Arts

Film on life of the Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama:

By Ranga Chandrarathne

[email protected]

Although several attempts were made to portray the life of Buddha over the years, they were overshadowed by biases such as film makers being closed to a tradition and depicting the Buddha from a perspective which is not sympathetic to the backdrop against which Prince Siddhartha grew up.

When this was discovered by eminent Sri Lankan and Indian personality, it was decided to make a film on the life of Buddha. The prime movers of the initiative are Architect Naveen Gunarathne and renowned film producer Chandran Rutnam. Award Winning Director Shayam Benegal directs the film.

The production of the film is a part of an ambitious project launched by Naveen Gunarathne to set up a centre for Buddhist studies and practice in Sri Lanka. The team of consultants to the production of the film includes Ven. Prof. Bellanwila Wimalaratana thera, Kalashuri Edwin Ariyadasa, Chandran Rutnam and Prof. Nimal de Silva. General Manager of National Film Corporation Saman Weeraman coordinates the project.

One of significant aspects of the film is that the life of the Buddha will be presented in an objective manner appealing to wider audience. The film will be partly filmed in locations in Thailand, a predominant Buddhist land.

The narration of the story would commence with luxurious life that prince Siddhartha enjoyed as a teenager spending time in three palaces built for three seasons; Summer, Winter and the rainy season.

The film also covers the story after the enlightenment. The story which is dramatic on account of Prince Siddhartha’s renunciation of luxurious life in search of truth, a significant event in the history of world. The film will present a comprehensive account of the life of Buddha.

The Light of Asia Foundation

The Light of Asia Foundation is a not for profit organization based in Sri Lanka dedicated to enhancing the understanding and the practice of the philosophy of Buddhism.

The Foundation was incorporated as a charitable trust with the main objective of creating a Global Village called the “Centre of Radiation”.

The set of the location which is going to be constructed for the shooting will be a permanent structure and it will be converted into a research centre.

An ecological paradise situated in the mountain range of Sri Lanka will be transformed to this living environment for the understanding and practice of Buddhism. The Centre will house several Academies for learning and research spread around a Meditation Park. Scholars and researchers will compile scripts on various aspects of the philosophy of Buddhism.

The wealth of knowledge acquired by these Academies, no doubt useful to enrich life and human values, will be translated into audio-visual presentations and transmitted to the world by way of Satellite Communication.

“Buddha Charitha” or “The life story of the Buddha” as documented in the ancient Sri Lankan chronicles, convey the story of a unique personality of Prince Siddhartha. Along the path of salvation he followed up to enlightenment.

The preaching of the four Noble Truths “Chaturarya Satya” will form the essence of the film “Siddhartha Gautama - The Buddha” The socio-cultural background prevailed in the time 2500 years ago with architecture, cities, culture and geography will place our minds to restore the period of Prince Siddhartha.

The literature and archaeological remains of the buildings, sculptures and paintings found in India and Sri Lanka will form the background for this artistic creation. This will be a supreme contribution to the film of the most supreme human being who preached the path of salvation to humanity.

100th episode of Paramitha

Turning the Jataka stories into tele-dramas Paramitha, tele-drama series based on Jataka Stories (tales of Buddha’s previous existences) telecast every Saturday at 7.30 p.m. on ITN celebrated its 100th episode which was telecast on April 5th (the Saturday) on ITN.

The important aspect of the tele-drama series is that it opens a door to the world of moral tales imbedded in Buddhist civilization for busy kids and teens, who have got used to a busy lifestyle circuiting around supermarkets- extra-classes-and watching television.

Since the prime channels are inundated with cheap foreign tele-dramas, Paramitha is a worthy attempt on the part of the ITN to offer a window of opportunity for Sri Lankan youth to taste the ago-old wisdom and the rich moral legacy of Buddhism in the popular mode of tele-dramas.

The tele-drama series is generously sponsored by People’s Bank, state banking giant. Paramitha is script-written by novelist Somaweera Senanayake. The series is directed by Thushitha de Silva and the music is by Rohana Weerasinghe.

So far a cast of over 250 actors and actresses representing three generation have been involved in the production. The cast include veteran artist such as Henry Jayasena and Iranganie Serasinghe.

The People’s Bank was prompted to involve in the project on account of year 2006 being declared as National Children’s Year. The first episode of the tele-drama telecast on May 13, 2006 coincided with the 2550th year of Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi. (IT)

Odyssey of the Armchair Voyager

Sir Arthur endowed with futuristic intuition
And fertile imagination launched his space odyssey
By his mind eye pervading boundless space
Like Da Vinci who foresaw tanks, helicopters and planes
He foresaw space rockets, space stations and astronauts on the moon.

His mind-eye positioned in the space he speculated
Satellites receiving TV images and beaming to entire globe.
Thus the dispersed world shrinking into a global village
Where people saw world events at the time of their happening.

But he was mindful of exalted ones dictum
Imponderable is the boundless and endless space
Like the Hermit Rohitassa sutta with supernormal powers who hurtled
Through galaxies for hundred years ending in death,
Sir Arthur saw the limits of mans life time
Between light years in space and mans life years in age.

In his armchair voyage full of vivified imagination
What he envisioned science commissioned with stunning success
He left the scene after ninety years of fruitful achievements
Where posterity will view with awe and adulation
An adopted son of Lanka and a humble member of the global village.

G. H. A. Suraweera