The Role of Sri Lanka in promoting the growth of Buddhism in India in the new millennium

A Public Talk by Dr. Ananda W.P. Gurugeon Sunday October 27, 2013 at 2.30 p.m. at the "Sri Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi Mandiraya" at Sambuddha Jayanthi Mawatha (former Havelock Road) Colombo 05.

The talk is being sponsored by the newly formed Indo – Sri Lanka Buddhist Network in association with SUCCESS Sri Lanka, German Dharmaduta Society, Buddhist Cultural Centre and International Buddhist Centre, Wellawatte, Colombo 06. 

Dr. Ananda W.P. Guruge, is an internationally  reputed Buddhist Scholar and Dean Emeritus of Academic Affairs and former Director of the International Academy of Buddhism, University of the West, Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a former Senior Special Adviser to the Director – General, UNESCO.  

Dr. Guruge also serves as the Chairman of the World Buddhist University Council and Hony. Senior Vice – President of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, based in Bangkok. He is a former Ambassador of Sri Lanka to USA, France and UNESCO. He was a member of the Ceylon Civil Service from 1952 – 1967.

A prolific writer, Dr. Guruge is the author of more than 50 Books, including ‘ Return to Righteousness’, ‘Mahavamsa’ (new translation), and ‘ Asoka the Righteous: A Definitive Biography’. Some of his most recent writings include ‘What in Brief is Buddhism’,  ‘ Buddhist Answers to Current Issues ’, ‘ Buddhism, Economics and Science’ and a Trilogy on Sri Lanka from Freedom to Peace. 

Synopsis

INDIA, the birthplace of four present day world religions, namely Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism, chose Buddhism to be propagated outside its borders as far back as the third century BCE. It was an initiative of the Maha Sangha, led by Moggaliputtatissa Thera, patronized and supported by Emperor Asoka the Righteous.  His son and daughter were the missionaries to whom the establishment of Buddhism in our country was entrusted. While Buddhism faded away in India around the thirteenth century CE, Sri Lanka preserved it in pristine purity and in turn spread it to several nations of Southeast Asia as well as to China.

Seven hundred years later, the privilege of taking Buddhism back to India came to Sri Lanka due to the untiring effort of Anagarika Dharmapala, aided in the early stages by Colonel   Henry Steel Olcott. In the words of Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, the Speaker of the Bengal State Assembly in his address at the fiftieth anniversary of the Mahabodhi Society, Sri Lanka has fully repaid the debt to India for the introduction of Buddhism.

The Sri Lankan role in the promotion of Buddhism in India has continued unabated ever since. A number of leading Buddhist scholars like Satischandra Das, Kosambi Dhammanand,  Padmanabha Jain, Rahul Sanskrtyayan, Jagdish Kashyap and Anand Kausalyan received their Buddhist education and monastic training in our two major Pirivenas. The Mahabodhi Society undertook the management of the sacred Buddhist shines and the steady influx of Sri Lankan, Burmese, Thai, Tibetan and Japanese Buddhists convinced the intelligentsia of India of the prestige that the Buddha has brought to their motherland.

Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar

Buddhism came to be appreciated and admired for its doctrine of egalitarian society in which the discrimination of humans on grounds of birth was decried. Among the most influential leaders of India to be attracted to Buddhism was Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, the Law Minister of India to whom the drafting of the Indian Constitution was entrusted.

He attended the founding of the World Fellowship of Buddhists in 1950 as an admirer and friend of Buddhism. Professor Gunapala Malalasekera foresaw his future role and introduced him as a modern day Bodhisattva. Thus encouraged and motivated he embraced Buddhism six years later in the year of the 2500 Buddha Jayanti at a ceremony in Nagpur, India presided over by Venerable Dr. Hammalawa Saddhatissa MahaThera. Devapriya Valisinha, General Secretary of the Mahabodhi Society, who had for long years been in correspondence with Dr. Ambedkar was present at this function. Several Bhikkus of the Maha Bodhi Society attended the function together with Devapriya Valisinha and helped in arranging the religious ceremony. Devapriya Valisinha also spoke on the occasion and presented to Dr Ambedkar an image of the Lord Buddha on behalf of the Mahabodhi Society.

With the historic event in Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India on October 14, 1956 began the mass conversion of deprived and disadvantaged millions to Buddhism. The Buddhist population of India estimated to be around 200,000 in 1947 has now reached almost twenty million and is growing rapidly. Only six weeks ago, India founded an umbrella Buddhist organization called the INTERNATIONAL BUDDHIST CONFEDERATION to represent the collective wisdom of Buddhism with one voice.

Dr. Ananda . W. P. Guruge, especially invited to be a founding member of the Confederation played a leading role in the international conference as well as discussions with the Chief Minister of the Bihar State. Dr. Guruge, who is here to make arrangements to return to Sri Lanka for permanent residence, sees that a significant role has opened up for Buddhists of Sri Lanka to contribute substantially to the growing interest in and the propagation of Buddhism in India. In this lecture, to be delivered in his usual bilingual format, Dr. Guruge seeks to share his insights and experiences on how we should build close and meaningful relations with the Buddhists of India for a wide variety of mutual benefit and advantages and thereby strengthen sociopolitical, economic, cultural and spiritual links between our two countries.

Indo – Sri Lanka Buddhist Network

A group of pro-active Indian and Sri Lankan Buddhists drawn from leading Buddhist organizations had a series of discussions on the sidelines of the World Buddhist Assembly gathering in Bangkok, Thailand (May 21 – 25, 2012) and decided to establish an ‘Indo – Sri Lanka Buddhist Network’ to pursue a number of preliminary aims and objectives that are beneficial to the cause of consolidating and spreading Buddhism in both countries and other parts of the world.

The preliminary aims and objectives of this Buddhist Network are as follows:

(i) To develop and strengthen warm and friendly ties between Buddhists in India and Sri Lanka,
(ii) To collaborate in Projects leading to the promotion of peace and non – violence, friendly relations and understanding between peoples of India and Sri Lanka within a framework of Buddhist principles and shared past in a common Buddhist civilization that influenced both countries, and
(iii) To work together in propagating and spreading Buddhism worldwide.

Further discussions were held between a wider number of representatives from the two countries on the sidelines of the 26th General Conference held in Yeosu, South Korea from June 11- 16, 2012, leading to consolidation of ideas.

These continuing discussions resulted in the visit of an eight member Indian Buddhist delegation led by Ven. Dr. Bhadant Rahula Bodhi Maha Thera to Sri Lanka. They met HE the President Mahinda Rajapakse at the President’s House in Kandy on February 22. The primary purpose of the visit of the Indian delegation was to strengthen ties between the Buddhists of the two countries and bring India and Sri Lanka closer to each other through the historical bond and civilizational link of Buddhism. They also canvassed the possibility of the installation of a statue in Colombo in honour of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.

The Indian Buddhist team arrived in Sri Lanka on February 21 at the invitation of Dr. Lilaknath Weerasinghe, President ‘Success Sri Lanka’ based in Kandy and its membership, which hosted the delegation during their stay in Kandy and Colombo and accompanied them to Anuradhapura in conjunction with the generous assistance provided mainly by the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress and co – ordinated by the German Dharmaduta Society (in association with the Indo – Sri Lanka Buddhist Network), all of which entities constitute Regional Centres of the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB).

At a public talk delivered by Ven. Dr. Bhadant Rahula Bodhi Maha Thera on the topic ‘ The Revival of Buddhism in India’ on March 1, at the Maha Bodhi Society, Colombo, Ven. Banagala Upatissa Nayaka Thera made a public announcement that a suitable portion of land within the boundaries of the Maha Bodhi Society precincts at Maradana, Colombo 10 would be allocated for the installation of the first statue of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (in Sri Lanka) and in close proximity to the pre-existing statue of Angarika Dharmapala, founder of the Maha Bodhi Society.

A significant proposal made by Ven .Kirama Wimalajothi Nayaka Thera for the establishment of an Institute in honour of  ‘Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’  on a 2 acre plot of land in extent in Pannipititya is now taking shape.  This Centre will provide residential facilities as well as training opportunities for visiting Indian Buddhist monks. Another block of land 5 acres in extent in the high altitude tea plantation sector was presented by Dr. Jeewaka Bandara, an active member of SUCCESS Sri Lanka, to an Indian Buddhist delegation led by Ven. Dr. Bhadant Rahula Bodhi Maha Thera, which visited Sri Lanka from Sept. 26 – 29, 2013. The gift of land was made by Dr. Jeewaka Bandara in front of the Most Venerable Udugama Sri Buddharakkhitha Thera, the Maha Nayaka Thero of the Asgiriya Chapter, at Asgiriya Maha Vihara.

Both India and Sri Lanka share a deep civilisational continuum. The frequency of these interactions through the bond of Buddhism will re- activate our civilisational paradigm, and make people of both countries re- discover the lost sense of our history, geography, and culture, which determined our understanding and relations with each other, and others in our neighbourhood.

Senaka Weeraratna

Coordinator, Indo – Sri Lanka Buddhist Network