Buddhist Studies Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is the oldest continually Buddhist

country, Theravada Buddhism being the major
religion in the island since its official introduction in
the 2nd century BC by Venerable Mahinda, the son
of the Emperor Ashoka of India during the reign of
King Devanampiya- Tissa. Later, the nun
Sanghamitta, the daughter of Asoka, was said to
have brought the southern branch of the original
Bodhi tree, where it was planted at Anuradhapura.
From that day up to the present, the Buddhists in
Sri Lanka have paid and are paying the utmost
reverence to this branch of the Bodhi Tree under
the shade of which the Master achieved
Enlightenment.
Monks from Sri Lanka have had an important role
in spreading both Theravada and Mahayana
throughout South-east Asia. It was in Sri Lanka, in
the 1st century AD during the reign of King Vatta
Gamini that the Buddhist monks assembled in
Aloka-Vihara and wrote down the Tripitaka, the
three basket of the Teachings, known as the Pali scriptures for the first time. It was Sri
Lankan nuns who introduced the Sangha of nuns into China in 433AD. In the 16th century
the Portuguese conquered Sri Lanka and savagely persecuted Buddhism as did the Dutch
who followed them.
When the British won control at the beginning of the 19th century Buddhism was well into
decline, a situation that encouraged the English missionaries that then began to flood the
island. But against all expectations the monastic and lay community brought about a major
revival from about 1860 onwards, a movement that went hand in hand with growing
nationalism.
Since then Buddhism has flourished and Sri Lankan monks and expatriate lay people have
been prominent in spreading Theravada Buddhism in Asia, the West and even in Africa.
Some of the most marvellous monuments in the Buddhist world belong to Sri Lanka, and her
sculpture is closely associated with the early art of the Krishna valley and the later Pallava
and Chola kings, owing to the close relationship that existed between south India and Sri
Lanka. (above: Seven-metre-tall standing image of the Buddha in a rare cross-armed pose
at Gal Vihara).

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According to the Sri Lankan chronicles, the Mahavamsa, one of Ashoka's sons, the monk
Mahinda, supervised construction of monastic buildings nearAnuradhapura. Simultaneously,
he sent to India for relics. These, say
the histories, included the Buddha's
alms bowl andhis right collarbone. Later
a hair relic, and in the 4th century AD,
the Buddha's tooth would be taken to
Sri Lanka. The tooth is still preserved in
Kandy where daily rituals venerate the
Buddha's tooth relic in Temple of the
Tooth Relic, Kandy 16th Century.
To house the relics, stupas were built.
Standing at 300 feet, Ruwanweliseya,
or the "Great Stupa" is regarded as one
of the most important stupas at
Anuradhapura in north-central Sri
Lanka: Much restored, the great dome,
circled with old columns, is still to be
seen in Anuradhapura, now a great
park. During major festivals it is
crowded with hundreds of thousands of
devotees in family groups, who picnic
happily among the ruins and offer puja at the Bodhi tree. There are other important
monuments nearby at Mihintale, the site of Mahinda's first sermon to King Devanampiya-
Tissa. The ruins of the later capital at Polonnaruwa (9th century AD onwards), showing
Hindu and Mahayana cultic influence, are yet more elaborate.
The stupa in Sri Lanka is a circular drum on a square base with a long succession of
compressed umbrellas forming a conical top over a box-shaped harmika, of which the
Ruwanweliseya stupa, (above right) at Anuradhapura (3rd century BC) is a fine example.


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