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| Sunday, 30 May 2004 |
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Poson, celebration of the dawn of a new civilization Poya Meditation by Sumana Saparamadu To Buddhists, every full-moon day is a holy day, but the full-moon day in the month of Vesak is holier than the others, and why it is the most important day in the Buddhist calendar, is too well-known to need repetition. Two other full-moon days are of special significance to us Buddhists in Sri Lanka, and only to us.
One is the Poson full-moon day, following Vesak and the other is the full-moon day in the month of Unduvap, which usually coincides with December. At Poson, which this year falls on Wednesday, June 2, the celebration is in honour of Arahat Mahinda, the emissary of Emperor Asoka, whose meeting with the King of Lanka on that full-moon day in the month of Jetta (now Poson) was the turning point in the island's history. Legend says that it was on the Unduvap full-moon day that Sanghamitta Theri, bringing a branch of the Bodhi Tree in Buddha Gaya, landed in Sri Lanka. Poson is the season of pilgrimages to places hallowed by Arahat Mahinda - to Mihintale, the 'plain of Mahinda' where the King and the Thera met and where the latter spent many years in caves on the hillock, and to Anuradhapura, the town he laid out anew, siting in the Mahavihara, which became the centre and stronghold of Theravada Buddhism. It was as a result of the meeting of the king and the monk on that full-moon day on the grassy plateau Ambasthala, that "the country and the people got an identity and a national consciousness which neither the ravages of time nor centuries of warfare nor the insidious attack of modern commerce succeeded in destroying". Spiritual conquest About two decades, after Dr. G. P. Malalasekera wrote these words, another academic of another faith, Dr. E. F. C. Ludowyk wrote in 1956. "Their meeting was, in its consequences for the island, one of the most fateful events in history, for with the Thera, Buddhism officially made its spiritual conquest of Ceylon. In the 2000 years and more which have passed since then, no other single event could be placed beside it in its epoch-making results, except perhaps the first contact of feudal East with commercial West in the sixteenth century, when the caravels of the Portuguese appeared off the coast of Colombo. But even this event ... could hardly be reckoned as significant in the development of Ceylon. (The Footprint of the Buddha) Arahat Mahinda brought more than a new religion to Lanka. Says Bhikkhu Walpola Rahula, "The coming of Mahinda can be regarded as the beginning of Sinhala culture. He brought not only a new religion, but also a whole civilization at the height of its glory. He introduced art and architecture into the island, along with the Sangaaraama and the Cetiya. He brought the commentaries to the Tripitaka and put them into Seehala for the benefit of the people of the island and this made Seehala a literary language and inaugurated a literature. It is possible that he introduced the Asoka Script as well". (History of Buddhism in Ceylon) Unqualified success The Pali chronicles and the commentaries say that Arahat Mahinda's mission was an unqualified success, from the word go - that first meeting of monk and king. This triumph was not due to any supra-mundane force as legend would have us believe, but to the Thera's practical wisdom and the intelligent way he set about his mission. Another fact that should not be overlooked is that the Thera and the people had no difficulty in conversing with one another, for the languages in Sri Lanka and North India at the time were closely allied. "A comparison of the earliest inscriptions of Ceylon and those of North India in the corresponding age leads one to the same inference", says E. W. Adikaram. (Early History of Buddhism in Ceylon) The manner in which Arahat Mahinda set about winning over the people is worth repeating. First, to make sure that the king had enough intelligence to comprehend the Dhamma, he asked him what seemed very simple questions, which Ludowyk says had "something of Socratic guile". Bhikkhu Walpola Rahula says it is the first 'intelligence test' on record. The questions and answers were as follows: "What name does this tree bear, O King? The tree is called mango. Is there another mango tree besides this? There are many mango trees Are there any trees other than this mango tree and other mango trees? There are many trees Sir, but those are not mango trees. And are there, besides other mangoe trees and those trees which are not mango trees, yet other trees? There is this mango tree, Sir" Thou has a shrewd wit, O ruler of men". Having satisfied himself of the King's intelligence, Mahinda Thera preached the Chula Hatthi Padopama Sutta - the lesser discourse on the simile of the elephant's foot print. The Sutta opens with the indirect warning not to rush to a conclusion on the first evidence - a large foot-print is not necessarily that of a great elephant - and proceeds to explain what the life of a monk is and how one becomes a Buddhist. The Thera may have decided on this Sutta for his first sermon to introduce himself and his assistants, and dispel whatever suspicions the King had. A commentary records that before the King left Missaka (the original name of the hill), he called aside the layman in the group, Bhanduka Upasaka, and inquired whether these were a group of humans or devas. Beliefs and preconceptions Arahat Mahinda chose appropriate suttas for his discourses in the first two days, taking into account the beliefs and preconceptions of the audience and used these to make the teachings of the new Dhamma acceptable. The Peta Vatthu and Vimana Vatthu, which were the subject of his sermon on the first visit to the palace, the day after his arrival, were related to the people's belief in the spirits of the dead. The suttas, while confirming their beliefs, explained why some were tormented and lived in misery while others were rewarded with heavenly mansions (vimana). The law of Karma, the logic of cause and effect, gave meaning to what was hitherto a mere belief without a base. There was no wrenching away from old beliefs and rituals, no attempt to ban existing practices and so drive them underground, their shrines were not destroyed as the Portuguese did 18 centuries later. On the contrary, new places of worship were set up close to existing places and the people continued to come to places they were wont to come and prayed at or worshipped both the old and the new. The Thuparama was built close to the shrine of Maheja, a spirit worshipped by the people before the coming of Arahat Mahinda. From evidence he has gathered, Dr. Paranavitarne says that in time, the shrine was demolished to make way for the buildings of the Thuparama complex. Water spirit The Issurumuniya Vihara is by the side of the Tissa tank which was the abode of a 'rakusa', a water spirit or genie. A 10th century inscription records what must have been an oral tradition that the rakusa was converted by Mahinda Thera and made to be of service to the religion and to the people - Lo veda Sasun Veda Yedu. Eight saplings that sprouted from the fruits of the branch of the Bodhi tree brought over by Sanghamitta Theri, were planted in various places in the island, among them Kataragama. This was already a hallowed spot presided over by Kataragama Deviyo who along with the Devas Saman (of the Holy Peak), Vibhishana of Kelaniya and Upulvun of Devinuwara were the guardian gods of the island. (Under Hindu influence, Kataragama Deviyo was identified with God Skanda and Upulvan with Vishnu). Bringing the people to the old places of worship to pay obeisance to the new objects of veneration, was another contributory factor to the success of Arahat Mahinda's mission and shows his practical wisdom. |
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