Ven. Kotapitiye Rahula Thera, Anunayake of the Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha, has formally urged the Commissioner General of Prisons to allow the imprisoned monk Ven. Galagodaath the Gnanasara Thera to retain his robe.
Ven. Rahula Thera pointed out that from a religious perspective, the right to allow a monk to keep the saffron robe or to decide to strip it rests only with the “Sangha Sabha” to which the respective monk belongs.
He further notes that according to the established religious procedures in Sri Lanka, this action is a religious matter that must be carried out with the approval of the Mahanayake Thera of the relevant Nikaya or Maha Sangha Sabha.
The letter notes that the relevant “Sangha Sabha” has not received any report that Gnanasara Thera has become a monk who has committed a parajika offense under the Vinaya Pitaka or has committed an offense against monastic discipline serious enough to warrant the removal of his robes.
Therefore, Kotapitiye Rahula Thera has requested that Gnanasara Thera be allowed to appear in his robe while in jail and when he is escorted outside, stressing that he is not against the sentence handed down by the court or the supremacy of the judiciary.
The letter also notes that it has drawn attention to media reports of Gnanasara Thera’s robes being removed while he is in jail and while he is being taken out of jail.
Ven. Kotapitiye Rahula Thera stressed that disregarding these traditional religious and spiritual procedures could set a wrong precedent for the Buddhist monastic order.
