The Most Venerable Davuldena Gnanissara Maha Thera is 90 today

by Prof. Asanga Tilakaratne, Director, Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies, Colombo

To mark his 90th birthday the Mahanayaka Maha Thera, reversing somewhat the usual order, is offering a Dana to the Maha Sangha today. Through this meritorious act, he hopes to remember all his Dayakas and Dayikas, and fellow monks, both here and abroad, who are no more and who have supported him throughout his life and transfer merits to them and to wish happiness, good health and longevity to all beings including those who still continue to support him.

The Most Venerable Rajakeeya Panditha Davuldena Gnanissara Maha Thera, the Supreme Mahanayaka of Sri Lanka Amarapura Sangha-Sabha, reaches 90 today. The Maha Thera, who was formerly the Mahanayaka of Udarata Amarapura Chapter, was appointed the Supreme Mahanayaka of the entire Amarapura fraternity in 2004 after the passing away of the Most Venerable Madihe Pannasiha Mahanayaka Thera.

The Maha Nayaka Thera is not only a respected elder among the Sri Lanka Sangha but also a scholar, teacher and missionary with international recognition.

Looking at the biographical history of the Maha Nayaka Thera: he was born on December 31, 1915 at Davuldena in Uva-Paranagama and was ordained at the young age of 15 with the Venerables Umale Siri Piyaratana, chief elder of the Udukinda division of the Amarapura Sect, and Umale Siri Pannananda, the then Mahanayaka Thera of Udarata Amarapura sect, as his teachers.

He had his higher education at Vidyodaya Pirivena, Maligakanda and completed it with flying colours and subsequently passed much coveted Rajakeeya Panditha Examination in all three languages, Sinhala, Pali (and Prakrit) and Sanskrit. These were the highest academic qualifications a Buddhist monk could achieve in those before-university days in this country and the Maha Nayaka Thera had them all.

The Mahanayaka Maha Thera is the Chief Incumbent of Vidyavijaya-Aramaya, Pagoda and the Meditation Centre, Pagoda, the two places where he divides his time attending to religious and social activities in addition to various engagements as the Mahanayaka of the Amarapura Sect, being one of the three main sects of the Sri Lanka Sangha.

The Mahanayaka Thera also directs the Resting Home for the ailing Buddhist monks at Boralesgamuva and is the Chief Incumbent of Tapodhanaramaya, Hapugolle.

The Maha Nayaka Thera has been the teacher of many hundreds of students, both lay and monastic, at various centres of learning both here and abroad. In Sri Lanka, he was an instructor at Sri Gnanesvara Pirivena, Hunupitiya, Colombo, Siri Vajiragnana Dharmayatanaya, Maharagama and Vidyodaya Ayatanaya of Sri Lanka Buddhist and Pali University.

Subsequently he served as the Dharma teacher at Ling Song and Chun Hwa Institutes of Education in Taiwan, first as a lecturer and subsequently as a professor. The Maha Nayaka Thera is fluent in English and undoubtedly this ability has added very much to his service to the Dhamma both here and abroad. The Nayaka Thera has travelled very widely in both East and West.

He has addressed Dhamma assemblies in USA, Europe, Russia, Mongolia and many other places. A good amount of his teaching life has been spent in Taiwan teaching Chinese Buddhists the Theravada tradition.

A distinguished aspect of the academic life of the Maha Nayaka Thera is his unsurpassed erudition in Sanskrit language and literature and the mastery of using that language which is not very easy. In fact, it is not an exaggeration to say that he is the foremost literary writer in Sanskrit language at the moment in the Country.

The Venerable Nayaka Thera has authored many poetical works in Sanskrit language. Judging by the lucid style, grammatical accuracy and poetical beauty his works bear close resemblance to those of classical Sanskrit writers such as Kalidasa and Kumaradasa.

Among his many Sanskrit works, Yati Dutam follows the Sandesa style and is written in the manner of a Sandesa sent to the Chief Incumbent of the Vidyodaya Pirivena. Marangana Vijayam, Vairagya Cinta, Ashih Pushpamanjari and Dharma Cinta are fine examples of making use of the medium of poetical Sanskrit for describing matters of doctrinal importance.

That the Maha Nayaka Thera is not devoid of humor is shown by one of his latest books in Sanskrit-Svanastava-Kavyam (An Ode to a Dog) in which he sarcastically views some of the social practices and finds, at times, dogs to be preferable to human beings!

The Maha Nayaka Thera is endowed with the virtues described by the Buddha as part and parcel of a disciple who is an ornament to the Sangha. The Buddha says that an ideal monastic follower of him should possess such virtues as cleverness, discipline, confidence, learnedness, and be a bearer and follower of the Dhamma. Undoubtedly the Maha Nayaka Thera possesses these qualities and many more.

His virtue, erudition and services have been recognised both locally and globally. The Asian Buddhist Congress for Peace has recognized his services by conferring on him its gold medal. The California Sangha Sabha, USA, honoured him by conferring on him a D.Litt. Locally, he has received honorary title of 'Sanskrta Cakravarti' from Vidyodaya Pirivena, his alma mater.

Similarly the Oriental Studies Society, Colombo, honoured him by conferring on him 'Grantha Visarada', and Amarapura Sangha Sabha by conferring on him 'Bhasantara Visarada Jina Sasana Kirti Sri'; Sri Rohana Sangha Sabha by conferring on him 'Daivibhasa Visarada'; and Udarata Amarapura Sanghasabha by conferring on him 'Tripitakacarya Mahopadhyaya'.

The Maha Nayaka Thera is one of the most humble and amicable among the monks I have met. Exemplifying the Buddhist Teaching on Anatta, the Maha Nayaka Thera is most unassuming and simple. The vast erudition seems to have made him even more humble.

At the ripe age of 90, the Maha Nayaka Thera is active and busy as ever with vast amount of social, religious and ecclesiastical activities. I wholeheartedly wish the Maha Nayaka Thera who reaches 90 years today good health, longevity and happiness.

Sukhi Dighayuko Bhava!