THERAVADA
BUDDHISM: Ven. Walpola Rahula Thera in his History of Buddhism
(1956) took the view that Sri Lanka would have known about Buddhism
during the time of the Buddha Himself, since there was regular
contact between India and Sri Lanka during that period.
This view has been strengthened by the recent discovery that Anuradhapura
has settlements from 10th century BC.
Archaeologist Siran Deraniyagala has stated that Buddhism would
have come into Sri Lanka early.
If so, then Buddhism was known in Sri Lanka long before the reign
of King Dharmasoka and the arrival of Arhant Mahinda Thera in
3rd century BC.
State religi Adikaram in his Early History of Buddhism (1946)
had also concluded that Buddhism existed in Ceylon before the
arrival of Arhant Mahinda Thera. He took the view that Arhant
Mahinda Thera came to set up the monastic order.
He said that it was only after the conversion of King Devanampiyatissa
that Buddhism became the State religion in Sri Lanka.
Historians now think that the meeting between Arhant Mahinda Thera
and King Devanampiyatissa was pre-arranged. Communication would
not have been a problem.
The Magadhi language, which Arhant Mahinda Thera spoke, would
have been similar to Sinhala. The Asokan inscriptions are similar
to Sinhala inscriptions of 3rd century BC.
The doctrine preached by Arhant Mahinda Thera in Sri Lanka was
based on the Sthaviravadin School of Buddhist thought, known as
Theravada. Theravada was considered the doctrine coming direct
from the time of the Buddha.
Theravada established itself firmly in the island. The Sinhala
kings and the three Nikayas - Mahavihara, Abhayagiri and Jetavana
embraced the Theravada doctrine. In time, Sri Lanka came to be
seen as the one country that had preserved Buddhism in its original
form in the Theravada doctrine.
Theravada system
However, there was a strong Mahayana presence in Sri Lanka during
the second half of the Anuradhapura period.
Ven. Walpola Rahula Thera says that Mahayana influence over the
ideas and teaching of Theravada was persistent and that as time
went on Mahayana ideas and practices crept slowly in the Theravada
system and were accepted and incorporated into the orthodox teaching
without question of their validity.
Mahavihara and Abhayagiri developed two different schools of Theravada
thought. Mahavihara was conservatively Theravada and had its own
interpretation of the Theravada doctrine.
Mahavihara teachings went to South India. R.A.L.H. Gunawardana
says that most of the Pali works attributed to South Indian scholars
are expositions of the teachings of the Mahavihara.
Abhayagiri, though receptive to Mahayana and Tantra, was a Theravada
establishment and was recognised as such in India. Abhayagiri
had its own interpretation of the Pali canon and its own commentaries.
Abhayagiri disseminated Buddhism more energetically than Mahavihara.
Ven. Hsuan Tsang Thera said that Abhayagiri 'widely diffused the
Tripitaka'.
Sri Lanka made a unique contribution to the Theravada doctrine.
The Sangha, with the support of the king, paid special attention
to the preservation of the doctrine. The doctrine was memorised
and transmitted orally from generation to generation of Monks.
Pali Tripitaka
The canon was divided into collections and each collection was
given to a specific group of monks to memorise. Then in the reign
of Vattagamani (89-77 BC), the Tripitaka was put into writing.
This was the first time that the Theravada doctrine had been recorded
in writing and it was done in Sri Lanka. As a result, the Theravada
canon, which disappeared from India, survived in Sri Lanka.
The Pali Tripitaka is very important. It contains the earliest
Buddhist canon. It is also the only complete version. The Chinese,
Tibetan and Sanskrit Tripitaka are fragmented. Paranavithana points
out that the preservation of the Theravada canon ranks as the
greatest contribution made by Sri Lanka to the intellectual heritage
of the world. numerous commentaries.
The Sinhala contribution did not end there. Paranavithana says
that Mahinda Thera brought with him the commentaries he had got
from his teachers, explaining the terms used in Buddhism.
These were handed down with great care in the Sinhala monasteries.
The Sinhala monks examined these commentaries and then wrote numerous
commentaries of their own. These Sinhala commentaries formed a
'huge literature.'
One collection of such writings was said to be equal in volume
to seven elephants of middle size. The earliest commentaries were
the Maha Attakatha, the Maha Paecari and the Kurundi.
They were the three principal Sinhala works on which the subsequent
commentaries of almost all the important texts of the Tripitaka
were based. Short extracts from these Sinhala originals can be
found in the Dampiya Atuva Getapadaya.
These Sinhala commentaries (Atuva) were greatly valued as a major
contribution to Theravada. They eventually became the only commentaries
available on Theravada.
The Sinhala Atuva were translated into Pali in the 5th century,
by three Indian monks, Buddhaghosa, Buddhadatta and Dhammapala.
Buddhaghosa, monk from Andhra or Telegu country, arrived in the
reign of Mahanama (406-428) and translated selected Sinhala commentaries.
Task of translations
These are the Pali commentaries, which we now possess. Buddhaghosa
was not given ready access to the commentaries. He was first examined
by the Mahavihara to see whether he was capable of undertaking
the task of translations. The two Cola monks Buddhadatta and Dhammapala
came to Sri Lanka later and translated further Sinhala commentaries
to Pali.
The belief that after Ven. Buddhaghosa Thera, the Sinhala commentaries
were gathered together and destroyed by fire is incorrect.
The Sinhala commentaries did to go out of use as soon as the Pali
version was made. The Sinhala commentaries were in use until at
least the 10th century. These commentaries are now irretrievably
lost.
The Sinhala Sangha provided new material to the Sutta Pitaka of
the Theravada canon. The Kuddakapatha, the first book of the Khuddaka
Nikaya was compiled and given canonical authority in Sri Lanka.
Valuable contribution
The Parivara Section of the Vinaya Pitaka was expanded and the
Parajikapali and Pacittiyapali sections added. A valuable contribution
was made on the question of Nibbana as a metaphysical entity,
on the theory of phenomena, and on the development of the Theory
of Double Truth as held in the Theravada Buddhism of the time.
Visudhimagga contained a chapter on the Theravada interpretation
of the theory of dependant origination, where the twelve-fold
theory was dealt with more deeply and more extensively than in
other works.
This text carries a detailed exposition of the three-life interpretation
of dependant origination. Sri Lanka also made a valuable contribution
to Buddhology, by examining all references to the Buddha in the
Buddhist texts.
Sri Lanka became a centre for Buddhist studies. Sinhala monks
were admired for their strictly disciplined, austere style and
for their scholarship. There were many scholars of repute. Foreign
monks visited Sri Lankan monasteries to advance their knowledge
of Buddhism. In the Anuradhapura period many South Indian monks
came to Mahavihara in the Anurahdapura period to study under Sinhala
Monks.
Three valued relics
The Chinese monk Fa Hsien Thera came in the reign of Mahanama
(406-428) and stayed for about 2 years. He found many foreigners
at Abhayagiri.
Two Cola monks Ven. Buddhamitta Thera and Kassapa Thera arrived
during the reign of Parakramabahu I. Around the year 1171, the
Burmese Monks Chapata Thera was studying in Sri Lanka.
He met Nanda Thera from Kachipura, as well as Sivali Thera, from
Tamralipti, who had come to Sri Lanka to study the teachings of
the Mahavihara. The son of the king of Cambodia was also in Sri
Lanka preparing for his ordination. In the reign of Buvanekhabahu
I (1272-1284) Dhammakitti Thera, a senior Monk from Ligor (Nakon
Sri Thammarat) arrived in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka was an important place of worship and pilgrimage. Sri
Lanka has three valued relics, the Tooth, Hair and Bowl Relics.
The alms bowl and several other Relics of the Buddha including
the right collarbone, came during Arhat Mahinda Thera's time.
The Kesa Dhatu arrived in Sri Lanka during the reign of Moggallana
I (491-508). During the time of Kublai Khan (1260-1294 AD) a mission
came from China to pay respect to the Buddha's alms bowl. King
Thihathura (1469-1481) and his Queen made their hair into a broom,
studded its handle with gems and sent it to sweep the floor of
the Tooth Relic Temple in Kotte.
A branch of the Sacred Bodhi Tree had arrived with Sanghamitta
Therani. It took root in Anuradhapura.
Saplings of this Tree were distributed all over the island, including
Jambukolapatuna (Sambiliturai) and Kataragama. Sri Pada was known
during the time of the Mahavamsa. It became a popular place of
worship once Vijayabahu I (1055-1110) made it accessible.
Lineage of ordination
Sri Lanka possessed an unbroken lineage of ordination coming from
the time of Arhat Mahinda Thera. This brought many persons into
Sri Lanka for ordination.
They came from Burma, Cambodia, India and Thailand. Ven. Walpola
Rahula Thera researching into Buddhism in the Anuradhapura period,
found that two persons from India, a Brahmana from Pataliputra
(Patna) and a wealthy merchant named Visakha came to Sri Lanka
and were ordained as monks, having heard of the fame of one Ven.
Mahanaga Thera of Sri Lanka. Those who could not come here obtained
the Sinhala ordination from elsewhere.
In the 14th century a Thai monk went to Burma and received Upasampada
from a Sinhala monk, Udumbaragiri.
The Sinhala monks propagated Theravada Buddhism in other countries.
Bodhisri inscription at Nagarjunikonda (3rd century) says that
monks from Sri Lanka helped entrench Buddhism in many regions
in greater India and beyond, such as Kashmir, Gandhara and China.
The Sinhala Monks helped to establish Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar,
Thailand and Cambodia. This contribution is still remembered.
At a symposium on Nalanda held in Singapore in 2006, a number
of speakers had made reference to Sri Lanka's historic role in
the spread of Buddhism in South East Asia.
Sinhala monks were highly regarded in India. They were praised
in an inscription at Nagarjunikonda, dated to 3rd century. Ven.
Hiuen Tsang Thera, who was in India in the 7th century, said that
the Sinhala Monks "were distinguished in their attitude to
moral rules, in their power of abstraction and their wisdom.
Their manners were grave and imposing. Their correct conduct was
an example for subsequent ages."
