Most Venerable Bhante Walpola Piyananda's 80th Birthday Celebrating - Collected Essays

the importance of Pali when he was very young, and he worked hard to
persuade the Indian education minister in Kolkata to establish the first
Buddhist Studies Department at Kolkata University.
This new department educated such noteworthy scholars
as Nalinaksha Data, Sukunar Data, Anukul Chandra Banarjee – and
many others. From Kolkata University these teachers and others took
Pali studies to New Delhi, Varanasi, and London – and eventually to
colleges and universities around the world. Many scholars benefitted
from this vision of Dharmapala – including me, since I myself studied
Pali at Kolkata University.
Secondly, Anagarika Dharmapala was inspired to visit the
political leaders in Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim, and Sri Lanka, and plead with
them to have their children study English, science, and other subjects in
schools abroad – and then return to teach them in their native lands. He
told these leaders that they should not to allow missionaries to invade
their countries and seek to convert the young people to Christianity.
He knew very well that such indoctrination would eventually destroy
Buddhist spiritual values, and undermine the national culture as well.
Dharmapala learned this lesson from personally observing
what had happened in Sri Lanka, a Buddhist country for nearly two
thousand years, but one where the Sasana had gone into deep decline
under the weight of four hundred years of colonial overseers and their
Christian missionaries. It is a well-known fact that Buddhism was on
the verge of extinction in Sri Lanka had not the Anagarika Dharmapala
and his American mentor, Col. Henry S. Olcott, stepped in to save the
day in the latter years of the 19 th century.
Thirdly, the Anagarika Dharmapala urged the ruling powers
in the various Buddhist countries of Asia to re-establish the Bhikkhuni
Order; he writes of this extensively in his published diaries. He once
said, “Buddhism should utilize the services of Dasasil Mata and
Bhikkhunis to propagate the Dhamma, and to spread the Buddhist life
around the world.” His sage advice wasn’t followed until decades after
his death, but now Theravada Bhikkhunis are thriving in the United
States, Europe, and other countries of the Western world – as well
as in Sri Lanka. The contributions of bhikkhunis to the societies in
which they live cannot be underestimated. They provide instruction
in meditation and the Dhamma, and offer valuable social services for
their local communities that strengthen the bonds between Buddhist
lay people and the Sasana. I am very proud that I myself had a hand in
reinvigorating the custom of Bhikkhuni ordination in Sri Lanka and the
United States.
Another reason I cite the Anagarika Dharmapala’s vision
comes from a story told to me by one of my teachers, Ven. Ananda
Maitreya Maha Nayake Thero. In the 1930’s while the Ven. Ananda
was teaching at Nalanda College in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Dharmapala
came to his room for a visit. Ven. Ananda was a sitar player, but
he played in secret, knowing that music was frowned upon by the
conservative monks in the Order. Dharmapala saw the sitar case on the
floor and asked Ven. Ananda if he played the instrument. Ven. Ananda
replied sheepishly that yes, he did play it sometimes, but very poorly.
Dharmapala replied, “Then you must learn to play it well! Music can
be an extremely effective vehicle for propagating Buddhism. Songs
with Dharma themes can be composed and performed with devotion,
and can influence and elevate the hearts and minds of a multitude of
listeners – now and in the future.”
My final reason for accrediting the Anagarika Dharmapala with
extraordinary vision is his promotion of Buddhist healing techniques.
When he attended the World Parliament of Religion in Chicago in
1883 – along with Swami Vivekananda from India – two people fell
ill. Dharmapala requested that Vivekananda go and heal them with his
energetic gifts, and he did. Vivekananda also used channeled energy
to heal a member of the Rockefeller family, and Dharmapala used
the energy of Metta to heal his benefactor from Hawaii, Mary Foster.
Dharmapala knew that the Buddha himself used Metta to accomplish
healings, and he understood that the energy of Metta was the most
potent force in the Universe.
In summary, Buddhism wouldn’t be what it is today if it wasn’t
for the foresight and vision of the Anagarika Dharmapala. His ability
to see beyond the present moment shaped the future course of the
Sasana, and it still guides and shapes it today.
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