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| Wednesday, 14 July 2004 |
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64th Upasamapada ceremony : Sri Lanka Ramagngna Nikaya by Neetha S. Ratnapala It is historically interpreted that the Ramagngna Nikaya was established in 1865 as an off shoot of the Siamese and Amarapura Nikayas. It was introduced from Burma laying greater stress on the vows of purity and discipline.
It is mentioned that a ship arrived from Burma in the year 1863 carrying in it several bhikkhus from Ceylon headed by Bhikkhu Kavidaja, Sri Sadahamchariya Sanghapathi, Indasaba Gnanasami Ambagahawatte Indasaba Mahanayake Thera who had been re-ordained in Pegu, the then capital of Burma, at present Myanmar. Strangely Rangoon too was then under British domination. The ship arriving in the Galle harbour, the monks first took abode in Wijayananda Maha Viharaya in Galle. So began the great work of the Ramagngna Nikaya with the appointment of Indasaba, Gnanasami Mahanayake Thera as president of Ramagngna Nikaya in Sri Lanka. The other Nikayas or (sects) in Buddhism in Sri Lanka are the Siamese and Amarapura. The rigid caste bias in the Nikayas was broken systematically. The Ramagngna Nikaya admits all castes to its fold. This week begins the Upasampada ceremony of the Ramagngna Nikaya - effected every two years. The 2004 religious ceremony will be conducted, with the blessings of the Sri Wickramarama Temple of Mattakkuliya as its base. The ceremony will go on for full ten days on a special platform erected in the waters of the Kelani river. It will receive full government patronage and be ceremoniously and religiously conducted under the auspices of the President and the Prime Minister of the country.
The responsibility of guarding or protecting a religion falls largely on the upholders of that faith. Laws can be passed or even guarded but it's no secret that there are loopholes to any piece of legislation. So this will be an occasion not only to the Ramagngna Nikaya but other Nikayas as well to ponder upon the responsibilities of the clergy towards safeguarding or resurging the five precepts and the message of Lord Buddha. History speaks of the times and occasions the Buddhist clergy has come forward for the cause of the country and religion. Sri Lanka has had the good fortune of continuing to remain as a cradle of Buddhism - specially Theravada Buddhism - hence the importance of this week's ceremony, which has come down from the first ordination or Upasampada in 1863, in Rangoon. State patronage, celebrities and devotees, parents and family of the Samaneras, all would join in this serene and unique Upasampada of the Ramagngna Sect when it begins it solemn ceremony on the 14th afternoon, coinciding with a completion of 139 years of service in the Dhamma. The present Mahanayake of the Ramagngna Nikaya, Most Rev. Weveldeniya Medhalankara Thera, the State, Prime Minister, the Organising Committee, and the Dhayaka Sabha need to be commended for the efforts made to continue this historical exercise. |
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Produced by Lake House |
In 1865 Sri Lanka was under British rule, and there was a strong urge
and need for the revival of Buddhism and indigenous languages that had
suffered a setback under years of foreign domination. However, this
received an impetus from certain British Governors.
The ceremony proper is of great significance in that five hundred
Samaneras (would be Buddhist monks) would be granted Upasampada, of
entering the religious order or sect. This is of grave importance to the
continuity of not only the Nikaya but also propagation of Buddhism at a
time when so much criticism is levelled against the conversions of
Buddhists to other beliefs.
