SRI LANKA: A PERSONAL ODYSSEY.

NIHAL FERNANDO,
COLOMBO

1997.

IV.

Once upo a till1(,

the stones sanJ

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HFRENCE
PERMANENT R
FOR

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UBI,A;,

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iHE

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Of the Buddha and his message

C;ulll1a Buddha, who taught the truth in such

1'1c"nt surroundings as the Deer Park and t he

1"\,1lnb oo Grove, was born as Prince Siddharth
ill (hc Lumbini garden ncar the dtyofKa pilavatu,

on

Vcak full-moon day, more than two thou

san d five hundred years ago_ The prince spent his

childhood

in the palace of his fther, King

Suddhod,lna, attended by pleasures suitable to

his a ge , As youth of wondrous beuty, he

and the killg \Y". delighled, thinking th"t I,,,t\"

married Ya,odhara, a virtuou, maiden endowed

nal affect iOIl \Youlrl.<t r(, l lgth en \he pr in c r', J,,,,,d

wit h good looks, modesty antI gentle he"ring,

to t he roy,,1 family nllt thi was

Fearing that the prince may go to a penance

The prince, who kit that life in the pil l c e

grove, true to the words of the sage Asita, who

like that in pr ison , he"rd about the chrm of Ii ' "

not

to he.
"il'

predicted hi. goal as that of supreme enlighten-, city grov es amI wished to "isi! '{hem, l-l mounlrd

goldcn

by horse'

ment, the king saw to it that the young couple

s pent their time in pavilions suited to eaeh sea-

hreed and ""cnt along the rd13l road, g7.('d;; I,;

son, surrounded by luxurie, plea'ing to the

Citi7.ct1s, their

se nse s , A son, Rhllb, was born in due course,

Among thesc citizens, thert>. \\'a.<

ch ri o t

drawn

e ye s

of the "q

wick op en in excitement.
>

f,.,.hle, ni,1

II
'n.",

wit r. white hir, his h a l l ds r,sting 011 slr,' ,

('ull

III''''"

d.,)' ,, (' (h """'Ih "r 1'",<(\)), Killp.

(yo veiled by the brows, and limhs h""ging

OevIlII) "iyoli,<s",

th,,: old "ge COIl',S U pO Il all, th, pl'iiHT l'('IUrilcd

(ire ch;),<e. ,,1,0 "'''"(, In "'(lllill Mi,,,,,k.,. i)) pur.

to the I)alace, perturbed, On' s ccond oCGlsion,

.':;ui( O r ;1

he ,,,w a man ;\/'Ilicted hy disea se , with his Iwlly

Addrc,lsillg 111(' kill g I,y til(' II.,n)(' Tis".,. II ... Ihno

!,III'C ;\l1(II)(,lIt. On hcal'illg I'rolll the ci'arioir'n

1)1 O<l t cd, Ii III hs cillaciat cd and pa Ic, p<ln tin g, Icon,

rliin (\1' Sri I :lIIb

lilll(', wllC, Iud '<,II '"rlh

.<;\

I"

.,1

"))j")' II,.. 1""",<lIITs,.! '

'"'g. who \Y,)." ill 1 ";1("\ .1 'de\",... ' ill di." llic.
g

sa id, "Vh re disci pk, (llti,\, Kill)! "ITrUlh. ( )

another ror support, The s igh t th,,! dis,

tUI 'I>('d th e I'l'incc on a third occ Ols i ( ,n wos Ih1 of

gn';H kil\J;. ("{) l ll C Ilillwl" r, flll l llnp.l.<;.<:j{)1l

"ce'I' I).'c ol'l'inl hy rour

to

in

nn

Ill,n,

followed by "iI"l's

kIVailillg him, lis he set Ollt or the ci ty "II the

fourth occa,lion, the pri n c e nlct a m en d ica nt

",III) had r,lin'lui,I,cd the Iy-lirr, ror ti,e sk, of
,q1"ati()ll, ,,"d he, too, decided t,) 1'C'1('(1l1l'C thc

Ii",

10

'''';"Inl : Il('." This Jl('\V \\';1'<; nol ;'ll {o gI"IIH'1' .<:! l"'''g('
I)CV,lI1.11Il piY;llis.<;;l, for, ill lil(' CfHIl'.q' or .11)

exc:ll,'n g "fg,ns, hi,l f', i"lId, lhe IllOll"rch As"k.,.

h;)d sellt hilll " Il)(,,"gc 'yill g, "I h.we I"kell

refuge ill (hc fluddl",. I,i., I )".-(I 'illc .1I<eI Ili s Or,

du, Sck th .. 11 evell (hOII l'\'ltlge ill (ires<' hl'SI "I'

1111'111 111'illg I )III\II'1l111I)1I,

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IT.' 1('

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rnidi!> !? ill """I:l'(nics .\lHI

In I'i,,",< b),,(i,lIo\\ cr'

IIlll\

(ir e'l I'tlli,

wl,o "lIl'lId rd I" tl>1'i,.
tLKlril l)!,

11('d,<, "Ilel 1 .. 1 II", d"ctrill<' IIIP.\' 1".11'111'11 illllll,

,Jl(r IIH'ir \\',1 ), 1)1" lik. Sllll( 1111"1'.<: or \\Oll e ! .111d
I)ril-K oj tllO.<:(' lilll<'S 11;'l\T Iw"iJHd 1)"1 .o..;IJ III('

\\ol'ld, which he did at the a ge of twcnt y-nine,

,"iter six years or st ri vi ng , under t,,"chers nd hy

g(,Il1.I," COllvCl'.<ioll w"s tlr{'l'd'",'(' 'Iuic k alld

esy. The thna M h il l ,b prpch{'(1 tk Joctrin e .

himselr, the bodhisOlttvOl Siddharth<l ar ri \'ed at

The killg I)(I h i,< 1'"Jlowcrs "'C,,1l1C lay disciples,

are facets 01' Ij, \lucldhi,'1 \\'y ()j' Illillkilig lit.ll

th vi" g" of llrllv,la i,l Caya, where he

S" did QUC11 Anul ""d her r e t il l ue in due

have left

C.OI)}e

()\'('I' ,

the f"rcel or M"r, the Ev il Olle, ",hot ried

course,

Bu d dl ,o ' ,< mes,qge prc"d alllQn g the

d is s ua d e him, r rolll his s<.':.1l'('h ror Trut h, II ftcr

people of til(' lalld ulldn the palronage or the

in th e cool walers or the rivCl'

king, M()Il'tcric< wcre built for the monks to

N c ra J 1 j ra , the bodhisattva partook or the me,,1

reside ill, tlrc IIrst such b c ing the Mah<lvihara in

Qr In il k -rice orrcred by Ihe vill"ge-l11<liden Sujata,

tile M :l hal 11 c gh a garden, a

to

., r,rr,shill g bath

p l e an t park with an

alld wnt to

'luiet spot nea rh y, where he s"t

ahulldnce of water ;lnd shadc. More dwellings,

Cl'os$-Irgged

at

the foot of a trec. Anci then , ,d'ter

rd('(:toriSs, j,,,thing,t,,nb and huildin gs for rc

I,o,,,'s of meditation, the Truth d"'/)ed U)'OIl

him, He heGllne an Enli ghtened 011('., eOl'l1illg

the litle nuddha 1'01' himsc.!r and the n;lI))('.llodhi

po,<e were

,t

Ii I', ;1.< (he community of monks

gr e w ill lIumher. TI,,'I)oS were huilt to enshrine

the fludclh,,',< re l i cs tlrot were brought from

J:lJll"udi p, Til, O,eicr (If' Iluns was established

ror the tree h{' s a t tlncier,

The nuddha taught the Truth he re;lliscd, vi7.. the

wilh til e ;HI'i \';1 I "I' S.'lIgh"l11itta alld other

ullli,f.1etory na t \lre or life, the cauc ror Ihi,

,''',,, , \Vho "I,,, I"'''"ghl " I>rollcl> of the socred

"IHI the I))C.1'"

or eradic<lting it. This he did by

!lodhi I rce, wlrich \v'" 1,1.1<'1 cd ill I he Malr"lnegha

ea'"J>1c nd l'rec<?pt, tliltil he passed .1W;)Y.1t Ihe

grov"

"gO' of {'ight y, The l11any discourse,l th;lt he deliv,

Buddhi,," ilou ri,h,d Ull' kr I),' \'Oll.'ll' I Ii y" I is""

ned ,Infolded. way of life ror all mcn nd

and hi ucc:c=,s()r, til('

won len , lay or ord;lincd, The path he p rocl aimed

II"

its hasic p r i n c iples the avoi d ance of the

a.1

exlremes or indulgence and mortiIlC;ltion; re

frainin g frol11 clin ging to lire, hy destroy i ng its

root-c,luse, the thiLlt for w or l d ly pleasures;

ahst a i n i ng Jrolll .111 evil a ris i ng out of g reed ,

an ger and igno r n ce ; practising such nohle vir

tUC.I

;lS

lOVin g kindlless, cOIllI)assion, henevo

lence .1nd e'luanimity; ;lnc! above all, restraining

(he IHind, which leads to the go al of e m ancipa

lion,
'1'11<' hringin g or the f3uddha's lI1ess"gc to Sri
l.anka in the third ce n tu ry before the Chritian

{'fa

is the m o st momentous event in the island's

history, The arahant M a hi nd a , .Ion or emperor

IIsob, was r esp ons ih l e ror this deed of merit,

The thera Mahinda arrived, j ou rneying through

the ;lir (so the chronicles say), accom panied by
rour Elders, a n ovi ce and a lay disciple and
.,Iigl,ted on the "Ie;".nl Miss;lb mo u n t a ill

lhat

Iy to the C".<t of the city of AIH,,'adhpur, on the

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