As an avowed admirer of the profoundness of the science and philosophy, Gautama Buddha gifted to mankind, I was overjoyed to read that Theravada Tripitaka was to be recognised as a World Heritage. But my elation was short-lived as I realised, contrary to misleading media reports, it is yet to happen. A ceremony is due to take place on March 23 at the Maha Maluwa of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, to make the announcement that Sri Lanka is making this request to UNESCO.
Tripitakabhivandana week commenced on March 16. Going through the details, the cynic in me, made me wonder whether it is the beginning of the re-election campaign of President Sirisena, in spite of his solemn undertaking to the contrary, in January 2015. According to scriptures, the Buddha, in His sojourn through samsara, is supposed to have committed nearly every sin, but one that he never committed, is to lie. May be His Excellency is unaware of this fact!
President Sirisena declared Theravada Tripitaka a National Heritage in January at Aluviharaya Temple in Matale, which is very fitting, as the transcription of Buddha’s teachings to the written word was completed at the Fourth Council of the Sangha, Dhamma Sangayana, held there in the first century BCE. Many were under the impression that Tripitaka was already a part of our National Heritage but, if it was not so, we should be thankful to the President for correcting this long-overdue anomaly.
I prefer introspection rather than accepting, blindly, that we are the guardians of ‘pure’ Buddhism. Though it is true that Theravada is the least adulterated of all the Schools of Buddhism, I maintain that we should reform, getting rid of defilements, later introduced.
The need for adulteration
Brahmins never ceased to act in their own interest. Having introduced subtle changes to the Vedas, transforming Hinduism to Brahminism, they appointed themselves as the ‘go-betweens’ and created a caste system which destroys the social fabric to this day. Buddha rebelled against this injustice and this rebellion had to be contained. Rather than making Him a martyr by rejection, they very cunningly included Him: by making Him the ninth avatar of Vishnu! Well, they did not stop at that and attempted, in my opinion successfully, to adulterate Buddha’s pristine teachings, then flourishing in Lanka.
President Sirisena declared Theravada Tripitaka as a National Heritage in January at Aluviharaya Temple in Matale, which is very fitting, as the transcription of Buddha’s teachings
Buddhaghosa
Some consider Buddhaghoa, the 5th- century Indian Theravada Buddhist scholar, as the most important commentator of Theravada but many consider him an ‘agent’ of the Brahmins. Buddhaghosa is said to have been responsible for synthesising and translating a large number of commentaries written in Sinhala to the Pali Canon. These Sinhala commentaries were burnt after translation. There is belief that it was done by Buddhghosa himself, as acknowledged in the introduction to the English translation of Visuddhimagga, Buddhghosa’s best known work, by Venerable Nanamoli (who was born Osbert John Moore).
Interestingly, on completing the translations, Buddhaghosa returned to India, never to be heard of again; having successfully achieved his objective of adulterating Theravada.
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