MASKS:MASKS: AnthrAnthropologyopology onon thethe SinhaleseSinhalese BeliefBelief SystemSystem David Blundell Ph.D. HAN DD ET U 'S B B O RY eOK LIBRA E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.buddhanet.net Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Blundell, David. Masks : anthropology on the Sinhalese belief system / David Blundell. p. cm. — (American university studies. Series VII, Theology and religion; vol. 88) Includes bibliographical references (p. ) 1. Sri Lanka—Religion—20th century. 2. Sri Lanka—Social life and customs. 3. Ethnology—Biographical methods. I. Title. II. Series. BL2032.S55B58 1994 306.6’095493—dc20 91-36067 ISBN 0–8204-1427-1 CIP ISSN 0740–0446 Die Deutsche Bibliothek-CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Blundell, David. Masks : anthropology on the Sinhalese belief system / David Blundell.—New York; Berlin; Bern; Frankfurt/M.; Paris; Wien: Lang, 1994 (American university studies: Ser. 7, Theology and Religion; vol. 88) ISBN 0–8204–1427–1 NE: American university studies/07 Cover design by George Lallas. The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. © Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York 1994 All rights reserved. Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm, xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited. Printed in the United States of America. David Blundell Masks Anthropology on the Sinhalese Belief System American University Studies Series VII Theology and Religion Vol. 88 PETER LANG New York • San Francisco • Bern • Baltimore Frankfurt am Main • Berlin • Wien • Paris Contents Figures List ..........................................................................................................viii Foreword: An Anthropology of Sharing ................................................. ix Preface ...................................................................................................................... xi Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 The Unfolding .......................................................................................................5 Opening Note .......................................................................................................9 One: Perspectives The Process ............................................................................................................... 11 Personal Framework ........................................................................................14 Ethnographic Encounter................................................................................16 Model of Research Design............................................................................16 Ethnographic Research ..................................................................................17 Presentation of Ethnography ......................................................................19 Feedback/Review ............................................................................................ 22 Valid “If” ................................................................................................................24 Ethnographic Model Context, and Individual ..................................26 Views on Facts ....................................................................................................27 Conceptual Levels ........................................................................................... 29 Tripartition........................................................................................................... 30 The Sinhalese ..................................................................................................... 40 Life Account ............................................................................................................ 45 Human Image .................................................................................................... 45 A Life History Writer ..................................................................................... 49 The Individual ....................................................................................................52 Sinhalese Aesthetics ......................................................................................... 55 Images: Buddha and Śiva ..............................................................................56 Aesthetic Determinants .................................................................................57 vi Ethnographic Time Concepts ....................................................................... 61 The Sinhalese Buddhist Concept of Historic Time Duration .....62 Life Account and Motion Picture ............................................................. 64 The Filmic Portrait: A Monastic Case Study .......................................67 Two: Salient Feature Life Accounts The Relationships ............................................................................................... 73 Buddha and Monastery ....................................................................................76 Monk ...................................................................................................................... 78 Loku Hāmuduruvō ...............................................................................................82 The Kataragama Dēvāle and Basnāyaka Nilamē ........................... 93 Basnāyaka Nilamē ................................................................................................96 Basnāyaka Nilamē ...........................................................................................100 Exorcist Practice .................................................................................................. 109 Supernatural Beings ......................................................................................111 Myth ..................................................................................................................... 113 Ritual .....................................................................................................................114 Gurunnānse ........................................................................................................... 118 Three: Sinhalese Belief System on Health Belief System Dimensions ..........................................................................128 Mental Devices ................................................................................................130 Meditation .........................................................................................................134 Pilgrimage ..........................................................................................................137 Ritual Performance (Healing and Entertainment) ........................140 Four: Conclusion Epilogue ................................................................................................................... 148 References .............................................................................................................. 156 vii Figures List Geography Map of Śrī Lankā ..........................................................................................xv Map of Southern Asia .............................................................................. xvi Charts Model of Research Design ........................................................................16 Belief System Diagram ............................................................................... 33 Writing Biography Method ..................................................................... 73 Portrait Drawings Ven. H. Gnānavansa Thero 1979 ...............................................................81 H. B. Dissanayake 1953 ................................................................................. 99 Peemachchari Nakathige Sirineris 1981 ...............................................117 Cover Illustration: Above is a kibihi mūṇa (face) which is on guard in the archway (makara toraṇa) leading to the sanctum of a temple. The center is represented by a mained lion (kesara sinha) which is the legendary ancestor of the Sinhalese. viii Foreword: An Anthropology of Sharing Jacques Maquet Professor of Anthropology University of California, Los Angeles n the last twenty years or so anthropologists have become increas- Iingly concerned with understanding the culture they study from the point of view of those who live, feel, and think within that cul- ture. Anthropologists want to perceive the culture as the insiders perceive it. And, later, when they present the results of their research they hope that insiders will recognize their own views and feelings and that outsiders also will gain an understanding of the intellec- tual and affective processes that occur in the insiders’ minds. In his research—and in this book which reflects it—Dr. David Blundell has gone a step further than other sociocultural anthropol- ogists in the quest for understanding and rendering the Sinhalese belief system. His innovative approach is based on sharing the inves- tigative process with those who are usually considered to be objects of the research. The three parts of the Sinhalese belief system—Theravada Bud- dhism, cult of deities, and exorcism—are concretely approached through the life histories of three men. Each plays