The meeting on the hill

It was the full moon Poya Day of the month of Jettha, the day of the Jetthamula festival. King and commoner took time off their daily routine to take part in various sports, like archery and water sports. The King Devanampiya Tissa, set out for the chase.

Hunting then, as now, was the sport of royalty. (Fox-hunting is still a sport of the English royal family). The King with his men headed for the Missaka hill, about eight kilometres to the east of Anuradhapura.

There in the scrub jungle, the King saw a deer feeding in a thicket. He was about to shoot an arrow, when the thought struck him that it was not right to kill an animal who is unaware; so he twanged the string of his bow to give the animal a fair chance. At once, the deer ran towards the hill and disappeared. Then, out of the blues, some one called out, "Tissa come hither".

The King stood still in shock. Who was calling out to him by name? No one in his kingdom would dare call him by his name. He looked around and up. There on the hill stood a man clad in a yellow robe. The King, rooted to the ground, gazed at him for quite a while.

"Who are you?" asked the bewildered King. And the stranger who called out to the King said, "We are Samanas, disciples of the King of Truth (Buddha). We have come here from Jambudeepa out of compassion for you".

Hearing the stranger speak in a language he could understand, the King lost some of his fear and suspicion. Putting down the bow and arrow, he walked up to the stranger. Then out of nowhere, five others appeared and stood behind the stranger. The last was not in a yellow robe. "Who are these?" asked the King.

"They came with me", replied the stranger, and introduced himself as the emissary sent by King Asoka, bearing King Devanampiya Tissa a gift - the gift of the Buddha Dhamma.

King Asoka was no stranger to King Devanampiya Tissa. They had never met, but they had been in communication with each other and exchanged gifts. His doubts and fears dispelled, the King had a long conversation with the Thera. The Thera had come to Lanka with a set purpose - to convince the King of the truth of the Buddha's teachings and make him accept the Dhamma.

But before he preached the Dhamma, the Thera, Mahinda had to make sure that the King had the intelligence to grasp what he would be preaching. So the Thera asked him some questions, which seem very simple and would make you young readers wonder why he asked such 'silly' questions. These questions were really to test the intelligence of the King. This is said to be the first recorded IQ test.

The King's answers convinced Mahinda Thera that he had the mental capacity to understand the Dhamma. So he preached the Chulahatthipadopama Sutta, explaining the soundness of the Buddha's teachings. At the end of the sermon, the King declared that henceforth, the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha will be his refuge. And the King's men followed him.

The two talked of many things until late afternoon and the King invited the Thera and his party to spend the night at the palace. The Thera said they would spend the night on the hill. "Then, do come to the palace for your meal tomorrow".

This invitation, the Thera accepted and the King then took his leave. But before he left, he called aside the young man who was not in yellow robes and asked him whether they were really human beings and not devas. The King still had some lingering doubts.

This meeting on the Missaka mountain on that fullmoon day of Jettha-now Poson, and the King declaring "I take refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha", was the formal acceptance of Buddhism as the religion of the island of Lanka. Thenceforth, it was the religion of the nation.

Sumana Saparamadu

*****

The IQ test

"What is the name of this tree, O King?"

"This tree is called a mango tree".

"Is there yet another mango tree besides this?"

"There are many mango trees".

"And are there yet other trees besides this mango and other mango trees?"

"There are many trees, Sir; but they are not mango trees".

"And are there, besides the other mango trees and those trees which are not mango trees, yet other trees?"

"There is this mango tree, Sir".

"Thou hast a shrewd wit, O ruler of men. Hast thou kinsfolk, O King?"

"There are many, Sir"

"And are there also some who are not thy kinsfolk?"

"There are more of those than of my kin".

"Is there anyone besides the kinsfolk and the others?"

"There is myself, Sir".

"Good, thou hast a shrewd wit, O ruler of men".

(Mahavamsa XIV, line 16)