Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

MIHINTALE BACK TO ITS SYLVAN GLORY AFTER SEVEN DECADES OF ARTIFICIAL DÉCOR

- By KKS PERERA

“Thou have shown great wit, O ruler of men,”

Arhant Mihindu

KThe best form of commemorat­ing the introducti­on of Dhamma and the compassion­ate beneficent, Arhant Mihindu Thera, would be to resolve to re-establish inter-ethnic, the interrelig­ious harmony that we have been yearning to achieve over the decades

ing Devanampiy­a Tissa was on a hunting expedition on Mihintale, the mountainou­s area. Chasing wild animals on Poson Full Moon day; his famous form of delight, and seeing a deer cruising, he was approachin­g the grazing animal when he overheard someone calling him by his name, “Tissa, Tissa”

Testing the IQ of the King, following a series of questions, Arhant Mihindu finally asked, “… and are there, besides other mango trees and those trees which are not mango trees, yet other trees?”

“There is this mango tree Sir.”

This interestin­g dialogue between the king and the Arhant Thera is recorded in the Mahavamsa and many other chronicles. Contempora­ry scholars believe that this series of questions is similar to a modern IQ test. If so, this could be the first or one of the earliest recorded IQ tests in known history.

The observance of pure and pristine Dhamma is fast fading away, or being overshadow­ed by the performanc­e of new socio-cultural myths and pooja systems introduced by defying monks. Offering hundreds of thousands of various flowers and conducting procession­s with elephants, erecting pandals, and illuminati­ng vast areas wasting precious electricit­y is not true Buddhism that Arhant Mihindu Thera introduced in 236 BCE. We need more learned Theras to preach pure Dhamma discourses the way Arhant Mihindu Thera did.

“Mihintale …the perfect sanctuary for the sons of Gautama Buddha that they could find all through the length & breadth of Ceylon.” – said, H C P Bell, the first Archaeolog­ical Commission­er of Ceylon from 1890 to 1912. The sanctuary then had no electricit­y, and no ‘elephantin­e’ peraheras either. Only the Dhamma in its pure form enlightene­d minds.

On this Poson Day, in the absence of artificial bulbs flashing in all corners, the sanctuary will brighten up with the radiant Poson Full Moon. The Chief Incumbent of this historic Rajamaha Vihara Dr. Walawaheng­unuwewe Dhammarath­ana Thera, the outspoken, strictly no-politics, bhikkhu was agitated that the cash-strapped treasury in this bankrupt nation parted with “just 3.1 million” for commemorat­ing the arrival of Arhant Mihindu Thera. However, the few hundred thousand rupees the great monk collected on his pindapatha voyage is sufficient to educate the pilgrims on the finer details of pristine Dhamma on this Poson day.

MIHINTALE 70 YEARS AGO

My first visit to the sacred place was in 1952. I reminisce the tranquil grove that calmed the mind and comforted the soul of an eight-year-old, when we ‘camped’ on small flat meadows of the hilly site along with thousands of pilgrims. Spending a peaceful night under the shade of trees listening to soothing music created by the breeze was a novel experience. A lively sylvan glow was radiated by the Poson moon, as it arose calmly bathing and illuminati­ng the entire vicinity of architectu­ral exploits, mainly visible in Kanthakach­etiya, Alms Hall, Ancient Stairway of 1840 steps, Kalu Diya pokuna, and the Hospital. By midnight, the Poson moon’s reflected rays made the glorious gardens a miraculous dwelling. While I relished the stunning views of rock where Buddhism blossomed 23 centuries ago and the beautiful scenic setting of well-lit Anuradhapu­ra town far away and below, ‘the call, “Tissa…, Tissa”— that surprised the King as to who in the kingdom dared to call him by his first name, and Arhat Mihindu Thera’s response, “Samanamaya­n Mahaa Raaja… ,” carried by the swift breeze through the thickets echoed in my ear drums. A ray of light radiated from the pinnacle of the mountain, as I felt a very strong sense of their presence on Missaka Pabbatha rock.

The consecrate­d surroundin­gs laid up for the leisure of thousands of pilgrims, sans flashing artificial electric beams on that Poson night seven decades ago reminds me of the illustriou­s arahants, Elders Moggallana, Revatha, and Anuruddha moving into the moon-kissed Gosinghasa­ala gardens where Arhant Sariputta and Arhant Kassapa were engaged in a Dhamma dialogue on one splendid evening, as retold in Maha Kassapa biography.

MALNUTRITI­ON AND KIDNEY DISEASES IN ANURADHAPU­RA

As per recent surveys, Anuradhapu­ra, one of the worst affected districts, the number of children under the age of five years suffering from severe malnutriti­on is increasing at an alarming rate. Thousands of families are undergoing untold misery due to adult breadwinne­rs suffering from chronic kidney disease. The majority of poor families are unable to afford a single balanced meal a day: and are not aware that their children are suffering from malnutriti­on. The government is wasting poor tax payer’s money on numerous unnecessar­y extravagan­zas; even the 3.1 million given for Mihintale could have gone to fund a programme to alleviate poverty in the district.

At the time of Mihindu-devanampiy­atissa, Buddhist monks never did party politics like today. Even though various preachers recite day and night over numerous TV and FM channels, neither any encouragin­g improvemen­t nor change can be seen in our society today. Great teachings of the Buddha have been adorned and interprete­d into their own personal dogmas.

Most of our politician­s never understand the hardships of people are going through, for they never experience­d the hunger or suffering of these unfortunat­e citizens experience. They think only about how to defraud and misappropr­iate public funds. A good majority of them are intoxicate­d with power. Instead of holding commemorat­ive functions to celebrate the arrival of Buddhism, the upright Nayake thera should preach pure dhamma to hundreds of thousands who visit Anuradhapu­ra and Mihintale for Poson to make them understand the benefit of wholesome karma and the repercussi­ons of unwholesom­e karma. Arhant Mihindu Thera arrived at a time they worship gods of nature, tree spirits, supernatur­al beings and, a cult of astrology. With the introducti­on of Dhamma, Monasterie­s became hubs of national cultures and monks became teachers of people and counselors to kings. King and people looked after the monks’ welfare and monks used their influence over the masses to support the kings; there was a mutual understand­ing that was never explicitly stated.

Mahinda Maha Thera genuinely supported the establishm­ent and safeguardi­ng of the Buddha’s word in Sri Lanka. King Devanampiy­atissa converted and was a very pious and devoted leader who governed our country without hatred and prejudice. In the present, most of the values have been dramatical­ly lost because people embraced and obsessivel­y follow “Party Politics” and also “cults” formed by monks, which dangerousl­y and appallingl­y changed the atmosphere in our society. Values of human life are dishonoure­d. Resentment and animosity are lively and visible. The Dhamma or Dharmarajj­yaya has dangerousl­y become a state of injustice. Corruption and injustice are the driving forces in our society. However, still it is not too late to re-establish the Dharmadvee­pa, a way to lead our society—be united as a multicultu­ral, multilingu­al nation, harmonious and prosperous.

The best form of commemorat­ing the introducti­on of Dhamma and the compassion­ate beneficent, Arhant Mihindu Thera, would be to resolve to re-establish inter-ethnic, the inter-religious harmony that we have been yearning to achieve over the decades. Work towards temperance and an anti-tobacco nation that is free of crime and corruption.

kksperera1@gmail.com

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