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| Sunday, 11 May 2003 |
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Features |  |
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Vesak journal with a difference The Buddhist-Vesak Annual 2003 This is the 115th Vesak Annual released by the YMBA, Colombo. It is one of the oldest journals as and usual it contains valuable articles for the Vesak season. There are 20 articles 17 of which are in English and three in Sinhala. In view of the international readership the preponderance of English articles has to remain. The main article is by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi the foremost luminary in the English reading Buddhist world. He deals with the place and value of sila, samadhi and panna in guiding the life of a Buddhist. Ven. Kurunegoda Piyatissa Thera of the New York Buddhist Vihara has written on the difference between Kusala and Akusala Karma. Ariyadasa Ratnasinha has taken pains to expound the Therawada interpretation of the Anatta Doctrine. He labours to explain the Buddhaghosa brand of Buddhism according to which there is suffering, but no sufferer, there is the Eightfold Path but there is no person who travels on it. According to him mechanical thought processes rise and pass in the mind. No one takes a decision in such an impersonal process. Danister Fernando writes on the birth of an extra-ordinary person whom he refers to the birth of Prince Siddharta. The writer has not realised this is a story of the Mahayanists in their Lalita Vistara and Jinacharika Kavya in which they laboured to deify the Buddha. Theravadins have copied them indiscriminately. Special mention should be made of Godfrey Gunasekera's article on 'A Science of the mind'. It deals with the contents of a French book "The monk and the Philosopher". Its English translation was published in London in 1998 by Harper Collins and Co. The book contains a discussion on the Buddha's teachings between two Frenchmen. One is a distinguished philosopher J. F. Revel and the other is his son. M. Richard, a doctor in molecular biology of the Institute Pasteur in Paris. Their dialogue runs into some 10 pages of the article. Its conclusive part asserts that Buddhism can now take its rightful place in the sciences for it had developed a theory of the atom detailed and coherent. Also Buddhism offered a science of the mind very much in tune with the present time and one which will prevail for all time. D. A. Weeraratne's article is on Buddhism and Darwins Theory of Evolutions. He explains how Darwinism undermined the foundations of religion in the West. He touches on the offensive launched by Archbishop Wilberforce in England and his cohorts and how they were overthrown and silenced. Then he proceeds to show how the salient doctrines of the Buddha-Anitta, Dukka, and Anatma are supported and upheld in the findings of Darwinism. T. N. Ramachandran has an informative article on the Great Tamil Buddhist. Therein he writes of the spread of Buddhism in South India's and the heyday of Buddhism there. He particularly mentions the great Buddhist Masters and their works in Tamil and Pali. Most of the Tamil books are now lost and only their names and reference to them in Tamil literature are available now of the existing few Tamil works - Manimekala is the sole surviving Buddhist classic. This book has now been translated into English. Two Sinhala translations one by a school teacher Missi Nona and the other by Ven. Hisselle Dhammaratane of the Balagalle Pirivena. He was in his days the foremost Tamil scholar among the Sinhalese. An English translation of his book 'Dakunu Indiyave Budu Dahama' prepared by me was published by the Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy. The journal also contains the following articles Dhamma and the Indolent by J. P. Pathirana; Buddha's Political Thoughts - by Andrew Scolt; Four Acts of Favour by T. B. Ratnayake; Some recent Buddhist leaders - N. Mudiyanse; Motivation - a Buddhist perspective - by T. A. Burgess; Dhamma in Daily Life - by Bogoda Premaratne; Living Dharma - by Asoka Devendra; Prof. G. P. Malalasekera - by A. G. S. Kariyawasam. The cover page contains a coloured painting by W. Senaratne depicting the Vessantara Jataka - in the style of the ancient murals. This Vesak Annual makes interesting and informative to read during Vesak season. - D. Amarasiri Weeraratne Lalith Kotelawala - a proper baron Lalith Kotelawala - a proper baron Ceylinco House stands dwarfed by the many high-rise structures of numerous shapes that have come up in its neighbourhood but it has lived up to the aspirations of its founder in standing as a symbol for future generations to achieve greater heights. This book is all about one such Lalith Kotelawala (LK) the son of the Founder late Senator Justin Kotelawala. The narrative begins with the birth in a thunderstorm of the child protege on 29th October 1938 and ends with the Epilogue on SOLO-U the Society for Love and Understanding, the venture launched by Lalith during a hurricane of destruction and which the author Sreema Perera describes as the Jewel in his Crown. Lalith Kotelawala was persuasive enough to bring businessmen onto the streets (what a turnaround!) protesting the war and carnage and influenced political events which followed, culminating in the enthronement of a new government in the seats of power. That he abhorred violence at home, at school, in society - is apparent. Commenting on teachers, he is against those who 'used the stick' and terrified and intimidated him into subservience and favours those who allowed him to blossom out in his natural style helping him to create his own personality. These comments are sure to accord with those of 'thinking' educationist today. What runs parallel in the narrative is the success story of a 'dreamer' to whom the 'sky is the limit' and the maturing of a man buffeted by crises and successes into a God fearing humane person. "What is really God is love and when you have love, you have tolerance." This is a happy blend of Christian (Love) and Buddhist (Tolerance) lexicon and thought. Incidents of LK's generosity and humanness abound in this biography and are captivatingly narrated. There is a chapter on Sicille Kotelawala the 'First Lady' of Ceylinco who in addition to her penchant for the arts stands by her husband in 'The risks he takes, be it fighting social injustice, picketing for peace, establishing business connections, hosting cocktails, singing Christmas Carols or whatever.' The best in her had of course come out at the time LK was injured in the bomb explosion at the Central Bank. 'Like a tigress guarding her young' she had stood by him. What emerges as rational thinking and an open mind of an 'otherwise capitalist', 'robber baron' is his ability to recognise the value of the cellular structure that was the feature of the organisations set up by 'greats' who derided capitalism-Che Guevara, Mao Tse Tung and Ho Chi Minh. The success of his businesses is attributed to the cellular organisation that keeps his employees content. There is much more in this account of a varied life of a wealthy entrepreneur, born into a family of influence and power. There are almost 80 pages of black and white and coloured visuals capturing the great events that have dotted the life of this 'proper baron.' The large print and easy style enhance the readability of this biographical sketch of a man who has built an empire which exudes his personal charm and charisma. - Lalith |
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