Musings:

Humans who do not rest

by Padma Edirisinghe

The captioned calibre is not some unique species who have descended to earth from some extraterrestrial sphere. They are here among us and as normal and normal as you and me. Of course at some stage in their lives, these special ones get obsessed with some passion that keep them going on and on. Mr. Gunewardena Banda, resident of distant Mawanella off Kegalle is one of them.

Abhayagiri and Jetavanarama - where the first was for centuries misunderstood as the second

Of course he raised himself above the average in his village and ended up a director of education, even acquiring not only a BA but a MA too. But there are thousands of our men and women who have acquired both these. And they stop there. After all, life is not there only for strenuous endeavours, it is there also for love, marriage and perhaps rollicking with one's offsprings. Strangely Gunewardena (GB) has not missed any of these too. But what I am trying to convey is that GB from some years has got sort of conditioned heavily into sorting out a mighty dilemma. Did anybody foist the dilemma on him? No. He created it himself or maybe the gods did it. There was no background persuasion at all to take on this challenge. But he felt that there was enough matter to go on.

Provocation

Excuse me for just taking you round and round without revealing the mental provocation of GB that perhaps at times irritates him like the spikes of the porcupine.

So here I go on. GB hails from Hathara Korale in Sabaragamuwa province, replete with nature's glorious fantasia such as brooding caves, boulders, rocks, ravines, fast flowing rivers, waterfalls and mighty mountains. Legends abound in thousands and men and women, some famous, some infamous have trekked this region for thousands of years weaving their own ribbons of life. Soon Buddhism became the dominant religion in the area. The multitude of caves around did not remain empty but housed many an erudite monk.

Offerings were made daily by families to the resident monks, "of course to all the clergy hailing from all the four quarters". There was no petty ownership that led to bickering but all alms and such like were donated irrespective of such divisions to the whole robed community. Selfless communal life was being encouraged by precept.

Thus, the whole area was perfumed with holy sanctity. The boy GB grew into a youth, as a Central school product yet roaming about when he had the time in all that holy and natural grandeur. As he wandered he remembered the different phases of his religion, mostly the episode of the Buddhist canon being brought to the island and getting committed to writing in Matale, as firmly believed.

Wandered

He insinuates that perhaps gods could be responsible for what took place but as he thus wandered he set his eyes on Alu Lena. Something just crazed him. Something very unusual. History, he confesses was taking turns and twists just before his very eyes. Please don't get me wrong or GB wrong, but he almost was seeing a vision, that is of 500 robed savants seated there and committing to writing the Tripitaka. It was a sprawling complex, much more larger than Matale's Aluvihara that he had visited where the query crept into him whether this narrow shrine despite its sanctity and renown could accommodate 500 monks. The Alu Lena now spreading before him afforded a much larger space.

Perhaps in his imagination he saw astral bodies such as goddesses flying carrying the writing equipment for this most significant event in the island's academic and literary sphere. At this fourth Buddhist council the participants would make Buddha's words almost indelible.

Once GB got fuelled with the idea there was no stopping him. He spent almost his whole income as a govt. officer, later a pensioned officer, researching. Actually it was not only visions that propelled this almost wild goose chase but much historical matter too. He had come across many a book that had referred to the area he was living as Mathula Janapada (Settlement of Mathula) where much mention had been made of the holy caves that spread wide and far. Profuse academic work had been going on in this area that had been home to many highly educated prelates as Mayurapada Parivenadhipathy. Many substances, he came across that would have been developed there for a wide writing assignment as groves of Thala leaves. Many folk tales he came across that conjoined Mathula with the noble assignment.

But alas, he says, Mathula and Aludeniya cave sank into oblivion giving way to the upcoming Mathale, a more urban place. Who effected the change? He blames the writers praising a few among them for being less tainted and prejudicial. He quotes very often Dr. Paranavithana's statement, to the effect that the emergence of Matale's Aluvihare as the venue of the 4th Buddhist council occurs late and that there is no earlier reference to it. Just count those in the procession, some very erudite academics who began to condone the idea, even the Xtian James De Alwis among them. You can't blame them since the idea was much entrenched by now.

Laughs

But there was no brake on the man. He put out a book on the subject only to draw laughs. There was the amusing incident when he took his MSS to a well known publisher in Colombo and told him that he has written a book.

"This is the topic, The Tripitaka was never compiled in Matale's Aluvihara". But he had yet to insert the section, "It was put into writing at Mathula in Sathara Korale of Southern Malaya Desha." The publisher had almost screamed as though GB had brought in a bit of foul smelling pork, so sacrilegious the title was. That is Sri Lanka, so averse to new thinking, even after admissions had been made recently on misnaming many a famous place shrouded in passing time.GB had almost run home to distant Mawanella after the publisher's roar that his bookshop would be burnt if he puts out a book with such a heretical topic.

Heretical

"This is not at all heretical," he had said, "I am not denying the Fourth Buddhist Council or its paramount importance or that our island was its venue. But I have found out that after years of research the venue's name changed to Matale from Mathula after many scholars had a hand in the transformation forgetting initial correct declarations as those of Dr. Paranavithana.

This is what can happen to place names over centuries, He quotes the Abhyagiri - Jetavanaramaya dilemma where the first was for centuries misunderstood as the second. The confusion between Digamadulla and Deegavapi was resolved by historian Ranvella. But the publisher despite these arguments was adamant in refusing the MSS for print.

Undaunted, this time he has put on a fatter version running to about 400 - 500 pages replete with maps and photos and much more matter to substantiate his theory. Whatever side wins, (very few taking on his version) these facets are left there to be admired.