{"id":115697,"date":"2021-07-01T16:11:26","date_gmt":"2021-07-01T23:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=115697"},"modified":"2021-07-01T16:11:26","modified_gmt":"2021-07-01T23:11:26","slug":"remembering-deveni-dharmapala-asoka-weeraratna-the-indefatigable-buddhist-missionary-on-his-22nd-death-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/07\/01\/remembering-deveni-dharmapala-asoka-weeraratna-the-indefatigable-buddhist-missionary-on-his-22nd-death-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering \u201cDeveni Dharmapala\u201d Asoka Weeraratna, the indefatigable Buddhist Missionary on his 22nd Death Anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shenali D Waduge<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n
\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Asoka\nWeeraratna (circa 1956) <\/strong>(1918 \u2013 1999)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not too many people have taken Buddhism beyond the island\u2019s\nshores, but late Asoka Weeraratna is heralded for his role in pioneering the\nfirst Buddhist Mission to Germany (1957). He also founded the German Dharmaduta\nSociety (1952) and the Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya (1967) which promotes\nmindfulness and vipassana meditation. As his death anniversary falls today 2nd<\/sup>July,\nwe honor the contributions made by late Asoka Weeraratna to the Buddha Sasana\nand the immense personal sacrifices made by him & his elder brother\nDharmasena with the support of the latter\u2019s family for the uplift and spread of\nBuddhism both within and outside Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As\nthe Buddhist public in Sri Lanka begin to close ranks to meet the challenges\nfacing the continuity and preservation of the Buddhist ethos and heritage in\nthe light of planned incursions, it is good to take stock of the admirable\nservices rendered by Sinhala Buddhists who have carried the torch of Buddhism\nand ignited it on foreign shores. Anagarika Dharmapala and Asoka Weeraratna are\ntwo such outstanding Buddhists among many others who should be gratefully\nremembered for helping spread Buddhism on western shores. Their legacy must be\npublicly acknowledged and continued to draw inspiration of fellow Buddhists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poson Poya marks the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka in\nthe 3rd<\/sup>century\nBC. Poson commemorates the occasion of King Devanampiyatissa embracing Buddhism\nafter listening to the Dhamma preached by Arahant Mahinda. Buddhism came to Sri\nLanka by royal invitation and all kings\/queens thereafter ruled the nation\naccording to the dasa raja dhamma<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Anagarika\nDharmapala 1864 \u2013 1933<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Anagarika\nDharmapala as Ven. Siri Devamitta Dharmapala (circa 1931)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ven.\nMitirigala Dhammanissanti (circa \u2013 August 1972)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nsimilarities between Anagarika and Asoka are striking. Both were from wealthy\nbackgrounds. Both renounced their birth names that had a foreign and colonial\norientation. Anagarika Dharmapala was originally Don David Hewavitharana while\nAsoka Weeraratna was originally Alfred Weeraratna. They both realized the need\nto take Buddhism beyond the shores to satisfy a growing hunger for an alternate\nspirituality among people in the West. In other words, a spirituality that gave\nhigh prominence to peace and non \u2013 violence. They pioneered the establishment\nof the oldest Buddhist Viharas in Europe. Anagarika founded the London Buddhist\nVihara in 1926 while Asoka Weeraratna opened a new chapter for the spread of\nBuddhism in Germany and Europe by establishing the Berlin Buddhist Vihara in\nDr. Paul Dahlke\u2019s Das Buddhistische Haus in 1957 with monks from Sri Lanka\nstationed on a long term footing to spread the Dhamma. This was the first\nTheravada Buddhist Vihara in Germany and continental Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anagarika Dharmapala is gratefully remembered by\nthe Buddhist public for saving the Mahabodhi Temple in Buddha Gaya while\nAsoka Weeraratna in establishing the Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya, a forest\nhermitage to enable Buddhist yogi monks to meditate in peace, helped revive one of Buddhism\u2019s most supportive and protective structures,\nnamely meditation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both\nAnagarika Dharmapala and Asoka Weeraratna entered the order of the Sangha by\nrenouncing their lay life \u2013 Anagarika at the age of 66 (becoming known as Ven.\nDevamitta Dharmapala) and Asoka at the age of 53 years (becoming known as Ven.\nMitirigala Dhammanissanti). This was the supreme example of letting go and\ngoing forth (pabajja) the essence of what Buddhism was all about and the most\ndifficult hurdle for lay people who are materially well endowed to clear. It is\nthis factor more than anything else that distinguishes these two savants of\nBuddhism from many others who have in their own ways and in different\ndisciplines contributed to the advancement of Buddhism and Buddhist teachings\nworldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Mitirigala Dhammanissanti\nleads opposition to Inland Fisheries<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buddhism lost\nground in countries such as Maldives, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Bangladesh\npartly due to the gullibility of then Buddhist rulers of those countries, who\nfailed to exercise the necessary vigilance to protect Buddhism despite\nseeing the rapid inroads being made into the interior of these countries by\nunrelenting and expanding monotheistic religions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nwas the fear that Sri Lanka might end up as the next Maldives, which prompted\nVen. Mitirigala Dhammanissanti (formerly Asoka Weeraratna) to lead a public\ncampaign comprising leading Buddhist monks and laity protesting\nstrongly in the period 1989 -1990 over the gradual introduction of inland\nfisheries into areas which have been the traditional bases\nof Buddhism in this country. After a careful consideration of the\nrelevant issues, the then President Premadasa accepted the validity of the\nprotest of the Buddhist monks on inland fisheries and thereafter\nhe ordered the Govt. Departments to withdraw state patronage of\nthe inland fisheries schemes. That was the\nfirst and only occasion in contemporary history that Buddhist\nactivism was successful in overturning state policy on a major labour intensive\nindustry that was openly advocating a wrong livelihood to the Buddhist public\nof Sri Lanka to breach the first precept by rearing and killing fish in one\u2019s\nown backyard pond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To\nthe credit of President Premadasa it must be said, that he abandoned the\ndevelopment of inland fisheries in the larger interest of\nprotecting the foundations of Sinhala Buddhist Culture which still exists\ndespite the aggressive incursions, in the rural heartland of Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legacy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today,\nyears after their demise what these icons have left behind continues to be the\nembodiment of what Sri Lanka can further explore and requires many more such\nAnagarikas and Asokas to be born in Sri Lanka and take the flame of Buddhist\nmissionary work beyond the shores of Sri Lanka to enable people in other parts\nof the world to realize the essence of what the journey of truth and life is\nall about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\nus therefore while acknowledging the indebtedness of this country to both\nEmperor Dharma Asoka and Arahant Mahinda for bestowing on us the greatest gift\ni.e., gift of the dhamma, also take time to remember with gratitude the icons\ndrawn from our own local traditions and heritage who bravely took on the\nchallenge of going overseas to propagate Buddhism following the footsteps of\nDharma Asoka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginning\nwith the London and Berlin Buddhist Viharas, a stream of Buddhist monks from\nSri Lanka and other countries, have taken up residence in several Buddhist\nViharas in the West.  They have braved the cold winters of Europe and the\ninnumerable difficulties that prevail in Western countries, particularly for\nBuddhist monks from Asia. These monks together with dedicated Buddhist lay\npeople from Sri Lanka and other Asian countries have contributed substantially\nto dispel centuries old negative impressions about Buddhism in the Western\nconsciousness, and have given solace to a large number of Europeans seeking a\nphilosophy that places a high emphasis on self- reliance, non \u2013 violence and\nloving kindness to all living beings. It is a remarkable achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shenali D Waduge<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shenali D Waduge Asoka Weeraratna (circa 1956) (1918 \u2013 1999) Not too many people have taken Buddhism beyond the island\u2019s shores, but late Asoka Weeraratna is heralded for his role in pioneering the first Buddhist Mission to Germany (1957). He also founded the German Dharmaduta Society (1952) and the Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya (1967) which promotes mindfulness […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shenali-waduge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115697\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}