Sunday Times 2
London Buddhist Vihara marks 90-year history with exhibition
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By Neville de Silva in London
A week-long exhibition depicting the 90-year history of the London Buddhist Vihara founded by the Anagarika Dharmapala was held at the Vihara last week. The Vihara has a unique history as the first Buddhist temple to be established outside Asia and the first temple that brought the Buddha Dhamma to the west.
Founded in 1926 by the Anagarika Dharmapala, the great Buddhist revivalist and writer who carried the Buddha’s message to the world, the exhibition attracted a wide cross-section of people of different religions and faiths particularly as the Vihara is considered the Centre of Excellence for Theravada Buddhism in the west and performs an important task in the UK including teaching the Dhamma to British-born children and youth of Sri Lankan lineage and to others in the community.
Despite some difficult times it faced in the early years, the London Vihara remains the pre-eminent Buddhist Vihara in the UK offering a highly-valued Dhamma Duta service to the British community in the United Kingdom.
The Most Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala Thera, the chief monk of the Vihara and the Chief Sangha Nayake of the United Kingdom, in his introductory address set out the outstanding work done by the Anagarika Dharmapala in carrying the Buddha Dhamma to parts of the world that remained unaware of the great and noble teachings. The London Vihara, which is managed by the Anagarika Dharmapala Trust in Sri Lanka, is one of the great achievements of the Anagarika. He said the pictures displayed at the week long exhibition were a testimony to that achievement.
The exhibition was officially opened by Lord Nick Bourne, Under-secretary for Communities and Local Government and was attended by several dignitaries including the Mayor of the Borough of Ealing, Dr. Patricia Walker and the President of the Buddhist Society Dr Desmond Biddulph.
