Budu Dahama saha Buddhagama:

What Buddhism really means

Reviewed by Daya Dissanayake

Budu Dahama saha Buddhagama has come out at a time when there is much confusion about what the Buddha taught, and what is practised in the country, and also the recent conflicting interpretation of the Buddha Vacana, by some people taking a few words from the Tiripitaka out of context. Prof. Marasinghe has compiled the book based on his lifelong study of Buddhism and Buddhist scriptures.

"Sinhalese Buddhists did not speak of 'Buddhism', and had no term which could properly be translated until one was introduced with Christian concepts. The word they now use, Buddhagama, which does seem to translate as 'Buddhism', is compounded from the word Agama: this was introduced from Sanskrit by Christian missionaries to signify their notion of 'religion', for which they could find no term in the Sinhala language." Thus wrote Martin Southwold, in the introduction to his book, Buddhism in Life: The Anthropological Study of Religion and the Sinhalese Practice of Buddhism.

I use the above quotation as my introduction to my thoughts on Prof. Marasinghe's book on Buddha Dhamma and Buddhism, since I had to use a Western view on the term Buddhagama, because we owe this word to them or their influence. The word Buddhism could be traced back to early 19th century. Max Weber used the term Buddhism, because he understood, or tried to show, that Buddhism was a heterodox form of Hinduism. It is recorded that Buddhagama had been used by Ven. Mohottivatte Gunananda Thera at the Panadura debate on August 26, 1873, a term which was already in use by then.

Practical religion

Southwold uses the terms game Buddhagama (Village Buddhism) as the practical religion used in Sri Lankan villages, and 'Pure Buddhism' as that practised by the urban middle-class, here again looking only at 'Buddhism' and the 'Buddhists', failing to understand Buddha's words.

Colonel Olcott in The Buddhist Catechism, wrote in 1897, the term Buddhism is not the best name for teaching, that "it is only a Western term: the best name for it is Buddha Dharma".

Prof. Marasinghe in his book discusses what the Buddha taught and the religious faith which was built around His teaching.

This is a follow-up on his earlier book, 'Gods in Buddhism, Origin, Function and Relevance', extending his thoughts beyond the worship of Indian deities by the Buddhists. Budu Dahama saha Buddhagama is a book which should be read by everyone who considers himself a Buddhist by birth, by those who identify themselves as 'Sinhala Buddhists', and by those who consider Buddhism as a philosophy, and people of other faiths, to realise and understand that Buddhism has never been a threat to their faith or their religious beliefs.

History

Prof. Marasinghe traces the history of Buddha Dhamma in Sri Lanka, from the Pali Tripitaka, introduced to the country by Ven. Mahinda Thera during the time of King Devanapiyatissa. The Pali Pitaka, (Sutta, Vinaya and Abhidamma), passed down orally till the time of King Walagamba in the first century CE, when they were written down, is considered as the most accurate and complete record of the teachings of the Buddha.

It is said in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta that any doubts about the teaching should be checked by immersion in the Sutta, while doubts or issues regarding the Sangha should be checked in the Vinaya.

Ven. Buddhagosha's interpretation of the Satara Maha Apadesha (Four Great Authorities) had contributed to the confusion in the standardisation of the Buddha Vacana, which in turn had been further aggravated by the translation of Rhys Davids.

The book further explains that the Sutta is the container or the basket which contains the Buddha Vacana.

Ahimsa

He offers the idea that due to the pressure exerted on society by the teaching of Ahimsa, and against animal sacrifice, votive offerings of flowers and incense had become a practice even among those of the Vedic faith, probably during the Mauryan period. This was also the period when the Buddha Dhamma underwent many changes, from an atheistic to a semi-theistic religious form.

As Prof. Marasinghe stated in his earlier book 'Gods in Buddhism....', "From the Brahmani yanna (sacrifice) we find dana or daksina, substituted in Buddhism... the ritual of flower-offering seems to have been in its origin a substitute for human or animal sacrifice". Another instance is the recitation of Ratana Sutta or Atanatiya, to overcome fear of non-human beings or to chase them away, which is in total contradiction to the Buddha Vacana.

He says that according to the Pitaka, there are no invisible beings who can influence, affect, or help in anyway for man's material needs or to attain his final goals. The Buddha was not a Saviour, but only the being who showed us the path to cessation of suffering.

Sects

The Sangha split into various sects because they did not follow the guide, sutte otariya tabbati, and did not check the entire Sutta Pitaka when there were conflicting interpretations of certain words. One example cited by Prof. Marasinghe is the issue about transferring merit to the departed beings.

The book gives many examples of the later inclusions of pre-Buddha beliefs and practices in the Pitaka and later on in the Attakatha and other Buddhist literature.

It is only at the Third Council, during the time of Asoka, that the idea of transferring merit to others had been brought up by the two sects Rajagirika and Siddharthika, by their interpretation of the Pancaka Nipata in the Anguttara Nikaya. Even though it was not accepted at the Council, over the years in the Theravada practices in Sri Lanka this belief took a very strong hold of the faithful.

There are many arguments brought forth, which should be able to open the eyes of not only the lay devotees, but also the eyes of the Sangha, to read the Tripitaka again, and then try to understand the Buddha Vacana in its total, and not by just picking a few phrases or paragraphs out of context. This has been the cause of all divisions among the Sangha, and has also given an opportunity to politically, and financially motivate powers to re-interpret the Buddha Vacana to suit their immediate requirements.

Once we read Budu Dahama saha Buddhagama perhaps we should all re-read the Kalama Sutta, not just to believe what is said, but to understand what is said and try to understand it by ourselves.

Ehipassika! (Come and see)