Edwin Arnold’s Light of Asia, published in 1879 was the first text, verse or otherwise, to bring to the Western world an account of die Buddha and Buddhism.Arnold’s interactions with Weligama Sri Suniangala Thera were to be the beginning of a momentous change for die Buddhist world. The idea to restore die sacred shrines of Buddha Gaya and Sarnath to die Buddhist guardians was first mooted at Rankoth Viiara in Panaduja in 1886 in discussions between die two, a task taken up by others, mainly Anagarika Dharmapala under die guidance of Sumangala Thera,
It is useful to recall the background in which Arnold wrote his Light of Asia and the deep connection with late 1 9th century Sri Lankan Buddhist revival. By 1861, Ven. Wakaduwe Subhuti’s temple Abhinavaramaya had established, what was in effect, the first International Buddhist Centre in the world with foreign scholars consulting and studying under himi. Later, Piyaratana Tissa Thera’s Sailabinibaramaya in Dodanduwa and Polwatte Buddhadatta Thera’s Aggaramara in Anibalangocla also became such centers. To formalise the new interest in Buddhist learning, Hikkaduwe Sri
Sumangala Nayaka Thera established die Vidyodava Pirivena in 1873, and Ven. Ratnialane Sri Dhammaloka Maha Thera established Vidyalankara Pirivena in 1875. Thailand’s first Buddhist Monks’ Universities were soon modeled after these two Pirivenas.
These scholar monks became die first teachers of Western scholars like Childers, Geiger.Rhys Davids who studied PaL Sinhala and Buddhism. Others such as Fausboell, Oldenberg,Rnst, Muller, Minayeff, Lanman, Sir Edwin Arnold and Paul Carus — all corresponded with these scholar monks who provided the source material for their research and publication of books on Buddhism.
Buddhist Studies Departments in many universities around the world today owe a deep debt ofgratitude to these scholar monks of the 9 and early 20th centuries,
ARNOLD’S VISIT TO SRI LANKA .
Sir Edwin Arnold had been corresponding with Weligama Sumangala Thera for a long time, their common interest was Sanskrit literature. The main purpose of his visit to Sri Lanka was to meet with Weligama Sumangala Theta. As Arnold landed in Sri Lanka in February 1886, he checked in at the Galle Face Hotel and went by train straight to Panadura Rankoth Vihara to meet with the Venerable. At Rankoth Vihara, around a thousand monks, men, women and children had gathered to welcome Arnold.
Arnold at the Panadura meeting mooted the idea of restoring to the Buddhists, Buddha Gaya and placing it in the hands of a representative committee of Buddhist nations. The monks and the laity now requested Arnold to take up the issue with the appropriate governmental authorities. He immediately took up the matter with the Governor of Ceylon, and later with the Governor of Madras, the Secretary of State for India, and the Viceroy himself Arnold later wrote, “I think there never was an idea which took root and spread so far and fast as that thrown out thus in the sturny temple-court at Panadura, amid the waving taliputs... Like those tropical plants which can almost be seen to grow; the suggestion quickly became an universal aspiration, first in Ceylon and next in other Buddhist countries”.
The second reception Arnold was accorded was at Vidvodaya Pirivena wider the chairmanship of Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Theta. Around 3,000 monks and laity took part in it. Among those present was Col. H. S. Olcott, who by then was fully involved in the Buddhist renaissance movement. The monks honoured Arnold with speeches made in Pali and Sinhala. Sir Edwin replied in Sanskrit.
Arnold’s last stop was Kandy. The Mahanayaka Theras, the Diyawadana Nilanme of the Dalada Maligawa and leading Buddhists in the area, received him with great honour. Arnold presented them with a Bodhi-leaf he had brought from Buddha Gaya. In return, the monks gifted Arnold with a begging bowl and a yellow robe.
Arnold later wrote about the event, “There I found them [Bodhi leaves] prized by the Sinhalese Buddhists with eager and passionate emotion. The leaf presented by me to the temple at Kandy, for example, was placed in a casket of precious metal and made the center of a weekly service”.
ARNOLD READY TO SACRIFICE LIFE FOR BUDDHA GAYA
Anagarika Dharmapala inspired by Arnold went over to India in 1891 and pursued the cause of the restoration of Buddha Gaya. Dharmapala founded the Maha BodLti Socien’ expressly to wrest Buddha Gava from Hindu control and to restore it to the Buddhists. Darmapala also founded the Mahabodhi journal to unite Buddhists around the world in order to solicit support for the cause.
Dharmapala later wrote, “It was he [Arnold] who gave me the impulse to visit the shrine, and since 1891, I have done all I could do to make the Buddhists of all countries interested in the scheme of restoration”,
Arnold became the major campaigner for the restoration. He made representations to Sir Arthur Gordon, the Governor of Sri Lanka, Lord Dufferin in Calcutta and Lord Connemura in Madras. Hc appealed through his numerous writings including in the British Daily Telegraph whose editor was Arnold. He wrote to politicians in Britain and addressed gatherings of monks in Tokyo. He pleaded with the Indian Secretary of State. And Arnold accompanied Dharmapala to meet in London die Secretary of State for India on Dharmapala’s way to die Chicago Parliament of World Religions in 1893.
In a letter dated September 1892, Dharmapala wrote to Veigama Thera from India about die Buddha Gaya issue, “I do not know why die Buddhists of Sri Lanka do not put in a greater effort even though Sir Arnold is exerting himself immensely ... Sir Edwin Arnold has stated in Japan that he was prepared to sacrifice his life for this purpose” In the decades that followed, Arnold’s and Wehgama Sumangala’s common vision, carried through Dharmapala’s untiring efforts bore fruit. Buddha Gaya again becoming a meeting place for Buddhists and was restored to Buddhist control in 1947 — a site, one should remember, with strong direct ties to the Sinhalese since the 4th century CE.
