Prof with an eye for temple art that captures the essence of Vesak
As Vesak, the birth, enlightenment and parinibbana of Buddha, the gentle philosopher who spread the message of maithriya draws close, many are the paintings down the ages which have captured this thrice-blessed day. A medical professor, who in her free time, with camera slung on her shoulder treads the unbeaten path to remote areas to [...]
A time to practise metta for oneself and the whole world
It is with a tinge of melancholy that we await Vesak this year. But on the plus side, the COVID-19 crisis that has clouded our world will make it easier to focus on the flame within- the mind-which is the quintessential first step to finding happiness the Buddhist way. One of the most useful things [...]
Letters to the Editor
All we can do in this time of uncertainty is to support each other and get through this together The Coronavirus has brought the world to a standstill! This microscopic invader has curtailed every strand of our lives. Nothing could have prepared us for this ‘invasion’. We do not know what is going to happen next. [...]
APPRECIATIONS
Across the globe there will be fond memories of his kind and genuine acts of love Fr. James Ratnanayagam Father James, as he was fondly known, responded to his “home call” on Monday, April 20, soon after the Second Sunday after Easter. He must have spent the last weeks of his life with the events [...]
Celebrating Vesak: Marking the dawn of a new era
Vesak the thrice-blessed day commemorating the Birth, Enlightenment, and Passing Away of Prince Siddhartha (later Gotama Buddha), will be celebrated in the first week of May this year. Vesak Poya falls on Thursday, May 7.Temple bells will ring in the morning indicating the dawn of Vesak Poya. Most Buddhists, clad in white, will hope to [...]
The deadly epidemic of 1587 which changed the history of Sri Lanka
By 1587, King Rajasinghe of Seethavaka was the master of almost all of Sri Lanka, except Jaffanapattanum and Colombo fort. The Portuguese who had arrived in the island in 1505, after a series of humiliating military defeats at his hands,lost the kingdom of Kotte to him in 1565. Withdrawing from Kotte with their puppet King [...]