The Buddhist - Vol 121 - YMBA

-2553-2009
ESAK
ESAK
COLOMBO - YMBA 1898 - 2009 111 Years
COLOMBO - YOUNG MEN’S BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION
-2553-2009

HOW TO ASSIST
THE COLOMBO YMBA
GAMINI MATHA ELDERS’ HOME:
Sponsor an elder
Donate meals for 50 elders
Lunch Rs.3,500/= - Dinner Rs.3,500/= - Breakfast Rs.2,500/= (Total per day – Rs.9,500/=)
Contact - Manageress - Telephone 011-2434792
LAKSHMI CHILDREN’S HOME,WALANA, KATUNAYAKE:
Donate funds for purchase of clothes, school uniforms, school books,
maintenance of the Home and for meals.
Lunch Rs.3,500/= - Dinner Rs.3,500/= - Breakfast Rs.2,500/= (Total per day – Rs.9,500/=)
Contact – Manageress - Telephone 011-2260220
ANNUAL INTER-SCHOOL DRAMA COMPETITION:
Donations welcome to meet the cost of prizes and for provision of refreshments for participating children.
Contact – General Manager - Telephone 011-2682397
“THE BUDDHIST” QUARTERLY JOURNAL:
Donations for publication and postage welcome. Donations to reach
The Editor, “The Buddhist”, No.70, D. S. Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo.8
“THE LIGHT OF ASIA” CONTEST:
Contribute towards cost of 60 prizes for 12 divisions.
FULL MOON POYA DAY RELIGIOUS PROGRAMME:
Donate towards the provision of mid-day Dana and Gilanpasa for devotees
observing Sil and engaged in meditation.
SCHOLARSHIPS:
Deposit a sum of money from which interest earned, scholarships could be provided for deserving school
children and undergraduates.
ANNUAL GADYA/PADYA CONTEST:
Donate towards 18 prizes of this competition.
ENGLISH DHAMMA/ABHIDHAMMA EXAMINATION PRIZES:
Contribute towards the cost of 18 prizes.
All donations are exempt from income tax. Cheques to be drawn in favour of the
“Colombo YMBA”, 70, D. S. Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo.8
Contact the following for more for details –
General Manager – Tel: 2682397 Website – www.ymba-colombo.org
AGM (Finance) – Tel: 2682398 Email – ymbacolombo@sltnet.lk

COLOMBO
YOUNG
MEN’S
BUDDHIST
ASSOCIATION
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
OF MANAGEMENT
PRESIDENT
Prasanna Goonetilleke
VICE-PRESIDENTS
D.S.P.S. de Silva
Deshabandu Tilak de Zoysa
Rajah Kuruppu
M. Ariyaratne
Kusumabandu Samarawickrama
GENERAL SECRETARY
Sumedha Amerasinghe
TREASURER
Prasantha Abeykoon
MEMBERS
Suren Abeyagoonasekera S.J. Munasinghe
N.J. Abeysekere Kirthi Nanayakkara
Dr. Sampath Amaratunge A.R.N. Perera
Hiran Amaratunga P.G.T. Perera
M.S.R. Ariyaratne Prema Pinnawala
W.R.H. Fernando Dr. D. Samson Rajapaksa
Lakshan Goonetilleke Anura Serasingha
J.A.P. Mahendra Jayasekera Sunil Sirisena
Dr. Buddhi Kaluarachchi Lalith Siritunga
Lakshman M. Kuruppu Daya Weerasekera
Mahesh E. Mallawaratchie Major W.M. Weerasooriya
D. Gamini Wimalasuriya
GENERAL MANAGER
Maj. Gen. A.M.U. Seneviratne
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist

AN ORDINANCE TO INCORPORATE THE YOUNG MEN’S BUDDHIST
ASSOCIATION, COLOMBO
(ORDINANCE NO.11 OF 1927)
OBJECTIVES OF THE
YOUNG MEN’S BUDDHIST
ASSOCIATION, COLOMBO
2 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
The first Board of Management shall consist of Mr. D.B. Jayatilaka,
M.A., M.L.C., President; Mr. W.A. de Silva, J.P., M.L.C.; Dr. C.A. Hewavitarne,
M.R.C.S.; Mr. D.C. Senanayake, Mr. A.E. de Slva, B.A.; Mr. D.S. Senanayake,
M.L.C., Vice Presidents; Mr. C. Victor Perera, Honorary General Secretary;
Mr. T.W. Gunawardene, J.P., Mudaliyar, Honorary Treasurer; Dr. D.B. Perera;
Mr. Chas Dias, Proctor; Mr. N.J.V. Cooray, Proctor; Mr. H.A. de Abrew;
Mr. J.D.A. Abeywickrama; Mr. S.B. Ranasinha; Mr. R.S.S. Gunawardana,
B.A. Advocate; Mr. H. Guneratne, Mudaliyar; Mr. J.N. Jinendradasa;
Mr. R. Hewavitarne; Mr. D.N.W. de Silva; Mr. Thomas Rodrigo, Mudaliyar;
Mr. W.E. Bastian; Mr. V.S. Nanayakkara; Mr. L.A. Jayasekera;
Mr. D.C. Abeygunawardana and Mr. D.N. Hapugala.
4 TO PROVIDE FACILITIES FOR, AND TO FOSTER THE STUDY AND THE
PROPAGATION OF THE BUDDHA DHAMMA
4 TO ENCOURAGE THE PRACTICAL OBSERVANCE OF THE BUDDHA
DHAMMA
4 TO PROMOTE UNITY AND CO-OPERATION AMONG BUDDHISTS
4 TO ADVANCE THE MORAL, CULTURAL, PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL
WELFARE OF BUDDHISTS; AND
4 TO PROMOTE THE INTERESTS OF BUDDHISM

BOARD OF GOVERNORS
AJITHA DE ZOYSA
DR. P.R. ANTHONIS
DESHABANDU
DEVASIRI RODRIGO
PRASANNA GOONETILLEKE
R.S. WANASUNDERA
SUMEDHA
AMERASINGHE
AJITH JAYARATNE
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BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
THE COLOMBO YOUNG MEN’S BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION
THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
2008/2009
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
STANDING HIRAN AMARATUNGA, D.G. WIMALASURIYA, DR. D. SAMSON RAJAPAKSA, DR. BUDDHI KALUARACHCHI,
(L TO R) W.R.H. FERNANDO, LAKSHAN GOONETILLEKE, DR. SAMPATH AMARATUNGA, DAYA WEERASEKERA,
SUREN ABEYAGOONASEKERA, PREMA PINNAWALA, SUNIL SIRISENA, ANURA SERASINGHA,
MAJ. W.M. WEERASOORIYA.
SEATED LALITH SIRITUNGA, A.R.N. PERERA, S.J. MUNASINGHE, SUMEDHA AMERASINGHE (General Secretary),
(L TO R) M. ARIYARATNE(Vice-President), D.S.P.S. DE SILVA (Vice-President), PRASANNA GOONETILLEKE (President)
RAJAH KURUPPU (Vice-President), KUSUMABANDU SAMARAWICKRAMA (Vice-President), PRASANTHA ABEYKOON
(Treasurer), J.A.P. MAHENDRA JAYASEKERA, NALIN J. ABEYSEKERE, MAHESH E. MALLAWARATCHIE.
NOT PRESENT DESHABANDU TILAK DE ZOYSA (Vice-President), KIRTHI NANAYAKKARA, P.G.T. PERERA, LAKSHMAN M. KURUPPU.

C ontents
First published in 1888
Registered as a Newspaper in Sri Lanka
Published by the Colombo Young Men’s Buddhist Association
Editor – Rajah Kuruppu – Vice President, Colombo Y.M.B.A.
Deputy Editor – P. Wattegama
Contents: Page No.
Members of The Board of Management 01
Ordinance and Objectives 02
Board of Governors 03
Board of Management 04
Contents 05 − 07
President’s Message 08
Editorial − Gratitude − A Rare Noble Virtue Rajah Kuruppu 09 − 10
Short History of the Colombo YMBA 11 − 13
Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake, Prime Minister of Ceylon (‘The Buddhist’ 1931) 14
Rt. Hon. Sir D.B. Jayatilaka (‘The Buddhist’ 1931) 15
Committee of Management (‘The Buddhist’ 1948) 16
Sir Baron Jayatilaka 1898 − 1944 17
Sir Ernest de Silva 1944 − 1955 18
Sir Cyril de Zoysa 1960 − 1978 19
Activities of the YMBA 20 − 30
Letter to H.E. The President 31 − 33
Meditation in Daily Life Ven. Olande Ananda Thera 34 − 38
The Problem of Conflict Bhikkhu Bodhi 39 − 40
The Five Precepts (‘The Buddhist’ 1937) Geraldine E. Lyster 40
Vesak Pura Pasalosvaka (‘The Buddhist’ April − May 1936) 41
Excellence (‘The Buddhist’ May, 1939) Miss Coralie H. Haman 41
Renunciation and Release Chandra Wickramasinghe 42
Adoration of The Buddha (Vesak Sirisara 2500 – 1956) Ramya De Silva 42
The Buddhist Psychology of Ideologies Professor Y. Karunadasa 43 − 47
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The Path of Purity (‘The Buddhist’ 1937) Bhikkhu Narada 48 − 50
Along The Trishuli River Letitia Hewavisenti 50
The Buddha laid down a code for the Laity (‘The Buddhist’ October, 1947) Late I.B. Horner 51 − 54
Misunderstanding of Metta Practice Ven. Henepola Gunaratana Maha Thera 55 − 57
“The Buddhist” Advertisment (‘The Buddhist’ April/May, 1936) 57
The Miracle of Metta Claudia Weeraperuma 58 − 59
It was too nice to hear (‘The Buddhist’ September, 1942) M.M. Thawfeeq 59
In the Presence of Nibbana Ven. Ajahn Brahmavamso Thera 60 − 66
Can We See the Buddha? Ven. Walpola Piyananda Maha Thera 67 − 68
Soliloquy H. Kamal Premadasa 69
His Name Shall Live forever (‘The Buddhist’ May, 1953) 70
Right Living (‘The Buddhist’ January / April, 1961) Henrietta B.Gunatilleke 70
Kammic Psychology (‘The Buddhist’ 1966) S. Gunatilaka 71 − 77
Turning lnward Eileen Siriwardhana 78 − 79
Saroja The Refugee Girl Ranjinie Chandraratne 80
The Rationality of the Buddha Dhamma Asoka Devendra 81 − 82
Heart of The Buddha (‘The Buddhist’ September, 1939) A.R. Zorn 82
Buddhist Concept of Wealth P. Wattegama 83 − 84
The Buddha Elmo Fernando 84
The Buddhist Law of Kamma (‘The Buddhist’ December, 1957) Chandra Goonetilleke 85 − 87
Thoughts on Temper (‘The Buddhist’ September, 1937) David Karunaratne 88 − 89
Thoughts at a Shrine (‘The Buddhist’ May, 1942) D.A. Weeratna 89
Selfless Love Erika Dias 90
Ruwanveli (‘The Buddhist’ September, 1940) Saratoga 90
The Question of a Wandering Ascetic Sasunaga Weeraperuma 91 − 94
Kisagotami (‘The Buddhist’ October, 1947) Ven. Piyadassi Nayaka Thera 95 − 96
Programme of Lectures at the Y.M.B.A. (‘The Buddhist’ February, 1941) 96
Don’t Argue About Buddhism – Try It Late Christmas Humphreys 97
Vesak Message (‘The Buddhist’ September, 1937) Dr. C.A. Hewavitharana 98
All Matter is Subject to Change K.D.C. Perera 99 − 100
Beneath The Bodhi-Tree (‘The Buddhist’ May, 1953) W. Amarasiri 100
Bioethics and Buddhism Dr. Ananda W.P. Guruge 101 − 104
Death, Rebirth and Kamma − A Medical Scientific Perspective Dr. Sunil Seneviratne Epa 105 − 107
Meditation for Mental Tranquility and a Balanced Life Ven. Dr. Bokannoruwe Devananda Thera 108 − 109
Sri Pada (‘The Buddhist’ April, 1952) Marie Musaeus Higgins 110
The Science of Meditation Nimal Rajapakse 111 − 114
Unity in Diversity in Buddhism (‘The Buddhist’ November, 1931) Bridget Botejue 115 − 116
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009

Mihintale (‘The Buddhist’ September, 1942) M.M. Thawfeeq 116
l;=jelsh ) flf

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Dévó vassatu kálena,
Sabbasampatti hétu ca;
Pitó bhavatu lókó ca;
Rajá bhavatu dhammikó.
May the rains fall in due season
May the harvests be plentiful
May the world be prosperous;
May the rulers be just and righteous.
On this thrice blessed day of Vesak on which we commemorate the Birth,
Enlightenment and the Passing Away of the Buddha, it is with humility and
great pride that I send this special Vesak message to the Sri Lankan and
International reading public.
We are proud to have had many illustrious sons of Sri Lanka such as Sir Baron
Jayatilaka, Sir Ernest de Silva and Sir Cyril de Zoysa as our former Presidents.
Their contribution to Buddhism and our motherland was immeasurable.
Albert Einstein paid tribute to Buddhism when he said in his autobiography “If
there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would be
Buddhism.” The Buddha Dhamma requires no revision to keep it up to date
with recent scientific findings. It is the bridge between religious and scientific
thought, stimulating man to discover the latent potentialities within himself
and his environment. Buddhism is timeless!
Our country is about to see the end of over 25 years of trauma and great social
upheaval. Now more than ever we need the message of the Buddha to show us
how relevant the teachings of the Buddha are in the context of modern society.
Sabbé Sattá Bhavantu Sukhitattá
May all Beings be Well and Happy
Prasanna Goonetilleke
President

EDITORIAL
Gratitude – A Rare
Noble Virtue
The Buddha has declared,
as recorded in the Anguttara Nikaya
that two kinds of individuals are very
rare in the world. They are those
who volunteer to help others in need
(Pubbakari) and those who are grateful
(Katavedi). Generally by nature people
are not grateful. So it is a noble quality
to be cultivated.
It is stated in the Dhamma that
one should not help others expecting
gratitude but it should be undertaken
because it is a good and wholesome
action. If we help others expecting
gratitude and it is not forthcoming, we
would be disappointed and unhappy
because of our expectation. This
would also diminish the wholesome
action of extending assistance to
those in need. Nevertheless those
who help would naturally be happy
if their good action is appreciated
and remembered by the recipient.
Thus, an effort should be made to
remember the help given and make
the giver aware of it when possible.
Gratitude is considered a noble
virtue in Buddhism and in the Maha
Mangala Sutta it is described as a very
auspicious characteristic. The relevant
words in the Sutta read as follows.
“Reverence, humility, contentment,
gratitude and listening to the Dhamma
at the opportune moment. This is a
highest blessing”. In the commentaries
gratitude is defined as acknowledging
and remembering constantly a good
turn, whether it be great or small, done
by one being to another. The Buddha as
mentioned in the Anguttara Nikaya has
described gratitude as a characteristic
of a virtuous man (Sappurisa) and the
absence of this virtue as a characteristic of
a ignoble man (Asappurisa). Ingratitude
is also mentioned as one of the several
mental phenomena that has to be
eradicated to develop the highest levels of
concentration, namely, the Jhanas.
Why is gratitude a rare quality?
When one receives assistance from
another at that moment usually one
expresses appreciation and most of
them are sincere in such declarations.
However, with time most tend to forget
the good action that benefited them.
Thus, the noble quality of gratitude has
to be cultivated by remembering such
actions and being mindful to refer to
them on appropriate occasions.
Sometimes it is difficult to
reciprocate the good action that has
been done. For one thing there may be
the lack of resources or opportunity to
offer help. On the other hand, the person
who helped may be doing so well in life
and may require nothing. Nevertheless,
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
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gratitude could be expressed in other
ways such as by mentioning the favour
done on appropriate occasions, wishing
them well in their activities, specially in
their spiritual development to overcome
the sufferings of Samsara and realise
the goal of Nibbana. Remembering
the good done by others would
also be helpful when strong friendly
relationships face turbulent times
due to just one unfortunate incident.
At such times there is a tendency to
think only of the deficiencies of the
friend forgetting the numerous good
wholesome deeds of his over a long
period of time. Remembering the good
deeds of others in the past would enable
us to overcome any ill will that arises by
recent misdemeanors. Thus, for good
social relationships the development of
gratitude would be a useful factor.
The Buddha taught the importance
of this noble virtue by His own conduct.
As a sign of gratitude to the Bodhi tree
that gave Him protection on the night
of enlightenment, He kept gazing at this
tree for one week with unblinking eyes.
Moreover, when deciding to preach
the Dhamma that He had realised
by His own effort, He thought first of
Alarakalama and then Uddakaramaputta,
under whom he studied for sometime
in the quest for the Truth. On realizing
that both had died a few days earlier,
He delivered His first sermon on the
Four Noble Truths, setting in motion
0 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
the wheel of the Dhamma, to the five
ascetics who had rendered great service
to him in practising austerity.
There is also a Jataka story related
by the Buddha in connection with
gratitude. The Cullasetthi Jataka records
how a man named Cullantevasika
became very rich by overhearing a
statement made by Cullasetthi and
showed his gratitude to the latter.
Cullasetthi while touring the city saw a
dead mouse in the street and said that
an intelligent man can make a fortune
even with this dead mouse. Hearing this
statement Cullantevasika took the dead
mouse with him and before long sold it
for an insignificant price. With that he
bought some honey and sold it with a
profit. In this way he made a substantial
fortune before long. One day he took
thousand pieces of gold to Cullasetthi
as a mark of gratitude although he
merely over heard some good advise.
Gratitude is a meritorious action
that would stand in good stead in
ones journey in Samsara, the cycle of
births and deaths, in this life and in
future lives. On the other hand, with the
practice of gratitude with mindfulness
one would be able to win the respect
and the goodwill of the giver. Thus, on
any future occasion if his help is sought
he would be most willing to assist
noting the great quality of gratitude of
the recipient in the past.
There are many cases where help
given is acknowledged and appreciated
for sometime after a good act and
later tend to fade away from one’s
memory. Then that important act of
benevolence is forgotten and one may
even lose contact with the generous
giver. However, one who has cultivated
the noble quality of gratitude will never
forget past favours and would express
it in ways such as wishing him well on
certain occasions and perhaps even by
the presentation of token gifts.
Gratitude could be expressed by
thoughts of Metta towards the person
who had helped one in time of need.
It costs materially nothing but only a
noble thought which could be expressed
even if one has no meaningful material
resources and even if one is confined
to the bed but with mental faculties in a
reasonable condition.
In the practice of Dhamma, Sati
or mindfulness, an important item in
the noble eight fold path, is a crucial
factor. So, it is in remembering and
not forgetting the good done by one to
another.
Thus, gratitude is a hallmark of a
man of good character and every effort
should be made to cultivate and develop
this noble quality for the good of oneself
and the good of the giver.
Rajah Kuruppu
Editor
‘The Buddhist’

Colombo Young Men’s Buddhist Association
History
History
The Colombo YMBA
inaugurated by a group of 20
Buddhists in 1898 has completed
111 years by 2009. A group of young
Buddhists led by C.S. Dissanayake,
a Roman Catholic, who later
became a Buddhist by conviction,
met at the Headquarters of the
Buddhist Theosophical Society
(BTS) at Maliban Street in Pettah
and resolved to establish the Young
Men’s Buddhist Association for the
study and discussion of Buddhism
and its practical observance.
Later, with the establishment of
such Associations in other towns,
it came to be known as the Colombo
YMBA under which name it
was incorporated in 1927 by an
Act of Parliament.
The inaugural meeting was
chaired by the legendary Anagarika
Dharmapala (then Hewavitarane
Dharmapala) and C.S. Dissanayake,
who could be considered the founder
of the Association, became its first
Secretary. Soon thereafter, Sir Baron
Jayatilaka, VicePrincipal of Ananda
College, was invited to be its first
President and he continued to hold
that office until his death in 1944.
In the initial years, meetings
of the Association were held
every weekend except when there
were sermons. A member of the
Association either read a paper,
delivered a lecture or initiated a
religious discussion.
Other outstanding members
at the time were W.A. de Silva,
Abraham Kuruppu, Martinus
Samaranayake, Dr. L.C.
Wirasinghe, K.W. Wirasingha,
J.E.R. Perera, D.D. Weerasinghe
and P. Wimalasuriya. It was a
poor Association, always short of
funds, a malady which affected it
for many years during the YMBA’s
early life. Members subscription
was only 50 cents a month. In 1900
when the membership was 100,
subscription collections amounted
to Rs.82/- and the balance in hand
was Rs.56.57. The Association had
no home of its own, but working
from borrowed offices, its stated
purpose never lost. Vigorous
discussions, critical analysis,
the thrust and parry of heated
arguments were the hallmarks
of those early years when the
membership met every week.
In 1912 the YMBA lost one of
its most dedicated members when
C.S. Dissanayake passed away. He
has been described as the father of
the YMBA and he was never tired
of devoting the bulk of his time
and energy to the Association. He
had a dream that the YMBA should
some day develop into one of the
most respected and prestigious
organizations representing the
Buddhists of this country. In
the decades that followed, that
visionary’s dream has been more
than realized. The Buddhists of
Sri Lanka owe a great debt of
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist

gratitude to him for the devotion with which he
saw the Association carry on and survive through
thick and thin. The circumstances were adverse and
influential missionaries would have liked to see this
fledging organization fold up and die. It nearly did.
In recognition of the deep debt that it owed him the
Association erected a marble monument over his
grave and handed it over to his relatives at a formal
ceremony held at his graveside at the Kanatte
Cemetery where several members were present.
After his death, the YMBA plunged into a most
parlous state and this condition was compounded by
the riots of 1915. It threw the Buddhist public into
disarray. With the imprisonment of their leaders the
Buddhists found themselves completely leaderless
and acutely despondent. The reign of terror which
followed the riots, drove many Buddhists to panic
and injustices cowed them down. In these unfortunate
circumstances, it looked as if the Association would
become extinct. Moreover it faced bankruptcy. Many
members had failed to pay their subscriptions and
funds were very low.
By the 1940’s the Colombo YMBA had revived.
Of special significance was that the following
Members of the Colombo YMBA being elected
to Ceylon’s first House of Representatives are
Messrs. D.S. Senanayake (Mirigama), S.W.R.D.
Bandaranaike (Attanagalla), Col. J.L. Kotalawala
(Dodangaslanda), George E. De Silva (Kandy)
P.B. Bulankulame Dissawe (Anuradhapura),
A.P. Jayasuriya (Horana), Simon Abeywickreme
(Baddegama), A.F. Molamure (Balangoda)
R.G. Senanayake (Dambadeniya), Montague
Jayawickrama (Weligama), A. Ratnayake
(Wattegama), E.A. Nugawala (Kadugannawa), M.D.
Banda (Maturata), Dudley Senanayake (Dedigama),
H De Z. Siriwardena (Negombo) H.L. Ratwatte
(Mawanella), D.S. Gunasekera (Udugama), R.S.S.
Gunawardena (Gampola), J.R. Jayawardena
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(Kelaniya), H. Sri Nissanka (Kurunegala),
Wilmot A. Perera (Matugama), A.E. Goonesinha
(Colombo Central).
Another historic achievement from the then
members was that several of them were appointed
as the Prime Minister, Ministers and Parliamentary
Secretaries of the new government.
Our Ministers
Prime Minister - Mr. D.S.Senanayake
Minister of Finance - Mr. J.R. Jayewardene
Minister of Health and Local Government -
Mr. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike
Minister of Education - Mr. E.A. Nugawela,
Minister of Agriculture and Lands -
Mr. Dudley Senanayake
Minister of Industries, Industrial Research and
Fisheries - Mr. George E. De Silva
Minister of Food and Co-operative Undertakings -
Mr. A. Ratnayake
Minister of Transport and Works -
Col. J.L. Kotalawala
Minister without Portfolio - Mr. R.S.S. Gunawardena
Minister of Justice - Dr. L.A. Rajapakse
Parliamentary Secretaries
Ministry of Labour and Social Service -
Mr. A.E. Goonasinha
Ministry of Industries, Industrial Research and
Fisheries - Mr. H. De Z. Siriwardena
Ministry of Transport and Works -
Mr. Simon Abeywickrama
Ministry of Posts and Telecommunication -
Mr. A.P. Jayasuriya
Speaker - Mr. A.F. Molamure
Our Senators
Mr. Justin Kotalawala, Mr. W.A.B. Soysa,
Mr. Cyril de Zoysa, Dr. L.A. Rajapakse

Construction of Buildings
The absence of a building in a central location
to house its headquarters was a serious deficiency
for the work of the Association. This was overcome in
1924 when ‘Mahanil’ on the then Kanatte Road (now
D.S. Senanayake Mawatha) was purchased. Of the
purchase price of Rs.70,000/- only Rs.5000/- was paid
and the balance was a loan secured by the mortgage
of the same property to the seller and the mortgage
of a valuable property of F.R. Senanayake, one of the
Vice-Presidents of the Association.
The lack of a suitable hall for Buddhist activities
was acutely felt for some time. Sir Cyril de Zoysa
personally funded the construction of the Hall in
The Five Good Rules
Sir Edwin Arnold
(From “The Buddhist” September, 1937)
Kill not – for pity’s sake – and lest ye slay
The meanest thing upon its upward way.
the Borella premises of the Association which was
opened in 1948 when the Association celebrated its
Golden Jubilee.
To cater to the religious needs of numerous
government and mercantile employees working in
Colombo Fort, the Association decided in 1934 to
establish a branch in that area. The government in
1942 offered a block of land in Fort to construct a
building, and only in July 1956 the construction of the
present five storied building in Fort commenced . The
guiding force behind the building project was Sir Cyril
de Zoysa whose legendary drive and resourcefulness
enabled the work to be completed in the early 1960s.
Give freely and receive, but take from none
By greed, or force, or fraud, what is his own.
Bear not false witness, slander not nor lie;
Truth is the speech of inward purity.
Shun drugs and drinks which work the wit abuse;
Clear minds, clean bodies need no Soma juice.
Touch not thy neighbour’s wife, neither commit
Sins of the flesh unlawful and unfit.
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News item from ‘The Buddhist’ of May, 1951
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WE MOURN THE DEATH
The Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake, P.C., Prime Minister of Ceylon
Vice-President, Colombo Y.M.B.A. (Died 22-03-1952)
We, in common with the whole nation, mourn the death of the Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake, Prime Minister
of Ceylon. Eloquent tributes to his memory have already been paid to him by the Press and the public
throughout the world, such as has never been paid to a Ceylonese before, that it is not necessary for us
here to say much.
For forty years he was a member of the Colombo Young Men’s Buddhist Association and for twenty-five
years he was the one of our Vice-Presidents.
The cause of religion was always dear to his heart and his particular ambition was to make Ceylon a
united nation, enjoying the respect and goodwill of the world. In the achievement of this aim he gave of
his services unstintedly and devotedly.
May his memory be a shining example to generations yet unborn.

News item from ‘The Buddhist’ of December, 1931
Our President Knighted
(From a portrait by Mr. J.D.A. Perera)
The Hon’ble Sir D.B. Jayatilaka. M.A., Barrister-at-Law
President, Y.M.B.A., Chief Editor of ‘The Buddhist’,
Editor-in-Chief of the Sinhalese Etymological Dictionary,
Minister for Home Affairs and the Leader of the State Council.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
5

News item from ‘The Buddhist’ of 1948 Golden Jubilee
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT Y.M.B.A. COLOMBO - - 1948
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Left to Right, Seated:- H.S. Gunasekera, L. Piyasena, H.W. Amarasuriya, Sir Ernest de Silva, Cyril de Zoysa, V.S. Nanayakkara, D.N.W. de Silva,
Standing:- R. Hewagama, C.M. Austin de Silva, E.S. Amerasinghe, L.R. Goonetilleke, D.L. Dissanayake, W.H. de Zoysa, N.J.V. Cooray,
Back Row:- R. Batuwantudawe, D.S. Samarasinghe, D.A.S. Perera.

SIR BARON
JAYATILAKA
AN EXEMPLARY
BUDDHIST LEADER
PRESIDENT, 1898 – 1944
Sir Baron Jayatilaka, an outstanding Statesman, was
the Leader of the State Council, Minister of Home Affairs, a
Buddhist Leader, an oriental scholar and Diplomat. He was
born in 1868 at Waragoda, Kelaniya.
He had his early education at the well-known Vidyalankara
Pirivena, Peliyagoda, where he studied Pali, Sanskrit and
Buddhist Philosophy at the feet of erudite monks. Later,
his secondary education was at Wesley College, Colombo,
where he had a distinguished career. After graduating from
the University of Calcutta, India, he pursued further studies
at the prestigious University of Oxford in Britain obtaining a
First Class Degree and later a Masters Degree. He was also a
Barrister-at-Law.
Soon after the establishment of the Colombo YMBA in
January 1898, Sir Baron was invited to be its first President,
a position he held without interruption until his death in
1944, a period of 46 years. Among his many contributions
to the development and expansion of this Association
in its initial stages to occupy an important position in
the Buddhist affairs of the country, was the conduct of
Dhamma examinations for students of Dhamma schools.
Sir Baron began his career as an educationist. He was
Principal of Dharmaraja College, Kandy, founded by The
Buddhist Theosophical Society (BTS) in 1890 at the age of
22 years. In 1898, he assumed duties as Vice Principal of
Ananda College, Colombo, the premier Buddhist secondary
educational institution in the country. He became the Principal
of that College in the following year and also held the position
of General Manager of Buddhist schools of The Buddhist
Theosophical Society that managed a large
number of Buddhist schools all over the
island before 1960.
As a politician, he was the Leader of
the State Council, the highest political office
that a Sri Lankan could hold at that point
of time. As an educationist, he was the
Principal of two leading Buddhist Colleges
in the country at a very young age and
also one time President of The Buddhist
Theosophical Society.
In 1942 he resigned as the Leader of the
State Council and Minister of Home Affairs with advancing years
and declining health. He was then appointed as the first High
Commissioner for Sri Lanka in India. In that capacity, he was
responsible for strengthening ties between the two countries.
While in India he fell ill with a serious stomach
ailment and while being brought back to Sri Lanka by plane,
probably passed away during the flight. Thus came to an
end a remarkable career where he distinguished himself as a
Statesman, educationist, politician, oriental scholar, Buddhist
leader and Diplomat. Paying a handsome tribute to Sir Baron,
G.G. Ponnambalam, then Member of the State Council for
Point Pedro and the Leader of the Tamil Congress observed
that ‘‘starting life as a school master, Sir Baron remained to
the end of his days a student; and what is more a scholar
– in the remarkable combination of qualities of scholarship,
statesmanship and erudition. I think Sir Baron Jayatilaka will
be difficult to be surpassed in the near future’’.
Above all, Sir Baron was an exemplary Buddhist with a
profound understanding of the Dhamma. Invaluable Buddhist
virtues of loving kindness, compassion, joy in the happiness of
others, charity, courage and perseverance were conspicuous
features of his noble character. By meditation and reflection, he
developed mental serenity that enabled him to remain calm and
unruffled in the hustle and bustle of life especially as a politician.
He was a man for all seasons, a man worthy of emulation.
May he realise early the supreme bliss and peace of Nibbana.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist

SIR ERNEST DE
SILVA
PRESIDENT, 1944 – 1955
Sir Ernest de Silva succeeded Sir Baron Jayatilaka as
President of the Colombo YMBA in 1944 and continued to
head this premiere Buddhist institution until his death in
1957. The imposing YMBA Building in Fort is largely due
to his pioneering efforts.
Albert Ernest de Silva was born on 26th November,
1887 and was educated at Royal College, Colombo. He
graduated from Clare College, Cambridge in 1910. He
was a Barrister-at-Law, but after a brief practice, joined
his father in his flourishing Export and Import Firm. He
made his contribution to the development of the Island’s
Trade & Commerce as the first Chairman of the Bank
of Ceylon and Chairman of the State Mortgage Bank.
A philatelist of international standing, Sir Ernest is
known to have had one of the best collections of stamps. A
Mauritius One Penny stamp he donated towards the YMBA
building project in Colombo Fort fetched 4,500 Pounds at
a London Auction.
Sir Ernest was a race horse owner and had the
distinction of winning two Governor’s Cups in Ceylon and
one in Calcutta. However, he was no gambler and raced
his horses for the love of the sport. As President of the
Turf Club, he insisted on clean racing.
Sir Ernest will be remembered not so much for his
love of horse racing or for stamp collecting but for his
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
magnificent generosity to the community.
Together with his wife, Lady Evadne, he
started a Boys’ Home in Walana and
a Girls’ Home in Moratuwa. The Boys’
Home was handed over to the YMBA after
his death. He also donated the land for
the Parakrama Home for Boys.
Sir Ernest bought a small island
near Dodanduwa and handed it over to
the German Monk Rev. Nayanatiloka for
a hermitage. He also helped the forest
hermitages of Salgala and Thapovanaya.
The Radiology Unit Building was donated by Sir
Ernest in memory of his mother to the General Hospital,
Colombo. He was President of the CNAPT and together
with his father donated extensive lands on which the
Kandana Sanatorium and the Hawk Memorial Hospital for
Children stand.
With regard to Free Education, he was way ahead of the
Government. Two big schools, Devapathiraja Boys’ school
and Girls’ school were built by him in his Home Town,
Ratgama and other schools in Dematagoda, Walana and
Mawathagama. They imparted English Education at a time
when this was a privilege of the upper classes, free of charge.
Whilst being President of the YMBA, Sir Ernest
passed away on the 9th of May, 1957.

SIR CYRIL DE
ZOYSA
PRESIDENT, 1960 – 1978
To Solomon de Zoysa, Notary public and Harriet his
devoted wife, was born as their second child on 26 October,
1897, Cyril a person with a vision, determination and devotion
to Buddhist activities. Coming from down South, then a
hamlet called Balapitiya, he was raised in Southern schools
and later ended up at Royal College, Colombo.
In his early twenties he passed out as a proctor and started
practicing at the Kalutara Bar, a base for all his early activities.
While he was a lawyer at Matugama and Kalutara, he took
an immense liking to the Kalutara Bodhiya. He spent much of
his money and was exceptionally capable of gathering funds
from other donors to build gradually the Kalutara Bodhiya as
a land mark in Sri Lanka and is venerated as a sacred edifice
at which Buddhists from all over the world worship.
As the Chairman of the Kiri Vehera Restoration Society,
the Kiri Vehera was rebuilt and restored to it’s original glory
for devotees to venerate.
Moving from Kalutara to Colombo, he started a bus
company which expanded to be the Southwestern Bus Company,
of which he was the Managing Director and Chairman.
He was the pioneer who established Associated
Motorways, of which he became its first Chairman. He was
nominated to the Senate by Prime Minster, D.S. Senanayake
and was later elected as President of the Senate.
His interest in Buddhist Associations in Colombo saw
him become a member of every leading Buddhist Association,
and tirelessly worked to develop the Colombo YMBA to what
it is today. The building at Fort and the Hall in Borella were
due to his untiring efforts. The latter he built at his expense
in memory of his parents. He expanded all the activities in
the YMBA while he was on the Board of Management of this
institution and when he was the President for 17 years, till his
death on 2 January 1978.
He was a colossus among other people of his
stature. It is commonly said that whatever he touched
turned into gold.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
9

ACTIVITIES OF THE YMBA
Devotees observing Sil on Full Moon
Poya Day at the Colombo YMBA.
Two “The Buddhist”
Journals Published by the
Colombo YMBA.
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Sunday and Full Moon Poya Day Programme
Through the years of the Association’s existence,
one of the main interests of it has been religious
activities and Buddhist education. The Association
had set as its aim rebuilding of interest in the study
of Buddhism and its restoration to its right place. It
set out to do so by providing the YMBA as a forum
for delivering sermons, lectures, discussions and at
the same time making reading material available in
its library and the reading room.
Every Sunday sermons and meditation classes with
the participation of eminent Buddhist monks are
conducted at the main hall of the YMBA Borella.
On Full Moon Poya days several hundreds of men, women and children gather
at the Main Hall in Borella to observe Sil. A full days programme of Dhamma
discussions, Sermons and Meditation sessions are scheduled. Breakfast, lunch
and tea are offered to all participants.
‘The Buddhist’ Journal
Around 1902 ‘The Buddhist’ Journal which was
started by the Buddhist Theosophical Society (BTS)
was taken over by the Colombo YMBA and it has
been published by the Association since then. This
Journal perhaps is the oldest English Buddhist
Journal in the world, being first published in 1898.
It is now a quarterly Journal which carries articles
in both English and Sinhala languages, including
poems. A Special Vesak Annual is published every
year with the contribution of articles from local and
foreign Scholars of Buddhism. The Journal also now
includes a summary of all current activities of the
Colombo YMBA with colourful photographs depicting
various events held. All members are sent copies of ‘The Buddhist’ and they are
available at the YMBA Head Office, Borella at a nominal price for non-members.

The Buddhist English Panel
Discussion on Sunday at the
Colombo YMBA Borella.
Inmates of the Gamini Matha
Elders Home.
Public Buddhist English Panel Discussion
Gamini Matha Elders Home
The Association conducts monthly Public Buddhist
Panel Discussions in English on every third Sunday of
the month covering various topics, with the participation
of erudite Buddhist Scholars and University Lecturers.
Some of the subjects discussed included ‘Anicca,
the Vital Factor in Buddhism’ ‘What is Happiness?’,
‘Sila in Daily Life’, ‘Living without Attachments and
Aversions’, ‘The Practice of Walking Meditation and its
Benefits’, and ‘The Benefits of the Practice of Metta’.
The Gamini Matha Home for Elders in Colombo
established by the Late Mrs. H.M. Gunasekera was
handed over to the Colombo YMBA in 1970. The
Home has accommodation for 50 male inmates. The
elders are provided with television, radio and indoor
games. The elders are also taken on pilgrimages
and excursions regularly with the assistance of well-
wishers. A Medical Officer regularly visits the home
and all medicines prescribed are supplied by the YMBA.
Religious observances are held every day and the
inmates observe Sil on all full Moon Poya days.
The Home depends entirely on donations of well-wishers.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
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Children of Lakshmi Home Walana,
admiring their gifts received at the
Sinhala New Year Celebrations.
Pilgrims’ Rest Kataragama.
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Lakshmi Home for Children, Walana, Katunayake
The Lakshmi Home for children situated at Walana,
Katunayake was given to the Colombo YMBA by Sir
Ernest De Silva. This Home is situated on a block
of land of over one acre. It has accommodation
for 45 male children of 6 – 18 years of age. The
Home now consists of spacious dormitories, and
newly constructed baths, toilets and a dining hall.
The children also have indoor facilities such as a
large study room and television and indoor games.
The Association provides them with meals, clothing
and educational facilities. All the children have their
education in government schools in the area. The
children are brought up in a Buddhist atmosphere
and they participate in religious observances in the morning and evening and
observe Sil on Poya days.
During their school vacations and public holidays, the children are taken on
pilgrimages and educational tours with the help of well-wishers and donors.
All needs of the children are met by the YMBA and donations of well-wishers.
Kataragama Pilgrims’ Rest
To serve the devotees visiting Kataragama, the
Association has a Pilgrims’ Rest at Kataragama
charging very nominal rates. The Pilgrims Rest
has 70 rooms and 11 large halls and could
accommodate over 600 pilgrims. The Rest is
extremely popular among the pilgrims who visit
Kataragama. Whilst reasonably comfortable rooms
are available, the large halls with common cooking
facilities are also available at a very nominal cost.
Since the building and the Rest is over 40 years
old, it needs renovations and refurbishment
to make it more comfortable and attractive.

Youths attending Leadership
Training Programme.
Undergraduates who received
scholarships from the YMBA for
the year 2009.
Buddhist Leadership Training Programme
In 2007, the Association initiated the Buddhist
Leadership Training Programme for young persons
as a part of the 2550 years of Buddha Jayanthi
Celebrations, with the objective of developing and
reinforcing the leadership skills of our youth and
consolidating their knowledge of the Dhamma to
focus on Buddhist values and develop effective
communication skills. The long term objective of
this programme is to develop future leaders with
balanced values and leadership attributes to serve
the society and the country in a positive manner.
The programme consists of a one week’s intensive
training on a residential basis, for selected boys and girls from Dhamma schools
all over the Island, who have done well in the Dhamma School examinations.
Out of those who follow the seven day course, selected batches of youth are
given further four days advance training on a residential basis. The subjects
taught include reinforcement of Dhamma knowledge, understanding Buddhist
values, personality development, leadership training, skills of public speaking
and methods of communication and meditation.
Scholarships
Students from low income families selected
for University education and children from
conflict affected areas are offered scholarships
in various fields. Over 60 scholarships at a cost
of around Rs. 1 million is awarded annually.
This year, we have offered the following
scholarships: Medicine 18, Arts 8, Engineering 7,
Management 7, Agriculture 4, Law 4, Commerce 7,
Accountancy 10. Tsunami affected Children &
Children from conflict affected areas 5.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
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Dhamma, Abhidhamma Text Books
Published by the Colombo YMBA for
the benifit of the candidates sitting for
Dhamma and Abhidhamma Examinations.
A.N. Nisansala Perera,
2007 All Island Best Student
in Grade 10,recieving her
Trophy from Ven. Agalakada
Siri Sumana Thera.
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Printing of Dhamma Books
Dhamma Schools Examinations
Four books prescribed for English Dhamma
and Abhidhamma examinations are printed and
available at the YMBA Book Shop at the Borella
complex. In addition to these, Dhamma Books
prescribed for the Dhamma School Examinations
in Sinhala are also available at the YMBA Book
Shop at a nominal price.
The Association conducted Dhamma examinations
for Grades 5 to 9 in the Dhamma schools registered
with the Association. The Dhamma examinations
were conducted in seven grades.
These examinations were conducted by the
Association for the first time in 1920 with 374
candidates sitting for the examination from 27
Dhamma schools registered with the Association.
The number of Dhamma schools registered with the
Association and the number of candidates sitting for
the Dhamma Examinations kept increasing rapidly
which was an indication of the acceptance of the
examinations conducted by the Association. There were 11,167 Dhamma schools registered
with the Association in 2007 and 722,669 candidates sat for the examination at 7250 centres in
that year. This was the highest number of candidates sat for any examination conducted in Sri
Lanka in that year. A separate branch with a full time staff was maintained at the headquarters
of the Association in Borella for the work connected with these examinations. The Branch was
assisted by a dedicated band of volunteers numbering about 45,000, who helped in setting
question papers and correcting answer scripts.
These examinations were taken by the Sasanarakshaka Mandalayas in 2007 to be conducted
by the Commissioner-General of Buddhist Affairs.

A scene from ‘Kadawalalu’
by Kingswood College Kandy,
winner of the Inter School
Drama Contest 2008.
Members at the Sir Baron Jayatilaka
Memorial Library.
Inter-School Sinhala Drama Competition
The Colombo YMBA has been conducting the
Inter-School Sinhala Drama Competition for the past
28 years annually. This competition encourages the
children to inculcate Buddhist ethics and values while
giving them an opportunity to display their talents
in drama and music. The short dramas based on
Jataka stories are presented by schools and Dhamma
schools island wide. Attractive cash prizes ranging
from Rs. 5000/- to Rs. 35,000/- are awarded to the
winners utilizing contributions from well-wishers and
the Members of the Board of Management. Over
two hundred schools have already applied for the
2009 competition.
Sir Baron Jayatilaka Memorial Library
The Association maintains the above library in
the new building of the Borella complex for the
benefit of the members of the Association as well
as for non-members for reading and reference.
The library includes many books on Buddhism
donated by the Late Sir Baron Jayatilaka and his
valuable collection of Ola Leaves on Buddhism.
Thousands of books published by authors of
National and International fame and the current
Buddhist periodicals are also available. All the daily
and weekend Sinhala and English newspapers are
made available for the members.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
25

Tehani Welgama, the Overall Winner
of "The Light of Asia” contest 2008,
receiving D.N.W.de Silva Memorial
Trophy from Hon. Sarath N. Silva,
The Chief Justice.
A winner recieving her prize from
Prasanna Goonetilleke, President
of the Colombo YMBA at The Gadya
Padya prize giving 2008.
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‘The Light of Asia’ Contest
‘The Light of Asia’ Contest inaugurated by the Late
Mr. D.N.W. de Silva in 1925 has been held annually.
The objective of the contest is to develop skills in
public speaking, acquire proficiency in the English
language among the younger generation of the
country and to inculcate Buddhist ethics and values.
The contestants have to recite a verse from ‘The Light
of Asia’ the classic authored by Sir Edwin Arnold and
give its meaning in his or her own words. The unique
features of this contest are that even non-Buddhists
take part in the contest, irrespective of their faith. This
contest is becoming very popular with increasing
numbers participating annually. The overall winner of
this contest is awarded the D.N.W. de Silva Challenge
Trophy and Rs. 25,000/- in cash. 60 Winners of 12
groups are awarded Challenge Trophies, cash prizes
and certificates. Over 1500 candidates have applied
to take part in the 2008 contest.
All Island Prose and Poetry (Gadya Padya) Contest
This contest has been conducted by the Colombo
YMBA annually since 1996. Children who are
talented in recitation from Dhamma schools all
over the Island compete. The prizes range from
Rs. 2500/- to Rs.15,000/- including trophies. Since
2007 an essay competition and poetry for juniors
and seniors and Dhamma school teachers also have
been added. This competition is also extremely
popular. The Jayaweera Kuruppu Memorial Trophy
and the L.R. Goonetilleke Memorial Trophy are
awarded to the winners of the Essay Competition
and Composition of Verses respectively in
addition to attractive cash prizes to all winners.

Ven.Olande Ananda Maha Thera
delivering Sir Baron Jayatilaka
Memorial Oration 2009.
Inaugaration of English classes on
08 December 2008 at the main hall,
YMBA Borella.
Sir Baron Jayatilaka Memorial Lecture
English Classes
This series of lectures in haonour of the first
President of the Association commenced in 1968.
There have been over 41 lectures on a topic related
to Buddhism. The first lecture was delivered by
the late Prof. G.P. Malalasekera, an outstanding
Pali and Buddhist scholar and a Vice President of
the Association.
Among the distinguished Lecturers in the
series were His Highness Prince Purachatra of
Thailand, Prof. K.N. Jayatilake, Ven. Piyadassi
Nayaka Thera, Prof. Jothiya Dhirasekera (now
Ven. Dhammavihari Thera), Ven. Dr. Walpola
Rahula Thera, Prof. David Kalupahana, Mr. Henri
Van Zeyst, Ven. Dr. Hammalawa Saddhatissa
Nayaka Thera, Prof. Y. Karunadasa, Ven. Bhikkhu
Bodhi, Ven. Olande Ananda Thera. Mr. Bogoda
Premaratne, Dr. Ananda W.P. Guruge, Prof. G.L.
Peiris, Deshamanya Neville Kanakaratne, Mr. Alec
Robertson and Prof. J.B. Dissanayake.
In 2008 the Association commenced the conduct
of English classes to assist those interested in
improving their knowledge of the language. These
classes are conducted every Saturday in four
sessions of two hours each, commencing from 8.30
am. Over 150 students attend these classes.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
2

Participants of the 2008 All Ceylon
affiliated YMBAs Annual Meeting.
Trainees in the Motor Mechanism
workshop at the VTI Divulapitiya.
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All Island Affiliated Young Men’s Buddhist Associations
The representatives of over 80 YMBAs in the
Island affiliated to the Colombo YMBA assemble in
Colombo for an annual session where they exchange
their views, and discuss matters of common
interest under the guidance and leadership of the
Colombo YMBA. All YMBAs gather as a common
front to present proposals to the government and
other relevant organizations regarding issues of
Buddhist importance.
Vocational Training, Divulapitiya
The Vocational Training Institute at Divulapitiya
was set up in 1991 and training commenced in
that year. The decision to locate the Institute at
Divulapitiya was taken because a study done in
1988 had revealed that the highest number of food
stamp holders in the Gampaha district were in
Divulapitiya and that youth unemployment in the
area was high. The Association was able to construct
the buildings for the Institute and to purchase the
necessary equipment with the assistance of the
Canadian Development Fund. Training is given at
the Institute to boys between 17 and 19 years of
age. They are trained for one year and receive on
the job training in recognized workshops for a further year. The
trades they are taught include motor mechanism, lathe operation,
metal fitting, light electrical work and carpentry. Presently the
Training Institute is being conducted with assistance from the
Vocational Training Authority.

Newly equipped and
refurbished gymnasium in
the YMBA Building, Fort.
News item appeared in the Daily News of
11 February, 1965. Mr. Richard G. Heggie
Rep. of the Asia Foundation in Ceylon
taking the first shot on the Billiards table
presented by Senator Lady Evadne de
Silva. Sir Cyril de Zoysa the President of
the Colombo YMBA is also in the picture.
Fort Gymnasium
Borella Billiards Section
The Fort building was equipped with a
gymnasium and facilities for weight-lifting, judo,
gymnastics, table tennis, body building and
carrom. The Association has produced many
outstanding sportsmen who excelled in akido, body
building, karate, judo, weight-lifting and wrestling.
Today as a joint venture the YMBA has a modern
gymnasium with the latest equipment catering
to many young people employed in the Fort area.
The Colombo YMBA Billiard Section is well
patronized and has produced several players who
have won National and International tournaments
which has brought credit to the Association and
Sri Lanka. The Late Sir Ernest de Silva, a former
President was a great enthusiast of the game and
it was during his time that Billiards became very
popular at the YMBA. After his demise, Lady Evadne
de Silva gifted his own billiard table, its accessories,
two calamander settees and several leather chairs
to the Colombo YMBA in 1965. The billiard table
and some of this furniture is yet being used in our
billiards room.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
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30 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Pali, Dhamma and Abhidhamma English Examination
These examinations in the English language commenced in 1948 for the benefit of students in the United Kingdom, Malaysia,
Singapore, India and Australia. There has been a large increase in the number of candidates sitting for the examinations in the
English language from 692 in 2002 to 4437 in 2008. This examination has now become very popular among school children
who follow Buddhism in the English medium in Sri Lanka as well as overseas.
Pali, Dhamma and Abhidhamma Sinhala Examination
Pali, Dhamma and Abhidhamma examinations in Sinhala commenced in 1984. This is for the benefit of students of
Dhamma schools, Buddhist monks and laymen. An average of 500 − 600 sit for this examination annually.
Dr. D.J. Attygalla Trust
By his last will Dr. D.J. Attygalla, the well known physician, bequeathed his house bearing assessment number 50, Dudley
Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo 8, to the Association. Dr. Attygalla passed away in 1998 and the property was conveyed to
the Association in 2001. In 2005 the Board of Management created the Dr. D.J. Attygalla Trust to perpetuate the memory of
the Late Dr. Attygalla for his valuable gift to the Association. Several scholarships for medical students are awarded and the
Buddhist Leadership Training programms are conducted from the income of this Trust.

A
His Excellency the President
The Minister of Religious Affairs
Temple Trees
Colombo 3
Your Excellency,
GENERAL:
copy of a Letter addressed to H.E. The President
DHAMMA SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS CONDUCTED BY THE COLOMBO Y.M.B.A.
18. 02. 2008.
I refer to the circular issued by the Commissioner General of Buddhist Affairs dated 29 June 2006 informing Dhamma Schools that the
Dhamma Examinations in all grades will be conducted by Sasana Arakshaka Bala Mandalaya with effect from the year 2007. As you are
no doubt aware, these examinations have been conducted by the Colombo YMBA since 1920. It was the revered Buddhist leader, Sir
Baron Jayatilleke, the Founder President of the Association, who proposed that the Association conducts Dhamma Examinations on an
islandwide basis with the objective of inculcating knowledge of the Dhamma in the younger generation. This was during the period of
colonial rule when there was little or no assistance from the authorities for Buddhist activities. Between 1920 and 1971, many Dhamma
Schools were established throughout the Island and registered with the Association. In time, the Government realized the importance of
the Dhamma examinations and decided to give a grant to the Association for the conduct of these examinations.
THE GOVERNMENT TAKING OVER THE EXAMINATIONS IN 9 :
In 1971, the Government took over the conduct of these examinations from the Association. This move was with the objective of further
strengthening Dhamma education in the country and was in keeping with the policy of the Government at the time, and not on account of
any deficiencies on the part of the Association in conducting these examinations.
HANDING OVER THE EXAMINATIONS BACK TO THE Y.M.B.A. IN 9 :
This became apparent when the Government requested the Association to resume the conduct of these examinations in 1978 after a lapse
of 7 years. The Government thereafter extended the fullest support to the Association in the conduct of these examinations by having
the question papers and certificates printed at the Government Press at Government expense and affording the Association free postal
facilities. The Association has been conducting these examinations thereafter from 1978 to-date. It is generally accepted that the Dhamma
Examinations conducted by the Association are of a high standard and the certificates issued by the Association to students who sit these
examinations are recognized both in Sri Lanka and abroad. The numbers of students applying to sit these examinations have increased
over the years and the number of students applying to sit the examination in 2005 was 722,669. Even with the facilities afforded by the
Government, the Association had to spend over 6 million rupees a year in the conduct of these examinations. This financial burden the
Association has willingly undertaken over the years even though it has been a considerable strain on its resources.
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BUDDHA SASANA COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS:
In 1996, the Buddhist Commission report recommended that Grades 1 to 6 of the Dhamma Examinations be conducted
by the Dhamma Schools and that Grade 9 of that examination be conducted by the Association. On the 22 of April, 2003,
the Minister of Buddha Sasana at the time, Hon. W.J.M. Lokubandara appointed a Committee consisting of the Ven.
Welamitiyawe Kusaladhamma Nayaka Thero, the Commissioner of Buddhist Affairs and Mr. U.B. Herath, Superintendent
of Examinations, Colombo Y.M.B.A. to inquire into and report on this recommendation. The Commissioner of Buddhist
Affairs was to act as the Secretary to the Committee. Unfortunately, no meeting of this Committee was ever summoned.
INCREASING COST TO CONDUCT THE EXAMINATIONS:
Due to increasing financial constraints the Association was compelled in 2006 to charge a fee of Rs. 5 from every student applying to
sit the Dhamma Examinations. This decision was not an arbitrary decision of the Association. It was taken by the Board of Management
of the Association after consultation with, and the written concurrence of the Commissioner General of Buddhist Affairs by letter dated
20th Oct, 2005 (copy attached). I would like to emphasize that this fee was required to be levied only from students who could afford to
pay the fee and not from every student as has been misinterpreted in some quarters. In any event, over 30% of the students who sat for
the examinations did not pay the fee of Rs. 5 and they were not penalized for the failure to comply with this request.
TAKING OVER THE EXAMINATIONS BY THE SASANA ARAKSHAKA MANDALAYA IN 200 :
In 2007, the Commissioner General of Buddhist Affairs by circular dated 29th Oct, 2006 informed the Dhamma Schools that Grades 6
to 9 of the Dhamma Examinations will in future be conducted by the Sasana Arakshaka Mandalaya. All facilities which had hitherto been
extended to the Association by the Government for the conduct of the Dhamma Examinations were withdrawn in that year.
DECISION OF THE Y.M.B.A. NOT TO CONDUCT THE EXAMINATIONS FROM 200 :
Without the benefit of the facilities extended by the Government, it would cost the Association Rs. 8,000,000/− a year to conduct these
examinations. This is approximately the cost incurred by the Association in conducting the examination in 2007. Apart from the enormous
financial burden that this would impose on the Association in the future, it does not see any particular benefit in conducting an examination
parallel with the examination conducted by the Sasana Arakshaka Mandalaya. The Association has therefore decided not to conduct this
examination with effect from 2008. The Association however, can take justifiable pride in the fact that it has been able to render a signal
service to the community for over eighty years, and particularly at a time when there was the greatest demand for Dhamma education in
this country and there was no other institution which came forward to satisfy this demand. The Association wishes the Department and the
Sasana Arakshaka Bala Mandalaya every success in its future endeavours. The Association is willing at all times to extend its fullest support
and assistance to the Department and the Sasana Arakshaka Mandalaya in achieving our common objective which is the strengthening
of Dhamma education in this country.
RE-EMPLOYMENT FOR THE EXPERIENCED STAFF:
In this connection, I would like to mention that the Association has set up a special section to conduct the Dhamma Examinations. This
section consists of a Superintendent of Examinations and 16 other officers. The fact that the Dhamma Examinations have been held
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within the prescribed time frames for several hundred thousands of students at centres throughout the country is due to the efficiency
and dedication of these officers. With the closing down of this section, these officers will not only lose their employment but a resource
painstakingly built over the years will be lost to the country. I shall be grateful therefore, if Your Excellency would direct that these officers
be given alternate employment in Government service engaged in Dhamma Education.
Thank you,
With Metta,
COLOMBO YOUNG MEN’S BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION
Prasanna Goonetilleke
President
Copies to:
(1) Hon. Pandu Bandaranayake, Minister of Religious Affairs,
Ministry of Religious Affairs, 115, Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 7.
(2) Secretary, Ministry of Religious Affairs,115, Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 7.
(3) Commissioner-General of Buddhist Affairs,135, Dharmapala Mw., Colombo 7.
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Meditation in Daily Life
Ven. Olande Ananda Thera
(Ven. Olande Ananda Thera was born in Holand. While pursuing
studies at the University of Amsterdam in Holand, he lost interest
in academic pursuits in favour of Religion. He was ordained as
a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka in 9 5, and since then has been
in the island most of the time. His sermons, meditation classes
and participation in Buddhist discussions are very popular.)
Extracts from 41st Sir Baron Jayatilaka
Memorial Oration delivered on 13th
February, 2009, at the Colombo Y.M.B.A.
Meditation is not reserved only for people living in
an ashram or a cave or for people whose sole interest is
spirituality. It benefits the most practical person, and also the
most visionary one.
On the physical level, it relaxes the body, replenishes it
with vitality, and restores its energy, health and balance. It
prevents exhaustion from overwork or too much activity.
On the emotional and mental levels, it reduces anxiety,
worry and anger, and develops peace of mind, tolerance,
patience and goodwill towards the surrounding world. The
mental faculties function better, and memory, concentration
and will power are improved.
On the spiritual level it awakens awareness of the real
inner Self. One gets a taste of the inner consciousness, which
is beyond the mind.
Meditation has nothing to do with impracticality, absent
mindedness and laziness, as some might believe. You do not
have to live a secluded life, own nothing, and stay away from
any activity in order to meditate and lead a spiritual life. You
can live an ordinary life, with a job and family, and yet, at the
same time meditate and lead an intensive spiritual life.
You can wear a robe or other special clothes, grow your
hair, light candles and incense or sit on the floor when you
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meditate, but you can also spend your day in an office, wear
a suit and sit on a chair when you mediate. The outside cover
and trimming are not really important. It is the attitude and
what goes inside you that count.
Proper and effective meditation requires some inner
strength. There has to be ambition, desire, will power,
drive and perseverance. All these qualities are in fact the
same basic qualities needed for success in the material
world.
Even if you have a job, run a business or pursue a
career, you will benefit from this practice. It will not turn
you into an indifferent, ambitionless and impractical
person. It will add to your common sense, develop intuition
and energize you. The concept that meditation is not for
practical people is utterly wrong.
Here is a simple, effective and practical method that
will strengthen your concentration and add to your peace
of mind, besides other benefits. To get results you will
need to practice daily for about ten minutes each time.
Watching thoughts Meditation:
1) Find a place where you can be alone.
2) Sit down and pay attention to your body. Relax your
muscles and ease any physical tension.
3) Breathe a few deep breaths.
4) Watch your thoughts as if watching an uninteresting
movie. Regard the thoughts as birds hovering round a
crumb of bread. This crumb of bread is your attention.
They are all seeking your attention. They will bring
associations, images and feelings. Your job is to stay
detached and disregard all these thoughts. Just watch
them with no interest.
You are not these thoughts. They are visitors coming
to visit your mind. It is you, the real you, watching these
thoughts. Just look at them as if watching some far away,
uninteresting scene. If they force you to follow them, ask
them who is the boss, you or they?

Stay relaxed and don’t get tense. Do not fight your
thoughts or get angry and frustrated if you cannot stay away
from them. It is a natural habit to let every thought enter freely
into the mind. It takes time and effort to change this habit.
The secret of success with this exercise is detachment. Go on
practicing this meditation, even if you fail and forget to watch
the thoughts. Your resolve, patience and perseverance will
eventually bring you peace of mind, concentration, composure,
happiness and consciousness of your real inner self.
How can we put Meditation into Practice in Daily Life?
Before bringing meditation into practice in daily life,
we must study the theory of Buddhist meditation until we
know well the methods of meditation practice and then
bring them into practice every day, in the same way as the
athlete exercises to build up his strength. The athlete obtains
benefits from game playing to be used for himself and for
others when he knows well the way of the game and trains
himself accordingly. Because, if we do not know the way of
practice of meditation or even if we do know it well but do not
always practice it, then it cannot bring great fruit. Sometimes,
it can’t bring any fruit to us even though we try to bring it
into practice. So it is not sufficient to apply oneself only to
the theoretical knowledge of Buddhism. The realization of the
Buddha’s teachings in daily life is essential.
Síla or Morality is the Firm Foundation of Meditation Practice
One who can apply meditation in daily life with good
benefit must observe Síla (moral precepts),of which there
must be at least five precepts for lay people, because Síla
or morality is the firm foundation of Buddhist meditation.
Without Síla one cannot proceed to a highest level of practice
in Buddhism, that is, meditation. So we realize that observing
five precepts, which is a primary duty of meditation practice,
can bring a great deal of benefit or value to meditators and to
society as a whole.
It is obvious that most of the trouble, decline, and suffering
of the world at present are caused by the lack of morality of
people, which is the lack of observance of the five precepts.
But these five precepts can exist in the mind of an aspirant for
a long time if the aspirant sees the danger of the lack of the way
of observing it. That is to say, if anyone of the five precepts is
violated or destroyed, it can be observed once again by oneself. In
this way, we can observe the five precepts as a firm foundation of
meditation practice for the rest of our lives. By doing so, we shall
not waste our opportunity of having met Buddhism in this life.
What kind of Meditation can be Applied in Daily Life?
Out of all the kinds of meditation in Buddhism,
mindfulness of breathing or Anápanásati as it is called in Pali
is a kind that can be practiced in both the fields of Tranquility
Meditation and Insight Meditation. It is easily practiced and
is very popular in Thailand, Burma and becoming popular
in Sri Lanka also nowadays. Besides, it can be used in
every posture, that is, standing, sitting, walking, or lying.
When sitting on the chair, in a bus, in a train, or even in
an airplane, we can contemplate our breathing. In this way,
we free our minds from mental hindrances or distractions
until they are calm and quiet, even if only for a few minutes.
This yields energy, peace, and refreshment to the body and
mind, permitting us to go on with our daily duties with more
safety and efficiency than before.
A Perfect Meditator is Always Mindful
The practice of meditation can make a meditator
mindful in all actions. That is, one maintains mindfulness in
walking, standing, sitting, speaking, eating, working, being
silent, driving, lying down, and so on. In this way, one attains
more and more clear comprehension and mindfulness,
producing better benefits in performing the duties in his
daily life. For example, one works more efficiently in daily
life and seldom makes mistakes in doing work. In addition,
meditation is used to stop the power of mental defilements
that will damage one’s mind. However, in training the mind to
be always mindful, it is advised by some meditation masters
that in the beginning one must not hurry. One must perform
meditation quite slowly and calmly because mindfulness
doesn’t chase after the racing mind.
The Advantages of Walking Meditation
Of the methods of meditation practice in daily life,
walking meditation is excellent because it makes the mind
reach full concentration and also produces good health for
the meditator. Walking meditation is walking up and down a
fixed path with mindfulness. While walking, one contemplates
one of the many meditation objects such as the virtues of
the Triple Gem, the 32 parts of the body, the recollection on
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death, the development of náma (name) and rúpa (form) and
so forth. The meditator usually practices walking meditation
alternated with Sitting meditation. Usually one walks for half
an hour and then sits for half an hour, or one can walk for an
hour and then sit for an hour, etc.
1. To be patient in walking a long journey
2. To be patient in practicing meditation
3. To have good health
4. To facilitate the digestion of what is eaten and drunk
5. The concentration attained while walking remains for
long periods of time
So walking meditation is very useful for both the mind
and the body. This is why physicians in modern times advise
us to walk in the morning for health. Walking meditation not
only gives power to the body and the mind but also is very
useful in daily life. Other kinds of Buddhist meditation, such
as insight meditation, can also be put into practice in our
daily lives if we know the ways of practicing them.
A good meditation practice does not end when the
timer goes off. Too often, once a meditation session stops,
a person gets caught up in the stresses and routines of
the day and many of the benefits of having had meditated
are erased. Meditation should not be seen as a temporary
break, but rather a transformative process that enriches
your life and the lives around you. This week, we’ll work
on bringing meditation ‘‘off the cushion’’ and in to the rest
of your life.
How it Works: By adding brief ‘‘reminder’’ practices into
your day, you can maintain some of the benefits of meditation
all day long. By using a few simple techniques to achieve a
quick meditative state, you’ll be able to work your meditation
practice into your daily activities to achieve more calm and
focus than ever before.
Get Motivated: You’ll be able to evoke a meditative
state whenever you need some calm or creativity in your life.
Doing meditations in a variety of environments will help you
stay focused and in control of your mind. You won’t be as
influenced by impulsive emotions and will be able to focus
more on what you would like to do.
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The Steps
Below are six techniques for working meditation into
your daily life. Try at least one of these each day this week.
1. Chore Meditation: Any repetitive chore can be turned
into a meditation simply by adding a focusing element.
You can count your breaths while cleaning counters,
folding laundry or washing windows, for example. Any
chore that is automatic in nature and does not require
decision-making while you are doing it works well.
2. Walking Meditation: While taking a walk, link your
breathing with your steps. A traditional walking meditation
practice (made popular by Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat
Hanh) is to take a step with each breath. This slow walking
meditation practice can be very powerful. If you don’t have
the time or place for slow walking, then just take a breath with
every two or three steps while walking down the hall, across
a parking lot or in a store.
3. Exercise Meditation: Turn exercise into meditation by
focusing your mental energy on your body. Picture the push
and pull of your muscles. Feel how your body gracefully
adjusts to your movements. Be amazed at your balance.
4. Two Breaths: Taking two simple, mindful breaths can
engage your meditative state. Take two breaths before making
a phone call, answering an e-mail or starting your car. This is a
great way to bring meditation into your day dozens of times.
5. Sounds Cue: Choose a particular sound, and take two
breaths every time you hear it. Traditionally, monks would do
this when they heard the wind chimes and bells of the temple.
Choose a sound that occurs frequently in your setting. You
could take a five-second pause in your thinking whenever
you hear someone else’s cell phone, for example.
6. Transitions: Transitions are times when you move from
one setting to another. Coming home from work, for example,
is a transition from your professional self to your private self.
Going into some meetings, you may transition into a different
personal style in order to get something done. Lunchtime may
be a transition for you as well. Traditionally, monks would
pause every time they crossed a threshold and transitioned

from one room to another. Pick a few transitions in your daily
life (like getting into your car, walking into your workplace and
opening your front door), and take a five-second meditative
pause before entering the new setting. Perhaps you will even
make opening a certain computer programme or checking
your e-mail a transition.
Commitment ‘This week I will try at least one of these practices
every day’. Tips to help you along the way:
• Don’t be tempted to substitute these practices for your
daily meditation. You must maintain your daily habit
of sitting and focusing. That habit will allow you to use
these practices effectively. You develop your ‘‘meditation
muscles’’ by sitting and focusing. These new applications
are about using that new strength in your daily life.
• In the beginning, try to pick practices that you can do
when you are alone. It is difficult to take two mindful
breaths while talking to someone, or even when you
are in a situation where other people can watch you.
Your car is a great place for a bit of privacy. While
you are working at your computer or doing laundry
are also good times for these meditation moments.
• Look at an anatomy book and marvel at the human
body. As you go through your day, you can do an
‘‘exercise meditation’’ that focuses on whatever your
body is doing. You could simply be walking, typing
or going up the stairs. Picture how the muscles
and nerves work. Be awed by your own body.
Ready for More?
If you want to do more, try developing a mindfulness
practice. In mindfulness, the idea is to be aware of whatever
you are doing. The opposite of mindfulness is automatic
action. Pick something you do often during the day, like
opening a door.
Can you aware of yourself opening the door each time?
Are you really present as you open the door? Are you aware
of your hand on the door, the door opening, your body
crossing through and the door closing behind you? Or is it an
automatic process without awareness?
Develop your mindfulness skills by picking something
that you do often and trying to be aware of yourself doing it
each time. It is a lot harder than it sounds, and it takes practice.
EXAMPLE OF JON KABAT-ZINN OF THE RAISIN:
John Kabat-Zinn, Professor at Harvard University, is
teaching MBSRT (Mindfulness – Based Stress – Reduction
Therapy) with great success to patients and clients who come
to him for advice.
In a Seminar held in a 5-star Hotel in New York City, Jon
Kabat-Zinn handed out one raisin to each person and asked
the participants to hold the raisin for some time in their hand,
then to squeeze the raisin and feel the sensation of it; then so
smell it and really experience the smell of the raisin; then to
slowly and mindfully put it in their mouth and chew it; then to
mindfully swallow it.
The participants told him that this was the first time
that they had really tasted a raisin, whereas they had been
gobbling packets of raising before without being mindful! It
was a revelation!
Meditation for daily life will enhance your life dramatically.
The benefits from meditation for daily life are endless. Many
searching for inner peace will be amazed with all the other
great benefits that will be received through meditation for
daily life.
Whether you came across meditation years ago, or it is
something that you have only recently encountered, now is the
time for you to realize that meditation is something that needs
to be in your life! Meditation for daily life might seem like a bit
of a stretch. The thought is often that you don’t have the time
or the patience, but the key here is that if your life is feeling
crowded enough that a fifteen to twenty minute meditation
session feels like it would be impossible; you may never have
needed a daily meditation practice more! With a small amount
of consideration and deliberation, you will soon realize
that meditation for daily life isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity!
Through careful contemplation and reflection, meditation
is something that will take to a place where you can consider
the issues going on in your life with a great deal of detachment
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and without a lot of emotions and distractions to muddy the
waters. When you meditate on a daily basis, you will be able
to get more out of your trance state and you will also see that
there is a lot you can do about your own life. Meditation is
wonderful for showing you all the possibilities that are open
to you, regardless of how trapped you may feel.
When you commit to meditation for daily life, you are
accepting that you will make time for this all important act
and that the things in your life need to be addressed. You also
accept that while you may not be able to solve all your life
problems with twenty minutes of meditation a day, you will
be able to look at them more clearly. That is the main benefit
that daily meditation for life will bring you, the clarity to look
objectively at your problems and to see them not as huge
obstacles, but merely as problems that have solutions.
Meditation can also bring you many benefits. When you
meditate, it has been shown that your blood pressure will drop.
For people who have chronic high blood pressure, meditation
for daily life can be an important way to start getting it down!
Meditation is also easily incorporated into yoga practice,
a form of physical movement that suits people in many
different physical conditions. When you balance your body
and mind, you can find a peace that was impossible before.
Meditation for daily life is important to consider,
especially when you think you are too busy for it !
Meditation is not just something that is done for a few
minutes every day and then forgotten. The technique can
be applied to everything else one does, so that the stillness
which is the mind of meditation can continue throughout the
whole day …. or one’s whole life.
How to Meditate in Everyday Life
In the article Soto Zen Meditation, is a description of
how to do formal Soto Zen Meditation. Basically, one just
sits, and when the mind wanders, one brings it back to sitting
still. The technique is the same for other activities. If the
meditator is working, he or she just works. Perhaps he is
sweeping the floor, or cleaning the car. He just sweeps, or
3 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
just cleans. If he finds himself getting caught up in thinking
how boring cleaning is, or what he’ll do next, or what he’s
having for lunch, he simply allows those thoughts to go on
and comes back to just cleaning. When eating, he just eats,
when resting, he just rests.
What about More Complicated Activities?
Especially in the beginning, meditation is easiest to do
for simple activities, like sweeping or cleaning. It is far harder
when one is trying to type, answer the phone, and listen to the
kids, all at the same time, for example. But it is still possible.
The meditator simply does what he has to do, rather than
adding an extra activity – like panicking, for instance. Or may
be he realises that actually all these activities could be done
more effectively if he did them one at a time; multitasking is
not always a good idea!
But meditation in this way takes practice. In the early
days, it is best to try to use this kind of working meditation
for simple activities, and accept that it will be more difficult
when life gets complicated. But like many things, the more
one does it, the easier it gets.
And Then What?
Soto Zen Meditation has always been considered very
practical. The reason is that it can be done at any time, during
any activity. So the results obtained from regular meditation
practice are increased if the practice is kept up throughout
the day in this way. The meditator finds that he is calmer,
more content, and less inclined to get upset about things.
He will probably find that he works more effectively, and
that his relationships improve. But all this takes some time,
and he should not expect instant results, or indeed expect
anything at all!
Then suddenly, one day, he will realise just how much
this simple practice has done for his life.
Pagoda Meditation Centre,
49/2, First Cross Street,
Pagoda Road, Nugegoda.
Tel: 2812397

The Problem of Conflict
Bhikkhu Bodhi
(Bhikkhu Bodhi is an outstanding Buddhist scholar considered
to be the best living exponent of Theravada Buddhism. For
a long period he was the Editor of the Buddhist Publication
Society, Kandy. He is now residing in New York, USA)
It is one of the bitterest ironies of human life that although
virtually all human beings cherish a desire to live in peace,
we continually find ourselves embroiled in conflict, pitted
against others in relationships marred by tension, distrust or
open hostility. This irony is particularly poignant because it is
immediately evident to us that cordial, harmonious relations
with others are a necessary condition for our own genuine
happiness. Not only do such relations allow us to pursue
undisturbed the goals we consider essential to our personal
fulfilment, but they bring us the deeper joy of meaningful
communion with our fellow human beings. Contentious
living, in contrast, is always intrinsically painful, involving
a hardening of our subjective armour, a tightening of the
knots of anger and hate. Indeed, whatever the outcome of
conflict may be − whether victory or defeat – the result itself
is ultimately detrimental for both victor and victim alike.
Nevertheless, although harmonious living promises
such rich blessing while discordant relations entail so much
harm and misery, for the most part of our lives – and the
lives of those around us – are entangled in a revelled net of
quarrels and disputes. Conflict may simmer within as silent
suspicion and resentment or it may explode into violent rage
and devastation. It may implicate us at the level of personal
relationships, or as members of an ethnic group, a political
party, a social class or a nation. But in one or another of
its many manifestations, the presence of conflict in our
lives seems inescapable. Peace and harmony hover in the
distance as beautiful dreams for a summer’s night or noble
ideals to which we pledge formal allegiance. But when reality
knocks and dreams are dispelled, we find ourselves drawn,
usually against our better judgement, into an arena where the
pleasures that we seek extract as their price the hard cash of
struggle and contention.
The teachings of the Buddha, while framed around
the goal of individual deliverance from suffering, are also
expounded for the purpose of instructing us in how we can
live in harmony with others. Such harmony is desirable not
only as a source of satisfaction in itself, but also because it
is a prerequisite for treading the path to the higher freedom.
The final peace of enlightenment can arise only in a mind that
is at peace with others, and the mind can only be at peace
with others when we are actively committed to a course of
training that enables us to extricate the roots of conflict that
lie buried deep within our hearts.
Once, in ancient India, Sakka, the ruler of the gods came
to the Buddha and asked: ‘‘By what bonds are people bound
whereby, though they wish to live in peace, without hate and
hostility, they yet live in conflict, with hate and hostility.’’
The Master replied: ‘‘It is the bonds of envy and avarice that
so bind people that, though they wish to live in peace, they
live in conflict, with hate and hostility.’’ If we trace external
conflicts back to their source, we will find that they originate
not in wealth, position or possessions, but in the mind itself.
They spring up because we envy others for the qualities they
possess which we desire for ourselves, and because we are
driven by an unquenchable avarice to extend the boundaries
of what we can label ‘‘mine’’.
Envy and avarice in turn are grounded in two more
fundamental psychological conditions. Envy arises because
we identify things as ‘‘I’’, because we perpetually seek to
establish a personal identify for ourselves internally and to
project that identity outward for others to recognize and
accept. Avarice arises because we appropriate: we attempt
to carve out a territory for ourselves and to furnish that
territory with possessions that will titillate our greed and
sense of self-importance.
Conflict being thus rooted in envy and avarice, it
follows that the path to non-conflict must be a course of
relinquishment, of removing the constrictive thoughts and
desires that pivot around the notions of ‘‘I’’ and ‘‘mine’’,
the drives to identify and to possess. This course reaches
consummation with the full maturity of wisdom, with insight
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into the empty, egoless nature of all phenomena; for it is
this insight which exposes the hollowness of the notions
of ‘‘I’’ and ‘‘mine’’ that underlie envy and avarice. However,
although the final liberation from clinging may lie far away,
the path leading to it is a gradual one, growing out of simpler,
more basic steps that lie very close to our feet.
Two such necessary steps are changes in attitude with
the power to transmute envy and avarice. One is altruistic joy
(muditã), the ability to view the success of others with the
same gladness we experience at our own success. The other
is generosity (cãga), the readiness to give and to relinquish.
The former is the specific antidote for envy, the latter the
antidote for avarice. What is common to both is a lifting of
the sense of identity from its narrow fixation on the self, and
a broadening of it to encompass others who share our desire
to be happy and free from suffering.
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As private individuals we cannot hope to resolve by
our will the larger patterns of conflict that engulf the societies
and nations to which we belong. We live in a world that
thrives on conflict, and in which the forces that nurture as
conflict are pervasive, obstinate and terribly powerful. But as
followers of the Enlightened One what we can do and must
do is to testify by our conduct to the supremacy of peace:
to avoid words and actions that engender animosity, to heal
divisions, to demonstrate the value of harmony and concord.
The model we must emulate is that provided by the Master in
his description of the true disciple: ‘‘He is one who unites the
divided, who promotes friendships, enjoys concord, rejoices
in concord, delights in concord, and who speaks words that
promote concord.’’
The Five Precepts
Geraldine E. Lyster
(From “The Buddhist” 1937)
“CARRYING NEITHER STICK NOR SWORD, SYMPATHETIC
AND KINDLY, THE DISCIPLE BEARS LOVE AND
COMPASSION TOWARDS ALL LIVING CREATURES.”
Armed but with kindly words and gentle deeds,
The good man follows where the Buddha leads:
No creatures fear him, he is wrapped around
in radiant happiness and joy profound.
Rise, gird yourself with love, be Buddha’s priest.
The light is glowing in the golden East
where first the Holy One proclaimed the law:
Help all Life’s children, they are suffering sore.
Learn how to reverence all creatures sent
to share your life; love them, then rest content,
From life to life you shall advancement glean,
Until you reach Nibbána, perfect, clean.’

Vesak Pura Pasalosvaka
From ‘‘The Buddhist’’ April – May 1936
Once again the turning of the eternal wheel has brought
us the Vesak Day, the day on which twenty five centuries ago
was born the Prince of the Sakyas, who by his accumulated
merits, by his unceasing exertions on behalf of humanity,
attained Enlightenment. This all-seeing wisdom, this ability
to rise over the limitations of mankind, and to become greater
than Gods and Brahma, this Buddhahood he gained on this day.
Moreover, after a life spent in preaching to the people
the Dhamma, the Noble Eightfold Path and the way of
Deliverance, this Hero of Humanity obtained Parinibbána also
on this full-moon Day. Thus there can be no more important
day to the Buddhists than the day of Vesak.
But, in observing Vesak, we must remember that it is
not an occasion of ordinary festivity. Boisterous fun and
unseemingly merrymaking are not suitable for the Vesak Day.
We must remember that we are trying to pay respect and
honour to One who has taught us that a person who wishes
to honour Him should act according to His teaching.
E
Miss Coralie H. Haman
From “The Buddhist”
Vesak Number, May, 1939
xcellence
As one who lifts a light and lets it shine,
Or holds a lamp out in a darkened way,
That no lone traveller shall go astray,
So, Lord, have You now lit this path of mine.
As one who clears a road of tangled vine,
As one who shows what has been hid from day
Deep in the darkness of the world, the clay,
Our ancestors always observed Vesak by engaging in
meritorious work, such as feeding the monks and beggars,
listening to expositions of the Dhamma and in Síla and
Bhávaná. It is only in recent times that the Western spirit has
gradually gripped us and we indulge in music and frolic rather
than in piety and charity.
At the present time when the world is torn by strife with
what feelings of gratitude must we turn to the Blessed One,
whose doctrine breathes of universal peace, whose religion
is based on love and whose followers have never debased
themselves by resorting to religious persecution! On this day
of triple significance, we should try, therefore, by our conduct
to promote peace and harmony and fill our hearts with the
love of humanity.
One other thought should occupy our minds on this Great
Day. It has been our national destiny to be the custodians of
the Dhamma. For twenty-five centuries we have preserved
the Master’s teaching in its purity. It should now be our
endeavour to revive the missionary spirit that marked our
forefathers and carry the message of the Dhamma to other
lands so that the world at large may come to know the Truth
which the Blessed One taught for the good of mankind.
The TRUTH has now been told me, line by line.
As one who raises what was overthrown
Lest those who pass might ever faint or fall,
In many a figure has the Lord made known
The life of things; we hearken to His call.
Great excellence, Lord Buddha, is Your own;
Most blessed are Your words to each and all.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist

Renunciation and Release
Chandra Wickramasinghe
Desire and attachment
Are like a heavy debt-burden
Weighing one down
With anxiety and torment,
And one looks desperately,
For inner peace,
And, tranquility.
To be free of desire, avarice and attachment
Is the seeker’s denouement?
Bringing with it,
It’s own well earned rewards
Of release, freedom and peace.
ADORATION OF THE BUDDHA
BY RAMYA DE SILVA
From Vesak Sirisara 2500 – 1956
Around Thy Feet with humbled heart I’ve strewn,
These fragrant flow’rs fresh culled with tender care;
And in their midst my little offerings placed;
And with sweet incense filled this sanctum’s air
With burdened heart sore filled with life’s travail,
I came Sweet Lord, to ponder here awhile;
And at They Feet as many oft have dome,
Find comfort from They calm impassioned smile,
2 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Detachment lies in the unrelenting resolve
To let go of all earthly moorings
Of irresistible, cloying attachment,
A veritable sacrifice
For a householder,
At the mind’s fire-altar!
Total self-denial and complete non-attachment,
Would release one to delve deep and soar high,
Within the universe of the mind,
In absolute freedom,
To finally achieve,
That sublime non-experiential state,
Of Non-Being
And deathlessness.
28/2, Frances Road,
Colombo 6.
Tel: 2581422
The outside world is full of strife and hate,
And e’er the voice of po’erty moans and cries;
But here before Thy presence all is peace,
And calm and beauty wraps the silent skies.
Here at Thy Feet my grieving heart has felt,
Thy mute message of sweet compassion sound,
And filled my once despondent heart with hope,
And yea, the joy of inner peace I’ve found.
Anula Vidyalaya,
Nugegoda,
Ceylon.

The Buddhist Psychology of Ideologies
Prof. Y. Karunadasa
(Prof. Y. Karunadasa is a well-known Buddhist scholar who was
the Director of the Post Graduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist
Studies of the University of Kelaniya. He is now a Visiting
Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Hong Kong.)
Inaugural Address at the Fourth National
Conference on Buddhist Studies held in
August, 2008 in Colombo
By Buddhist psychology of ideologies we mean the
Buddhist diagnosis of the origin of ideological positions by
delving deep into their psychological mainsprings. This of
course does not mean that the Buddhist critique of views
is confined only to psychology. What this means is that
besides many other factors based on logic, epistemology
and ontology, Buddhism takes into consideration the
psychological dispositions which serve as causative factors
for the emergence of ideological positions. The idea behind
this is that our desires and expectations have a direct impact
on what we choose to believe in. When it comes to ideological
stances we are inclined to reject what is unpalatable and
disagreeable even if it is true and to accept what is palatable
and agreeable even if it is false.
In point of fact, from its very beginning Buddhism was
aware that all metaphysical ideologies, whether they are
religious or philosophical, whether they are theological or
cosmological, are but rationalizations of man’s deep-seated
desires and innate anxieties. Some of these ideologies, as we
know, are couched in beautiful captivating language. Some
appear very lofty and profound, incredibly magnificent and
awe-inspiring. Nevertheless, the Buddhist position is that
they are nothing but external manifestations of man’s desire
to satisfy his innermost yearnings and compulsive urges.
From the Buddhist perspective, therefore, in any critique of
ideological positions logical and philosophical arguments
should be supplemented with a psychological diagnosis of
their causal genesis.
The best evidence for what we maintain here comes
from the first Buddhist Discourse in the first Collection of
Buddhist Discourses. It is called the All-Embracing Net of
Views. And as you are perhaps aware, it is a survey of some
sixty-two views, which is claimed ‘‘to go beyond the confines
of any particular time and locale’’ and is therefore capable of
embracing all actual and possible ideologies on the nature
of the self (atta) and the world (loka). They all have as their
epistemological ground either logic and pure reasoning
(takka-vimamsa) or experience in meditative attainments, or
a combination of both.
Among the sixty two views, there are (1) those dealing
with the notion of a Creator God (issara-nimmána-váda),
(2) those pertaining to eternalism (sassátavada), i.e. the
spiritualist view that the self (sóul) is eternal while the
physical body, in which the self is encased, is perishable,
(3) those pertaining to annihilationism (ucchedavada), i.e.
the materialist view that the self is the same as the physical
body and therefore it comes to complete annihilation at the
time of death, with no prospect of post-mortem existence,
(4) those dealing with cosmological speculations: whether
the universe is eternal or non-eternal in terms of time, or
whether the universe is finite or infinite in terms of space,
(5) theories of fortuitous origination of the self and the
universe, and (6) theories of skepticism (amara-vikkhepa),
the view that with our limited faculties we cannot fathom the
true nature of the self and the universe and hence its refusal
to commit itself to any ideological stance.
What is most interesting about the Buddhist approach
to the sixty-two views is that it is neither argumentative nor
confrontational. In point of fact, not a single view is rejected as
false. What we find here, instead, is a psychological diagnosis
of how these views arise and why they persist in the world at
large, and more importantly, how they can be transcended by
identifying and eliminating their psychological roots.
Buddhism distinguishes between two kinds of views.
The first, called ‘‘attaváda’’, is the belief in a self, the notion
that there is a permanent individualized self entity within
the empiric individuality. The second, called ‘‘ditthigáta’’,
embraces all forms of speculative metaphysics intended to
explain the nature of the self and the universe. Of these two
kinds of views, it is the first that is primary, because, in the
final analysis, it serves as a base for the emergence of all
other views, i.e. those coming under the second category.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
3

This, in other words, means that all varieties of speculative
metaphysics, whatever form they assume, are finally traceable
to the belief in a permanent selfhood, the notion of a selfexistent
subject.
The idea of self, as we all know, assumes many forms.
It appears as ‘‘I’’ in ordinary discourse, as soul in religion,
and as ego in philosophy. Whatever form it assumes, from
the Buddhist point of view, it is a fallacious assumption, a
conception without objective counterpart. Its origin is entirely
psychological. This will become clear if we examine here
the Buddhist teaching relating to cognition, i.e. the way we
become aware of both physical and mental objects.
Now, according to Buddhism, what we consider to
be our apparently continuous psychological experience is
analyzable into a series of discrete cognitive acts or units
of consciousness. Each cognitive act, in turn, consists of a
number of cognitive events, such as sensory contact, feeling,
perception, investigation, and all leading up to a complex stage
called conceptual proliferation (papanca). The whole cognitive
process is an entirely impersonal process. There is no self
(subject) behind the cognitive process which experiences the
object. Nor is there an agent that directs the various mental
activities. They take place naturally according to the principles
of psychological order (citta-niyáma), where each stage in the
continuum is conditioned by the immediately preceding one.
However, in every cognitive process of the unenlightened
person the latent tendency for the ego consciousness
awakens and gradually solidifies, eventually becoming fully
crystallized at the final stage called conceptual proliferations
(papanca). Once the ego consciousness has arisen it cannot
exist in a vacuum: it needs concrete form and content. In this
regard, what the unenlightened worldling does is identifies
the ego-consciousness in relation to the five aggregates into
which Buddhism analyses the individual beings, namely,
corporeality, feelings, perceptions, mental formations,
and consciousness. The process of identification takes the
following form: This is mine (etam máma), This I am (eso
ham asmi), This is my self (eso me atta). Of these, the first is
due to craving (tanhá), the second to conceit (mána), and the
third to wrong view (ditthi). What is called self-conceit arises
at a pre-rational level, whereas the idea of self, although
conditioned by craving, arises at an elementary reflective
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level. It is also called ‘‘sakkaya-ditthi’’, the personality view. It
affirms the presence of an abiding self in the psycho-physical
organism in one of twenty ways.
If consciousness (vinnána), for instance, is to be
assumed as self, such an assumption could manifest itself
in four ways: (1) consciousness is the same as self, as in
the case of a flame of a lamp which is identical with its visual
appearance, (2) the self possesses consciousness, just as a
tree has a shadow, (3)consciousness is within the self, just as
the scent is in the flower, and (4)the self is in consciousness,
just as a gem in a casket. This description is extended to the
other four aggregates as well. Thus there are in all twenty
possible relations between the five aggregates and the
hypothetical self. This is how Buddhism explains the origin of
the erroneous belief in a self-entity (sakkyaditthi-samudaya).
What is important to remember here is that once the self
notion has arisen it becomes the base for a countless number
of metaphysical, cosmological, and theological ideologies.
Thus we read in Samyuttanikaya, the Connected Discourses
of the Buddha:
‘‘Now, householder, as to those diverse views that arise
in the world and as to these sixty two views set forth in the
Brahmajála (Sutta) it is owing to the self-view that they arise
and if the self-view exists not they do not exist’’.
As the above quotation clearly shows, all metaphysical
ideologies whether they are religious or philosophical, which
seek to explain the nature of the self and the universe, can
be traced to the false belief in a permanent individualized
selfhood.
Why does the belief in a separate permanent self give rise
to a countless number of false metaphysical ideologies? The
reason is that as long as the belief in a separate individualized
selfhood persists so long will our ideational framework
through which we perceive the world be conditioned by the
ego-centric perspective. When we look at the world through
the ego-centric perspective reality appears as a duality, a
duality between an enduring percipient self-entity as the agent
of experience and what is experienced by it. What Buddhism
maintains here is that the ego-notion is a superimposition on
the cognitive process.

Therefore all metaphysical speculations and
constructions which take for granted the reality of the self
turn out to be fundamentally flawed at the very outset. What
does this really amount to? What it does really amount to is
that from the Buddhist perspective all views and ideologies
that seek to explain the nature of the self and the cosmos
proceed, not from knowledge but from ignorance. To some
of you, this statement could appear absolutely preposterous
and bewildering and even unbelievably paradoxical. None the
less, this is the only logical and inevitable conclusion that is
thrust upon us by the Buddhist diagnosis of the causative
factors of metaphysical ideologies.
The above quotation is important from another aspect.
A number of modern scholars have given many explanations
as to why the Buddha deemed it necessary to observe silence
on some ten questions. These questions relate to whether the
world is eternal or non-eternal, finite or infinite, whether the soul
and the body are identical or not, and the last four concern the
post-mortem existence of the Tathagata (the liberated person),
whether it is one of existence, non-existence, both existence
and non-existence, or neither existence nor non existence.
In this connection, some scholars maintained that if the
Buddha did not answer these questions it was because the
Buddha did not know the answers to them. Some scholars
maintained that the Buddha’s silence was due to pragmatic
reasons: What this means is that the Buddha knew the
answers but for practical reasons he withheld them. And
some other scholars went to the extent of saying that the ten
questions belonged to a category of profound metaphysics,
bordering on mysticism, that they could be answered only
by what is paradoxically called a ‘‘thunderous silence’’.
Thunderous silence is so called because it is said to be more
eloquent and more communicative than normal expression
through the symbolic medium of language.
As you will observe, these three explanations, on the
part of modern scholars, seek to explain the silence of the
Buddha in the light of skepticism, pragmatism, and mysticism.
However, we must categorically state here that all the three
explanations are totally unwarranted and utterly uncalled for.
As the above quotation clearly indicates, if the Buddha observed
silence on the ten undetermined questions, it was because
they are all meaningless questions. For, they are based on the
illusory self-view, the view that there is an abiding self entity
within the constantly changing psycho-physical organism.
According to Buddhism the notion of the self has
two varieties. One is the spiritualist version of the self. It
is presented in the Buddhist texts as that which makes a
clear distinction between a soul-entity on the one hand, and
the physical body on the other. It, thus, assumes a duality
between two basic principles, one spiritual and the other
material; a permanent metaphysical soul, on the one hand
and the temporary physical body, on the other. Man’s true
essence is to be found not in the perishable physical body,
on the other, Man’s true essence is to be found not in the
perishable physical body but in the permanent metaphysical
self. Hence this theory came to be presented in the Buddhist
texts as externalism (sassataváda), or the belief in an eternal
self. Let us call this theory the theory of the metaphysical
self, while noting at the same time that all religions and
philosophies that subscribe to it are from the Buddhist point
of view different versions of eternalism.
The opposite view is the materialist version of the self.
It sees itself as a direct reaction against the spiritualist view
of the self. It is presented in the Buddhist texts as that which
asserts the absolute identity of the self and the physical
body. For this theory man’s true essence is to be seen not
in an elusive metaphysical principle but in the empirically
observable physical body. If the self and the physical
body are identical, it logically follows that with the break
up of the body at the time of death the self itself comes to
naught, to complete annihilation. Hence this theory came
to be presented in the Buddhist texts as annihilationism
(ucchedaváda), or the annihilationist theory of the self.
Let us call this theory the theory of the physical self, while
noting at the same time that all materialist ideologies that
subscribe to it are but different versions of annihilationism.
Early Buddhism presents these two views as occupying
a position of dialectical opposition, while describing its own
position as one that sets itself equally aloof from both of them.
It is in fact against these two views that Buddhist polemics
are continually directed, and it is by demolishing them that
Buddhism seeks to construct its own view of existence.
The conclusion suggests itself therefore that from its very
beginning Buddhism considered itself as critical response
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
5

to the dialectical opposition between the spiritualist and the
materialist ideologies.
These two ideologies, as Buddhism observes, prevail
throughout the history of man’s intellectual thought. Thus,
addressing Kaccanagotta, the Buddha says:
‘‘This world, Kaccana, for the most part depends upon
a duality – upon the notion of existence and the notion of
non-existence. But for one who sees the origin of the world
as it really is with correct wisdom, there is no notion of nonexistence
in regard to the world. And for one who sees the
cessation of the world as it really is with correct wisdom,
there is no notion of existence in regard to the world. ‘All
exists’, Kaccana, this is one extreme. ‘All does not exist’, this
is the second extreme. Without veering towards either of
these extremes, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma by the
Middle.’’ (The Connected Discourses of the Buddha).
Here the notions of existence and non-existence mean
the spiritualist and materialist ideologies. For these two are
sometimes introduced as the view of existence (bhava-ditthi)
and the view of non-existence (vibhava-ditthi) respectively.
And the words, ‘‘Dhamma by the Middle’’ are a reference to the
Buddhist doctrine of Dependent Origination. For it is through
this doctrine that Buddhism avoids the mutual conflict between
the spiritualist and the materialist ideologies. This doctrine is
defined to mean the arising of phenomena. The whole purpose
of the doctrine is to establish the causal structure of individual
existence. Individual existence is a process of functionally
interdependent mental and material phenomena, all in a state
of constant flux. Within the empiric individuality there is no
independent self-entity, spiritual, mental, or material, which
is impervious to change. Nor is there a soul in the form of a
spiritual essence which relates it to a transcendental reality.
This is where the Buddhist view of individual existence
radically differs from all other religions. For as a religion,
Buddhism does not recognize any kind of transcendental
reality which serves as a background to the phenomenal world.
Nor is the empiric individuality, as materialism claims,
a pure product of the earth awaiting to be absorbed to the
earth. Buddhism rejects the materialist notion that individual
existence is due to fortuitous circumstances (adhiccasamuppanna)
and that it is subject to abrupt termination
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(ucchedavada). And it is through the doctrine of Dependent
Origination that Buddhism seeks to explain moral responsibility
and the uninterrupted continuity of the life-series in samsára.
According to the Buddhist diagnosis of the spiritualist
ideology, i.e. the belief in a permanent self-entity, its
psychological origin can be traced to what is called ‘‘bhavatanhá’’,
‘‘the craving for eternal life’’, the desire for the
immortality of the soul. It is the desire for the externalization
of the self, the desire to perpetuate our individual existence
into eternity. On the other hand, the psychological origin of
materialism, i.e. the belief in temporary self-entity, can be
traced to what is called ‘‘vibhava-tanhá’’, ‘‘the craving for
eternal death’’, the desire for self-annihilation. It is the desire
to see a complete annihilation of the individual existence,
without any prospect of post-mortem survival. What seems
to be assumed here is that materialism resists the belief in
survival because of its fear of moral retribution, for this view
gives an open license to live our lives without being burdened
by a sense of moral responsibility.
Thus the dialectical opposition between the spiritualist
and materialist ideologies shows not only the perennial
conflict between two mutually exclusive ideologies but also the
human mind’s oscillation between two deep-seated desires.
Buddhism sees a logical connection between the
spiritualist version of the self-theory and the practice of selfmortification.
The polarity between two principles, one spiritual
and the other physical, implies a mutual conflict between the
two. What inhibits the freedom of the soul is its bondage to the
physical body. To redeem the soul it is necessary, therefore,
to mortify the flesh. This is the principle that sustains all
forms of asceticism, what Buddhism calls the practice of self
mortification (atta-kilamathanuyoga). Ascetic practices could
assume varying degrees of intensity and visibility depending
on how in each religion the relationship between the soul and
the physical body is defined. Nevertheless the duality principle
on which the spiritualist view is based logically leads to the
justification of ascetic practices as a means to salvation.
On the other hand, the materialist version of the selftheory
veers towards the opposite extreme, that is, the
pursuit of sensual indulgence (kama-sukhallikanuyoga). As
materialism believes in the identify of the self and the physical

ody it sees no reason why we should eschew immediate sense
pleasures for the sake of an elusive bliss in a dubious future.
In Buddhism’s assessment both self mortification and
sensual indulgence are equally self defeating. The practice of
self mortification is ignoble (anariya), fraught with suffering
(dukkha) and does not lead to the realization of the goal
(anatthasamhita). The practice is based, as Bhikkhu Bodhi
observes, ‘‘on the mistaken belief that the body is the cause
of the bondage when the real source of the trouble lies in the
mind, the mind obsessed by passion, aversion, and delusion’’.
1 To mortify the flesh in order to liberate the soul is to impair
an important instrument necessary for mental culture.
The other extreme which is sensual indulgence is
more unsatisfactory. It is lowly (hina), vulgar (gamma)
and is associated with secularism (pothujjanika). The
practice mistakes the mere titillation and excitement of
the senses for abiding happiness. It could very well lead
to rabid consumerism and finally to vulgar hedonism. As
K.N. Jayatilleke says, it fails to take into consideration, ‘‘the
principle of diminishing returns which operates in the mere
gratificatory quest for happiness’’.
There is another important aspect of the Buddhist
critique of views and ideologies. The Buddha says that he
sees no single factor so responsible for the suffering of living
beings as wrong view (miccha ditthi), and no factor so potent
in promoting the good of living beings as right view (sammá
ditthi). This is the reason, as most of you are aware, why the
Buddhist theory and practice of moral life begins with Right
View. A system of morality, if it is to be oriented towards the
right direction, should be based on a correct view of actuality,
on a proper understanding of our world of experience.
Although Buddhism draws our attention to the right
view, it does not endorse dogmatic adherence to views,
even if they are right. To be infatuated with ‘‘the rightness’’
of our own views and ideologies is called ‘‘sanditthi–
rága’’, and dogmatic attachment to them is called ‘‘ditthiparamása’’.
The root cause of both is the belief, ‘‘This alone
is true and all else is false’’ (idam eva saccam mogham
annam). It is this kind of warped attitude that provides a
fertile ground for bigotry and dogmatism, what Buddhism
calls ‘‘idam saccabhinivesa’’. Its external manifestations,
as we all know, are acts of fanaticism and militant piety,
indoctrination and unethical conversion, fundamentalism
and persecution, not to speak of interpersonal conflicts
and acts of terrorism often leading to internecine warfare.
From the Buddhist point of view, therefore, dogmatic
attachment to ideologies is very much more detrimental and
fraught with more danger than our inordinate attachment to
material things. Inter-religious wars wrongly referred to as
Holy Wars a case in point. The cold war between capitalism
and communism which had nearly brought the world into the
brink of nuclear disaster is another case in point.
If Buddhism does not encourage dogmatic attachment
to view, it is because from the Buddhist way of looking at it,
a view is only a guide to action. In his well-known discourse
on the Parable of the Raft (Kullupama), the Buddha tells us
that His teaching should be understood not as a goal unto
itself, but as a means to the realization of the goal. Thus the
teaching of the Buddha, as the Buddha himself says, has only
relative value, relative to the realization of the goal. It is a thing
to be used and not a thing to be ritually adulated. What this
clearly implies is that even the right view, like all other views,
is a conceptual model serving as a guide to action. If it is
called Right View it is because it leads us directly to the right
goal. The right goal according to Buddhism is a right version
(sammá dassana) of the nature of actuality (yáthabhuta). By
right vision Buddhism does not mean some kind of mystic or
beatific vision of a cosmic reality. For, unlike other religion,
Buddhism does not recognize a transcendental reality, which
is often defined as the ultimate ground of existence. Therefore,
what Buddhism means by right vision is an immediate insight
into the true nature of the world of experience, the world we
experience with our five senses and the mind.
1) Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Noble Eightfold Path,
Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, 1985, p. 34.
2) K.N. Jayatileke, The Principles of International Law in
Buddhist Doctrine, Extract from Recueil des Cours, Vol. II,
Leyden, 1967, p. 24.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist

The Path of Purity
Ven. Narada Nayaka Thera
(The Late Bhikkhu Narada Nayaka Thera was the Head of
Vajiraramaya Temple in Bambalapitiya. Outstanding Buddhist
scholar and preacher, he propagated the Dhamma in both
Sinhala and English undertaking several tours overseas to
many countries to spread the Dhamma worldwide.)
From ‘‘The Buddhist’’, September, 1937
The Path of Purity, according to the Buddha, consists
of three stages - namely, Morality (Síla), Concentration
(Samádhi), and Wisdom (Panná). This is the Middle Path
which avoids the extreme of sense indulgence that tends
to retard one’s spiritual progress and the extreme of selfmortification
that weakens the intellect.
The Buddha expresses this in the following beautiful
stanza:
Sabba pápassa akaranam—
Kusalassa upasampadá.
Sacitta pariyódapanam—
Etan Buddhánu sásanam.
Which means:
To cease from all evil,
To do what is good
To cleanse one’s mind;
This is the advice of all the Buddhas.
We reap what we sow. If we sow evil, we must reap
pain; if we sow good, we must reap happiness. Both pain
and happiness are the direct results of our own evil and
good. This is a law in itself.
An understanding person realises this just law of action
and re-action and, of his own accord, refrains from evil and
does good to the best of his ability. He does so for his own
good and for the good of others. He considers his duty to be
a blessing to himself and to all others but not to be a curse to
any, whether man or animal.
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As life is precious to all and as there is neither any right
nor power whatever to destroy the life of another, he extends
his compassion and loving-kindness towards every living
being, even to the tiniest creature that crawls at his feet, and
refrains from killing or causing any injury to any living creature.
There is no rule that one is to be preyed upon by another.
The strong mercilessly kill the weak and feast on their flesh.
This is the animal instinct. Such actions from ignorant animals
are excusable because they know not what they do, but when
men, who are gifted with reason, and who should possess
a high moral standard perpetrate such crimes, they reveal
their brutal tendencies and degrade themselves. Whether to
satisfy our stomach or as a pastime it is not justifiable to
kill or cause to kill another living being. When mother earth
is so generous in giving us vegetables and other kinds of
harmless, nutritious food what necessity is there for us to kill
the dumb creatures and feast on their flesh? If the killing of
animals is wrong, it is needless to speak of the heinousness
of killing human beings for the sake of peace or for the sake
of religion.
Honesty, trustworthiness and uprightness should
also be the characteristics of a right understanding person. As
such he tries to abstain from stealing whether in its dissembled
or obvious forms. Abstaining from sexual misconduct which
debases the exalted nature of man he tries to be pure. He
avoids false speech, harsh language, slander and frivolous
talk and speaks only that which is true, sweet, kind and
helpful. Pernicious drinks are also a hindrance to the progress
of a right understanding person. They promote heedlessness
and mental distraction. Accordingly he avoids intoxicating
drinks and cultivates heedfulness and clarity of vision.
These elementary principles of regulated behaviour
are essential to one who treads the Path of purity. Violation
of them means the introduction of obstacles which may
almost be insurmountable. Observance of them enables
one to make smooth and steady progress along the path.
The spiritual pilgrim may advance a step further and
do what is good to the best of his ability. Sense-restraint
should be cultivated for overindulgence in sensual pleasures
is detrimental to spiritual progress.

It is an admitted fact that most dig their graves with
their own teeth. Over eating and carelessness in diet are
responsible for more deaths than pestilences. To control this
craving for food and to foster buoyancy of mind and body,
abstemiousness and fasting, at least once a month, are
advisable. Plain and simple living is preferable to a luxurious
life that makes one a slave to passions. A life of celibacy is
recommended, as one’s sexual energy could then be utilised
for spiritual ends and one would be immuned from worldly
bonds that might impede one’s progress. A peep into the
history of all spiritual teachers will convince one that almost
all of them nourished their bodies sparingly and led a life of
strict celibacy, simplicity, voluntary poverty, and self-control.
Whilst he progresses slowly and steadily with regulated
word and deep and restrained senses, the Kammic forces
of this striving aspirant compels him to renounce worldly
pleasures and adopt the ascetic life. To him then comes the
idea that
‘‘A den of strife is household life
And filled with toil and need;
But free and high as the open sky
Is the life the homeless lead.’’
Realising thus the vanity of fleeting pleasures he
voluntarily forsakes his earthly possessions and donning
the ascetic garb he tries to lead the holy life in all its purity.
Here he practises the higher morality to such a degree that he
practically becomes selfless in all his actions. Neither fame
nor wealth nor honour nor worldly gain could induce him to
do anything contrary to his lofty principles.
It is not the external appearance that makes one a holy
man but the internal purification. Transformation should
come from within and not from without. It is absolutely
necessary to retire to solitude and lead the life of the ascetic
to be a saint. Even as a layman one could attain sainthood.
The life of a Bhikku, on the other hand, expedites and
facilitates spiritual progress.
Securing a firm footing on the ground of sila or Morality,
the progressing pilgrim then embarks upon the higher practice
of Samadhi, the control and culture of the mind, the second
stage of the Path of Purity.
Samadhi is the ‘‘one-pointedness of the mind.’’ It is the
concentration to the entire exclusion of all irrelevant matter.
Of the forty subjects intended for contemplation he
should choose the one most suited to his temperament. This
being satisfactorily settled he makes a persistent effort to
focus his mind on the object of concentration until he becomes
so wholly absorbed and interested in it that all other thoughts
get ipso facto excluded from the mind. The five hindrances
to progress, namely: sense desires, hatred, sloth and torpor,
restlessness and brooding, and doubts are then temporarily
inhibited. Eventually he gains ecstatic concentration and to
his indescribable joy becomes enwrapt in Jhana, enjoying the
calmness and serenity of a one-pointed mind.
When one gains this perfect one-pointedness of the
mind it is possible for one to develop the five supernormal
powers−(Adhinná), Divine Eye−(Dibba Cakkhu), Divine
Ear−(Dibba Sóta), Reminiscience of Past Births−(Pubbeniva
sanussati Nana), Thought Reading–(Paracitta Vijánana) and
different Physic Power−(Iddhividha). It must not be understood
that these supernormal powers are essential for sainthood.
Though the mind is purified, there still lies dormant
in him the tendency to give went to his passions, for by
concentration passions are lulled to sleep temporarily.
They may rise to the surface at unexpected moments.
Both discipline and concentration are helpful to clear
the Path of its obstacles, but it is Insight (Vipassana Panna)
alone which enables one to see things as they truly are, and
consequently reach the Ultimate Goal by annihilating the
passions inhibited by Samadhi. This is the third and the final
stage of the Path of Purity.
With this one-pointed pure mind which now resembles
a polished mirror he looks at the world to get a correct view
of life. Wherever he turns his eyes, he sees nothing but the
three characteristics Anicca (Transiency), Dukkha (Sorrow)
and Anatta (Soul-lessness). He comprehends that life is a
fleeting, continuous undivided movement, devoid of any
substantial, permanent entity. Neither in heaven nor on
earth does he find any genuine happiness, for every form
of pleasure is only a prelude to pain. What is transient is,
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therefore, painful and where change and sorrow prevail, there
cannot be a permanent ‘‘ego’’.
Whereupon he takes one of the above three
characteristics which appeals to him most and intently keeps
on developing Insight in that particular direction until that
glorious day comes to him when he realises the truth for the
first time in his life. He is not deluded by any notion of ‘‘Self.’’
He reposes perfect confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma and
the Sangha. He realises the worthlessness of wrongful rites
and ceremonies for the sake of purification.
At this stage he is called a Sotápanna − one who has
entered the stream that leads to Nibbana. As he has not
eradicated the will-to-live he is reborn seven times at the most.
Summoning up fresh courage as a result of this distant
glimpse of the ‘‘Truth,’’ the Ariyan pilgrim cultivates deeper
Insight and attenuates his desire for sensual pleasures and
coarser forms of ill-will. He is now called a sakadágami −
Once – Returner, because he is reborn on earth only once in
case he does not attain Arahatship.
It is in the third stage of Sainthood – Anágami (Never
– Returner) that he completely discards his sense − desires
Along The Trishuli River
Letitia Hewavisenti
It was amazing I was there.
Below the Himalayan Range
The highest mountain in the world.
Along the sacred river
A narrow road from Nepal to Lumbini
The birth place of Lord Buddha
It was breathtaking, calm, all around me
O, Paradise – I was intoxicated
The reflection of the sunrise
On the water as it glided along.
50 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
and ill-will. Thereafter he neither returns to his world nor
does he seek birth in the celestial realms since he has no
more desire for sensual pleasures. After death he is reborn
in the ‘‘Pure Abodes’’ (Suddhavasas) a camping place meant
exclusively for Anagamies and Arahat.
The earnest pilgrim, encouraged by the unprecedented
success of his endeavours, makes his final advance and
totally annihilates all forms of the ‘‘will-to-live,’’ discards any
conceit or restlessness innate in him, and dispels forever
that darkness of ignorance which hitherto veiled the Light of
Truth. He is now Perfect Saint − an Arahat.
Instantly he realises that what was to be accomplished
has been done, that a heavy burden of sorrow has been
relinquished and that the Path of Purity has been trodden.
The heavy pilgrim now stands on heights more celestial, far
removed from the rebellious passions and defilements of the
world, realising the unutterable bliss of Nibbana, and like
many an Arahat of old singing that poem of joy:
Goodwill and Wisdom, mind by method trained,
The highest conduct on good morals based,
This maketh mortals pure not rank nor wealth
Sometime like a bridal veil
Along the chalky mountains
Greenery so fresh and lovely.
Wild flowers bloomed here and there
Happiness bloomed within me
I felt I was floating along the river
Sacred, feeling of holiness enveloped me
End was Lumbini, purest place……………………
I know, along the Trishuli River
35, School Avenue, Nawala.
Tel: 2862210

The Buddha Laid Down a Code for the Laity
Late I.B. Horner
From, ‘‘The Buddhist’’ October, 1947.
It has sometimes been said that in the surviving Pali
records, upon which we now base our knowledge of Early
Buddhism, there is no Dhamma, or very little Dhamma, for
the laity. To this statement there is however one admitted
and notable exception, namely the Sigālovāda Suttanta of the
Digha Nikaya, spoken to and for the laity. This consideration,
among others, including the view that no world teacher would
have addressed himself solely to monks and nuns, led Mrs.
Rhys Davids strongly to surmise that at some time there must
have been a Dhamma for Gotama’s lay followers, but that
this, in the constant editing and re-editing that the Sayings
underwent in monastic hands, became crowded out of them,
as of no interest to the monk-editors – always excepting the
Sigālovāda Suttanta.
There are however many other talks recorded to have
been held between Gotama or his chief disciples and
individual householders, besides addresses given by Gotama
or his disciples to lay people; and it is some of these that I
want to notice here.
A WIFE’S DUTY
During a talk, for example, with the ill and old
housefather Nakulapitá, Gotama admitted that the old man’s
body was weak, but comforted him by saying that it would
be sheer foolishness for any one who carries about a body
to claim a moment’s health (S. iii. I ff.). For, as we are told in
another context (M. i. 511) , body is a disease, pustulence,
barb, misery, trouble, from grasping after which there comes
into being, by the causal process, this entire mass of ill.
Gotama then advised Nakulapita to train himself by saying:
‘‘Although my body is sick my mind shall not be sick’’ a dictum
which Sāriputta a little later explained to the old housefather
to mean that it is only the uninstructed average person who
thinks that body is the self, or of self as having body, or of
body as being in the self, or of self as being in the body, or
who holds that ‘‘I am body’’ and ‘‘Body is mine’’ Both the
bodies and minds of those who think like this are sick; those
who are not sick in mind although they may be in body do not
think in these ways, and so when the body, being unstable
and changeful, changes and alters, those who are not sick
in mind do not grieve and despair. This important type of
teaching recurs throughout the Nikāyas.
It is of interest that Gotama applauds Nakulapita’s
devotion to Nakulamāta, his wife, and tells him that it has
been a great gain to him that he has such a wife, so full of
compassion for him, desiring his welfare, as his teacher and
instructor (A. iii. 295). Thus Gotama salutes the happiness
and confidence in one another of a man and his wife.
His talk to girls about to be married, and the advice he
gives them on the management of their homes (A. iii. 37-38;
iv. 265) shows Gotama to have had an intimate knowledge of
home life and to have desired its smooth running.
‘‘This is how you should train yourselves, girls. To
whatever husband our parents give us wishing our weal, our
happiness, compassionate for him we shall rise up early, be
the last to retire, be willing workers, order all things sweetly
and be gentle-voiced.
And in this way also, girls: We will revere all whom our
husband reveres, whether mother or father, recluse or Brahman,
and on their arrival offer them a seat and water to drink.
And in this way also, girls: We will be deft and nimble at our
husband’s home crafts, be they of wool or cotton, making it our
business to understand the work, so as to do it and get it done.
And in this way also, girls: Whatever our husband’s
household consists of − servants, messengers, workmen, we
will know the work of each one by what has been done, their
remissness by what has not been done; we will know the
strength and weakness of the sick; we will portion out food to
each according to his share.
And in this way also, girls: The treasure, corn, silver and
gold that our husband brings home, we will keep safe watch
and ward over it. Train your selves thus, girls.’’
Women led busy lives in the home and could gain
much domestic power. Dominion was said to be their ideal
or fulfilment. Also ‘‘A woman’s goal is a man, adornment is
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5

her ambition, a son is her resolve, to be without a rival is her
want’’ (A. iii. 363) − for there was, to some rather unknown
extent now, the dread of a co-wife to be faced. This lights
up another side of the domestic scene: Woeful is woman’s
lot! hath he declared, Tamer and driver of the hearts of men:
Woeful when sharing home with hostile wives, Woeful when
giving birth in bitter pain, Some seeking death or e’er they
suffer twice. (Thig. 216)
Honour Your Parents
This was the tragic Kisāgotami, to whom the Order of
nuns was open, as it was to others such as Isidāsi, who seems
to have been constitutionally unfit for marriage (Thig. 407
− 413), and Uppalavannā, another who had been a co-wife.
She rejoices that she has destroyed the ásavas, the fluxions
or cankers; and Kisāgotami declares that she has made the
Ariyan eightfold Way that goes to the Deathless, has realised
Nibbana, laid down the burden (of the self), and has done
what was to be done. Thus life in the Order was no doubt
right for those who had a definite vocation for it.
But if they had not, it was no part of Gotama’s mission
to break up their homes or to belittle household life to those
who had no call to live apart. ‘‘Concord is his pleasure, his
delight, his joy, the motive of his speech’’ (D.i. 4)
And so he tries to keep parents and children together,
by emphasising the compassion of parents for their children
who, in gratitude, should show honour to the mother and
father who have brought them up: ‘‘Those families where
mother and father are honoured in the home are like unto
Brahm’’, they are ranked with the teachers of old; worthy of
offerings are such families. ‘Brahmā’ is a term for mother
and father. ‘Teachers of old’ is a term for mother and father.
‘Worthy of offerings’ is a term for mother and father. And
why? Because mother and father do much for their children,
they bring them up, nourish them and introduce the world to
them (A.i.132; ef A.ii.32).
False Charge
Gotama was thus far from insensitive to the great bonds of
family life existing between husband and wife, and between parents
and children. Other passages contain exhortations about choosing
one’s friends, for ‘‘in the world’’ people were not to be friendless:
52 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Surely we praise accomplished friends;
Choose thou the best or equal friends.
Shun thou the evil friend who sees
No goal, convinced in crooked ways.
(Sn. 47)
(Sn. 57)
But, if ‘‘friends who seek naught are scarce today’’
(Sn. 75) then ‘‘fare lonely as rhinoceros’’ (Sn. 36 et seq.)
It therefore seems that Gotama, of whom it was said at the
beginning of his ministry when he was attracting a large
number of ‘‘converts’’. He is making us childless, he is
making us widows, he is breaking up families, in fact spent
a good part of this ministry showing that these charges were
not true, and they were never made again.
A man or woman who lives the household life wisely
and well can grow, if he respects Dhamma and the Order,
in the ariyan growth; the man in ten ways of growing (A. v.
137): in riches and grains, in sons and wives, and in four
footed animals; and in a further five in which a woman lay
disciple can also grow (A. iii. 80): in faith, in moral habit, in
what has been heard (that is, of the teaching, nothing then
being written down so as to be read), in generosity and in
wisdom. If they accomplish this, then they take hold of the
best, they take hold of the essence which, in the case of the
woman, is further specified as the ‘‘Essence of Self.’’
The faith in which growth should be made refers to the
three kinds of unwavering confidence the ariyan lay disciple
should possess:
(1) that the Awakened One is indeed Lord, perfected
one, fully awakened, endowed with knowledge and right
conduct, well-farer, knower of the worlds, incomparable
charioteer of men to be tamed, teacher of devas and men,
awakened one, Lord;
(2) that dhamma is well taught by the Lord; it is for the
present, but it is timeless, it is a come and see thing, leading
onwards, to be understood for themselves by the wise;
(3) that the Lord’s Order of disciples fares along well,
uprightly, in the proper manner; it is worthy of honour
and reverence, and is an unsurpassed field for merit in
the world.

These three kinds of confidence and the possession
of the moral habits are said to constitute the four ways of
abiding in ease that belong to the mind and are here and now,
and whose purpose it is to cleanse and purify a mind that is
not cleansed nor purified. If a white-clothed houseman can
obtain these four ways of abiding at ease without difficulty
and at will, then by himself he may predict of himself:
“Destroyed for me is Niraya Hell, also rebirth as an animal,
destroyed is the realm of the departed (the petas) destroyed
is the Abyss, the Bad Bourn, the Downfall; a stream-attainer
am I, assured, bound for awakening.’’ Another passage says
that in consequence of having these three confidences, and
also ariyan moral habit, knowledge and freedom, several
householders and lay disciples have gone to fulfilment in the
Tathagata and have seen and realised the Deathless.
In a conversation with Mahānāma (A.iv.220) Gotama
says that a lay-disciple is one of moral habit who abstains
from breaking the five moral precepts, and that such a lay-
disciple can be one who proceeds for his own welfare but not
for that of another person; or he can be one who proceeds
both for his own welfare and for that of another. In this latter
case, the lay disciple is himself possessed of faith, moral
habit and generosity, and he causes another to be possessed
of these characteristics; he himself wishes to see the monks,
to hear true Dhamma, he learns what he has heard, reflects
on its meaning, and knowing Dhamma he fares along in
accordance with Dhamma. And he tries to make others do
the same.
Wise Way of Life
Gotama makes it clear to the householder Potaliya
(M. i. 360 − 367) that onslaught on creatures, stealing, lying,
malicious speech, coveting, angry blame, wrathful rage and
pride are all fetters and hindrances, from which the Ariyan
should restrain himself by thinking that if he indulged in them
the Self would upbraid the self, intelligent men would censure
him, and a Bad Bourne would be expected for him after he
has died.
Householders, as has been noticed above, are not
deterred from amassing wealth, but, as in the ‘‘ten ways of
growing’’ life must be lived wisely and well:
Who fitly acts and toils
And strives, shall riches find;
By truth shall fame acquire,
By giving friends shall bind.
And lovers of the home
Who hold in faith these four?
Truth, Dhamma, firmness, gift,
Hence gone shall grieve no more.
(Sn. 185, 186)
Moreover it is a source of suffering if a man of means enjoys its
sweets alone (Sn. 96) for this would not be generous in him.
It is a fact that there is quite a remarkable amount
of Dhamma for the laity in the Suttanipāta. There are, for
example, the verses giving the reasons why a layman suffers
(Sn. 92 et seg.): if he has bad friends, is indolent, does not
support his parents when they are old, if he is proud of his
birth and riches but ashamed of his relations, if he squanders
his savings on women, drink and gambling, or if he runs after
other men’s wives. Again, another long set of verses on the
Outcaste (Sn. 116 − 142) is spoken for the laity, some of
the verses being on the same lines as those dealing with the
sufferings a layman entails by his bad conduct; and others
denouncing the incurring of debts and refusal to pay them,
bearing false witness, the doing of evil deeds covertly in the
hope that no one will find out about them, the acceptance of
hospitality without making any return for it, and the smug
exalting of oneself and disparaging of others, and so on.
Again, the Suttanipāta verses 393 − 404 were spoken
to five hundred lay-disciples. After having spoken of some of
the duties incumbent on a monk, these verses then proceed:
The rule for householders now will I tell,
What action best becomes such listeners;
For busied much, none can attune himself
Wholly unto the thing required of monks
There follow verses urging restraint from killing, stealing,
unchastity, lying and drinking, from eating food at the wrong
time, from wearing garlands and using perfumes, and from
sleeping on a high bed. These are the eight observances that
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lay people should observe two days each month. And this set
of verses ends by saying:
The householder who lives thus earnestly
Goes to the devas called self-luminant.
There is also no doubt that those householders who
fare by Dhamma and who fare evenly may arise after dying,
if they so desire, among any one of twenty-five classes of
devas named in Gotama’s conversation with Brahman
householders (M. i. 289). He is here also recorded to tell
these householders that one who fares by Dhamma and
fares evenly may, if he so desires, destroy the āsavas, or
cankers, and abide in the freedom of mind and the freedom of
wisdom that are cankerless, having won them here and now
by his oen super-knowledge. This is of course arahantship.
Deeds Roll On
We do not find recorded in the canon many conversations
where Gotama seeks to divert a layman from his profession.
There is the famous ploughing talk with the farmer Bhāradvāja
(Sn. 77 – 80; S. i. 172 – 173) where Gotama tries to show
that his kind of ploughing is the better, and the talk with
the herdsman Dhaniya where again Gotama tries to show
that his kind of herdsmanship is of the greater value (Sn.
18 et seq.). Yet again, although Gotama does not attempt
to outlaw war or soldiers, he nevertheless wishes to protest
that war merely leads to a vicious circle of hatred and settles
nothing, the slayer getting a slayer in his turn, the conqueror
one who conquers him (S. iii. 83, 85). For the deed rolls on,
and ‘‘No man by case he settles forcibly is rightly one on
Dhamma standing.’’ (Dhp. 256)
Lo! See the folk at strife,
How violence breeds fear ….
I saw the feuds ‘twixt men,
And in me entered fear … (Sn. 935 seq)
Indeed such violence, slaughter and conquest are wrong. But
there is a slaughter and a conquest that are praised by the
ariyans:
Wrath must ye slay, if ye would happy live,
Wrath must ye slay, if ye would weep no more.
Victor of wrath with its poison-root,
5 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Sweetest intoxicant – Dragon – queller:
This is the slaughter by the ariyans praised.
That must ye slay if ye would weep no more (S. i. 47)
Similarly, there is a wrong kind of sacrifice where
animals are slain, and a right kind which involves no butchery
but which is a long-established charity or an oblation for the
welfare of the family. And a sacrifice such as this, so it is said,
Gotama does praise (A. ii. 42 − 43). Since monks did not
make animal sacrifices, nearly, if not all, the recorded talks on
this subject are addressed to brahmans or to householders,
including kings.
In Gotama’s view, as it emerges from these
conversations, animal sacrifice was wholly and totally wrong,
and he denounced it thoroughly − or as thoroughly as anyone
could who held the view that we are what we are as the result
of deeds done in the past: we are responsible for deeds,
deeds are our matrix, our kin, and to us the deed comes
home again.
None is by birth a Brahmana, none by birth no Brahmana;
by deeds is one
A Brahmana; by deeds no Brahmana.
By deeds one is a farmer and by deeds
An artisan, by deeds a trader too;
By deeds one is a servant and a thief,
By deeds a soldier and a celebrant,
And even so a Rajah is by deeds.
Tis thus in truth the wise perceive the deed,
Seers of origin by way of cause,
Men, expert in the result of deeds. (Sn. 650 − 653)
But of course if anyone, be he monk or layman, wants
to go forward and travel on the upward – mounting way, he
must remember that it is not only deeds done in the past that
make you what you are now, but also it is deeds done now,
by body, speech and thought, that will make you what you
will be in future lives. A certain amount of Dhamma for the
laity, and there is more than has been adduced here, has been
found in the canon. It is there for the laity to learn and ponder
upon if they wish to come to growth, expansion and maturity
− The Middle Way.

Misunderstanding of Metta Practice
Ven. Henepola Gunaratana Maha Thera
(Ordained as a Buddhist Monk in Kandy in 9 ,
Ven. Henepola Gunaratana Maha Thera came to the
USA in 9 . He is now the Director of the Bhavana
Meditation Centre in West Virginia in the USA.)
Among some of the misunderstood aspects of Dhamma
is the meaning of some of the benefits of the practice of Metta,
or loving friendliness meditation. One of the eleven benefits of
Mettā practice listed in The Mettānisa sa Sutta has these three
aspects: (i) fire does not affect the one who practices Mettā,
(ii) poison does not affect the one who practices Mettā;
(iii) weapons do not affect the one who practices Mettā.
Three Poisons, Three Weapons and Fire
According to the Dhamma, poison is of three kinds:
greed (rāga), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha). In the
Anguttara Nikāya (i) the Buddha talks about the three
kinds of weapons. They are bodily weapons (kāyasattha),
verbal weapons (vacīsattha) and mental weapons,
(manosattha). The Pali sentence: ‘‘He/She stabs with a
verbal weapon’’ (mukhasattena vitudeti) is a good example.
In the stanza below we find and example of the figurative
use of the word fire:
There is no fire like lust,
No misfortune like hate,
No suffering like the aggregates,
And no happiness higher than peace.
(ii) Those who believe that fire, weapons and poison
do not affect one who practices Mettā have come up with
numerous folk tales to prove their point. The Visuddhimagga
reports: (a) a cow nursing her calf was not hit by a poisoned
arrow a hunter shot at her. (iii) (b) A harlot called Sirimā, who
was envious of Uttarā, a lay devotee, poured a basin of hot oil
over her head. At that very moment Uttarā started practicing
loving − friendliness meditation (Mettā) and the oil ran off
her like water off a lotus leaf. This miracle is considered to
be a result of her intense concentration on the practice of
Mettā.(iv) Looking at Uttarā’s’ story more realistically, we
can understand the meaning of this story differently from the
commentarial interpretation. When Sirimā brought boiling
oil to pour on Uttarā’s head, Uttarā practiced Mettā and
immediately overcame her own fear and anger. That instant
her mind became very calm and peaceful, unaffected by fear
and anger temporarily liberated from hatred.(v) Meanwhile,
Uttarā’s furious servant women tackled Sirimā, threw her
down to the floor and began to beat her. Uttarā intervened,
prevented them from beating her, and saved Sirimā’s life.
Sirimā fell on the ground and begged Uttarā’s forgiveness for
her wicked attempt to pour boiling oil on her.
In this situation Uttarā was not affected by the fire of
Sirimā’s anger and she also protected from getting angry
herself. Because of her practice of Mettā, Uttarā was able to
convince Sirimā of the real power of Mettā. After seeing this
demonstration of Mettā practice, Sirimā started following the
Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha and finally attained Stream
Entry. Actually it was the servant girls who prevented Sirimā
from pouring the boiling oil on Uttara’s head.
The Sāmavati, Story:
The story of Sāmavati, King Udena’s wife, refutes the
belief that Mettā practice can protect one’s life in some
miraculous fashion. The Buddha declared that Sāmavati was
number one among women who practiced Mettā.(vi) She
not only practiced Mettā herself but also conducted retreats
attended by five-hundred Sākyan women.
One day the father of a woman by the name of
Māgandhiyā asked the Buddha to marry her. But the Buddha
rejected her saying, “Seeing even three celestial nymphs −
Tanhā – Rati, Ragā – not the slightest desire arose in me
for sensual pleasure. Seeing this woman full of urine and
excrement how much less desire for sensual pleasure would
arise in me.” (vii) Being rejected, Māgandhiyā conceived a
grudge against the Buddha and wanted to hurt him. Knowing
that she could not directly hurt the Buddha, she thought
of getting revenge by killing Sāmavati, one of His favourite
disciples. So one day while Sāmāvati was conducting her
weekly Mettā retreats. Māgandhiyā sent her henchmen
to set fire to the house where she and her students were
meditating. Sāmāvati and five-hundred other women died in
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
55

that fire. In this case five hundred women, including the very
one whom the Buddha declared to be the chief of all women
who practiced Mettā, died while practicing Mettā. Does this
mean what the Buddha said was not true? No, the Buddha’s
statement is true. Sāmāvati instructed her students, who
were practicing Mettā with her, to follow the instruction given
by the Buddha in The Kakacūpama Sutta. At that instance
all of them prevented their minds from being overtaken by
the force of the fire of hatred by pouring forth calming and
cooling Mettā thoughts. At the same time they directed the
same calming and cooling thoughts of Mettā to Māgandhiyā
and her criminal accomplices. Sāmāvati and her students
died peacefully with unconfused minds as reported in the
Mettānisa sa Sutta.
Āditta Pariyāya Sutta:
In the Āditta Pariyāya Sutta, the Buddha has pointed out
that our senses, their respective objects, consciousness arising
from these two, contact arising due to their combination, and
feelings – pleasant, unpleasant and neutral – are burnt by
eleven kinds of fire – greed, hatred, delusion, birth, growth,
death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, grief and despair
[viii]. Fire burns us until we obtain the sense objects that
we desire. It wears us out. Heat arises in the body. We hear
stories of people who endure burning sensations due to not
getting their pleasant objects. We must ask ourselves whether
this is true or not. Don’t accept it without questioning.
Greed, hatred, and delusion are considered the three
fires and three poisons that can destroy us. Figuratively
speaking, the very thought of greed, hatred, delusion,
birth, growth, decay, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and
despair are fires. They even burn us literally for we have
this internal fire smoldering and consuming us. When
we have very heavy does of them we really grow old very
quickly; we become sick very quickly; and we die very
quickly. Even one of them, let alone all of them, is enough
to consume us and destroy our peace. Have you ever
noticed how difficult it is for you to sleep when even one
of these fires arises in your mind and starts burning your
mind and body? As I mentioned earlier all you have to do
to know this reality is to pay total mindful attention to your
own state of mind when one of them arises.
5 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Poison in Snake Simile:
In the Alagaddupama Sutta the wrong grasp of Dhamma
is compared to catching a poisonous snake by the tail. Does
this mean the Dhamma also has poison in it like a snake?
Misunderstanding and misrepresenting Dhamma is like
being bitten by a poisonous snake in the sense that the
wrong grasp of Dhamma can poison the mind just as a snake
held incorrectly can bite the individual who holds and cause
his death or deadly sickness. However, if a person catches
a snake correctly he can extract the poison from him and
then he should let go of the snake. Similarly when he learns
Dhamma he must grasp its meaning correctly and should not
cling to it.
How can Dhamma be Compared to Snake’s Poison?
Snake poison can cause grave sickness or death. If
you misunderstand the Dhamma it can poison your mind
and cause suffering for the rest of your life. Wrong views
or misunderstanding the Dhamma carry on to the next
life. In addition, you can cause suffering to others through
conditioning their minds and making them accept wrong views.
You can poison the minds of millions of other people and
make their samsāric lives as miserable as your own or worse.
Used rightly, certain poisons can be used as medicines
to build up the immune system and cure diseases. Similarly,
wholesome Dhamma is used for removing defilements that
can make a person sick. However, a patient should only take
medicine according to the doctor’s directions. Otherwise
he may take an overdose that might cause a more serious
sickness and even if it doesn’t kill him it may take him longer
time to recover. Similarly if even the wholesome Dhamma is
forced upon somebody, he/she can get confused. If someone
gives medicine to somebody without knowing the strength of
the medicine he can kill the patient.
People suffering from the sicknesses of greed,
hatred, delusion, jealousy, fear, tension, anxiety and worries
should use the Dhamma medicine very mindfully. Medicine
is not always pleasant tasting sometimes it is bitter. Even
wholesome Dhamma medicine is not very pleasing to people
suffering from many defilements. Truth is bitter so long as
you are obsessed with defilements and dishonesty, but for the

Buddha, truth was sweet. He once said that is the sweetest
among all the sweet things in the world and the life of highest
quality is the life lived with wisdom.
(ix) Teaching Dhamma with misunderstanding and
misinterpretation of its meaning can very easily cause the
ridicule of the Buddha’s teaching. As Dhamma unaffected by
time it should be understood in a way that does not lead to
superstitious beliefs. Mettā practice brings peace to the one
who practices it, not to one who does not practice it. Once
misunderstood this noble practice loses its real value and
becomes a joke. Mettā is a very real and meaningful practice
with no superstition attached to it. If the world, full of hatred,
jealousy, fear, tension and corruption, became peaceful
merely by my practicing Mettā it would be an extremely
simple method to bring peace to the world. Only those
who practice Mettā with one hundred percent sincerity and
honesty will benefit from their practice. This is not a kind of
miracle – producing prayer. This is a true practice. If I hate, I
suffer from my hate and cause you to suffer from my hate as
well. I cannot make you suffer from my loving friendliness.
(i) AN. IV, PP. 42 – 44
(ii) Natthi rāgasamo aggi, − natthi dosasamo kali, Natthi
khandhsaā dukkha − natthi santipara sukha (Dhp. 202)
(Translated by Gil Fronsdal)
(iii) AA. Ekādasaka Nipāta
(iv) Vis. 381; Dh.A ii 310; AA. I, 451
(v) mettācetovimutti
(vi) Etadagga bhikkhave mama sāvikāna upāsikāna
mettāvihārīna yadida Sāmāvati). AN. 1.26
(vii) Disvāna ta hi arati ratiñ ca nāhosi ta hi api methunasmi
Bhavana Meditation Centre,
West Virginia,
Shenandoah Valley,
USA.
(This advertisement appeared in “The Buddhist” April / May 1936)
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2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
5

The Miracle of Metta
Claudia Weeraperuma
5 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Farmer Lakshman owned a splendid stretch of land.
Dark its soil and rich, land blessed by sun and rain.
His wife, two sons and farm machines gave him a hand.
He got good money from the peas, the greens and grain.
One day disaster struck when Lakshman’s neighbour fenced
Half of Lakshman’s land and claimed it as his own.
At once poor Lakshman hurried to the law, incensed,
Employed a lawyer so that justice would be shown.
The mounting misery his wife could no more stand
And so she left; his sons went both to countries far.
Alone he was with worries, toiling at his land.
He daily went to drown his troubles at the bar.
One day he leaned against the fence his neighbour built
And looked with sadness at the lovely land he’d lost.
A broken man, he was in debts up to the hilt:
He’d fought nine years in courts − colossal was the cost.
At dusk when gorgeous gods come down to our earth
The sky above the land was all ablaze with fire
And Lakhsman cursed: ‘‘Oh gods, my life has lost its worth,
Be fair for once and listen now to my desire:
Tan my neighbour’s hide with misery untold!
Spoil his crops − brinjals and limes, each tree in flower!
Trample every ear of rice, spread blight, spread mould!
On to him send pestilences hour after hour!
Pinch him, punch him, all poisons in your power !’’
While Lakshman was complaining, raging in his mental jail,
There came the neighbour’s dog, it ran straight to the fence.
The dog jumped up and down, it fondly wagged its tail,
Danger and unfriendliness, it did not sense.
(Contd. pg. 59)

It was too nice to hear
M.M. Thawfeeq
(From “The Buddhist”
September, 1942)
It was nice to hear
Amid the din of war
When the boom
Of patrol planes had died
And all the chatter
Of panic-talk
Had gone to slumber,
Lakshman first ignored the darling of his foe
Until the dog began to whimper and to plead;
Its tawny fur was gleaming in the evening glow;
A kind caress of cuddle was its urgent need.
Lakshman promptly petted then his foe’s best friend,
When suddenly the dog was raising up its eyes,
Their eyes did meet and Lakshman felt his heart extend.
Its gentle eyes were boundless like the skies.
The man was wakened by this timeless land of love
Where borders, wars and worries were, all left behind.
His heart became as weightless as a flying dove.
He saw that ‘‘mine’’ and ‘‘thine’’ were mirages of mind.
No more did Lakshman nurture insults of the past.
No more did Lakshman say: ‘‘He stole the land from me.’’
The dog did help him treat the man next door at last
Without a trace of enmity.
‘‘Villa Claudia’’
338, Chemin du Colombier
83460 Les Arcs-sur-Argens FRANCE
Aye, it was nice to hear
In the respite
Of a moonlit night
From the recluse
Of a mountain-height
The temple-drums
Calling from afar…..
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
59

In The Presence of Nibbana
Ven. Ajahn Brahmavamso Thera
(Ven. Ajahn Brahmavamso Thera, an Englishman,
regarded himself as a Buddhist at the age of by
reading Buddhist books. Ordained as a Monk at the
age of 23 in Thailand, he spent 9 years of study and
training in the Forest Meditation tradition under veteran
Meditation Master, Ven. Ajahn Chah. He is now the Abbot
of Bodhinyana Monastery in Western Australia.)
Developing Faith in the Buddhist Path to
Enlightenment
One of the most meaningful stanzas in the Dhammapada
is verse 372:
Natthi jhanam apannassa,
Panna natthi ajhayato;
Yamhi jhanan ca panna ca,
Sa ve Nibbanasantike
‘‘There is no Jhana without wisdom,
There is no wisdom without Jhana.
One who has Jhana and wisdom,
He is in the vicinity of Nibbana.’’
In the Vicinity of Nibbana
Right now, those who are Buddhist monks and nuns
and those who are serious lay practitioners are in the vicinity
of Nibbana. Being in this situation, you should recall that you
are practicing in precisely the same way that men and women,
young and old, have been practicing for the last twenty five
centuries, and eventually you will achieve the same results.
You are in the presence of Nibbana in the sense that we have
taken up the practice that is conducive to Nibbana.
Sometimes it’s hard to realise how close it can be.
One doesn’t realize that it’s, as it were, just a slight turn of
the head, or a slight change in the way of looking at things,
which will open up the same truth which the Buddha saw;
the same truth which Venerable Sariputta, Mahamoggallana,
Mahakassapa, Ananda, Anuruddha, and all the great Arahats
of the last twenty five centuries have seen. It was there then,
it is here now.
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We should recall this frequently. Recall that there have
been thousands, even tens of thousands of Arahats in the
past, and that there will be many hundreds, even thousands
of Arahats in the future. For this path is still available, and
when the path is available, so are the fruits.
There is a book, which I haven’t looked up for a long
time now, called A Manual of a Mystic. This is an old treatise
on meditation which was found in an obscure monastery in
Sri Lanka many decades ago 1 Part of the meditation practice
described there is just the above recollection, the recollection
of all the Arahats who achieved the sublime bliss of Nibbana in
the past. And now, here you are, embarked on the same journey,
doing the same things, which must give rise to the same fruits.
This was the promise of the Buddha. He said that this Dhamma
leads one way and one way only: to Nibbana. If you can get
into the stream, it will sweep you all the way down to the sea.
Such recollections, done frequently, give rise to great
joy, happiness, and confidence; they give rise to faith in this
practice which we call Buddhism, the Dhamma. This in turn
gives rise to the energy so that we can have the will – the
sustained will – to do what is necessary to transform that
glimmer of faith into sustained realization.
You are in the presence of Nibbana every time you open
up one of the books of the Tripitaka and read the teachings
of the Buddha. You are in the presence of Nibbana because
there is just a thin veil between you and the Dhamma. When
the Buddha taught these teachings to monks like Venerable
Bahiya (Udana 1:10), just the teaching was enough to give
people of that calibre great insight, insight which closed the
gap between them and Nibbana. They were not just in the
presence of Nibbana; they had made that one step further
into full realization of Nibbana.
Venerable Bahiya and others like him imagined that
they were so close to such a marvellous and sublime state,
yet they became great disciples of the Buddha. Indeed,
when people look through the glasses of delusion, they
can very often think: ‘‘How could one like me ever gain
this sublime bliss of Nibbana? How could one like me ever
attain Jhana? How could one like me ever penetrate such
a deep and profound Dhamma?’’ But the Buddha said that
you can! You can because you have already had enough

confidence and faith to take up the brown robe of the Lord
Buddha or to practice his teaching seriously as a lay person.
Lending an Ear
An important aspect of the path, in addition to virtue
and good conduct, is the study of the Buddha’s teachings. The
Buddha put it very beautifully in his discourses: one lends an
ear, bends the ear, listens with interest, and applies the mind
so that what one hears can enter deep within the mind, and
it can settle there. As it settles, over the weeks, months, and
years, it will grow and bear fruit. One day this fruit will be so
sweet it will be the fruit of Enlightenment.
As one lends an ear to the Dhamma, contemplating it,
and allowing it to sweep over the mind like a beautiful breeze
on a warm day, allowing it to soak in and to penetrate deep
into the mind, it penetrates deeper than the thought, deeper
than the intellect, far deeper than the fault finding mind,
deeper than the familiar mind. The Dhamma penetrates into
that part of the mind that one has yet to know – waiting there,
waiting until, through the practice of meditation, one enters
those very refined, beautiful, and subtle states of mind where
these seeds of the Dhamma, are resting waiting to bear fruit
and waiting to give the bliss of Enlightenment.
One has faith and confidence because one knows that
others have done this in the past. Sometimes people think
that the great masters, the great monks and nun of the old,
were somehow supermen and superwomen. But many of
them started off no different from most practitioners today.
Sometimes the most unlikely candidates became the greatest
saints. They took up the training to the best of their abilities;
they persevered in their attempts to get hold of the mind and
to calm it, to lead it to one pointedness, to stillness. Then
one day, through accumulation of all their learning and of
their reflections, and their small insights, they eventually
succeeded in breaking through the barriers that separated
them from their goal.
One Drop at a Time
The Buddha compares the practice of the Dhamma to a
pot filling up one drop at a time. There comes the moment
when just one more drop falls into the pot, and then the pot
overflows: the Dhamma is seen. One never knows when the
time for that last drop has arrived. The ordinary, unenlightened
individual can never see this pot filling because it’s in a part of
the mind which he or she as yet he has no access to – but little
by little it’s getting filled. One day it will become completely
full, and it will spill over into the mind as you know it now and
then lead one to the source, into this innermost mind, which
is usually hidden by the defilements and the hindrances. This
is when one starts to see the source, which the Buddha called
‘‘the house-builder,’’ the creator of birth and suffering.
So whether you are a monastic, or one with lay
precepts, you never give up the effort and you never give
up the training. This is a theme which runs throughout the
Buddha’s teachings. If one gives up the training in virtue,
meditation, and wisdom, one has no chance of success. But
if one continues with the training, if one continues following
the Buddha’s instructions, one will find that this training only
leads one way. It leads to Nibbana.
This message is beautiful encapsulated in some of the
best advice I ever got, given to me from a highly respected
monk in Sri Lanka. It’s a piece of advice which I always value
and keep in mind. He told me that at the end of each day, it
doesn’t matter so much to what stage one has attained, or
what you have achieved. What really matters is whether you
have really practised to the limit of your ability that day −
whether you have really tried your best − or whether you have
been slack, and heedless, forgetting the Buddha’s teachings,
and forgetting one’s faith that these teachings actually lead to
Nibbana. If at the end of the day you look back and you
know that you tried your best, then you are accumulating
spiritual qualities, you are getting inwardly filled with these
precious drop of water, and drawing closer to the goal.
By continuing in this way, it will and must happen that
Enlightenment will come to you as well. This reflection is a
means of developing faith in the Buddha’s teachings.
The Buddha not only encouraged faith using the
metaphoric ‘‘carrot’’ − the encouragement, incitement, and
reassurance that this is a path which produces fruit; he also
used ‘‘the stick’’. The stick is just reflecting and wisely seeing
the consequences of going the wrong way − into the realm
of craving and desire, of disappointment and frustration;
into the realm of suffering; into realm of more births − an
uncertain births at that. Uncertain births produce uncertain
results, sometimes with great suffering and great torment.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist

That is enough of a stick because it gives a sense of
wholesome fear (Ottappa), the fear of the consequences of not
continuing to make an effort, not continuing to walk this path,
and not continuing to progress as far as your ability allows.
It doesn’t matter where you are on the path as long as you
are stepping forward, as long as every day another drop falls,
filling up that great jar inside yourself. If you are doing that, in
the sense that you are walking the path that leads to Nibbana.
Virtue
The Buddha and the Noble Ones always say that that
path is the Noble Eightfold path – the path of virtue (Sila),
concentration (Samadhi), and wisdom (Panna). To walk the
path of virtue means that you will not harm any living being.
One dwells with a mind concerned with the happiness of all
beings – that softness of mind concerned with the welfare
of all beings wherever they may be, including oneself. That
virtue has to be perfected. It’s not enough to have 90% virtue,
95% virtue, or even 99% virtue − it must be fully purified;
purified, first of all, by faith.
The Buddha said that virtue is the foundation of the path.
Virtue is the ground on which rest the higher aspects and
factors of the Eightfold path. If this part of the path is weak, if
one takes liberties with one’s virtue and one bends the rules,
it’s going to weaken concentration and create impediments
to the arising of wisdom. Thus out of faith and trust in the
Buddha’s teachings, and in the teachings of all the great
monks and nuns, one resolves in a place which is deeper than
the defilements, ‘‘I shall uphold these precepts as if they were
a golden casket full of jewels; I shall hold them up to my head;
I shall value them and protect them. They are of the Buddha.’’
One famous meditation teacher used to make sure
that the monks would look after their alms bowls by telling
them to regard their bowls as the Buddha’s head, or even
higher. One should hold it in such reverence and value it so
much that one would not dare to deliberately go against any
advice or pronouncement of the Lord Buddha. Eventually,
as one develops greater concentration and wisdom, one’s
faith in the Buddha’s teaching grows to the extent that you
would not transgress these precept even for the sake of life.
It becomes almost impossible to do so. The mind values
them so highly because, they came from the Tathagata,
because they lead to Nibbana and because, by empowering
2 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
the mind to achieve concentration, they open up the door
for wisdom to enter.
At first one just has ordinary confidence and faith.
But with each realisation and with each deep insight, one’s
confidence and faith are transformed – not into love or
worship, but into something higher and deeper than that.
They are transformed into an enormous respect for that
which is the highest of all. As it is said in the Ratana-Sutta’’:
Natena dhammena samatthi kinci’’ – ‘‘There is nothing equal
to the Dhamma (Sutta-Nipatha, v. 225). Once one realizes
that it is more valuable than anything else in the whole word,
one would never transgress in the realm of virtue; one would
never hurt, devalue, or demean virtue.
As virtue becomes strong in the practitioner,
concentration happens by itself. It happens simply because
the mind becomes pure. Pure means, free from defilements.
It is actions which defile the mind, actions of body and
speech, and also the thoughts which precede visible actions.
The practice of virtue is getting hold of the mind which is
being defiled by habitual patterns of unskilful reactions, the
reactions of a crazy person, the reactions of a person who
just cannot see. The mind is covered up with ‘‘grease and
dust’’ so it cannot really see its own welfare. The practice of
virtue is the first shining and cleaning up of the mind, getting
rid of the accumulated dust and grime of many lifetimes.
Those beings who walk in virtue, who speak and act
kindly and wisely, seem, as it were to have no hurt and harm
in them. They radiate a beauty, a magnetic attraction, which
comes from the inner happiness that they experience through
their unblemished virtue. Each practitioner of this path should
know that happiness, but it will only be known if it is pointed out.
If a virtuous person takes the time to look into his or her mind,
to turn the apparatus of perception inward, he or she will see
that their virtue is very pure, the virtue of the Buddha, and thus
will gain more faith and confidence in the Buddha’s teachings.
On this path towards enlightenment one passes
through different stages, and each of those stages
brings its own happiness. These happy feelings are
little confirmations that this path is leading in the right
direction. They give encouragement, and one can ask, ‘‘If
this is the happiness which I have achieved so far, what is

the happiness which lies on the next stage?’’ Be warned,
however, that the defilements make one turn away from
that which is pure towards that which is impure. One
should make a deliberate effort to notice that pure, subtle,
and refined happiness born of an unblemished lifestyle, a
life of harmlessness.
May be you consider your state of virtue not yet to be
perfect. But enough perfection is there; enough days and hours
are spent in pure livelihood, pure speech, and pure action,
that you should notice the result is unblemished happiness
inside. Turn to that; recognize it, and you will affirm it. This
will give you extra confidence in the Buddha’s teachings about
the mind and about the right practice of body and speech.
Sense Restraint
As one develops virtue and restraint born of virtuous
conduct, one realizes that the way to achieve perfection in
virtue is by restraining the senses. As virtue and restraint born
of virtuous conduct is developed, one realizes that the way to
achieve perfection in virtue is by restraining the senses. One
has to restrain oneself in speaking, looking, and listening.
Why listen to every conversation around you? ‘‘What do they
say? What are they doing?’’ It doesn’t concern you. It’s much
more beneficial to turn away from the activities of people. One
doesn’t even look at what is happening outside; instead one
looks and listens to the activities inside oneself. This is what is
called restraint. Instead of the senses turning outside, start to
turn inside and ‘‘look’’ at their own activity.
As the senses become more restrained, one starts to
experience one of the first stages of happiness born of peace.
This is the happiness born of peace, the happiness born of
restraint, the happiness born when the mind is starting to
experience calm. The senses being quietened down; for one is
guarding them. What are they being guarded from? They are
being guarded from involvement in the world, which tends to
excite and disturb our minds.
The Buddha said that if one practices sense restraint one
will experience a very pleasurable, pure and beautiful result
a quiet, peaceful, and settled happiness. Those who practice
seriously and particularly those who live in quiet places should
be able to realise this delightful state of peace. One should
reflect and notice that happiness.
One is following the Buddha’s teachings by delighting in
wholesome states of mind. It is only unwise and unprofitable
to delight in unwholesome states, in the satisfactions of the
world of the five senses. That is where the Buddha said one will
find danger. But as for the peace and happiness born of pure
virtue and pure sense restraint, delight in it, enjoy in it, indulge
in it, and celebrate it. Do it out of faith in the Lord Buddha.
Mindfulness and Clear Comprehension
In the gradual training sense restraint first gives rise to
mindfulness and clear comprehension. Here the mind starts
to feel its first experience of being in control, of being at
the helm. Usually in our lives the senses are in control, and
we have no freedom. As soon as there’s a delightful object,
straight away the senses go to it. When an attractive person
of the opposite sex passes by, the eyes go in that direction. As
soon as a nice smell drifts up from the kitchen, the nose goes
straight to it. As soon as there is an interesting conversation
or pleasant music, the ears go straight to it. The senses are in
control, not the mind, not wisdom.
However, when one develops self-control and guarding
of the senses, mindfulness finds room to grow. The mind
acquires the power to know what is really going on, to direct
the attention to that which is skilful and useful, and to resist
getting lost in pointless entanglements and compulsive
activities. When sense restraint gives rise to this mindfulness
and clear comprehension, one starts to develop the foundation
for the marvellous states of concentration where at last one
sees the mind clearly for what it truly is.
Concentration and Insight: Whatever You Think It Is, It’s
Something Else
In the Suttas, we sometimes come across little phrases
of great significance. One such phrase is: ‘‘Whatever you
imagine it to be, it’s always something else.” 2 This is one of
the most profound descriptions of the Dhamma we can find.
Whatever one conceives it to be, it’s going to be something
else. It is as true for Jhana and insight as it is for Nibbana
itself. After having experienced one of these states, one
realizes how completely different the experience actually is
from what you thought, read, and expected it to be.
The conceptual mind cannot reach these refined aspects
of mind. All the concepts in the world are just built up of the
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
3

icks of one’s worldly experience. How could such a crude
and coarse apparatus as the conceptual mind reach these
states? This is good to remember because it takes away
one’s trust and confidence in the conceptual mind. We tend
to put far too much trust in our ability to conceive, so much
so that we waste our time arguing about concepts, about
who is right and who is wrong, instead of actually embarking
upon the practice that will enable us to see and know the truth
beyond concepts.
Out of faith in the Lord Buddha, one’s job and duty is to
use that conceptual mind where it is appropriate, and drop it
where, it has no place, where it does not reach, and where it
does not belong. Where it does not belong is in the realm of
those states that are beyond the ordinary human experience
(Uttari manussa. Dhamma); the Jhanas, the states of insight,
and Nibbana. Here the conceptual mind has to be dropped.
But first of all, this has to be taken on faith − faith in the
teachings of the Buddha. What I mean by faith is that one
values the teachings of the Buddha so much that one allows
them to go inside of the mind. One day when one is close
to concentration or insight, those teachings will come up to
bear its fruit, and one will give up the conceptual mind.
That which creates conceptual entanglement is called
diversification (Papanca), a coarser form of craving. Having
given up Papanca, the mind becomes still and peaceful; one
could say that the language of the self, the ego, is these
thoughts and concepts and the only way one can be see this
ego is first to make it shut up.
So one doubts this conceptual mind and instead one
develops the mind of faith in the Buddha’s teaching, which
says that this path can only lead one way only. The conceptual
mind might say: ‘‘I can’t do it, it’s too hard for me.’’ But that’s
the talk of the ego getting scared, the talk of Mara, 3 who is on
the defensive, rattled by our progress on the path to Nibbana.
Instead of believing in the conceptual mind, the mind of
Mara, one trusts the word of the Buddha and the advice of the
Noble Disciples. One puts aside those conceptional doubts,
let them go, and pushes them away. One goes beyond
them, and finds that the Buddha was wise and enlightened:
he did teach the Dhamma, and that Dhamma. works. This
is especially clear when the mind becomes peaceful.
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Push out the conceptual mind and arouse the mind
of faith. Let go. Let go of the ordering, the assessing of
the situation, and the thinking of what to do next. Let the
Dhamma. take over; and let natural course of the practice
take over. If you have been practicing virtue, sense restraint,
and mindfulness, you have the basis for concentration; so
let go and let concentration happen. Allow the mind just to
concentrate, to revert to what we might call its natural state
− the seeking of satisfaction and comfort within itself rather
than outside.
The mind then becomes self sufficient, self comforting
and self sustaining, so that the door from the mind to the five
external senses is cut off, and the mind does not go out to the
five senses. Instead it remains immersed in itself, in a radiant
joy. One experiences this, one delights in it, and it is wise
and good to delight in it. One has faith in the Buddha, who
said that this is a delight that has no underlying tendencies of
craving and lust.
The Beginnings of Craving
Just as one leaves these states of concentration, one
can experience the beginnings of craving, the beginnings of
the mind which goes out to seek for satisfaction. As an arm
reaches out for a cup of tea (or whatever it thinks to be joy),
one sees how stupid this craving is. Craving has its measure
of delight: the anticipation, the joy of activity, the doing,
making, becoming and controlling. But this is delusive joy.
One sees craving going out, and one sees its results.
When one is developing insight based on these powerful
states of concentration, something like craving, instead of
appearing as an idea or concept, appears like an animal,
emerging from the mind and going out. One sees this very
clearly; also one can very clearly understand the dangers. The
coarse mind can only see what is coarse and superficial. The
subtle mind, however, can see the subtle.
One understands the very source and essence of
craving: why it works, why the mind delights in it, and the
consequences of that delighting. Then the mind can develop
repulsion towards craving itself, repulsion to these ‘‘animals’’
which emerges from the mind and go out promising happiness
and joy, but afterwards come back to bite and torment the
mind. Craving is unfaithful to its promise; it promises delight,

happiness, satisfaction, and contentment, but it only brings
torment and disappointment. The refined mind can see this.
The refined mind can see where this craving first
originates. If first originates in the delusion of ‘‘I’’ and in the
delusion of ‘‘mine.’’ It is the delusion of a ‘‘self’’ (Atta) which
needs joy and satisfaction in the first place. This sense of
self, this sense of ‘‘I’’ is the source of craving, and it’s not
going to be uncovered easily as it lies very deep within. One
needs the powerful, refined, and subtle mind to be able to
even come close to the source and meaning of self, or rather
that which we take to be self. This is a very hard thing to
see, but with faith and confidence in the Buddha’s teaching
and by following them, one comes closer and closer.
Once one sees the self, or rather that which is taken to
be a self, then one can truly say that one is in the presence
of Nibbana. One sees the self as just a mirage, which has
deceived the mind for so many lifetimes. One ‘‘sees’’ this not
as a concept, but as a very refined state that is very hard to
describe to others. Language doesn’t reach to these places.
Once that self is seen, the delusion is destroyed and the
very ground from which craving originates is pulled away.
Craving is then like a bird with no place to rest any more. It
can still go flying in the sky, but it can’t come back to rest on
any branch or ground, and eventually it gets tired, and then it
will die. Once the mind sees these things − the Dhamma, the
origination of all things, and where they lead to, the nature
of the mind and the nature of delusion − faith is transformed
into wisdom. It is transformed into the experience of the
Dhamma., into Enlightenment and powerful wisdom.
Many may wonder how anyone can gain such refined
wisdom. But those who have faith in the Buddha know that
there is a path, there is a way, by which human beings can
gain this wisdom. That way is the Eightfold Path. From the
very the beginning to the end its not that long; it doesn’t
take that much time. One just needs patience and energy
born of confidence.
If the energy comes from a sense of ‘‘self,’’ it’s not going
to be very productive. If the energy one arouses comes from
a sense of ‘‘me’’ and ‘‘mine,’’ for instance, because you’re
ashamed of what you have done so far, and you want to do
better, it won’t be anywhere near as effective as it would be
if it comes from faith in the Buddha’s teachings. If it’s energy
born of faith, it is not energy coming from the ‘‘self,’’ it is
energy coming from the Buddha. If it’s faith in the Dhamma,
or if it’s faith in the Noble (Ariya) Sangha, it is energy born of
the Dhamma., energy born of the Sangha, the Ariya Sangha.
If one hears a great discourse from the Noble Ones, it gives
rise to faith, and that faith, gives rise to energy. It is born from
the Ariyas, from the Noble Ones. It is that energy, powerful
and penetrative, that can arouse one to make one’s virtue
spotless, that can perfect one’s sense restraint, sharpen one’s
mindfulness, and to bring the mind to concentration.
Whether you like it or not, it happens: Whether you think
that Jhana is the path to Nibbana or not, you get into Jhana.
It’s a natural part of the Eightfold path, and it happens by
itself. Planning it or not planning it is just getting in the way
and putting off its happening. The experience of Jhana comes
naturally to a mind in which the hindrances are suppressed;
in which faith has been developed, where purity of virtue has
been developed, where sense restraint has been developed,
in which mindfulness has been developed. Whether one likes
it or not, whether one decides for it or not, the happiness
ushered in by all these preparatory practices will naturally
give rise to the beautiful Jhanas.
The Bliss of Enlightenment
The Buddha called the Jhanas ‘‘the bliss of
Enlightenment.’’ 4 They are not the true release of
Enlightenment, but close enough in their affective qualities
to give one a taste of freedom. These are also called freedom
of the mind (Cetovimutti). They are the first real experiences
of freedom for the meditator. One is getting a taste of what
Nibbana truly is. The mind has calmed down, the defilements
are gone – though only temporarily – and one experiences a
mind without defilements, which is just ‘‘inside itself’’. One
experiences contentment, a place where craving doesn’t
reach, where Mara is blindfolded.
The experiences of these beautiful states that the
Buddha described gives, an indication of what Nibbana is
like. Then one doesn’t need to worry about faith anymore. The
experience is there and, once there, the faith in the Buddha,
Dhamma, and Sangha are “gone to greatness” (Mahagatta).
If the mediator has that last bit of confidence to turn the
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5

attention where the Buddha said to turn it at such a time,
he or she starts to uncover the mirage of self, that which
one has always taken to be, ‘‘me’’ or ‘‘mine.’’ If one looks
behind the screen at the source of the film, the light and
the projector itself, the one begins to see the Dhamma. As
said earlier, one then starts to notice where the defilements
originate from. The source of the hindrances, the mirage of
the self, is uncovered. It is this delusion (Avijja) that is the
root cause of suffering.
Entering the Stream
If you uproot the mirage of self, and see clearly with
a mind beyond concepts, with a mind freed through the
practice of the Eightfold Path, then will come with certainty the
knowledge that one has entered the stream and is a Streamwinner,
bound for Enlightenment. There is no way that this
can be turned back, and that’s why they say that from this
stage faith in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha becomes
unshakeable. It becomes so powerful, tall, and great that
there is no way in the world one might ever turn back.
Having realized the Dhamma, one can delight in it,
delight in the achievement and in the uniqueness of the
Buddha. With this realisation one really knows what the
Buddha is. As the Buddha said, “One who sees the Dhamma,
sees me. One who sees me, sees the Dhamma.’’ 5 That is a
profound saying, and one needs to have actually seen the
Dhamma to understand its meaning. In other words, if one
has truly seen the Dhamma, then one will value the Buddha,
Dhamma, and Noble Sangha above all else. Confidence
and faith in the Buddha reaches its peak and becomes an
enormous source of joy, and happiness – the bliss of pure
confidence.
Faith is the source not only of energy but of happiness
and delight (Sukha) too. And again, it’s a delight and happiness
from which there is nothing to be blamed or feared. It’s a pool
from which one can drink, where there is no pollution and
nothing which is going to cause injury or illness. Thus faith is
a powerful tool. It will take one from beginning to the end of
this realm of Samsara and eventually set one free.
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Exhortation
As I mentioned before, right in the beginning your faith
may be weak and challenged by the defilements. but just
notice, as you follow the Eightfold Path, how at each stage it
gives rise to greater degrees of happiness. These experiences
of happiness are real and are there to be turned to at any time
if one can only notice them. They are like invisible companions
that one takes for granted but often just doesn’t notice. They
will give increased faith that this practice works, and as that
faith builds up, it will propel you along the path.
You are in the presence of Nibbana because you are
practicing the Noble Eightfold Path. Confidence in this truth
might just enable the mind to accept that Nibbana is only
hidden behind the thinnest of veils. You might just get the
incentive to go beyond and achieve Jhana, achieve insight,
and become one of the Noble Ones. Then you will realize that
it wasn’t all that difficult. Just go one step further behind the
defences of the illusion of self.
1. Trans.
By F.L. Woodward, ed. By Mrs.
C.A.F. Rhys Davids (London: Pali Text
Society, 1982).
2. Yena yena hi mannanti tato tam hoti
annatha. See, e.g., Majjhima Nikaya
No. 113 (III 42 foll).
3. ‘‘Mara… is the Buddhist ‘Tempter’ Figure. … He appears
in the texts both, as a real person (i.e., as a deity) and,
as the personification of evil and passions, of the totality
of worldly existence, and of death.’’ Nyanatiloka Thera,
Buddhist Dictionary (4th rev. ed), (Kandy, Sri Lanka,
Buddhist Publication Society, 1980), p. 116.
4. Sambodhisukha. See, e.g., the
Latukikopama Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya
No. 66 (I 454).
5. Samyutta Nikaya, 22:87 (II 120).
Bodhinyana Monastery
Western Australia

Can We See the Buddha?
Ven. Walpola Piyananda Maha Nayaka
Thera
(Ven. Walpola Piyananda Maha Nayaka Thera is the Chief Sangha
Nayaka of America and Abbot of Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara
in Los Angeles, USA)
Although the Buddha lived over two thousand six
hundred years ago, it is still possible to see him through
his Teachings. We can also gain an understanding of Him
by reading numerous books that have been published over
the years. The Buddhist world has sculptured statues of
the Buddha which portray His unique compassion and
dynamic personality. It is in these ways we try to imagine and
understand what type of person He was. At the same time the
Buddha himself pointed out a way to see him by following
his path. In the suttas we find passages which explain his
character and qualities, his way of life, and his philosophy to
help us see him.
Once there was a faithful disciple named Vakkali who
always tried to be in the presence of the Buddha. When
Vakkali fell ill he requested a visit from the Buddha. He was
asked by the Buddha what was troubling him, and Vakkali
replied that what bothered him most was that he could not
see the Buddha everyday since he was ill.
Then the Buddha said, ‘‘Vakkali, what good is
there in seeing this decaying body of mine? One who
knows the Dhamma sees me. One who sees me, sees the
Dhamma. Vakkali, one who knows the Dhamma sees me.’’
This explains that one who knows the Dhamma is able
to see the Buddha. Mahahatthipodupama Sutta in the
Majjhima Níkaya says that the person who understands
dependent origination, can see the Dhamma and one who
can see the Dhamma understands dependent origination, can
see the Dhamma and one who can see Dhamma understands
dependent origination. The following verse refers to dependent
origination:
‘‘When this is, − that is.
This arising, − that arises.
When this is not, − that is not.
This ceasing, − that ceases.
Therefore by understanding and experiencing dependent
origination we can realize the teaching of the Buddha.
The suttas of the Sutta Pitaka contain descriptive
narratives of the Buddha by some of His disciples. They tell
of the manner in which He solved problems, the way He
addressed people, how He handled situations for peaceful
results, His wisdom and foresight, and so on. Reading these
suttas can provide one with an experience of the Buddha
The Buddha is often referred to in Pali Suttas as having
nine qualities. Buddhists recite, ‘‘Itipi so bhagava araham
samma sambuddho…” Through this verse the Buddha’s
nine qualities are enumerated:
‘‘Such, indeed is the Blessed One.
perfected, fully awakened,
endowed with knowledge and virtue,
having walked the right path,
the knower of worlds;
incomparable guide of willing persons,
teacher of gods and humans,
awakened and blessed.’’
During the Buddha’s lifetime, he was respected by other
religious leaders, and considered their spiritual friend. He was
popularly known as ‘‘bhagava’’ which means blessed one,
but the Buddha referred to himself as ‘‘Tathagata,’’ a person
who followed the path and attained the goal of Nibbana.
The Buddha’s associates expressed their opinions about
him. Once Ven. Assaji met Upatissa, a young man who later
became the monk named Sariputta. Upatissa asked him to
describe his teacher. Ven. Assaji replied, ‘‘When something
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist

arises it is due to a cause, and those reasons were explained
by my teacher. He also explained how the arising ceases as
well. I am following that type of teacher.’’ It is because of this
description that Upatissa became a monk and was eventually
known as the Buddha’s Chief Disciple.
Ven. Ananda, the Buddha’s chief attendant says this
of Him to Gopaka Moggallana. ‘‘The Buddha is the one who
discovered a path to happiness for those who are ignorant of
the correct way. He is the person who knew the path; tread
the path; experienced the path; and followed the path to the
end to gain ultimate peace and happiness.
A Brahmin named Drona, travelling along the same road
after the Buddha, was amazed when he saw some footprints,
and thought, ‘‘These can never be the footprints of a human
being.’’ Drona following the footprints and found the Buddha
seated under a tree very calm and serene. The following
conversation took place:
The Brahmin asked the Buddha. ‘‘Are you a god?’’
‘‘No Brahmin, I am not a god’’
‘‘Are you a gandhabba (divine musician)?’’
‘‘No Brahmin, I am not a gandhabba.’’
‘‘Are you a yakkha?’’
‘‘No Brahmin. I am not a yakkha?’’
‘‘Are you a human being?’’
‘‘Brahmin. I am not a human being either’’
Then the Brahmin said, ‘‘When I ask you whether you
are a god, you say ‘No, I am not a god.’ When I ask you
whether you are a gandhabba, a yakkha or a human being,
you say ‘No.’ If that is so, who are you?’’
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
The Buddha replied, ‘‘O Brahmin, if I am a god, I must
have godly sense – desires. But, I have eradicated sense
desires fully. Therefore, I am not a god. If I am gandhabba, I
must have gandabba sense desires. But, I eradicated sense-
desires fully. Therefore, I am not a gandhabba. If I am a
yakkha, then I must have the sense-desires that a yakkha
would have. But, I have eradicated all sense-desires fully.
Therefore, I am not a yakkha either. Then if I am an ordinary
human being, I must have the sense-desires of ordinary
human beings. But, I have totally eradicated sense-desires.
Therefore, I am not a human being like other human being.’’
The Buddha continued. ‘‘O Brahmin, a blue lotus, red
lotus or white lotus is born in the water. It grows in the water.
But, it remains uncontaminated and untouched by water. I,
too, am like that. I was born among human beings in this
world. I grew up among human beings in this world. But I
have risen above the world of ordinary human beings. I am
not attached to the world. Therefore, O Brahmin, I am a
superior human being who has destroyed all the weaknesses
of ordinary human being (uttara manusso). In short, I am a
Buddha. The best way to describe me is ‘Buddha.’ O Brahmin,
please call me “Buddha.’’
This is one of the ways the Buddha described Himself.
Many others can be found in the suttas.
One who has gone for refuge
To the Buddha, to the Buddha’s Teaching and to the Sangha;
Penetrating the transcendental wisdom of the Four Noble
Truths;
There is suffering
There is a cause for suffering.
Suffering can cease.
The noble Eightfold Path leads to the cessation of suffering.
Dhammapada Verses 190 − 191
ALMS GIVING IN MEMORY OF YOUR LOVED ONES AT GAMINI MATHA ELDERS HOME
CONTACT MANAGERESS:- 177, SIR JAMES PEIRIS MW., COLOMBO 2. TEL : 2434792

S OLILOQUY
H. Kamal Premadasa
The sakya Prince noble
Let his adored gaze roam over
The feast of beauty lain upon the couch
In sanguine retreat
And this wise soliloquized:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
O! Yasodhara, my love of gladsome looks
You are my whole life. Synosure of my eyes,
And the solace of my heart.
A priceless pearl of womanhood.
A fascinating poem in flesh and blood.
You have served me with duteous attendance.
Bathed me in a shower
Of love and faith profound.
Have been to me a sparkling brook
In a desolate sandy waste.
You have poured forth devotion plenteous
From a fountain never ceasing.
Fomented my feet with warmth of your brow.
Had my brow soothed with your finger’s delicate touch,
And to slumber lulled.
All that you have bestowed
Were in quantities enormous,
But bear with me winsome princess,
One thing to confer you has failed.
Happiness, the real thing.
I shall find the happiness that I seek
Help you reach state similar,
And draw all sentient beings
Towards that terrain of bliss.
Sceptre crown and the realm
Renders me naught.
Which I cast away as a lump of refuse.
Bonds that bind me to you and Rahula,
A part of my own flesh and blood,
Are hard to shatter.
But liberate myself I must
From such fondly bondage,
To liberate the ailing humanity
From the delusive abyss.
An arrow of pain pierces my heart
Which bleeds in torrents,
When I ponder, upon forsaking you.
This gilded cage, veritable goal
Had delayed my mission
The hour is ripe for going.
Grieve not in pangs of despair
For I grieve for grief not my own.
In the fullness of the time I shall
Come back to you a king of kings
In mendicant’s guise
Poverty stricken in worldly wealth,
But rich in lofty law.
Fare you well fare you well.
Stay O! my princess I beseech of you
Stay in your realm of peaceful slumber
Till I cast away my world.
To serve the world.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Then he paced softly
To the exit across.
When he quit the threshold ajar,
He was quit of adhesion to passion
That would surface no more.
1/F/52, 3rd Lane,
National Housing Complex,
Mattegoda.
Tel. 2850137/Cell. 0718-390576
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
9

His Name Shall Live Forever In Sinhala Hearts
From The Buddhist May, 1953
ONE name Ceylon can never forget, in the midst of
names of great kings in the days of old and of patriots,
nationalists and statesmen of recent times is that of David
Hewavitarane who came to be known as Anagarika Darmapala
on the threshold of his entering the Sangha as Devamitta
Dhammapala. He fought for the rights of his peoples as
RIGHT LIVING
BY HENRIETTA B. GUNATILLEKE
From The Buddhist January/April, 1961
Blind are we in a world of pain
To suffering souls that cry in vain;
A kindly word, a deed of love
A healing balm to them may prove;
They might have blest a heart in need,
But they die with us unused indeed.
0 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
hardly any one else before him or after him did. He aroused
the national consciousness of his people by straight talk, with
no eye to position, fame or honour. He aroused the religious
consciousness of the Buddhists in Ceylon; and taking the
fight to India, laboured well-nigh alone and ceaselessly for
the restoration of Buddha Gaya to the Buddhists, and for the
return of the Dhamma to its native soil. No Ceylonese, who
ever visits India, even though he may not be a Buddhist, can
fail to be inspired by his work and feel proud that owing to
the labours of a countryman he need not feel a strander in
that vast land. The name of Dharmapala is synonymous with
that of the Mahabodhi Society of India, which he founded and
which has now sprouted in different important centres. His
life’s work was his fight with the Mahanta the owner of the
Buddha Gaya Temple the management of which at least, a
national Government has now vested in a committee of a nine
– five Hindus and four Buddhists. The formal handng over
takes place on Vesak Day (which, in response to the appeal of
the Maha Bodhi Society, the Indian Government has declared
a public holiday). The four Buddhists include the Ven. Neluwe
Jinaratana, of Calcutta, and Mr. Devapriya Walisinha. The
ceremony coincides with the Vesak programme sponsord by
the Maha Bodhi Society of India.
A wealth of goodness in us lie,
Let’s spend it freely ere we die;
Richer, happier shall we grow
With every blessing we bestow
And when at last our journey’s o’er
Our deeds shall bless us evermore!

Kammic Psychology The Secret of Life
S. Gunatilaka
From ‘‘The Buddhist’’ October, 1966
TODAY there is a worldwide renaissance. The peoples
of the world are meeting together, more often, on common
fronts. The cultural contributions they make are opening up
vistas from which the cobwebs of superstition are wiped.
The East produced the Psychologists, the West
only Professors of Psychology. The Eastern Adepts knew
more about Psycho-physical mechanism than do Western
Anatomists, Physiologists and Psychologists. Scientific and
Psychological investigation of the West now support the
ancient Asian tradition that the study of life could be made
with success mainly through psychic means. The West has
met the East.
Rebirth or Reincarnation are no longer fanciful theories
relegated to feeble and superstitions minds. Evidence coming
from the four quarters of the globe, supporting this fact are
too numerous and overwhelming. These baffle even the most
skeptical of scientists.
Pythagoras, the Greek Philosopher remembered some
of his past lives; He remembered his name in a previous
birth, visited the scene of battle of that time and found the
very shield he then used. Schliemann’s passion for Homer
as a boy, later made him the remarkable archaeologist, who
discovered in the Trojan plain, the very weapons that Homer
describe. Theresa von Konuersreuth of Czechoslovakia could
speak pure Armanian in trance. She believed in a life in the
Galilee of Christ. At Vera Cruz, Mexico, a seven-year-old
healed people by prescribing vegetable remedies. He believed
that in a precious life he was the great Doctor Jules Alpherese.
Mozart composed minuets before he was four. Beethoven
performed in public at eight and published compositions
at ten. Handel gave concerts at nine. Chopin played public
concerts before nine. Samuel Wesley played the organ at
three and composed an oratorio at eight. Christian Heinrich
Heinecken was able to speak at ten months. By the time
he was one year old he knew the principal incidents in the
Pentateuch. At two he had mastered sacred history. At three
he had an intimate knowledge of history and geography, both
ancient and modern and was able to speak French and Latin.
At four he had started studying religious and church history.
The sensation was such that crowds flocked to discourse
with him. At four, soon after he learned to write, he died.
The phenomenal mental ability of child prodigies and Adepts
as well as the ability to recapture past life experiences is not
the result of learning anything new. It is purely the facility
to remember that few of us are gifted with. This point is
explained later.
If you make a speech mistake; if you forget a name or
place; if you carry out an erroneous action; if you injure a
finger or fall in the street; then, depend on there are reasons
for them to be so. Sigmund Freud has mass of evidence to
prove his accuracy. Certain friends avoided Freud for the fear
that they would betray their innermost secrets even in a brief
conversation. Freudians base their cures on psycho-analysis.
However, Freud could regress the mind only up to birth and
so had no clue to diseases and phobias acquired prior to
birth. That disease is of the mind and that disease could be
cured by the mind is the broader view.
Where the Psychologist failed the Hypnologist took
over. The Hypnologist through age regression tracing life
from the present to hundreds or thousands of years back,
has thrown a flood of light on so controversial a subject as rebirth.
Re-birth, today, is an established fact. The disturbing
evidence found in such abundance cannot be lightly brushed
off. In recent years Moray Burnsteins Bridey Murphy and Mrs.
Naomi Henry have created world shaking news in this regard.
Character traits, vocational abilities and historical epochs
related to individuals who come under scrutiny from various
parts of the world are found to be in complete harmony with
the Psychology of Kamma.
Plato, Vergil, Ovid, Giordano Bruno, Shelling Libnitz,
Fichte, Emerson, Flammarian, Carlyle, John Masefield,
Gandhi and Tagore are some of the world intellectuals who
have some form of belief in rebirth. Buddhism, Hinduism,
Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and the Egyptian
religion uphold similar beliefs. It would have induced more
intellectual respectability, if the fact that the intellectuals
of the world, together with more than half the population
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist

on the planet, believed in some form of rebirth was better
known. Materialism, theological rigidity, religious orthodoxy,
ignorance, indifference, vested interests and other
impediments bar our progress in these investigations. The
skeptic who has the daring and the wherewithal to investigate
is always overwhelmed by the mass of the evidence and
proof. Proof, today, is the only thing that matters.
One of the first books on rebirth to come from the west
was Fielding Hall’s ‘‘Soul of a People’’. Hall was an English
Judge in Burma during the British conquest of that country.
This splendid book details his personal investigations at first
hand. The account first deals with those invisible beings
called Nats that inhabit trees and enchant forest and mountain
glades. His evidence on factual rebirth are illuminating of
special note is the case of the aged Buddhist monk, who, in
the evening of his life, planted Teak saplings in the garden
around his temple. When questioned why he was so doing in
his old age, he has replied that, after his demise, the temple
would fall to the ground and it will be no more. The children of
the village will then have nowhere to go for instruction in the
three R’s and in the Norm. So when the trees are fully grown,
he will be born again, to use the mature timber for erecting
a better temple, to meet the village’s needs. The decades
rolled on and memories were forgotten. But, one evening in
the dusk, when the village belles were at the well drawing
their last supply of water for the day, there appeared from
the forest a young Buddhist Priest. Since it was getting dark,
the men of the village improvised a place for his stay near
the ancient ruin. Days went by but the priest did not leave.
The villagers liked it all the more, because the priest filled
for them a long felt need. They were astonished at the young
priest’s intimate knowledge of local history. The stranger was
then identified as the aged priest of yore. The timber was
felled and a new temple was erected. During World War One
a British Officer took shelter for the night in this temple. That
was how Fielding Hall came to record the evidence through
his judicious pen.
An excellent book to hold the field for several years
was Shaw Desmond’s ‘‘Reincarnation for Everyman’’. Highly
accomplished and talented, Shaw Desmond is the founder of
the International Institute for Psychical Research. His evidence
is from many parts of the world. He remembers several of
2 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
his former lives. On his first visit to Denmark, to his own
amazements, he lectured to an assembly for one hour and
forty-five minutes in Danish, a difficult dialect which he had
never learned. He has illustrated how the teachings of Christ
embody reincarnation. His documented case of Vishwa Nãth,
born on 7th February, 1921, at Bareilly, India is important.
When Vishwa was one-and-a-half years old he inquires about
a place called Pilibhat, wished to know its distance from his
town and begged his parents to take him there. He claimed
a previous life in Pilibhat, and at three, he gave a detailed
account of his previous life and his associations. His father
in the previous birth was a Zemindar who was fond of wine,
rohu fish and nauchgirls. All the details were confirmed by
those who remembered the man and his tastes. When he
was taken to the house in which he lived it was exactly as
he had earlier described. In a group photo he singled out
two individuals and established his identity. His neighbour
had been Lala Sunder Lal, who had a green gate, a sword,
a gun and held nauch-parties. These were recognized and
confirmed. He claimed to have studied up to the 6th Class in
the Gorverment School and knew Urdu, Hindi and English. He
gave the correct position of Class 6. Two of his former schoolfellows
confirmed these. He described his teacher and played
tabla with ease; things he had never seen before. It was then
revealed that Babu Laxmi Narin had died at Shajehanpur on
15th December, 1918, at 32, of lung trouble. He was reborn
within two years of his death.
The Buddhist Publication Society of Kandy has
issued a brilliant booklet called ‘‘A Case for Rebirth’’ by
Francis Story. Rev. Leslie D. Weatherhead has produced
a pamphlet from the commonsense point of view called
‘‘The Case for Reincarnation.’’ Dr. Alexander Cannon’s
‘‘Sleeping Through Space’’. ‘‘The Power Within’’, “The
shadow of Destiny’’, “The Invisible Influence’’ etc., are
wonderful, marvellous. ‘‘Evidence for Survival From Claimed
Memories of Former Incarnations’’ is by Dr. Ian Stevenson.
This is the prize winning essay he compiled in honour of the
famous Psychologist, William James. Dr. Stevenson was in
India in September, 1964, making a scientific investigation on
rebirth. In Ceylon he associated himself with the Gnãnatilakã
case, which he thinks is one of the very best in regard to
both documentary evidence and psychological interest. This
documented and illustrated report is now available in book form.

Gina Cerminara’s ‘‘Many Mansions’’ and ‘‘The world
within’’ open a fascination vista in the Psychology of Kamma
and Rebirth. These two simple, yet erudite tormes provoke
vigorous thinking. The golden thread that vibrates through
both works is essentially Buddhist. More than 30,000 casehistories
from the library of the medically famous medium,
Edgar Cayces, has helped her out of much disputed notions
with painstaking research and clarity. This survey covers
more than 30,000 years; from Atlantian, Egyptian and Asian
periods to modern times. About 75 books are said to contain
accounts of Atlantis, with a civilization superior to any that
exists. It is believed that in a temple in forbidden Tibet the
map of Atlantis is preserved on a tablet. About 25,000 years
ago this continent sank in the Atlantic, resultant on the great
deluge and global upheaval. The marble column of an ancient
Atlantian temple was discovered in 1956 off the coast of the
Island of Bimini, which was the highest area left above water,
of that continent.
Gina Cerminara illustrates how Kammic reactions
work through a judicious psychological process. The
findings are her observable attributes gained through
research in the Cayces material. Why one is ailing, disabled,
handicapped, frustrated or endowed with health and beauty,
success and harmonious life, are shown with determinant
psychological causes. Frowning and threatening; mocking
at the maimed and the disable; rape murder and subterfuge;
gluttony, gourmandizing and sensuality; hates jealousies
and suspicions; secret motives and sinister deeds; lies and
clever words we manipulate to impress our sincerity when
we are not sincere; have their determinant psychological
reactions. Sickness, ugliness, deformity, dispossessions,
want and hunger are penalties for evil behaviour. Health,
beauty, symmetry, plenty, position and fame are reward for
good. The impartial and judicious reactions in their varying
degrees are appropriately determined by one’s ancient
behaviour. One is responsible only for himself. If one is not
careful as to how he raises the mound, unwittingly he will
be digging his own grave.
Smallness of stature and inferiority complex are the
direct result of a previous attitude of haughtiness, superiority
or condescension. Cruelty or abuse, whether physical or
psychological, can produce, in a later life, sickness, deformity
or inferiority in the body – the sickness, deformity or inferiority
being appropriate to the cruelty or abuse earlier dispensed.
The results of Kamma are manifold; punishment or reward
being always appropriate to the vice or virtue involved.
If you have a greedy eye for other’s possessions, the very
privations you visited on them, shall certainly visit you by
way of poverty, dispossession, homelessness and hunger.
If, at a time of crisis, you took your own life, depriving your
mate and children of the love and care they need, your lack of
honour and responsibility will bring about a similar situation,
where you will suffer loneliness and anxiety of mate and
children and home. One who will not give a patient hearing
to another’s entreaties, while he could, will be born deaf. One
who blinds others or stares at them to frighten and terrify them
will be born blind. One who eats to excess now will inherit
digestive troubles later. One who mangled and maimed the
limbs of others may be born to suffer as a cripple. One who
burned or drowned or threw others as prey to wild animals
shall suffer the same agonies in a later life. Mockery and
criticism of others bring about similar retribution, physically
and mentally, in a later life. Infidelity to a mate in the past
will react as infidelity from a mate now. The abusive attitude
of the mistress now could change the situation with her
maid in the future. Talents and abilities cultivated in one life
may be carried over to the next. The absence of cruelty to
self and others, loving care and maintenance of one’s body,
cultivation of the fine arts, spiritual dedication and selfless
service, promote physical beauty. In suspension Kamma, one
has to live out a few lifetimes, until a suitable period in time
arrives, when those involved too shall be re-born, to enable
one’s debts to pay.
The functioning of the Endocrine glands has primary
responsibility for what one is physically, mentally and
morally. One is the creator of one’s own body, which is
only the objectification of his inward reflection. The visible
body is the key and clue to the nature of the creator within.
Dependent on the function or malfunction of the inherited
endocrine equipment one may be intelligent or a dunce, a
follower or a leader, a genius or a lunatic. Conditioned by
the mind the ductless glands function as store-houses or
focal points of determinant Kamma. The exact mechanism by
which the endocrines influence the biological process is yet
unknown to modern medical science. But the Eastern Adepts
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
3

knew. Since the eighteenth century much experimentation
has been done in the West in this regard. The ductless glands
are known as the endocrines or hormone producing glands
of internal secretion. They are all ductless excluding the sex
glands, which are partially ductless. These glands without
ducts are mere factories whose function it is to produce
certain substances and introduce them into the blood. They
are closely connected to the mind and its emotions.
The Endocrines were first thought to be rudimentary
organs that were gradually atrophying in the human
evolutionary process. Yet, their accidental proved fatal.
Glandular grafting or injections removal proved results
beyond the wildest dreams. They rejuvenated mind and
gland are interactive and co-related. The various glands have
a direct influence on the physical, mental and moral natures
of the individual. The Hatha Yoga, for thousands of years,
taught meditations to activate these glands for spiritual
purposes. Occultists decry animal glandular grafting for
fear of devolution and descending into sub-human levels.
In the pure glandular type of man, one gland by being above
the average or by being below it, begins to exercise the
dominating influence on the individual. In every emergency
it stands out shewing traits and attributes peculiar to the
individual. Why is one tall or short, fat or lean, prone or
otherwise to disease, domineering or dominating, allergic
or immune, monogamous or polygamous, clever and
fraudulent or clumsy and dishonest, saint or sinner, prince
or pauper, artist or tailor, soldier or sailor, is dependent on
these glands. They are mind conditioned and are resultant
on our ancient attitudes, platitudes, environments, cultures
and cultivation. Without cultivation it will not take the
inheritors far. The spirit within is responsible for the body
of its creation. Family heredity exists. Yet we draw heredity
only from ourselves, though parents are useful, helpful and
influencing. The quality of our physical, mental and moral
traits at the moment is due to a correspondingly proportionate
or disproportionate use of it in the past and is indicative
of a proportionate or disproportionate attitude deep rooted
in the mind. And now almost all diseases are said to be
‘psychosomatic’. In other words they are Kammic. It will
interest us to study concurrently the Sãkya Muni’s discourse
of the ‘‘Chula Kamma Vibhanga Sutta’’ with the Mánawaka,
the Thodeyya Puttha Subha. 2,500 years ago, the Supreme
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
scientist and psychologist of all time, revealed these very
facts of life, which we are just beginning to rediscover.
In ancient terminology, the ductless glands were known
as ‘Chakras’ or ‘Padmas’: ‘Wheels’ or ‘Lotuses. Excluding the
higher Adepts, very little is known about these glands. The
less spoken about them, the better. Three tracts of nervous
energy flow through the seven nerve centres or glands.
These correspond to certain parts of the physical body and
since they exist in another dimension they cannot be exactly
identified. The spine is the chief tract of nervous energy and
from this the Chakras act as centres of diffusion. The Thyroid
gland controls growth of skin, its hairiness or otherwise and
its amount of moisture and mucus. It determines the growth
and size of bones, is responsible for the dullness or keen
of intellect and it controls the speed of living. The Pituitary
gives good blood pressure, sustained interest and zest. It
governs the brittleness or elasticity of bones, tallness or
shortness of skeleton and the size of hands and feet. The
Adrenals influence sex, blood pressure and heart. When fear
or rage excites this gland the senses are made supersensitive
and superlative feats of strength and endurance are possible.
The Thymus is concerned with the sex life of certain
individuals, it keeps children’ ‘childish’, produces childish
‘grown ups’ and creates ‘feminine’ men. The Gonads are
ovaries in females and testis in men. It has influence in
the brain. The pineal is referred to as ‘‘The Third Eye’’ or
‘‘The Sahasrara Chakra’’ or the thousand-pettled lotus. It
inhibits during childhood the functioning of the Thyroid,
Pituitary and the Adrenals and restrains the growth of sex
glands in infancy. It causes intelligence or the lack of it. It
could promote brilliance, genius super-normal intelligence
and high spirituality. A proper understanding of the ductless
gland could give us balanced and harmonious life. Thought
power directed wisely and well could produce anything, create
anything and change anything in our life and circumstances.
In recent times the Hypnologist has delved deep enough
through regression for a true understanding of the cause
of and cure for peculiar human, physical and mental traits.
What a man thinks, believes, talks and does in his daily life
has much to do with his health and personal problems as
do contaminated foods, poisons, disease germs, unhygienic
surroundings, grousing neighbours, bodily accidents and

financial fluctuations. It is not only useless but it is also a
waste of time if one were to help psychically, medically,
legally or financially a person who is sick or in financial
straits or has trouble with his associates, if that person still
continues to think and act in the irreligious and inharmonious
manner, which are the real cause of his trouble. One must do
the realisation himself. One cannot do an injustice to another
or take advantage of another or live a dual role of life without
bringing into himself inevitable suffering and pain consequent
on these very actions of his. Watch your thoughts. Without
your knowledge you shall be riding pell mell into hell with
smug satisfactions. No amount of fasts and meditations in
this Samsãra will reward you with eternal Nibbána so long as
you are disillusioned with the duality of life. Mental chemistry
works wonders for you whether you are sharp enough or not.
The mind never forgets even a faint and fleeting notion. The
mind is elusive, plastic and flexible. According to your desire,
your urge, your passion, your craving, your greed or your
enthusiasm, you form a mental picture of your want. Little by
little. bit by, grain by grain, brick by brick, this mental picture
takes shape, size, form, colour, depth, density and reality,
exactly as you desired. Then, with maturity and in time, its
pulsating, vibrating, concrete form, will burst out from its
secret womb of isolation into open reality, bringing you in its
train, pain or pleasure, impartially and judiciously suited to
the exact degree of your motive.
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
- Omar Khayyam
A team from the Soviet Academy of Sciences,
probing the Siberian ice, found at a depth of 15 feet, little
sea animals and eggs, that were reckoned by scientific
computing, to have been buried 3,000 years ago. Scientific
thawing resurrected the animals that eagerly resumed
normal functions of life. The eggs, after hatching, have
produced several generations. On this point, scientists were
arguing that if tiny creatures could lie dormant that long,
man could do it longer. Life is immortal. In America, Dr.
Ralph S. Willard, in order to destroy degenerate cells, froze
solid a disease attacked monkey and kept if for a period in
an ice box. The defrosted animal returned to life with no illeffects.
Since then, the deep freezing method is now used
for certain operations. At the Mayfair Hotel in London, Dr.
Alexander Cannon, who is supposed to be the first scientist
to split the atom and who originally dis believed Kamma and
Rebirth, performed a dangerous experiment. On the Stage,
on Chair No. I, a schoolmaster was put into deep hypnotic
trance. His astral body was commanded to sit on Chair
No. 2. And his ethereal body was ordered to sit on Chair
No. 3. For the fist time in public man’s three bodies were
demonstrated shewing immortality. The several experiments
were witnessed by a body of scientists, by medical men and
by an array of hardboiled lawyers. Those who have been
initiated into the higher mysteries can, by Astral Projection,
travel astral anywhere. Physical objects, then, are no barrier.
The secret, as all great truths, is a simple one. It is this very
simplicity that keeps away the undesirable from contacting
knowledge. Knowledge without sila spells disaster.
The Astral Body is the vehicle of consciousness. All
impressions received by us, however faint and fleeting are
recorded therein for all-time. Their power ceases only when
Nibbána is realised. In the active state, the Astral Body
resembles the Physical Body in detail. In the passive, the
astral encloses the physical, as it were, in a golden bowl.
The Ethereal Body, the energy or life content, lies in front
of the spine, like a streak of silver light. In the exercise of
meditation, the energy from the sex glands flows upwards,
serpentining and connecting the other ductless glands
along the spine and ends at the Pineal gland (the thousand
– petalled lotus) atop the head like a hooded cobra. When
the Pineal gland is developed, Clairvoyance, Clairaudience,
the gift of prophecy, casting spells, producing illusions and
hallucinations, thought reading and thought transference,
etc. could be induced. The Sammã Sam Buddha’s noticeable
pronouncement atop his crown bespeaks Pineal Gland
activity of the ultimate order. The Pãramis, as we know, were
perfected by him for four assankeya and a 100,000 kalpas.
Phrenologically, this area incorporates the moral group
of Hope, Conscientiousness, Benevolence, Veneration,
Firmness and Spirituality. In infants this area is termed ‘The
Soft Spot’ and the pulse beat could yet be seen. Because of
the opening of the Pineal gland in infancy, a ‘sixth sense’
enables them to see in the dark. Past life memories could
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
5

e recapitulated. The gradual fade out of memories is due
to the closing of the Pineal gland opening due to cranial
hardening consequent on maturity. In the East this gland
is activated through meditation, through mental-sound
exercises, through physical operations and medicine. These
secrets are known only to the Eastern Adepts. In the world
today there are beings whose power stagger our imagination
and whose mere willing would make kings and rulers reel.
Vibration it is that differentiates one type of matter from
another. Etheric vibrations of mind interpenetrates all
things. Science is yet unable to explain the etheric fluid in
which atoms revolve.
The human aura and the colours associated with it are
an indication of the mental, moral and spiritual evolution of
the individual. The Aura has been termed the mental body,
since it depicts mental evolution. The aura can be seen by the
clairvoyant as well as by special photographic means. In the
savage, who is only a little more removed from the animal, the
aura is a mere watery bubble of undefined colours, adhering
close to the body. In the developed man the aura extends
to about 18 inches from the body, enclosing him like the
shell or an egg. In the cultivated and the spiritualised being
this extends to about 100 yards from the body and seven
rays of light radiate upwards from the pineal gland atop the
head. It has been said of the Omniscient One that his aura
extended three miles around him. The more one is cultivated
and accomplished, the more one has exercised his mind in
the arts and in the sciences and the more one has devoted
himself to things spiritual by fasts and meditation, the larger
will be the aura around him. The more one is enlightened, the
more will be the organization, order, luminosity and radiance
of the auric colours. The Clairvoyant sees through these
colours, the thought-forms of the individual as if he were
listening to speech. The colours are a reflection of the mental
and emotional states within, which form one’s character:
one’s Kammic-consciousness. The colour vibrations we
create now are carried over to the next life. Colours have a
very definite influence on us, on our thoughts, on our health
and on the refinements we so much desire. Properly applied
colour-science could not only cure disease, but it could also
promote health, wealth and happiness. Application of colours
has to be done with a scientific knowledge and technical skill
in order to promote harmonious life.
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
The colour vibration denoting unselfish affection is pale
rose, that shewing intellect is yellow and that expressing
sympathy is green. Blue betokens devotional feeling.
Luminous lilac signifies spirituality. Orange typifies thought
of pride. Irritability is indicted by light brown. Selfishness is
grey-brown, Deceit is grey green. In intense anger the aura
takes the hue of black interlaced with red streak of lightning.
The good qualities of affection, devotion and intellect,
when mixed with selfishness, tinges the radiance of their
corresponding colours impure and muddy, with the brown
of selfishness. Black shews malice and hatred. Livid grey
indicates fear. Sensuality is shewn by a lurid brownish-red.
Jealousy is brownish-green; its extreme activity is marked by
scarlet flashes of anger piercing it. When the Astral Body is
normal the aura generally assumes the hues of the emotions
to which one yield most.
Dependent entirely on his inherent character, each
person has a different way of understanding even the simple
good and bad. In this own light each person justifies himself,
though he may fall pathetically short of the moral standard.
Logic succeeds at the peril of morality. Education is a mere
matter of learning. Sila has the quality of vision in it. Its end
and aim is complete liberation. The same defect in character
could make the educated man clever and fraudulent and the
ignorant man clumsy and dishonest. We are the product of
all our mental traits: the total of myriads of subtle influences
that we have gathered, cultivated and inherited during
countless lives. Feelings are fundamental. It is the desire
that gets things done. It is the urge, the impulse, and the
driving power that induces action. The seat of emotion is
the Astral Body. Changes in the physical body are made by
the emotions through the nervous system. These emotions
have a direct bearing on the ductless glands. The ductless
glands are focal points or store houses through which the
determinate Kamma works. Our physical features have
a mental significance. Physical function is the base on
which mental manifestation rests. Function and faculty are
interactive and co-related. The face alone is a key to one’s
mental, moral and physical traits. The contour and shape
of head, nose, mouth, lips, chin, eyes, ears, etc., together
with their form, size, colour and texture and tone of skin,
are a true indication of the characteristics of the man behind
the mask. Even the writing of one accurately answers to

any detail of the individual. Even our mannerisms are a true
indication of character. Whatever trail we leave behind that
tells the story that is true.
It is the Astral and the Ethereal that survives death. The
Astral body is the vehicle of consciousness. The Ethereal is
energy. Life is conscious existence. When the hour draws
nigh for the consciousness to be liberated from the physical
body and the life-force transferred to the next plane of
survival, we awaken to the consciousness of astral matter
and the functions of astral body. This state is familiar to those
who have done Astral Projection. This technique involved in
leaving the physical body inert, while the astral body could
travel at will, where physical objects are no barrier.
In Buddhist psychology twelve dominating causes are
explained in detail for the continuity or the existence of the
personality in the Samsãra as man, angel, god, elemental,
animal etc. This is the answer to the speculative metaphysics
of the West Whither and What am ‘I’? Under the influence
of mental disharmony, ignorance of self-delusion, everything
is viewed from the egocentric standpoint of desire. Due to
preconceived notions of a permanent self there arises the
desire for a permanent world with lasting pleasures. And as
this cannot be found there arises despair, disappointment
and suffering. The illusion of the ‘I’ conditions the mental
tendencies. These in turn produce consciousness and a
psycho-physical organism which uses its senses as media
for craving. When the craving is satisfied there is intensified
longing to such objects and aversion to obstacles on the
way towards its fulfilment. Greed and hate are two aspects
of the same element as craving. Clinging and craving binds
us ever anew to the cycle of existence. Our will, our desire or
our carving creates the world we live in complemented with
the psycho-physical mechanism related to it. Correlative to
this condition are disease, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain,
grief and discontent. The notion that ‘‘This is I’’ and ‘‘This is
mine’’ is fantasy. The sum total of experienced thought, word
and deed is Kamma. Outside Kamma there is no permanent
‘I’. The ‘soul’ is a heirloom coming down from peimitive
philosophy. No life could be perfected until it is freed from
the myth of ‘self’. No amount of fasts and meditations will
enable us to realise eternal Nibbana until the ‘I’ is liquidated.
This sublime psychology is profound and difficult to grasp.
Everything in creation is subject to change. Nothing stands
still for two moments. The cosmic process continues from
eternity. The infinite past is past. Eternally we live in the
present. One alone must make the righteous assertion, here
and now, to overcome evil and do good.
The Samma Sam Buddha, the only grand personality in
recorded history, was the first to contribute the boldest and
the noblest approach ever, towards intellectual freedom. He
discoursed: ‘‘Do not believe anything because it is believed
by parents, teachers, learned men, men of high position or by
the majority of people or it is alleged to be a divine inspiration
or it is said to be an oracle or because one’s consciousness
says it is true or because it appears in books or because a
certain individual emphatically says it is the truth. But believe
a thing if it agrees with your reason, investigation and practical
knowledge and if it conduces to your happiness and to the
happiness of others”.
It is an axiom now, in councils of perfection in the
West, that one is destined to live in the surroundings of his
own creation, set by his own limitations governed by his
own imaginings.
A distorted lens distorts the vista when viewed through.
The Buddhist lens is the Paticca Samuppãda. Through this
refining sieve true vision is achieved for the realisation of
eternal Nibbana. That is everlasting happiness. It is peace
that surpasses understanding.
‘‘Commit no wrong, but good deed do,
And let thy heart be pure:
All Buddhas teach this doctrine true
Which will for aye endure.’’
I claim no credit for the ideas contained herein. I have
merely recapitulated, mostly from memory, the findings
of loftier minds than mine. The ample reference indicated
should enable the genuine seeker after truth to peep
behind the veil for a glimpse into things that are not of this
phenomenal world.
May all beings be Well and Happy!
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist

Turning Inward
Eileen Siriwardhana
(Mrs. Eileen Siriwardhana is a well-known Educationist who
was the Principal of Visaka Vidyalaya. She is engaged in the
study, practice, and propagation of the Dhamma.)
In the Buddhist doctrine mind is the starting point, the
focal point and the culminating point.
Mind is the fount of all the good and evil that arises
within and befalls us from without.
The world in the present axis must necessarily turn inward,
hold recess of man’s own mind to save the world from total
disaster. Only through a change within will there be a change
without. Even of it is slow in arriving, it will never fail to arrive.
Order or confusion in society corresponds to, and
follows the order or confusion of individual minds. This does
not mean that suffering humanity will have to exist till the
dawn of a golden age when all men are good. Experience and
history show us that often just a very small number of truly
able men possessed of determination and insight is required
for forming focal points of the Good, around which will rally
those who have not the courage to take the lead, but are
willing to follow.
However, as man’s history has shown, even greater
attraction may be exerted by the powers of Evil. But the
God also may have a strong infectious power, that will show
itself increasingly, if only people have the courage to put it
to the test.
Modern analytical psychology particularly C.G. Jung has
recognised the importance of the religious element and has
appreciated Eastern wisdom.
The decisive fundamentals of the Buddhist mind
doctrine have retained their full validity and potency; they are
unimpaired by any change of time; or of scientific theories.
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
The Buddha’s mind doctrine is based on a clear grasp
of two factors, the physical and mental constitution of man.
Man’s physical and mental make up will remain unaltered
for a long time to come, thus bestowing on the Buddha’s
mind doctrine its timeless character, i.e., its undiminished
modernity and validity.
Right mindfulness is the heart of the Buddhist mind
doctrine. In the Buddha’s great sermon, Satipattana Sutta,
foundations of Right Mindfulness, all the implications, of the
Buddha’s teaching, as well as the core of His mind doctrine
are included.
To be mindful of what? To be mindful now.
These questions naturally follow the admonition. Be
mindful.The answers are given in the discourse itself.
Mindfulness is –
(1) The key for knowing the mind, and is thus the starting
point.
(2) The perfect tool for shaping the mind, and is thus the
focal point.
(3) The manifestation of the achieved freedom of the mind,
and is then culminating point.
Mindfulness is not a mystical state beyond the state
of the average person. On the contrary it is something
quite simple, which can be perfected with diligent practice.
If a sense object exercises a stimulus that is sufficiently
strong, attention is roused to its outward form, as an initial
taking notice of the object, as the first turning towards it. This
results only in a very general and a distinct picture of the object.
If there is any further interest in the object, or of its
impact on the senses is sufficiently strong, closer attention
will be directed towards details.
The attention then will dwell not only on the various
characteristics of the object, but also on its relationship to
the observer.

This will enable the mind to compare the present
perception with similar ones reflected from the past, and in
that way co-ordination of experience will be possible.
In psychology, this stage is called associative thinking,
a very important step in mental development.
It also shows as the close and constant connection
between memory and attention or mindfulness. This is why in
Pali, the language of the Buddhist scriptures, both the mental
functions are expressed by one word ‘Sati’.
Without memory, attention towards an object will
furnish merely isolated facts, as it is in the case with most
of the perceptions of animals.
The greater part of man-made suffering in the world
come not so much from deliberate wickedness, as from
ignorance, heedlessness, thoughtlessness, rashness and
lack of self-control.
Very often single moment of mindfulness or wise
reflection would have prevented a far-reaching consequence
of misery of guilt.
Pausing before action should be practiced in daily life. It
must become habitual if one is to eradicate remorse.
By pausing, the mind be able to seize that decisive but
brief moment when mind has not yet settled upon a definite
course of action or a definite attitude, but is still open to
receive skilful directions.
#57, Railway Avenue,
Nugegoda.
Visit our Children’s Home at Walana
Celebrate your birthday with the children at the Lakshmi Home
Address : Lakshmi Children’s Home, Walana, Katunayake. Tel : 011 – 2260220
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
9

Saroja The Refugee Girl
Ranjinie Chandraratne
0 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Little Saroja lying on a hospital bed
With wounds all over her tiny frame
A bomb destroyed her family of ten
This girl of four with no one to call her own
Holding a ragged doll close to her chest
Her world was landmines and destruction
Not for her school and instruction
Dressed in a torn dress
Poor Saroja was all alone on this hospital bed
Her home was a small wattle and daub hut
No soothing ‘‘Lullaby’’ to put her to sleep
But the screeching of an owl in the midst of the night
Her cradle was the coarse grass in the forest
For every night the family went there for fear of the cruel rebels
Oh ! Why cannot human beings be kind and mend their ways
Why even the ‘‘Devas’’ now look the other way!
How we wish this ‘‘Thrice Blessed’’ Isle be a “Dharma Deepa” once again
So that we can live in the ‘‘Dhamma’’ in peace and unity and smile again!
10, Inner Rajasinghe Road,
Colombo 06.
Tel: 2361936

The Rationality of the Buddha Dhamma
Asoka Devendra
(Asoka Devendra is a retired Educationist who was Principal of
the Maharagama Teachers Training College. He delivers talks
and contributes articles on the Dhamma to Buddhist journals
and newspapers)
The Buddha Dhamma is neither a ‘‘Religion’’ or an
‘‘Ism’’. The Dhamma categorically rejects the three main
concepts common to all Theistic Faiths then and now.
They are the belief in (i) A Creator God (ii) A permanent
soul (iii) A permanent Heaven or Hell. On the other hand
an Ism is a ‘‘view’’. The Dhamma is a way to avoid holding
false views (mica ditti). Hence the very term ‘‘Buddhism’’
is in fact inappropriate.
The Buddha Dhamma strongly urges the avoidance of
extreme views as such views tend to hold one as a captive.
A rational person is thus unencumbered and free. Since the
whole thrust of the Dhamma is to release a person from
bondage, usually caused by mundane thoughts and views.
The Buddha has stressed that each person is his own saviour
(attahi attano natho). Your freedom will certainly depend only
on the thoughts you entertain.
For a start a Buddhist layman (puttujjana) must first
aver and then ensure his firm confidence in the Triple Gem.
This is to stabilize him in Saddha, the unshakeable faith in the
Truths represented by the Buddha Dhamma and Sangha. He
then should resolve to abide by the Five Precepts in order to
protect himself and society.
The Precepts operate at two levels. The first is the
‘‘Intention’’ and then the ‘‘Act’’. For example a person must
first develop the intention to kill, this could only then lead to the
actual act of killing. The Buddha has clearly stated ‘‘Intention
I say, Bhikkhus, is the Kamma formation – ‘‘Cetanaham
Bikkhave Kammam Vadami’’. Many Buddhists are either
ignorant of this or deliberately overlook it. In order words
no act is Kamma forming, unless it is preceded by intention.
There are many who entertain most vindictive and wicked
thought, but do not actually commit any act of violence still
they will accrue unwholesome effects.
In the light of all this we could now consider a very
controversial and often misinterpreted topic namely the
consumption of animal flesh.
Many ideas have been bandied about on this vexed
question of the partaking of animal flesh and the Buddhist
principles. Some of them being it violates the first precept.
That the Buddha had preached against it. The animal could
have been a Human is some previous existence, and so on.
Very few are aware that the Buddha had in fact categorically
referred to this issue in the Jivaka Sutta (MN 55). A
summary of the Sutta is given below in order to rectify any
misunderstandings and wrong views.
Jivaka Komarabhacca went to the Blessed One and
having paid homage said to the Blessed One.
‘‘Venerable Sir,’’ I have heard this. ‘They slaughter
living beings for the recluse Gotama, the recluse Gotama
knowingly eats meat prepared for him from animals killed for
his sake…..’’
‘‘Jivaka, I say, That there are three instances in
which meat should not be eaten; when it is seen, heard, or
suspected (that the living being has been slaughtered for the
Bhikkhu)……’’
In this Sutta the Buddha then goes on to enumerate
the ways in which a person will accrue akusala
(unwholesomeness) if he engages in taking the life of a living
being to be served as dana to a Bhikkhu. Surely these could
clear all misunderstandings on this vital issue, namely, that
there are conditions under which flesh can be served and
then consumed by a Bhikkhu.
There is also the instance of Devadatta prevailing on the
Buddha to include an additional precept, to debar the Bhikkhus
from consuming meat. The Buddha in fact saw through the
duplicity of Devadatta, trying to create dissension among
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist

the meat-eating and non-meating Bhikkhus in the Sangha
community and thereby to gather a rival following. Thus The
Buddha had rejected outright Devadatta’s suggestion.
It is quite evident that the Buddha had in fact very
clearly defended his earlier stand that intention must be
there before Kamma could take effect. This must surely make
clear any doubts about this issue. There is absolutely no
Dhamma evidence to show that those who consume meat
are less advanced in the Dhamma Path than those who pride
themselves as being non-meat eaters. This could well be a
chastening thought to all Buddhists.
There is of course another Dhamma aspect that one has
to be aware of, namely the greater desire to eat meat than
as for instance eating a vegetable. This desire is intentional
and hence can cause sorrow and dissatisfaction ‘‘Tanha
Jayati Sóko’’. These are unwholesome states and could give
Kamma effects. In fact a Bhikkhu is expected to mix all the
Heart of The Buddha
A.R. Zorn
From “The Buddhist”
September, 1939
Heart of the Buddha, Fount of Compassion,
Refuge of mortals in sorrow and woe;
All they who seek Thy divine consolation
Comfort and blessing in fullness shall know.
Heart of the Buddha, Love All-embracing,
Ever Thou yearnest mankind to release
From sin and error, from strife and delusion,
On all bestowing Thy freedom and peace
2 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
food together, make small pellets and then eat them so that
he does not get attached to any particular taste. Hence meat-
eaters should be mindful of this pitfall. Even if a vegetarian
desires one particular type of vegetable, he will also be subject
to the same Kamma effects. Thus one must exercise greater
mindfulness especially when taking food, whatever it be.
This Sutta apart from clearing all doubts further
exemplifies the clear rationality of the Buddha Dhamma.
There is hope even to the worst criminal. The Angulimala
saga eloquently bears this out. There is no eternal damnation
in the Dhamma. Thus forget the past rectify the present. This
is the crux of the Dhamma.
May the Dhamma be your guide.
31/1, Mahamega Garden,
Maharagama
Tel: 2850500
Heart of the Buddha, Thou too hast suffered
Grief and despair, tribulation and pain.
Yet over all Thou hast risen triumphant;
Thy love shall aid us Thy bliss to attain.
Heart of the Buddha, Gate of Nirvana,
To all who ask Thou dost entrance assure
Unto existence immortal, transcendent,
Realm of the Infinite, holy and pure.

Buddhist Concept of Wealth
P. Wattegama
(Mr. P. Wattegama is the Deputy Editor of The Buddhist. Retired
Secretary of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, he is also a member
of the Buddhist Forum of the SLBC and a Dhamma teacher.)
Although the Buddhist ethical system has, as its
foundation, detachment from sensual enjoyment and
restraint of material consumerism, the Buddha has,
without seeing any contradiction or inconsistency,
treated material wealth, the substance of prosperity, as
a positive asset that promotes the happiness of the lay
householder. Buddha’s attitude towards material wealth
is a splendid example of a pragmatic approach in dealing
with matters of human life reconciling moral values with
material imperatives.
It is a fundamental teaching of the Buddha that craving
(tanha) causes suffering (dukkha) and fetters beings to
Samsaric existence. Quest for wealth could generate craving.
Nevertheless, Buddha has not seen any inherent danger in
man’s quest for or possession and enjoyment of wealth that
would necessitate cautioning human beings to keep aloof
from wealth.
Buddha recognized that lay householders are, by nature,
prone to sensual gratification (gihi kamabhogino). They are
eternally subject to an inadequacy in their quest for pleasure,
their desires are unsatiated, and are slaves to their cravings
(uno, atittho, tanhadaso). Buddha conceded that these
propensities are the inescapable lot of the householders and
material resources are indispensable for their satisfaction.
Buddha recognized happiness as a virtue. But the
happiness envisaged in Buddhism is not hedonistic indulgence
of sense desires but the psychological tranquility realised
on an ethical plane. In this sense Buddha has identified
four forms of happiness: (i) happiness of possession (atthi
sukha), (ii) happiness of enjoyment of wealth (bhoga sukha),
(iii) happiness or freedom from debt (anana sukha) and
(iv) happiness of blameless and faultless life (anavajja sukha).
The first three forms of happiness are clearly derivatives of
possession of wealth while the fourth is the sublime happiness
of a pure life.
Buddhism does not promise a distant ethical goal totally
disregarding worldly happiness. Buddha has enunciated
an abundance of guidelines on how to manage individual
economic prosperity without violating the fundamental moral
principles. First and foremost, Buddha has emphasised that
wealth should be earned righteously. Buddha says as one
reason for getting rich: ‘‘Take the case of an Ariyan disciple
with riches gotten by work and zeal, gathered by the strength
of the arm, earned by the sweat of the brow, justly obtained
in a lawful way – he makes himself happy, glad, and keeps
that great happiness, he makes his parents happy, his wife
and children, his slaves, work-folk and men. This is the first
reason for getting rich.’’ (Gradual Sayings III - p. 37).
Buddha has declared a number of occupations to
be peaceful and innocuous according to the vocational
scenario of the day. They were agriculture, trade, livestock,
farming, state service and defence force. In the business
of trading, Buddha categorised as unethical, dealing in live
animals, lethal weapons, poison, animal flesh and alcohol.
Merchandise trading should be conduced honestly without
resorting to deception or misrepresentation by employing
unethical practices such as short weight (tula kuta), short
length (mana kuta), and counterfeit currency (kansa kuta).
Buddha recognized that wealth has a utilitarian
purpose. Wealth is necessary for achieving one’s happiness
and providing happiness to others by discharging one’s
obligations to them. One should enjoy wealth while at the
same time entertaining others with one’s wealth (Datvā ca
bhutava ca yathanubhavam). The purposes for which one’s
wealth should be utilised are spelt out in the Pattakamma Sutta
(AN). They are (i) taxes to the State (raja bali), (ii) gratuities to
relatives (nati bali), (iii) hospitality to guests (atithi bali),
(iv) donations to recluses (devata bali) and oblations in the
name of departed relatives (pubba peta bali).
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
3

As basic principles that should characterize the utilization
of wealth, Buddha has enjoined that one should avoid
entanglement (agathito), (b) avoid infatuation (anuccito),
(c) know the limitations (avajjhapanno) and (d) be mindful of
possible consequences (adibava dassavi). Buddha condemns
both the extravagant prodigal who lives ostentatiously and the
parsimonious niggard who hoards his earnings forgoing even
the bare necessities of life. Buddha compares the prodigal to
a ‘fig eater’ who fells the entire crop to eat a few fruits and
brands the niggard as ‘one fasting to death’.
Buddha’s admonition to youth Sigala (Singalovada Sutta
D.N.31) to utilise one quarter of earnings on consumption,
invest two quarters in the business and save one quarter is
not simply a homily on prudential living but an embodiment
of a modern economic theory defining the significance of
savings and investments as two pillars of economic stability.
The Buddha
Elmo Fernando
Seated, leisurely
In the amber grove
you expounded the futility
of our bodies joining in
a huge desire to share
the labour of
their bliss
“Shanti”,
62/2D, Sri Sumangala Road (South),
Kalutara North. Tel: 034 2228357
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Buddha valued the householder’s life that harmoniously
balanced moral values with material aspirations. A layman’s
life would be successful if the moral practices have been
cultivated and material resources acquired during the
appropriate periods of his life. Where such timely action has
not been taken one’s life would be one of despondency. This
reality is expressed in the Dammapada stanza 155 thus:
‘‘Those who in youth have not led a holy life, who have failed
to acquire wealth, languish like old cranes in a pond without fish.’’
22, Main Road,
Jayanthipura,
Battaramulla.
Tel: 2864505
you taught us, what
the human body pursues
and that Lust derives from
our depravity
you beckoned us, to seek
Desire, you taught us to shun,
permeates our deeds in the autumn
of life, and
our boundless bound passion must run.
Each into each like
rivers that break
the imprisoning banks
then buildings are hurled.
Low in the night
but when sleepers awake
there is great peace
in the fallen world.

The Buddhist Law of Kamma
By Ms. CHANDRA GOONETILLEKE
JP, LLB, MA
(Chandra was educated at Vishakha Vidyalaya, Colombo and
has been living in the United Kingdom since 9 . Chandra is a
Justice of the Peace (U.K.) was a Member of the Parole Board in
the U.K., the fist lady Magistrate in the Petty Sessional Division
of the Thames and also sat in the Crown Court. She is now
retired and resides partly in the U.K. and Sri Lanka.)
(From ‘‘The Buddhist’’ December, 1957) and respected despite his numerous shortcomings and evil
modes of life? Why should a child die when still a baby,
‘‘By Kamma the world moves,
By Kamma men live,
And by Kamma are beings bound,
As by its pin the rolling chariot wheel;
By Kamma one attains glory and praise,
By Kamma bondage, ruin tyranny,
Knowing that Kamma bears fruit manifold.
Why say ye, ‘In this world no Kamma is ‘?’’
‘‘KAMMA’’ literally means ‘‘action.’’ In its ultimate sense
Kamma means good bad volition (Kusala Akusala Cetanas).
The Buddha declared ‘‘O Bhikkhus, volition is Kamma. Having
willed, one acts by body, speech and thought. ‘‘There is no
Kamma where there is no consciousness (Nama) nor is any
action a Kamma which is unintentional, for Kamma depends
on the will or volition that is involved in the doing. Any deed
which is devoid of intentions therefore not called Kamma. In
the working of Kamma, mind is the most important factor.
All our actions, words and thoughts are biased by the mind
or consciousness we experience at such particular moments.
For it is said ‘‘By mind is the world led, by mind is drawn
and I all men own sovereignty of mind.’’ When we perceive
the inequalities and the manifold destinies of men and the
various gradations of beings prevalent in the world today, we
being to wonder why it is that one is born in to a condition
of affluence and another into a condition of poverty and
wretchedness? Why it is that when a man is virtuous and
good, ill-luck should always dodge his foot-steps? Why is
a man poor in spite of his honest dealings and another rich
why should one be beautiful and another repulsive? Why
should one be a mental prodigy and another an idiot or an
imbecile? Why should one be brought up in the lap of luxury
and another steeped to the lips in misery? How are we to
account for this immense diversity?
A number of thinking men believe that variations of
this nature are entirely due to heredity and environment. No
doubt they are partly instrumental, but surely they cannot
be solely responsible for the subtle destinations that exist
between certain individuals. Take the case of twins for
example, who may be physically alike and may share equal
privilege of upbringing, yet turn out to be both intellectually
and temperamentally different. According to Buddhism
this variation is due not only to heredity and environment
but also to our own Kamma, or in other words, our own
actions. For it is said that we ourselves are responsible for
our own happiness and our own sorrow. We create our own
heavens and our own hells. In short we are the architects
of our own fate.
According to the Chulakamma Vibhanga Sutta of the
Majjhima Nikaya, it is said that on one occasion a certain
young man named Subha approached the Buddha, and
questioned him as to why it was that there were low and
high states among human beings. ‘‘For,’’ said he, ‘‘we
find among mankind those of brief life, the hale and the
ailing, the good-looking and ill-looking, the influential
and the uninfluential, the poor and the rich, the lowborn
and the high-born, the ignorant and the intelligent.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
5

The Buddha replied ‘‘Every living being has Kamma as
its own, its inheritance, its cause, its kinsman, its refuge.
Kamma is that which differentiates all living beings into
low and high states.’’ In enumerating the causes for such
differences he went on to say that if a person destroys life,
is a hunter who besmears his hands with blood and is not
merciful towards living beings. He as a result of his killing,
when born amongst mankind, would have a brief life. On
the other hand if a person avoids killing and is merciful
towards all living beings, he, as a result of it, when born
amongst mankind, would enjoy long life. If a man is in the
habit of harming others with fist or cudgel, he, as a result
of his harmfulness, when born amongst mankind, would
suffer from various diseases. While if a person is not in the
habit of harming others, he as a result of his harmlessness,
would enjoy good health. If a person is wrathful and easily
irritated by trivial words and gives way to anger, ill-will
and resentment, he, as result of his amiability, would be
good-looking when born amongst mankind. If a person is
jealous, envies the gains of others and stores jealousy in his
heart, he, as, a result of his jealousy, when born amongst
mankind, would be uninfluential. While if a person is not
jealous, does not envy the gains of others, he, as a result
of his non-jealousy, would be born influential. If a person
is stubborn or haughty and honours not those worthy of
honour, he, as a result of his arrogance and irreverence,
when born among mankind, would be reborn in a low
family. If a person is not stubborn or haughty and honours
those worthy of honour, he on account of his humility and
deference, when born amongst mankind, would be reborn
in a high family. If a person does not approach the learned
and the virtuous in order to inquire what is evil and what
is good, what is right and what is wrong, what conduces
to one’s welfare and what to the reverse, he, as result of
his non-inquiring spirit, when born amongst mankind, will
be of low intelligence. While if a person does approach the
learned and the virtuous and makes the above inquiries,
he, as a result of his inquiring spirit, when born amongst
mankind, will be intelligent. “Depending on this difference
in Kamma appears the difference in the birth of beings,
high and low, base and exalted, happy and miserabled.
Depending on this difference appears the difference in the
individual features of beings as beautiful and ugly, high-
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
born and low-born well-built and deformed. Depending
also on this difference in Kamma appears the difference in
the worldly conditions of beings as gains and loss, fame
and dishonour, blame and praise, happiness an misery.
Thus, we see that our mental, intellectual, moral and
spiritual differences are mainly due to our own actions.
Yet we must bear in mind the fact that although Buddhism
attributes this variation to Kamma, yet it does not assert
that everything is due to Kamma.
This gives rise to the question; Is one bound to reap
all that one has sown in just proportion? Not necessarily
is the answer because in the Anguttara Nikaya the Buddha
states:– ‘‘If any one says, O Bhikkhus, that a man must
reap according to his deeds, in that case, O Bhikkhus, there
is no religious life nor is an opportunity afforded for the
entire extinction of sorrow (Dukkha). But if any one says, O
Bhikkhus, that what a man reaps accords with his deeds, in
that case, O Bhikkhus, there religious life and an opportunity
is afforded for the entire extinction of sorrow.’’ In Buddhism
therefore it is always possible to mould one’s Kamma as
one is not always compelled by an iron necessity. Although
it is stated that neither in heaven nor in mid-sea is there a
place where one can escape one’s evil Kamma, yet one is
not bound to pay all the past arrears of past Kamma. There
is a chance for even the most vicious person to become
virtuous by his own effort. We are always becoming
something and that something depends on our own will and
actions. Who thought that Angulimala the highway robber
and murderer would have become a saint? But he did
become an arahat and erased, so to say, all his past Akusala
Kamma. Who ever thought that Asoka who was nicknamed
Canda or Wicked Asoka on account of the astrocities
committed by him to expand his empire would ever win
the noble title Dhammasoka or Asoka the Righteous? But
he did completely change his career to such an extent that
historians commented thus: ‘‘Amidst the tens of thousands
of names of monarchs that crowd the columns of history,
their majesties and graciousnesses and serenities and royal
highness and the like, the name of Asoka shines and shines
almost alone above a star.’’ These two instances illustrate
the fact that a complete reformation of character could be
brought about by our own thoughts and actions.

In the working of Kamma it should be understood
that there are forces that counteract and support this selfoperating
law. Birth (Gati) time or conditions (Kala) beautiful
(Upadhi) and effort (Payoga) are such aids and hindrances
to the fruition of Kamma. If for instance a person is born in
a noble family, his fortunate birth will act sometimes as a
hinderance to the fruition of his evil Kamma. If on the other
hand he is born in a poor unfortunate family his unfavourable
birth will provide and easy opportunity for his evil Kamma to
work. This is known as Gati Sapathi (Favourable Birth) and
Gati Vipathi (Unfavourable Birth). An unintelligent person
who by some good Kamma is born in a royal family will on
account of his noble parentage be honoured by the people.
If the same person were to have a less fortunate birth, he
would not be similarly treated. Thus it is seen that due to
counteractive and supportive factors Kamma is some times
influenced by external circumstances.
Every birth is conditioned by a past good or bad
Kamma which predominates at the moment of death. The
Kamma that condition the future birth is called Janaka
Kamma. Our forms are but the outward manifestation of
the invisible Kamma force. This all pervading force carries
with it all our characteristics, which usually lie latent, but
may rise to the surface at unexpected moments. The death
of an individual is merely temporal end of a temporal
phenomenon, though the present form perishes another
form which is neither the same nor entirely different takes
place according to the thought that was powerful at the
moment of death, as the Kammic force which propels
the life flux still survives. It is this last thought which
is technically called Janaka Kamma that determines the
states of the individual in his subsequent birth.
Kamma as we have seen is action and Vipaka, fruit
is its reaction. It is not predestination which is imposed
on us by some mysterious unknown power, to which we
must helplessly submit ourselves. It is one’s own doing
which reacts on one’s own self. It is a law in itself. It is
this doctrine of Kamma which a mother teaches her child
when she says: ‘‘Be good and you will be happy and others
will love you. But if you are bad, you will be unhappy and
others will hate you.’’
The Samyutta Nikaya states:–
‘‘According to the seed that’s
sown.
So is the fruit ye reap therefrom,
Doer of good will gather good,
Doer of evil, evil reaps.
Sown is the seed, and thou shalt
taste ,
The fruit thereof.’’
The so-called ‘‘I” which is composed of mind and matters
compelled to act. It receives impressions from internal and
external stimuli. Sensations arise thereby and owing to the
latent ignorance and craving one does both good and evil,
which consequently produces rebirth in states of happiness.
Evil acts lead to misery, good acts lead to happiness.
Furthermore, good actions are necessary to escape this cycle
of rebirth. One accumulates Kamma by not knowing things as
they truly are, as it is said that no Kamma is accumulated by a
person who has completely eradicated his craving.
It is this doctrine of Kamma that gives consolation,
hope and self reliance to a Buddhist. When the unexpected
happens to him and when he is best with insurmountable
difficulties and unbearable misfortune he consoles himself
with the thought that they are the results of his own past
doings. A Buddhist who is fully convinced of the truth of the
doctrine of Kamma does not pray to another to be saved
but confidently relies on himself for his salvation. It is this
belief that validates his effort and kindles his enthusiasms
and prompts him to refrain from evil and do good without
ever being frightened of any punishment or tempted by any
rewards. The words, ‘‘rewards’’ and ‘‘punishment’’ do not
enter into discussions, concerning Kamma as we Buddhists
do not recognize an Almighty Being who sits on judgment in
the heavens above. On the contrary, we do firmly believe that
we are the architects of our own fate.
“Sabbe satta bhavantu Sukhitatta”
“May all beings be well and happy”
20-A2 Monarch Apartments,
89 Galle Road, Colombo 3. Tel: 2397061
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist

Thoughts on Temper
David Karunaratne
(From ‘‘The Buddhist’’ September, 1937)
HE who controls temper controls everything. Temper is
like a horse harnessed to a carriage. Imagine a driver, who
has no experience of horses or driving, mounting a carriage
with two ill-breds harnessed to it. Away the ill-breds run
without taking count of the driver’s words. They run through
to marsh or hill or forest causing damage to everybody. Even
so the uninstructed everydayman (assuta väpothujjano) who
takes no count of the Noble (sappurisa) and is unversed
and untrained in the Noble Dhamma, who takes no count
of the Excellent (Ariya) and is unversed and untrained in the
Excellent Dhamma, cannot control his temper. Thereby not
only he ruins himself but brings destruction upon others also.
Imagine a carriage with thoroughbreds harnessed to
it. Into it mounts a skilful driver. He takes the reins in his
left hand and the whip in the right, and away he drives
where he likes and as he likes ! Even so does the man who
has cast away from him what is wrong and yoked him to
the right states of mind, controls temper, where he likes
and as he likes.
Says the Dhammapada:
‘Yo vé appatitan ködhan
Rathan bhantanva dhärayé,
Tamahan särathi brümi
Rasmiggähö itarö jano’
‘I call him the skilful driver, who controls his temper;
and not him who drives the carriages of kings and nobles,’
Mind is a grove of trees, overgrown with creepers and
covered with unnecessary outgrowths. One who wants the
grove to thrive and flourish and one who has amiable and
affectionate feelings towards it, cuts away all the crooked
and harmful growths – parasites and creepers – so that the
grove is cleaned. With great care he tends whatever that
grows straight and fair, and later possesses a grove thriving
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
and flourishing, cleaned and cleaned within. Even so what is
wrong must be cast away; what is evil must be cast away;
and what is harmful must be cast away from mind. States
of mind that are right and right throughout must be grown,
cultivated, developed and increased.
Temper is so curious that none could say at what
moment a meek gentle and mild man turns violent and
furious. The average man is gentle and meek enough. no
doubt, so long as nothing unpleasant is said against him or
done against him.
In a domain where the Blessed One lived and
perambulated there lived a lady who was reputed kind,
meek, mild and gentle. She had a servant girl named Kali.
The girl thought that her mistress was so kind to her
because she got up early, and worked hard. She wanted
to find out whether her mistress had got a temper at all.
The next morning she got up late. ‘‘Käli! Käli!’’ cried
out the mistress. ‘‘Yes Madam,’’ replied the girl. ‘‘Why did
you get up so late?’’ ‘‘O! That’s nothing after all, Madam,’’
said the girl. The mistress frowned at her with anger but
did not talk a word more. ‘‘She has got a temper; I must
try her further, ‘‘thought the girl. She got up late the next
morning. ‘‘Käli! Käli!’’ ‘‘Cried out the mistress ‘‘Yes Madam,
‘‘answered the girl. ‘‘Why did you get up so late? ‘‘she asked.
‘‘O! that’s nothing after all madam! ‘‘Said the girl. ‘‘Nothing
you blasphemous naughty girl,’’ said the mistress, scolding
her with intense anger.
‘‘Indeed she has got a temper; yes I must try her
further” thought the girl. So the next morning she got up
late still. ‘‘Käli! Käli”! Cried out the mistress. ‘‘Yes madam,”
answered the girl. ‘‘Why did you got up so late ?’’ ‘‘O !
that’s nothing after all madam,” said the girl. ‘‘Nothing! you
uncharitable naughty girl, to get up so late !” exclaimed the
mistress. In her fury and anger she snatched up the lynch
pin and struck the girl on the head with it with her broken
head streaming with blood, Käli roused the neighborhood
crying aloud: ‘‘See! the gentle one has broken my head: the
meek one has broken my head the mild one has broken my

head Just because her only maid get up late, she was so
angry and displeased that she must up with the lynchpin to
strike her on the head and break it ! O ! see what the gentle,
meek and the mild one has done !’’
As a result the lady got the repute of being violent and
anything but meek and mild.
The Perfect one the Buddha said, ‘‘O! Bhikkhus, in time
to time people may talk to you out of season, in hate, in harsh
words, unprofitably and untruthfully. Even if one were to
strike you with fist or club workout or cudgel; and even if
marauding bandits were to slice you with knife or sword, I
say unto you, be it your task to keep your hearts unmoved:
T
houghts at a Shrine
D. A. Weeratna
From “The Buddhist”
May, 1942
Thin trails of smoke in spirals from incense-sticks uprise,
Milk-white jasmine flowers at the altars perfume the Shrine,
Waning candles gleam like pale stars of the skies,
Before the peace-lit face of the sculptured Sage Divine.
And far beyond the shrine o’er the distant offing wide,
The fulgent stars burn bright, the efflux of time proceeds;
As the foaming waves roll on. To reach the litoral side.
So to our end we haste, and nought remains but deeds.
never to allow an ill-word pass your lips: but at every time
and for ever to abide in goodwill (metta) and compassion
(karunä) to all alike; to be hale and hearty with no hate or
anger in your hearts; to enfold in radiant thoughts of love
and words of love the person addressing you striking you or
slicing you, and the whole world.”
If one abides in goodwill and compassion, and enfold
in radiant thoughts of love the bandit who is earning one
from limb to limb with a two-handled saw, I say, that one
is the only one who has pondered over what I have said:
‘‘Ubhato dandakéna cépibhiddhavé kakacena cörä öcaraká
angamangáni okkantéyiyun taträpi yö manö paduseyia na mé
sö éna sasanakaroti.’’
Here in this tranquil peace, sheltered from life’s ravening wind,
The torch of the Dhamma burns, by the guardians held a bright;
Far down the avenue of time, they have kept aflame the light;
This is the antidote to grief, it calms the fevered mind.
This is the power that has tamed the warrior Mongols bold,
And purified the hearts of men in northern climates cold,
Nourished the Sinhala race, on its priceless heritage fair,
And stilled the war-drum’s roar, the flag of peace to bear.
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2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
9

Selfless Love
Erika Dias
heart filled with selfless love
and compassion
over flowing to self and others
is enough and more
to build a well-rounded
universal personality
then generosity
spontaneously flows
and touch everyone, everything
animate, inanimate.
you are now complete
all other ethics
can recede to the periphery
R
Saratoga
From “The Buddhist”
September, 1940
uwanveli
She was a queen who graced the Ancient Land
Whose florid fame the bards sang out in rhyme.
But shrouded soon she was by woofy Time
Her glory lay a-crumpled in the sand.
For aeons long, unseen, untouched by hand
Hind copse and bush she hid her face sublime.
She slept, but never aged; nor could the grime
Of sad neglect besmirch her regal brand.
90 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
no need to evolve
so, so slow, sometimes
almost still, like a tortoise
or to be a rare Bodhisatva
you are all there
each and everyone
flexibly, living free
interconnected with affection
with oneness joyous energy !
55/6 Mirihana Road,
Nugegoda. Tel: 2824448 www.erikadias.com
Ere long the Spirits of the Age awake
And roused Devotion in each heart and home.
So now, once more revered, she in pride doth evoke
The power of her past-like ancient Rome.
They set – since now she donned the Royal cloak
The diadem on Ruwanveli’s dome !
ANNUAL “THE LIGHT OF ASIA” CONTEST CONDUCTED BY THE COLOMBO Y.M.B.A. NEEDS YOUR HELP
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The Question of a Wandering Ascetic
Susunaga Weeraperuma
(Susunaga Weeraperuma is a Sri Lankan resident in France. He
is a Doctor of Letters. A writer on Buddhism, he authored the
book ‘‘Nirvana – The Highest Happiness’’)
It is possible to get a great insight into the Buddha’s
teachings by focusing attention on the questions for which
Sabhiya, the wandering ascetic, was trying to find answers.
The Sabhiyasutta deals with these matters.
A deity, who in a previous existence on earth had been
a blood relation of Sabhiya, put certain questions to Sabhiya.
Thereafter the deity stipulated that ‘‘if any ascetic or Brahmin
is capable of answering these questions for you, Sabhiya,
then you must lead a religious life under that person.
After learning these questions from the deity, Sabhiya
approached several celebrated recluses and Brahmins, who
headed monastic orders and were also the founders of sects
with followers. He approached six such famous teachers
of his day, namely, Purana Kassapa, Makkhali Gosala, Ajita
Kesakambali, Pakudha Kaccayana, Sanjaya Bellatthiputta and
Nigantha Nataputta.
When Sabhiya posed his questions, none of the
above mentioned teachers were able to provide him with
satisfactory answers. The situation was bad indeed. To make
matters worse, these teachers, being incapable of giving
the correct answers, not only reacted with anger but also
retaliated by putting counter questions to the questioner.
Poor Sabhiya suddenly thought, ‘‘what if I return to leading
my degenerate life of former times and start indulging in
sensual pleasures?’’
Then it occurred to Sabhiya that he might ask Gotama.
‘‘This recluse Gotama,’’ he thought, ‘‘is also the chief of a
monastic order with disciples. Gotama is renowned and the
founder of a religious group and he is highly esteemed by
many. What if I go to Gotama and pose these questions?’’
‘‘Those venerable recluses and Brahmins whom I had
previously visited,’’ thought Sabhiya, ‘‘are aged and infirm,
they are very experienced elders. They have long been
homeless. They are leaders of orders with followers and they
are also renowned and respected. They were annoyed when
I questioned them. Besides, they talked back to me. Will
Gotama be able to answer my questions, for he is young in
years and a relative newcomer to asceticism?’’
‘‘No recluse,’’ thought Sabhiya, ‘‘should be treated with
indifference or dislike just because he is young. If he were
young, he would have power and influence. I will visit Gotama
and ask these questions.’’
The wandering ascetic continued with his journeys
of pilgrimage and eventually arrived at Rajagaha and met
the Buddha. The Squirrel’s Sanctuary in the Bomboo Grove
(Veluvana) at Rajagaha, where the squirrels were fed, was the
quiet and idyllic setting for the Sabhiyasutta:
Sabhiya: ‘‘Wishing to ask questions, I come to you with
anxiety and doubts. Do put an end to these
doubts. When I pose questions, answer them in
the regular order and explain in accordance with
the Dhamma.’’
The Buddha: ‘‘Wishing to ask questions, O Sabhiya,
You have come from a faraway place. I will put
an end to those doubts.
I will answer your questions In the regular order
and explain
In accordance with, the Dhamma.’’
‘‘Ask me, O Sabhiya,
Whatever questions you have in mind
I will put an end to each doubt.’’
‘‘How wonderful. How marvellous!’’ thought Sabhiya, ‘‘for the
ascetic Gotama has provided me with an opportunity that no other
ascetic or Brahman has provided even to the smallest extent.’’
Delighted, elated and extremely happy, Sabhiya posed a question:
Sabhiya: ‘‘What should one accomplish to become a
‘Bhikkhu’?
When one is called ‘humble’ and ‘tamed’?
Why one is called ‘Enlightened’?
O Exalted One, explain is to me.’’
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
9

The Buddha: ‘‘He, who by means of the path That he himself
has made, O Sabhiya,
Is supremely serene
And beyond doubt
He, who having given up
Both existence and non-existence,
Has lived the holy life
And is never again reborn
He is the Bhikkhu.
‘‘Always resigned,
Indifferent to both
Pleasure and pain,
Mindful and never hurting anyone
In the entire world,
The monk,
Who has crossed the ocean,
Is untroubled
And not given to self-elevation –
He is humble.’’
‘‘He whose sense faculties are developed
Both inwardly and outwardly
In the whole world,
Who, having broken through
This world and the next,
Who being developed.
Awaits the time of death –
He is tamed.”
‘‘Having considered all ages,
Having seen the cycle of Samsara –
The disappearance
And reappearance of life –
He is free from impurities
Spotless and stainless,
He has attained
The destruction of becoming –
He is Enlightened.’’
Then the wandering mendicant, who felt elated and overjoyed
after hearing the Buddha’s words, asked him another question:
Sabhiya: ‘‘What should one accomplish to become a
‘Brahmin’?
92 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
When is one called a ‘monk’ (Samana)?
Why is one called ‘washed-clean’ (Nahataka)?
Why is one called ‘faultless’ (Naga)?
O Exalted one, explain this to me.’’
The Buddha: ‘‘Having kept away from evil,
He is spotlessly clean,
Good, attentive and steadfast.
He is perfect
Since he has bone beyond Samsara –
Such an unattached person is termed
A brahmin.”
‘‘Quiet,
Having transcended
Both good and evil,
Being free from corruption
Having understood
This world and the next,
He has gone beyond birth and death –
Such a person is correctly called A monk.”
‘‘Purified of all evil
Both inwardly and outwardly
In the whole world.
He does not get entangled
In the web
Of time – enslaved gods and men –
Such a person is termed
Washed – clean.’’
Then Sabhiya, who was feeling extremely happy, posed
another question:
Sabhiya: ‘‘Whom do the Buddhas term ‘winner of the
field’ (Kettajina)?
Why is one called ‘virtuous ‘(Kusala)?
Why is one called ‘wise’ (Pandita)?
Why is one called ‘sage’ (Muni)?
O Exalted one, explain this to me.’’
The Buddha: ‘‘Having examined all fields-
The divine field,
The human field
And the Brahma field,

He is liberated
From the bond of all fields –
Such a person is called
Winner of the field.’’
‘‘Having examined all treasuries
The divine treasury,
The human treasury
And the Brahma treasury,
He is liberated
From the bond of all treasuries –
Such a person is called Virtuous.’’
‘‘Having discerned
The dual sense – fields,
The inner and the outer,
Having purity and intelligence,
He has transcended
Both good and evil –
Such a person is called Wise.’’
‘‘Having understood
The nature of the real
And the unreal,
Both within and without
In the entire world,
He is worthy of honor
By gods and men
For he has extricated himself
From the net of attachment –
Such a person is called Sage.’’
Then the highly elated Sabhiya asked the following question:
Sabhiya: ‘‘When is a person called ‘accomplished in
knowledge’ (Vedagu)? When is a person called
‘one who knows well’ (Anuvidita) and ‘energetic’
(Viriyava)? Why is one named ‘well-bred’
(Ajaniya)?’’
The Buddha: ‘‘Having mastered all sensations,
O Sabhiya,
That are known to ascetics
And Brahmins,
And Being free
From human passion,
He is accomplished in knowledge.’’
‘‘Understanding well the delusion
Of name and form
Both within and without,
Which is the root of all ills,
And being liberated
From the bond of all ills,
He is called
The one who knows well.’’
‘‘Keeping oneself
From all evils in this world,
And passing beyond
The suffering of hell,
One becomes a house of energy.
Being full of energy and exertion,
Such a person is termed
Resolute.’’
Then the jubilant wanderer proceeded with another question.
Sabhiya: ‘‘When is a person called ‘well versed in sacred
learning’ (Sottiya)?
When is one called ‘noble’ (Ariya) and ‘one of
good conduct’ (Caranavant)?
Who is a ‘wandering religious mendicant’
(Paribbajako)?
O Exalted One, explain this to me.’’
The Buddha: ‘‘Having heard and understood
Every teaching in the world,
Be it blameful or blameless.
He is the victorious one
Who is free from doubt?
Entirely emancipated
And free from suffering
In every respect.
Such a person is termed
Well versed in sacred learning.’’
‘‘The wise person,
Having terminated
His Asavas (biases)
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
93

And attachments,
Never again gets reborn in a womb.
With removal
Of the threefold perceptions
And the extrication of oneself
From the mud of sensuality,
He discovers the timeless.
Such a person is termed
Noble.’’
‘‘Whoever on earth
Has obtained the highest gain
As regards good conduct
Is always virtuous
And understands the Dhamma.
Being emancipated,
He is free from clinging
And free from aversions.
Such a person is termed
One of good conduct.’’
‘‘Shunning any action
That results in pain,
Be it above, below, across or in between,
He has no deceit, conceit,
Greed and anger.
He has also put on end to
Name and form
Such a person is termed
A wandering religious mendicant.’’
Thereupon Sabhiya, who was delighted and elated after hearing
the Master’s words, rose from his seat and reverentially
saluted him with clasped hands.
Sabhiya: ‘‘You of great wisdom, who discarded the three
and sixty sense-based heresies of ascetics, and
went beyond the darkness of the flood!’’
‘‘You have gone to the end and you are beyond
the reach of suffering. You are a worthy man, the
full Enlightened One. I regard you as one who has
transcended his passions. Brilliant, wise and rich
in intelligence, you have carried me across.’’
9 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
‘‘After learning about my uncertainty, you have
carried me across. Homage to you, O Sage who
has obtained the highest Kinsman of the Sun,
you are gentle!’’
‘‘You have cleared my previous doubts, O Seer.
Truly you are Sage (Muni), perfectly Enlightened,
who has overcome the obstacles.’’
‘‘All your disturbances have come to and end. You
are tranquil, tamed, courageous and truthful.’’
‘‘You are the faultless among the faultless
(Naganagassa) and the great hero. All the
celestial beings, including Narada and Pabbata,
rejoice when they hear you speaking.’’
‘‘Praise be to you, O distinguished individual!
Praise be to you, O greatest of men! In the world
of gods and men you remain unrivalled.’’
‘‘You are the Awakened One, You are the Teacher,
the Sage who overcame Mara! Having removed
the latent tendencies, you have gone beyond and
taught others to do so.’’
‘‘You have overcome the substratum of clinging
(Upadhi). The cankers (Asavas) have all been
destroyed. You are the unattached and fearless lion!’’
‘‘The white and lovely lotus flower remains
undefiled in the water. Likewise, you do not cling
either to good or evil. O hero, stretch out your
feet for Sabhiya venerates them!’’
The wandering ascetic fell at the Master’s feet and
refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. Sabhiya
made a request for the robe and orders. The Buddha granted
his request. Next, the new monk led not only a solitary life but
also one that was strenuous and energetic. Before long, by
his own understanding, Sabhiya became an Arahat.
Villa Claudia, 338 Chemin du Colombier,
83460 Les Ares-sur-Argens, FRANCE.
weeraperuma@orange.fr

K isagotami
Late Ven Piyadassi Nayaka Thera
(From ‘‘The Buddhist’’ October, 1947)
The story of Kisagotami is one of the most touching
tales recorded in our books. She belonged to the Gotama clan
and therefore a kinsman of the Buddha Gotama. On account
of her tender, fragile body she was called Kisa (lean) Gotami.
Sravasti was her birth place. When she had attained age she
was given in marriage to a son of a merchant and in due time
she brought forth a child. But alas! When the boy had grown
old enough to lisp and play it died, thus causing untold grief
to the mother, who, however, owing to her boundless love
towards her only babe could not believe that the child had
breathed its last. Gotami, who would not lose her precious
son, rushed hither and thither frantically seeking medicine for
her child. No physician in Sravasti could impart life to the dead.
Gone mad with grief she scurried from door to door
sobbing: ‘‘Do give some medicine to my child’’ and the people,
however, failed to persuade her that the child was dead. So
acute was her agony that Gotami could not appreciate what
they said. At last an elderly man who understood the pitiful
plight of the weeping mother directed her to the Supreme
Buddha, the Most Merciful Master, who was at that time
sojourning in the monastery of Anathapindika in Sravasti.
Swiftly she scrambled to the monastery, placed the
dead thing at the feet of the Master and saluting the Blessed
One related the pathetic story that would have melted even
the hardest heart.
Thereupon the Lord of compassion gazing with
gentle eyes upon her softly said: ‘‘Sister dear, there is that
infallible medicine. I will heal thy affliction, only fetch me a
little mustard from any house in the town.’’ When Gotami
heard these consoling words her joy knew on bounds.
‘‘But mark Gotami,’’ interrupted the Master, ‘‘that thou
receiveth mustard from a house where yet on one that died.’’
Gotami, however, on account of her intense delight failed to
understand the significance of the words of the Enlightened
One. She with the one aspiration of saving her dear babe
immediately hastened in search of mustard. All the townsfolk
took pity upon her and readily gave her the mustard that
she so desperately sought. But alas, she could not find
anywhere a house where MARA (Death) had not stalked in.
It was even-tide. The birds were hastening to their
nests. The sun was gently sinking into the Western sky.
And Gotami at last realized the universality of death. Truth
dawned upon her like the flash of lightning and she did
comprehend that all the sweetest and cherished things of
earth are fleeting. All meetings terminate in separation while
life fades out in death. She, therefore, strayed out of the
town, placed her dead child in the charnel-field and retraced
her steps to the monastery saying:
‘‘No village law is this, on city law,
No law for this clan, or for that alone;
For the whole world – ay, and the gods in heav’n –
This is the law; All is IMPERMANENT.’’
‘‘Didst thou find the seed dear Gotami?’’ asked the Blessed
One in a voice of delicate cadence.
‘‘I went; Lord, clasping to my breast. The babe, grown colder,
asking at each hut –
Here in the jungle and towards the town –
‘I pray you; give me mustard, of your grace,
A tola – black;’ and each who had it gave,
For all the poor are piteous to the poor;
But when I asked, ‘in my friend’s household here
Hath any person ever died – Husband, or wife, or child. or
slave?’ they said:
O Sister! What is this you ask? The dead
Are very many, and the living few!’ So with sad thanks I gave
the mustard back,
And prayed of others: but the others said,
‘Here is the seed, but we have lost our slave!’
‘Here is the seed, but our good man is dead!’
‘Here is some seed, but he that sowed it died
Between the rain-time and the harvesting!’
Ah, sir! I could not find a single house
Where there was mustard-seed none had died!
Therefore I left my child – who would not suck
Nor smile – beneath the wild-vines by the stream,
To seek the face and kiss thy feet, and pray
Where I might find this seed and find no death,
If now, indeed, my baby be not dead,
As I do fear, and as they said to me.’’
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
95

Thus spake Kisa Gotami.
‘‘My sister! Thou hast found,’’ the Master said,
‘‘Searching for what none finds – that bitter balm
I had to give thee, He thou lovedst slept
Dead on thy bosom yesterday; today
Thou know’st the whole world weeps with thy woe.’’
These words of the Master sank deep into her heart and
fully apprehending that impermanence is the hallmark of
phenomenal existence she attained the first stage of sanctity
and entered the Holy Order of the Nuns (Bhikkhunis).
Before long she reached the crest of, purity (Arahatship) by
relieving herself of the dirt of life.
9 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Later reflecting on what sublime achievements she had won,
she uttered a number of stanzas, the last two of which are as
follows:
‘‘Lo! I have gone
Up on the Ariyan, on the Eight fold Path
That goeth to the state ambrosial Nibbana have I realized, and
gazed, Into the Mirror of the holy norm
I, even I, am healed of my heart,
Low is my burden laid, my task is done,
My heart is wholly set at liberty.
I, sister Kisagotami, have uttered this!’’
(From “The Buddhist February , 1941)
Programme of Lectures at the Y.M.B.A.
January – March, 9
DATE TIME SUBJECT SPEAKER
Friday 24th Jan. 6.30 P.M. From London to Naples by Car P.de.S. Kularatne Esq.
(Cine lecture) B.A., B.Sc., LL.B.
Friday 31st Jan. 6.00 P.M. The Birth of a University for Ceylon C. Suntheralingam Esq.
M.A. (Oxion)
Thurs. 6th Feb. 6.00 P.M. Buddhist Sculptures in Indian Museums Dr. Andreas Nell
Friday 14th Feb. 6.00 P.M. University Life in England P.G.B. Keuneman Esq.
B.A. (Cantab)
Thurs. 20th Feb. 6.00 P.M. Buddhism in Daily Life Dr. P. Vajiranana
Friday 14th Mar. 6.00 P.M. Sinhalese Vannams Rev. Rambukwelle
Siddhartha M.A.
Friday 21th Mar. 6.00 P.M. Buddhist Life in Early Ceylon Dr. E.W. Adikaram
Friday 28th Mar. 6.00 P.M. The influence of Buddhism on D. W. Wickremaratchie Esq.
Sinhalese Literature
(In Sinhalese)
(Programme for the 2nd quarter 1941 will be issued in May.
Please apply to the Y.M.B.A.)

Don’t Argue About Buddhism – Try It
Late Christmas Humphreys
Address to Vesak Gathering in London
From ‘‘The Buddhist’’ October, 1945
It must never be forgotten that Buddhism is a system
of thought and a way of life which springs from the Buddha’s
enlightenment. The Buddha, in other words, was the Buddha
because he was the Buddha – that is, Fully Enlightened One, a
man who by countless lives of self-exertion had attained to the
ultimate development of spiritual consciousness. Thereafter
He did not express opinions – He knew. This is the only article
of faith in Buddhism that the Buddha found a way to supreme
Enlightenment, and offered it to all mankind. Thereafter faith
must be turned into knowledge by the slow, deliberate testing
of the principles expounded, accepting those which are found
to fit in with previous experience and helpful on the road to
self enlightenment, rejecting those which do not achieve this
sole test of ‘‘authority.’’
As befits a man who had attained complete enlightenment,
the Buddha was the supreme realist and at the same time
the supreme idealist. Putting aside the irrelevancy of like or
dislike, He saw that life is compounded of incessant change,
unceasing suffering, and contains no form of life whose life
or soul is changeless and immortal. He saw, further, that the
minds of men are aflame with hatred, lust and illusion, and
therefore, and for no other reason, we wander unhappily in a
world of misery when all the time we, too, are, in our inmost
essence, ‘‘fully enlightened ones.’’
The first step in the application of Buddhism is to
acknowledge that these facts are true, and not to attempt
to avoid them; to achieve an unflinching honesty of vision
whereby daily life is seen for what it is and not as we would
have it be. The second step is to realise that these facts are
facts because we have made them so, and that we who, by our
lust and greed and ignorance, have created, a hell on earth,
alone can ‘‘shatter it to bits and then remould it nearer to the
heart’s desire.’’ And the third step is to realise that this is not
the work of masses, nor of governments nor of societies, but
of the individual, each cleaning up his own square yard of the
hideous mess of present life, and doing it.
The Buddhist sets his face against escapism of every
kind. Pleasure, in the sense of sensuous delight, is found to
be at the best a waste of time, and happiness, so long as it
is sought, will never be found. It is but a by-product of right
living, a result of what we shall one day not be ashamed to
call the holy life. All the world is at present engaged in making
plans, wonderful glittering plans for a heaven on earth, but
all of them are plans for what other people should do. The
Buddhist makes plans for his own development, for the
quenching of the fires of hatred, lust and illusion in himself,
and leaves others free to do like wise.
Still less will the Buddhist try to escape into the great
illusion, ‘‘peace.’’ War will continue until the last blade of grass
has entered Buddhahood, for peace in the world, or war is the
outcome of the thinking, right or wrong, of the aggregate of
human beings, and so long as the fight between the true self
and the false goes on within, so long will that inner war be
projected on to the battle field from time to time to relieve
the intolerable pressure. The thunder clouds of hate, born of
conflicting desires and fear, born in turn of illusion as to the
nature of man and his destiny, sooner or later acquire such a
pressure of force that the lighting flash is inevitable. Then the
tension is relieved in rain, or on the battlefield in blood.
The Buddhist, then, in the application of Buddhist
principles, begins with himself, and, having begun, goes on.
As someone has said, ‘‘Don’t argue about Buddhism – try it !
‘‘How? The answer is various. ‘‘The ways to the Goal are as
many as the lives of men.’’ Here is the valley floor and there
the mountain top. You can climb by the broad and easy path
that winds about the mountain side, or go straight up. The
windswept heights are the same when you get to them. The
rules for the journey are simple. Welcome all experience,
without wasting time on labeling it as pleasant or unpleasant;
eschew all thought of suffering, for it matters not as long as
you learn; and just walk on ! Whatever the chosen path it
will have its inner and outer side, periods of meditation and
inward-turned activity alternating with more experience in the
world of men.
Yet Buddhism is not pessimism, nor the Buddhist life
a dreary round of misery. Far from it, for ‘‘though sorrow be
the portion of the night, yet joy cometh in the morning’’, and
the Buddha, as already pointed out, was not only the supreme
realist, but also the supreme idealist. He saw because he had
reached it: that peace which passeth understanding. He knew
that beyond this vale of woe there is a changeless and abiding
joy, a joy which to mere worldly happiness is as the sun to a rush
light, and beyond our pitiful imagining. Yet some dim reflection
of that glory comes to all of us from time to time, and when all
is said and done the application of Buddhist principles is only
a steady development and brightening of that inner flame, the
slow, unceasing movement to become what we already are, if
we but knew it – “fully enlightened ones.”
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9

A VESAK MESSAGE
Dr. C.A. Hewavitarana
From ‘‘The Buddhist’’ September, 1937
9 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
THE lucent orb that circles round the Earth,
Waxes, wanes and ever perturbs the sea
And to the watchful toilers of the deep
A friendly portent shows of ebb and flow;
And to the ploughman with his knotted hands
Recurrent brings the days of Rest and Ease,
When he with wife and son his offerings makes
Of flowers and fragrant light before the shrine
That dignifies the homely countryside
And fills simple mind, with ardent Zeal.
But once a year the Full Moon marks the day
Of Unversed Joy and calm and peace,
When every worker ceases from his toil,
And clad in white, with heart of pure intent,
Forsakes his worldly thoughts and restless cares
That mars the tranquil mind at other times.
To consecrate the day with humble brow
In deep devotion of the Sacred Being
Who for the love of us proclaimed the Truth
That leads from changing woe to changeless Bliss
Rejoice ye worlds, let sufferers all rejoice!
For on this Holy Day was born our Lord
Adored of men and gods, world’s counterpoise;
Expounder of the Way, and of the World.

All Matter is Subject to Change
K.D.C. Perera
The Law of Change
The fact that everything in this world is changing all the
time, is a truism revealed by Lord Buddha. This is not only
applicable to Buddhists, but also to all living beings and nonliving
matter as well. This is known as the Law of change.
The subject of discussion and the Pali statement
above is not at all a pleasant one to start with; because it
conveys a sense of gloom, a feeling of uncertainty and
even death. But these are facts that everyone has to
face disregarding the inherent desire to cling on to life.
Movement of Time
In trying to understand this truism that everything in
this world is subject to change “iífí ixLdrd wksÉpd” the
change in time seems easy to understand. Time changes, and
so does everything. The hand that indicates the seconds in a
clock clearly shows that everything is moving and therefore,
constantly changing. Perhaps a useful tool for meditation.
Refusing To See
Although we get exposed to this Law of change at some
crucial moments in life, particularly at funeral sermons “iífí
ixLdrd wksÉpd” or “wksÉpd j; ixLdrd” we take for granted that
change does take place, for we are face to face with a lifeless
body. But it is confined only to that very moment. Thereafter
we consciously forget this truism and get about our usual
work, only to be reminded when we attend the next funeral.
In between these stark realities we seek ways and means of
establishing permanency.
The strong houses, the high walls with iron gates and security
guards all indicate the striving for security and permanency.
What is Really Changing
In going a little deeper into this phenomena of change,
it is important to first see what and what is subject to change.
On the other hand, let us ask ourselves, what is that, that
in not subject to change. In fact there is nothing that is not
subject to change.
This may sound strange as we see the mighty earth as
the most stable, with rocky mountains, valleys, rivers and
forests seen without change for years and years.
Even so we still see land erosions, sea erosions,
earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, floods and melting rock
as volcanoes etc happening somewhere around the earth. It
is true we do not hear of them every day. But that does not
mean that these are not happening. The process is slow and
change is certainly taking place mostly unnoticed.
Cause of Change
What is the cause of change? Is it just nature? Or is it
the work of an All Mighty? It is neither. Lord Buddha has been
able to perceive the cause of change and he has attributed it
to the four basic elements wdfmda" f;afcda" jdfhda" mGú' Heat, fluid,
hardness and air. All matter he says is composed of these
four elements and they are themselves changing all the time.
It is this endless cycle that transforms all matter into various
shapes, sizes, and form.
Birth and death of living beings are significant events in
this cycle but they are simply events of the changing process.
The most profound observation within this Law of
change Lord Buddha has made, is that the very elements that
are responsible for change are themselves changing and this
too is unstoppable. The present day discovery of the atom
and the fusion that takes place within has proved beyond
doubt Lord Buddha’s revelation made 2600 years ago; and
mind you without the aid of any scientific instrument. The
laboratory has been His extraordinary power of perception.
Revealing The Law of Change
Although very many people, Buddhist as well as non
Buddhists, attribute this Law of change to Buddhism, it is a
phenomena that simply exists with or without Buddhism. What
Lord Buddha did was, He perceived it through His enlightened
mind and even went a step further to state that this very
phenomena of change is responsible in bringing about a state
of unsatisfactoriness among people. It is this that causes pain
and suffering and this is what is interpreted as ‘Dukkha’.
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The Perception of Dukkha
Dukkha or the state of unsatisfactoriness is a term
least understood by the layman. It is often mixed with the
commonly used term pain. Pain in any part of the body is
either severe, mild or lingering. There is also pain of the mind
which could arise due to physical pain or quite independently.
These kind of pains are mostly due to discomfort that
individuals experience on and off.
But the Dukkha or the state of unsatisfactoriness referred
to in Buddhism is an all encompassing one hardly perceived
as a never ending cycle in life.
BENEATH THE BODHI-TREE
W. Amarasiri
“The Buddhist” May, 1953
SECURE on the Diamond Throne, beneath the Bodhi-Tree,
Lion-hearted Siddhatta sat; a Sakyan Prince was he.
The marshaled might of Mára’s hosts, came raging like a gale,
Then clash of arms and battle cries, echoed through the vale.
All night long the foray goes, the general on the field,
Mára’s makes all methods known, to make Siddhatta yield
The weapons hurled were useless, they injured not the Sage,
In shame retreated Mára, no more his war to wage,
Can Mára’s temptress daughters lure him or do such aught ?
In their charms and guiles Siddhatta was not caught
With dance and song and music, and play of tambourine.
Their efforts were all useless, the Prince there sat serene.
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The Dukkha Saththiya
This leads us to the first of the four noble truths which
Lord Buddha declared as Dukkha Saththiya. The fact that there
is suffering, a state of unsatisfactoriness, has to be accepted
and believed by one and all. No one can run away from this
truism. However, this does not mean that we should lay down
tools and cry about it. What is required is to be aware of it all
the time. Training the mind to develop what is called ‘Satiya’
conscious awareness one reaches a higher state which leads
to the cessation of suffering.
‘May all beings be happy and well ?’
38/1, Pansala Road, Kalubowila.
Tel: 2764223
That far off Vesak-morning, where at the rise of dawn,
He triumphed at the Bodhi, we recall this morn,
Hail to thee O Victor, who neath the Bodhi tree,
Vanquished Mára and his hordes, in a Victory.
That triumph still endures, two thousand years and more,
The wheel he set in motion still whirls over as yore,
Where’er the sun looks down, mankind adores his name
With homage to the Victor, his virtues I proclaim.

Bioethics and Buddhism
Dr. Ananda W. P. Guruge
(Dr. Guruge is the Vice-President and Liaison Officer to the
United Nations and UNESCO of the World Fellowship of
Buddhists; the Chairman of the World Buddhist University
Council; and the Patron of the European Buddhist Union;
former Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of
Sri Lanka to UNESCO, France and USA. He is a Pali scholar
and author of fifty books in English and Sinhala, and his latest
is Buddhist Answers to Current Issues. (Authorhouse 2005) He
was one time a Joint Editor of The Buddhist).
When religious people have problems and need guidance,
one solution is to open the holy scriptures at random and see
what wisdom is offered. The trouble with traditional Buddhist
scriptures is that in the English language, the Pali canon is a
five-volume library of 45 substantial volumes. But fortunately
there is also F.L. Woodward’s slim volume Some Sayings
of the Buddha, which offers extracts from the Pali canon.
One day I thought I would turn to the Buddhist scriptures to
see if the problems I faced could be solved by opening this
book at random. The book fell open at the Káláma Sutta. It
says: ‘Do not believe because of the authority of traditional
teaching’, ‘Do not believe because of hearsay or rumour’,
‘Do not believe because you like the teacher’, ‘Do not
believe because it is the tradition of your family’ but rather
think the solution out and know it for yourself by asking
yourself, ‘will this be to the good and benefit of the many’?
Every issue I have been asked to face, at whatever stage
of my life, I have addressed with reference to this experience.
The Buddha has given us one of the best ways of solving
problems, which is to think, and think for ourselves and to
think originally and not be governed by what goes on around
us. This makes the fact that we are practicing Buddhists, an
exciting experience in life.
What has this to do with Buddhism and bioethics the
subject of this article? The word ‘bioethics’, the dictionary
indicates, is hardly 50 years old. In fact, those who are arguing
about the word on etymological grounds are not even sure
that it is the ‘correct’ word. They speak of ‘biomedical ethics’
and various other words have been proposed. The discussion
in learned journals and research papers shows that much has
been said by the professionals but not enough by religious
people and by us who have had such wonderful teaching
from the Buddha himself, who taught that ‘When you think,
you know for yourself.’
We Buddhists would like to see to what extent the
Buddha’s intellectual underpinnings might help in solving
current moral issues. Bioethics means the ethics of good and
bad, right and wrong associated with the actions we take with
regard to life itself. It is associated with the decisions about
life and living, particularly in science and medicine. Today,
UNESCO statistics show that half a million of the world’s top
scientists, the best qualified, the most highly trained, those on
whom countries have lavished enormous amounts of money,
are concentrating on just one aspect of life; how effectively
can life be destroyed. Not only nuclear weapons but also
chemical and biological agents are being developed for that
purpose. They are being developed by this half a million of
the world’s top scientists, and not only by those in the most
industrialized nations – it occurs practically everywhere.
There seems to be a demand for making the destruction of
life more and more efficient. We must ask these questions:
Can this be allowed to go on? Is this the direction in which
human talent should be directed? And should there be
checks and balances? Bioethics is concerned with the ethical
considerations that should prevail.
Imagine if we heard of ways and means of destroying life
in such a way that the physical infrastructure, the buildings, the
roads, the bridges and the aeroplanes, helicopters and aircraft
carriers, remain intact. What are we playing with? We are
playing with human life. Warfare is being thought of in such a
way that life is the least concern. If a scientist is working in his
laboratory to destroy the opposing army without destroying
the infrastructure and the hardware, have we not come to
the very bottom, the lowest ebb in warfare, to disrespect and
disregard the dignity and sanctity of human life?
One of the main questions we should ask is, ‘Should
scientists be the ultimate decision-makers on moral questions?’
Should scientists alone decide on these developments? Many
years ago politicians asserted that ‘war is too important to be left
to the generals.’ We are now coming to a time when the moral
issues pertaining to science affect all our lives to such an extent,
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that they should be decided by a wider group. They should be
decided by people of more diverse interests and responsibilities
so that the work of the scientist is based on certain principles.
We all say that life is too important to be played with.
But that is not all. Biotechnological developments in
medicine over recent decades have raised serious issues.
Forty years ago, in book called Future Shock, Alvin Toffler
said that science could now design a human being for any
purpose. We ask the question, is everything that is possible
also permissible? Should we do everything that we can do?
Bioethical specialists have been arguing from one particular
angle, and this is where we Buddhists have not played an
adequate role. They have been asking one question. If a
scientist can design a human being the way he wants, for
whatever purpose, is this not playing God? Most writers on
bioethics have no problem about this because they are looking
at the question from a God-centric point of view. The answer
is simply in the hands of God. If God designs, God decides.
Let the will of God prevail. And any scientist who interferes
with this is doing something religiously unacceptable.
Some scientists have difficulty in accepting this. I was
very close to a scientist in UNESCO, and one of his great
findings was that by analysis of the fluids in a mother’s womb,
it is possible to detect physical or mental defects in the foetus.
So should his findings be used to decide the termination of that
pregnancy? Is he playing God? Or is he preventing a lifetime
of suffering for the child and its unfortunate parents? Most
families have experienced a child who is retarded having the
simple problem of slowness or more serious problems that
could affect the whole family. This scientist would say, ‘Am
I not doing something for the good of humanity in detecting
problems with a foetus and in the extreme case preventing
that birth? From a religious point of view many would say
that he had no right to do this. But my scientist friend, who
is a Catholic, would say, ‘If you believe in God, please trust
me. It is that same God who has made it possible for me
to gain this scientific insight to help’. Then the question is,
how sure are you? This also arises concerning the question
of capital punishment. If one innocent person is executed,
then the whole legal system is put in doubt. These are the
kinds of question that bioethics is concerned with. Most of
them are influenced by one kind of religion; an Abrahamic,
monotheistic religion with a creator playing the major role in
02 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
all aspects of life, with one set of issues to deal with and one
set of answers. My question is, should we enter the debate?
Are these issues that we should consider ourselves?
Abortion is one of the major political issues in America,
my country of residence. Are you a registered Democrat or
a Republican? When your ballot paper comes, you almost
know by the way you are described whether you are pro-life
or pro-choice. We have evolved certain slogans that seem
to stop people from thinking, so the Buddha’s injunction to
think and know for oneself is not usually exercised.
What do we know of Buddhist attitudes to abortion from
the Buddhist scriptures? There are at least seven or eight
instances of abortion being discussed in the vinaya, the rules
and discipline for monks and nuns. As you know any act of
destruction of human life disqualifies a monk or a nun from
being a member of the Sangha. This grave offence would mean
expulsion. Moreover, the destruction of human life need not
be physical only; you do not have to kill the person yourself
to cause that offence. If you were to convince a person of the
uselessness of their life and cause them to commit suicide,
you become a murderer. You become a ‘knife bringer’ (the
Pali word translated literally into English). A ‘knife-bringer’ is
someone who through talk is guilty of murder.
Another example is a woman who goes to a nun and
confesses to her that while her husband was away she had a
romance with a traveller and that this resulted in an unwanted
pregnancy. The nun helps the woman to acquire a drug to
effect an abortion. The foetus is aborted and the woman
survives, but the nun becomes remorseful. She confesses,
and because of her intention to kill the foetus she loses her
right to remain in the Sangha. In another case of abortion
the mother dies with the foetus but it is decided according to
the jurisprudence of the time to be an offence not punishable
with expulsion.
In the discussion in the vinaya of abortion, many
different answers were given, some not easily understood
today, in order to show that what comes out of that analysis
is that each case has to be decided according to its merits.
Peter Harvey makes an excellent analysis in his two
books Introduction to Buddhism and Introduction to Buddhist

Ethics. He says in Introduction to Buddhist Ethics that when
you examine the Buddhist view you cannot accept abortion
because the Buddha’s concept of life begins at the moment of
conception. However, acts are judged on their merits. The more
logical approach by Buddhists to abortion is required today.
Another issue is euthanasia, destroying life out of mercy.
When a person suffers to the point that they have no more
chance of living, is the taking of that life permissible? Perhaps
yes. A man had been tortured. A passing monk asked that the
man be killed with one blow, an act of kindness he thought,
and the man was killed just so. The matter was reported to
the Buddha, who said that he had committed murder. It was
not his business. The monk was deprived of his membership
of the Sangha. Another case was reported of a man whose
hands and feet had been severed by way of punishment, and
a monk said give him buttermilk so that he would pass a way
easily. And the Buddha said that it was not his business. He
had participated in the killing, and he was deprived of his
membership of the Sangha. In another, similar case, a nun
said to give him some gruel. Again, it was said that it was
not her business and that she had participated in the killing.
She was deprived of her membership of the Sangha. Any
participation in killing was not and is not approved.
On the other hand, there was a monk who was very ill,
and all the other monks looked after him out of kindness.
The monk who was ill thought that all his fellow monks
were neglecting their practice in order to help him, and he
decided not to talk food in order to starve himself to death.
Suicide is discouraged. But when it was reported to the
Buddha, he said that the monk’s action was permissible
because his intention to help was a good one. Peter Harvey
analyzes all the data and says there is a possibility that the
Buddhist point of view has no objection to passive forms
of euthanasia such as the withdrawal of life support, even
certain medication. This suggests that we should study more
and participate in the discussion of bioethics. I do not say
that we have all the answers, but we should start thinking.
Will Buddhism help to clarity some of these issues?
Suppose that I must decide between a mother and her unborn
baby. Here is a mother with several other children and this
pregnancy is threatening her life. Taking medical advice and
satisfied that I am making an informed decision, I shall have
no qualms in saving the mother. Intention counts; intention
makes Kamma. Morally effective action is defined in Buddhism
as cētana the action that results from intention. Intentionality is
a basic factor in Buddhist ethics. People say that Buddhism has
no ethics. But a system of ethics implies that all the decisions
have been decided in advance regardless of the situation.
Buddhism, however, is a little more in tune with reality. My
decision will be carefully thought out, mindful of my intention.
It will be an informed decision, thus one I can live with.
If my daughter is raped and her pregnancy is going
to wreck her life, I would say that an early abortion is
justified because the intention is to save a life from
misery. Buddhism gives us an important freedom because
it is guided by the principle of the good of the many.
Animal rights are very important. They should be given
as much importance as the human right to life. Compassion
is important in Buddhism. When we say, ‘May all beings be
well and happy’, we do not exclude anyone. Our compassion
has to cover the universality of life. There is not even an egg
or an unborn worm that is left out of this field of human
compassion. Human life and animal life should be treated
with equal respect.
What about the animals we use for experiments? I
consulted my doctor in France yesterday. He suggested that
I take a particular medicine that had been developed there.
He said that if I were to require this treatment in the United
States, it would not be available for ten years until it had
been tested and approved. Other countries, including France,
have completed their tests on humans. One asks, ‘Did those
people know that they were being used for tests’? In the
United States they want to know whom you have used for
tests. Were they prisoners or racial minorities unaware that
they were being used for tests? We have managed to stop
that in most countries, and the animal has become the dumb
subject. But if we do not test new medicines on animals, will
there be any advance in science? What is our choice?
We should be guided by the awareness of our intention
and by moderation, not simply by profit. I would ask the
scientists to continue with as much compassion as possible
and to regard animals with as much compassion as they
would a human. This is a tough problem. The industrialized,
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
03

developed countries, where law and order is better established,
should not move their experimenting and testing of new
medicines to undeveloped countries because bad practices
will continue unregulated there. The Buddha said that we
should be guided by the principle of, ‘for the good or benefit
of the many’. He did not say for the benefit of everyone, for
that would be impossible to attain.
One of the most interesting issues is a sexual
reproduction. If we wish, the human species can be
enabled to reproduce itself outside the physical biological
process. You can have fertilization in a test tube. A baby
can be produced outside the human body theoretically. It is
possible for a fertilized human embryo to be placed in the
womb of an animal and for a human baby to be produced
in the end. This is not science fiction; this can be done. The
question is being asked in bioethics, how far should we go?
What if the intention is the pure one of having a child of
one’s own when it is not normally possible. In that situation,
what is the criterion that will help us to make a decision?
Human dignity is a major issue. How can we bring a boy or
a girl into this world who has had a non-human surrogate
mother? This child would surely carry a stigma for rest of
their life. Scientists will say they have an answer: we can
produce a baby in a completely artificial environment. The
moral question that arises is, what if the mother’s motives in
choosing this method are simply to avoid the inconvenience of
a nine-month pregnancy in order to enjoy nine more months
of outdoor life, more swimming, more skiing? Bioethics has
a phrase to describe that; making life itself a commodity. On
the other hand, what if a woman is badly deformed, has some
kind of spinal problem, and this is her only alternative? Would
we be critical? What would we say? What would the Buddhist
answer be? The cloning of a human being is the most often
debated moral question. Scientists and those concerned with
bioethics have a great fear that is based more on science
fiction than on science – that cloning would allow a man to
0 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
reproduce himself over and over again. It was discovered in
the last century that every cell of the human body has the
potentiality of reproducing itself. Perhaps this gives it the
best chance of surviving.
What is the Buddhist view of human conception? In the
Pali canon it says that three factors must come together in
order for a new human life to come into existence; the father,
the mother in the period of ovulation and another factor called
gandhabba, explained by early translators as a celestial being,
a deity presiding over conception. But it now appears that
the word gandhabba is the future participal of the verb gam:
ganthabba and so it means the one due to come. In one of his
discourses, the Buddha says, ‘Into this biological situation
created by the father and the mother a consciousness enters.’
With the entry of consciousness comes new life. And the
discourse explains that if consciousness, having entered the
embryo, leaves it this causes a miscarriage or a stillborn birth.
Therefore, you may create any number of different embryos
for consciousness to enter, but each consciousness will be
a different person. I believe that as Buddhists we should
continue to consider and use all this information and share it
with those who are also considering these questions. There
are moralists, philosophers, jurists, doctors and scientists
and all are in the process of discussing the biological and
ethical issues connected with modern life. Let us join them
by making the Buddhist contribution available and playing a
role in this discussion.
Buddhism promotes rationality. It is not only a way of life
but also a way of logic, of reasoning, a way of seeing the situation
from all possible angles. The Buddha used the word yonisomanasikara
(yoniso: from the origin; manasikara: concentration,
contemplation, thinking, analysis, insightful investigation). Let
us investigate right from the bottom, right from the beginning
because to be a good Buddhist is to be engaged in life constantly
in the yoniso-manasikara of all issues.
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Death, Rebirth and Kamma: A Medical Scientific Perspective
Dr. Sunil Seneviratne Epa
VIEWS: Karunaratne and Somaratne were two patients
of around the same age who were admitted to hospital on
the same day. Both had suffered heart attacks. Karunaratne
died soon after admission. The other went home a week
later having made a full recovery. Both of them received the
same treatment but outcomes were so different. Though this
type of incidents are not unusual to us as doctors, they have
always puzzled me. But that doesn’t seem to be the case with
Sugathadasa, who is an uncle of Karumaratne. He had a very
simple explanation for his nephew’s death – it was his Kamma
or Karumaya in Sugathadasa’s own words as told to me.
I learned about Kamma in Sunday Dhamma school when
I was a kid, but I cannot remember my being taught of kamma
as a cause of death after a heart attack, in medical school.
When we see phenomena like this in day to day practice, our
habit as doctors is to offer some explanation compatible with
the medical science we know of. For example in this case one
may say a conduction defect caused a cardiac arrest resulting
in death. As time passed by and I witnessed more and more
of such phenomena where outcomes were different in spite
of receiving the same care, I became intrigued and started to
think more seriously about them. It is with this background
that I turned to Dhamma for a possible explanation to this
puzzle as the explanations we have been offering have never
been up to my satisfaction.
Unseen Kamma
If we are to understand this problem as doctors, we
need to pay attention to the present Biomedical health model
we follow in Western medicine. This doesn’t recognize an
interaction between mind and body and is based on the
seventeenth century thinking that mind and body are two
separate entities with no interaction. In such a model there
is no place for the mind or any other unseen Kamma or
Kammic force to influence the body or bodily functions. This
belief perpetuated for nearly three centuries simply because
there was no plausible scientific explanation as to how an
interaction could exist between mind and body. But little did
we realise that the modern science can grasp only those
factors or phenomena perceived by five sensory organs. In
such a model we can very well understand and explain how
for example, environmental pollution can cause illness and
chemicals such as antibiotics can cure infections.
However, based on this model we cannot explain how
a force or an influence such as Kamma or spirituality arising
in the depth of ones mind, which can neither be seen or
grasped, can influence our health. But with the advent of
Quantum Theory in the twentieth century, explaining the dual
nature of matter, the materialistic view of the universe too
probably changed. This certainly influenced the biomedical
health model as well.
The Quantum theory explains how the same matter
can exist simultaneously in two different forms, for example
as solid or energy form. Initially this was a puzzle even
to the best of physicists, but later they came to accept
this reality. It is with this background, towards the end of
twentieth century, the medical scientists began to speculate
a plausible link between mind and body too. This led
to the recognition of Psycho Neuro Immune Endocrine
(PNIE or PNI) system as the link between mind and body.
PNI is a functional system which can explain how mind
can influence the body or bodily function. It is a well accepted
fact that a woman is more prone to get a breast cancer after
her husband’s death. This can now be explained based on PNI
system as a result of lowered immunity in bereavement and
depression. So we now have a plausible system to explain the
influence of mind on body or physical health.
Meditation is widely believed to cure cancer – probably
based on the same mechanism and by enhancing the immune
system and engulfing the cancer cells. People who meditate
are even less prone to infections such as common cold,
again due to the same reason of enhanced immunity. The
challenge we have in this century is to find ways and means
of enhancing the power of the mind to cure or heal physical
illnesses and meditation certainly seems to be one way.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
05

Common Truth
We now speak of spiritual dimension in health. Health
was hitherto defined as physical, mental and social well-
being. The fourth dimension which is spiritual well-being is
now being added to this definition of health, as a result. This
brings to my mind the Buddhist teaching which recognises
mind as foremost to everything else. This I consider to be
an instance where western medical science at last has
recognized religion or religious belief or behaviour as
an entity influencing our health. Acceptance of this truth
compels doctors to accommodate patients’ religious beliefs
and wishes in matters related to health and disease. This is a
truth common to any religion as is now recognised.
As doctors we also encounter birth and death. As death,
what we see is only a physical death. When the functional
connection between vital organs ceases to exist, we declare
someone as dead. For this purpose, observation of pulse and
breathing is adequate. But from Buddhist perspective death is
cessation of consciousness (Vinnána). According to modern
science, consciousness is said to be in a quantum form.
An electron would remain within an atom only as long
as it is moving and similarly our Vinnána or consciousness
too can stay within us only as long as our brain cells function.
The moment brain cells cease to function as in the physical
death we see, Vinnana cannot exist. But if consciousness or
Vinnana is so closely related to the functioning of living cells,
is it possible for the reverse to happen? i.e. if Vinnána ceases
to exist would the brain cells die or a physical death occurs.
As doctors we have never entertained this as a possible
mechanism of death. This is because what we have been taught is
that mind is an epiphenomenon of biology and not the other way
round. But looking at the fact that Vinnána and functional integrity
of the cell are so closely related to each other, who can challenge
if one says it is Vinnána that ceases first and this is followed by
cell death – after all the two seem so interdependent.
According to Buddhist teaching there is nothing exiting
as such, from our bodies at the time of death and that is
why the phrase re-becoming is used in place of rebirth. One
0 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
may then question as to what happens to our consciousness
or Vinnána at the time of death. As much as electronic
energy can be transferred or re-manifested in quantum form
between different energy levels in this universe, without
anything travelling as such in conventional form, it is quite
reasonable to assume that our consciousness too could
similarly be re-manifested from one energy level in another
level without actually anything in conventional form travelling
in between. As said before, for Vinnána or consciousness
to re-manifest itself the prerequisite is that there should be
functioning or developing brain. This should be none other
than in an embryo developing from a fertilized ovum with the
appropriate potential.
Complex Process
Was then Sugathadas’s nephew’s heart attack only
a physical manifestation of a more complex process of
ceasing of Vinnána as the initial event in the process leading
to death. This seems to be the mechanism suggested by
Sugathadasa by his attributing the cause physical death of
his nephew to Kamma. His Vinnána or energy potential for
life or Kamma as understood by Sugathadasa, was probably
being transferred or re-manifested in a more sustainable
or suitable energy level in the universe as it was no more
sustainable in the present life, and this resulted in his
physical death as we doctors see. If that was the case no
amount of effort from us could have sustained his life. As a
doctor caring for heart patients, I have experienced this type
of situations repeatedly in my professional life – same care
given to two patients, yet one dies and the other survives for
no obvious reason. Ironically sometimes the one we think
would survive is not the one who survives and vice versa.
Yet the truth is that the medical teaching I received would not
permit me to consider Kamma as a cause of death. Medical
science therefore needs to explore the hitherto unexplained
territory of Kamma in relation to death and birth if we are to
explain situations like this.
This brings us to a still more complex situation. The
birth we see as doctors is again more a physical one. The cry
of the new born is considered to be the evidence of his life
and our responsibility as doctors in attendance at the delivery

of a baby is to a great extent relieved when that happens.
Because then we know the functional integrity between the
vital organs is established and the life has started. We would
not consider this birth as a re-becoming of the energy or
Kamma from a previous life.
We ascertain life of a foetus in uterus only from its
reactions to stimuli and functioning of organs such as
heartbeat. Here again, if one argues that it is Vinnána or
Kamma that should come first for the life to begin or both
Vinnána and cell function should occur simultaneously,
nobody would be able to challenge.
Again as doctors, we look for physical manifestation to
define the beginning of life as much as we did with death.
Therefore as doctors our approach to both death and life
is very mechanistic and superficial looking at them only as
mere biological events. Interestingly however, one is born
with a set of genes or biological material which is unique to
that particular individual. We know genes are essential for
sustaining life as many functions of life are dependent on
genes. With the mapping of the human genome, genes have
come to the forefront in our understanding of diseases and
developing new treatment modalities. A genetic basis is now
being attributed to more and more diseases and biological
processes in the body.
Based on the science we know of, one can understand
genes influencing the bodily functions. For instance, they
encode or mediate in the synthesis of vital hormones or
enzymes in the body. But what we fail to understand is why
then no two genomes are alike. Why should they be different
from each other if they are to perform the same functions in
the human body? That seems beyond our comprehension from
a scientific viewpoint. As doctors we know that one’s genetic
makeup determines a lot of things in life. Not only physical
growth, but the behaviour, talents and sometime diseases and
even the cause of death is decided by our genes.
Genes
Some genes called dominant genes when present will invariably
have their influence on life whereas the effect of some other genes
can be masked by the presence of another more influential genes
or even environmental factors. This seems to have some strange
similarity to Kamma as I learned in the Dhamma school.
Some Kamma or actions we do will invariably produce
results in the next birth while some Kamma can get cancelled
off, I was taught. Is it these Kamma from our previous life that
masquerade as genes at birth and influence our lives thereafter?
This is the question which keeps coming to my mind whenever
I compare the way Kamma is supposed to influence a person
and the way genes play their role in life. One difference of course
is, that genes but not Kamma can be seen as tiny solid nodules
on the chromosomes under the electron microscope. If they
were the same, can Kamma appear as solid matter under a
microscope? The Quantum Theory can probably explain this
based on dual nature of matter.
Therefore, if one now argues that genes are actually our
Kamma there is very little ground to oppose such a view.
What we see as solid nodules could be condensed forms of
energy or Kamma, one may say. If genes are manifestations
of Kamma from the previous births, Sugathadasa may well
be correct in his explanation of his nephew’s death as due to
Kamma – after all it may be his genetic make up that made
him vulnerable to death from the heart attack. As modern
medical science is attributing more and more of the control
of life to one’s genetic make up who can say with any
confidence that Sugathadasa’s explanation was unscientific.
What are the implications from this story to us as
practicing doctors? We need to rethink the mechanistic
approach to birth, death and disease. In the light of spirituality
being recognized as influencing our health we need to develop
a newer Medico Spiritual health model.
Such a model would accommodate hitherto
unrecognized forces which may be controlling our destiny.
Genes with ever increasing roles being attributed can be
looked upon as manifestations of these unforeseen forces
which I myself would like to call Kamma. A Medico Spiritual
health model would pave the way to harness the power of mind
for better health during this life and probably in the life after.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
0

Meditation for Mental Tranquility and a Balanced Life
Ven. Dr. Bokannoruwe Devananda Thera
(Translated by Somadasa Wijeratna)
The practice of meditation is a remedy adopted by
man from ancient times to appease the mind. Followers of
major religions in the world including Buddhists, Christians,
Hindus and Muslims practices meditation as a means of
spiritual development and attainment of religious aspirations.
Meditation in fact relieves mental stress, while providing
physical relaxation in addition to facilitation co-existence.
Meditation is effective to rid people of drug and smoke
addictions and alcoholism.
Mental Faculties
The human mind is equipped with capabilities to
analyse, plan, communicate and differentiate. There mental
faculties are extremely essential to attain our various social
and spiritual aspirations. Our mind is like a double edged
sword. Therefore it has to be used very carefully. The brain
is useful to man to innovate, to analyse, to argue, to take
decisions and to deal with others. Therefore the failure to
control its activity is sure to bring about the destruction of
man. It can cause a sense of defeat while causing hurt. The
practice of meditation will enable the stability of the mind
and free ourselves from the disturbances anticipated as a
result of external sources. Meditation enables us to dispel
negative thoughts and make room for the development
of positive thoughts thereby bringing about absolute
concentration of the mind which is serene and peaceful.
At present westerners are carrying out special clinical
researches to study the impact of meditation on physical and
mental development. Studies have revealed that meditation is
effective to control many mental and physical ailments such a
migraine, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, premenstrual
syndrome, anxiety, panic attacks, mental stress, high blood
pressure, low blood pressure, blood circulation, cancer,
diabetes and asthma and that by meditation pulse and
respiratory disorders could be controlled. In addition, studies
0 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
have proved that job satisfaction and work performance could
be enhanced through meditation. As a result of these studies,
modern physician, have understood the therapeutic benefits
of meditation and recommend meditation for certain patients
who need to relieve stress.
Meditation no longer remains as an art of developing
mental and physical soundness confined to religious
proponents, yogis and philosophers. Now many social
sectors have identified the benefits of practicing meditation.
It can be practiced even without any religious label but can be
promoted methodically if practiced on a religious basis. It is
not essential to devote much of one’s day to day working hours
to practice meditation. One’s age limit or restlessness will not
have a quantitative bearing on the range of advancement. If
you wish to reduce stress, before anything else, you must
strive to scrutinize and identify the reality of your own self.
Then your mental and physical well-being is close at hand.
Meditation is a more advanced principle than ordinary
mental relaxation. During ordinary mental relaxation the
mind may pursue objects of various desires and attachments
to keep your attention diverted in many directions. But in
meditation your attention is concentrated on one particular
object. Meditation arrests the dispersion of attention. This
condition enables total mental stability which is potent
enough to realize the true nature of the transient would.
Spiritual Advancement
The duration of meditation and the object of meditation
put together is a joint programme to attain spiritual
advancement. There are various methodologies to attain
this state of mind. The cardinal feature common to all those
methodologies is the fact that the relaxation of the mind
is the beginning point of this process. Thereafter an object
of concentration suitable to individual character must be
chosen. Thereafter the thoughts have to be concentrated
on the chosen object without permitting the mind to roam
about. The mind is inert by nature and the tendency of the
mind is always to abide by the object readily accessible.
Dispersion of thoughts is almost natural but concentration
needs much effort.

Dooran gaman eka charan
Asareeran guhasayan
Ye chittan, Sagngnamessanthi
Mokkhanthi Maara Bandhanan.
“He who controls the mind which is going far, which
is wandering about alone, which is formless, and whose
abode is a cave, is capable of escaping the grip of the angel
of death.”
Any person venturing on the exercise of meditation
confronts various obstacles at the initial stages owing to
instability of mind. The situation is worse if he fails to control
his thoughts and allow them to stray. Yet, one should not
take this condition seriously. This state will vanish gradually.
If one could be careful not to divert attention and let thoughts
go astray the process of relief from this condition is faster.
If you practice meditation daily in this manner, you begin to
realize its value and enjoy its benefits. Then you are sure to
continue the exercise regularly.
The Buddhist text Visuddhimagga speaks of 40 objects
as suitable for concentration of thoughts. One who is intent
upon meditation must choose one of them suitable to
one’s character. Sounds, pirith chanting, colours, physical
environment, respiratory system, and skeletons are some of
those objects. Some aspirants choose emotional concepts
such as love, aging, anger, and sympathy which are non-
tangible as objects of concentration.
The human brain is divided in to two parts; the left and the
right side sections. Of the two divisions the left communicate
with the activities of thinking, speech, and writing while the
right division is concerned with communicating inborn talents,
conceptual thinking, feelings and power of comprehension.
THE COLOMBO Y.M.B.A. MAIN HALL − BORELLA.
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When we are awake and active our thinking process
emits fast electronic waves from the left side of our brain.
These brain waves are called “Beta”. This emission of Beta
waves enables us to reminisce past experiences and identify
the link between the past and the future.
When we are experiencing external happenings such as
listening to melodious music, the right side of our brain emits
electronic waves of lesser speed which are called “Alpha”
brain waves. When this condition occurs, we become more
emotional. The tendency of emitting “Alpha” electronic waves
from the right side of our brain is higher when we are awake,
often, before and after sleep. During our sleep our brain emits
only “Theta” and “Delta” electronic waves.
Balanced Mind
Most of the time when a person is awake the brain waves
that are emitted are Beta brain waves. The time for emission
of Alpha waves is very limited such as one hour. Mediation
enhances the chances of emitting Alpha brain waves which
in turn brings about equilibrium between the emission of
Beta and Alpha brain waves. This state of mental condition
is helpful to understand the true nature of the world through
direct experiences.
Since a balanced mind is conducive to understanding
the reality of the nature of the world, it is prudent to practice
meditation regularly. May everyone follow the footsteps of the
Buddha and practice meditation which helped the Supreme
Bring to attain the blissful goal.
Florida Buddhist Temple,
Florida,
U.S.A.
AT REASONABLE CHARGES
CONTACT: 2698083
NO. 70, D.S. SENANAYAKE MAWATHA,
COLOMBO 08.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
09

Sri Pada
Marie Musaeus Higgins
From “The Buddhist” April, 1952
(From the Ceylonese of May 9, 9 )
What is it that ills my longing soul
While on the hills I wander?
Tis not the wish for fame or youth
Or wealth, that I might squander.
It is a heart’s wish deep and strong
That all my life I’ve wanted,
And though it may not be as yet,
Some day it will be granted.
Now, I have reached the highest step,
At last, the summit’s nearer,
And these dim eyes which gaze afar
Some day will see it clearer.
The Vision
I see The Lord on the Mountain Throne,
I see Him standing on sapphire stone,
I see him stretching His blessing hand,
O’ er mountain and valley, all over the land.
And Saman Deviyo, the Guardian old,
Falls on his knees, so strong and bold,
And he pleads with The Lord of the world of all,
To leave His footprint on mountain tall.
And The Lord in His Majesty gave consent
To leave His token before He went,
And His rays envelop the mountain anew
In orange and pink and gold and blue.
The eyes of the Blessed One all ablaze
With mercy and love, all people amaze,
As he looked o’er the Island and out on the vale,
Bestowing His blessing on mountain and dale.
May this mountain become to one and all
A Pathway, a guardian strong and tall,
May it bring the Pilgrims from far and nigh
To climb to its summit with never a sigh.
0 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
His arm, The Thathagatha raised once more.
And Saman Deviyo bent in awe.
For deep in the Sapphire there was seen
The print where The Holy One’s Foot had been.
And where The Buddha in aura of gold
Stood on the Sapphire in days of old,
His footprint is left, where He rested last,
And is there to this day, after centuries passed.
And Lanka, the Jewel on India’s brow
Is guarded by Saman Deviyo now,
And The Peak is the Light of The Buddha’s eye
To guide his pilgrims from far and nigh.
(At the Foot of Sri Pada)
My heart is so joyous,
My heart is so gay,
For now I am treading
The same Holy way
The way that the pilgrims
Trod never in vain
To-day and in old time,
In sunshine and rain.
They’ve wandered the same road
By day and by night
For sunlight and moonlight
Were guiding them right.
And always Sri Pada
Was showing the way,
Sri Pada the blessed
By night and by day.
And “Sadhu” is sounding
Triumphant, Sublime,
No word of repining
Though long be the climb
So also this morning
This Wesak-tide,
I worship Sri Pada
I follow my Guide.
“Musaeus Cottage”
Nawalapitiya

The Science of Meditation
Nimal Rajapakse
MEDITATION: Over many millennia, people were
aware of the remarkable connection between the mind
and the body. Recent scientific research on the effects of
meditation on the physiology of man has discovered the
basic mechanics behind this amazing connection.
However, the ‘science’ of meditation, i.e. understanding
how meditation effects the physiology of the meditator
and the outcomes of such effects have just begun to take
shape thanks to several researchers based mainly in the
United States.
Today, over one thousand peer-reviewed scientific
research articles published in many prestigious journals are
available on this subject.
Studies on meditation
Many studies have shown that meditation has not
only a mental effect but also wide ranging and profound
physiological effects. In this article, key physiological
effects of meditation and the mechanism of action behind
such effects are briefly summarized.
For in-depth information on the subject, several excellent
monographs and a large number of research papers are available.
These can be easily located using an internet search engine with a
phrase such as ‘meditation physiology’ or ‘science of meditation’.
Such recent searches have resulted in over 1,800,000 citations,
over 1000 of which are scientific research publications.
In his pioneering work on the physiological effects of
meditation, Dr. Herbert Benson of the Harvard Medical School,
in 1971 published the results of his first study on meditation
followed by the multi-year national bestseller monograph,
The Relaxation Response, in 1975. It is a resounding
testament to Dr. Benson’s revolutionary insight about the
‘fight or flight response versus the relaxation response’ that
this groundbreaking monograph is still available as a mass
market paper back even after 35 years of initial publication.
Dr. Benson was the first to suggest that the cause for
societal stress that we all experience from time to time in
varying amounts is the result of our inability to react to the
stressful situations in the way our bodies are programmed
naturally during human evolution.
For millions of years, as creatures living in forests, our
ancient ancestors reacted to threatening situations in one of
two ways. If the threat was deemed manageable, they evoked
the ‘fight’ response and fought off the threat. If the situation
was deemed hopeless, they ran for their lives invoking the
‘flight’ response. However, once we began to become more
and more ‘civilized’ neither of these responses became viable
options.
The fight of flight reflexes
The fight or flight reflexes prepare the body for survival
action using the responses given in Table 1 above. However,
modern man being unable to use up the physiological energy
created this way by our natural instincts, had to learn to cope
with the civilized norms and not respond to the stressful
situations as the nature had intended us to do.
The result of this is the stress that we all experience.
However, Dr. Benson pointed out that our bodies are capable
of evoking another response to curb the effects of the fight or
flight response. He named this ‘the relaxation response’. The
principal difference between the two responses is that the fight
or flight response is automatic and the relaxation response
needs to be consciously evoked. Meditation is the technique
for evoking the relaxation response which bring about the
results shown in the right column in Table 1 below.
Our bodies respond to meditation through three
physiological systems:
1. Autonomic Nervous System,
2. Endocrine System and,
3. Musculature System.
These systems are very tightly interconnected
and therefore interdependent. The chemical changes
resulting in one system often has a cascading effect
over the other systems.
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist

Qualities of the Fight or Flight Response Qualities of the Relaxation Response
Increased heart rate Decreased heart rate
Increased blood pressure Diminished respiratory rate
Increased respiratory rate Diminished respiratory rate
Higher pulse rate Lower pulse rate
Increased oxygen consumption Decreased oxygen consumption
Increased blood lactate Decreased blood lactate
Increased muscle tension Decreased muscle tension
Rapid production of cortisol Reduction of cortisol
Production of noradrenaline Reduction of noradrenaline
Unconsciously elicited Consciously elicited
Stress Inducing Stress releasing
Outer focus of attention Inner focus of attention
Eyes wide open Eyes shut
Involuntary Voluntary
External stimulus Internal stimulus
Surprise, unpredicted, stimulus Daily routine or habit as stimulus
Unplanned Planned
Active internal dialog Quiet, silent internal dialog
Narrowing or focusing of attention Expansion of attention
Sensory Senses transcended
Physical activity Mental activity
Physical movement Physiology at rest
From non-movement towards movement From movement towards non-movement
Unlearned Learned
Elicited by loud noise Elicited by subtle sound then silence
Builds unhappiness Builds happiness
Increases rate of aging Decreases rate of aging
Helps the individual survive and evolve Helps the individual progress and evolve
Most excitation of consciousness Least excitation of consciousness
Ready for most effort Least effort
Repeated elicitation may lead to use of narcotics and drugs Repeated elicitation diminishes need to use narcotics and drugs
Experience of being at odds with environment Experience of being at one with environment
Attitude of resistance Attitude of acceptance
2 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Table
Comparison of the qualities of the Fight or Flight Response and the Relaxation Response

The autonomic nervous system controls the body
parts which function automatically. It has two branches; the
sympathetic nervous system which increases arousal when
the body is under threat. The effect of this system is the ‘fight
or flight response’ which is characterized by increase in heart
rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, sweating, blood glucose,
blood flow to muscles, etc. The other, the parasympathetic
nervous system, is responsible for restoring the body to a
relaxed state.
In simple terms it can be stated that the
sympathetic system is designed to handle the stressful
situations and the parasympathetic system to return the
body to its natural (relaxed) state.
The Endocrine System
To study what part of the brain is effected by meditation,
researchers at the Harvard Medical School used MRI technology
to monitor activity of the brain while the subjects meditated.
They observed that meditation stimulated the sections of
the brain in charge of autonomic functions such as digestion,
blood pressure regulation etc.
The endocrine system releases hormones which
modify the action of the organs in response to the signals
from the autonomic system. The main organ of this system
is the adrenal gland situated above the kidneys. The adrenal
gland produces the hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline and
cortisol. These three are responsible for preparing the body
for survival by invoking the appropriate response to any
stressful situation at hand.
Most of the other endocrine hormones are produced
in the brain, particularly in the hypothalamus. These are
associated with changes in mood, pain threshold, immune
system activity and the tone of smooth muscles (the muscles
of the organs).
The musculature system consists of skeletal muscles
(the muscles connected to the bones) and smooth muscles
(the muscles of the organs). The skeletal muscles are
voluntary (work as commanded by the brain) whereas the
smooth muscles are autonomous (work involuntarily).
All types of meditation effect all three above systems
although in varying degrees. Most early research work
had been done on Concentration Meditation, particularly
Transcendental Meditation (TM) and Breathing Meditation
(ánápána). However, more recently, publications are beginning
to appear on Insight Meditation (vipassaná) as well.
Control of Breathing
One principal mode of physiological effect of meditation
appears to stem from the control of breathing. Respiration is
directly linked with the autonomic nervous system. Chemical
receptors in the walls of aorta (central conduit from the heart
to the body) and carotid arteries (main arteries in the neck
that supply blood to the brain) help to control breathing and
are sensitive to changes of the amount of carbondioxide (Co 2)
circulating in the blood.
Over-breathing results in lower Co 2 concentration while
under breathing leads to a build up of Co 2 in blood. Mildly
higher Co 2 levels result in para-sympathetic dominance
(relaxation) while severely higher Co 2 levels result in
sympathetic dominance (fight flight response).
Shallow and controlled breathing in meditation causes
mildly high Co 2 levels and activates the parasympathetic
system which leads to a feeling of relaxation with decreasing
in heart rate, blood pressure, blood coagulation time and
acuity of senses. These effects are the result of reduction
of the so called ‘stress hormones’ adrenaline, cortisol etc.
and the increase of endorphins or the feel good hormones
facilitated by the endocrine system as mentioned above.
A recent medical invention uses the above hypothesis
to reduce high blood pressure simply by controlling the
rate of breathing. A US FDA approved electronic apparatus
called RESPeRATE(r) utilizes patented technology to deliver
certain kinds of breathing exercises. It is nothing more that
a ‘walkman’ type listening devise which commands the
listener to breath in and out on cue. When these exercises are
performed for as little as 15 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week,
they have been shown to significantly lower blood pressure
with no side effects. RESPeRATE(r), available for purchase for
about US$ 300 from www.biomedical.com, utilizes a patented
technology to pace breathing from the normal range of 14 to
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
3

19 breaths per minute to the “therapeutic zone” of under 10
breaths per minute. The same reduction of blood pressure
could be simply achieved via meditation as mentioned above
due to the slowing of the breathing.
Furthermore, studies of the brain using
electroencephalography (EEG) during deep meditation have
revealed a slowing and synchronization of brain waves with
alpha waves predominating. Emotional tension is known to
severely curtail the alpha waves.
Another type of brain activity called the theta wave, which
is practically non-existent in chronically stressed states,
begin to emerge as the meditator enters into a deeper level of
concentration. Alpha state of the brain is most conducive to
creativity and to assimilation of new concepts while the theta
state is capable of producing deep insight and intuition.
It is significant to note that increased alpha and theta
activity of the brain continues to exhibit for some time even
after the meditation session has ended.
Studies comparing different types of breathing during
meditation have concluded that deep diaphragmatic (abdominal)
breathing was associated with higher EEG alpha response.
Thoracic (chest) breathing on the other hand produced weaker
alpha response.
Abdominal Breathing
Abdominal breathing in which the diaphragm moves up
and down in concert with exhaling and inhaling respectively,
is also known as ‘Yogic Breathing’ since this practice was
used by Yogis in India over many centuries. A popular
public health website, WebMD, reported that follow up
of several studies which began in the’80s have revealed
significant cardiac and cancer benefits among groups of
meditators compared to control group of non-meditators.
The results reported were quite amazing to say the least.
Overall, the meditators were 23% less likely to die of heart
disease and stroke. The effect of meditation on hypertension
was far more pronounced than all non-drug treatments such as
salt restriction, exercise and weight loss.
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
During meditation the concentration of stress hormones
such as adrenalin and cortisol in blood goes down. Cortisol is
one of the key stress hormones. Consistently high levels of
Cortisol in blood result in a long list of physical ailments.
Another hormone produced in the brain, CRF
(Corticotrophin Releasing Factor) is the regulator of Cortisol
production. Excess CRF in brain tissue is linked to depression
and mood swings.
Fast Drop in Lactate Concentration
High levels of Cortisol makes the body crave for fatty
food. The excess fat intake is stored in the abdominal area
and the resulting abdominal obesity is a leading cause for
type two diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Another blood chemical significantly effected by
meditation is Lactate. Lactate is a byproduct of sugar and
starch metabolism. Higher Lactate concentration in blood
produces feeling of anxiety. Studies have shown up to four
times as fast drop in Lactate concentration in meditators
compared to subjects resting while lying down.
During meditation, blood flow to the brain increases
while less blood is circulated to the rest of the body. Another
blood chemical Arginine Vaso Pressin (AVP), a beneficial
compound in retaining mental alertness, have been measured
up to four times the normal levels in meditators compared to
control groups. AVP in synthetic form is routinely prescribed
to patients with severe mental dullness due to old age.
In essence, modern science has uncovered
the reasons behind the well known phenomenon ‘the
mind-body connection’. It can be stated in simple terms
that when practised regularly over a period of time,
meditation can produce profound physiological effects.
It is quite satisfying to see that this age old
technique has finally undergone extensive scientific scrutiny.
The conclusions on the physiological benefits have been
remarkable and the cascade of chemical processes uncovered
in the studies are amazingly complex and intricate.

Unity In Diversity In Buddhism
Bridget Botejue
From “The Buddhist” November, 1931
“So long as the individuals of a nation or the members of a
religious Order meet together and meet together in large numbers;
so long they may be expected to prosper and not to decline.”
“So long as the individuals of a nation or the members
of a religious Order sit together in Unity, rise up together
in Unity and execute their common national or communal
duties in Unity (with a united resolve, for a concerted and
concentrated action, and acting as a single individual), so
long they may be expected to prosper and not to decline.”
Thus spoke our Lord Buddha, the All-Enlightened One.
No individual or a group of individuals is more fitted to take to
heart these noble words than the Y.M.B.A. This Association I
take it, stands for the best ideals in Buddhism. Within its fold
are some of the best torch-bearers of the Dhamma. Within
its walls are taught the garnered wisdom of the ages. It is
for some of the well-meaning leaders to teach the pitfalls of
Avijjá, Ignorance, the father of all suffering to the younger
members. Had they perfect knowledge they should never err.
The treading of the Eightfold Path of Purity is a pilgrimage
from ignorance to self-perfection, a pilgrimage which takes
many lives for the average man or woman.
It is for the younger generation to set up standards. It
is for them to live exemplary lives. It is for them to live up
to Buddhist ideals. Lord Buddha taught a religion of Love, a
religion of Compassion, a religion of Unity. He was Himself all
Love and Compassion. In Him, we see through the corridors
of time, an Ocean of Unity. This Unity pervaded all His
teachings. Yet some of His followers do not and have not
shown to the fullest extent the respect and reverence due to
Him or to the “Law”. Cast-cleavage is still rampant amongst
us with all its evils. Caste is the worst canker eating into our
society. Superiority and inferiority complex are results of it.
The rich are aristocratic. The poor are not yet out of harm’s
way. Lord Buddha broke caste-bondage within His realm.
Ahimsá we know only in theory; it is an ideal devoutly to
be wished. It is seldom acted up to for, we see Himsá all
around. Therefore the Buddhist community is split up. That
this is so among the laity may cause no surprise. The monks,
who should act as living examples of a united Order, have
hopelessly created dissensions. Charges upon charges have
been hurled at the door of the monks. Whether the monks
should cover both the shoulders or one only according to the
time-honoured Buddhist book of Discipline – Vinaya-Pitaka
– is an old controversy. The Phoongyis of Burma, we are told
from the famous Kalyani inscriptions in Lower Burma, have
constantly quarrelled amongst themselves. They ceased to
interdine. They refused to live in amity. This dispute has been
further carried to modern times.
Unity within the Buddhist fold has been badly damaged.
That there are two great rival schools of Buddhism viz.
Maháyána and Hinayana, Northern and Southern, is proof
positive. Rivalry has caused enough mischief from Buddha’s
time. Devadatta, ambitious to lead the Order of monks, had
many a time plotted against the very life of Buddha. Ajáasatta
was guilty of the same offence and many more. His has
been a race of parricides. Vidudaba’s massacre brings home
another example. We are told of an instance where the monks
fell out among themselves and dared ask the Master to shift
elsewhere to preach peace and unity. Peace was restored only
by the intervention of lay people who threatened to starve
them by stopping all supplies.
About three months after the demise of our Lord Buddha,
the saintly Theras met together at Rajagaha, the capital of
Magadha, for the noble purpose of collecting His teachings
to hand down to posterity. Some of them raised a dissentient
voice: “The collection of the Doctrine and the Discipline
which these people are preparing may be good, but we shall
be satisfied with what we received from the Master’s mouth.”
A century hence a schism occurred splitting the Order into
two sects, the Theriya and Mahásangika. It was at this time
that we find the origination of the eighteen sects or schools
of thought. Ever since sect and sub-sects have multiplied,
mostly inimical to one another.
Political Unity again has been wanting among the
Buddhists. During the reign of Asoka, the great Buddhist
Emperor the process of fission went much further. But he
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
5

would not tolerate it. Not for nothing that he was known as
‘Dhammasoka.’ At the first opportunity he issued a mandate
that those monks and nuns who fermented discord should
do so under pain of expulsion from the Sangha. He ordered
that a copy of the mandate be sent to the Order of the monks,
another to the Order of the nuns and a third to be exposed
to public view. The dissenters of the Sangha took shelter in
Kashmere where they had their Councils. Parakramabahu,
our own king, invaded the kingdom of Pegu in lower
Burma knowing full well that was a kingdom of Buddhists.
A Buddhist king of Burma invaded another Buddhist
kingdom of Arakan to secure a mere trifle of a Tripitaka
which was the gift of Ceylon. Qublai Khan of Mongolia,
also a Buddhist monarch held the neighbouring Buddhist
countries like Burma, China, Korea, Japan in constant threat.
All these show how the bond of political unity was broken.
Buddhism, on the contrary, is not a religion of warring
sects. In truth, the different schools of thought are not at
loggerheads as is apparent on the surface. Scratch the
surface, the truth is manifested. Buddhism, of all religions,
is most singular in Unity. The varied distinctions I have just
mentioned, as Paul Dahlke says, rest on trivial externalities. No
religion has more Love that Blake sings of than Buddhism:
Seek Love in the pity of others’ woe,
In the gentle relies of another’s care,
In the darkness of night and the
winter’s snow,
With the naked and outcaste – Seek
Love there
M
M.M. Thawfeeq
(From “The Buddhist” September, 1942)
ihintale
High and higher
As we walked each stone
Each tardy hour
We felt more alone
The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Much tired we were:
Ah ! the endless flight
Of craggy steps
Ere we reached the height.
Who can say there is no Love or Unity in Buddhism
when we daily witness the love and devotion poured out to
His memory by the unnumbered millions of human hearts?
Here lies the answer to the charge that Unity in Buddhism is a
mere philosopher’s dream. The mere mention of the holy spot
of the Bo-tree brings sacred memories to every Buddhist. The
Bo-tree has become a common bond of sentiment among
all Buddhists and is a ‘symbol of the glory and the history of
Buddhism’. Socially our religion has no bans. If two Buddhists
of two ends of the world want to interdine, we are told there
are no religions injunctions to prevent them. If two Buddhist
of two remote races want to intermarry there is nothing in
the religion to taboo. The same religion is found in vastly
different countries as Japan, China, Ceylon, India, Tibet,
Burma, Korea, Java, Sumatra and in so different continents
as Europe and America. With their opposite laws, customs,
manners and other social conditions, Buddhism maintains
a high standard of social intercourse. Liberty, equality, and
fraternity are also lessons of Buddhism. Economically these
countries have prospered. The height of Buddhist influence
in any country marks the apotheosis of that country’s art.
Politically again we see its influences. Asoka kept alliances
with the neighbouring Greek kings and the Southern kings by
making them observe the Dhamma.
Thus we see how Unity reigns supreme. It is the
magnificent edifice of profound and exalted thought. It is
a Temple fashioned by Him, fashioned of Love. Centuries
have rolled on; still it stands in all its bloom. We, who are
succeeding custodians of that Shrine, should see it mantled,
like a vine, with fresh verdure.
So do we feel
When we walk Life’s way
Like up the steps
of Mihintale

l;=jelsh
flf

fkd;sîu iy wjia:djla fkd,eîu úh
yelsh' wfkla w;g msysg jq mqoa.,hd
b;d fydoska Ôj;ajk fyhska lsisfohla
Wjukd fkdlrk wfhla úh yelsh' tfia
jqjo flf

mqKHh" mq m;a;sodkh yd m;a;dkqfudaokdj
mS' j;af;a.u
ksfhdacH ixialdrl
^fn!oaO úYajfldaYfha ud;Dld ú.%yhka wkqidrfhka ilia lrk
,o iïmskavkhla&
YS%
,xldfõ yd wfkla fn!oaO foaYhkayso fn!oaO mqKH
ixl,amh wdYs%;
ckms%h
mqo ms

lr;s' fma%;d;auNdjh
,nd isák {d;shd fjkqfjka oCIsKdj
msrskeófuka fuu {d;shdf.a ¥l flhd fj; oCIsKdjla
msßkeófuka wk;=rej mqKHdkqfudaokdjla W;al¾Ij;a whqßka isÿ
flf¾' fuh yqfola ia;=;s jdlHhla muKla fkdfú' mqKH ls%hdfjys
mQ¾j" wmr" uqCoapK" wd§ ;s%úO
wjia:dfõ§u odhlhdf.a m%fudaoh
W;amdokh flfrk wruqfKkaa
nq¥rdcdKka jykafia úiska o
mqKHdkqfudaokduh wkqYdikd mj;ajd we;' miqld,hl§ fuh
NsCIqka fj; mkjk ,o kshuhla o úh'
ñh.sh {d;Skag mska meñKùfï ms

nqÿka nq jykafia foaYkd l< i¾jld,Sk uQ,H l

hq;=j" oE; fomh fjfyid" Y%uh fhdojd" Od¾ñlj Okh Wmhd .;
hq;= njhs'
’ndyq n, úrÑ;d
fiaOd jlals;af;ays
Oïñflays Oïu ,oafoayS''
ldh n,h fhdojd" w; mh fjfyijd" oyosh j.=rejd"
Od¾ñlj yßyïn lsÍfuka Okh ,eîu muKlA fkdj f,!lsl
wNsjDoaêh ioyd o th fya;=jk nj nqÿ oyu fmkajd § we;'
nUfrl= u, fkd;,d frdka .kakd fuka iudch mSvdjg m;a fkdlr"
fõhd ySka ief¾ ;+Ui n|skakdla fuka" ó ueiaid fndfyda uykais
ù l%udkql=,j meKs /ia lrkakdla fuka" iudch fkdfm

;d blaukska jia;= Nx.;ajhg m;ajkafkah' ia;% S OQ¾;fhl= ùu"
¥ fl

fn!oaO fn! idrO¾u
wdpd¾h isrs ksiaixl fmf¾rd
^l,dN+IK - rdcH iïudk& ysgmq ixialD;sl iyldr wOHlaI
idrO¾u hkq bx.% Sisfhka Values hk w¾:fhka y÷kajd
foñka" tys f;areu w.h fyj;a jákdlu f,i W.;ayq meyeos,s
lf

weiqre lsÍu iqÿiq nj;a" fyd| ñksfil=g ;ud ;udf.au ñ;%hd úh
yels nj;a fyf;u fmkajd § we;' fidl%áia i|yka fldg we;af;a
;ud .ek wjfndaOhla we;s lr .ekSug ñksfil=g oekqu wjYH
njh' fulS oekqu ,efnkafka wOHdmkfhks' maf,afgda mejiqfõ pß;
ixj¾Okh Wiia fldg i,lk njh' ì%;dkH od¾Yksl n¾g%ï ri,a
mejiqfõ mqoa.,hdf.a wOHdmk oekqï uÜgu ÈhqKq lr .ekSu ;=,ska"
Tyq ixialD;sl jYfhka Wiia uÜgulg m;ajk njh'
;sf,da.=re nqÿ iñ¯Kka jykafia idrO¾u hkqfjka woyia
lf

fue;k ;jÿrg;a úfõl .ekSu kqiqÿiq úm;a;s odhl
ia:dkhla neõ ks.ukh fldg.;a rcq" fkdmudj weu;so iuÕska
l÷ mduq, lrd .uka fldg" tys ;snqKq ;dmi wdrduh lrd msh
ke.=fjdah' ta iekskau wikak ,enqfKa" ̂̂rc;=uks wiqka .kak" meka
fndkak" rij;a fndcqka m

is; is yd is; jeãu
isßmd, udÿjf.a
^isßmd, udÿjf.a uy;d Ydia;%fõ§S ^,xld& fn!oaO wOHhkh ms

úh' tfy;a is; msdkqiai;s"
iS;dkqiai;S" jd.dkqiai;S" foaj;dkqiai;S" urKdkqiai;S" ldh.;di;s"
Wmiudkqiai;s" wdkdmdki;s hk oi wkqiai;so" fu;a;d" lreKd"
uqos;d" WfmalaLd hk i;r wrEmOHdko" wdydr málal+, i[a[h
iy p;= Od;+ jp;a:dkh hk fulS iu i;

fn!oaO fn! mxpiS, o¾Ykfha iudcuh jeo.;alu
wdpd¾h ví,sõ' Ô' ùrr;ak
i¾j n,OdÍ tl foúflfkl= fyda foújreka iuqyhla uq,a
lrf.k f.dvke.S we;s wd.ñl b.ekaùïj, fuka mqo mqcdj,g yd
hd{djkag nqÿ iufhys jeo.;a ;ekla ,efnkafka ke;. nqÿ oyu
udkj flakaøsh oyula fõ. nqoaêfhka yd .=Kfhka Wiiau ;;a;ajhg
ÈhqKq jq ñksfil= úiska ñksid uq,a fldg foaYkd lrk ,o b.ekaùï
moaO;shls. nqÿ oyu. nqÿ oyfuys uq,sl wruqK ñksidf.a iy Tyq
Ôj;ajk iudcfha mßmQ¾K ixj¾Okhla" i¾fjdaohla we;s lr.ekSu
i|yd ñksidg u. fmkaùuhs. nqÿ ysñhka wmg wjOdrKfhka lshd
fok lreKls ;u ;ukaf.a .e,jqïlre ;u ;ukau nj. Oïu
mofhys oelafjk 160fjks .d:dfjka fï woyi b;d meyeos,sj
wjOdrKh flf¾.
̂w;a;dys w;a;fkda kdf:da
fldays kdf:da mfrdaishd
w;a;kdp iqokaf;ak
kd: ,n;s ÿ,a,Nx̃
;udg msysg ;uduh. fjk ljfrl= ;udg msysg jkafkao@
;ud ukdj yslauqKq úsg ^oeuqKq l,ayss&
thu ;udg ÿ¾,N jq msysg
jkafkah ˜ hkakhs fuys f;areu. fuu woyiu ;j;a wjia:djl§
fjk;a jpkfhka wjOdrKh lr olajk nqÿka jykafia ̂;uka
jykafia hd hq;= u. fmkajd fok ud¾f.damfoaYlhl= yd .=rejrefhl=
ñi .e,jqïlrejl= fkdjk nj;a ;uka jykafia fmkajd fok O¾u
ud¾.h nqoaêh fufyhjd f;areï f.k Bg wkql=,j lghq;= lr
;u ;ukaf.a oshqKqj we;s lr .ekSu ta ta mqoa.,hdf.a j.lSu nj;a
Oïu mofhys̃ tkï'
̂;=ïfyays lsÉpx wd;mamx
wlaLd;dfrda ;:d.;d̃
hk .d:dfjka meyeos,s flf¾. ’kqU,d úiska u kqU,df.
a lghq;= j.lSfuka hq;=j lr.; hq;=h' ;:d.;hka jykafia,d
ud¾.h fmkajd fok .=rejreka muKhs hkakhs fuys ir, w¾:h'
ñksiqkaf.a m%Yak úi|d .ekSu ñksiqka úiskau lr.; hq;=
kï" ñksiqkaf.a m%Yak úi|Su ñksiqkag by

fufia fï foh ke;s l,ays fï foh isÿ fkdfjhs' fuys
wNdjh ksid fï foh wNdjhg hhs'
by;ska úia;r flreK fya;= M, kHdh iudc meje;au
flfrys fhduq l< úg meyeos,s jkafka ñksiqka ;ks ;ksj yd
iduqyslj lrk" lshk" is;k foa wkqj ñksiqkaf.a yd iudcfha
oshqKqj fyda msßySu isÿjk njhs' iudc cSú;fha§ ñksiqka úiska
l< hq;= foa ^pdß;%& yd fkdl< hq;= foa ^jdß;%& ;SrKh lsÍfï§
ie,ls,a,g .; hq;= m%Odku ñkqu .ek fn!oaO foaYkd lsysmhlu
oelafõ' fï ñkqu kï@ yeu flfkl=gu we;s jákdu jia;=j ;u
;ud f.a cSú;h njhs'
̂iífí ;ika;s oKaviai
iífíix cSú;x mshx
w;a;dkx Wmux l;ajd
k yfkhH k >d;dfhã
hk Oïu mo ^130 jk& .d:dfjys fï woyi we;=

1' mdKd;smd;d fõruKs islaLd
cSú; j,g ydks meïKùfuka yd cSú; úkdY lsÍfuka
je

.eyeKqkag;a msßñkag;a ffu:qk fiajkh iajdNdúlj wjYH fjhs.
ukqIHhkaf.a mjq,aj, iem;g;a fya;=jk ffu:qk fiajkh jrola
fia nqÿiuh fkdi,lhs. iudc iïu; l%uhg újdyj cSú;hg
we;=

iemh ie ms

fyj;a ks¾Ok Ndjh ÿlla jk nj nqÿ iuh ms

ks;r yuqùfuka fifkyi we;s fõ' oeä fifkyiska
ne÷Kq úg ÿl we;s fõ' tfyhska fifkyfia wdoSkj olsk wfhl=
fia yqfol,dj yeisfrkakg ms

mfrúhd nrg weÕ uia okaoSu
cd;l l:djla weiqfrks
r;akmqr iSj,s úoHd,hSh w.kqjr wdos YsIH ix.ufha ’wfma ú;a;s
iÕrdfjka Wmqgd .kakd ,oaols' l¾;D w{;hs'
rc isyiqk wrd isá ojil iji
isg.;s mfrúfhla rcq Wl=,g msúi
.scq ,sysKsfhla meñfKhs W! lk msKsi
we;s úh uy;a l,n,hla rc ksji
w;a;gq .id yË kxjd msrsi lfKa
.scq ,sysKshd lerflkúg myh fldfKa
wirK mfrúhd i;yg jvk fifka
̂isú̃ rc

yß oelSu
úoHd,xldr úYajúoHd,fha lÓsldpdhH—
wdh×r;ak f¾reldk úisks
1962 cQ,s ui ̂o nqäiaÜ̃iÕrdfjka Wmqgd .kakd ,§
we;s foh we;s ieáfhka oelSu yrs oelSuhs. fyj;a ksjeros
oelSuhs. ke;s foh we;s ieáfhka fyda we;s foh ke;s ieáfhka fyda
oelSu je/os oelSuhs. fuys oelSu hkqfjka woyia lrkafka weiska
oelSu fkdj oekSuh. ix{dfjka oekSu" oDIaáfhka oekSu" is;ska
oekSu" kqjKska oekSu hhs oekSï i;rdldrh. thska f,dalhd ta ta foh
y÷kajk jHjydrhkag kdu ix{d wdoshg wkqj fï wij,a fohh "
wij,dh" wij,a jia;=jh hkdoSka y÷kd .ekSu ix{dfjka oekSuh.
fuhu i;H fjhs' wksla ish,a, fndreh hs wi;H jQjlau
i;Hh fia oelSu oDIaáfhka oekSuh. oelSï weiSï wdoS jYfhka rEm
YíÞ¯ oS wdrïuK ud;%hla oekSu is;ska oekSuh. fï ;% súO oekSfuka
hul i;Hh yrs wdldrfhka o; fkdyelsh. f,dal Od;=fõ we;s
ishÆ ixialdrhkaf.au ^m%;Hh ksid Wmosk ish,af,ysu& i;H jQ
iajNdjh kï b;d YS>%j bmo bmo ì|s ì|S hk wks;H njhs.
hula wks;H kï ta wks;H jk foh kej; kej; ms

fmkS f.dia Bg we;s wd,h uu;ajh ÿre fkdfldg lsisfjl=g
wkjrd.% ixidr ÿ#Lfhka tf;r úh fkdyel. nqoaOd.u
ukqIH f,dal osjH f,dal n%yau f,dalhkays weúo weúo isàu
W.kajkakla fkdj ta yeu ;kays mj;afka ÿlla ysia njla nj
f;areï f.k Nj;%fhkau tf;r ùu W.kajkakls. ta i|yd
ms

kej; rEmhkau fufkys l< hq;=h. tfia rEmhka fufkys fldg
rEmhka ukdj jegyqKq l< ta rEmhka fufkys lrk ^is;k& rEmhka
wruqKq lrk wrEm O¾uhka bfíu m%lg jkafkah hs̃ lshk ,oS.
wrEm O¾uhka m%;HlaIj fmfkkag mgka .kakd wdldr ;=kla o
úY=oaê ud¾.fhys olajk ,oS.
fï lshk ,oafoa úo¾Ykd Ndjkdfjka m[apialkaOhg wh;a
kdu rEmhka m%;HlaIj olakd wdldrh yeoskaùï ud;%hla muKs.
úia;r úY=oaêud¾.fha úY=oaê ks¾foaYfhka o; hq;=h.
wo m%;HlaI oelSï hhs lshd .kakd lsisu úoHdjlska wrEm
O¾u kïjQ udkisl O¾u m%;HlaIj o; yels fkdfõ. udkisl
O¾u m%;HlaIj oelal yels lsisu úoHdjla ke;. tfy;a nqÿrcdKka
NslaIqj
ish¨qu ne÷ï ,syñka f,dj no mej;S
ish cSú;h ksjkg fjka l< ys;e;s
.sh uÕ .uka .;a iñ÷ks uy mske;s
ñh hk úg;a Tn ug isys jqj leu;s
thska ud fy

fn!oaO fn! wkd;au O¾uh ms

ie,lSu wdrïN úh. wd;auh cSjfha idrh jYfhka ie,lSfï
mqreoao wdrïN jqfha fumrsoafoka. cSjfha idrh l=ula oehs úuiSu
jHjydrhg m;aùh. Ndr;sh Ydia;Dyq fuu meKhg mshd o
fkdue;af;ah. ixidrfhys ÿla ú|sk ixidrfha ÿlska ños úuqla;sh
wfmaCId lrk mqoa.,fhl= fkdue;af;a hhs mejfikafka kï nqÿ
oyñka wfmaCId l< yels idrhla o fkdue;af;ah.
ish¨ O¾uhka wkd;auhhs ^iífí Oïud wk;a;d& hhs
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist

mejiSfuka nqÿrcdKka jykafia woyia lf,a tu O¾uhka idrfhka
f;dr njh. ̂widr;af:k wk;a;d̃^widr w¾:fhka wkd;au fõ&
hkqfjka máiïìOd u.a.fhys mjid we;af;a fï w¾:fhks.
wkH wd.ñl o¾Yk ish,a,u ̂wd;aũ hhs yªqkajk O¾uh ks;HjQ
iqLiïmkak jQjla nj Wkajykafia mjid we;. nqÿrcdKka jykafia
ksjk wkd;au hhs mjid ke;. tfia mejiqfha kï Wkajykafiao
fõÞ¯ka; od¾Ykslhkaf.a .Khg jefgkq we;.
ksjk wkd;au hhs mjik fn!oaO mËqfjda we;a;dy. tnª
m%ldYhla lsrSug mokula fm< oyu ;=

ieos /os rc úukls. fuh wkH jHjydrhlska mji;fyd;a
Y=kH;d o¾Ykh fõ.
fï ish¨ lreKq wkqj nqÿrcdKkka jykafiaf.a wkd;au
O¾ufhys úldYk wjia:d ;=kla olakd ,efí.
1' ^wks;H" ÿlaL" wkd;au ixLHd; ;s%,CIKfhka
hq;a&
ñksidf.a ;s%úO
wd;auhka oelafjk fn!oaO wkd;au
O¾uh'
2' ^iïuq;s fyda jHjydr jYfhka ms

nqoaO nq O¾ufhys mrud¾:h
je,a,j;af;a Y% S O¾fudaoh mrsfjKdêm;s
úoHdúYdro mQcH mKaä; b÷refõ W;a;rdkkao
uyd ia:úrhka jykafia úisks
nqoaO O¾uh kï w¾: jYfhka YS, - iudê - m%{d ixLHd;
;% súO Ydikhhs. YS,fhka uq, hym;a jQ iudêfhka ueo hym;a jQ
m%{dfhka w. hym;a jQ úY=oAê ixLHd; ks¾jdKhg muqKqjk
ud¾. n%yauphH_ uKavfhka iu,xlD; jQ Ydik n%yauphH_ nqoAO
O¾uhe hs lshkq ,efí.
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ieje;amqrg ie oka iemhq os

wjqlk ysáms

5 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Y.M.B.A. PRESIDENTS
Sir Baron Jayatilaka - 1898 - 1944
Sir Ernest de Silva - 1944 - 1955
H. W. Amarasuriya - 1955 - 1960
Sir Cyril de Zoysa - 1960 - 1978
Siri Perera, Q. C. - 1978 - 1983
L. Piyasena - 1983 - 1987
Eric S. Amerasinghe, P. C. - 1987 - 1994
Shelley Wickramasinghe - 1994 - 2001
Palitha Weerasinghe - 2001
Noel Wijenaike - 2001 - 2002
Prasanna Goonetilleke - 2002 - up to date
Y.M.B.A. GENERAL SECRETARIES
C.S. Dissanayake - 1898 - 1904
C. Victor Perera - 1927 - 1930
R. Hewawitharana - 1930 - 1937
H.S. Gunasekera - 1937 - 1944
D.N.W. de Silva - 1944 - 1949
V.S. Nanayakkara - 1949 - 1954
C.T. Perera - 1954 - 1956
D.I. Dissanayake - 1956 - 1960
D.S. Abeysingha - 1960 - 1962
Bernard A. Mendis - 1962 - 1963
K.D.C. Goonetilleke - 1963 - 1972
B.C.F. Jayaratne - 1972 - 1973
Nalin Ratnayake - 1973 - 1982
Noel Wijenaike - 1982 - 2001
Sumedha Amerasinghe - 2001 - up to date

1888 - 1889 - C.W. Leadbeater
1891 - 1892 - L.C. Wijesinghe
1893 - 1903 - A.E. Bultjens
1931 - 1935 - Sir D.B. Jayatilaka & P.P. Siriwardhana
1936 - 1940 - Sir. D.B. Jayatilaka & Vincent de Silva
1941 - 1944 - Sir D.B. Jayatilaka & S.A. Wijayatilake
1945 - 1958 - Prof. G.P. Malalasekera
1958 - 1959 - Dr. Ananda W.P. Guruge & W.P. Daluwatte
1959 - 1961 - D.N.W. de Silva
1961 - 1962 - W. Saddhamangala Karunaratne
THE BUDDHIST – EDITORS
Asst. Editors
1962 - 1963 - C.D.S. Siriwardane - Palitha Weerasinghe - Sinha Basnayake
1964 - 1966 - C.D.S. Siriwardane & W.P. Daluwatte - Palitha Weerasingh - Sinha Basnayake
1966 - 1967 - C.D.S. Siriwardane - Sinha Basnayake - R.K.D.J. Arthanayke
1967 - 1968 - Palitha Weerasinghe - Sinha Basnayake - R.K.D. Arthanayake
1968 - 1971 - Palitha Weerasinghe
1972 - 1973 - L. Piyasena - Prof. Nandasena Mudiyanse
1973 - 1974 - Prof. Nandasena Mudiyanse - Dr. Cyril D. Herath Gunaratne
1975 - 1976 - Prof. Nandasena Mudiyanse
1977 - 1978 - C.D.S. Siriwardana
1978 - - C.D.S. Siriwardana - Dr.A.D.T.E. Perera
1979 - 1981 - Siri Perera, Q.C.
H.R. Premaratne
Prof. Nandasena Mudiyanse
Prof. Jothiya Dheerasekara Editorial Board
(Now Ven. Prof. Dhammavihari Thera)
A.G.S. Kariyawasam
1982 - 1984 - Siri Perera
Prof .Nandasena Mudiyanse
A.G.S. Kariyawasam Editorial Board
J.P. Pathirana
D.G. Kulatunga
1984 - L. Piyasena
Prof. Nandasena Mudiyanse
A.G.S. Kariyawasam Editorial Board
J.P. Pathirana
Dr.N. Wimalagune
1985 - 1986 - L. Piyasena
Prof. Nandasena Mudiyanse Editorial Board
A.G.S. Kariyawasam
1987 - 2000 - Palitha Weerasinghe
2001 - Rajah Kuruppu
2002 - 2003 - Prof. Nandasena Mudiyanse
2004 - - Rajah Kuruppu Deputy Editor
Piyadasa Wattegama
2553 - VESAK - 2009 The Buddhist
55

YEAR SUBJECT LECTURER
st 9 The Buddhist Pilgrim’s Progress Prof .G.P. Malalasekara
2nd 1969 The Influence of Buddhist His Highness
Learning in South East Asia Prof. Prince Purachatra
3rd 9 0 The Neglect of Buddhist Prof. K.N. Jayatilaka
Learning in Ceylon Today
th 9 Removal of Cankers - Practical Techniques Acharya Buddharakkhitha
Nayaka Thera
5th 9 2 The Psychological Aspects of Buddhism Ven. Piyadassi Nayaka Thera
th 9 3 Some Aspects of Buddhism In Indian History Dr. L.K. Loshi
th 9 Basic Tenets of Buddhism Ven. C. Nayanasatta Thera
th 9 5 Society and the Challenge of Nibbana Prof. Jothiya Dheerasekara
(Now Ven. Prof. Dhammavihari Thera)
9th 9 The Psychology of Emotions In Buddhist Perspective Dr. Padmasiri de Silva
0th 9 Buddhist Meditation Methods in North East Thailand Ven. T. Kanthipalo Thera
th 9 Psychology of Buddhist Meditation Ven. Dr. Walpola Rahula Thera
2th 9 9 Early Buddhism and the Quality of Life Prof. David Kalupahana
3th 9 0 Buddhism for the Millions Henri Ven. Zeyst
th 9 Nibbana, The Ideal Aim of the Buddhists Ven. Dr. Hammalava
Saddhatissa Nayaka Thera
5th 9 2 Theravada and Vibhajjavada Prof. Y. Karunadasa
th 9 3 Non - Theravada Scholars of Ancient Sri Lanka Dr. Hema Goonetilaka
th 9 Ahinsa - Non - Violence in the Buddha Dhamma Ven. Bhikkhu Nanajivako Thera
Prof .University of Yugoslavia
th 9 5 International Politics - The Needs for a Buddhist Approach Prof. Ralph Bultjens, New York University
9th 9 The Living Message of the Dhammapada Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi Thera
20th 9 Practical Application of Mindfulness in Daily Life Ven. Olande Ananda Thera
2 st 9 Ending of Violence in Accord with the Dhamma Bogoda Premaratne
22nd 9 9 The Buddhist Historical Tradition of Sri Lanka Dr. Anada W. P. Guruge
23rd 990 Buddhist Principles of Democratic Statesmanship Prof. L.P. N. Perera
2 th 99 Changing Identities to the Buddha Prof. Chandima Wijebandara
25th 992 The Arahat and the Bodhisatva-Two Ven. D.K. Dhammajothi Thera
Complementary Buddhist Ideals
2 th 993 Buddhist Principles and Evolving Constitutional Systems Prof. G.L. Peiris
2 th 99 Ethnic Identity in Crisis – A Buddhist Response Prof. Asanga Thilakaratne
2 th 995 Relevance of Buddhism to the Modern World Deshamanya Dr. Neville Kanakaratne
29th 99 Buddhism in the Modern Sociological Perspective Prof. Nandasena Ratnapala
30th 99 Can we Realize Nibbana in this Life itself? Deshabandu Alec Robertson
3 st 99 From Dvesha to Maitri (From Cannibalism to Prof .Lily de Silva
Vegetarianism)
32nd 999 Bhikkhu Sanga -The Oldest Surviving Institution Deshabandu Olcott Gunasekera
33rd 2000 Significance of Buddhist Customs Prof. J.B. Dissanayake
3 th 200 The Social Philosophy of the Buddha Dr. Piyasena Dissanayake
35th 2002 The Buddhist Vision for the Future Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne
36th 2003 Buddhist Philosophical Influences on Einstein’s Prof. Arjuna de Zoysa
Special Theory of Relativity
3 th 200 Buddha’s Teaching on Kamma and Free Actions Prof. P.D. Premasiri
3 th 2005 Development and Buddhist Concept of Happiness Prof. Buddhadasa Hewavitharana
39th 200 Jataka Tales and its Impact on Human Behaviour Prof .Sunanda Mahendra
0th 200 Violence in Society Prof. Harendra Silva
st 2009 Meditation and Daily Life Ven. Olande Ananda Thera
5 The Buddhist 2553 - VESAK - 2009
Sir Baron Jayatilaka Memorial Lectures

THANKS
Ithank Rajah Kuruppu, a Vice President
and the Editor of “The Buddhist” Journal,
P. Wattegama, Deputy Editor,
Dr. Kingsley Ranasinghe, Advertisers, Donors,
Members of the Board of Governors and the Board
of Management for their generous contributions.
I also thank Maj. Gen A. M. U. Seneviratne,
our General Manager and the relevant staff of the
Colombo YMBA who worked tirelessly to make this
journal a success. I felt the absence of
Kusumabandu Samarawickrama,
a Vice President who is overseas presently,
for his advice and assistance on the
past publications of “The Buddhist” Journal.
A special word of thanks and appreciation go to
Dushantha Ahangama and “Saatchi & Saatchi” for
their contribution in designing the Journal.
Prasanna Goonetilleke
President