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New Delhi [India]Dec. 31 (ANI): A delegation of senior Sri Lankan Buddhist monks who made the pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya for a lecture on the holy city recalled the historical Buddhist ties between the two maritime neighbours.
Their five-day spiritual visit includes teachings and dharma talks.
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His Holiness Thero Muruddeniya Dhammarathana of Asgiri Chapter said: “We know that Arahat Mahinda, the son of Emperor Ashoka, introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka. From that day until now, Buddhism is the main religion in Sri Lanka.”
“Not only Buddhism, we got a lot from him, especially our religion, but also our education and other technologies. We got a lot from Buddhism, so we are very grateful for this situation, we have always respected India as The Buddhist motherland, is also our motherland. Big brother of Sri Lanka, because India has always helped us, even at the moment our economic difficulties continue,” he added.
Members of the Buddhist sangha representing Sri Lanka’s prominent monasteries attended a three-day puja by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya.
Sri Lankan Chief Bhikkhu Ramanna Maha Nikaya Most Venerable Makulewe Wimala Mahanayake Thero remembers Buddha’s visit to Sri Lanka and the spread of Buddhism during the reign of Ashoka.
“Buddhist philosophy was born in India, and Buddha lived in India. So, according to history, Buddha visited the only foreign land, and that was Sri Lanka. He visited Sri Lanka three times. During the time of Ashoka, he sent Buddhist missionaries such as his own Sons and daughters came to Sri Lanka and they established Buddhist rule and culture. Since then, we have had the same culture and tradition. Now we are a Buddhist country because of it,” he said.
Theravada Buddhism is the largest official religion in Sri Lanka, practiced by about 70% of the population.
Malwatte Chapter Siyam Maha Nikaya’s Deputy Chief Elder (Anunayake) Ven Niyangoda Vijithasiri Anunayake Thero said that India and Sri Lanka have almost the same culture, which brings the two countries closer.
“In our chronicles, we have the Mahavamsa chronicles. We preserve the original pure Buddhism, which means sasna, dhamma, rituals and everything. That’s our heritage. I think it comes from Indian ancestors, among other things, Our Sinhala language, Palli is also very close to Sanskrit. Actually, we respect both languages. Our teachers told us that our mother tongue is both Pali and Sanskrit,” he said.
arts. Muruddeniya Dhammarathana said the younger generation in Sri Lanka learned about historical significance through their textbooks.
“In our school textbooks, children are introduced to the place of Buddhism. Not only that, but we also have Sunday school, Dharma school, where we also teach the children the background of Buddhism, the place where Buddha was born, the sources at that time and situation, where is the holy place,” he said.
A large number of monks from Sri Lanka and other countries visit India to learn about Buddhism and its teachings.
Most Venerable Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Mahanayake Thero, Mahanayake Thero, Sri Sambuddha Sasanodaya Sangha Sabha said: “Now, at present, 18 Buddhist young monks from Sri Lanka are in India. They will stay here for a month and travel all over India”.
“Not only from Sri Lanka, a group of Buddhist monks from Thailand and a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks and a group of monks from Myanmar are now in India,” he said.
“India is the birthplace of Buddhism. So these young monks are traveling all over India and this will create many connections in the future,” he added.
This visit proved to be a turning point in Buddhist relations, not only with Sri Lanka and India, but also with other neighboring countries. (Arnie)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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