The decision on whether Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero should retain or remove his robe is a matter that falls under the responsibility of the Maha Sangha Council to which he belongs, the Anunayake of the Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha, Ven. Prof. Kotapitiye Rahula Thero, has said.
In a letter addressed to the Commissioner-General of Prisons, Ven. Rahula Thero requested that Gnanasara Thero be allowed to appear in prison and in public wearing his robe, without being compelled to disrobe.
He said there was no report before the relevant Sangha Council indicating that Gnanasara Thero had committed a serious offence under the Vinaya Pitaka that would warrant his disrobing.
The senior prelate stressed that he did not challenge the court ruling or the supremacy of the judiciary. However, he said his attention had been drawn to media reports regarding the possible removal of Gnanasara Thero’s robe while he is in prison.
According to the letter, the authority to robe or disrobe a Buddhist monk rests with the monk concerned and the Maha Sangha Council to which he belongs.
He further said that, under the established religious practice in Sri Lanka, such an ecclesiastical matter should be carried out with the approval of the Mahanayake Thero of the relevant Nikaya or Maha Sangha Council.
Ven. Rahula Thero also emphasized that allowing Gnanasara Thero to retain his robe and appear in his prescribed monastic attire whenever he is brought outside the prison is consistent with long-established religious and spiritual traditions.
He warned that disregarding this practice could set an inappropriate precedent for the Buddhist clergy and the Sasana.
