Online edition of Daily News

Hold nothing dearHold nothing dear, for separation from those that are dear is bad; bonds do not exist or those to whom naught is dear or not dear.
Piya Vagga - The Dhammapada

The Venerable Paravahara Candaratana Nayakathera, marked his fiftieth birthday on September 10, 2004 in the Buddhist era of 2548.

Ven Paravahara Candaratana Nayakathera

He is the Chief Sanghanayakathera of the Siam Mahanikaya fraternity in France. He resides in Le Bourget.

He had thought of spending his birthday in quiet contemplation of his Sasana Sevaya during the last fifty years.

Besides the Sinhala Buddhists, all ethnic Sri Lanka people, the Tamil speaking people including those residing in the hill country plantations, Moors and Malays, religious denominations of Hindus, Christians and Muslims working in France teamed up together with the French Buddhists and others who identify them as "Friends of Buddhism" have drawn up a massive program to felicitate the Nayakathera Candaratana in Le Bourget.

According to the Venerable Dr. Tavalama Dhammika Mahathera, Viharadhipati of he Switzerland Buddhist Vihara and the Chief Sanghanayaka thera of Switzerland, the felicitation ceremonies in honour of the Venerable Candaratana Nayakathera will be unique.

Bhikkhu Sangha living in France, belonging to all three fraternities - the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana of Tibet, have joined the Bhikkhu Sangha and Bhiksuni Sangha from all parts of the world to make the ceremony a global one, befitting the disciplined and the distinguished life the Nayakathera is leading in a far off land away from his motherland - Sri Lanka.

What are the merits that befit him to be given such an amazing reception to the Nayakathera Candaratana?

Venerable Candaratana hails from the popular Sedara family of Paravahara a village in the Matara district which has produced many erudite scholars and eminent leaders and illustrious Buddha-putras. At the tender age of ten, Venerable Kadurupokune Dhammananda Anunayaka thera ordained him a Samanera.As a Samanera he showed great promise. He studied, Sanskrit, Pali and Sinhala at the Saranapala Maha Pirivena in Nakiyadeniya.

The young Samanera Candaratana, with the excellent training he received from his guru, the Venerable Dhammavasa Nayakathera acquired a remarkable proficiency in Sanskrit, Pali and Sinhala.

As a Samanera he devoted a greater part of his life to learn Sutta and Vinaya - doctrine and discipline, Sakyamuni Gotama Buddha taught the world.

Many years before the young Samanera turned twenty years his knowledge was more than sufficient for him to be given Upasampada, the higher ordination. However, he had to wait until he reached the prescribed age of twenty.

From his childhood as a young Samanera, Bhikkhu Candaratana was concerned with helping the poor and the needy. He shared with the poor students whatever available for him to share at the time of the need. He did so quite happily.

Before embarking on further studies in France, he has obtained Honours in History from the University of Colombo. In his studies in France, Nayakathera Candaratana recall with gratitude the support Dr. Roland Silva, the Commissioner of Archaeology and Dr. Sarath Amunugama lecturer in the University of Kalaniya, and to Dr. Vijaya Liyanage for the correct path he showed in France for his studies at Saint Deris and Sorbonne Universities.

Persuing further studies in History he made a special study of Emperor Asoka for his postgraduate degree of M.A. (Master of Arts).

Without continuing his studies at Sorbonne, he abandoned the final part of the Doctorate and became quite content with the Master's degree. For him, service for the poor and the needy wherever they live is a greater fortune than collecting degrees and doctorates.

All these years he spent his student days in Vietnam and Kamboja Viharas. He spoke to his dayakas and friends the need for a Sri Lanka Vihara where all ethnic groups can visit.

With a high degree of appreciation, the Founder of the First Sri Lanka Buddhist Vihara speak of Venerable Kimban of Jetavana Buddhist Vihara at Blanc-Meslin, Venerable Somdec Boukry of Kamboja Vihara of Creteil, Venerable Samvaro and Venerable Thih Minh Le of Pont de Serres Vihara, Venerable Thich Thien Dinh of the Vietnam Vihara of Marseille and Venerable Thich Minh Tam of the Vietnam Vihara of Bagneux and Madame Raymonde Genegin among those who still support him in his laudable endeavour.

Dr. Ananda Guruge, Sri Lanka Ambassador to France and Sri Lanka's Ambassador (Permanent Representative) to the UNESCO was a tower of strength to the Nayakathera Candaratana who gave full encouragement to realize his ideal of opening the first Theravada Vihara in France. Dr. Guruge also obtained Sri Lanka Government grant of 84,000 French Francs.

At the same time with the help of Sri Lankans in France he organised the Sinhala Association of France for Sri Lankan people living in many parts of France.

With the help of affluent French and other business entrepreneurs, the Nayakathera launched a program to provide monetary and material needs of schoolchildren and university students selected particularly from the rural areas.

The selection was made on the recommendation of a high calibre council of eminent educationists comprising both Sangha and the laity.

During the difficult periods back home in Sri Lanka, Venerable Candaratana visited the homes of Sinhala and Tamil people and worked hard to protect them and making them calm, so that the situation would not escalate both in France and in Sri Lanka.

He made the Sri Lanka Vihara an Oasis for both communities to visit and enjoy the hospitality together in friendship and harmony. He arranged a series of Dhammadesana for the English speaking French people and those expatriates from different parts of the world resident in France.

The enlightened Dhammadesana of the Most Venerable Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Mahanayaka Thera, Venerable Dr. Walpola Rahula Maha Thera, Venerable Dr. Hammalava Saddhatissa Mahanayaka Thera, Venerable Dr. Medagama Vajiragnana Nayaka Thera, Venerable Dr. Valamitiyave Dhammarakkhita Nayaka Thera, Venerable Dr. Henepola Gunaratana Nayaka Thera, Venerable Piyadassi Nayakathera and Venerable Gangodavila Soma Thera illumined their horizons beyond their expectation.

He is the first Sri Lanka Buddha-putra residing in a foreign country to provide the artistes, painters, dancers, drummers, singers to exhibit our cultural identity in France and other European countries.

This vihara is the only place where the Sinhala Avurudu rites and rituals are observed in the same manner as it is observed meticulously back home in Sri Lanka.

The cooking of the Kiribata, trying of Kevum and Mung-Kevum, the Ganu-denu - the monitory transactions at the auspicious time the oil anointing ceremony on the prescribed day are all performed following the Sinhala Avurudu customs.

Venerable Candaratana Nayaka Thera gave the lead organising a Vesak Perahera in France. Vesak Peraheras carrying the six-colour Buddhist flags, the Atapattam Kudu, decorated chariot with youth - girls and boys singing Bhaktigita now parade the high ways and by-ways of England and in New York, Washington and California in the United States of America as an annual feature.

People living in those lands are simply fascinated to witness the rich culture the Sri Lanka people are heir to. Venerable Candaratana Nayaka Thera with the cooperation of the UNESCO organise Vesak Poya programs.

Since almost all countries have their diplomatic representation to UNESCO headquarters in Paris all diplomats participate in the Vesak ceremony that he organises for Vesak Pasalosavaka Poya despite the fact that Vesak Poya is not yet declared a holiday in France.

He takes this opportunity to distribute free and freely Books on Buddha. Dhamma to the global community represented by those Diplomats.

With his initiative already ten books on Buddha Dhamma are published. The 'Sambodhi' magazine is printed as a quarterly. During the past ten years he has helped twelve Viharas in several parts of the country in repair and renovation work, fifty-four students including a medical student of the University of Ruhuna are selected for the award of gift parcels and money.

His latest gift to the people is the two hundred and fifty million rupee Computer Training Centre in Minuvangoda. The Centre provides free board and lodging to the trainees.

They are trained with the eye on the job market. With the successful completion of their training they are fully equipped to work in any capacity.

In the recent past a certain amount of effort seems to have originated in the "decadent West" in villifying the character of the Buddha, a world-respected religious leader.

This unpleasant campaign raises its head once a while and when protests start mounting from the concerned quarters the campaign dies out, very often with a belated "apology", but not without creating much heart-burn and disappointment among the devotees of Buddhism, thereby violating the commonly accepted norms of religious tolerance and freedom of thinking, not excluding human rights as well.

Once this falls into oblivion it becomes revived again and the same story gets repeated once more. Presently this has happened once again and as usual with every such repetition of this "fashionable error" a lot of damage is also being done in the much-revered fields of religious tolerance, freedom of thinking and even human rights as well.

This time it started with the figure of the Buddha being painted on the back of toilet commode lid in some Western countries. What a place to have the figure of the Buddha, a world-revered religions leader, to be painted and sat upon at the moment of man's defecation!

This has to be described as a case of extreme mental derangement because it represents a situation of wilful desecration through hatred towards a religion, the tenets of which clash with one's ethically ruined character and a loose style of living.

Then again, the other recent instance was when the pictures of the Buddha were used in decorating the clothing of women worldwide through the Internet.

The Buddha's teachings on sexual discipline has been the provocation here. And now the most recent addition to the list is the production of a Hollywood film with the name of the movie itself being Hollywood Buddha, a mutually exclusive combination of concepts and terms because while Hollywood represents materialistic commercialism as its main theme, the Buddha symbolizes the essence of spiritual values of human existence in their purest form.

Those men and women running the Hollywood industrial centre cannot be completely ignorant of at least a general understanding of who the Buddha was and what his teaching stands for. Thus is if improper for us to conclude that this villification is wilfully executed?

A poster advertising the movie Hollywood Buddha shows a man sitting comfortably over the head of the Buddha figure. The head being the most sacred part of the human body it is quite sacrilegious to spread this picture worldwide. This picture becomes still more offensive when this man's feet are shown dangling by the eyes of the Buddha figure.

Has this man not got any other place to sit and dangle the lower extremities on his walking limbs which constitute the lowest part of his body, over the most sacred part of the body of a world religious leader? What travesty, what derangement!

Here one may also recollect the liquor bar called Buddha Bar in Germany which place provides wine and women for its customers. You are supposed to enter Nirwana as you seek admission here! In Sri Lanka some time back here was some news to the effect that an NGO had distributed biscuits to the residents somewhere (Padaviya?) and these biscuits were called "the Buddha biscuits" in the form of the Buddha figure and one had to eat the head first!

True, even in the Buddha's own lifetime there were character assassins who went on destroying the Buddha's character as proverbially represented by Devadatta, the Buddha's most vociferous opponent. The world will never be short of reactionaries to any good movement like that of the Buddha.

Some of the Buddha's contemporary opponents got even a woman to be murdered publicising that she was murdered by the Buddha and his disciples after sleeping with her.

However, in all these instances the Buddha and his followers were there in flesh and blood to villify these vicious campaigns and reveal their innocence in the eyes of the public. As such presently too, it is the duty of Buddhist leaders and organizations to do the same in the name of their revered Teacher.

Thus it is nothing but correct that the bhikkhus not only of Sri Lanka but even of Thailand have taken an active interest to halt this unexpected threat to the continued existence of their religion.

The strange thing here is that the person who calls himself a Buddhist should behave in this manner dishonouring his own teacher. Is it due to lack of devotion, confidence or understanding. We wish and hope that he would remedy himself.

In traditional Buddhist societies like that of Sri Lanka, Thailand etc. the religious devotion is much more ingrained among the devotees than in the West, where such finer feelings are not so strong in the absence of long-standing such traditions. By nature, such strong bonds are not the fashion in the West and as such they take these matters very much lightly in contrast to the Eastern mans.

In the West a man's head (intellect) plays a major role than in the Eastern man whose heart (emotion) takes a bigger responsibility. However, the Eastern man seems to be more human in this respect because respect for higher values in life is a part and parcel of his culture and civilization. One may call it even "sentimentality" which very often acts as a regulator of human behaviour for its betterment.

First death anniversary

The first death anniversary of Madihe Pannaseeha Maha Nayaka Thera was commemorated by Karuna Bharaya Organization, donating a house to needy family in Attanagalle. The Chief Sanghanayake of the USA, Maharagma Dharmasiri Thera is seen handing over the house keys. Thirikunamalaye Ananda Thera and the President of the Karuna Bharaya Thalalle Chandakitti Thera too were present at the occasion. - Maharagama Group Corr. T.D. Sirisena.