By year-end membership had risen to 42. The “Sarasavi Sandaresa” newspaper was being published from the BTS office in which they met. But even this Buddhist patriotic newspaper did not think that the formation of this association was important enough to merit a paragraph in its pages.

But membership climbed to 91 in 1898 and germinal activities, harbinger of the future, started taking shape even in those early days. Bana preaching and religious discussions were introduced almost immediately and scholarly papers were read by erudite persons at the meetings. A learned monk held on four days in the week, Pali classes. With the inroads made by Christianity it was increasingly found that the study of Pali among laymen was falling away. A Lending library and a reading room were also organised.

D.B. Jayatilaka was the YMBA’s first President and remained so till his death in 1944. Among its most outstanding members at the time were W.A. de Silva, Abraham Kuruppu, Martinus C. Perera, R. Malalgoda, G.G. Perera, G.C. Samaranayake, Dr L.C. Wijesinghe, K.W. Wirasingha, J.E.R. Perera, D.D. Weerasinghe and P. Wimalasuriya.

It was a poor Association, always short of funds, a malady, which affected it for many years during the YMBA’s early life. Members’ subscription was only 50 cents a month. In 1900 when the membership was 100, subscription collections amounted to Rs 82 and the balance in hand was Rs 56.57. The association had no home of its own, but working from borrowed offices, the stated purpose of discussion of Buddhist learning was never allowed to fall away. Vigorous discussions, critical analysis, the thrust and parry of heated arguments were the hallmarks of those early years when the membership met every week.

There was much discussion after the reading of papers. Persons of other religions were allowed to participate in the meetings, offer their views, and engage in the discussions and even present the free expression of views in a true atmosphere of freedom of expression.

Meanwhile the indefatigable Mr. C. S. Dissanayake never wearied of visiting the homes of members and reminding them that they should attend meetings. And even though funds were short, members travelled to the outstations to talk to the populace about Buddhism. They were welcomed by the people in the villages and treated with great cordiality.