On the morning of June 3, 2017, President Maithripala Sirisena of Sri Lanka met with the nine-member Chinese Buddhist Delegation led by Ven. Guangquan, the Vice Secretary-General of the Buddhist Association of China, Rector of Hangzhou Buddhist Academy and Abbot of Lingyin Temple, at the Presidential Secretariat. Other attendees included Minister Samarasinghe of the Ministry of Disaster Management, Vice-Chancellor of Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka Ven. Gallelle Sumanasiri Thero, and Deputy-director Harindra B. Dassanayake of the President’s Media Division of Sri Lanka.
President Sirisena expressed his welcome and thanks to the Chinese Buddhist Delegation for their visit. He said, “The Buddhist communities in China and Sri Lanka have enjoyed a long history of friendship. During the hard times of Sri Lanka establishing the state, the Chinese government gave it selfless help and support. Recently, the southwest of Sri Lanka was stricken by floods and landslides caused by rainstorms. The Chinese government and the Buddhist Association of China immediately reached out to help the Sri Lankan government to fight against the floods and provide relief.”President Sirisena then extended sincere gratitude on behalf of the Sri Lankan government and people. He also expressed his hope that more exchanges should be promoted between the Buddhist communities of the two countries so as to push the friendship between the two countries to a new level.
Ven. Guangquan said in his speech: The people of China and Sri Lanka have enjoyed close contacts and deep traditional friendship since ancient times. Over one thousand years ago, a Chinese Venerable Master Faxian traveled to Sri Lanka for Buddhist studies. Since then, the Buddhist communities of the two countries have formed intimate ties, which helped establish an ever-lasting friendship between the two countries that passes down from generation to generation. Communication and exchanges between the two sides have flourished as with Buddhism in China and Sri Lanka. We heard about the rare flood disaster upon arrival and I would like to express our sympathy for those in the stricken areas. It is the sincere hope of the Chinese Buddhist community that the people in the disaster areas will be able to rebuild their homes soon under the guidance of the Sri Lankan government.
After the speech, Ven. Guangquan, on behalf of the Buddhist Association of China, donated 22 million Sri Lanka rupees for the disaster relief in the stricken areas. At the end, Ven. Guangquan and President Sirisena exchanged gifts with each other.
President Sirisena of Sri Lanka meeting with the Chinese Buddhist Delegation
Ven. Guangquan talking with President Sirisena of Sri Lanka
| Ven. Guangquan presenting donation for disaster relief to Sri Lanka on behalf of the Buddhist Association of China |
Ven. Guangquan on behalf of the Buddhist Association of China
exchanging gifts with President Sirisena of Sri Lanka
