| NESE BUDDHISM OUT OF THE COLONIAL PERIOD | | | | the Maha Bodhi Society (2434/1891) and the Buddhist |
| Ceylonese Buddhism has been in close connection | | | | revival movement in India. The movement initiated by |
| with Ceylonese nationalism throughout Ceylonese | | | | Col. Olcott also adopted a Buddhist flag and |
| history. This connection was even stronger during the | | | | succeeded in making the Vesak a public holiday once |
| British colonial period. Under British rule, the monasteries | | | | more. |
| lacked official status and were unable to defend their | | | | Meanwhile, in the field of Buddhist studies, some of the |
| land or rights. One report claimed that 800,000 acres | | | | British officials who served in the Civil Service of |
| of temple property were confiscated. The colonial | | | | Ceylon, through their private study and research, |
| government and the Christian missionaries took the | | | | developed an appreciation of the Buddhist cultureof |
| entire school system out of the hands of the | | | | Ceylon. Among these was Professor T.W. Rhys |
| Buddhists. The Buddhists became second-class | | | | Davids who later founded the Pali Text Society in |
| citizens, while the Christians and the English-educated | | | | London in 2424/1881 and wrote, edited and translated |
| rose to the best positions in the colonial administration. | | | | voluminous Buddhist literary works. By rendering the |
| Only Christian Sundays and feast days and the British | | | | Buddha’s teachings admirable in European |
| national holidays were celebrated in this Buddhist | | | | eyes, he ‘gave confidence and pride to the |
| country. There were various anti-colonialist uprisings | | | | peoples who had preserved them’.1 He has |
| and prominent Buddhist monks were condemned to | | | | been one of the two Westerners especially revered in |
| death. Threats of religious, national and cultural | | | | Ceylon, the other being Col. Olcott. |
| effacement like these led to the Buddhist revival in | | | | Among Ceylonese scholars, it should be noted that lay |
| Ceylon. | | | | Buddhists have played no less important a part in |
| In 2382/1839,1 a parivena2, a Buddhist seminary or | | | | Buddhist literary activities than the monks. One of the |
| institution of higher learning, called the | | | | best known or, probably, the best known, should be |
| Parama-Dhammacetiya Parivena, was founded. | | | | Professor G.P. Malalasekera, the compiler of the |
| Among the important Buddhist leaders produced by | | | | Dictionary of Pali Proper Names (2480-2481/1937-38) |
| this parivena was H. Sri Sumangala Thera, In the years | | | | and Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopaedia of Buddhism, |
| 2415/1872 and 2419/1876 two more parivenas were | | | | the first fascicule of which was published in 2504/1961. |
| established, the Vidyodaya in Colombo and the | | | | The Encyclopaedia is a work of international |
| Vidyalankara at Kelaniya near Colombo, which were | | | | collaboration and several regional committees have |
| raised to the status of universities in 2502/1959. | | | | been set up for the better coordination of the work, |
| Then, the learned Buddhists led by Ven. H. Sri | | | | the largest of these being the Japanese committee. |
| Sumangala Thera and Ven. M. Sri Gunฺananda | | | | Smaller committees also function in China, Burma, |
| Thera demonstrated their opposition to Western ideas, | | | | Thailand, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands. |
| values and social practices by arranging public | | | | Some 2,000 pages of the Encyclopaedia have been |
| disputations with Christian missionaries. In these | | | | published so far. |
| Buddhist-Christian controversies, the Buddhists | | | | Among monk-scholars, the following names should be |
| considered the utter defeat of Christianity easy and | | | | cited: Aggamahapanฺdฺita A.P. |
| certain, while the Christian missionaries could fairly | | | | Buddhadatta, author of Concise Pali-English Dictionary, |
| estimate the difficulties of their position and day by day | | | | English-Pali Dictionary, New Pali Course, etc.; Dr. |
| they had to commend themselves in prayer to God | | | | Vajirananaฺ Mahathera, writer of Buddhist |
| and confide in Him for wisdom and direction at every | | | | Meditation; Ven. Narada Thera, an active Buddhist |
| step. | | | | missionary and voluminous author; Ven. W. Rahula, |
| Reading the account of such a controversy published | | | | author of What the Buddha Taught and History of |
| in the Ceylon Times in 1873, Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, | | | | Buddhism in Ceylon. Of no less importance and |
| an American Civil War officer, came to know of the | | | | distinction than these scholars is Ven. Nyanatiloka, a |
| Buddhist conditions in Ceylon. Then, in 2423/1880, he | | | | German Buddhist monk of Island Hermitage in Ceylon |
| came to Ceylon to take part in the defence of | | | | who wrote Guide Through the Abhidhamma |
| Buddhism. He travelled around the country encouraging | | | | Pitฺaka, The Word of the Buddha, Buddhist |
| the people to revive their historic religion, reorganized | | | | Dictionary and other valuable works in German, English |
| the Buddhist educational system on modern principles | | | | and Pali. Of his pupils, Ven. Nyanaponika, a German |
| and founded the Theosophical Society of Ceylon. | | | | monk learned in the Abhidhamma, and Ven. |
| Within a few years he opened three colleges and 200 | | | | Nanฺamoli, an English monk with voluminous |
| schools, and exercised considerable influence over the | | | | translated Pali works, are among international. Buddhist |
| younger generation. One of the young men who came | | | | scholars. In presenting Buddhist teaching and practice |
| under his influence was David Hewavitharne | | | | to the modern world, these scholars have been active |
| (mentioned earlier), who later became a great Buddhist | | | | in relating them to modern thought and much attention |
| leader called Anagarika Dharmapala, the founder of | | | | has been paid to the Abhidhamma and meditation. |