{"id":69545,"date":"2017-09-07T00:07:04","date_gmt":"2017-09-07T06:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=69545"},"modified":"2017-09-06T16:53:44","modified_gmt":"2017-09-06T23:53:44","slug":"nila-maha-yodaya-praised","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2017\/09\/07\/nila-maha-yodaya-praised\/","title":{"rendered":"Nila Maha Yodaya praised"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rohana R. Wasala<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

Excellent! Thank you, you anonymous scholar\u00a0 writing under the pen name Nila Maha Yodaya \u00a0(Lankaweb\/September 6, 2017)<\/h3>\n

\u0dc3\u0dd2\u0dbd\u0dca\u0dc0\u0dcf\u0d9c\u0dda<\/strong> \u0db4\u0dca<\/strong>\u200d<\/strong>\u0dbb\u0dc1\u0dca\u0db1\u0dba<\/strong> \u2013 <\/strong>\u0d9a\u0dad\u0ddd\u0dbd\u0dd2\u0d9a<\/strong> \u0db6\u0dd0\u0dad\u0dd2\u0db8\u0dad\u0dd4\u0db1\u0dca\u0da7<\/strong> \u0d86\u0d9c\u0db8\u0dda<\/strong> \u0d85\u0dba<\/strong> \u0dba\u0dba\u0dd2<\/strong> \u0d9a\u0dd2\u0dba\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0dda<\/strong> \u0d87\u0dba\u0dd2<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0db4\u0dd2\u0dbd\u0dd2\u0dad\u0dd4\u0dbb<\/strong>– <\/strong>\u0dc0\u0da0\u0db1\u0dba\u0dda<\/strong> \u0db4\u0dbb\u0dd2\u0dc3\u0db8\u0dcf\u0dbb\u0dca\u0dad<\/strong> \u0d85\u0dbb\u0dca\u0dae\u0dba\u0dd9\u0db1\u0dca\u0db8<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>\u0d9a\u0dad\u0ddd\u0dbd\u0dd2\u0d9a<\/strong> \u0d86\u0d9c\u0db8<\/strong> \u0d86\u0d9c\u0db8\u0d9a\u0dd2<\/strong>. <\/strong>\u0d9a\u0dad\u0ddd\u0dbd\u0dd2\u0d9a<\/strong> \u0d85\u0dba<\/strong> \u0db6\u0dde\u0daf\u0dca\u0db0\u0d9c\u0db8\u0dca<\/strong> \u0d9a\u0dcf\u0dbb\u0dba\u0dd2\u0db1\u0dca\u0da7<\/strong> \u0d9a\u0dd2\u0dba\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0dda<\/strong> \u0d85\u0db1\u0dca\u200d\u0dba\u0dcf\u0d86\u0d9c\u0db8\u0dca<\/strong> \u0d9a\u0dcf\u0dbb\u0dba\u0dd2\u0db1\u0dca<\/strong> \u0d9a\u0dd2\u0dba\u0dcf\u0dba\u0dd2<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I for one, agree with your answer to the question: \u2018Why are Catholics called \u2018people of religion?\u2019<\/p>\n

The Catholic religion is a religion in the categorical sense of the word.\u201d Your answer correctly implies that Buddhism is not a religion in the same sense. When we were children in the 1950s and 60s, we always heard Catholics and Christians being referred to (by our parents and others in our Buddhist neighbourhood) as \u2018aagam karayo\u2019 or religionists. The implication was that Buddhism itself was not regarded as a religion. Buddhists were quite comfortable with that reality. Article 5 of the Sinhala version of the 1815 Kandyan Convention requires the incoming British imperial administration to protect and maintain the \u2018Buddhasasanaya and the Devagama\u2019 as a commitment that is never to be broken\/infringed; its meaning was very clear to the Kandyan chiefs and the people of the Kandyan provinces. But the English translation erroneously substitutes the phrase \u2018the religion of Boodhoo\u2019 for the Sinhala \u2018Buddhasasanaya and Devagama\u2019. In any case, the crafty English cared little about honouring that pledge. When Europeans arrived at the beginning of the 16th<\/sup> century, the Sinhalese Buddhists were almost innocent of religion. Some learned monks of the era even produced literary works attacking belief in, and supplicating to, Hindu gods for\u00a0 help in worldly matters. Unfortunately, most of our fellow Sinhalese Buddhists today are easy prey to god men and god women who thrive on their gullibility.<\/p>\n

We usually like to read only good things written about Anagarika Dharmapala. The fact that he had\u00a0 to face many critics even among Sinhala Buddhists whose cause he championed is often attributed to their alleged ingrained ingratitude. An apparently frustrated and disillusioned Anagarika wrote in his diary (August 2, 1929): \u2026..Sinhala Buddhist is devoid of good qualities. He is full of the vicious qualities set forth in the Vasala and Parabhava Suttas\u201d (a point of view many of us would feel tempted to wholeheartedly embrace considering the plight of many patriots including war heroes who made such personal sacrifices to rid the country of terrorism recently).<\/p>\n

However, the rift between the Anagarika and Olcott was not only on grounds of differing conceptions of Buddhism. His own personality seems to have played a role. In Chapter 9 of \u2018The Lion\u2019s Roar \u2013 Anagarika Dharmapala & the Making of Modern Buddhism\u2019 by Dr Sarath Amunugama (Vijitha Yapa, 2016, there is a section under the sub-heading \u2018Anagarika Arbudaya\u2019\u00a0 Anagarika\u00a0 Crisis (pp. 659-65)dealing with this subject. Anagarika Dharmapala\u2019s diary entry quoted in the above paragraph is from p. 661 of that book. The theosophists charged him of attempting treacherously to uproot the tree that was BTS and plant in its place the M.B.S. and establish his hegemony\u201d. Dr Amunugama says that the authorship of this\u00a0 document has been attributed to D.B. Jayatilake on account of its logical style, superb deployment of the Sinhala language, its knowledge of Buddhist teachings, detached tone\u2026..\u201d all characteristics that demonstrate the outstanding intellect of Jayatilake\u201d. According to Dr Amunugama the publication is a well argued and comprehensive reply to all Anagarika Dharmapala\u2019s unprovoked criticisms of the BTS. (BTS and M.B.S. respectively stand for the Buddhist Theosophical Society and the Maha Bodhi Society.) The author of \u2018Anagarika Arbudaya\u2019 gives a hint of his insight into the personality of Anagarika Dharmapala: When we analyse Mr Hewavitarne\u2019s speeches and actions we find that he is skilled in self promotion by undertaking large projects without adequate preparation. He is good at self-praise. But we find that he is an incompetent person who cannot bring even small efforts to a successful conclusion\u201d (Ibid., p. 665).<\/p>\n

It is possible that otherwise excellent people tend to assume totalitarian attitudes in their ideologies as well as in their practice in any sphere of activity because of their egoism. It is a paradox that people who claim to be followers of Buddhism are in such blatant contravention of one of its basic teachings in their actual conduct. However, all of us patujjanas, worldlings, can\u2019t help but succumb to this common human failing in varying degrees. What we may hope to do is to acquire the wisdom to be aware of it and keep it under control as best we can, while radiating thoughts of loving-kindness to all our fellow beings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Rohana R. Wasala Excellent! Thank you, you anonymous scholar\u00a0 writing under the pen name Nila Maha Yodaya \u00a0(Lankaweb\/September 6, 2017) \u0dc3\u0dd2\u0dbd\u0dca\u0dc0\u0dcf\u0d9c\u0dda \u0db4\u0dca\u200d\u0dbb\u0dc1\u0dca\u0db1\u0dba \u2013 \u0d9a\u0dad\u0ddd\u0dbd\u0dd2\u0d9a \u0db6\u0dd0\u0dad\u0dd2\u0db8\u0dad\u0dd4\u0db1\u0dca\u0da7 \u0d86\u0d9c\u0db8\u0dda \u0d85\u0dba \u0dba\u0dba\u0dd2 \u0d9a\u0dd2\u0dba\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0dda \u0d87\u0dba\u0dd2? \u0db4\u0dd2\u0dbd\u0dd2\u0dad\u0dd4\u0dbb– \u0dc0\u0da0\u0db1\u0dba\u0dda \u0db4\u0dbb\u0dd2\u0dc3\u0db8\u0dcf\u0dbb\u0dca\u0dad \u0d85\u0dbb\u0dca\u0dae\u0dba\u0dd9\u0db1\u0dca\u0db8\u00a0 \u0d9a\u0dad\u0ddd\u0dbd\u0dd2\u0d9a \u0d86\u0d9c\u0db8 \u0d86\u0d9c\u0db8\u0d9a\u0dd2. \u0d9a\u0dad\u0ddd\u0dbd\u0dd2\u0d9a \u0d85\u0dba \u0db6\u0dde\u0daf\u0dca\u0db0\u0d9c\u0db8\u0dca \u0d9a\u0dcf\u0dbb\u0dba\u0dd2\u0db1\u0dca\u0da7 \u0d9a\u0dd2\u0dba\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1\u0dda \u0d85\u0db1\u0dca\u200d\u0dba\u0dcf\u0d86\u0d9c\u0db8\u0dca \u0d9a\u0dcf\u0dbb\u0dba\u0dd2\u0db1\u0dca \u0d9a\u0dd2\u0dba\u0dcf\u0dba\u0dd2 Yes, I for one, agree with your answer to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rohana-r-wasala"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69545","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=69545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69545\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}