Religion around the world

Sri Lanka – Religion

General

Buddhism is the predominant religion of Sri Lanka, practiced by about 70 percent of the population most of whom belong to the Sinhalese ethnic group. The relatively secular Constitution of Sri Lanka gives Buddhism the “foremost place,” but full religious freedom is granted to other religions.

The other major religions of Sri Lanka are Hinduism (15 percent), Christianity (8 percent), and Islam (7 percent). Buddhism and Hinduism (with their common origins in India) have the greatest influence on the political, economic, and social life of the country.

Hinduism is practiced by the Tamil ethnic group and it is the predominant religion in the northern part of Sri Lanka. Most Christians are found in the West while Muslims are concentrated in the East.

Sri Lankans follow the Theravada (Doctrine of Elders) school of Buddhism. While Sunnis comprise the majority of Muslim population, there is also a small Shia minority. Roman Catholicism is the predominant Christian group representing almost 90 percent of all Christians. There are also Anglicans, mainstream Protestants, and evangelical Christian groups like Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Theravada Buddhism is the oldest and most conservative school of Buddhism as opposed to later schools like Mahayana (“the great vehicle,” popular in China) and Vajrayana (“the Diamond Vehicle,” found in Tibet). There are no sects in Sri Lankan Theravada, but the 20,000 monks of the Sangha (communion of Buddhist monks) come under three “orders,” which is sub-divided into “families”: Sivam Nikaya (6 families); Amarapura Nikaya (23 families); and Ramanna Nikaya (2 families). There is no hierarchy in the Sangha but elders are highly revered.

The basic tenets of Buddhism are profound in their simplicity and are stated in the “Four Noble Truths” enunciated by Siddatha Gotama (Pali. Siddhartha Gouthama in Sanskrit) who became the historical Buddha or “the enlightened one,” in the sixth century B.C. They are: 1. Existence is dukkha (suffering); 2. The cause of dukkha is trishna (craving, attachment); 3. There is the state of nirvana, which is the end of all suffering: liberation, enlightenment, and the “extinction” of personality and personal desires. 4. The way to end all dukkha and achieve nirvana is through the practice of the Eightfold Path: right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right awareness, and right concentration.

Buddhists, like Hindus, believe in karma – the total effect of action and conduct during several lives creating the destiny of the individual – and samsara – the idea that living beings are inescapably trapped in a cosmic juggernaut of continuous cycles of birth-death-rebirth due to their karma. The concept of karuna (compassion) is an integral part of the Buddha’s teachings, the motive force for all his actions, and the main virtue he expected of his followers.

Buddhists give much importance to meditational practices and the observance of moral precepts. For lay Buddhists, who may be unable to practice difficult meditational methods, acquiring “merit” through moral actions is prescribed as the way towards enlightenment. 

Interestingly, the Buddha had nothing to say about God, and the ultimate aim of this rational religion is to end misery by becoming enlightened, like the Buddha. The non-theistic Theravada is the earliest and strictest school of Buddhism and subscribes to the Buddhist canon of the tipitika (the “triple basket” of early Buddhist scriptures) which was originally written in the now-extinct Pali language.

Contrary to popular belief, vegetarianism is not an essential feature of Buddhism (the Buddha himself ate meat and probably died of meat-poisoning), but many Mahayanist schools criticize the Theravadins for breaching the principle of karuna by eating meat.

Buddhism is a non-theistic religion and the Sinhalese do not worship the Buddha but venerate and celebrate his memory. Sri Lankan Buddhists are very proud of their version of Theravada and Sinhalese monks are known to make disparaging jokes about their counterparts in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia. Hindus are generally more devout and worship their pantheon of gods. Curiously, Hindu gods are sometimes appealed to by Christians, and even some Muslims, in emergencies. Roman Catholics are devout but restrained in their religious practices.

It is sometimes difficult to determine whether the conflict between the Sinhalese and the Tamils is caused by ethnic rivalry or religious animosity. The violent and bloody conflict itself has created a wedge between Buddhists and Hindus. The Sri Lankan military has bombed many Hindu temples during their campaign against the Tamil Tiger guerrillas (LTTE). The LTTE, in its turn, has confiscated Muslim lands, homes, and businesses, threatened them with death, and forced them to pay punitive taxes in Tiger-controlled areas. The hijab (veil) worn by Muslim women has been attacked in the Northeast by Tamil Hindus. Evangelical Christians have been facing increasing hostility, due to their proselytizing activities, from Buddhist monks, leading media personalities, and government officials. In the early 1990s, a Seventh Day Adventist church was burned down, and there have been sporadic attacks against Christian spiritual retreat centers and workers by Buddhist monks and laymen.

Even though Sri Lanka’s constitution is supposed to be secular, it explicitly accords “foremost place” (if not special status) to Buddhism. There is no particularly strong secular movement in Sri Lanka like that in her giant neighbor, India. The lack of genuine secularism and pluralism in Sri Lankan constitution and society has been cited by the Tamil Tigers as the main cause of the present ethnic and civil conflict.

Certain religious superstitions exist in the reputedly rational religion of Buddhism, probably due to the influence of Hinduism or the Veddahs (the original forest-hunters of Sri Lanka who have been totally assimilated into the Sinhalese population). Buddhist children are usually made to wear an amulet called panchauda, made out of silver or gold and the symbolic representation of five weapons embossed on it: the bow and arrow, conch, sword, trident and disc or paara walalla. These symbolize the various aspects of the life of Buddha and are believed to protect the wearer from all evil. The Hindus believe the chanting of mantras (sacred, usually, monosyllabic words) has the power of creating positive effects on themselves or the environment.

Religious Clerics

All the major religions of Sri Lanka have their esteemed leaders and all of them have institutions for the training of their monks. Leader-monks of the Buddhist Sangha are accorded high reverence and wield considerable influence in society and the government. Many Sinhalese officials regard the Buddhist monks and the Sangha as providing the necessary “balance and stability” to the Sri Lankan version of a secular society.

The monks guide their Buddhist flock to earn merit through virtuous actions, one such meritorious act being giving financial support to the Sangha in general and the monks in particular. They attend to the death-rites of their lay followers but otherwise do not interfere in secular matters.

The Buddhist Sangha has many training colleges for monks, like the Saripuutha Educational College in Nittembura. In Polonnaruwa, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka, there is a place called Galyhare or the Cave of the Spirits of Knowledge, which has giant sculptures of the Buddha (reclining and standing), carved on an outdoor rock wall. Buddhist monks and students come here for meditation, and religious instruction is imparted to the students in this highly venerated shrine. The Lanka Bible College in the southern city of Peradenia, Kandy, is the island’s largest inter-denominational, evangelical seminary.

Sri Lanka’s clerics are not regulated by the state, nor do they receive any emolument or financial aid from the government. The Sangha is supported by their lay followers, especially the rich and famous and expatriates. Since the Sangha has great influence during election campaigns, their interests are always taken care of by the party in power.

Public Life

The monks of the Buddhist Sangha in Sri Lanka hold considerable sway over the public life of Sinhalese people. They not only act as role models but offer spiritual guidance to the laity. The highly organized (but not centralized) Sangha has control of much property and finance giving them a great deal of influence over society.

The Buddha is not worshiped as God in Sri Lanka but is venerated as an enlightened being and a model to which any one can aspire. The Sinhalese pay homage at dagoba-s and thupa-s (stupa in Sanskrit), which are large mounds built over places supposed to hold the relics of the Buddha or Buddhist saints. The laity works to acquire merit through virtuous actions like social service and pilgrimage to holy sites and dagoba-s. Supporting the Sangha and the monks financially is another way to acquire merit. Listening to the chanting of Pali scriptures (even if not one word is understood) is another religious custom among Sri Lanka’s Buddhists.

The most important Buddhist holidays are Vesak and Aruda. Vesak is celebrated on the first full moon day in May and commemorates the birth, death, and enlightenment of the Buddha. Aruda is the Buddhist New Year and is celebrated in Sri Lanka (as in other Theravada countries) three days from the first full moon in April.

Although Buddhism has a special place in Sri Lankan society, religious festivals of other religions also have the status of national holidays. Hindus celebrate Deepavali (the Festival of Lights) and Pongal (the Tamil harvest festival) with traditional pomp and fervor. Ramzan and Prophet Mohammed’s birthday are the major Muslim holidays. The Christians have Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter as national holidays.


Buddhism is not a ritualistic religion and there are no initiation ceremonies in it that mark one as a Buddhist. The traditional method of affirming one’s Buddhist identity is to chant in Pali the tiratna (triple gems); “I take refuge in the Buddha; I take refuge in the Dhamma (Cosmic Law or Buddha’s teaching); I take refuge in the Sangha.” Buddhists also have to affirm the five percepts (pañcasila): abstaining from killing any living creature; abstaining from stealing; abstaining from improper sexual activity; abstaining from telling lies; abstaining from all intoxicants.

The first trip outside the home of a new-born child is to the Buddhist temple on an auspicious day or full moon day. Death is also marked as a day of religious significance for the deceased as well as the survivors. It is the reminder of Buddha’s teaching on impermanence of phenomena as well as a passage to another life.

Government and Religion

The Constitution of Sri Lanka grants pre-eminent place to Buddhism, although it allows full religious freedom to other religions. It directs the government to safeguard and foster Buddhist shasana (teaching and way of life). The government considers Buddhism as a stabilizing and unifying force in Sri Lankan society.

Although the government does not interfere in religious affairs, there are various ministries in charge of religious affairs: Ministry of Buddha Shasana, Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Hindu Religious affairs, and the Ministry of Christian Affairs.

There are no special religious caveats about which foreigners should be aware, but they should show due respect towards Buddhist and Hindu temples and shrines. They should also defer to Muslim sensibilities during Ramzan, especially in Muslim-dominated areas, by wearing conservative attire and refraining from excessive eating or drinking.

The laws of Sri Lanka are generally secular and follow the pattern of liberal democracies. The government is, however, attempting to bring in laws to “protect” Buddhists from conversions, especially targeted against the proselytizing activities of evangelical Christians. There have been strident expressions of hostility by Buddhist monks, government officials, and the Sinhalese media against conversions, which has resulted in the inciting of mobs to rampage against Christian workers and institutions.

Despite all this, the government allows all religions to practice their faith freely. There is even a tiny minority of Sikhs and Baha’is in Sri Lanka and there are no restrictions regarding the possession of the Bibles, other scriptures, or religious materials. Everyone is free to display his or her religious symbols or icons.

Other Religions

Sinhalese are mostly Buddhist and their attitude towards other religions is tinged with ethnic chauvinism. Religious tolerance in Sri Lanka has been fractured due to the long-running ethnic conflict between the Tamils and Sinhalese.The proselytizing activities of evangelical Christians have prompted the government to limit the granting of residence permits to foreign religious workers. There have also been attacks by Buddhist mobs (monks as well as laity) against missionaries and their institutions. The government is considering various legislation to rein in Christian Evangelism. Many Christians are also realizing the need to employ restraint in their missionary and charitable activities in the face of Buddhist hostility.

Postscript: This was written long before the total defeat and annihilation of the Tamil Tigers(LTTE), who had fought a decades-long, bloody civil war to create an independent Tamil Ealam (homeland). The story of that tragedy is yet to be written.