Remembering a National Hero

The Island Features Friday 23rd September, 2011 13 “With black curly locks thrown from learning about this debate that the world, considering the diehard intransi- based on creationism was violently shak- were like those used by an angry father to his broad brow, his clean, clear eyes fixed Theosophist Colonel Henry Steel Olcott of gency of the fanatical Hindu majority pol- en by the scientific theory of biological his children in the privacy of their home. upon the audience, his long, brown fin- America came to the island in 1880). The itics that prevents them from recognizing evolution. Since the Buddhist teaching They should not be taken out of context, gers emphasising the utterances of his Hewavitharanas were pious Buddhists the legitimacy of the Buddhists’ demand. does not include any blind belief in a cre- and false meanings attributed to them. vibrant voice he looked the very image of known for their generosity. Don David’s Two Westerners who influenced ator god, this being irrelevant to the Words uttered at least some 80, 90, or 100 a propagandist, and one trembled to know mother Mallika Hewavitharana’s exem- Anagarika Dharmapala at the beginning achievement of its ultimate goal, years ago should not be interpreted as if that such a figure stood at the head of the plary personal conduct induced the young more directly than the author of ‘Light of Buddhism does not have to confront sci- they were uttered yesterday. movement to consolidate all the disciples boy to pursue the Buddhist way of life. Asia’ were the Theosophists Madame ence on this count. But the idea of evolu- In any case honouring the memory of of Buddha and to spread the light of Asia It was a time when a newfound inter- Helena Blavatsky and Colonel Steel Olcott tion, with its implicit causality principle, Anagarika Dharmapala does not mean throughout the world.” est in traditional Eastern philosophies who were Americans. (Naturally, these strikes a chord with Buddhists’ under- that his actual words and activities Those are the words that a journalist of and culture was sweeping across the are scoffed at by ignorant Western critics standing of how we came to be what we should be taken as a blueprint for us to the American journal St. Louis Observer West. Sir Edwin Arnold’s “Light of Asia” for their sympathy towards an Eastern are, the Paticcasamuppada (Dependent fashion our future; what is important is used to describe the impression that published in 1879 made a profound contri- religion. The mysticism they used to be Origination). Though most probably the the essence of his message, not its Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933) creat- bution to the growing popularity of associated with is not a part of Anagarika had no clear understanding of ephemeral details that his words and ed on his distinguished audience when he Buddhism in the West. Having visited Buddhism, though.) They arrived in the the science of biological evolution, it was doings represented in a changing social addressed the World’s Parliament of Bodh Gaya (or Buddhagaya as we call it island in 1880, and embraced Buddhism natural for him as a missionary to high- context. His message was for national Religions in Chicago in 1893. His dis- in Sri Lanka) in 1885 Sir Arnold under- under an erudite Sinhalese Buddhist light his belief that this thing that threat- unity, independence, and cultural resusci- course on Buddhism so impressed Mr C.T. stood its significance for Buddhists, and monk. A youth of 16 then, David ened religion generally had no impact on tation, though this was articulated in the Strauss of New York, a scholar of philoso- started talking about the need to renovate Hewavitharana toured the country with his religion. Besides, religion was still so language of the time. phy and comparative religion, that he the sacred site and restore its mainte- Colonel Olcott helping him as his transla- anti-science then that an ability to claim decided to become a Buddhist. Later at a nance to Buddhists. The British govern- tor. He also learned Theosophy from the compatibility with modern scientific simple ceremony, with the Anagarika pre- ment of India initiated the restoration of Americans. ‘facts’ for Buddhism to establish its verac- siding, Strauss became the first American the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya Colonel Olcott took a keen interest in ity before the world was an opportunity to embrace Buddhism on home soil. After under the direction of Sir Alexander Buddhist education in the country. He not to be missed by a Buddhist mission- ary (in the then prevalent intellectual atmosphere ). To disseminate the Buddha Dhamma throughout the world he began the English monthly Maha Bodhi under his own editorship. Though he hated the British colonialists for belittling Remembering a Buddhism and Buddhist culture and their English speaking Westernised native lackeys for joining them, he did not despise the English language. It is obvi- ous that he knew that English was neces- sary for taking Buddhism to the world. National Hero There is evidence that he used English with great aplomb both in speaking and in writing. No doubt he desired a good (The 147th birth anniversary of Anagarika Buddhist education for the youth of the country including English and science. The scholar monks who taught him Dharmapala Thuma fell on 17th September 2011.) Buddhism and the monks who participat- ed in his work benefited from their knowledge of English. Ven. Migettuwatte his successful Chicago tour, Anagarika Cunningham. The young Don David Gunananda Thera, one of his early teach- Dharmapala was invited back to America might have drawn inspiration from ers as mentioned above, who delivered in 1896 and again in 1902-04 by Paul this to go and see the situation at such a humiliating defeat on his Carus. During these tours he travelled Bodh Gaya for himself. He, as Christian challengers at the famous widely around the country to lecture on Anagarika Dharmapala, while on a Panadura Debate (1873) had had a thor- Buddhism. pilgrimage there in 1891, deter- ough Christian education before he No Lankan before or since has so mined to wrest control of the place became a Buddhist monk at the age of 20. enhanced the image of the religion he from its incumbent Saivite trustees Of course, the anagarika was not a for Buddhists. To this end he cherished and that of the people he loved popular figure with the lackeys, which he in the eyes of the world as he has. At age launched a campaign to raise could have attached no importance to. 29 Anagarika Dharmapala was already an awareness of the matter among Naturally, most of his critics came from international figure, and a colossus Buddhists, particularly among among them. Some individuals who do among the champions of Theravada Sinhalese Buddhists. He also found- not sympathise with what he stood up for Buddhism, Sinhalese Buddhist cultural ed the Mahabodhi Society in feel justified in describing him as a heritage, and anti-imperialist social Colombo in 1891, but moved its ‘Sinhala chauvinist’; The Anagarika reform. And unique among them, he was headquarters to Calcutta (present spoke his mind about what he perceived prodigiously active pursuing his cause in Kolkata), the to be wrong with the Sinhalese without three continents of the world – Asia, capital city of mincing his words; he spoke fearlessly North America, and Europe. One aspect India at that against the British colonialists. But it was of his nobility lies in the fact that though time, the fol- not the 21st century yet with its mod- he was born into a rich Colombo family, a lowing year. came back to the island ernist political values; in fact, he spent natural heir to the wealth, privilege, and No doubt, he in1886 with C.W. more than half of his life in the 19th cen- prestige that its elite status implied, he felt that as Leadbeater. They inau- tury. Had he been living today he’d have renounced all that, and became an ana- India was the gurated a fund called spoken a different idiom. garika (a person who has voluntarily birth place of the Buddhist Who would have condemned him for become homeless to be free from the Buddhism he Educational Fund. The asking Sinhalese parents to make scare- engagements and encumbrances of nor- had to operate young Don David trav- crows out of banana tree trunks and have mal secular life) to fully devote himself to from there. BY ROHANA R. WASALA elled across the island their children beat them with sticks and the service of humanity. He was not a When with Colonel Olcott on kick them pretending them to be Whites? religious fanatic as his intolerant detrac- Anagarika a campaign for the He meant to instil a sense of just defiance tors maliciously and baselessly assert Dharmapala visited India in 1891, he establishment of Buddhist schools. in the young towards the occupying race. quoting him out of context and misinter- found that Buddhism had completely dis- Ananda, Nalanda, and Visaka Colleges in What’s wrong in his talking about the preting his actions, but an intrepid popu- appeared from the land of its origin. He Colombo, Dharmaraja College in Kandy, past glory of the Sinhalese or their for- lariser of the ‘dharma’ which he was con- was appalled by the way the most hal- Mahinda College in Galle, and mer greatness as a race? All self respect- vinced was the way to make all lowed places for the Buddhists such as Maliyadeva College in Kurunegala are ing races would do similar things, espe- humankind happy in this world and in Saranath, Kushinagar, and Lumbini some of the most prominent ones among cially when they feel that they are being the hereafter. He was not a zealot, though. (Savathnuwara, Kusinara, and Lumbini, more than 300 schools established under robbed and humiliated by foreign intrud- He was not a religious fundamentalist (in names so familiar and popular even Olcott’s guidance. It was during these ers. His purpose was to inculcate in the the pejorative sense that the term has among the humblest, most ignorant years that Don David gave up his alien minds of his people a contempt for the acquired in recent times) because he did- Buddhist folk in Sri Lanka) had been neg- name, adopted the name Dharmapala European occupiers and a corresponding n’t use or advocate extremist blind faith lected for centuries and abandoned to (Protector of the Dharma) instead, and sense of national pride. He berated the or violence to propagate his religion. His decay. It was this visit that inspired him took his vows as an anagarika for life. Sinhalese for what he felt was their efforts were guided by the Buddhist atti- to work for the revival of Buddhism in Though the Anagarika worked with lethargy and laidback attitude. He even tude of compassion and tolerance implied India. He inaugurated Mahabodhi Society and gladly accepted the support of castigated some Buddhist monks for fail- in his words: “Religion is a thing of the centres in many cities across India, and enlightened human beings from among ing to abide by the rules they had under- heart, and it is beyond the power of man encouraged conversion to Buddhism espe- the ordinary people of Western countries, taken to follow. True, he sometimes made to go into the heart of other people. To cially among Indians oppressed by the he maintained his fearless independence disparaging references to some individual oppress a human being for his inner con- rigid Hindu caste system. and acted on his own terms. He later part- members of other communities, not out viction is diabolical.” The main task the Anagarika assigned ed company with Colonel Olcott because of inveterate hatred of them or contempt, Don David Hewavitharana was born on himself in India was the reclaiming of he did not agree with the Theosophists’ but to shock the 17th September 1864. As a child of rich Bodh Gaya for Buddhists. He wanted to syncretism, their belief that all religions Sinhalese out of parents he got a good English education achieve this by talking with the mahant, have a common foundation of truth. “To their dependent as was normal in colonial times. This was the Hindu custodian of the place, but say that all religions have a common foun- mindset under for- at four elite schools of the day: Christian failed to achieve anything worthwhile. dation only shows the ignorance of the eign domination. College, Kotte; St Benedict’s College, The Buddhist monks he had arranged to speaker...Dharma alone is supreme to the The words he used Kotahena; St Thomas College, Mount stay there were assaulted by the mahant’s Buddhist”, he declared. Lavinia; and Royal College, Colombo men in an apparent attempt to drive them His insistence (which, though it got its present name in away. So the Anagarika sought a legal on the unassail- 1881, was first started by Christian mis- solution. As a result of protracted litiga- ability of sionaries in 1831, and was named the tion the Mahabodhi Temple was declared Buddhism before Colombo Academy in 1836). Don David the property of the state government of science should be excelled in his studies at these mission- Bihar in1949, sixteen years after the death put in its context ary-led Christian schools. He comple- of Anagarika Dharmapala. The state gov- for a fair judge- mented his English education with a thor- ernment established a temple manage- ment on his atti- ough knowledge of the Buddhist scrip- ment committee which consists of nine tude. The latest tures, and the Sinhala and Pali languages members, the majority of them Hindus: and the most pow- which he acquired under two revered the chairman of the committee is by law erful manifestation scholar monks of the time: Ven always a Hindu; the rest of the member- of science as a Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayake Thera, ship consists of four Buddhists and four potential threat to and Ven Migettuwatte (or Mohottiwatte) Hindus. Even this partial success of the religion at the time Sri Gunananda Thera (both, more con- mission that Anagarika Dharmapala was Darwinian spicuously the latter, of the Panadura started is a monument to his dedication evolution. The Debate fame). (Incidentally, it was after on behalf of all the Buddhists in the Western religious tradition firmly

Renewal of... From page 11 I wrote then that one had to hope that sacrificed, encouraged by the consequences Children, and several others were doing their the international NGOs, which were still try- of what had happened at Mutur. best to help our people. But I saw too that a ing to issue statements to prove their neutral- Incidentally it should be noted that the small cabal made the running when positions ity, neutrality between the government whom NGOs were also responsible for precipitating were taken publicly, as for instance with the they are supposed to assist and a bunch of the UN decision also to withdraw in toto, demarche that the Coffee Club sent at the ruthless terrorists, would realize how readily even though government had asked that time to the UN Secretary General. they lend themselves to being used, and WFP and UNHCR stay on. Neil Buhne told I have reiterated all this because I think their poor dependent workers to being target- me he had been away and had thought that Wikileaks has now made clear that the old ed as part of yet another soul-stirring strate- only WFP had been asked to stay, and I plotting still continues. For the other two cars gy. believe he had in fact been misled. Still, he in the convoy that was hit belonged to I was glad then that government decided has to take responsibility for not actually hav- FORUT. It was a FORUT driver who drove shortly thereafter to ask the NGOs to leave ing read the letter sent by the Secretary of up alone in a car to Kilinochchi. the Wanni, leading to the extraordinary Defence, which specifically mentioned these Preparations were being made then, I scenes of protest that Wikileaks has now two UN agencies in addition to the ICRC – believe, to launch a massive attack on our indicated were very much orchestrated by which did of course stay on, though I suspect forces, using harm to NGOs as a center- the LTTE. This has not prevented them being the NGOs would have wanted them too to piece. The quick thinking of government fore- a highlight of the Channel 4 film, introduced leave, so that they could insist on the canard stalled that, but the same forces that I by Benjamin Dix who was working for that we had wanted a war without witnesses. believe engineered the claymore attack that Solidar. I have little doubt then that the gov- I should add that, when I use the term failed have now come together again, to ernment decision forestalled exactly the sort generically, I do not wish to imply any criti- attack the Sri Lankan government. Last time of tragedy I had predicted in my article, in cism of the many NGOs that worked so well. they did so with the connivance of the LTTE. which characters like Guy Rhodes and per- It was clear to me at the time, and I have Can there be any doubt that this is being haps even Dix allowed their workers to be said so, that the Head of WUSC, Save the repeated now?