Vidyodaya Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences
Though the Tripiṭaka was and still remains central to Theravāda Buddhism, Sri Lankan Buddhists ha... more Though the Tripiṭaka was and still remains central to Theravāda Buddhism, Sri Lankan Buddhists had not taken serious steps until the middle of the twentieth century to systematically translate the Tripiṭaka into Sinhala. Among various initiatives, A.P. de Zoysa’s Sinhala Tripiṭakaya project (1950–1968) which consisted of 48 volumes, achieved a remarkable feat of success and still stands out. As an unsurpassed, noble ‘Protestant’ initiative of a single lay Buddhist, de Zoysa completed the translation of the entire Pāḷi canon into Sinhala within a decade (1950–1958). Had not de Zoysa taken up that pioneering, challenging and formidable task, Buddhists on the island would have been compelled to wait another three decades to see the completion of the Buddha Jayanthi Tripiṭaka Granthamālā (1954–1989). The Sinhala Tripiṭakaya reached many temples and homes as never before and became a beneficial resource for monastic students in their learning. The vernacular translation made the Tripiṭak...
The chapter discusses the historicity of Vesak as a celebration in association with the full moon... more The chapter discusses the historicity of Vesak as a celebration in association with the full moon of May and the historical Buddha's birth at Lumbini, Nepal and Vesak's significance in giving birth to a range of artistic creations including dance and music in the Sri Lankan Buddhist society over the centuries and the Vesak celebrations in Japan and the UK. Internationalization of Vesak celebration is discussed.
Examines the historicity of the expansion of Vesak as the preeminent Buddhist ritual and the poli... more Examines the historicity of the expansion of Vesak as the preeminent Buddhist ritual and the political and social role of inventing the Buddhist flag to celebrate Vesak.
This paper discusses mystical attainments of Venerable Mātalē Vanaratana (1889-1981) of Sri Lanka... more This paper discusses mystical attainments of Venerable Mātalē Vanaratana (1889-1981) of Sri Lanka. His insights can be found in the Sinhala book: Haritas Varusavitana, Kälē Suvanda [Forest Fragrance] (Halavata: Merl Varusavitana, 1999). It is an account of meditative monk who lived most of his life in the forest practising kasiṇa meditation. His account presents the life style of a modern Buddhist mystic and details of spiritual exercises useful for attainments and obstacles to one’s spiritual path.
Examines the history and development of the notion of the 'just ruler' (Dharmaraja) withi... more Examines the history and development of the notion of the 'just ruler' (Dharmaraja) within the Theravada Buddhist traditions of south and southeast Asia.
Today, we are going to examine three Buddhist discourses of the Dīghanikāya that will help us und... more Today, we are going to examine three Buddhist discourses of the Dīghanikāya that will help us understand how the historical Buddha as a religious teacher and philosopher saw and dealt with social issues such as poverty, caste discrimination and crime. Our globalized world is prone to confront many social conflicts. Problems appear in many shapes and proportions. When we pay attention to the three Buddhist discourses examined here, one thing becomes very clear. Neither the social conflicts that contemporary societies confront nor the possible methods of resolving them effectively are ‘new.’ The three Buddhist discourses examined here clearly testify that even in premodern societies, for example, in the society in which the Buddha emerged in the sixth century BCE, there were many social issues. One major problem was caste discrimination. Poverty, theft, and murder were also common. Poverty is one of the most troubling social problems in today’s society. The United Nations has identifi...
This chapter analyses accounts of two travellers/traders (Persian and Moroccan) who visited Śrī P... more This chapter analyses accounts of two travellers/traders (Persian and Moroccan) who visited Śrī Pāda (Adam's Peak) in Sri Lanka. Sulayman al-Tajir from Persia in the mid 9th century and Ibn Battuta from Morocco in the fourteenth century made the pilgrimage to Śrī Pāda. The chapter addresses issues raised by them and examines relevance of Śrī Pāda as a sacred site to many religions.
Vidyodaya Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences
Though the Tripiṭaka was and still remains central to Theravāda Buddhism, Sri Lankan Buddhists ha... more Though the Tripiṭaka was and still remains central to Theravāda Buddhism, Sri Lankan Buddhists had not taken serious steps until the middle of the twentieth century to systematically translate the Tripiṭaka into Sinhala. Among various initiatives, A.P. de Zoysa’s Sinhala Tripiṭakaya project (1950–1968) which consisted of 48 volumes, achieved a remarkable feat of success and still stands out. As an unsurpassed, noble ‘Protestant’ initiative of a single lay Buddhist, de Zoysa completed the translation of the entire Pāḷi canon into Sinhala within a decade (1950–1958). Had not de Zoysa taken up that pioneering, challenging and formidable task, Buddhists on the island would have been compelled to wait another three decades to see the completion of the Buddha Jayanthi Tripiṭaka Granthamālā (1954–1989). The Sinhala Tripiṭakaya reached many temples and homes as never before and became a beneficial resource for monastic students in their learning. The vernacular translation made the Tripiṭak...
The chapter discusses the historicity of Vesak as a celebration in association with the full moon... more The chapter discusses the historicity of Vesak as a celebration in association with the full moon of May and the historical Buddha's birth at Lumbini, Nepal and Vesak's significance in giving birth to a range of artistic creations including dance and music in the Sri Lankan Buddhist society over the centuries and the Vesak celebrations in Japan and the UK. Internationalization of Vesak celebration is discussed.
Examines the historicity of the expansion of Vesak as the preeminent Buddhist ritual and the poli... more Examines the historicity of the expansion of Vesak as the preeminent Buddhist ritual and the political and social role of inventing the Buddhist flag to celebrate Vesak.
This paper discusses mystical attainments of Venerable Mātalē Vanaratana (1889-1981) of Sri Lanka... more This paper discusses mystical attainments of Venerable Mātalē Vanaratana (1889-1981) of Sri Lanka. His insights can be found in the Sinhala book: Haritas Varusavitana, Kälē Suvanda [Forest Fragrance] (Halavata: Merl Varusavitana, 1999). It is an account of meditative monk who lived most of his life in the forest practising kasiṇa meditation. His account presents the life style of a modern Buddhist mystic and details of spiritual exercises useful for attainments and obstacles to one’s spiritual path.
Examines the history and development of the notion of the 'just ruler' (Dharmaraja) withi... more Examines the history and development of the notion of the 'just ruler' (Dharmaraja) within the Theravada Buddhist traditions of south and southeast Asia.
Today, we are going to examine three Buddhist discourses of the Dīghanikāya that will help us und... more Today, we are going to examine three Buddhist discourses of the Dīghanikāya that will help us understand how the historical Buddha as a religious teacher and philosopher saw and dealt with social issues such as poverty, caste discrimination and crime. Our globalized world is prone to confront many social conflicts. Problems appear in many shapes and proportions. When we pay attention to the three Buddhist discourses examined here, one thing becomes very clear. Neither the social conflicts that contemporary societies confront nor the possible methods of resolving them effectively are ‘new.’ The three Buddhist discourses examined here clearly testify that even in premodern societies, for example, in the society in which the Buddha emerged in the sixth century BCE, there were many social issues. One major problem was caste discrimination. Poverty, theft, and murder were also common. Poverty is one of the most troubling social problems in today’s society. The United Nations has identifi...
This chapter analyses accounts of two travellers/traders (Persian and Moroccan) who visited Śrī P... more This chapter analyses accounts of two travellers/traders (Persian and Moroccan) who visited Śrī Pāda (Adam's Peak) in Sri Lanka. Sulayman al-Tajir from Persia in the mid 9th century and Ibn Battuta from Morocco in the fourteenth century made the pilgrimage to Śrī Pāda. The chapter addresses issues raised by them and examines relevance of Śrī Pāda as a sacred site to many religions.
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Papers by M Deegalle