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Samadhi Journal of the London Buddhist Vihara the First and the Foremost Buddhist Vihara of the Western World Established in 1926 by the Anagarika Dharmapala

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Samadhi Journal of the London Buddhist Vihara the First and the Foremost Buddhist Vihara of the Western World Established in 1926 by the Anagarika Dharmapala SAMADHI JOURNAL OF THE LONDON BUDDHIST VIHARA THE FIRST AND THE FOREMOST BUDDHIST VIHARA OF THE WESTERN WORLD ESTABLISHED IN 1926 BY THE ANAGARIKA DHARMAPALA ISSUE No. 53 & 54 JANUARY 2019-MAY 2019 B.E. 2562-63 ISSN 1368-1516 TRIPITAKA Incomparable source of the wisdom of the Buddha by Ven. B. Seelawimala Nayaka Thera Head of the London Buddhist Vihara n our modern times, there is an is tri ‘three’ and pitaka meaning Sutta Pitaka - Basket of discourses Ienthusiastic awareness to learn ‘baskets’). It is known in the West as This contains the Buddha's teachings, about the Tripitaka. The Sri Lankan the Pali canon, and is the collection recorded mainly as sermons. It is a government has recently announced of primary Pali language texts which collection of Suttas, or discourses, that the Tripitaka be considered as form the doctrinal foundation of attributed to the Buddha and a few of a National heritage in Sri Lanka. In Theravada Buddhism. The Tripitaka his closest disciples, containing all addition, HE Maitripala Sirisena the and the discourses and commentaries, the central teachings of Theravada president of Sri Lanka has proposed together constitute the complete body Buddhism. There are more than ten to the representative of the United of classical Theravada texts.The thousand discourses in the Sutta Nations in Colombo, requesting Theravada tradition is also known Pitaka, it contains the essence of that the UN consider accepting the as Pali Buddhism, due to Pali being Theravada teaching. There are five Tripitaka as a World Heritage. the canonical language of Theravada. main books in Sutta pitaka. But the largest one, Kuddhaka Nikaya has With this idea in mind, many Sri The Buddha said; ‘The Dhamma and fifteen different books. Lankan Embassies around the World, Vinaya, which I have taught you, will together with the co-operation of be you teacher after my passing’. Abhidhamma Pitaka - Is a collection Viharas, have jointly organised of texts in which the doctrinal seminars and talks promoting the Vinaya Pitaka - This is the collection principles presented in the Sutta idea. In this issue, the main theme of texts concerning the rules of Pitaka are reworked and reorganized is to introduce Tripitaka and its conduct governing the daily affairs into a practical framework that can be historical developments through the within the Sangha - the community applied to the investigation into the centuries and the challenges faced to of bhikkhus (ordained monks) and essential nature of mind and matter. the present day. bhikkhunis (ordained nuns). It is more The difference of Sutta Pitaka and than just a list of rules. The Vinaya Abhidhamma Pitaka is distinguished So far, you may know, the UN has Pitaka includes all the stories behind as conventional truth and absolute accepted the Statues and Temples in the origin of each rule, so it is not just truths. The Buddha taught both kinds forests and parks of world as World a set of rules without explanation but of truth, depending on the level of Heritage sites and we hope they will provides a detailed account of the understanding of his audience, almost consider the Tripitaka in the same Buddha's solution to the question on like using different languages to way. how to maintain communal harmony, explain the same thing, but there is within a large and diverse spiritual no suggestion that one language is The Tripitaka (translated from Pali community. Continued on page 2 Dhamma without Rebirth? INSIDE Back to Basics Courses for 2019 THIS ISSUE Serve To Be Perfect - Be Perfect To Serve A-Z of Buddhism Programmes and activities 1 1 ISSUE No. 53 & 54 JANUARY 2019-MAY 2019 SAMADHI Chief Executive: Ven. B. Seelawimala Nayaka Thera Editor: Ven. Tawalama Bandula Continued from page 1 Venerable Mahamoggaliputta Tissa Lankan monasteries and the other superior or inferior to the other. So presided over the council. King neighboring lands like Thailand and it is not about two different kinds of Dharammasoka of Pataliputta gave Myanmar, were carefully deciphered, truth, but of two different ways of the necessary support to the council. edited and translated into Sinhala. presenting the same truth. It lasted nine months. After the Third Later this collection of Tripitaka texts Council, nine missions were sent to was published under the patronage Historical records nine different places to propagate of the Sri Lanka Government as the The First Great Council - Three the Sasana. Arahant Maha Mahinda Buddha Jayanti Tripitaka Series in months after the passing away of with five Arahants was sent to Sri 57 volumes. the Buddha, the First Great Council Lanka. The mission of five Arahats to was held in Sattapanni Cave Pavilion Suvannabhumi, Myanmar, was led by The Pali Text Society - Pali Text at Mount Vebhara near the city Venerable Sona Thera and Venerable Society opened the doors for the of Rajagaha.The immediate cause Uttara Thera. study of Pali Tripitaka in the West. for this council was a reported The society was founded in 1881 by Subhadda, who became a bhikkhu in The Fourth Great Council - The Thomas William Rhys Davids (1843- his old age, disparaged the Buddha's Fourth Council was held at Cave 1922), Professor of Comparative Teachings on the seventh day after the Aloka in Malaya district, (Matale) Religion in University College Buddha had passed away. On hearing Sri Lanka, in 450 B.E (94 B.C). The of London. In 1864 Rhys Davis those insulting words, Venerable people of Sri Lanka were hard hit was appointed as a civil servant in Mahakassapa decided to hold the by rebels, hunger and starvation for Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and became a First Great Council. Five hundred twelve years. So the Bhikkhus had Magistrate. In a case he was presiding Arahats, including Venerable Upali to make strong efforts to maintain over involving a Buddhist temple, and Venerable Ananda, took part the Buddha's Teachings. The elder a Pali document was presented as in that council which lasted seven Bhikkhus foresaw that if there would evidence and no one present could months. In this council eminent appear such danger in future, and translate. Rhys Davids’ interest was Monks were given responsibilities to the Bhikkhus would not be able to aroused, and he sought out a monk learn the Dhamma by heart, and hand memorize the discourses and the who could teach him Pali, an old down from teacher to student for the disciplines by heart because of the Bhikkhu named Yatramulle Unnanse. purpose of continuity. decline in their power of mindfulness, When Rhys Davids returned to concentration and wisdom. Therefore, England he established the Pali Text Second Great Council - The Second they held the Fourth Great Council Society ‘to foster and promote the Council was held at Valukarama and written down the Tripitaka on Ola study of Pāli texts’ monastery, near the city of Vesali,100 leaves.“ At that time seeing the loss years after the passing away of the of living beings the monks assembled. The society first compiled, edited, Buddha.B.E. (443 B.C). It was held They wrote in books for the long and published Latin script versions because the bhikkhus of the Vajji clan standing of the Dharma” Deepavansa of a large corpus of Pāli literature, from Vesali preached and practised 21/22Chapter 20, including the Pāli Canon. It also ten unlawful modifications in the publishes ancillary works including Rules of the Order. The seven hundred Modern translations of Tripitaka dictionaries, books for students of Pāli Arahats led by Venerable Yasa, In 1955, celebrating the 2500 years of and a journal. Venerable Sabbakami and Venerable Buddha-Jayanti (that is, 2500 years Revata, took part in the council while from the Buddha’s passing away), Conclusion - The Tripitaka, during King Kalasoka of Vesali and the the Sri Lanka (Ceylon) government its gradual development over many people gave all the necessary support initiated another historic movement Centuries, faced challenges but, it to that council, it lasted eight months. for translating this Tripitaka into has been preserved, to this day, for Sinhala. This task was undertaken the next generation to inherit. This The Third Great Council - The by the Editorial Board of Tripitaka teaching is not only for Theravadins, Third Council was held at Asokarama Translation headed by Ven. Weliwitiye but is the preserve of the Buddha’s Monastery in the city of Pataliputta in Sorata Nayaka Thera. This notable teachings for all Humankind. 235 B.E (308 B.C). Sixty thousand and sacred duty was officially started ascetics infiltrated into the Sangha on the 19th March 1955 with the We should be grateful for ever, to Order, polluting the Sasana with their offering of Tripitaka texts to the those who have made an enormous corrupt lives and heretical views. That Editorial Board by Prime Minister effort with risk to their lives, for is the main reason why the Third John Kotelawala. After the attempt of preserving the great treasure of Council was held by one thousand several years, virtually all the Palm- Tripitaka. Arahats in order to protect the Sasana. leaf Tripitaka texts, supplied by Sri 2 DHAMMA WITHOUT REBIRTH? by Bhikkhu Bodhi n line with the present-day stress of our own experience we can see path of Dhamma has been a gnaw- Ion the need for religious teachings that sorrow, tension, fear and grief ing sense of dissatisfaction with the to be personally relevant and directly always arise from our greed, aver- routine course of our unenlightened verifiable, in certain Dhamma circles sion and ignorance, and thus can be lives rather than a keen perception the time-honoured Buddhist doctrine eliminated with the removal of those of the dangers in the round of re- of rebirth has come up for severe re- defilements.
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