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| Tuesday, 6 January 2004 |
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Deshabandu Alec Robertson - ardent devotee of the Dhamma by Rajah Kuruppu President, Servants of the Buddha Society The first death anniversary of Deshabandu Alec Robertson, the well-known preacher, writer and broadcaster in Buddhism, was on December 31, 2003. Born in Gampola on 30th October 1928, he passed away on the last day of last year at the age of 74 years. His working life was mainly devoted to the Buddhist cause to propagate the Dhamma, the teaching of the Buddha, by talks, participation in discussions, writing of books and articles in Buddhist journals and newspapers and broadcasting.
Born to a Christian family, Mr. Robertson became a Buddhist by intellectual conviction at the tender age of 13 years as a school going child. His father though a born Christian later became a Free Thinker who studied the Dhamma and had a good number of books on the Dhamma for that purpose. The young Robertson seized the opportunity to read these books and convinced himself of the Buddhist identification of the central problem of life as Dukkha or unsatisfactoriness and the way to overcome the problem was to follow the priceless Noble Eight Fold Path. He had four sisters and two brothers, and the latter followed his footsteps and became Buddhists. Propagation of Dhamma In the propagation of the Dhamma, Mr. Robertson was closely and actively associated with the Servants of the Buddha Society at Maitri Hall, Lauries Road, Bambalapitiya, founded in 1921, and which has been meeting continuously since then every Saturday evening at 5.00 p.m. to listen to a talk and discuss the Dhamma. Mr. Robertson was first the Assistant Secretary and then the Secretary of the Society, and subsequently its President for 30 years from 1969 to 1998 when he relinquished office with declining health but continued as Advisor of the Society until his demise. In the 1950s and 1960s the late Ven. Kassapa Thera (formerly Dr. Cassius Pereira) presided at the evening meetings of the Society. Mr. Robertson acknowledged the training and guidance given to him by the Ven. Kassapa Thera at Maitri Hall in an article entitled 'In the Service of the Buddha' in the 75th Anniversary Souvenir of the Society released in 1997, the Editor of which was Mr. Robertson. He has stated therein that the training they had received at the Servants of the Buddha stood him in good stead in preaching the Dhamma at home and abroad. Among the other prominent Buddhist scholars that addressed the meetings at Maitri Hall were the late Ven. Narada Maha Thera, the late Ven. Mirisse Gunasiri Thera, the late Ven. Soma Thera, the late Ven. Kemminda Thera, the late Ven Piyadassi Thera, the late Mr. S.F. de Silva, a former Director of Education, and Mr. Victor Guneratne, a former Public Trustee. At the meetings of the Society, he always emphasised the importance of discussion and the raising of questions to clarify doubts. He often quoted the words of the Buddha as recorded in the Mangala Sutta as follows "Kalena Dhammasavanam Kalena Dhammasacacca" Etam Mangalamuttamam To hear the Dhamma at the opportune moment To discuss the Dhamma at the opportune moment. This is a supreme blessing. Mr. Robertson revelled in answering questions and responding to observations from the audience when he addressed the Society usually on the first Saturday of the month or when others delivered talks and he chaired the meetings. His knowledge of the Dhamma was deep and profound and together with his remarkable memory enabled him to respond extremely well to questions and observations. Always encouraging the audience to raise questions, he remarked that it would benefit not only the person who asked the question but others as well. Moreover, one remembers better what is learnt in a question and answer session than from a straight forward presentation. In his younger days, after the weekly meetings of the Servants of the Buddha at Maitri Hall, he and a few friends of the Dhamma, such as late Egerton Baptist, a well-known Buddhist Scholar and Dr. Rienzil Piyasena, an expert on nuclear medicine and now the Vice President of the Servants of the Buddha Society, would proceed to the Vajiarama Templesroom of the Ven. Soma Thera, formerly Mr. Victor Pulle, a Colombo Chetty. Who like Mr. Robertson became a Buddhist by conviction and came to be known for his numerous writings on the Dhamma. Those who gathered in his room would continue to discuss relevant matters late into the night with the learned monk. Broadcasting Mr. Robertson was connected with broadcasting for a long period of time of around 50 years by delivering talks and participating in discussions on the Dhamma over the SLBC. For Several decades he was a participant in one of the most popular Buddhist radio programmes, namely, the 'Buddhist Forum' that goes on the air for 30 minutes at 8.00 p.m. every Tuesday evening. At the Buddhist Forum a number of Buddhist scholars discuss various aspects of the Dhamma and entertained subjects for discussion from listeners. In the 1950s and the early 1960s the Forum had distinguished personalities as Chairmen such as the Late Prof. K.N. Jayatilake, Prof. of Philosophy of the University of Ceylon, Late Mr. Siri Perera, Q.C., a Buddhist leader who was the President of the Colombo YMBA; and Dr. Rienzil Piyasena, who served in the International Atomic Energy Agency of the UNO in Vienna, Austria, for a considerable period of time. Participants in this Forum included at that time. Mr. Robertson, late Hon. S.R. Wijayatilake, a former Judge of the Supreme Court and Late Austin de Silva, a dedicated Buddhist worker. Mr. Robertson became the Chairman of the Buddhist Forum later and continued to perform that task, except for brief intervals, until his death, a period of two and a half decades. In 1979 he joined the SLBC on a full time basis as Programme Organiser for Buddhist activities and remained so until his retirement from public service in 1988. Writer As a writer, Mr. Robertson had many Buddhist publications to his credit which include 'Buddhist Atttude Towards Christianity', 'Nibbana - Happiness Supreme', ' The Triple Gem and the Uposatha', and 'Buddha - the Helear Incomparable". He also regularly contributed articles to Buddhist Journals and the newspapers on the Dhamma. For the Buddhist Annual, Vesak Sirisara, he has contributed articles on a variety of subjects over an unbroken period exceeding 20 years which could be published as a useful Buddhist book. As a disseminator of the Dhamma, Mr. Robertson was well-known among English speaking Buddhist circles. Nevertheless, he had good command of the Sinhala language and addressed many assemblies in that language. Especially in his younger days he travelled to various parts of the country to deliver Buddhist talks on the invitation of Buddhist organisations in the outstations mostly in the Sinhala language. Parliament With the changes in the electoral system introduced for the Parliamentary elections in 1989, President Ranasinghe Premadasa decided to include in the National List of the UNP a few persons outside the political arena who had distinguished themselves in areas such as the professions and cultural activities including religion. To represent Buddhism and Buddhist cultural affairs Mr. Robertson was selected. Thus, he became a Member of Parliament and served the supreme legislature of the country from 1989 to 1994. A public commemoration lecture in memory of Deshabandu Alec Robertson will be held Saturday 24th January, 2004, at Maitri Hall, Lauries Road, Bambalapitiya, at 5.00 p.m. The commemoration lecture will be delivered by Prof. Asanga Tilakaratne, Prof. of Buddhist Philosophy of the Post Graduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies of the University of Kelaniya, on the subject 'Alec Robertson and the Theravada Interpretation of Buddhism'. Totally dedicated to the cause of the propagation of the Dhamma, Mr. Robertson spent a preponderant part of his adult life in that activity. The periods that he served as a Member of Parliament and Programme Organiser of the SLBC facilitated the performance of this task that he had voluntarily undertaken from his young days. May this indefatigable worker for the spread of the consoling balm of the Dhamma, so necessary in these times of great stress and strain, realise early the peace and bliss of Nibbana. |
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