Sacred Relics: from Britain to then Ceylon
Rummaging through his late great aunt’s attic in Waxway Cottage deep in Devon, Nick Gilbey was arrested by a paper cutting and a letter from 1940- two documents that pulled him away from the English countryside setting, reminding him of the strong connection his family had had with the East, in particular with India, at [...]
Let us unite in the spirit of the Dhamma this Vesak
The commemoration of the Thrice-Blessed Day of Vesak marking the birth of Prince Siddhartha, His attainment of Buddhahood and the Passing Away of Buddha by the Buddhists in Sri Lanka took a different turn this year. Even observing ‘sil’ and performing other religious activities at the temples normally done with great enthusiasm were on a [...]
Letters to the Editor
His low profile belied his stellar achievements Izeth Hussain The passing of N.M.M. Izeth Hussain removes one of few illustrious civil servants who embodied great intellectual grasp, exacting personal integrity and consequential professionalism in our nation’s public service. A career diplomat by profession, he served his country with great distinction but retained a low profile [...]
Appreciations
The pioneer of Intensive Care in Sri Lanka DR. THISTLE JAYAWARDENE Dr. K.A.T.W.P. Jayawardene was born on November 9, 1928. Educated at S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, he graduated M.B.B.S from the University of Ceylon in 1956. He served his internship at the Kalutara Hospital and then was District Medical Assistant at Neboda Hospital. During [...]
The teachings of the Enlightened One as seen in the Agganna Sutta
The Buddha was the greatest Teacher who lived on Earth; the Buddha taught His followers on any subject that was posed to Him. That is why He was revered as “Sarvangna”. Buddhist India ‘Jambudhweepa’ was a caste-ridden society dominated by the so-called Brahminic caste. The others were the Kshatriya, in which Prince Siddhartha Gauthama was [...]
A message to parents in his common story rarely narrated
Roald Dahl once said he does not envy the lot of those authors who write full time for a living. The desperate clawing for inspiration, daily, seemed to him to trap you within your imagination. Dahl knew his happy success as a writer came from having taken up the pen after hanging up his working [...]
Vesak, Upasampada and Sri Pada
Vesak ‘Themagula’,the birth of Prince Siddhartha in Lumbini, Nepal, his Supreme Enlightenment in Bodhgaya in the state of Bihar and Maha Parinibbana in Kusinara in India is commemorated on Vesak Full Moon Poya.These are the three most important places of worship visited by Buddhists to pay homage to Gautama Buddha. On Vesak day, devotees in [...]
Gloom falls over pretty blooms
It is a familiar sight – white and pink lotus blossoms, neatly arranged on a platter or carried as a bunch in the hands of a Buddhist devotee who visits the temple. When offering flowers to the Buddha, Buddhists chant the stanza -Pujemi Buddham kusumenanena, Punnenametena ca hotu mokkham, Puppham milayati yatha idam me, Kayo [...]
Listening to a Jathaka tale on a moonlit Vesak night
Some years ago, on a beautiful Vesak Poya night, we were listening to bana by Ven. Narada on TV when suddenly without warning the power failed and we were enveloped in a mantle of velvety darkness. We groped for candles, box of matches and lit our standby generator, the old brass Aladdin kerosene oil lamp, [...]