Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese legal minds in the pre-colonial era made a substantial contribution to the development of Buddhist civilizational values that are still admired and reverberated world wide.
Posted on November 16th, 2025
AI Overview
The statement is accurate: Sri Lanka’s pre-colonial Buddhist monks and scholars made substantial contributions to the development of Buddhist civilizational values and knowledge systems that have had a worldwide impact, particularly within the Theravāda tradition.
Key contributions include:
- Preservation and Codification of the Pali Canon: The Tipitaka, the foundational scriptures of Theravāda Buddhism, was first committed to writing in Sri Lanka during the 1st century BCE. This textual preservation was crucial for the survival and dissemination of the Dhamma (Buddha’s doctrine) globally.
- Development of Commentaries and Subcommentaries: Sri Lankan (Sinhala Buddhist) scholars (known as the Helabasa tradition) produced extensive commentaries (Aṭṭhakathā) in Sinhala, which were later translated into Pali by figures like Buddhaghosa, Dhammapala, and others. These influential works, such as the Visuddhimagga and Abhidhammattha-sangaha, became standard interpretive texts throughout the Theravāda world (Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos).
- Establishment of a Model for Buddhist Governance and Law: The Dasa Rāja Dharma (Ten Duties of a Righteous Ruler) served as a moral and ethical standard for ancient Sri Lankan ( primarily Sinhala) kings, and Buddhist principles were embedded in the pre-colonial legal system and customary laws, such as the Kandyan law. This integrated approach to governance, where statecraft aligned with the Dhamma, influenced other Buddhist kingdoms in Southeast Asia.
- Role in Regional Transmission: The Mahāvihāra school of Theravāda Buddhism, which became dominant in Sri Lanka, gradually spread to mainland Southeast Asia, establishing itself in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, where it received royal support and became a major religious and social influence.
- Modern Buddhist Revival: In the modern era, figures from Sri Lanka like Anagarika Dharmapala and Asoka Weeraratna ( later known as Ven Mitirigala Dhammanisanthi Thero) were instrumental in the global spread of Buddhism, pioneering the establishment of Buddhist Viharas in Western countries, including London and Germany.
The emphasis on textual study, ethical living, and a structured monastic life, developed by these ancient Sinhalese legal minds and scholars, continues to be admired and practiced by Buddhists and scholars worldwide.
Courtesy: AI Overview