Revival of Buddha Pooja Liturgy

Srimega WIJERATNE

Twenty three years ago on 27 May 1986, Ven. Panadure Ariyadamma Thera who popularised Ata-Visi-Bodhi-Pooja in modern times passed away at the Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya. In a comparatively short period of 20 years, Ven. Ariyadamma Thera, with singular effort and dedication, brought about a virtual revolution in Buddhist worship by developing a unique Buddhist liturgy which has lasted up to date.

Ven. Panadure Ariyadamma Thera

At the time of his death, Ven. Ariyadhamma Thera was the Chief Incumbent of Sambodhi Vihara at Gregory's Road, then a modest temple devoted to the practice of Buddhism. Many Buddhist devotees, who were seeking an alternative method of Buddhist discourse, flocked to worship and listen to Ven. Ariyadhamma Thera. The most significant feature of Ariyadhamma phenomenon from the very early days was that large numbers of young persons flocked to listen to the new Buddhist liturgy recited in the unique mellifluous voice of the priest. The youth in thousands flocked to the gigantic gatherings of the public Bana preaching of Ven. Ariyadhamma Thera wherever place in the island they took place. Ven. Ariyadamma Thera was rendering a new phenomenon of Buddhist recital concentrating mainly on the themes of love and respect to parents and elders. According to contemporaneous Police reports wherever he conducted the mass bana preachings there was a remarkable drop in crime afterwards and in point of fact, some of the mass religious meetings received the full cooperation of the Police.

There were number of reasons for this novel religious awakening among the young. He himself was a young priest with a sublimely calm and serene face. His melodious voice was incomparable. He selected themes that brought solace to the uneasy minds of the youth in the 1970's and early 1980's. The Rev. did not hanker after wealth and power despite his pre-eminent position as the leading young Buddhist evangelist. He lived a simple Buddhist ascetic life giving away all the offerings of grateful layman he received to the fellow Sangha. Even though, he was the chief incumbent of Sri Sambodhi Vihara at Gregory's Road, he dwelled in many temples as he did not want to develop an attachment even to one temple as 'my temple'.

Ven. Ariyadhamma was born on June 21, 1940 in the village of Nalluruwa, Panadura with a lay name of Buddhadasa Fernando. As son of Buddhist parents, W. S. Fernando and Neli Fernando, Buddhadasa had his primary education at Nalluruwa Sri Sivali School and later at the Cyril Jansz College, Panadura and the famous Horana Vidyartha Pirivena. His avid keenness on Buddhist thought received a further fateful boost when he was selected as a clerk at the Anuradhapura Preservation Board. His spare time was spent under the shadow of Sri Maha Bodhi and Ruwanweli Seya in Anuradhapura. His total immersion in the Buddhist symbols of Anuradhapura and Mihintale impacted his deep Buddhist outlook. Right throughout his short life span, he never failed to visit Sri Mahabodhi in Anuradhapura and Kaludiya Pokuna in Mihintale for regular meditational retreats. Once he invited late Dr. V. T. Herat Gunaratne and family for a blessing under the Sri Mahabodhi and I had the opportunity to worship him and receive his blessings at the Udamaluwa.

I came to know Ven. Panadure Ariyadhamma Thera in 1979 as my wife's family was already devotees of his preachings. My son Shirantha was taught Buddhism by the Ven. Thera at the Bhavana Centre at Wijerama Mawatha and he became the beneficiary of twenty five cassettes containing his Buddha Poojas and public preachings, Ven. Ariyadhamma Thera was a perfectionist. He never went to a religious ceremony without thorough preparation. He wrote out the entire script of his preachings and thereafter he tape recorded the particular sermon in his melodious voice. He listened to the recording and corrected and improved his renderings to perfection. He preserved all his preachings on cassettes, a set of which was given to my son. He has gifted his recordings to few others some of which are now commercially produced. He could not have trod the Buddhist path so blessed at such a young age without the hard work he put in to produce the new liturgy in Buddhism.

In Anuradhapura, Buddhadasa Fernando decided to join the Buddhist order. But his mother Neli Fernando took few years to give her consent.

It was in December 1966 that she gave her consent for her son to be ordained. Buddhadasa Fernando was ordained on December 22, 1966 at Kalapaluwawa Thapovanaya by Ven. Kahatapitiya Sumangala Thera. His journey as a Buddhist Monk commenced.

Ven. Panadure Ariyadhamma in his short period of 20 years as a member of the Buddhist clergy was responsible for revolutioning the worship of the Buddha.

The Pooja is the expression of gratitude to the Buddha and the pipal tree that provided shelter for the attainment of Enlightenment. Sri Lankan Buddhists inherited the purported tradition when the right Branch of the original Bodhi tree was brought to Sri Lanka and planted as Sri Maha Bodhi at Anuradhapura. The Bo-tree is considered the oldest historical tree in the world.

Ven. Ariyadhamma composed the new liturgy of the worship of the Buddha Pooja. He referred to his Buddha pooja as the Ata Visi Buddha Pooja following ancient Buddhist tradition of worshipping the 28 Buddhas who have appeared in the past. His sonorous Buddha Pooja performed mostly in the evenings with the Gilanpasa composed of both Pali and Sinhala renderings and was often interposing prelude to a learned Dhamma recitals. The complete religious process took two to three hours and attracted thousands of devotees to central Buddhist places where the Pooja was performed.

Ven. Panadure Ariyadhamma avoided self publicity or advertisements about his sermons.

The Buddhists, specially the youth gathered in thousands only by hearing about the sermon by word of mouth. Tele-preaching was not widely available at that time and Ven. Ariyadhamma Thera resorted to radio preaching only on very rare occasions.

However, as a contemporary scholar described, "The Ariyadhamma conducted such series of Buddha Poojas successfully in Divulapitiya, in Kandana, Negombo, Chilaw, Nuwara Eliya, Matale and Galle. At Matale in 1977, the crowds fifty or sixty thousand, gathered at Galle in 1978, the month long series drew crowds which the police finally estimated at hundred thousand". The tradition and the style of Ven. Ariyadhamma Thera in conducting Buddha Pooja were inimitable and very few other preachers tried to imitate.

However, a disturbing trend of interpolating Bodhi Pooja (worship of Bo-tree) in place of the Ata Visi Buddha Pooja started to spread among the Buddhist worshippers, thus distorting the religious liturgy of Ven. Ariyadhamma Thera. He was not happy about the development as the Bodhi pooja was performed more to bring worldly merit and avoid ill luck that attaining the bliss of emancipation.

Ven. Panadure Ariyadhamma brought about a Buddhist revival in the 1970s and early 1980s. His unexpected early death at the age of 45 deprived the Buddhists of Sri Lanka of a great exponent of Dhamma.

Even though, Ven. Ariyadhamma Thera did not acquire material possessions, his memory should guide the present day Buddhists. His mortal relics were enshrined in a small Sthupa at the Sambodhi Vihara at Gregory's Road after his death.

But the Sthupa had been removed from the original place twice and now found discarded to an inaccessible corner of the out-house of the temple.

In my view is insulting to the memory of a great young Buddhist priest born to our generation.

Every Poya Day, I worship the broken Stupa, give merit to Ven. Ariyadhamma Thera in gratitude for what he did for Buddhist revival in this island and pray that he does not face an untimely death or ingratitude in Samsara again.