Archives

Promote Pali studies and traditions

by Nemsiri Mutukumara

People everywhere in the world desirous of learning the sublime teachings of the Sakyamuni Buddha in its pristine form and follow the peaceful Buddhist way of life look up to Sri Lanka for guidance.

Sri Lanka proudly claims as the home of Pali Theravada tradition protected, maintained and developed from the very first visit of the Buddha in His ninth month after attaining Supreme Enlightenment 2592 years ago to be exact.

The Bhikkhu Sangha at the risk of their life protected the Pali tradition in all its associated features.

Those keen to follow the observations and practices yearn to learn the Theravada in its pristine form giving due recognition to Pali sources.

Those keen to follow the Buddhist way of life particularly in the western world range from scholars, students, youth and the working class people.

Basic principles of the Dhamma

With the Sinhala Bhikkhu Sangha visiting European countries to provide cultural, educational, religious and spiritual needs of the Sri Lankan communities living in Europe, those desirous of a change had found that the path they have been seeking has ultimately is laid before them. Having learnt the basic principles of the sublime Dhamma, these groups have now embarked on learning from the very words of the Buddha.

Pathetically, Sri Lanka seems to have forgotten the Pali traditions. Most of those so-called scholars and writers who claims to be products of almost all our Universities do not seem to write Pali words correctly either in Sinhala or in Roman character - English language.

Are they, or are they NOT aware that when the London Pali Text Society was established by Professor Rhys Davids with his Kalyanamitta Carolyn Rhys Davids, a new alphabet was formulated to write Pali and Buddhist words in Roman character.

This alphabet is circulated throughout the world printed in all Pali Text Society publications and it is known everywhere.

Renowned and world known Sinhala Buddhist Prelates - the Venerable Hikkaduve Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera led the Sri Lankan Buddhist scholars team to formulate the new Alphabet.

The fundamental character of the Pali language is the absence of 'hal kirima'.

What a shameless situation this once glorious land of Pali language, has fallen today. Quite surprisingly the latest culprit of this villainous and unpardonable crime is the Sri Lanka Regional Centre of the World Fellowship of Buddhists - the W.F.B. SLRC.

The WFB world body was founded and established in Sri Lanka in 1950 May - in Vesak 2494 at the sacred precincts of the Siri Dalada Maligava, Mahanuvara.

Professor Dr. Gunapala Malalasekera was elected the founder President. The Sri Lanka Regional Centre was formed in 2494 - 1951.

The aim of the founding leaders was to bring together under one banner all the three traditions of Buddhism, namely Theravada, Mahayana and Vajirayana the traditions of Tibetan Lamas.

Pali scholars

Everybody agreed that Sri Lanka with a galaxy of lay Pali scholars besides the unaccountable number of eminent, learned and scholarly Bhikkhu Sangha should once again take effective steps to promote the development of Pali language and Pali literature.

Among the lay scholars were Professor Malalasekera, Professor N. A. Jayawickreme, Professor O. H. de A. Wijesekera, Dr. Nandadeva Wijesekera, Dr. Jotiya Dhirasekera, Dr. Ananda W. P. Guruge, Dr. David Kalupahana, Professor W. S. Karunaratne, Professor Jayatilaka, Professor Gunapala Dharmasiri and Dr. Wijesinghe Saddhamangala Karunaratne.

These luminous legends of the day not only produced authoritative Pali works, before doing so, not only they read, they studied authentic Pali works written in Sinhala and English as well by reputed scholars.

It seems, today's generations, conveniently and quietly by-passed this most important process since they seem to be occupied with extra curricular activities which have resulted in causing numerous miserable incidents to students and teachers in most of our Universities.

If we are to protect our country and her great people's good name for playing a global role (before the modern day globalization was ever dreamt of) for protecting and promoting Pali tradition the Buddha Sasana Ministry should take effective steps immediately.

Minister Wi. Ja. Mu. Lokubandara, an erudite scholar proficient in Sanskrit, Pali, Sinhala, English and many other languages should take upon himself the task to remedy the malady.

Buddhist texts

He must appoint a board or a panel to monitor all Buddhist texts written in Sinhala and English before they are printed.

Since the panel has to be remunerated, every author or publisher should be levied a fee according to the number of pages. Minister Lokubandara must safeguard himself from saboteurs if he is keen to accomplish his noble venture once and for all times.

The latest venture is the printing and publishing of a book titled "Api Budun Vandimu". It is published by the Research and Publication Committee of the WFB-SLRC.

Mrs. G. Jayatilaka, Chairperson of the Committee which produced the "booklet" in her "punyanumodana" states that after Sinhala commentaries were translated into Pali, a large number of people could not carry on their work due to the paucity of Pali language.... This "booklet" will help our people to understand the meaning of the gathas they recite when they pay homage to the Buddha."

Her husband Jayatilaka Disanayaka, the Deputy President of the WFB-SLRC is a retired Director of Education. He has given his full support to bring out the "booklet". She states: Before, printing, I was entrusted to read and make necessary corrections.

Unfortunately, the "booklet" needed to be re-written. The cover page of the "booklet" needed re-designing. The six-colour Buddhist flag has thrown out the standard completely.

The Buddhist flag has a standard. The six-stripes horizontally measures eighteen inches or centimeters, vertically its measure should be twelve inches or centimeters. The prabhasvara is indicated in a totally new size.

Those buying this "booklet" will hereafter prepare a new kind of Buddhist flag which will be a grotesque insult to the WFB which at its first general conference unanimously approved the six-colour Buddhist flag with its standard (1:3) as the official flag of the WFB.

Then again, the official emblem the WFB-SLRC has adopted in colour is printed in maroon or red.

All the Gathas in Pali are written with "Hal Akuru".

On the same page, the first Gatha should have been written Sabbathane Supatitthitam and not as Sabbathanesu Patitthitam.

Many people do not seem to know the correct Buddhist era. Most Buddhists still do not indicate the Buddhist era even in their personal letterheads. From recent times many of us not only in our personal letterheads, in the letterheads of all our societies print the Buddhist era. The Buddhist era begins with the dawn of the Vesak Pasalosvaka Poya day.

The Vesak Day is called the Thrice blessed Day on which the Bodhisatta (Buddha to be) Prince Siddhartha was born in Lumbini on the outskirts of his father King Suddhodana's Kingdom of Kapilavastu 2627 years ago.

The Buddhist era

Prince Siddhartha attained Supreme Enlightenment Samma Sambodhi and became Buddha Sakyamuni at Buddha Gaya in Uttar Pradesh in India 2592 years ago.

Sakyamuni Buddha attained Maha Parinibbana - the Great Passing Away in the Royal Park in Kusinara in Uttar Pradesh 2547 years ago. The Buddhist era is reckoned with the date of the Maha Parinibbana.

Hence, the 2548 Buddhist Year begins on the Vesak Poya Day on May 04 this year.

So this "booklet" would have done a wonderful Sasana Sevaya if such information was included.

The inclusion of something called A%O EO makes the position worse because it is anti-Buddhist to give such recognition to such concepts in a predominantly Buddhist country where nearly eighty (80) per cent are Buddhists namely, Sinhala, Tamil, a handful of Moors, Burghers and several European and ethnic Asian communities.

Yet, the WFB-SLRC Executive Committee has minuted that there was a big demand for the book. That is a good sign.

Most Venerable Medagama Vajiragnana Nayaka Thera:

Great service in disseminating Dhamma

by Professor H. T. Basnayake

In the recent history of the Bhikkhu Sasana of Sri Lanka though there were most illustrious and reputed Buddhist monks there are extreamly a very few Buddhist monks who have rendered a great service in propagating Buddhism in foreign lands specially in the west.

It is to be noted that during the second half of the 20th century there were no training centres in Sri Lanka for the training of Buddhist monks for missionary activities in foreign lands.

In spite of this situation the Most Ven. Medagama Vajiragnana Thera through his own efforts entered into the field of foreign missionary activities amidst great difficulties.

It is no exaggeration to say that from his student days he showed a keen interest in propagating and promoting Buddhism in his motherland as well as in other countries.

Childhood

Venerable Vajiragnana Thera was born on 13th September 1928 as the only son among the four children of Mr. and Mrs. Dissanayake the village headman of Maha-Medagama, Patha Hewaheta and he was named as Loku Banda Dissanayake.

During his childhood days he accompanied his grand father who was a very respectable village headman to the village temple to observe sil. This indicates that how he was devoted to his religion.

This devotion compelled him to acquire an immense knowledge of Buddhism and its philosophy. It appears that he himself has determined to enter the Bhikkhu Sasana.

Hence at the age of fifteen he was ordained as a samanera on 23rd March 1943 by the Venerable Welegammadde Sri Dhammarakkhita Sirinivasa Maha Thera at the Hippola Purana Viharaya, Talatuoya. After his preliminary training and education as a Samanera he received his higher ordination at Malwatta Maha Vihara in Kandy on 11th May 1949.

Preliminary education

He obtained his preliminary education at the Pathiraja Pirivena, Agalawatta and joined Maligakanda Vidyodaya Pirivena for his higher education where he studied Buddha Dhamma, Pali, Sinhala and Sanskrit winning many prizes and scholarships as a brilliant student of his time.

With the completion of his pirivena education his thirst for education never ended. He joined the Pirivena Teacher Training College at Ratmalana and completed its course of studies successfully.

But his unsatisfied desire for gaining knowledge persuaded him to go for the university education. Hence he joined the Jayawardanapura University and obtained B.A. For further education he went to India and obtained the degree of Master of Arts from the Jadavapur University in Calcutta.

When he was in India he was very keen on studying Indian languages. As such he entered the Benares University and completed a language study course specialising in Pali and Sanskrit. He gained his D.Litt. degree in Buddhist studies from the University of Lancaster in England.

After completing his studies his main ambition was to enter into the field of foreign missionary work to explore the possibilities of propagating the noble doctrine of Buddhism because he understood that the western countries are eagerly awaiting to acquire the knowledge of Buddhism. Hence, readily he accepted the invitation of the London Buddhist Vihara to render his services as the Deputy Head of the Vihara.

He assumed duties as the deputy head and served the London Buddhist Vihara for fourteen years. Due to an appointment as the principal of the Teacher Training college at Ratmalana, he returned to Sri Lanka.

But his conscience never allowed him to stay in Sri Lanka for a long time because his anxiety and eagerness compelled him to go back to England and resume his duties as a Buddhist missionary.

The Venerable monk was so fortunate that he received an invitation from Anagarike Dharmapala Trust to assume duties as the head of the London Buddhist Vihara.

In 1985 the Venerable monk went back to England and assuming duties as the head of the London Buddhist Vihara began his missionary activities as a full-fledged Buddhist missionary monk dedicating his entire life for the propagation and advancement of Buddhism in the western world.

New premises

Most important and notable task that he fulfilled at first was the stabilization of the London Buddhist Vihara by moving it to a very spacious new premises at Bedford park and expanding its religious and social activities for the benefit of both the Sri Lankan and British Buddhist community living in England.

He organised Dhamma Sunday schools for the students, Dhamma discussions for the adults, Pali study classes and various other educational and social activities to further the knowledge of devotees as well as the non-Buddhists who wished to gain a knowledge of Buddhism.

Apart from these, he worked as a tutor in Buddhism at the Berdeck College, University of London. During a short period of time, due to his invaluable services

the Venerable Thera achieved a great name as a very important Buddhist scholar in the western world that he was invited for each and every international conference on religions.

In 1993 the Venerable Thera attended the parliament of World Religions held in Chicago USA. His association with various religious conferences in the world aroused his interest to form a common forum for all the religions in the world.

Thus he was one of the pioneer members in the formation of "Interfaith Network" in which he was one of the executive members. He was also nominated as the patron of the World Conference of Religion and Peace which was affiliated to the World Congress of Faiths.

Apart from these, the Venerable Thera formed an association of British Buddhist devotees of which he became the spiritual Director. Furthermore here I add a few of his positions held in various organisations.

He is the Vice President of the World Buddhist Supreme Tathagata Followers Organisation, Vice President of the World Buddhist Sangha Council, President, Sri Lankan Sangha Sabha of Great Britain, Patron, Buddhist Cultural Institute, Manor Park, London, Patron, Buddha Dhamma Association Southhall England, Patron, East Midlands Buddhist Association, Laicester, Patron, Hope for Children Organisation, Hemel Hempstead, and Executive Committee Member of Consultation for Religious Freedom.

Amidst all these heavy burden of Social and Religious activities he never forget to put his own ideas and impressions into writing.

He has written books both in English and Sinhalese, out of which a few of them are given below, Mediation; Life of a lay Buddhist, Peace through Buddhism; Health through Buddhism, Parent and Child in Buddhism etc., His contribution of articles to various journals and Magazines are many.

On 21st 1990 the Supreme Sangha Council of Malwatta in Kandy, Sri Lanka conferred the honour of Sangha Nayaka of Great Britain with the title of 'Tripitaka Visarada Sri Dhammarakkhita Sirinivasa (Protector of the Tripitaka in its entire purity) in recognition of his invaluable services to Buddhism by propagating the Buddha dhamma in the Western countries.

Furthermore the Venerable Thera was conferred the honourary degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the Open University for Complementary Medicine and he was given the World Buddhist Peace Award by the World Buddhist Supreme Tathagata Followers Organization at its general Conference held in 1997.

The writer is Retired Professor of History and Archaeology

The Kalama Sutta

by Kingsley Heendeniya

The teaching of the Kalamans, a sophisticated clan of Brahmins, is perhaps the cleverest discourse of the Buddha to intelligent layman. It is a superb record and evidence of the genius of the Buddha for impromptu logical reasoning and clear speaking. Yet, it is a recondite discourse requiring patient study, analysis and understanding.

When the Kalamans met the Buddha, they threw at him a loaded question, which commonly, another person may have met head on, and got into difficulty. Thus spoke the Kalamans: 'From time to time, monks and Brahmans come to our town and abuse and vilify the teaching of others, expounding only their own to be true.

We are confused, puzzled and in doubt. [Now you have come here.] Sir, how are we to know who speaks what is true?' As some normally would have reacted, if the Buddha responded to the question frontally to firstly evaluate and criticize others in order to suggest that he alone speaks of what is true, the effect would have been more confounding to the Kalamans. So how did the Buddha answer the loaded question?

Thus spoke the Buddha: "You may well be puzzled, Kalamans. You may well be in doubt. For doubt has arisen precisely about what ought to be doubted. Come, Kalamans, do not be satisfied

(1) with hearsay or

(2) with tradition or

(3) with legendary lore or

(4) with what has come down in your scriptures or

(5) with conjecture or

(6) with logical inference or

(7) with weighing evidence or

(8) or with liking for a view after pondering over it or

(9) with some one's ability or

(10) with the thought "The monk is our teacher".

When you know in yourselves: 'These ideas are evil, liable to censure, condemned by the wise, being adopted and put into effect they lead to harm and dukkha, then you should abandon them'.

After this comprehensive analysis, and getting the objective attitudinal attention of the Kalamans to accept or reject a view or teaching whatever, the Buddha engaged them in a meticulous question and answer dialogue on the rationale to abandon thinking about evil and doing evil.

He got agreement of the Kalamans that to be obsessed with lust, hate, delusion is harmful; to refrain from killing living beings, not take what is not given, to avoid adultery and falsehood is blameless, wholesome. That abstaining from evil shall not be censured by the wise, and being adopted and put into effect will lead to happiness and welfare.

He spoke on only sectarian things. On every matter of evil and not evil, he asked, 'Kalamans, how does it appear to you in this case?" and drove home the point that they should accept things only when they know for themselves that these are wholesome or unwholesome.

Thereafter, he seized the opportunity and attention given him, to teach Dhamma in a way that the Kalamans would be willing to ponder over and understand.

He outlined the four brahmavihara, metta, karuna, mudita and upekkha [loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity] practiced by his noble disciples.

The Kalamans could see for themselves that the brahmavihara are not things to doubt and dispute about. They are independent of who speaks about them. They are general and wholesome.

It was a clever teaching, avoiding criticizing others, avoiding confrontation. In describing the practice of his noble disciples, he tacitly invited the Kalamans to practice them.

The Buddha then led the Kalamans to a further relevant application of logic and reasoning. Is there another world? Or is there no other world?

Is there ripening of good and evil? Or is there no ripening of evil?

These ideas were well known and debated even before the time of the Buddha. There was popular understanding of the results of kamma in this

life and may be, in lives to come. The idea of re-becoming was extant in the doctrines of the Brahmins from ancient time. There was also a view that intrinsically there was no such thing as good or evil.

The Buddha now made use of all these concepts to frame and construct on the spot, a brilliant exposition of a rationale for choice.

1. A noble disciple of the Buddha, he said, thinks: 'If there is another world and there is fruit and ripening of actions well done and ill done, then it is possible that on the dissolution of the body, after death, I might be reborn in a heavenly world'. This would be his first comfort.

2. 'But if there was no other world and there is no fruit and ripening of actions well done and ill done, yet here and now in this life I shall be free from hostility, affliction and anxiety, and I shall live happily'. This is the second comfort.

3. Supposing however evil befalls one who does evil, then since I have no evil thought of anyone, how can evil deeds bring dukkha to me, as I am not doing evil?' This is his third comfort.

4. But supposing no evil befalls one who does evil, yet I know for myself that I am pure in this life on both these counts [because in either case, whether evil befalls or not, I do not do evil]. This is the fourth comfort acquired by a noble disciple [who does no evil]. With these ideas for rational choice, he concluded the teaching.

The four 'comforts' are conditions that give confidence to choose to abstain from thinking about and doing evil. They dispel doubt. They do not yield a mere view. The feeling of the 'comforts' is private experience and illustrate elegantly the thrust and method of the Dhamma - to accept things when in oneself one knows they are true.

How one comes to know is from practice of Dhamma, not from a view 'only this is true and everything else is false'. When there is diligence, the Dhamma leads onwards to insight, to attain the path, to understand and be able to plumb its depth.

That is how one comes to abandon doubt and know for oneself 'this is true'. That is how it is necessarily experienced privately by the wise.

www.ceylincoproperties.com

www.ppilk.com

www.crescat.com

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries

Produced by Lake House
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager