Stop Distoying Buddhism

Do not forget. but never think of taking revange......It's the Buddhism

Obath Mansha bhakshakayekda?

Thank you Nilantha for the image

Buddhism in Sri Lanka

Buddhism in Sri Lanka is primarily of the Theravada school, and constitutes the religious faith of about 70% of the population According to traditional Sri Lankan chronicles (such as the Dipavamsa), Buddhism was introduced into Sri Lanka in the 2nd century BCE by Venerable Mahinda, the son of the Emperor Ashoka, during the reign of Sri Lanka's King Devanampiyatissa. During this time, a sapling of the Bodhi Tree was brought to Sri Lanka and the first monasteries were established under the sponsorship of the Sri Lankan king. The Pali Canon, having previously been preserved as an oral tradition, was first committed to writing in Sri Lanka around 30 BCE.

Sri Lanka has the longest continuous history of Buddhism of any Buddhist nation, with the Sangha having existed in a largely unbroken lineage since its introduction in the 2nd century. During periods of decline, the Sri Lankan monastic lineage was revived through contact with Myanmar and Thailand. Periods of Mahayana influence, as well as official neglect under colonial rule, created great challenges for Theravada Buddhist institutions in Sri Lanka, but repeated revivals and resurgences- most recently in the 19th century CE- have kept the Theravada tradition alive for over 2000 years.

Christian missionaries and colonialism
From the 16th century onward, Christian missionaries and Portuguese, Dutch and English colonizers of Sri Lanka have attempted to convert the local population to Christianity. In the late 19th century, a national Buddhist movement started, inspired by the American Buddhist Henry Steel Olcott, and empowered by the results of the Panadura debate between a Christian priest and the Buddhist monk Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera
Divisions in the Buddhist clergy

The different sects of the Sri Lankan Buddhist clergy are referred to as Nikayas, and three main Nikayas are:

* Siam Nikaya, founded in the 18th century by Ven. Upali, a Thai monk who was invited by the King of Kandy Kirti Sri Rajasinghe, and on the initiative of Ven. Weliwita Saranankara.
* Amarapura Nikaya, founded in 1800 with higher ordination obtained from Myanmar (Burma)
* Ramanna Nikaya, founded in 1864 by Ambagahawatte Saranankara.

Within these three main divisions there are numerous other divisions, some of which are caste based. There are no doctrinal differences among any of them.

Distribution of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Based on 2001 census data except for districts with numbers given in italics; these are from 1981 census


Thanks goes to http://en.wikipedia.org

What are "Triple Gems"

Triple Gem is the collective term for the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Buddha is a Sanskrit term which refers to the fully enlightened one who has awakened to universal truth, and who, with total wisdom and unreserved compassion, can help others to attain enlightenment.
In Sanskrit, the word dharma carries different meanings. In the present context, it refers to the teaching of the Buddha, which is compiled in the Tripitaka. Those who cultivate wisdom in accordance with the Dharma will undoubtedly realise the Truth and attain ultimate liberation.
The Sanskrit term Sangha means a harmonious community. Here, it refers specifically to the community of monks or nuns. Two characteristics of the Sangha are consensus on their principles and harmony in daily affairs. The former refers to their common objective in severing from defilement with a view to eventually attaining enlightenment. The latter refers to their common acceptance of the following six guidelines by which they abide to ensure collective discipline in their actions, words and thought :

1. To establish mutual understanding and reach unity of thought.
2. To establish a just system and attain equality for all.
3. To establish fair distribution and be in economic equilibrium.
4. To establish common interests and attain an open mind.
5. To establish peace and comradeship through cordial speech.
6. To establish harmonious interaction so that there is no infringement on personal liberty.

The Sangha is beneficial to the individual in that it facilitates moral training and spiritual cultivation. It is beneficial to others in that it upholds rightful Dharma and helps to liberate all beings.
To the Buddhist follower, the Buddha is like the saviour, Dharma the incredible medicine, and the Sangha the tutors. All three play important roles in the liberation of sentient beings, and none is dispensable. Just as the Buddha were the doctor, Dharma the prescribed medicine, and Sangha the nurse, a patient cannot fully recover in the absence of any one of them. The Buddha, Dharma and Sangha can help to liberate us from our daily afflictions.
Compared to the precious jewels of our material world, the Triple Gem can therefore be considered as the treasure of our spiritual existence. They are the gems that will guide us towards emancipation from the cycle of life and death.
Further explanations with reference to the analogy between the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha with the Triple Gem are depicted in the Sutras as follows :

1. Rarity - just as worldly valuables are not acquired by the poor, those who have not accrued enough blessings through past karma do not have the fortune of encountering the Triple Gem.
2. Purity - just as humans value the sparkling clarity of precious jewels, so the Triple Gem is also valued for its purity.
3. Power - just as precious jewels have the power to remove negative elements, so the Triple Gem embraces the potential for the six transcendental powers.
4. Adornment - just as precious jewels can be ornamental, the Triple Gem can dignify and purify the practitioners.
5. Excellence - just as the precious jewels are ranked the best in worldly materials, the Triple Gem stands high above all things worldly.
6. Integrity - just as precious stones are not subject to change even under the most drastic conditions, the Triple Gem remains unaffected by the eight worldly phenomena of gain, decline, destruction, fame, praise, scorn, suffering and joy.

PIRIHEEME DORATU

Are Sinhalese and Army Racists?

The Photoes show how Sri Lankan Army treat the LTTE Tiger Girls
So How kind our army is......

Against ThamilNadu Terror to release Innocent SL Tamils

Poson Poya by Hewapathirana

"Poson Sanda" By Dinesh Maduranga

Cruel Prabhakaran made venerables cry at wepathaira Gnanananda thero's funeral

The picture shows how the venerable buddhist monks were crying at the funeral of wepathaira gnanananda thero who were killed at Piliyandala Bus Bomb by Welupille Pirabaharan.

The venerable monk was alive when he was being taken to the hospital. Monk was identified as "Me ape Guru Hamuduruwo" by the hospital staff. There, thero looked around the other injured people while doctors were going to treat the venerable, and saw a pregnant mother. this great buddhist monk said "Mata Amaru naha, me Bada Daru Amma ganai Lama Lapati g balanna". Then the monk said "suwapath wewa" when she was taken into the theature. After few moments the Venerable wepathaira gnanananda thero left us forever saying "Siyalu Sathwayo Suwapath wewa, Niduk wewa, Neerogi wewa".
Sadu Sadu Sadu

See how our Buddhist monks are great.

Prabhath Gayaranga Sirisena , an IT Graduate enters "Buddha Sasana" as Ven. Gampaha Yogananda Thera

Gayaranga was an graduate of Faculty of Information Technology, University of Motratuwa. As well as, He was an old boy of Royal College. His father is one of best actors in Sri Lanka called Suminda Sirisena.

A member of "Maha Sanga" seeks generous help

Ven. Unapana Ariyadhamma Thera (38), a disabled Buddhist monks who met with an automobile accident in India in 1989, seek generous help form the public to obtain further treatment.

Ven. Thera's legs were tapering down lifelessly from the knees and has to use a walking stick during the walking and standing in a one place.

As many doctors said his condition cannot be recovered 100% and unless he does underwater exercises his condition may become worse.

On a suggestion by Ven. Unapana Ariyadhamma Thera, some Singaporean doctors have stepped forward to help build a rehabilitation centre for Buddhist monks. To raise capital for this rehabilitation center including small swimming pool and monastery, Ven. Thera kindly request from public to donate to success this barrier for him and for the disabled society.

Contact Details
Nalandaramaya,
Pathiragoda,
Maharagama,
Sri Lanka.
Tel:0094-60-2175889

For the Credit of Rev. Unapana Ariyadhamma Thero's account,
A/C: 8853256501,
Commercial Bank, No.154, High Level Road, Maharagama, Sri Lanka.

Sinhala Urumaya - 3 Books from Medhananda Thera

Kesha Dhathu

"Api Asarana Wela wagei soma hamuduruwane"

A Word from Most Ven. Soma Thera

"Apen owadanak"

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.

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.