188-Year-Old Colonial Scandal: the Deliberate Distortion of Buddha’s Identity

The Sri Lankan Buddhist organization Ariyakammattana invites you to a press conference. Please register below:

The Sri Lankan Buddhist organization Ariyakammattana unveils the enduring legacy of British colonialism’s deliberate falsehoods about the Buddha, supported by UNESCO and current post-colonial governments

The Sri Lankan Buddhist group Ariyakammattana, after meticulous investigation, is poised to unveil how British colonialism has systematically disseminated false narratives about the Buddha, distorting a global understanding that has persisted into the present day. This misinformation, further perpetuated by UNESCO and various post-colonial governments, represents a significant scandal that demands immediately end.

Ariyakammattana’s investigation reveals the deliberate alteration of the Buddha’s true identity and the alteration of sacred Buddhist worshipping sites, leading to a widespread misdirection within the global Buddhist community. This manipulation extends beyond Buddhism, affecting Hindu and Jain sacred spaces as well.

Ariyakammattana has approached the United Nations Human Rights Commission, asserting the deliberate distortion of the ethnic identity of Buddha Gothama and the Sinhala race by British colonial powers from the 18th to the 20th century. Despite facing dismissals in legal battles within England and Sri Lanka, the organization remains undeterred. Ariyakammattana calls to action for journalists, historians, and global citizens to recognize and correct centuries-old misinformation.

In the presence of:

• Marius Reikerås (“The Peoples’ Lawyer”, human rights defender)
• Bhikkhu Kleppe Ariyamagga (Norwegian Buddhist monk, independent historian)
• Six senior Buddhist monks, among them two chief justices of the Buddhist monastic orders

About Ariyakammattana

Ariyakammattana is a non-profit organization that is incorporated and registered in both Sri Lanka and Norway by Buddhists with Sri Lankan roots. The organization’s members wish to rectify the Helabodu history and bring back the pure Buddha Dhamma that has been distorted, starting in the 19th century under the British invasion of Sri Lanka. Ariyakammattana is led by a Theravada Buddhist monk, Bikkhu Ariyamagga. The organization is independent and does not belong to any other religious and/or social groups. Ariyakammattana is free from all political views and does not discriminate on gender, nationality, religion, cast or any other social groups

www.ariyakammattana.org