sri-lanka-13-full-pdf-ebook.pdf

Moors
The island’s Muslims – called Sri Lankan Moors – are descendants of
Arab or Indian traders who arrived around 1000 years ago. To escape
Portuguese persecution, many moved into the Hill Country and the east
coast, and you’ll still see predominantly Muslim towns like Hakgala near
Nuwara Eliya. Most Moors speak Tamil.

Burghers
The Burghers are descendants of the Portuguese, Dutch and British.
Even after independence, Burghers had a disproportionate influence
over political and business life, but when growing Sinhalese nationalism
reduced their role, many Burghers emigrated. Look out for surnames
such as Fernando, de Silva and Perera.

Religion

Religion has been the cause of much division in Sri Lanka, but the
often-overlooked reality is that Sri Lanka’s many religions mix openly.
Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians visit many of the same pil-
grimage sites, a Catholic may pay respect to a Hindu god, and Sri Lankan
Buddhism has Hindu influences and vice versa.

Buddhism
Buddhism is the belief system of the Sinhalese and plays a significant role
in the country, spiritually, culturally and politically. Sri Lanka’s literature,
art and architecture are all strongly influenced by it. Strictly speaking,
Buddhism is not a religion but a practice and a moral code espoused by
the Buddha. Although ‘Buddhist’ now is a deeply entrenched cultural
and ethnic identifier, the Buddha taught meditation to people of various
religions, and emphasised that no conversion was necessary (or even rec-
ommended) to benefit from his teachings, also known as the Dhamma.
Born Prince Siddhartha Gautama in modern-day Nepal around 563
BC, the Buddha abandoned his throne to seek a way out of suffering.
After years of rigorous training, the Buddha discovered the Four Noble
Truths: existence itself is suffering; suffering is caused by craving for sen-
sual and material pleasures as well as existence itself; the way out of
suffering is through eliminating craving; and craving can be eliminated
by following a path of morality and the cultivation of wisdom through
meditation. After many states of spiritual development – and, probably,
many lifetimes – nirvana (enlightenment, or nibbana in Pali) is achieved,
bringing freedom from the cycle of birth and death.

Historical Buddhism
King Devanampiya Tissa’s acceptance of the Buddha’s teaching in the
3rd century BC firmly implanted Buddhism in Sri Lanka, and a strong
relationship developed between Sri Lanka’s kings and the Buddhist
clergy.
Worldwide there are two major schools of Buddhism: Theravada and
Mahayana. Theravada (‘way of the elders’) scriptures are in Pali, one of
the languages spoken in North India in the Buddha’s time, while Maha-
yana (‘greater vehicle’) scriptures are in Sanskrit. Theravada is regarded
as more orthodox, and Mahayana more inclusive of later traditions.
Mahayana Buddhism is practised in Sri Lanka, but the Theravada
tradition is more widely adopted. Several factors have consolidated
Buddhism, especially the Theravada stream, in Sri Lanka. Sinhalese
Buddhists attach vital meaning to the words of the Mahavamsa (Great
Chronicle; one of their sacred texts), in which the Buddha designates
them protectors of the Buddhist teachings. This commitment was fuelled

Multifaith

Pilgrimages

Adam’s Peak

Kataragama

Nainativu

In Buddhism:

Beliefs and Prac-

tices in Sri Lanka,

Lynn de Silva

combines lucid

writing, fascinat-

ing information

and a scholarly

(but accessible)

approach to

shed light on the

island’s Buddhist

tradition.

BUDDHIST BELIEFS

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