But not everyone is happy about Wickremanayake's move. We agree there is a shortage and something must be done about it. But you cannot rush it. Not only are horoscopes carefully screened, he said, but also there are 32 categories deemed unsuitable for priesthood. The culling process excludes those with an inappropriate family background and character and the physically handicapped.
Buddhist activists cite both sociological and economic reasons for the drop.
More parents, opting to have only one or two children, are less likely to encourage sons to join the clergy, preferring to see them contributing to the family's income. With the rising cost of living, Sri Lanka's 13.7 million Buddhists are also slower to provide alms to monks who, according to the dictum of Buddha, founder of the religion, have to beg for their meals. The world's oldest Buddhist organization, the Colombo-based Sri Lanka Mahabodhi Society, which spearheads propagation of the doctrine and is the caretaker of Buddhist pilgrim sites in India, is concerned about the politicization of the clergy. Traditionally, the older monks choose prospective monks from among devotees.