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History of Buddhism in Ceylon: The Anuraghapura Period (3rd Century BC - 10th Century AC) PDF

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Preview History of Buddhism in Ceylon: The Anuraghapura Period (3rd Century BC - 10th Century AC)

HISTORY OF BUDDHISM IN CEYLON HISTORY O'F BUDDHISM IN CEYLON THE ANURADHAPURA PERIOD 3rd Century Be -10th Century AC REV. WA IJPOLA RAHULA COLOMB() M. D. GUNASENA & CO. LTD. M. D. GUNASENA & Co., LTD. 217, Olcott l\Iawatha, Colomho. Branche,;; K,lndy, Galle, Negornb " AI1'lrad',.lpura. MatMa, Jaffna & Kurunegala. First /';dilion Aft!} 1956 S,efITlI! Erlili"n fWi/] © Walpola Riihula 1956 This book is copyright. No portion or extract of it may be reproduced in any lllannrr without the written consen t of t he Au thor. Printed and Published by M. D. G,masena & Co., Ltd. Colornb~-O-Rl09-116' 'to MY PAHENTS .................M atiipitaro Pu.bUii.rariyii"ti 1)1U'rare." (A nyuUara ) amI TO M. PAUL HEMIE VILLE Member of the In. • tilutc of France, Prof'.8sOT at the College of Prane_, Diru:tor of lJuddki.t mudi• .• at tke Sclwol of /ligl,p.T .'·Iudi. < (.sorbonneJ. CONTENTS PAOli PRlIl'PACli XI AJlBR1I:VlA.1'IONS XV I NTBODUCTJON XIX CHAPTER 1. TIm INlllAN BACKGROUNll 1 II. PRF.-BUlll)1U!<T CEYLON I: SOCIAL CONDITIONS 14 Ill. l'R~:-BrDI1UIST C};YLOlil II: REUGHlUS CONDITIONS 34 1Y, THE ESTABI,I:mMENT OF BUIIDJIlSM 48 V. BUDDHISM. AS S'rATE RELIGION 62 VI. YEARS OJ!' DE\·EJ.oP~ENT-I 78 VII. l'EARS UF DEVELOPKEN'l'-II 92 VIII. THE l\IuNASTEIW I: ITS STRUCTURII: 112 IX. THE MON MI'l'ERY II: 1'1'8 ADJlINJRTltATION 135 X. THE MONASTIC LUI: 1: ITS J.)'EV'ELOnIENTS 153 XI. THE ]\10NASTIC Lll'1': II: h's Am'IvITIES ... 173 Xll. THE MONUTIC LUE Ill: ITs ASCETIC IDEAL 199 XIrl. AR.4HANTS IN CEYLON 217 Xl\'. 'l'HI;: LA Y LI]I'I~ J: :';01"1.\ L 230 X\'. Tut: LAY LlYN II: R1<:l.WlOl'S 251 XVI. CERE~ONI.ES AND FES1'IYAL:> 266 XVII. }:»tTCATION 287 ,\pnalDlx I, WJlAT WAS Tin: MAHAVlHARA? 303 11. CURONOLOGY 305 III. I,IST 0)' KINGS 308 BIBLIOGRAPHY 312 IlID1:lt 317 MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Map of Ancient Anuradhapura }'ronti8piUI$ Map of Ancient Ceylon .At end of book l<'acillg page J. Buddhaghosa submit:! the Yi.uddhimagga xxiv lIe The a.pproa.ch to the ])u!uda -'liligiiva, Kandy xxv III. Buddha Statue, Outer Circular Road. Anuriid~apura IV. (I) Some of tho cave" at l\1ihinta]i:' 62 (2) Refectory, l\1ihiDtalt' 62 V. Cetiyagiri. (Sauchi) 63 VI. The Saered Bo-Tree (imprl'HSiun in 1866) 66 VII. The Sacred Bo-Tl'ce lih it is t.oday 67 VIII. VesBllgiriyn caves 68 IX. Tbe thiipa of Thiipiiramu 69 X. Maricnvlttli thiiPIl 80 Xl. The Mahiithiip. . 81 XII. ,AhbaYllgiri thiipa 82 XIII. Lohapasada, stone pillar, 83 XIV. Jctavana thiipa (17th ('Cllt. drawilJg) 94- XV. .TetavaDa thiipa as it, if toduy 95 XVI. Ambatthala thiipll (17th cent. drawing) 98 XVII. Amhatthala th"p'" as it is today 99 XVIII. The Bo-callcd TlliiIJiiriima VihiiJ'l\. !'O!OIIll&rUV& Il4 XIX. Ancient Vihiira (in ruin). Anuriidhapura 115 XX. Cittalapabbata vi. . ws 130 XXI. Rice canoe 131 XXII. Pilgrims at Kij.JaJ;li 190 XXIU. Tiuamahirirna thiipo. 191 l'RE,FACE, The eminent pmutJOlL Sri b~"lkii occupim; Il.llLOJlg t,he Blld dhillt, COWltri(l~\ in the worl,1 cnluJ.JI('e:-; tlw need of a comprehensive hist.ory of Buddhism in Ceyloll. Rut the whole period from the beginning to tho Ilrellcllt ,lay is t.oo wide a fieM for one volume. E"en the early poriod of Buddhi:-;m ill Ceylon has Hot. yot lmoll crit,jeallyexamillod or sufficieJlt.ly studied. Dr. E. W. Adikaram':-; work OIl the "Stute of BuJdhiM'II. £11 Ceylon a,s Re'l'crtled by t},e Piili CutlttnnUarie.s oft},c [ltlt C,:nt1UY A.ll." is pel'haps the only BchollloTly iJ.ttempt. so far in this fidd. Rut his is the attitude, as re\'caled ill his book, of a devot.ee lament.ing over tho "dt·gollcration" alld "corruption" of the F:i.it,h. The attitude amI Itpproach t.o thH subject here ar.) i'lomewhat diifert'Jlt. . Dr. Adikaralll's hook eOI'erl' the p(!riod up t·o the 5t.h cl:'lltury A.C. onl~', and he elt'pend:-; for his information on the Pa.li COlll Inllllt.lI.rieR. The prt~:-;e.llt work coyers a wilior 1'I:'riod and draws lluJ.oerial from iJ.lmoRt, ..I I ayallable sources. The Introduction reviews ill brit·f the sonre"s mIlo' Ie use of ill this work. tiince most of tlwm have oft;en bet'll examined ill detail by earli~r scholars, Than· t.oucllcd (Illly <111 u ft'w poillt.s reillvant to the presollt. purpO>lc. But two lOIlW'T arLicllls on t.he Salwssavatthu amI tho Rf£s(J,,(illin-i were Jl(\CeS8ary because these two works havc not been seriously studied alld examined by earlier scholars-particularly t,he yet ullpublished 8ahaN.~(J1JattJtu. * Thc first three chapters d(\,Pict the background t.o the Rtory : Asoka's India witmlce Buddhism eame ami prc-Bl1ddhi~t Ceylon into which it was introdueed. The next elllJ.pt.cr rt>latt'B how * Since published (in Sinhalese characters), cd. A. 1'. Buddhadatta (1959). Xl xii HISTORY OF BUDDHISM IN CEYLON Buddhism was established in Ceylon, a!lll Chapter v discusses how it immediately became the state religion of Lmika. Chap ters VI and VlI take the reader quickly through the ups and downs of Buddhism in Ceylon during the period under review. In chapters VIII and IX the monastery, the seat of Buddhist culture, is disctlssed in its Yariolls aspects: itll strllctural features as well all itR j,cmporalitics al1d administration. 1'ho monastic life, round which the lll~torr of Buddhism ~~Id Buddhist culture de\yelol,ed, is dh'ided i!lto three aspects: Chapter x examines its developmel1t under variolls social alld economic influOllces t.hrough the centuri('!;; ChuptElr Xl rcyiew8 its routillO activities, while Ch<Ll't,er xu discusses how i LR lat(~ ahcetic idea) came into lJeing. All att{ntlpt is made iJl Ohal,ter XIII to discon~r the role of saint.ly monks, generally reft'rreel to as arahantfl, jll ancient Ceylon. Char,ter XIY depict,:; t.lw life of t,he hlityin it:; economic and social sl't1>ing as lL 1,ackgrOUl!U t.o t,heir religious life which is discussed ill ehaptt~r XY. Hites, cert~monjNI and festivals which form an illlpo:r1.aJlt part, of tn(l poplllllr religion occupy Chapt.er xV!. Yt.~rr litt.h~ is kllOWJl amI hlmUy lOlly thing has been wriMell O;l etlucatioll in aucieut, (\·,yloll. An attempt is made ill the last cllapt,t'r t.o discn~s th(~ syst.em of ellncation in old Ceylon, hoth religious and !locular. A short article il:l illserted as an Appendix to clarify the term l\lahavihiira, whirh }lIays such an illlporj'l~Jlt. part. in t,he histury (If Buddhism in Ceylo:1. I hare dilicassetl l\'lahi:i,riini:-J1U in Ceylon only as n /'Iide issue whenever it; came in my wa~' : but I have deliberat.dr omitted to incltldc a /'Il'parate ehapttlr 011 t!1(~t Sll hjt'et, heelluse t;here is already an exccllEmt article 011 M(llalyaui.~1'II, in Ceylon writt.en l.y Dr. S. Paranavitu.!l.8. in the C.J.Se., fo\ectioll G, Vol. II. No l:Iep:~rate chapter::; are dm'oted here to literature and art. ~fuch liaR already been writt,ell 011 these I<ulJjects ; for example, Dr. l\falalasekera.·s l'iili Lit('miuTe of Ceylon. Bllt certmn things that shoilltl be said about literary de,-elopmellts in the period are mentioned in hrief ill the discussion of lIomceR, and lliso in the chapters on Monastic Life and Education. Similarly art is not treat.ed S6Imrat,ely, but. referenc('s 1.0 it will befoWld in relevant places. PREFACE Xlii I have often gi \-en the J'"f.~r('llCcs allll eXlulll,lt,s as briefly as possible for fl~ar of making this monograph too long. But ,,1· certain points I 1111\'0 related a fllw storieR at HonlC length with ttl) specific purpoRe of creating in the reader's lUi.lld the atmosphere necessary for Ullde1'Htallding alld appreciating the life of a l,eopl<! who lived ill a {iiff'erent civilization many cellturi!'A ago. Often I llllYC Hsed ill this work Sinhalese words like Vfwak (Pali V.~sakha), vas (P. vassn), poya (P. upo.mtha), ata-sil (1'. at{hailg(( sila), Bo (P. Bodl!i-) tree, pirit (P. pariUa). dtlgiiba (P. cetiya), for they have ]lOW rOllle to stay afl intematiollally known Rpecific Buddhist terms. H. Kern llimsclf used the word dagob for c,etiya alld stupa (Man'u.al of Indian Buddltism., Pl'. 91-92). J. I,egge, who translated Fa Hien's 'friwelfl, use~ the simple Sil1halcflo wonl Mugalan instead of the high-SOlUldillg Maha-Maudgalyiiyana awl says : "Mugalrul, the Sinhalese J!anle of this discil'ln, is lUOr(~ pronounceahle" (1" 44, ll. ,J), So are most of the Sinhalefle Buddhist terms "more proI10lII!c(ll1bl.)" than l'iili or Sallskrit terms. Except for fi \'e 01' six rTf::; editiollH, all t.he Piili texts usetl in this work are SillitaitlRo editioJl". It is diffi~llJt. It(kquat<'.ly to ('xpret;s my seuse ()f gratitude to my teacher Dr. ri. 1'. MalallOlinkera, Prof(!dsor of Piili in the University of C"yloll,* for all tlw help JJ(l has gh·(lJl 11l(~. NJ l)oint in this monograph ha, ORr:al)4"l his c:1reful attlmtion. It ha~ been both a pleasant and profitahle ditlcipline to work with all iir:iirya of Dr. Malalnsekera't> ae;tclm€ ic experiell(;o and litorary maturity. lowe a dell!; of gra.titude to t,llreo of my vOllcrabJe frimulil: to the late 'fri pitakacarya Hiigil'alUlala Pannilloka. Thora, Vice Prin(}ipal of the Vid.valalikii.ra PiriYena, for IJeJpillg me with valuable diwm\siollS on seveml Vinaya prol,lnllls; to Y;~kkl1.(~lly(i Siri Panniiriima Tlwra, Vice-Principal a~1I1 l>irector of tb,) Vidyiilankiira. Pirivilna, *for putting at my disposa.l ali bis wid.] kllowbdge of Pali languago nnd iiteratllrc-partieularly the Conmlentarial literature; to Tripit,tkiicarya Kota.hClJc Pa.fiiiiikitt,j Thera., a Vice-Principal of th,~ sumo Piriyem~,'" for giving nj(~ tlw opportunity to discuss ". . ith him SOIlHl problems of diverse na.tur(l. • Please see foot-note on next page.

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