is the step we take this year.

A step, we believe which will bring our people closer together, create an unbreakable bond and unify us, irrespective of our individual faiths, all of which teach goodness, peace and compassion.

Our fervent hope and wish this year is that the message of inter faith dialogue and the essence it brings to bear is a bridge towards reconciliation and narrows the divide that exists owing to ignorance, intolerance and hatred.United we can stand.

United, we can face fresh challenges, United we can ensure the prevalence of peace, kindness, consideration and respect and above all be an example.With us this morning are extremely eminent religious dignitaries and personalities, who have through their own lives made a difference. They have led by example, by virtue and by their deeds. We are honoured to welcome them here and thank them for finding time to be present at this symposium organised by the permanent delegation of Sri Lanka.We look forward to their interventions and those that would take place throughout the next 48 hours, whereby we move forward with the hope and conviction that the step we take today, along a road which is long and tough, would be a step in the right direction.

A step towards a determined undertaking to understand our own faiths and beliefs and those of people around us and thereby, mirrors reflecting the goodness, truth and wisdom we gain.

We Supreme Buddha was once quoted as having said that “however many holy words one reads or however many you speak, what good will they do if you do not act upon them?”

Likewise, let our commitment be not just to listening, but to giving life to such teachings in our daily actions, in our dealings with others and in our outlook on life.Then and only then, would we have achieved and led better, meaningful and useful lives.

May the blessings of the Noble Triple Gem be upon you!

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