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Message: <blockquote data-quote="netlife007" data-source="post: 16946249" data-attributes="member: 79514">[FONT=&quot]REACTION TO CHRISTIAN  OFFENSIVE[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]The Kotahena Viharaya  was at this time in the midst of an  exclusively Christian neighborhood and the Viharaya was surrounded by various  Christian establishments. This was the time when Christians, especially  Christian priests were quite active in openly conducting public talks against  Buddhism and Buddhists. These talks were directly offensive, slanderous and  derogatory, and contained information that was malicious and scornful.   In fact, this callous, insensitive and blasphemous attitude on the part  of the Christian establishment that motivated Buddhist leaders such as   Mohottiwatte Gunananda Thera to get to the forefront irrespective of the  risks and challenges involved, in order to respond to the hateful and profane  material against Buddhism spread by Christians, misleading the masses and  undermining the faith and way of life of indigenous people of the country for  over 2000 years. One could argue that it was the wrong and arrogant attitude of  Christians that helped to create a strong Buddhist force challenging the  Christian dominance and influence at the time. It was the lack of foresight on  the part of the Christians that led to extreme forms of unpleasantness and  disharmony between the adherents of the two religions, and the emergence of  Buddhist leaders such as Mohottiwatte Gunananda Thera, and finally the serious  blow and setback, in actual fact the humiliating defeat suffered by the  Christians in the religious debates in late 19th century culminating in the  famous Panadura debate of 1873, which had international implications.[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]In 1849, when he was  twenty-five years old, he held his first important public sermon in Colombo Fort  at a place called Kottambagahayata. During his period of stay at Kotahena,  Mohottiwatte Gunananda Thera travelled extensively across the country giving  pubic sermons to large gathering of Buddhists, on the need to protect and  promote Buddhism and Buddhist way of living. He emphasized the need for  Buddhists not to be victims of Christian conversion. He highlighted the  falsehoods in Christianity and argued against the criticisms leveled against  Buddhism by Christians. He showed the people the value of their Buddhist  cultural inheritance. [/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]COUNTERING UNJUST  ACTIONS [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]During the latter  half of the 19th century one of the cheeky and disrespectful methods used by the  British to undermine Buddhism was the cutting down Bodhi trees and removal of  Buddha statues in public places, especially at roadside and road intersections.  In the pretext of road expansion many Bodhi trees and Buddha statues in and  around Colombo city and other major urban centres were removed or destroyed by  the British. As a direct counter measure against this unjust and reprehensible  actions,   Mohottiwatte Gunananda Thera organized the “Bodhiraja  Committee” consisting of prominent Buddhist leaders and began a huge campaign of  replanting Bo plants and erecting Buddha statues at places where these historic  Buddhist symbols were removed by the British. In addition, Mohottiwatte  Gunananda Thera made a formal complaint in writing to the British government in  England against this unfair practice. This led the British Administration to  abandon this shameful anti-Buddhist practice.[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Even as a young  bhikkhu, Mohottiwatte Gunananda Thera was an indomitable orator. He was admired  by both the lay and ordained Buddhists for his fearlessness, utmost courage and  dedication to his cause of protecting and promoting Buddhism in the face of many  challenges he had to encounter in the process. By about the middle of the 19th  century, he had made over 4000 sermons in different places in the country and  was known nationwide as a Bhikkhu leader with oratorical skills were  unparalleled. [/FONT]</blockquote>

Verification: Haya warak paha keeyada? (haya wadi kireema paha)

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