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Alec Robertson was a Buddhist by conviction - Former Chief Justice

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The Servants of the Buddha Society commemorated its former President, Deshabandu Alec Robertson last Saturday at Maitriya Hall, Lauries Road. Former Chief Justice, G.P.S. de Silva as chief guest unveiled the photograph of the late Alec Robertson and in a short speech said that Alec Robertson was a Buddhist by conviction.

He was an ardent, dedicated and committed Buddhist who practised Buddhists principles faithfully. He had a thorough grasp of the Doctrine and the capability to explain it clearly and convincingly in clean and lucid English.

He excelled equally as a writer on Buddhism. He always attached importance to question, debate and discussion on the Doctrinal topics. He was so profound in his knowledge of the Doctrine that he did not hesitate to discuss it at any moment. He considered Buddhism as a Doctrine of freedom by which it is possible to reach an end to suffering in this imbalanced world.

Raja Kuruppu, President, Servants of the Buddha Society welcomed the guests and said that Deshabandu Alec Robertson was associated with the activities of the Society from his school days. He functioned as its Secretary for a few years and became its President, which position he held for 30 years until his demise.

The Servants of the Buddha Society was formed in 1921 after Ven. Ananda Metteyiya, a foreign Bhikkhu, who delivered the first lecture at Maitriya Hall and it was on the Four Noble Truths. Dr. Casius A. Pereira, later Bhikkhu Kassapa was a livewire of the Society.

Alec Robertson learnt his Buddhism from Bhikkhu Kassapa, Ven. Narada Maha Thera and other Buddhist scholars. During his incumbency as President he was directly responsible for the numerous lively discussions which took place at Maitriya Hall. His life was almost entirely devoted to Buddhism and the activities of the Servants of the Buddha Society. His service to its progress is immeasurablem, the speaker emphasised.

Prof. Asanga Tilakaratne, Director, Post Graduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies delivered the Deshabandu Alec Robertson Commemoration lecture titled, 'Alec Robertson and the Theravada Interpretation of Buddhism' and said that Alec Robertson was an ardent adherent of the Theravada Buddhism. He would not for a moment deviate from the principles enunciated in Theravada texts. Theravada means the Doctrine of the Elders. It is the name of the oldest form of the Buddha's teaching handed down.

According to tradition its name is derived from the fact of having been fixed by 500 holy Elders of the Order soon after the Buddha's demise. However it is not without interpretations by succeeding generations of Elders from time to time in response to questions they faced.

Theravada is the form of Buddhism understood and followed generally in Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos etc.

In Lanka Buddhagosha who was associated with the Mahavihara is accepted as the authentic interpreter of Theravada. Yet it is not possible to accept this view without any reservation, that Buddhagosha was entirely the author of the Theravada interpretations.

He has only compiled the interpretations offered to him by the Elders of Mahavihara at the time. He was of course the author of Visuddhimagga from Mahavihara. The other school of thought from Abhyagiri monastery produced the Vimuktimagga.

Western scholars who were keen to study Buddhism found the Theravada interpretations not always satisfactory. Hence they sought to look for the original Buddhism or what the Buddha would exactly have stated. Hence their search for early Buddhism. It would be possible to identify what the Buddha had actually said by a careful scrutiny of the available Theravada texts.

The ultimate goal of all Buddhists is Nibbana. According to the commentators it is Freedom from Desire. It is absolute extinction of the life-affirming will manifested as greed, Hate and Delusion and convulsive clinging to existence.

The absolute extinction of these will lead to ultimate and absolute deliverance from all future rebirth, old age, disease, death and all suffering and misery. Alec Robertson genuinely and seriously explained the Doctrine and the Nibbana as interpreted in the Theravada Buddhism. Nibbana can be accurately explained only by a person who has attained a Nibbanic state according to the professor.

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