7 December, 2024

Blog

Mahavamsa- An Insult To The Buddha!

By Sharmini Serasinghe

Sharmini Serasinghe

Sharmini Serasinghe

Caution- The following is more suitable for the broad-minded and the wise. Others are kindly advised to pass!

Wonder if ours might have been a wiser, and a more ‘humane’ society, had our ‘ancient’ history, been based on Aesop’s Fables, instead of the Mahavamsa. For if not for the Mahavamsa, the Sinhalese may not have been endowed, with the reputation, of “Sinhalaya Modaya (The Sinhalese are Fools)”!

In this “wonderland” called Sri Lanka, and in this day and age, one still comes across ‘academically’ educated, and supposedly intelligent ‘Buddhists’, but sadly lacking in wisdom, who reverently believe, that the Buddha walked out of his mother’s womb, and walked seven steps, while lotuses blossomed, under his feet!

These very same supposedly educated, and intelligent ‘Buddhists’ also believe, that the enormous indentation, resembling a footprint on a boulder, at Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada to ‘Buddhists’), to be that of the Buddha. This would be in keeping with the conviction that the Buddha, was as tall, or perhaps even taller, than the Avukana Buddha statue, which stands above 40 feet (12 meters) in height!

Then, there is the ‘Dalada Maligawe’ in Kandy; most Buddhists believe, the tooth relic housed within, belonged to the Buddha. Some adorn the ‘tooth casket’ with mounds of gold jewelry, fervently believing, that they would earn merit, to the value of the gold they offer. The thought of donating the value of this gold, to feed and help, the poor, sick and the needy, that would be far more meritorious, never cross their minds!

There hangs a controversial question, over the authenticity of this ‘sacred tooth’. But then again, to those ‘educated and intelligent Buddhists’, devoid of wisdom, if the Buddha, was taller than the Avukana statue, and had a giant footprint, as on Adam’s Peak, then this ‘huge tooth’ could be his!

However it does not matter, if the tooth is over-sized, belonged to the Buddha or not, because he the ‘wise one’ asserted, that his followers must not revere, nor worship, any part of his physical self, nor idolize him. Had the Buddha wanted otherwise, he would have left not just a tooth, but his entire skeleton, for his followers to worship.

The annual Esala Perahera, in Kandy, is yet another case in point. This colourful and spectacular ‘parade’ of the ‘tooth relic’, atop a magnificent elephant, is nothing but an ego-boosting exercise, of small minded men of yore, and now, a tradition of small minded men of the present. The ‘Esala Perahera’ therefore, is no relation of Buddhism!

Then there are also those ‘Buddhists’, who on Full Moon (Poya) days, make a bee-line draped in white, to the temple, to ‘pray’ to ‘God Buddha’. They piously recite the ‘Five Precepts’ and other Buddhist verses, as in ‘praying’, facing a perceived image, of the miracle performing ‘God Buddha’. The Five Precepts- the basic code of ethics that the Buddhist laity, is required to abide by, cease to hold any value, beyond the temple gates!

They offer flowers, to clay and stone images of the Buddha, and light oil lamps, as it is an idée recue; believing by doing so, one earns enormous merit. Little do they understand the significance, of such customs; they fail to connect the similarity of flowers and the oil lamp, with their impermanent life – ‘anicca’.

Then they also go on to bathe the ‘Bo tree’ (Bodhi Puja), with pots of water, thereby encouraging tree-rot, expecting the ‘holy’ tree’ under which ‘God Buddha’ attained enlightenment, to bestow merit upon them to. During trying times, unable to accept their ‘karma’, they once again flood the ‘Bo tree’, expecting deliverance from their misery.

When this unique ‘brand’ of Sinhala/Mahavamsa-Buddhism fails to deliver, they next make a bee-line, to a Hindu kovil, break coconuts, praying for miracles, as well as cursing and damning to hell, fellow human beings. Then off they go, to a Christian church and light candles and then, to Sai Baba or even a Mosque (I have no idea what they do there). At all these places, promises (vows) are made, to various Gods, on a quid pro quo basis. Some, even resort to animal sacrifice!

Then, there are also those who believe, that the Mahawamsa was authored, by the Buddha himself!

All that the Buddha asked, of his followers, was to lead a life according to his noble teachings. But this, most find so hard to do, especially the ‘simple’ minded, Mahavamsa-Buddhist!

Mahavamsa Lies and Deceit

Perhaps nowhere in the world, might one find, this strange practice of Buddhism, other than by most Sinhalese; for it is neither a religion nor a philosophy. It is a unique ‘culture’, passed off as Buddhism, in Sri Lanka!

Who and what distorted the Buddhist philosophy, in Sri Lanka? I say firmly, the blame must be laid fair and square, at the feet of Mahanama thera, and his ‘book of Buddhist tales’- the Mahavamsa. For, it deals mostly, with mythical and supernatural tales of so called, Buddhist history, with some borrowed from the ‘Mahabaratha’ and ‘Ramayana’.

Through his Mahavamsa, Mahanama portrayed Sri Lanka, as the ‘Dammadeepa’; the chosen land of the Buddha, to protect and propagate his Dhamma. He, Mahanama said, (NOT the Buddha), that Buddhism will prevail, for five-thousand years, and the Sinhalese alone, must “protect” it.

Perhaps at a time, when Buddhism began to lose its popularity in India, The monks of the Mahavihara, especially Mahanama, might have panicked, and therefore decided to make Sri Lanka a ‘Buddhist Country’, in order to ‘protect’ Buddhism.

Thus, he created the Sinhala race, by bringing together, those from various tribes and ethnic groups, to create this one ‘supreme’ race- Sinhala-Buddhist; Buddha’s chosen people, Mahanama said, to protect Buddhism, for five-thousand years!

The Buddhist scriptures, Tripitaka, (Viniya, Suttaand Abhidhamma), and the Mahavamsa, were both written in the Pali language. Therefore the average Buddhist laity, who was not au fait with this language, would not have understood the difference between the Tripitaka, and the Mahavamsa. Hence when Buddhist monks preached the Mahavamsa, the laity accepted all that the monks said, as the true words of the Buddha.

From that day forward, 2600 years ago, the Buddhist clergy of this country, transformed the Buddhist philosophy, into an ‘ethnic’ religion of the Sinhalese, and propagated it as such, as per the Mahavamsa. Thus, over the past 2600 years, Buddhists, in this country, have been misled, misguided, led astray and lied to, by our Buddhist clergy, and their ‘bible’- the Mahavamsa!.

By converting the philosophy into a religion, Buddhist monks, also converted the Buddha, into a ‘God’, and themselves, as his ‘Messengers’, who must be revered and worshiped; totally disregarding the Buddha’s words-

Believe nothing, in the faith of traditions,
even though, they have been held in honor,
for many generations, and in diverse places.


Do not believe, a thing, because many people speak of it.
Do not believe, in the faith, of the sages of the past.
Do not believe, what you yourself have imagined,
persuading yourself, that a God inspires you.


Believe nothing, on the sole authority, of your masters and priests.
After examination, believe what you yourself, have tested
and found, to be reasonable, and conform your conduct thereto.”
The Buddha

A case in point, as it is recorded nowhere, of the Buddha having said, is that alms must be offered to monks, in one’s home or at a temple, seven-days, three-months and one-year after a death, in one’s family.

This practice perhaps, originated through a custom, followed by our ancestors, that has today become sine qua non, for Buddhists-

2600 years ago, a Buddhist temple was the only venue, of social gathering, activity and entertainment, in a village. Hence, when a ‘Rite of Passage’ i.e. death in a family occurred, it was only natural, for the entire village, including Buddhist monks, to visit the bereaved family, and offer words and deeds of comfort and consolation, to them .

Sinhalese hospitality being such, all gathered, would be offered a meal, by the bereaved family, and the monks too, would partake of that meal. This, over the years, became part and parcel, and a ‘religious ceremony’, of the Sinhala- Buddhist ‘religion’.

With time, the Buddhist clergy, introduced a sense of ‘guilt’, to the Buddhist laity, that if such ‘alms-giving ceremonies’, were not held, the departed will be reborn, in ‘hell’. So once again, ‘debunking’ the Buddha’s theory, of ‘karma’ (unavoidable results, of our intentional actions), the monks carved a path of convenience, and reverence, for themselves.

So, according to Sinhala/Mahavamsa-Buddhism, even a murderer, rapist, child molester, and others as such, could circumvent their bad ‘karma’ and be reborn in ‘heaven’, courtesy alms and gifts, offered to Buddhist monks.

Coming from a family regarded as ‘pillars’ of the Buddhist temple, I have observed and been made to participate, in this ridiculous practice, of alms-givings, since early childhood. My paternal grandmother, in Galle, held an annual alms-giving, at her home, for a hundred corps d’elite of Buddhist monks. She had the best of the most expensive crockery, brass ‘padikkamas’, (spitting pots)’ et al, set aside, for the exclusive use of each of these monks. My grandmother, in Kandy was no different.

Today, no event of significance, for a Sinhala-Buddhist is held, without the patronage and ‘blessings’ of the ‘Maha Sangha’ (Buddhist monks). And our foolish laity, continue to believe, that the more you feed and spoil these ‘people’, the more ‘merit’ they, and their dearly departed, would receive!

Who will convince them otherwise, certainly not the Buddhist clergy!

Mahavamsa- a Sinhala-Buddhist Political Guide

If one was to go by the Mahavamsa, the Sinhala race came about, through a mythical union between a lion and a human princess. Perhaps that explains why, Mahavamsa-Buddhists, are so lethargic and bloodthirsty!

But in reality, the Sinhalese race, was a creation of the Buddhist monks of the Mahavihara, who themselves originated from India (unless they were aboriginal Veddhas).

The Mahavihara monk, Mahanama, projected himself as the Messenger of the Buddha- a 1000 years after the passing away of the Buddha himself.

The Mahavamsa was written at a time, when all Sinhalese were Buddhists and all Tamils were Hindus, long before other religions, were introduced to our country.

So, author Mahanama, designed the Mahavamsa to be, instead of a historical record of the Sinhalese and Tamils of Lanka, as a Buddhist canonical text, for the descendants of a Lion!

He took ‘bits’ and ‘pieces’ from Hinduism viz the caste system, idol worshiping, astrology, superstition etc., and projected the Buddha as a superhuman, or a God. This made it more appealing, to the average human psyche; as a religion is far easier to deal with, than a complex philosophy like Buddhism.

So today, we have Sinhala-Buddhists running around in circles, when facing a crisis, between, temples, kovils, churches, mosques and ‘others’ such, as Sai Baba.

Though the author intended the Mahavamsa to be, for the “serene joy of the pious” it contradicts itself, by condoning and equating the killing of human “invaders”, with “sinners, and wild beasts”.

He, Mahanama, in his Mahavamsa justifies, and glorifies the murder by Dutugemunu, of thousands of Tamils he called “invaders”, by equating them with “sinners, and wild beasts”. So, where is Buddhism in that? Thus, how can one regard the Mahavamsa, as a Buddhist guide?

If the Maha Sangha had been sincere, and honest from the outset, they would have disassociated the Mahavamsa, from Buddhism. Had they done so, Buddhism in Sri Lanka today, might have been practiced as the Buddha meant it to be; as per the Dhamma.

Therefore it is the linking of Buddhism with the Sinhalese, this text stands for, that has over the years, formed the mentality of the Sinhala-Buddhist psyche. It became a cast or a mould, of the Sinhala-Buddhist racist; a psychological tool, and a political guide of the Sinhala-Buddhists.

The Curse of the Caste System

What made all those Sinhalese who were originally Buddhists, turn to other religions?

The caste system, denounced by the Buddha, has been fostered by none other, than the Buddhist clergy of the Mahavamsa, themselves. They divided themselves between Nikayas, based on caste, and banned those Buddhists, they called ‘low caste’, from entering the temples, they administered.

Therefore, is it any wonder, that those Sinhalese Buddhists, would turn to a more compassionate faith, where caste, creed or ethnicity, has no place? Perhaps those Mahavamsa/Sinhala-Buddhists, like the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), their sponsors and supporters, ought to reflect on what they say and do, and ask themselves, why these Sri Lankans, who were originally Sinhalese Buddhists, renounced Buddhism, and embrace other faiths?

Strangely, in India, it is the ‘low castes’; Harijans/Dalits, once called “untouchables” or “pariahs”, who are Buddhists, and not the Brahmins of India, despite the Buddha, being a Brahmin himself.

To the Brahmins of India, one’s caste was a matter of vital importance, but one of utter indifference to the Buddha. He strongly condemned, the degradation, of the caste system. In his Order, Monks of all castes were united, as do the rivers in the sea. They lost their former names, castes, and clans, and came to be known, as members of One Community– the Sangha.

Once, the Buddha, while begging for alms, approached the house of the Brahmin, Aggikabharadvaja. The Brahmin, seeing the Buddha at a distance, shouted out: “Stay there, you shaveling, stay there you wretched monk, stay there you outcast.” The Buddha, gently asked the Brahmin: “Do you know, Brahmin, who an outcast is, and what are the conditions, that make one an outcast?”

To the dumbstruck Brahmin, the Buddha said, “”Birth makes not a man an outcast, Birth makes not a man a Brahmin; Actions make a man an outcast, Actions make a man a Brahmin.” (Sutta-nipâta, 142)

Thus, the Buddha admitted freely, into the Buddhist Order, all those he deemed fit, to lead the holy life, from all walks of life, castes and classes. Some went on to distinguish themselves, in the Buddhist Order. The Buddha was one, who united all those torn apart, by man-made differences, of caste, creed and class.

Today, save a few, where does one find these wise words, of the Buddha, practiced by our Sangha, of the Mahavamsa?

Mahavamsa Indoctrination-

I recall my first, school Buddhist text book, as a six-year-old in Grade-One. The cover of the book was illustrated with a picture, of a fully clothed infant Buddha, walking on lotus blossoms. After querying its significance, I was informed by my ‘Buddhism’ teacher, that the Buddha walked, soon after he was born and informed all, that he would be the greatest. And because of this, lotuses blossomed, with each step he took.

For a child, who was constantly seeing her newborn cousins, not capable of such miracles, this seemed like magic to me. So I asked my teacher, if the Buddha was a magician. I was severely admonished, as a “pow kareya” (sinner), and punished for being irreverent.

From that day forward, I became extremely cautious, of whoever tried to talk Buddhism to me, until I became a lay disciple, from childhood to adulthood, of the late Rev. Piyadassi Maha Thera. My ‘guru’ taught me Buddhism, in its original form, as per the Dhamma, and not its corrupt, Mahavamsa version!

From an early age, the innocent and pure minds, of Sinhalese Buddhist children, are ‘brainwashed’, by foolish parents and teachers, with Sinhala-Buddhist racism; Mahavamsa Buddhism!

They are taught, to regard, the ‘other’, who is not a Sinhala-Buddhist, as “an invader”. They are taught, not to trust this ‘other’, who does not belong to Sri Lanka, and is only a ‘guest’, of the ‘benevolent’ Sinhala-Buddhists.

Thus, they are taught, at an early age, that all Tamils, Muslims, Hindus, Christians (Sinhala Christians included) and others, must be chased away, from Mahavamsa-Buddhist Sri Lanka, just as in ancient times, when King Dutugemunu, killed or  chased away the “invaders”, to Tamil Nadu.

In Mahavamsa Buddhism, there is no place, for the Buddha’s Dhamma, of tolerance and compassion!

My ‘Accidents’ with Mahavamsa-Buddhism

My first school was a Convent, in Galle. Here, I was a very happy child, amidst a mélange of others, of various ethnic groups, and religions, including Buddhism.

With time, my Buddhist family thought it essential, for me to change to a Buddhist school. So there I ended up in an exclusive Sinhalese Buddhist private school for girls, in Colombo.

As an eleven-year-old, coming from a Convent, I was most unprepared for the ‘culture shocks’ that awaited me, at this private Buddhist school!

Coming from a family background, where displaying one’s wealth, was regarded as vulgar, as exposing one’s body, I was horrified, at the liberties afforded to the students, and teachers of this Buddhist school. Some tended to favour, students who displayed, their recently acquired family wealth; decked in gold, and dressed in ‘mini’ uniforms, and flashed money freely. They laughed and ridiculed those who appeared less privileged.

For instance, my father once dropped me in school, in his jeep, on his way to Galle. A teacher seeing this, (ironically it was my ‘Buddhism’ teacher), announced in class, that I had come to school that day, in a lorry. Of course as to be expected, I was ridiculed and made fun of, by most of my classmates. I wondered how they might have treated me, had I come to school, by bus!

The horror of studying ‘Buddhism’, in a Buddhist school, is a story by itself!

What was ‘taught’ as Buddhism, and passed off as ‘teaching’ was in fact, a self-teaching exercise, where we the students, were ordered to memorize, Buddhist verses in Pali, with no meaning of the verses offered, while the teacher napped, at her table.

This is how they ‘taught’ Buddhism, in a Buddhist school, that charged exorbitant fees, from unsuspecting parents, who believed their offspring were receiving, a ‘sound Buddhist education’. All this happened, thirty-five years ago (late 70s), and I sincerely hope, this situation has changed, for the better now.

Severely traumatised, by my horrifying ‘Buddhist school’ experience, my parents moved me back, to a Convent. And once again, I happily found myself amidst, a mélange of girls, of various ethnic groups, and religions.

With Mahavamsa-Buddhism, I seem to be accident-prone!

As a young adult, I came across many, who regarded the iconic Sinhala-Buddhist-Anagarika Dharmapala, as the next best thing, to Lord Buddha. Their hypocritical practice, of Mahavamsa-Buddhism, left a bitter taste, in my mouth, I yet feel to date.

Yet another ‘unfortunate accident’ I met, with Mahavamsa Buddhism, was when I tried to have my young son of eight years, admitted to a ‘Buddhist Sunday School’, at a leading Buddhist temple, in Colombo. The person in charge, of new admittance, was a short-tempered ‘gentleman’ of the Buddhist laity.

This ‘gentleman’ informed me, in an angry and loud voice, that I had no business, as a woman, admitting my son, though I was his mother, to a Buddhist Sunday School. He demanded that my son, be accompanied, by his father, if I wished to have him admitted, to this Buddhist Sunday School!

I wondered how, widows managed to admit their sons, to this Buddhist Sunday School.

Teach Comparative Religion in Schools

As a lay-student, of the world renowned most Venerable Piyadassi Maha Thera, I consider myself privileged, to have had such an eminent Guru, of the Buddhist order. Rev. Piyadassi, as I referred to him, had been a close friend of my family for generations, with whom we, as a family, had frequent interaction.

Here was a highly educated, intellectual Buddhist prelate, who would insist that we sit with him at table, and have lunch along with him, while I, as a curious teenager, bombarded him with questions on Buddhism, which he answered patiently and clearly. This type of interaction, with such teachers, is what is required today.

With Rev. Piyadassi’s demise in 1998, in my eyes at the time, he left shoes too big to be filled. But now I know better. For there are many Buddhist prelates and monks of his caliber out there, who are worthy of being revered and worshipped, as the true messengers of Lord Buddha’s philosophy, and they are those, who can guide Sri Lanka’s future Buddhist generations, away from Mahavamsa indoctrination, and on to the correct path.

Alas, such genuine Buddhist prelates and monks, never make news, and are often found in jungles, in deep meditation.

If Sri Lanka’s incumbent President, sincerely wishes to safeguard and foster Buddhism, in its pristine form, then it is his bounden duty, to bring forth a system, whereby our impressionable younger and future generations, are taught the Dhamma, by intelligent and educated Buddhist prelates, as opposed to those stick-in the-mud, Mahavamsa-Buddhist monks, who by no stretch of one’s imagination, are pristine models of Buddhism, to do the job.

The incumbent President has assured more than once, of “religious freedom for all communities, by enhancing interreligious harmony and tolerance”. If he is sincere, then he ought to consider introducing the subject of ‘Comparative Religion’, to all schools, whereby all would understand, the religion of the other.

This would ensure, from an early age, a deeper understanding of the fundamental philosophy of different religions, practiced in Sri Lanka, and that no religion, is above the other.

A child, who has undertaken such a course of study, will undoubtedly have a much deeper understanding of human beliefs and practices, and therefore be more tolerant of each other; not feel threatened by the religion of the other.

This would ideally lead, to our ultimate dream, of a peaceful Sri Lanka, for one and all!

However, the question begs, are our politicians selfless and sincere enough, to take up such a challenge?

Latest comments

  • 5
    1

    Sri Lanka Sinhala Buddhism is an insult to Buddha…is an insult to non Mahavamsa Buddhist all over the world

    only in Sri Lanka you get …saffron robed cannabis taking violent monks openly paraded by the Govt to commit acts of violence while the seucrity appartaus looks on and cheer them…

    .and what more there violent racist acts are video taped by the state appartus and broadcast all over the world…

    The buddhist religion is being treated as a pariah by the politicians…and the sinhala modayas even here cant see it

    • 2
      4

      what would a tamil who worships lingams know ?

      • 1
        0

        how did you come to a conclusion I am a Hindu?
        but never mind for me God is a basis for discipline

      • 2
        1

        “|”who worships lingams know ?”|”

        Ha ha ha,
        Ha ha ha

        As usual you think from your posterior.

        We know, what we know that is Amude Abe,

        Stick that phallus up your Khyber then you feel Geeeee!

  • 13
    2

    I READ ALL THE COMMENTS ABOVE AND MY CONCLUSION: BUDDHISM IN SRI LANKA IS AS BAD AS ISLAM AMONG AFGANISTAN’S TALIBAN.

    • 6
      3

      Absolutely correct. To my understanding ‘Jihad’ is the struggle followers of Islam are required to undertake to cleanse themselves from wrong thoughts etc., not to kill others. Buddhists who are on the wrong path thanks to writings such as Mahawamsa are not any different.

    • 3
      6

      it is what you make it be idiot .

    • 2
      2

      Brillianly put

    • 0
      0

      you know nothing about Taliban

  • 10
    2

    Shamini, Your analytical article about the historic evolution of Buddhism in Sri Lanka should be an eye opener for the Sinhalese. very few have the courage to say the things you have pointed out. I salute you for that courageous piece of writing. You will get an avalanche of criticism.i agree with you in all what you have written? Teaching of Religion to children do not bring the required learning outcomes of producing good human beings as the teachings and the practise are poles apart. Moreover, as. a Teacher I have seen children hating siddhartha for deserting the mother and child. that is because their immature minds cannot grasp the wider picture of sacrificing for the greater good of mankind. Therefore children in the primary schools need to experience kindness, sharing , helping the feeble etc that would bring out the goodness of being human. aesops fables and stories from Buddhist literature! bible stories !Stories from other religious texts can be shared with the small children so that they will learn that the ethical side of all religions are more or less similar. From the secondary school comparative religion can be introduced. As to your son he will be better off without Daham pasal education which imparts Sinhala ethnic Buddhism.

    • 1
      2

      We need more and more Sunila Mendis sort of Christian commentators to turn this entire country Christian. Thank you Sunila

    • 2
      6

      Since you say you ‘have seen children hating siddhartha for deserting the mother and child’, I though I must give you a quick glean about your first prophet of your God because what siddhartha had done is nothing when compared to his acts.

      Hebrew or Jews say the ‘Creator God’ first came looking for his ‘first prophet’, Abraham when he was taking his nomadic stock westward to Canaan. Naturally, everyone expect Abraham to be moral for he is the Creator God’s first prophet and selected one at that. Alas! Abraham is an incestuous man and a liar.

      Genesis 20:11-12 says, Abraham had kept his own sister Sarah as his wife. Abraham was not just incestuous, but had send wife, Sarah to the harem of the King of Egypt as well. He was a liar too. In order to send his wife to the king’s harem, Abraham lied to King Pharaoh and again to Abimelech. Abraham said to them that Sara is the daughter of his father, but covered up that she is the daughter of his mother and she is his wife.

      Abraham’s sister and his wife sara is a promiscuous whore. But, Load God was in full solicitude for the welfare of that immoral Sarah. Genesis 17:15-16 says; “And God said unto Abraham, as for Sara thy wife… I bless her, and give thee a son ….” And, the God had punished many innocent folks on behalf of immoral Sara: Genesis 10 and 18, says, “In anger, he (God) closed up the wombs the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah….”

      Sunila, what I cannot fathom is why all seeing God came looking for this amoral character and made him his prophet. Out of millions of people all over the world, the omnipotent and omniscient creator God had chosen an immoral character to be his anchor.

      Sunila, tell us, do you and evangelists not cover this true story from your secondary school comparative religion teaching?

    • 1
      0

      Ms Mendis@,
      You may be right. Daham Pasal education is not advisable to anyone looking at the way those sangayas behave today.The greater difference between laity people and Sangayas were gentleness, more knowledgeble in buddhistic way of life, intelligent, analytical mindedness and above all the -sanwarakama. None of these can be found in many of lanken monks today: They even shout at people comparably to fish/vegetable monger on the street, dare to do any evil things protecting their ones,even consume alcohol and drive on lanken highway (most known example: Ghanasara of BBS, 10 year s ago), practise all kind of criminal acts as laity would do. As one who was also sent to Daham pasal long ago in the country and later left the country for Europe, I feel the best choice for the sake of the future of lanken youth would be- teaching comparative religion as a subject in the secondary school. This can give all of them a common knowledge about all religions and that we have no other choice than learning tolerance from the begining on, to face the world peacefully. I have heard from my friends that Ausies, the Swiss and Scandinavians teach human and regligious tolerance from their kindergarten level on. These countries invest lots of funds allow the building of their society for a healthy future of the nation.

    • 0
      0

      Dear Sunila Mendis,

      Should’t an analytical Article be replete with hard evidence and references?
      Do you see such evidence or references in her article in support of claims made?

      All I see is a Nameless and Faceless Ghost, an “Academically Educated and supposedly intelligent Sinhala Buddhists falling short on Wisdom” popping up like a Jack in the Box to make Slanderous claims. Not very different from a Ventriloquist’s dummy saying lewd embarrassing things to a member of the audience.

      Only the simple minded will blame the Dummy because the Intelligent knows it is the Ventriloquist who is the Cad.

      The Straw man (or Dummy) used by Sharmini is a Nameless and Faceless “Academically Educated and supposedly intelligent Sinhala Buddhists falling short on Wisdom”

      Here is an example

      Sharmini’s claim of “Academically Educated and supposedly intelligent Sinhala Buddhists falling short on Wisdom” visiting Mosques for solace.

      while the Quran wants unbelievers put to death tortured and their limbs amputated (Sura 5:33, Sura 8:55, Sura 47:35, Sura 98:6)

      Incredulous that those who are supposedly Intelligent, having the Wisdom that the Buddhist don’t have, believing this type of crass stupid claims from Sharmini without a question!

      Do you find that ANALYTICAL Ms Sunila Mendis?

      • 0
        0

        Sunila Mendis,

        Don’t waste your time replying to this joker ‘Off the Cuff’. He is the new stand-up-comedian on this thread, along with a few others.

        • 0
          0

          Dear Kattakarawala,

          I am sure she would be more mature than you. However your antics show that you are Rattled.

          You tried thuggery and intimidation to silence me but yet got muddied and made an ignominious exit from the debate.

          It doesn’t matter to me whether my post is replied to or not as my audience is the CT thinking reader. What Riffraff thinks is immaterial.

          Any commentator who cannot answer questions based on His/her comment will devalue their own comment.

          This is not about wining at all costs which is the target of the Egoistic and Arrogant but about upholding truth and demolishing propaganda.

          BTW a comedian is better than a common street thug, don’t you agree?

  • 5
    15

    “For the broad-minded and the wise: Others can pass”

    What an assumption! What a superior complex on the part of some one who displays the arrogance of a hare-brained child who seems to think no one else is smarter than self. I do not belong to the ‘broad-minded and wise’ group of the writer but still I thought this type of self-assumed writing by an arrogant writer who exposes her own lack of grasp and substance, a should not be allowed to go without questioning. In some societies one like this would have to pay by receiving a Fatwa for blasphemy,-to be put to death by stoning- as Salman Rushdie received and still not revoked, for transgressing belief. we are not so unkind. We believe in Buddha’s way. Buddha said to the Brahamin who hurled abuse at him. “What do you do if some one to whom you offered food does not accept it? You take it back, don’t you? So I do not take the abuse you hurled at me, You take it back” We look at this criticism that way. Let’s put that aside.

    Beauty and brain do not go together. That is if one considers the writer a beauty. That is the conclusion one can come to. If one cannot distinguish between ritual and beliefs in any religion, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Taosim, Shintoism, Judaism and others, something is wrong somewhere. Or, is it a bottoms-up situation? That is putting it in more civil language.

    I have written much on Mahavamsa, as others have done. I have seen people doing penance at Fatima Church grounds in Portugal, approaching the shrine on hot sand on their knees doing so for near a mile, just as they do at Kataragama. A French Ambassador whom I knew who was sharing the same berth in the train to Lisbon, tried to dissuade me from going there saying it was fraud. He asked me to go back with my children. Things are better organized at Lourdes which place I visited many times. All in the name of faith and belief.

    Mahavamsa is not all myth and legend. It also has a historical section about the some of the deeds of successive kings, arranged in a chronological order, covering a period of near two millennia, which point to an amazing, something that no other people can claim of having. These accounts have been corroborated by inscriptional and other archaeological evidence.

    A very early critic of Mahavamsa, serious scholars unlike the writer, were sceptic too, about Mahavamsa, changed their minds later when one of them, a fervent critic, Vincent Smith, said later that these stories, the value of which has been overestimated, demand cautious criticism, at least as much as do other records of popular and ecclesiastical tradition,][or Christian, Hebrew, Islamic and Hindu traditions of God /Brahma creating the world]. That includes the Biblical stories.

    Another serious Mahavamsa scholar asked if the baby should be thrown away with the bath water. For example, as I once wrote in the printed media, it is a chronicle that “Sri Lankan Tamils cannot do without”.

    I expected the writer to concentrate on a point like Buddha expelling the Yakkahas from the island to make it a habitation for the humans. That is an indefensible point in the Mahavamsa from the point of view of Buddha’s teachings.
    No, the writer has decided to question some of the issues that Christian missionaries did during the last few centuries, like the Buddha’s tooth on display at Dalada Maligawa. A Germman archaeologist employed by the British Indian Govt., Fuhrer, was found engaged in trading in faked ‘relics’ and had sold a Pig’s tooth to a Burmese Bhikku, claiming it was a Buddha’s tooth. When asked why it was so large, he had told the Bhikku “why? your Buddha was no ordinary human being. He was a very tall and big personality”. That was not only insulting a much venerated religious leader of ancient India but also engaging in deceit. Furher was found guilty of forgeries and deceit and was dismissed after an inquiry held by Vincent Smith, another staunch Christian Civil Servant.
    Now the Evangelists are asking the same type of questions that the writer has posed in this forum from children who attend the baby classes they run in the interior like Polonnaruwa. She cannot get away by saying her post is for the “broad-minded and the wise.” Isn’t that like the Mahavamsa compiler saying his work was written “for the serene joy and emotion of the pious”? If she is not following what the Mahavamsa compiler intended, why not pipe down, without dragging Mahavmasa to her discussion? That is following the same warning she gave to at the beginning of her post. Her assertion is good for an Evangelical school run by American missionaries, where probably she is a part now as her writing demonstrates .One would not be surprised if she is not part of that circuit. That is an opinion.
    One can see the link. Ask former Fr.Emmanel who joined as a LTTE terrorist and who ran away from the country who has extolled the writer’s post.
    I do not think the writer has the background to read the Mahavamsa intelligently even in translation, far from its original Pali. She seems to be going by hearsay, which can be very misleading, to say the least.She might as well confine herself to something she know of, which seems to be nothing but to attract others’ attention, even using a bottoms-up approach. That can be done in different ways without drawing Manhavamsa into it or disparaging other people’s’ belief systems.
    One bit of advice using her own formula: “Let those small-minded and unwise people stick to their beliefs, let the writer of the post and other like -minded folk “pass'”.

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      SHArmini SHOULD understand how Americn Evengelists – most of whom are socializing with cheap prostitutes, they are pedophiles, some of who are HIV-AID Patients – are screwing up Africa promoting anti-GAY culture.

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        JimSofty

        “SHArmini SHOULD understand how Americn Evengelists – most of whom are socializing with cheap prostitutes”

        Are you the official pimp?

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      Shitmini is a sod of a woman who appears to have a chip on her shoulder. Her writing clearly show that she knows neither Buddhism nor Christianity nor any religion. I don’t feel pitty on her.

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        I am no muslim

        “Her writing clearly show that she knows neither Buddhism nor Christianity nor any religion.”

        Tell us what do you know about religions, it won’t take more than ten lines.

        Give it a try.

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          I know not just about religions but about vedda and particularly kallathoni vedda as well. Remember I have written about you many a times.

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      Bandu de Silva….
      Whether we like it or not ..it is a fact..that
      Mahawamsa had been written by Mahanama Mahathera….in the 6th Century AD…
      what or who prompted him to write it has not been mentioned…in the script..
      The contents are His – Stories..To suit the Sinhala kings perhaps..
      The whole thing had been fabricated to establish that Sri Lanka
      Belongs to Sinhala Race….
      Besides the king would have loved the fabrication of the stories
      As is done today…who are appointed by a popular vote…
      This is the only inheritance that the Sinhala Yakas have inherited from
      Vijaya the Pirate…who is also a great fabrication…
      can an Animal copulate with a Human..and a Human being Born of that copulation ?
      Not one but two…male and a female…!!!!!
      What insult to the Human race…
      If that is true then why no one chalanged Darwin …?
      THIS IS THE DISTORTION…THAT YAKOO SINHALA SWALLOWED
      LOG …STOCK AND BARREL..
      So, whether you have read or read Mahawamsa a millionth time…
      You will never find the truth…because you are firmly rooted with fantasy…
      deceit…heresy…
      What lord Buddha said in Kalaama Sutta…is very well said in this article….
      So IF you are a Buddhist do not insult Lord Buddha…..not God Buddha..

      on the other hand we would not have known anything IF not for British
      Historians …Archiologists…
      It is they who said about the Unitary state of Sri Lanka….
      We Sri Lankans believe ONLY that and hate British for many things
      FUNNY NO….

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        mahavamsa is an acclaimed hostorical book among the learned historians. The reason being what is said in Mahavamsa could be verified with stone inscriptions found in SL and even in India. Historians consider mahavamsa, especially what comes after Asoka’s description is fairly reliable. If not for Mahavamsa, the history of many stupas, statues and tanks would remain a mystery and Eelamists would manufacture more history. If not for Mahavamsa the world and india would not know who King Asoka is.

        Mahavamsa is acclaimed by historians for its factual account when it comes to historical records of kings. True that it contain many mythical things but that was written in 6 AD ao it ia understandable.

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          Sach,
          I have read these wording elsewhere. These wording are not yours I believe. You don’t have such intelligence to comment in good English. You have copied these from a text book. Please indicate the name of the writer and the page of the text book and give due credit to the writer.

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            While appreciating you claiming my comment is intelligent, it is quite sad you cant come with any real counter argue. I have seen you have pasted the same comment again again in reply to my arguments. I sense you are irritated, which i like :)

            • 0
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              Same with me, I too see same thing pasted against me and I’m delighted. I know though they have not published some of my observations it has hit right where it hurts to somebody. Thanks for the banners .

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              Sach is a coward attached to a drama group by the name “Jana …………” which dances to the tune of politicians .He claims that he is intelligent. He is a regular contributor to Gossip sites such as “Go…. La…..”where he claims that he makes sensations and creates sympathy. Most of his comments, if not all , are more suited for gossip sites. He can be contacted on [Edited out] .He is a dump ( if i use the exact word it will be edited out) and a coward. Now he is contributing to this thread using the name Rohitha.
              Our country needs Dumps and cowards like him to make sensations and create sympathy especially when the elections are around.
              Please wish him well in his future endeavours.

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      I am sorry to say that you will never be able to prove that the author is wrong. I agree 100% what the author is saying with regard to how the Sinhalese believe the Mahavansa Myth as gospel truth and their Sinhala-Buddhist Mahavansa mindset resulting from their false belief.

      Like you, every Sinhala-Buddhist is brain washed from very young days, by parents/grandparents, teachers (Sunday school or day school), Buddhist priests (Maha Sangha), politicians, media and text books writers to believe the following myths as facts, that Sri Lanka is a Sinhala-Buddhist country blessed by Buddha, Buddhism will prevail only in Sri Lanka for 5000 years, Buddha visited Sri Lanka thrice, Vijaya’s landing in Sri Lamka with 700 men on the day Buddha attains Nibbana (as proclaimed by Buddha), God Vishnu will protect Vijaya’s people (Sinhalese) and the country (Sri Lanka) to sustain Buddhism for 5000 years, Sinhalese are Aryans from North India (original inhabitants) where as Tamils are outsiders (invaders), Tamils are a threat to Buddhism-Sinhalese-Sri Lanka, the Sinhala-Buddhist king Dutugemunu killed Elara (invader) and chased away the Tamil-Hindu invaders and united the country (Sinhala-Buddhist unitary state), and so on. Other then the mythical Mahavansa, there is no other evidence found so far to prove the above.

      Just like you, there are many Sinhalese who believe that, Buddha visited Sri Lanka 3 times to bless the country and prepare it to introduce his religion/philosophy and make sure to sustain it for 5000 years by appointing God Vishnu as the guardian deity to protect the country and its people (Sinhalese), are all part of Buddhism (from the scriptures). Sinhalese cannot read Pali, but even though the Pali canon (Tipitaka) and Pali chronicles (Divpavansa/Mahavansa) are translated in Sinhala only recently, 90% of the Sinhalese have never read any of them, they only listen to the Bana or read some books written by Buddhist monks and believe everything what they say. Most of them are unable to distinguish, which comes from the Tipitaka (truth) and which comes from the Mahavansa (myth).

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        This woman doesnt even know what caste Budhha was even born into. And talking about buddhism and Mahavamsa. i think she has skipped her hisory lessons to go to elocution classes

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          “”|” This woman doesnt even know what caste Budhha”!!
          __________(^O^)Ha ha ha,he is a plastic prototype drunken restaurant.

          Stupidity is saying the same thing expecting a different result!!
          Holy Boli pinsal,dhansil.<)3
          ___________

          Francis Bacon:: Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted… but to weigh and consider.

          Gautam’s pop was the classic Henry the Eight, looser of kingdom, of Great Dad’s army. Therefore, its reasonable to say his mom Devi has not been created in the 550AD excavation at Lumbini Hindu Kingdom by even the Zealous Japanese Experts. While pop seems to have ruled from the Indus region in the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan; where the oldest Holy Ola dated 330 BC was found at the time Alexander the Great raided 326BC. the ancient civilization(Indu.O civilisation)raped, razed everything to ground because women fought a ruthless defence war and ruled from Punjab, he left a few soldiers who ruled other clans thereafter therefore the Greek beak features. Well, Hitler subsequently raided all the Jewels of Greece, then some were deposited in Switzerland-

          It can be comfortably assumed that as a baby that Gautama was taught by various Hindu priests (mom being elsewhere) Sharmini, puts it right off Buddha’s mouth hein: that he was a Brahmin by Right Action not which womb did you come from because we all know she is not found. It’s like the Thai temple Colombo Case we don’t know.Remember it’s another philosophy for discussion- so don’t top it.
          ____
          Action rightly performed….Action rightly renounced brings freedom both are better than inaction Ramayana from a Hindu Brahimin Scholar like a Tao of the Mountains the wanderer a former civil servant.
          __________

          Shamini said::The Curse of the Caste System
          Once, the Buddha, while begging for alms, approached the house of the Brahmin, Aggikabharadvaja. The Brahmin, seeing the Buddha at a distance, shouted out: “Stay there, you shaveling, stay there you wretched monk, stay there you outcast.” The Buddha, gently asked the Brahmin: “Do you know, Brahmin, who an outcast is, and what are the conditions, that make one an outcast?”
          To the dumbstruck Brahmin, the Buddha outcast, Actions make a man a Brahmin.” (Sutta-nipâta, 142)
          Thus, the Buddha admitted freely, into the Buddhist Order, all those he deemed fit, to lead the holy life, from all walks of life, castes and classes. Some went on to distinguish themselves, in the Buddhist Order. The Buddha was one, who united all those torn apart, by man-made differences, of caste, creed and class.
          ___(^O^)
          Caste system in India
          Varna is the term for the four broad ranks into which traditional Hindu society is divided. The four varnas (chatur varna) are:
          • the Brahmins: priests and scholars.
          • the Kshatriya: kings, governors, warriors and soldiers.
          • the Vaishyas: cattle herders, agriculturists, artisans[1] and merchants.[2]
          • the Shudras: labourers and service providers.
          This quadruple division is the ancient division of society into "principal castes"; it is not to be confused with the much finer caste system in India based on occupation as it emerged in the medieval period.[3]

          (^^O^^)

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            YAK YET NO SEE????

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            This is a prime example the so called casting pearls infront of swines is just helping pigs of a different breed to dance in mud.

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          Sach is a coward attached to a drama group by the name “Jana …………” which dances to the tune of politicians .He claims that he is intelligent. He is a regular contributor to Gossip sites such as “Go…. La…..”where he claims that he makes sensations and creates sympathy. Most of his comments, if not all , are more suited for gossip sites. He can be contacted on [Edited out] .He is a dump ( if i use the exact word it will be edited out) and a coward. Now he is contributing to this thread using the name Rohitha.
          Our country needs Dumps and cowards like him to make sensations and create sympathy especially when the elections are around.
          Please wish him well in his future endeavours.

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          Why are you harping on a minor error?

          Buddha came from the Kshatriya (warrior) caste but most of his disciples were mostly former Hindu priests from the Brahmin caste.
          There were four castes, or classes, of people during Buddha’s period:

          1. The Brahmins or priests, who claimed to be the highest caste and the purest of peoples
          2. The Kshatriya (warrior rulers) caste that the kings and chieftain belong
          3. The merchants and traders
          4. The untouchables, who were considered the lowest class.

          They became workers and servants who did all the menial jobs, and were treated as slaves.

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            His disciples coming from different castes doesnt matter here ne. The mention is about Buddha’s caste. It might be a minor error, but in an article that talks about others’ lack of knoweldge in real buddhism and insulting and laughing at laymen while showcasing the superiority of the writer (though fail) that is a VERY big error.

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      “What a superior complex on the part of someone who displays the arrogance of a hare-brained child who seems to think no one else is smarter than self.”

      Bandu de Silva????????????
      This is absolutely hilarious…

      The best example of a dirty black pot calling a clean kettle black, Native Veddha will be able to tell us more about this Bandu de Silva, how much superior complex and arrogance he displayed in a public forum. Bandu de Silva is not only a Pseudo- Historian but also an arrogant racist.

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      “|”Beauty and brain do not go together”|”
      _________
      I stopped reading you there or I shall prove that you would wish you never were born in that rotten hole.

      Now, beauty does go with brain and at times with sports too.Tennis, Athelitics,

      Men are generally ugly therefore you have no value judgement perhaps a pedo??

      Beauty and the Beast – pity if you have not read it.

      now run get a stitch sevela silbaaaa fuckshit low class kallathoni.

      We don’t have to have a bull about it this time over scumbag!~k゜・_・k゜~ 

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      Bandula Silva shows hatred and anger for Sharmini’s views on Mahavansa. Instead of responding to her in a professional way, Bandula has resorted to ridicule her. He says if it is in some other society she would be punished by stoning for having her views. Perhaps Bandula is suggesting the BBS way of punishing the people who oppose their ideas. Bandula has failed to come out with counter arguments against the arguments brought up by Author. Bandula has foolishly interpreted the article as an insult to Buddhism. On the contrary, what Sharmini is criticizing is the blind faith and rituals and distortions which have been introduced to Buddhism by foolish people. Buddhism has been greatly insulted not by people like Sharmini but by extremist Sinhalese Buddhists like BBS, Hela Urumaya or Ravana Balakaya. It appears that Bandula Silva may be representing some of these extremist groups. No intellectual who knows Buddhism well should be alarmed by Sharmini’s article. What Sharmini says is the plain truth. Buddhists who have learnt Buddha’s teaching well are puzzled by the Buddhism practiced in Sri Lanka. It is obvious that statue and Bo tree worshipping, Buddha Puja’s and many more rituals have been introduced to Buddhism by Hinduism. I do not see any major problem there, if people get some immediate relief out of these rituals. But the danger is that the real spirit of Buddha teaching is faded away by giving prominence to these rituals in Sri Lanka. It gives the wrong message to younger generation who are used to accept things only by logical reasoning. Further highly corrupt and violence behaviour we observe in SriLanka could be attributed to distorted Buddhism practiced in SriLanka.
      Sinhala Buddhism is full of blind faith, whereas real Buddhism relies on understanding and self-examination of one’s own powers through following noble eight fold path. It is really sad that extremist Buddhists are distorting the Buddhism completely in our country.It is disgusting to see how Buddhist priest provoke communalism and hatred against Tamils, Muslim and Catholics in Sri Lanka. Mahavansa may be providing some historical facts which could be useful for academics. But extremist Sinhalese blindly believe the false message that Mahavansa gives that Sinhalese should be the guardians of Buddhism. It is important to note that although Buddhism was destroyed in India it flourished in many other Asian countries including China, Thailand, Burma, Tibet and many more countries.

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        Mahendra De Silva, You are absolutely right. You said “Sinhala Buddhism is full of blind faith, whereas real Buddhism relies on understanding and self-examination of one’s own powers through following noble eight fold path”. That statement summarizes it. If Buddhism is correctly practised this land will be one of peace and tranquility.

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          Wickramasiri

          Let us liberate Buddhas teaching from Sinhala/Buddhism.

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            Native Vedda,

            “Let us liberate Buddhas teaching from Sinhala/Buddhism”.

            I believe Sharmini is attempting to do, exactly that.

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              Goofy

              I need more support as liberation doesn’t come cheap.

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      Bandu de Silva,

      “Believe nothing, in the faith of traditions,
      even though, they have been held in honor,
      for many generations, and in diverse places.

      Do not believe, a thing, because many people speak of it.
      Do not believe, in the faith, of the sages of the past.
      Do not believe, what you yourself have imagined,
      persuading yourself, that a God inspires you.

      Believe nothing, on the sole authority, of your masters and priests.
      After examination, believe what you yourself, have tested
      and found, to be reasonable, and conform your conduct thereto.” The Buddha

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      Bandu de Silva,

      Are you really a career diplomat? Seriously?

      If you are, then the examiners who passed you must have made a very serious miscalculation!

      You have obviously crammed your way into becoming an academic, but despite your advancing years, wisdom has evaded you.

      No amount of cramming nor advancing years can give one wisdom! People like you are living proof of that.

      There is nothing ‘diplomatic’ nor even gentlemanly about the uncouth rubbish you have dished out as a comment. It is all about vulgarly insulting the writer (and a lady at that)based on your stupid assumptions.

      You display all the attributes of a racist Mahavamsa Sinhala-Buddhist, who resorts to insults when unable to put forward a wise and intelligent counter argument. Perhaps you are too stupid and senile to do that.

      I hope this is not how you ran the diplomatic missions you headed.

      Since you yourself have admitted ” I do not belong to the ‘broad-minded and wise’ group….” you should have taken the writer’s advice and passed, without embarrassing yourself here, with your inane comments.

      You say “one like this would have to pay by receiving a Fatwa for blasphemy,-to be put to death by stoning”. What kind of a human being are you?

      Honestly Bandu Silva, don’t you know the definition of “blasphemy”?

      If you are accusing the writer of “blasphemy” because of her criticism of your Sinhala-Buddhism where you regard the Buddha as a God, then yes her article is blasphemous of the Mahavamsa Sinhala-Buddhist ‘religion’.

      But is her article blasphemous of the Buddha and the Dhamma? The answer is an emphatic NO!

      You say “Her assertion is good for an Evangelical school run by American missionaries, where probably she is a part now as her writing demonstrates .One would not be surprised if she is not part of that circuit. That is an opinion.”

      Is this an “opinion” of a a so called career diplomat? Seriously? It sounds more like a comment made by the BBS and its ilk.

      Good grief, no wonder our foreign service is down in the dumps with ‘diplomuts’ like you.

      There is so much hatred and venom in your comment that only proves you are anything but a sincere and genuine Buddhist. You are the epitome of an irreverent, racist Sinhala-Buddhist.

      Once again, you should have taken the writer’s advice and passed. Her message is too deep and advanced for a pea-brain like you to grasp.

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      Bandu de Silva,

      Are you a diplomat? Really?

      If you are a ‘diplomat’ then I should be the UN Secretary General!

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    Sunila Mendis has repeated what Evangelists tell the children attending their baby class at Polonnaruwa and other places. Can’t you see the link?

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      An American named Mark Twain (30-1-1835 to 2-04-1919) is a world renowned traveller and a novelist who had spoken greatly about Sri Lanka. After reading the Bible thoroughly, he wrote about the Lord God in a rather sarcastic manner in his book ‘God, Ancient and Modern’. He wrote; “The sole solicitude of the God is with a few wandering and truculent nomads. He (God) worried and fretted over them in a peculiar and distractingly human way. One day he coaxed and petted them beyond their deserts. He sulked, he cursed, he raged, he grieved, according to his mood and the circumstance. When the fury was on him, he was blind to all reason – he not only slaughters the offenders, but even harmless little children and his cattle.”

      I thought of quoting what Twain wrote about children because this egotistic writer Shamini is concerned about saving children from Buddhism. What has she got to say about those little children that the God is said to have slaughtered as Twain says?

      Perhaps this unscholarly writer doesn’t know about the things in the Bible that Twain talk about or may not want to upset her evangelist friends. Whatever it is, it’s for her good fortune that she lives in Sri Lanka and not in a place where they mete out fatwa for writing denigrating the religion of the majority.

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        Banda my back-stabbing Kandyan buddy,

        There is an article titled ‘Marketing Buddhist Monk Pitiduwe Exposed’ on CT. Where are your ‘wise’ comments on that thread?

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      It seems you got a rocker fart that has tickled your balls!!

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    SHARMINI is the result of a CULTURALLY LOST CHILD who was educated in a foreign culture.

    In the west many second generation children of immigrants go and look for their own culture. the reason is some understand that they are lost people without their own culture.

    Sharmini can not understand that she says she is Buddhist but when she writes it is al European culture and European values.

    IF she criticizes her own culture, civilization and cultural values she is a CONFUSED INDIVIDUAL.

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      Jim Softy,

      It would be hard to find anyone more confused than you.

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    SHARMINI should think about how they have destroyed in their path and and how they massacred by her beloved european culture.

    On the other hand, how these SINHALA MOADAYAS inherited 2500 old TANK-VILLAGE-TEMPLES based civilization and have they killed people like dogs ?

    One wrong thing the Sri Lankan govt did not and is not doing is teaching the children about the LITERATURE -WISE VERY RICH SINHALA BUDDHIST CULTURE. SEE HOW MANY HUNDREDS OF ANCIENT BOOKS WE HAVE AND WE WERE NOT TAUGHT ABOUT ANY OF THOSE BOOKS. Some books have been taken by the europeans and translated english versions are available in the web. But, I don’t think Sinhala people know about those.

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      Jim Softy,

      “Believe nothing, in the faith of traditions,
      even though, they have been held in honor,
      for many generations, and in diverse places.

      Do not believe, a thing, because many people speak of it.
      Do not believe, in the faith, of the sages of the past.
      Do not believe, what you yourself have imagined,
      persuading yourself, that a God inspires you.

      Believe nothing, on the sole authority, of your masters and priests.
      After examination, believe what you yourself, have tested
      and found, to be reasonable, and conform your conduct thereto.” The Buddha

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    Caution- The following is more suitable for the broad-minded and the wise. Others are kindly advised to pass!

    This is simply SHARMINI’s STUPIDITY and ARROGANCE.

    SHARMINI thunks education in ENGLISH is WISE.

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      We need more and more Shamini Serasinghe like Buddhists today to write this sort of write ups to turn this country Christian. Thank you Shamini

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        Born again Christian, by repeating ad infinitum, you are not going to sway opinion away from Sharmini. There is an intelligent, knowledgeable readership here who see through you. Mindbending is not so easy.

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          Absolutely correct. Having been born to a Christian family I was a born again Christian myself until I realized what a load of rubbish they believe. From creation to resurrection nothing can be scientifically proven. I am delighted to have discovered Buddha’s teachings rather than the distorted Mahawamsa interpretation. Difficult to understand but definitely worthwhile. Have pity of the ‘born again Christian’. I know how he feels because I was a fool myself.

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        THIS IS HOW CATHOLICS TREATS THEIR POPES.

        NINTH POPE WHO WAS A WOMAN WAS KILLED BRUTALLY.

        “Vatican City, Jul 31, 2013 / 11:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis is considering whether he will make Pope Pius XII a saint, in the same way that he approved the cause of John XXIII.

        A source who works at the Vatican’s Congregation for Causes of Saints, who asked for anonymity, told CNA July 25 that “just as Pope Francis moved ahead with John XXIII’s canonization, he is considering the same thing for Pius XII.”

        According to the normal procedures, Pius XII would be beatified once a miracle attributed to his intercession is officially certified by a team of doctors and recognized by a commission of cardinals.

        But if Pope Francis decides to go ahead without a miracle, he could “even canonize him with the formula of scientia certa (certainty in knowledge), thereby jumping over the step of beatification,” the source said.

        “Only the Pope is able to do it, and he will, if he wants to.”

        Pope Francis is very interested in Pius XII because “he considers him ‘a great,’ in the same way as John XXIII is, even if for different reasons,” the source explained.

        But there is also a historical reason that Pope Francis is interested in Pius XII.

        When Pope Paul VI started the beatification and canonization process in 1967, nine years after Pius XII’s death, he formed a committee of historians to conduct an in-depth study of his predecessor’s life and behavior, giving particular attention to the events of World War II.

        The committee was made up of four Jesuits: Fathers Pierre Blet (France), Angelo Martini (Italy), Burkhart Schneider (Germany), and Robert A. Graham (United States).

        Their work led to the publication of “Actes et Documents du Saint Siège relatifs à la Seconde Guerre Mondiale” (Acts and Documents of the Holy See related to the Second World War), an 11-volume collection of documents from the Vatican’s Secret Archive about Pius XII’s papacy during that tumultuous time.

        Yet, the remainder of the documents from Pius XII’s papacy is not expected to be released until 2014 – the time it will take to organize the papers.

        The completed catalog will include approximately 16 million documents from Pius XII’s papacy (1939-1958).

        Pope Benedict XVI initially decided to postpone Pius XII’s cause for sainthood and advocated waiting until the archives would be open for researchers in 2014.

        But Benedict changed his mind and declared Pius XII Venerable on Dec. 19, 2009, based on the recommendation of the committee investigating his cause.

        The decision was met with criticism from some Jewish quarters, which charged that Pius XII was silent about the Holocaust and did not do enough to resist the Germans.

        Despite the conclusions of the committee, the debate that followed the initial criticism brought Pius XII’s canonization process to a halt.

        According to Matteo Luigi Napolitano, a member of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Science who wrote several books about Pius XII, “for what concerns the historical judgment, the dossier on Pius XII is almost complete.”

        Napolitano added in his July 29 interview with CNA, “theological judgments on Pius XII’s life and behavior” are “not competence of the historians.”

        His remarks referred to what is known as a “positio,” a document that is compiled for every person being considered for canonization, after they have been declared “venerable” – the second step in the process.

        The study is comprised of two parts: the first deals with the history of the person and is sketched by a commission of historians, while the second contains a “theological judgment” on the life and works of venerable, which is handed down by a theological committee.

        At the moment, according to the source from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope Francis has said he wants Pius XII’s cause to move ahead.

        Since there are several miracles attributed to Pius XII’s intercession, the source explained that Pope Francis might decide that he will sidestep the normal process and declare him a saint.

        “It is not impossible that the Pope would act in the way he did for the canonization of John XXIII.”

        When Pope Francis decided to approve the canonization of John XXIII, he submitted his case to a vote by the members of the congregation, despite the fact that “a miracle attributed to the intercession of John XXIII was discussed,” the source said.

        But “the miracle would have needed further checks,” the saints expert explained, so Pope Francis “opted to canonize him without waiting for the certification of the miracle.”

        The source maintained, “this seems to be possible for what concerns Pius XII.”

        Matteo Luigi Napolitano acknowledged that the possibility of the Pope pushing the cause forward. There are “several (saints) causes that, for several reasons, are the object of pressures,” he remarked.

        What remains to be seen is whether Pius XII being declared a saint will result in a new debate about the emerging historical record of the wartime Pope or a recycling of the claims that he was “Hitler’s Pope.”

        Napolitano noted, “the debate about Pius XII is more widely a debate about the Shoah, i.e. the biggest tragedy of the Second World War.”

        So, Napolitano said, “it is normal to investigate what the Vatican did during that period.”

        This investigation involves several areas of interest: the choice of the Holy See to remain neutral, the way Christian values were lived during that period, the choices of Catholics who confronted the tactics of the Nazis, and what dioceses and clergy in countries involved in the war did.

        Napolitano underlined that “the ‘positio’ on Pius XII is made up of all of these aspects, with a collection of sources that agreed the Congregation for the Causes of Saint should carry their job forward.”

        For what concerns a historical judgment of Pius XII’s behavior, “interpretations can vary, but I can say that the most authoritative Jewish, Catholic and lay historians agree on one key point: Eugenio Pacelli never was, and he never could be, ‘Hitler’s Pope.’” “

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        [Edited out]

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      thunks? what the hek is that jimsofty? can you please enlighten us you genius?

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      Jim Softly, please dont thunk. Yor brain may birst.

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    Jim Softy, Caution:- Please go back to the familiar comfort of your murky ‘Frogs’ Well’, until you begin to understand that the beautiful Princess Sharmini comes only to give you the ‘Kiss of Knowledge’ and rescue you from your Frogginess. Then only will you turn into a Wise and Handsome Prince, like the Prince Siddhartha.

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    finally great writer decided to do this article.many thinks in all religions not in only in the Buddhist but all same lies and history written by some people in thousands years ago.thanks your great job.

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    Going by the positive comments and votes on this article,which are in the majority, it is obvious that many have understood the message it sends out.

    However, the few who have commented and voted negatively, represent the masses out there, for whom Buddhism begins and ends with the Mahavamsa.

    It might taken another 2600 years to change this mindset,that too, if it is possible.

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    Dear Sharmini,
    I do not wish to comment on Buddhism since your piece has attracted a wide readership.

    My concern is that your kind championing of Kamalini Selvarajan’s plight and what as fellow journlaists we can do to ameliorate her situ.

    I have had some impediments in that I broke my ankle and diagonesed wth diabetes and high blood pressure (the curse of living on a fast lane)therefore unable to attend to my journalistic pursuits.

    I hope you can reach me at pearltheva@hotmail.com and perhaps we can work out how we can help our fellow journalists when they are in dire straits.

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      Dear Ms Pearl Thevanayagam,

      Sorry to hear about your ill health and misfortune.
      I wish you good health and a speedy recovery from your ankle injury.

      Kind Regards
      OTC

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    very interesting,

    I find even the writer doesnt have a clue of buddhism,these religions man made are very much flawed.Islam for that matter is pure without any flaws.
    Check Islam if you want answers in this life and hereafter,as it has not changed from the time of our Prophet Mohamed 1433 years back.
    Islam doesnt have Priest to mislead people,It emphasizes on seeking Knowledge and each and every one will have to give account to Allah the sole creator of all what you see and what is hidden.
    There is none like Allah.
    Allah the everlasting,before the before and after the after.
    I would request the writer to read the Life of Prophet Mohamed and
    Translation of the Quran in English.

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      Jehan,

      You nit-brained looser.

      Your Allah has not blessed you but cursed you, as you have no brain.

      Please focus on your business of selling hotel rooms to tourists, instead of trying to comment on a subject, way beyond your grasp and intellect.

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      Jehan, you ungrateful bloody swine,

      This writer stuck her neck out to defend the Muslims in Sri Lanka when the BBS and JHU were going on the rampage against them.

      And now, you, a bloody Hambeya is insulting her and Buddhism? You better watch it, or you might get the BBS going again.

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      You can read the Life of Prophet Mohamed here.
      http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/History.htm

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      You remind us of the little “well frog” that happened to meet the “sea frog” – Shamini Sherasinghe – after a big flood.

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    Dear Sharmini,

    Yet another brilliant piece by you.

    You have always been wiser than your years, and continue to be so.

    I know you are solid as a rock, and cannot be swayed or broken by the vicious and ill-bread comments, made by ignorant fools, on this comment thread.

    You are carrying out a noble task, in clearing the weeds and rubbish, polluting the path to the Buddhas message. Remember, the Buddha too had those slinging mud at him, but he continued regardless.

    Those like yourself, are far better at spreading the pure message of the Dhamma, as opposed to some of those saffron robed people, calling themselves, Buddhist monks.

    Keep up your brave work, for the sake of the Dhamma.

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    Born again Christian,

    Keep dreaming. Any way you can keep trying.

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      How slime flies!!

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    I have read the English translation of the Mahavamsa several times. It is a valuable historical document that carries with it the prejudices and political objectives of a Buddhist monk. It not a Buddhist text or a message for Buddhists. It has become a tool to be misused in the.hands of the monkeys who are our politicians and politicians who are also some of our Buddhist monks, since Pali script was discovered by Wilhelmina Geiger.

    If not for the Mahawamsa much of our ancient history will be lost to us. For me as a Tamil, the Mahawamsa at its essential core, sans the obvious biases, also tells at least in part the story of the Tamils in the Lanka of old.

    We are also entering an era where the story of Ravana is being tied up with the Sinhala- Buddhist history to divide the communities further. Until recently the Rakshasas ( Ravana’s tribe or clan) were considered one strand that contributed to the Sinhala identity. This strand is now being claimed as exclusive to the Sinhalese. The time frame of the Ramayana story predates the original literary work by Valmilki and the evolution of the Sinhala identity. In the many versions of the Ramayana written subsequently, Ravana is portrayed as a Siva worshipper and who received many boons from him.

    In fact, even today in India and particularly Tamil Nadu, there are regular debates on whether Rama or Ravana was the better person. To make a case in parliament that Ravana is reviled in Hindu India , whereas he is loved in Buddhist Sri Lanka, is the new political mischief afoot. Dr.Mervyn de Silva, is the now the expert on the Ramayana and its significance in India!

    At least let the Tamils and Sinhalese accept common roots through that great personage ( historical or literary) Ravana. In Indian mythology Ravana was the grandson of Kubera, the God I’d wealth. We are today citizens of the remnants of his Lanka of old. Let us all aspire to the legacy of Kubera by together making this country prosperous and special for transcendent reasons.

    Dr.Rajasingham Narendran

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      Dr.Rajasingham Narendran

      ” since Pali script was discovered by Wilhelmina Geiger.”

      Mahawamsa was not discovered by Geiger but by a Briritish Civil Servant. Please read the following excerpts:

      George Turnour, who was a civil servant during the British rule came across an ola leaf manuscript of Mahavamsa at about 1826 AC. (Mahavamsa Introduction 1826 ) He was conversant in Sinhala language while working as the Government Agent of Sabaragamuwa province and he came to know about Mahavamsa at Ratnapura Kaccheri. As he was unable to read the manuscript a Buddhist priest called “ Galle’’ had mentioned to him that there was a sub-commentary to Mahavamsa. Later both of them together examined the libraries of all the temples and found the sub-commentary to Mahavamsa (tiika)for the first time at Mulkirigala” an ancient temple in southern Sri Lanka. Later investigations led to the finding of many more copies of the Mahavamsa manuscript . Afterwards using this sub commentary to the Mahavamsa” ( tiika) he translated it up to the end of 37 chapters in to English with the assistance of the high priests of Malwatta and Asgiriya and published it in 1837 AC. Apart from that they translated two more chapters, but that was not as comprehensive as the earlier translation.

      Thereafter in 1871 Pundit Don Andrias Batuwantudawe edited Mahavamsa in a better form and gave it to Henry Robertson” who was the governor of Ceylon at that time, although it was printed during the period of Governor William Henry Gregory. Governor Gregory requested Rev. Hikkaduwe Sumangala and Pundit Batuwantudawe to make a comparative study of all available texts and translate it in to Sinhala language in 1874. For this purpose they collected ola leaf manuscripts of Mahavamsa from many places but better copies were collected from temple libraries of Ridi vihara at Kurunegala” Asgiri and Malwatta at Kandy” Ampitiye Viharaya (Kandy), Kolonnawa temple” Galle,Matara, Bentota” Panadura and Salpiti Korale ( Introduction to mahavamsa Simhala translation 1969).

      http://www.ccf.lk/ar-mahavamsa-is-mot-myth.htm

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      Dr RN, Do not worry about which European discovered Mahawamsa first, what is important is Mahavihara monks maintained chronicles of Sri Lankan history from the 3rd century BCE and the monk named Mahanama compiled it into a single document in the 5th century and it was there in our temple libraries safely for monks to read and learn from it.

      This is not a book about Buddha Dhamma as many a fool have been suckered into believe by writers like unlearned Shamini. If one wants to learn Buddha Dhamma then he/she may read Visuddhimagga which was written in the 5th century and is freely available through www.

      We must not forget however that the author of Mahawamsa has written “for the serene joy and emotion of the pious” at the end of each chapter. Hence, to be fair, readers must take that sentence seriously into consideration when criticizing historical explanation of Mahawamsa. If one reads the book named ‘Evolution of an Ethnicity’ of 2005 by Professor Karthigesu Indrapala, he/she will appreciate the historical value of Mahavamsa. I doubt whether Shamini has read the Mahawamsa in full or has the capacity to understand such scholarly analysis. Let her stupid fans enjoy her foolish writing.

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        “important is Mahavihara monks maintaine”

        Kallathoni, slave try some Gasoc that’s your pedigree chum.

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        Well whoever maintained this book was a Sinhalease. Do you trust them with truth? Is as good as telling “please believe me I am a Sri Lankan”

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      Dr,

      Ravana being a Shiva worshipper doesn’t disqualify him being an ancestor of Sinhala Buddhists. Certainly those beliefs predates even the advent of Buddhism in India (i.e. birth of the Buddha) and the formation of Sinhala nation in Lanka.

      It is the Tamil leadership who doesn’t want to accept the common roots. It is their exclusivist, racist chauvinism that prevents building a common destiny.

      Tamils living among Sinhalese are perfectly able to maintain their cherished identity. Their culture and practices have seeped in to Sinhala culture and Sinhalese have embraced it willingly. The common roots allow such exchanges and peaceful co-existence if not for exclusive (though non existing) homeland seekers.

      The puritan Tamils don’t accept Rakshsas as their ancestors. Therefore it naturally allows Sinhalese to claim full ownership to Rakshasas.

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    I have failed to also mention some of our historians who have become political monkeys in the above comment.

    Dr.RN

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      Dr R N
      “For me as a Tamil, the Mahavamsa at its essential core, sans the obvious biases, also tells at least in part the story of the Tamils in the Lanka”

      Anushi Tisara Kariyawasam of cck.lk
      “Due to the recent ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka some extremist Tamil nationalists have spread false views claiming that this chronicle is a myth, that it has no historical value and that it is nothing but a recent composition by nationalist Sinhalese”

      Tamils need the heritage depicted in mahavamsa as much as sinhalese, however, how the text is interpreted remains the polarising feature between tamil and sinhalese.

      we have bogus historians, biased researchers,crooked politicians and immoral religious leaders who have utilised mahavamsa for their ill gotten ways,

      I am of the opinion that, Sharmini’s article criticise the Srilankan buddhist way of life, often unkindly,albeit her reasoning of mahavamsa indoctrination which was the main theme of her writing.

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    Dear Sharmini
    You must have a wisdom to understand the Buddhism. Many Christians like you make such comments. See the civilization maintained by the Sinhalese till 1505 AD, that is build by the brave Sinhalese. Yet, migrant Tamils and Muslims were accommodated cordially by the Sinhalese.
    Writers like you, who are influenced by the Western concepts and Science try to be more smarter without any knowledge about the Eastern world. For this case, you have pen and papers to write and a web to publish, so you can release whatever as you feel that is correct. But there are two sides for each story. I feel sorry about you.
    Do you know that how many incidents explained in Mahawamsa has been proved by literature sources of other countries.
    i.e., 1. visit of Bhikku Fahian’s to Sri Lanka and the situation of Abhayagiri Viharaya as he seen is written in China.
    2. The Ambassador send by a Sinhalese king to Greece in 5th century BC is proven by the literature.
    Further, Sharmini, do you know, how many places and incidents explained in Mahawamsa have been proved by the archaeological sources and stone inscriptions. For examples please read Prof.Paranawithana’s EPIGRAPHIA ZEYLANICA (1971).

    In conclusion, I am not saying that there are some over explainations in the Mahawansa, but you cannot deny everything based on that. Especially, a literary document that have been proven by both other literary sources and archaeological sources, even in India. There are some places in South India explained by the Mahawamsa were existed. Also, proven by the Tamil literature i.e, places related to Tamil kings who invaded Sri Lanka. Also, Sinhalese kings who invaded some South Indian place. i.e, King who brought back 11000 of Sri Lankan soldier, who were taken by a South Indian king.
    DEAR SHARMINI MANY MORE THAT YOU HAVE TO LEARN BEFORE SAYING THAT MAHAWANSAYA IS FOOLISH.

    Now, we are in the era in which all the evils erupt against the Buddhism, so you are one of them. Born as a Buddhist does not mean you are a Buddhist. Even, I have met many foreign intellectuals who incorporate some Mahawansa stories to incidents in Iran. Even, Japan. But with the Western degrees we have earned do not provide the real truth of the human life. Sadly, people like you think, western education concerns as the SAVIOR.
    In future you may say, that western concepts are more liberal than Buddhism. Remember “TRUE SINHALA BUDDHISTS ARE THE MOST HUMBLE HUMAN IN THIS WORLD”.
    Sharmini, owing to the Buddhism we do not have honour killings, aborting of girl child fetus. But in future all the negative things will bring to the Buddhism by so called Buddhist like you.

    Finally, You accused for tooth relic. This silly concept is based on your immaturity. Your writings show that you never understand the relics of a person who attain Supreme Nibbhana and Arahath. Relics of such person (both man Arahath or women Arahath) become crystals, due to removing of luster and other thoughts in the mind. PLEASE READ, MAE CHEE KAEW, (downloadable) a women who attend Arahath in this century, it explains and pictures are available of her relics that have become crystals.
    Also, what is your idea about the story of “bringing relics of some christian priest” to Sri Lanka few years ago, See the power of relics. That’s why some Christians try to bring some thing saying that it is a relics. But it is of course of a lay person, because become Arahath is not a concept of Christianity. This is not the fault of the Jesus, but followers try to link it with Buddhism.
    Hope you will be more wise and read more in future. You may be misled by others comments. As I understood large majority of the comments done by people like you. So, it does not mean that your are correct. Still some people do not make comments since no point of writing for such crowd. Anyhow, I thought of making few comments sake of TRUTH.

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      Looks like this Uthpala de Silva has no brains what so ever to understand what Sharmini has written. She is only trying to show the difference between true Buddhism and the perverted Buddhism followed by the Sinhalese. Instead of confronting the points that she has raised this moron is coming up with something not at all relevant.

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        Mahawamsa is not a religious book like Torah. It is not about Buddha Dhamma as many a fool like you have been suckered into believe by unlearned writers like Shamini. Mahawamsa is an epic poem in the Pali language.

        If you want to learn the essence of Buddha Dhamma then you should read Visuddhimagga which was written by Buddhagosha in Maha Vihara, Anuradhapura in the 5th century which is freely available through www. Most learned Sinhala Buddhists have a copy of it. I doubt Shamini can understand it.

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          “|”Mahawamsa is not a religious book like Torah”|”

          Burn it best, the smell is awful!!

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          BANDA:

          Even one stupid professor is mixing Buddha-dhamma with Mahavamsa.

          what kind of idiots.

          I think that guy got the title simply because of seniority and the system was so ignorent to offer PROF titles to idiots.

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      You had only a borrowed amude when we Spanish saw you in 1500AD.

      you are the slaves delivered to peel cinnamon and some ran into the jungle.

      You had no language, you still have to lick Indian asshole Gautama and borrow the Hindu Brahimin script plus the slave masters script.Low Class nonnative.

      1 English; Shirt Spanish: Camisa; Sinhala: Amude/Camisa
      2 English: Shoe; Spanish: Zapato; Sinhala: Amude/Sapatu
      3 English: Towel Spanish: Toalla; Sinhala : Amude/Toalla

      The first Portuguese encounter with India was on 20 May 1498 when Vasco da Gama reached Calicut on Malabar Coast. Gama’s expedition was successful beyond all reasonable expectation, bringing in cargo that was sixty times the cost of the expedition. Vasco da Gama sailed to India for a second time with 15 ships and 800 men, arriving at Calicut on 30 October 1502, where the ruler was willing to sign a treaty. Gama this time made a call to expel all Muslims (Arabs) from Calicut which was vehemently turned down. He bombarded the city and captured several rice vessels. He returned to Portugal in September 1503.The Portuguese built the Pulicat fort in 1502, with the help of the Vijayanagar ruler. On 25 March 1505, Francisco de Almeida was appointed Viceroy of India, on the condition that he would set up four forts on the southwestern Indian coast: at Anjediva Island

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      @ Uthpala de Silva,

      You first say to Sharmini “Many Christians like you make such comments.” then you go on to say “Born as a Buddhist does not mean you are a Buddhist.”

      Now, according to you, is Sharmini a Christian or a Buddhist?

      Before you make such long comments, based on your stupidity and ignorance, you need to unconfuse your brain, and try reading the article, slowly and carefully. Hopefully then, you might get the message it sends.

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    [In Indian mythology Ravana was the grandson of Kubera, the God I’d wealth.]

    Ravana and Kubera were step-brother yakkas, their father was sage Visrava,mothers Kesini and Ilavida. Kubera was the eldest.

    Tamils have got nothing to with Ravana, except he was a devotee of Siva.

    Even a part-time student of history wouldn’t have written like you.

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      Also there is another set of views that Ravana was in fact father in law of Sri Rama

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        No, no. Valmiki Ramayana doesn’t support this view.
        In some other later versions of Ramayana, they have expressed that view. It could be the author in a similar mind set to the author who wrote that Ravana was the grandson of Kubera.

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    Hey, foolish lady you remember Kamalini who did TV presentations with you, now totally dump. But she is truly an innocent lady. If she suffers like this without doing such terrible things what will happen to you??
    She was your colleague but you people have not humble to visit. Now, talking about the nation.

    Geniye, there are some important people in this world, who’s birth shows some remarkable things happen due to their uniqueness. Even, Jesus was reborn after his brutal death. Your “handi mite wisdom” does not show such important things. That’s why you say, this miserable things about the birth of the Price Siddhartha (later after enlightenment Lord Buddha . Even, modern day, some children started to talk soon after the birth in California., Scientists say this has happened due to the improvements of the previous birth. So, don’t be so [Edited out]

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      Rohitha you dumb idiot,

      Read “foolish lady” Sharmini’s article about Kamalini Selvarajan and the comment thread below it, before you start talking through your A.Hole.

      https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/kamalini-selvarajan-a-child-of-a-lesser-god/

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        Rohitha you dump idiot and others such as Sach, Kirthi, Jim Softy and all those insulting Sharmini on this thread.This is my response to them-
        One day Buddha was walking through a village. A very angry and rude young man came up and began insulting him. “You have no right teaching others,” he shouted. “You are as stupid as everyone else. You are nothing but a fake.” Buddha was not upset by these insults. Instead he asked the young man “Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom does the gift belong?” The man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, “It would belong to me, because I bought the gift.” The Buddha smiled and said, “That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are then the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. All you have done is hurt yourself.” “If you want to stop hurting yourself, you must get rid of your anger and become loving instead. When you hate others, you yourself become unhappy. But when you love others, everyone is happy.” ― Since Shamini is not accepting it will belong to you -Sach, Kirthi, Jim Softy and all those insulting Sharmini.

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      Kamalini has been diagnosed with Dementia.When a person is diagnosed with Dementia or Alzeimar people around them are the ones who suffer mostly.We are saddened to note the unwarranted comments made by Rohitha and attacking Sharmini for reasons better known to him. This mentality of Devaluing others is a symptom of inferior complex.Whenever an intelligent person supports an argument or a worthy cause with facts we will always find a person who knows nothing but insists on trying to prove the intelligent person wrong. Usually an inferior person will be threatened whenever he considers anybody superior to him and in such a case the best defense mechanism he thinks about is trying to devalue that superior person at any cost . Depression is what mostly triggers Dementia. Alzeimer’s is the last stage of it. In medical terms, a section of the nerve cells starts degenerating rapidly and there is no medicine to bring them back to their earlier state of efficiency After reading the comments of Rohitha we feel Sometimes even dementia is a good disease to have.. Once you realize why it’s good then we will realize about life!!

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      [Edited out]

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      Sach is a coward attached to a drama group by the name “Jana …………” which dances to the tune of politicians .He claims that he is intelligent. He is a regular contributor to Gossip sites such as “Go…. La…..”where he claims that he makes sensations and creates sympathy. Most of his comments, if not all , are more suited for gossip sites. He can be contacted on [Edited out] .He is a dump ( if i use the exact word it will be edited out) and a coward. Now he is contributing to this thread using the name Rohitha.
      Our country needs Dumps and cowards like him to make sensations and create sympathy especially when the elections are around.
      Please wish him well in his future endeavours.

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      Sach is a coward attached to a drama group by the name “Jana …………” which dances to the tune of politicians .He claims that he is intelligent. He is a regular contributor to Gossip sites such as “Go…. La…..”where he claims that he makes sensations and creates sympathy. Most of his comments, if not all , are more suited for gossip sites. He can be contacted o[Edited out].He is a dump ( if i use the exact word it will be edited out) and a coward. Now he is contributing to this thread using the name Rohitha.
      Our country needs Dumps and cowards like him to make sensations and create sympathy especially when the elections are around.
      Please wish him well in his future endeavours.

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      To Sach, Kirthi, Jim Softy and all those insulting Sharmini on this thread.This is my response to them-
      One day Buddha was walking through a village. A very angry and rude young man came up and began insulting him. “You have no right teaching others,” he shouted. “You are as stupid as everyone else. You are nothing but a fake.” Buddha was not upset by these insults. Instead he asked the young man “Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom does the gift belong?” The man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, “It would belong to me, because I bought the gift.” The Buddha smiled and said, “That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are then the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. All you have done is hurt yourself.” “If you want to stop hurting yourself, you must get rid of your anger and become loving instead. When you hate others, you yourself become unhappy. But when you love others, everyone is happy.” ― Since Shamini is not accepting it will belong to you -Sach, Kirthi, Jim Softy and all those insulting Sharmini.

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    [I recall my first, school Buddhist text book, as a six-year-old in Grade-One. The cover of the book was illustrated with a picture, of a fully clothed infant Buddha, walking on lotus blossoms. After querying its significance, I was informed by my ‘Buddhism’ teacher, that the Buddha walked, soon after he was born and informed all, that he would be the greatest. And because of this, lotuses blossomed, with each step he took.]

    Budhha’s janma was a divya janmam.

    janma karma ca me divyam (Bhagavat Gita 4:9).

    kesava dhrita-buddha-sarira jaya jagadisa hare (Gita Govinda)

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    [Edited out]
    We are sorry, the comment language is English – CT

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    [Edited out]
    We are sorry, the comment language is English – CT

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    This is an excellent educational article that every Sri Lankan – not only “Sinhala-Buddhists” – but all must read. I often wondered why most Sinhalese fail to realise the feelings of victims of the last war. If they are taught at an early age that non-Sinhala Buddhists are “sinners” or “invaders” how can they think beyond the narrow religious indoctrination except of intellectual caliber.

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    i think no human being can be a GOD..God is a supreme power that created the universe etc..thats the only thing that makes sense..

    Also the religions are being distorted by people..they dont follow what was actually preached thousands of years ago..so its totally misunderstood

    There wont be any wars,killings rapes if religion was dominant in any country..
    No religion advocates killings even jihad(After thorough research) is misunderstood and misquoted

    Thats all..

  • 12
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    Dear Sharmini,

    You are at your brilliant best once again.

    Going by some of the foolish comments on this thread, you seem to have cast pearls before swine.

    As you may have noticed already, these ignorant and foolish people, who have obviously no idea what the Dhamma is all about, are displaying all the traits of Mahavamsa-Buddhist hypocrisy, which you have pointed out in your article.

    They get abusive and hurl insults, when the truth is pointed out, because deep within, some of them know it is the truth. But their foolish ego will not let them accept it.

    If you look at your article as a script of a play, then these ‘actors’ are doing a fantastic job, acting it out to perfection!

    Looking forward to your next article.

    Best regards,
    Prof. A. Senanayake

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      Prof A. Senanayake:

      You have the prof title. But, it does not mean you have a brain that can think.

      You are mixing Dhamma and Sinhala-buddhist literature, civilization and the culture.

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        These are pseudo professoris my dear Jim, so don’t take them seriously.

    • 3
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      What is you discipline. I suppose not science but Looks more like a spin doctor with a borrowed name.
      Prof. Jayasekera.

      • 2
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        Kirthi Jayasekera,

        When did you become a Professor and in what discipline? Knowing you as well as I do, it must be ‘Racism’. Did you write your thesis on how to get rid of all the Tamils, Muslims and Christians and make Sri Lanka, a pure Sinhala-Buddhist Saudi Arabia?

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          No I didn’t become one you have got it mixed up. But I have a academic background, which will not help in this discussion nor will you understand.

        • 2
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          @ Kattakarawala thanks for pointing this out.

          This guy commenting on this thread is one Kirthi Jayasekera.

          Early this year, when the BBS was playing havoc against Muslims & Christians, Sharmini wrote several articles to CT, in defense of those being attacked.

          Kirthi has managed to get hold of Sharmini’s email address and started stalking her with threatening emails.

          I’m told, that Sharmini has saved all those emails sent by Kirthi and she has advised those close to her, that in the event she disappears or meets with a fatal “accident”, this guy Kirthi Jayasekera, who appears to be demented, must be considered a prime suspect.

    • 0
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      What kind of a professor who cannot understand the difference between a religious text and ahistorical epic?

    • 0
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      Dear Prof. A. Senanayake,

      When I read Sharmini’s article, the first thing that I noticed was the absence of references in support of the argument.

      As a man of letters you know that no thesis will be accepted without it being defended. Sharmini has failed to defend her position yet uncharacteristically, you accept her thesis when you would have rejected a thesis from a student of your University if they fail to defend theirs. Why?

      Second was the exaggeration, the hyperbole.

      I am aware of some Buddhists who go to Temple, Kovil and Church when faced with adversity. Most of them have connections to family’s of mixed religions. How can this be attributed to the Mahavamsa? Sharmini fails to make the connection can you?

      Then in the same breath Sharmini refers to these Mahawamsa Buddhists visiting the Moslem Mosque looking for solace. This was a new one for me. The Quran does not support her claim as it has verses that call for torture, amputation and death of the disbelievers (which a Buddhist including you, is). Can you connect this extraordinary claim to the Mahavamsa?

      I am writing this question assuming you are a Buddhist.
      You are undoubtedly Academically Educated. Since you take Sharmini’s view you are also Intelligent and possess the wisdom that the so called “Mahavamsa Buddhist” does not possess.

      Hence can you quote from the Mahavamsa which of course is not a religious Cannon the characteristics of this new religion “Mahavamsa Buddhism the Cannon of which is the Mahavamsa”? (please do not mix Buddhist Cannon and the Mahavamsa in your explanation).

      Personally I reject God worship, Bodhi worship, Idol worship, Caste, ethnicity, class etc. I also reject offerings to the Buddha of things he rejected when alive. I do not recognise special emblems that attempt to create a Hierarchy amongst the Sangha.

      I have questioned Sharmini in much more detail here https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/mahavamsa-an-insult-to-the-buddha/#comment-824840

      Trust you can fill in the gaps that Sharmini left in hers.

  • 3
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    Ms. S.S. Well Done.
    272 + responses in two days and still going strong.
    Factual contributions in response to a very sensitive subject.

  • 2
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    On this 4th Sunday of Advent, I have just been to the Westminster Cathedral where His Holiness, The Rt. Rev. Fr Emmanuel addressed the congregation.

    Some extracts from his sermon:

    Only we Christians will go to heaven. All the Lingam worshipping Hindus, the Tree worshipping Veddas and most certainly the Mahavamsa worshipping Sinhala Buddhist Modayas will end up in Purgatory – don’t panic it’s not permanent.

    In four days the God created light, heavens, seas, and earth. Then he commanded the earth to make trees and plants – now what has Mahinda Rajapaksa done for Tamils in Four Years?

    Prabhakaran is the modern day Jesus Christ, LTTE the soldiers of Christ, suicide bombers the martyrs of the Catholic Church to whom the Church provided a Catholic burial.
    The Rt. Rev. Fr Emmanuel proclaimed himself, the Moses who would lead the Tamil nation from the bondage of the Sinhalese-Buddhists to the land chosen for them by God: Eelam.

    • 0
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      “|”land chosen for them by God: Eelam.”|” dog, You’re getting on my wick!

      You are walking in hell keep walking…

      Would you Adam and Eve it?

      Minority rule majority in exemplar governance holds water.

      fffing eeeeelam partition is obnoxious,

      you are not the new kid in town.

      Hanuman ki jai.

      • 0
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        Que?

        • 0
          0

          Error! ST.PS.

          Nada!

    • 2
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      This is found in the imagination of EastHamBoy, you grow up from your boyhood and quote what he really said. He would not have uttered these words, I heard him many times. He is a true Christian as Ms.S.S. a true Buddhist.

  • 6
    2

    Did the Buddha visit Sri Lanka?

    Point of view

    By Ranjan Gooneratne

    Mahanama, the author of the Mahavamsa refers to three visits by the Buddha to Sri Lanka. Is this historically correct? Did the Buddha ever visit Sri Lanka? To ascertain whether the description in the Mahavamsa has any basis, one has to study the life of the Buddha, as revealed in the Pali Canon.

    Immediately after Enlightenment, the Buddha walked from Buddha Gaya to Saranath. From Saranath, He set out to wander by stages to Uruvela. At that time three ascetics with matted hair Kassapa of Uruvela, Kassapa of the River and Kassapa of Gaya were living at Uruvela. When the Buddha was living at Uruvela, Kassapa s sacrificial ceremony fell due.

    The Mahavamsa says, Now, since a great sacrifice by Kassapa of Uruvela was near at hand, and since He (the Buddha) saw that this latter would fain have Him away .., the Conqueror in the ninth month of his Buddhahood, at the full moon of Phussa, Himself set forth for the Isle of Lanka

    To this great gathering of the Yakkas went the Blessed One and there in the midst of that assembly, hovering in the air over their heads, at the place of the future Mahiyangana Thupa, He struck terror to their hearts, by rain, storm, darkness and so forth. The Yakkas, overwhelmed by fear, besought the fearless Vanquisher to release them from fear. Then, when He had destroyed their terror, the Master preached them the doctrine. (Geiger s translation pages 3 and 4)

    The suttas display the Buddha, as the incarnation of patience and peace, capable of working the miracle of transformation by His unshakeable equanimity and impeccable wisdom.

    The Buddha would never have struck terror to their hearts. This idea that the Buddha struck terror to their hearts by rain, storm and darkness, Mahanama has taken directly from the Vedas. The Vedas tell us that Indra wields the thunderbolt and conquers darkness. He brings us light and life, gives us vigour and freshness. Heaven bows before him and the earth trembles at his approach Yes, when I send thunder and lightning says Indra then you believe, in me. (Radhakrishna Indian Philosophy Vol. 1 pages 35-36)

    According to the Mahavamsa s description of the first visit of the Buddha to Lanka, the visit should take place between the sacrificial ceremony and the deliverance of the fire sermon at Gayassi.

    The Mahavamsa says the Buddha came by air to Lanka. The description of the first visit of the Buddha goes against the fundamental teachings of the Buddha. In Mahasihanada Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 12) Sunakkata made this statement before the vesali assembly: The recluse Gotama does not have any superhuman states, any distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the noble ones. The recluse Gotama teaches a Dhamma hammered out by reasoning, following his own line of reasoning as it occurs to him, and when he teaches the Dhamma to anyone, it leads when he practices it to the complete destruction of suffering.

    Bhikku Bodhi in his commentary to this sutta says Apparently he (Sunakkhatta) believes that being led to the complete destruction of suffering is, as a goal, inferior to the acquisition of miraculous powers. In His rebuttal of Sunkattha’s assertion the Buddha says the recluse Gotama teaches a Dhamma hammered out by reasoning, following His own line of reasoning as it occurs to Him-Unless He abandons that view, then he will wind up in hell.

    In the Kevaddha Sutta (Digha Nikaya Sutta 11 in Maurice Walshe s translation), The Buddha says, He dislikes, rejects and despises the miracles of psychic power and miracle of telepathy. The Buddha was possessed of a quality of compassion, seldom seen among men. His sympathy was all embracing and spontaneous. The Buddha s teaching is based and built on a conception of universal love and compassion for all living beings.

    In the Vatthupama Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 7) the Buddha says, he abides pervading that all-encompassing world with a mind imbued with loving kindness, abundant, exalted immeasurable, without hostility, without ill will. He abides pervading one quarter with the mind imbued with compassion.

    In the Lakkahan Sutta (Digha Nikaya sutta 30) it is stated, the Tathagata rejects harsh speech, abstains from it, spoke what was blameless, pleasing to the ear, agreeable, reaching the heart, urbane, pleasing and attractive to the multitude.

    Therefore, if the Mahavamsa is to be believed, when Mahanama says, He struck terror to their hearts by rain, darkness and so forth. The Yakkas overwhelmed by fear we have to accept that the Buddha abandoned the fundamental tenets of the Dhamma merely for the sake of converting a set of uninstructed wordings. He was, of all the historical personages of whom we possess any knowledge, one of the most consistent in thought, word and act.

    He not only placed little value on the supra-rational knowledge and ecstasy to which ascetics and mystics were supposed to have access, but actually described their mental acrobatics as the thicket of theorizing, the wilderness of theorizing, the tangle, the bondage.
    The Mahavamsa goes on to say that it was on His first visit that the Master preached the doctrine.

    There is no record of the doctrine the Buddha preached to the Yakkas. However, there is a record of the two earlier sermons the Buddha delivered at Saranath.

    According to the Mahavamsa, the Buddha s second visit to Lanka was in the fifth year of His Buddhahood He set out to Lanka from Jetawana. If the Mahavamsa account of the Buddha s second visit is to be believed He should have come to Lanka before He left for Kapilavasthu.

    In His second visit, the Mahavamsa says the Buddha brought about a reconciliation between the Naga kind Maniakkhika and Mahodora by preaching the the doctrine that begets concord. King Pasanedi was one of the most devoted lay followers of the Buddha. Pasanedi says the dhamma has been made clear in many ways by the Blessed One, as though He were turning upright what had been turned upside down. (vide Kosalaamyutta in the Samyuta Nikaya.)

    Yet the Buddha was not able to prevent King Pasanedi going into battle with Ajasathu. In the Paranibbana Sutta we find Ajasattu sending his chief minister Brahamin Vessakara to the Buddha to seek advice as to how he could attack the Vajians and bring them to ruin and destruction. The Buddha told him, the Vajians will never be conquered by force of arms. Still the Buddha was not able to dissuade Ajasatu resorting to various stratagems to destroy the Vajians.

    It is strange therefore, that while the Buddha was not able to prevent His disciples from waging wars, He could bring about reconciliation between two kings in a foreign country.

    The doctrine that begot concord is not found anywhere in the Pali Canon. It is also strange that this doctrine was not delivered to Kings Pasanedi or Ajasatu and thereby dissuade them from going to war.

    According to the Mahavamsa, the third visit of the Buddha to Lanka was in the eighth year of His Buddhahood.

    The Buddha set forth surrounded by five hundred arahats on the second day of the beautiful month of Vesak. Again the doctrine He preached on His third visit to the island is not found in the Pali Canon. The Buddha s famous statement in the Paranibbana Sutta, I have taught the Dhamma, Ananda, making no inner and outer. The Tathagata has no teacher s fist in respect of the Dhamma, makes it clear that there is no esoteric teaching in Buddhism.

    On a plain reading of the Buddha visits to Lanka as recorded in the Mahavamsa, it becomes clear that this account is not only false but goes against the teachings of the Buddha.

    It is also established that from the day of His enlightenment till He passed away at Kusinara, the Buddha walked barefoot from Buddha Gaya to Kusinara. At the little village of Beluva the Buddha said (Paranibbana Sutta), Ananda, I am now old, worn out, one who has traversed life s path, I have reached the term of life which is eighty. The version in the Mahavamsa that the Buddha came by air from Jetawana to Lanka should be rejected.

    One other matter that should be considered in delving into the veracity of the Buddha s visit as narrated in the Mahavamsa is that there was an intellectual awakening in India about a thousand years before the Buddha. Therefore, we find in India at the time of the Buddha s birth the tendency of man to think rationally, to reduce the chaotic universe of his sense-impressions and intuitions to a coherent and logical order, was ingrained in the Indian mind. The Buddha, as Radhakrishna says, tore away the Dhamma from His ancestral stem and planted in a purely rational soil.

    Even in such an intellectually fertile soil as in India in the fifth century B.C, soon after enlightenment the Buddha experienced an inner conflict as to whether He should ever teach the Dhamma because, in the words of Bhikku Bodhi, He reflected the density of the defilements of beings and the profundity of the Dhamma. In the Brahmasamayutta in the Samyutta Nikkaya we find the following statement, This Dhamma I have discovered is deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful and sublime, not within the sphere of reasoning, subtle, to be experienced by the wise.

    There is no evidence that the Nagas and Yakkas, if such tribes ever existed in prehistoric Lanka, had any intellectual background capable of understanding the profound teachings of the Buddha. It is also a matter for surprise that while there is a record of the very first sutta preached to five ascetics, we do not find in the Pali Canon any reference to the three discourses delivered to the Nagas and Yakkas.
    William Geiger regards the Mahavamsa as a conscious and intentional rearrangement of the Dipavamsa as a sort of commentary to this latter. Geiger refers to R.O. Franks Dipawamsa and Mahavamsa where he says, in the absence of any sources, the Dipavamsa must be considered as standing unsupported on its own tottering feet. Therefore, according to Franke no historical value can be conceded to the Dipavamsa nor to the Mahavamsa.

    Geiger also refers to V.A. Smith’s Asoka, the Buddhist Emperor of India where the Ceylonese chronology prior to B.C. 160 is absolutely and completely rejected as being not merely of doubtful authority but positively false in its principal propositions.

    The account given in the Mahavamsa has no historical evidence to support the proposition that the Buddha ever visited this island. Biographer and literary critic Lytton Strachey once said, ignorance is the first requisite of the historian. Ignorance which simplifies and clarifies, which selects and limits, with a placid perfection unattainable by the highest art. Had Lytton Strachey ever read the Mahavamsa, he would have been delighted to realize that Mahanama had followed his observation to the very letter.

    • 1
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      Harry Potter is better fiction!!

      Just another Hindu philosopher no one knows because Alexander the Great destroyed all evidence and took what he had to die in Babylon.

    • 6
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      Mahavamsa is an Insult To The Buddha

      The first visit of the Buddha was to Mahiyangane area where Yakkhas lived. The Sinhala Mahavamsa Buddha did not try to win them over with his compassion as the original Buddha did in similar circumstances. He TERRORIZED the Yakkhas by MANIPULATING natural phenomena. The Yakkhas appealed to the Buddha NOT TO TERRORIZE them if they were not harmed, they would vacate the land for the Buddha. The Sinhala Mahavamsa Buddha seems to have taken the innate evil character of the Sinhalese.
      ‘he struck terror to their hearts by rain, storm, darkness and so forth.’ The yakkhas, overwhelmed by fear, besought the fearless Van quisher to release them from terrors, and the Vanquisher, destroyer of fear, spoke thus to the terrified yakkhas: ‘I will banish this your fear and your distress, O yakkhas, give ye here to me with one accord a place where I may sit down. ‘The yakkhas thus answered the Blessed One: ‘We all, O Lord, GIVE YOU EVEN THE WHOLE OF OUR ISLAND Give us release from our fear.”

      CHAPTER I
      THE VISIT OF THE TATHAGATA

      Please read the whole chapter:

      http://lakdiva.org/mahavamsa/chap001.html

      The Mahavamsa portrayal of the Buddha’s second visit also shows that the Buddha had been brought down to a level which the Sinhalese could understand. I think even the Buddha won’t forgive the Ven. Mahanama for this.

      The second visit of the Buddha was to Nagadipa, now identified with northern TAMIL part of Lanka. Two Naga princes were about to fight fiercely for a gem set throne and bloodshed was imminent. The Buddha made his visit to prevent bloodshed. There too, the Sinhala Mahavamsa Buddha seems to have used TERRORIST methods of MANIPULATING natural phenomena to frighten the princes so that they themselves offered the Buddha the throne out of fear.

      • 2
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        The Mahavamsa has transformed the Buddha into a special patron of Sinhala Buddhism, an ethnic religion which has turned into a political religion today. The enlightenment of the Buddha seems to have involved realization of some truths about worldly life and about how to transcend that life. The Mahavamsa Buddha had tremendous foresight into the long term future of the world. He knew that his teachings would be preserved in purity only in Lanka in the distant future and that too for 5000 years. So he decided to prepare the ground by making three visits to the island and in his first visit he is terrorizing the inhabitants (Yakkhas) to vacate the land for him. The second visit of the Buddha was to Nagadipa, now identified with the northern part of Lanka. Two Naga princes were about to fight fiercely for a gem-set throne and bloodshed was imminent. The Buddha made his visit to prevent bloodshed. There, too, the Buddha seems to have used methods of manipulating natural phenomena to frighten the princes so that they themselves offered the Buddha the throne out of fear. The third visit of the Buddha, according to the Mahavamsa, was to Kelaniya at the invitation of a Naga prince who had met the Buddha during his second visit. It was on this visit that Buddha was said to have left his footprint on Adam’s Peak. This is how the Mahavamsa begins and the beginning of the Mahavamsa is clearly a historical fiction. The Mahavamsa Buddha seems to have taken on a character which the original would not have recognized. Don’t you people think that it is an insult to the original Buddha?

        Vijaya and his followers, the ancestors of today’s Sinhala community, are said to have landed on the island of Lanka, on the date of the Buddha’s passing away. According to the Mahavamsa, the Buddha had to make arrangements for the safety of Vijaya and his followers. He calls on Sakka (Indra), who in turn calls Upulvan (Vishnu) for divine intervention and help. When Vijaya and his followers landed on the island, Upulvan assisted him. If Buddha was taking such a personal interest in Vijaya and his followers why were they not Buddhists when they were said to have established their kingdom? Soon after arrival, Vijaya and his followers were among the Yakkhas. What happened to the Nagas who had been so friendly to the Buddha just about thirty-five years before Vijaya’s landing? The Buddha could have directed Vijaya to the Nagas. It is strange to note that the Mahavamsa does not refer to any contact between Vijaya and the Nagas. How could Vijaya become king of Lanka, if he had not even made contact with the Naga areas in the northern and western regions of Lanka? This portion of the Mahavamsa appears to be a super-imposition of a myth to the main narrative of the Mahavamsa; it does not make for a connected story.

        A study of how Vijaya and his followers established the first Sinhala kingdom reveals much about the character of the Sinhalas. Upulvan, the guardian deity, received Vijaya and his followers to fulfill Buddha’s wishes and gave them protective threads tied round their arms to protect them from harm. Vijaya met Kuveni, a Yakkha, who could be described as a daughter of the soil (bhumiputri !). She falls for Vijaya; Vijaya marries her and they beget two children. As the Yakkhas will not accept Kuveni marrying a foreigner, Vijaya, with assistance from Kuveni, massacres them, taking them unaware, when they were attending a celebration. The extent of destruction of the Yakkhas seems to have reached the point of genocide. The Mahavamsa does not say that Vijaya and his followers made any peaceful accommodation with the Yakkhas, the indigenous inhabitants. Vijaya and his followers started a new community, marrying people from India and thus bringing new settlers. In this context, it is very amusing to see some Sinhalas claiming that they were ‘sons of the soil.’ The Sinhalas were a people who committed the genocide of the ‘sons of the soil’ according to their own origin myth!

        • 0
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          Historians consider chapters before the asoka are heresy and legends. but the historical value of the latter parts are highly considered

        • 0
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          later on sinhala kings made peace with the yakka people and the yakka people married sinhala people. Genetically sinhalese and veddhas are related. After pandukhabhaya,it was a yakkha prince who became king. People of sinhala race are a mix of natives and immigrants. Thus forming the sinhala race here.

          • 1
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            Where is the evidence to prove the above? What you are saying is all fairy tales, not found anywhere. Can you prove it with a relaiable source???

            • 0
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              The genetics of sinhala people and veddha people share commonalities.(DNA) Sinhala language and Veddha language has many common language. Pandukabhaya is mentioned in Mahawamsa, subject
              to your eternal hatred for obvious reasons.

              First before critiquing a book (or hating), read it. :)

              • 0
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                Can you prove it to us that the DNA of Sinhala and Veddha share commonalities. It is proved beyond doubt that the DNA/genetics of Tamil Nadu Tamils and the Sinhalese are very similar. The Sinhalese do have a small percentage of Benngali genes but the Jaffna Tamils have more Bengali genes than the Sinhalese due to their Kalinga connection.

                • 0
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                  Now are you saying jaffna tamils came from Bengal and that your tamilness is actually fake? Aiyo kadavule!

                  I cant feed you an ignoramous like you, just google and see. Sinhala people share genetic material with TN tamils i dont reject it, at the same time Lankan tamils share genetic material with Sinhalses. The sinhala and veddha genetic connection is proven just see in google. Also sinhala and veddha language share common words that are found no where else.

                  And please learn some SL history and not only what you read in eelam sites

                  • 1
                    1

                    Sach,

                    You say “The sinhala and veddha genetic connection is proven”

                    Yes you are correct. If I am not mistaken the percentage is 5%. The Tamil percentage being over 50%

                    However in the Lanka Tamil genome there is no Veddah connection.

                    You say “Also sinhala and veddha language share common words that are found no where else.”

                    I am aware that the Veddah Language is closer to Sinhala but was unaware that there are unique common words. Can you please give the Link.

                    Maldivian Dhivehi is possibly the closest to Sinhala. In their counting system One is “Eka” and so on.

                    • 0
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                      words like ‘kola’ is shared by both. I will paste the link once i get it.

                  • 1
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                    Idiot!

                    Kalinga Magha and his people ruled Jaffna. The Jaffna people have connection not only with Tamil Nadu but also Kalinga.

                    • 0
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                      So you mean you have been bowing to all invaders? Do you know why Jaffna is the first spot that an invading army get hold of? Do you know that Jaffna is the hardest place to defend in whole of SL making it the first place to fall in the hands of any invading army? So who would live in such a place? the invaders or the natives?

              • 1
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                sach

                Veddah DNA has least affinity with Sinhalese or Tamils.

                Please stop spinning new yarns.

                “The genetics of sinhala people and veddha people share commonalities”

                Please sight your source.

                “Sinhala language and Veddha language has many common language.”

                Sinhala is a manufactured language which over the years has borrowed words and grammar from other languages, including Veddah language.

                Please refer C.E Godakumbura,

                • 0
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                  Every language is a manufactured one nothing springs from the soil

      • 1
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        Ha, ha,ha
        According to the Mahavamsa, the Buddha was a Terrorist. What an insult to Buddha. Sharmini is 100% right in saying Mahavamsa is an Insult To The Buddha. Thanks Ravi for the link.

  • 5
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    Whether it the Mahavamsa or anything else, seeing through the mists of myths is the beginning of wisdom and real freedom.

    • 1
      4

      It is like ALMIGHTY GOD and THE CREATION in CHRISTIANITY are ALL LIES.

      FORBIDDEN TREE, ADAM and EVE, LUCIFER aka SATAN are ALL Myths.

      Bible is a FICTION written at different times by different people by quoting what JESUS is said to had said.

      Church is a business enterprise and is full of corruption and it never brought peace to the world.

      • 2
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        Jimbo
        I assume thats your best response to the article above.
        Well done

        • 0
          0

          If Christianity is the right thing, why do they have to sell it this hard ?

          Still they could not do it in Europe and since 1700 it went down there.

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