Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, hailed Buddhism as the "foundation for the culture and way of life of our people" and central to the building of the country, in a message marking the Buddhist festival of Poson today, the Daily Mirror reported.
"Even today we are on the correct path as we earnestly believe that there is no other path to build the country other than the teachings of the Buddha brought to us by Arahath Mahinda," President Rajapaksa said.
"It is the teachings of Buddhism that built our thinking on respect for and sustenance of the lives of humans and all other living species, as well as all vegetation, land and water resources. Further, this led to our nation earning the respect and friendship of other nations and faiths for our qualities of patience, compassion and love," he added.
Whilst Buddhism is the prevailing religion amongst the Sinhala people, Tamils are overwhelming Hindu or Christian.
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