Thursday, February 28, 2008

Dinesh Maduranga says......

The Sri Lankan nation was left numb, if not, absolutely petrified with shock and intense sorrow as the news about the untimely death of Most. Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thera was beamed through electronic media. Needless to say, fluttering yellow flags alone amplied testify how closed he was to all segments of our society.

Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thera, the embodiment of Buddhist morality and paragon of virtue, emerged the champion of Sinhala-Buddhist cause as the most outstanding and controversial religious leadership in the last decade particularly because of his outspokenness and straightforwardness.

His role as the most leading Buddhist communicator of modern times, social reformer cum defender of the Sinhala-Buddhist identity and its rights, came into prominence during his series of electronic media and public discussions, debates and sermons attended.

His erudition, enriched with scientific psycho-analytical perspectives that were unfolding in our contemporary times, continued to be a beacon of hope for the common masses since his ocean of knowledge on Buddhist canons, scriptures and literature remained unchallenged, well-respected and thoroughly logical.

Monday, February 25, 2008

D.M.Hewapathirana publishes photoes



Sri Maha Bodhi is a Sacred Fig tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is said to be a sapling from the historical Bodhi tree under which Buddha became enlightened. It was planted in 288 BC, and is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date.

It was planted on a high terrace about 6.5 m (21.3 ft) above the ground and surrounded by railings, and today it is one of the most sacred relics of the Buddhists in Sri Lanka and respected by Buddhists all over the world. This wall was constructed during the reign of King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha, to protect it from wild elephants which might have damaged the tree.

The tree is said to be the southern branch of the Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi at Bodh Gaya in India under which Buddha attained Enlightenment.

In the 3rd century BC, the Buddha's fig tree was brought to Sri Lanka by the Their Sangamitta (Pali; Skt.: Sanghamitra), daughter of Emperor Asoka and founder of an order of Buddhist nuns in Sri Lanka.

In 249 BC, Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi was planted in the Mahameghavana Park in Anuradhapura by King Devanampiyatissa.

The Four Noble Truths



According to the Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism (2004), these are

1. "the noble truth that is suffering"
2. "the noble truth that is the arising of suffering"
3. "the noble truth that is the end of suffering"
4. "the noble truth that is the way leading to the end of suffering"

According to another interpretation given by some authorities,[citation needed] the truths are not suffering etc. but statements about them:

1. There is suffering
2. There is a cause of suffering — craving
3. There is the cessation of suffering — Nirvana
4. There is a way leading to the cessation of suffering — the Noble Eightfold Path

According to the scriptures, the Four Noble Truths were among the topics of the first sermon given by the Buddha after his enlightenment,which was given to the five ascetics with whom he had practised austerities. The Four Noble Truths were originally spoken by the Buddha not in the form of a religious or philosophical text, but in the manner of a medical diagnosis and remedial prescription in a style that was common at that time. The early teaching and the traditional understanding in the Theravada is that these are an advanced teaching for those who are ready for them. The Mahayana position is that they are a preliminary teaching for people not yet ready for the higher and more expansive Mahayana teachings.

Origin of Buddhism


Gautama, whose personal name according to later sources was Siddhartha, was born in the city of Lumbini, in a part of Ancient India within the borders of present-day Nepal, and was raised in Kapilavastu. The traditional story of his life is as follows; little of this can be regarded as established historical fact. Born a prince, his father, King Suddhodana, was supposedly visited by a wise man shortly after Siddhartha was born and told that Siddhartha would either become a great king (chakravartin) or a holy man (Sadhu). Determined to make Siddhartha a king, the father tried to shield his son from the unpleasant realities of daily life. Despite his father's efforts, at the age of 29, he discovered the suffering of his people, first through an encounter with an elderly man. On subsequent trips outside the palace, he encountered various sufferings such as a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and a monk or an ascetic. These are often termed 'The Four Sights.'

Gautama was deeply depressed by these four sights and sought to overcome old age, illness, and death by living the life of an ascetic. Gautama escaped his palace, leaving behind this royal life to become a mendicant. For a time on his spiritual quest, Buddha "experimented with extreme asceticism, which at that time was seen as a powerful spiritual practice...such as fasting, holding the breath, and exposure of the body to pain...he found, however, that these ascetic practices brought no genuine spiritual benefits and in fact, being based on self-hatred, that they were counterproductive."

After abandoning asceticism and concentrating instead upon meditation and, according to some sources, Anapanasati (awareness of breathing in and out), Gautama is said to have discovered what Buddhists call the Middle Way—a path of moderation that lies mid-way between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. He accepted a little milk and rice pudding from a village girl and then, sitting under a pipal tree or Sacred fig (Ficus religiosa), also known as the Bodhi tree, in Bodh Gaya, he vowed never to arise until he had found the Truth. His five companions, believing that he had abandoned his search and become undisciplined, left. After 49 days meditating, at the age of 35, he attained bodhi, also known as "Awakening" or "Enlightenment" in the West. After his attainment of bodhi he was known as Buddha or Gautama Buddha and spent the rest of his life teaching his insights (Dharma). According to scholars, he lived around the fifth century BCE, but his more exact birthdate is open to debate. He died at the age of 80 in Kushinagara (Pali Kusinara) (India).

The Buddhist



-From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Buddhism is a set of teachings described as a religion or way of life. One point of view says it is a body of philosophies influenced by the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as Gautama Buddha. Another point of view says it is teachings to guide one to directly experiencing reality. Many scholars regard it as a plurality rather than a single entity. Buddhism is also known as Buddha Dharma or Dhamma, which means roughly the "teachings of the Awakened One" in Sanskrit and Pali, languages of ancient Buddhist texts. Buddhism began around the 5th century BCE with the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, hereafter referred to as "the Buddha".

Divisions of Buddhism
The most frequently used classification of present-day Buddhism among scholars[15] divides present-day adherents into the following three traditions or geographical or cultural areas: Theravada, East Asian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism.
An alternative scheme used by some scholars has two divisions, Theravada and Mahayana. In this classification, Mahayana includes both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhism. This scheme is the one ordinarily used in the English language.Some scholars use other schemes. Buddhists themselves have a variety of other schemes.