Cradle of Buddhist civilization

T V Perera

Poson is synonymous with the arrival of Arahath Mahinda Maha Thera to Sri Lanka and the introduction of Buddhism to the island in the third century B C. On Poson Full Moon Day devotees flock to Mihintale in Anuradhapura, the ancient capital city of the country, for it was there that Arahath Mihindu Thera converted King Devanam Piyatissa and his court to Buddhism, thereby setting a motion in a series of events that finally made Sri Lanka the home of Theravada Buddhism.

On Poson Full Moon Day Anuradhapura becomes the centre of Buddhist activity and Mihintale, located 12 km to the South East, the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka where the momentous events took place, the reverential attention of devotees.

Arahath Mahinda Thera arrived in Sri Lanka from India on a Buddhist mission accompanied by four other Arahaths namely, Ittiya, Uthiya, Sambala, Baddhasala, Sumana Samanera and a layman Bhanduka on Poson Full Moon Day in the 236th Buddhist era. At that time Sri Lanka was ruled by King Devanam Piyatissa (250 BC – 210 BC) who had ascended the throne in the capital city of Anuradhapura.

Ambitious rule

Arahath Mahinda was the son of the great Mauryan Emperor Asoka of India originally a cruel, violent and highly ambitious ruler who however at the end, remorse-stricken at the carnage and destruction he had caused to the over 250,000 citizens massacred or captured as prisoners during his bloody war campaign in conquering the state of Kalinga, converted himself to Buddhism in his attempt to seek expiation. Asoka became a zealous devotee of Buddhism after just a period of two and a half years but did not permit his personal commitments to the religion, to conflict with state matters imposed on him as the ruler of a vast empire.

He declared Buddhism to be the state religion and spread its teachings throughout the country. These teaching were even inscribed on numerous stony slabs and columns for the benefit of the people and are known as the Asokan Pillars, some of which can be seen even to this day in India. Asoka encouraged the 'Ahinsa' or non-violence policy very highly in addition to promoting religious harmony throughout the length and breadth of his empire, and became known as Dharmasoka.

Some people however abused the Emperor's generous patronage of Buddhism by joining the order of the Sangha just to enjoy its privileges. It was left to Ven Moggaliputta Tissa who headed a council known as the Third Council to cleansed the order and also fulfill its other vital objective of spreading Buddhism beyond India by sending missionary monks to nine different countries.

Beloved of the Gods

These countries were diverse and far apart as Burma and Greece, but the most important mission was to Sri Lanka, and to head this particular mission, none other than Emperor Dharmasoka's own son the Ven Mahinda Thera who had joined the Sangha when he was 20 years old and had attained Arahathhood was chosen. When Mahinda began his mission, the ruler of Sri Lanka was King Mutasiva who was in his old age, so Mahinda delayed his arrival until King Mutasiva had passed away and Devanam Piyatissa, whose name meant 'Tissa, beloved of the Gods' the king's popular and intelligent second son had ascended the throne.

Devanam Piyatissa had held a consecration ceremony for which the wherewithal was supplied by Asoka – somewhat more elaborate than that performed for Asoka himself, and assumed the title of Devanam Piyatissa Maharaja. This was in a purposeful bid to transform the prestige accruing to him from his recently established political links with Asoka and the Mauryan Empire into the hard reality of overlordship over the whole island. Since Devanam Piyatissa had already developed a friendship with Emperor Asoka although they had never met, one of the first things he did after his investiture was to send envoys with gifts to his Indian counterpart.

Agriculture and fishing

Asoka replied with the message that he had embraced Buddhism and urged King Devanam Piyatissa to do the same. During that era Sri Lanka was very backward in comparison to India, and consisted mainly of agriculture and fishing villages. There was no dominant or organized religion, but beliefs were centred around the worship of Yakkas thought to be inhabiting trees, rocks, caves and such places. This was a form of ancestor worship as it was believed that tribal chiefs and relatives were re-born as such spirits, and carried on protecting their families after their death. There were also traces of Jainism and Brahmanism in existent, brought over by early settlers from India.

Mihintale, the rock on which Arahath Mahinda and his retinue stood on that Full Moon Day of Poson, in the Pali Language means 'Mahinda's Peak' and lies 12 km east of Anuradhapura. It is part of a range of hills 300 metres high and is a sacred site for pilgrims with many stupas and other places of religious and historical significance. King Devanam Piyatisssa was out on a hunting expedition in the hills in Mihintale with some of his nobles and soldiers on that Poson Day, and was about the let fly an arrow at a deer when Arahath Mahinda called out to him by name from atop the rock, addressing him as an inferior. As he had not seen such a sight before, at first, the King was terrified on seeing the monks with shaven heads and dressed in yellow robes thinking them to be some yakkas but the dignified and noble demeanour of the monks impressed him. Introducing himself, Mahinda Thera stated, 'ok king, we who are bhikkus of the Buddha have come from Dambadiva on compassionate grounds to you.'

The King then remembered the message he had received earlier from Emperor Asoka. Arahath Mahinda tested the king with several questions and realized that he was intelligent enough to understand the Dhamma, and thereafter preached the Chullahaththi Padopama Suthraya to him and to his followers. The whole of Buddhism in condensed form can be seen in this suthraya. This gave the king a clear idea of the Buddha and the Sangha, the holy life of a bhikkhu and the principal teachings of Buddhism. At the end of the discourse, King Devanam Piyatissa and his followers embraced the new faith. Buddhism had now arrived in Sri Lanka.

The next morning the king and his family received Arahath Mahinda Thera at the Royal Palace, where he preached the Petavattu and the Vimanavattu suthras to them. These discourses were on suffering spirits and heavenly beings and how these beings arrived at such state. Arahath Mahinda chose to deliver these discourses as he was aware of the existing religious beliefs of the people at that time.

Annual ritual

The royal family converted to Buddhism after listening to these teachings. Shortly thereafter, the king donated the Mahamega Royal Park in the capital of Anuradhapura to Arahath Mahinda and his companions to use as a place of residence. Arahath Mahinda and his followers spent their first three weeks at the Mahamega Park and chose to retreat to the natural sanctuary of Mihintale, the location of their arrival to spend their Vassa (Rain Retreat) thereby initiating an annual ritual for the Buddhist monks. Having heard of the rain retreat, Devanam Piyatissa had 68 rock cells at Mihintale made habitable, and gifted them to the monks.

The king's nephew, some ministers and dozens of other citizens eventually renounced their lay life and became monks. At a time when the authority of the kingdom of Anuradhapura over the other kingdoms in the island was on the increase, its patronage of Buddhism greatly hastened the acceptance of Buddhism by the people at large.

Not only did Arahath Mahinda introduce the Buddha's teachings to the king and the citizens, he also introduced the form of writing and new forms of art and literature. The Theravada Buddhism that Arahat Mahinda brought to the island and handed down orally in Pali was committed in writing for the first time at the Aluvihare temple near Matale in the first century.

The tradition teaches the concept of Parami (enumeration of perfections) directly related to the Bodhisathva doctrine. Theravada Buddhism consists of ten Paramis which literally mean those which enable one to go further. The Pali term Paramitta is also used in the same sense. The ten Paramis (or perfections) are described as Dana (generosity), Seela (morality), Nekkhamma (renunciation), Pungna (Wisdom), Weeriya (energy), Khanthi (patience), Sacca (truthfulness), Adhittana (determination), Meththa (loving kindness) and Upekkha (equanimity).

Truth-seeking

The Pali canon of the Theravada tradition depicts the will-power that the Bodhisatha Siddhartha Gouthama possessed. He made a firm determination to renounce his royal pleasures and gain Enlightenment.

During the six year period dedicated to truth-seeking, the Bodhisathva underwent severe experiences, especially practices of self-mortification which brought him to the edge of life. At a later stage, the Buddha himself recalled those painful experiences in the Suthras such as the Ariyapariyesana and the Mahasaccaka.

The cave in which Arahath Mahinda Thera resided during his mission in Sri Lanka, can be seen on level ground on the eastern side of the Mihintale rock. To reach the cave one has to trek along a foot path in the wild terrain for about 700 metres from the Mihintale rock. Of the numerous caves in the vicinity, archaeologists have identified the cave in which Arahath Mahinda resided, by raised slabs representing the folds of his robe.

Relics of the Buddha

Right at the summit of Mihintale is a huge bubble-shaped white sthupa built, as history records in the first century A.D. It is 44 metres high and has a diametre of 41 metres. It is known as the Mahaseya Stupa and relics of the Buddha are believed to be enshrined within it. Right next to the Mahaseya Sthupa is a much smaller one called the Mahinda Sthupa, where some of the remains of Arahath Mahinda have been enshrined.

There are many other places of historic value as well as of values of Buddhist culture, in Mihintale. The Aradhana-gala or 'the Rock of Invitation' is one of these premier spots. Located across from the Mahaseya Sthupa, Arahath Mahinda and his companions, according to traditional belief had landed on this rock after travelling through the air from India using their psychic powers.

There is a panoramic and breath-taking view of the surrounding area from the top of Aradhana-gala. In Pali literature books, the Mihintale rock is referred to as the Chethiya Pabba.

In Sinhala books it is referred to as Sahiriya, meaning the rock mountain full of sthupas or veheras.

Another significant though small sthupa in Mihintale is the Ambastale Sthupa which is traditionally believed to mark the exact spot of the first meeting between Arahath Mahinda and King Devanam Piyatissa. It is also said to enshrine some of the Arahath's ashes. Along its side, is a stone with a symbol of the Buddha's footprint.

Sthupa of importance

Nearby are some caves containing statues representing various scenes of the Arahath's meeting with the king. It is said that when moonlight falls onto this chaitiya, a moonstone (gem) can be clearly seen. The Kanthaka Chaitya is another sthupa of importance located a short distance away from the main pilgrimage areas of Mihintale. Dating to around the first century this small sthupa is decorated with carvings of elephants, geese and dwarfs. Monks lived in the caves close to the stupa.

One of the most beautiful and serene lakes in Sri Lanka is a short distance away from Mihintale. It is locally known as the Kaludiya Pokuna (Black water pond) so named because the eater appears to be black when seen from some angles.

It is another place of importance in the Mihintale range. There are two rock inscriptions of Arahath Mahinda Thera with a list of rules inscribed therein close to the Kaludiya Pokuna.

The great stairway that leads upto the Mihintale rock has 1840 rock-cut steps. While some of the neat steps are carved into the natural rock, the rest are paved with cut granite. Exceedingly wide for a pedestrian climb, the impressing staircase of unique distinction, well sheltered and shaded with Araliya (frangipani) flower trees and evergreen wood make a very pleasant climb. Blossoms of araliya make the staircase fragrant.