Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera
Encyclopedia
Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera or Mohottiwatte Gunananda Thera (February 9, 1823, Balapitiya
– 21 September 1890, Colombo
) was a Sri Lanka
n Buddhist orator. He is known for leading the Buddhist side in debates that occurred between the Buddhists and the Christians in Baddegama, Udanwita, Waragoda, Liyanagemulla, Gampola
, and in the most famous of the debates in Panadura
. As a result of the debates Buddhism in Sri Lanka saw a revival. After reading a pamphlet on the debates published in United States, Henry Steel Olcott
arrived in Sri Lanka
in 1880.
to a rich buddhist Salagama
caste family. He was taught first by his parents and shown oratory skills since young age. He had a close contact with a Roman Catholic priest who resided nearby church, and the child gained the knowledge in the Bible
and Christian doctrine
. He had an intention of becoming a Christian priest but change his mind after came into contact with Buddhist monks of the nearby temples. He was ordained at age of twenties in Dodanduwa Gala Uda vihara by Venerable Thelikada
Sonutthara Thera, the chief incumbent of the temple. His eloquent first sermon he made in the night he ordained the people gathered in the temple exclaimed that the young thera will prosper the Buddhism in the country and pledged their support in his religious work. He gained proficiency in Buddhism and oriental languages while he was in the temple.
One day while he was reading a magazine Bauddha Sahodaraya (Sinhalese Buddhist Brotherhood) he learned that Buddhists in Colombo is subject to religious discrimination
by the Christians. Disturbed by the news Gunanada thera decided to moved to Colombo
, and reside in Deepaduttaaramaya in Kotahena, which happened to be the first Buddhist temple in Colombo
with a history of 300 years. From there the thera begin his speeches in defending Buddhism against arguments raised by the Christian missionaries
.
Baddegama debate was originated from an argument arises in between a young monk name Sumangala and a Christian priest in temple of Baddegama. Gunananda thera and many other monks such as Bulatgama Dhammalankara, Sri Sumanatissa, Kahawe Nanananda, Hikkaduwe Sumangala, Weligama Sri Sumangala
, Pothuwila Gunaratana participated in the debate. The debate was not held face-to-face. This is because of the manner of the behavior of the Christian debaters would lead to conflicts, the Buddhists as the majority would naturally be blamed. Considering the situation the two parties agreed to carry out the debate in the writings. First the writings are done in Baddegama, though later writings were carried out in Galle
. Waragoda debate also held in 1865.
Third debate was conducted in Udanwita in Hathara korele present day Kegalle District
. The Creator
, the redeemer
and the Eternal heaven
were the debating topics. The debate was carried out in 1 February 1866. John Edwards Hunupola (Hunupola nilame), was the debater who represented the Christian side, was a former Buddhist monk and a convertee to Christianity. As agreed before the debate Gunananda thera published the summary of the debate. In response Hunupola nilame also published his own version of summary. Gunananda thera issued more publications to counter the Hunupola nilame's summary. There is no records of Liyanagemulla debate, the only Known fact about the debate is that it held in 1866.
As the spirit of the debating rose in Buddhist side and Christian side, both parties agreed to debate in Gampola
on June 9 and 10 of 1871. Gunananda thera showed his oratory skills in this debate and in appreciation the crowd cried in joy. The crowd paraded Gunananda thera around the Gampola
town. After the thera delivered several sermons round various places in Gampola
, people arranged a procession taking the thera to the Peradeniya
railway station and send the thera back to Colombo
. There people collected the sum of £75 to print the sermons the thera delivered.
debate two years after the Gampola debate in 1873. The cause for debate arose when Rev. David de Silva delivered a sermon on the Soul
at the Wesleyan Chapel, Panadura in 12 June 1873. Gunananda thera delivered a sermon a week later criticising the points raised by Rev. David de Silva. The two parties signed an agreement on 24 July 1873 to hold another debate at Panadura. Though this not the only reason of the debate. The debating on religious points arose more than 10 years ago.
The Christian may have thought that the Buddhists were not educated and hence could be easily defeated in a debate. Therefore this could be a miscalculation on the part of Christians. The Buddhist monks are familiar with Pali
and Sanskrit
texts like Nyaya Bindu written by Dignāga
and Tarka sastra
by Dharmakirti
, which were written on art of debating, were not hesitate to accept the challenge of debating in public.
The debate was held in 24th and 26 August in 1873 at the site where the Rankot Vihara stands today. The ablest debaters were summoned on the side of the Christians. Gunananda thera was the debater on the side of the Buddhists while Rev. David de Silva and Catechist S.F. Sirimanna represented the Christian side. The debate revolved around the topics ranged from the nature of God
, the Soul
and resurrection
, to the concept of Karma
, Rebirth
, Nirvana
and the principle of Pratītyasamutpāda or dependent origination. Dr. K.D.G. Wimalaratna, Director of National Archives wrote;
Dr. Vijaya Samaraweera in his article "The Government and Religion: Problems and Policies c1832 to c1910", stated;
At the end of the second day of the debate the jubilant crowd uttered "sadhu, sadhu". The Christians were not pleased the noise the Buddhists audience were making. When atmosphere became heated Migettuwatte Gunananda thera raised his voice and ordered "everybody should be silent". After that remark the crowd were dispersed without making any further scenarios.
Buddhists. Internationally, it was instrumental in making awareness of Buddhism in the west
. The editor of Ceylon Times newspaper John Cooper, arranged Edward Perera to write a summary on the debate and thousands of copies of the translation were published. This translation was published as a book, Buddhism and Christianity face to face by J.M. Peebles in United States
with an introduction in 1878. After reading a copy of the book Henry Steel Olcott
, the co-founder of the Theosophical Society
came to Sri Lanka in 17 May 1880. With arrival of colonel Olcott the activities of the revival movement accelerated. Olcott had described Gunananda thera as;
Rev. S. Langden, who was present when the thera spoke in the Panadura debate remarked;
Gunananda thera continued work to revive the Buddhism in the country and had published many Buddhist periodicals which included Riviresa, Lakmini Kirana and Sathya Margaya. The thera was also served in the committee that designed the Buddhist flag
in 1885.
Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera died in 1890 September 21 at about 11.00 am at the age of 67.
Balapitiya
Balapitiya is a coastal area in south west Sri Lanka. It is located in the Southern Province in Sri Lanka. Situated 80 km South of Colombo, it is about a two-hour drive from the capital. It is the nearest city to the Maduganga River....
– 21 September 1890, Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
) was a Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n Buddhist orator. He is known for leading the Buddhist side in debates that occurred between the Buddhists and the Christians in Baddegama, Udanwita, Waragoda, Liyanagemulla, Gampola
Gampola
Gampola is a town located near Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Gampola was made the capital city of the island by King Buwanekabahu IV, who ruled for four years in the mid fourteenth century. The last king of Gampola was King Buwanekabahu V. He ruled the island for 29 years. A separate...
, and in the most famous of the debates in Panadura
Panadura
- History :The historic debate 'Panadura Vadaya' was held in this place which is a milestone of the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka with the initiative of the ven. Migettuwaththe Gunananda Thera.- People and Culture :Panadura is home to about 100,000 citizens...
. As a result of the debates Buddhism in Sri Lanka saw a revival. After reading a pamphlet on the debates published in United States, Henry Steel Olcott
Henry Steel Olcott
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott was an American military officer, journalist, lawyer and the co-founder and first President of the Theosophical Society....
arrived in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in 1880.
Early life
He was born 1823 in a village called Migettuwatta or Mohottiwatta near BalapitiyaBalapitiya
Balapitiya is a coastal area in south west Sri Lanka. It is located in the Southern Province in Sri Lanka. Situated 80 km South of Colombo, it is about a two-hour drive from the capital. It is the nearest city to the Maduganga River....
to a rich buddhist Salagama
Salagama
Salagama is the name of a caste in Sri Lanka. The community was traditionally associated with the cultivation and management of cinnamon, and also as soldiers,and are found mostly in Southern coastal areas, especially in the villages around Rathgama , Boossa and Balapitiya in Galle...
caste family. He was taught first by his parents and shown oratory skills since young age. He had a close contact with a Roman Catholic priest who resided nearby church, and the child gained the knowledge in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and Christian doctrine
Christian theology
- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...
. He had an intention of becoming a Christian priest but change his mind after came into contact with Buddhist monks of the nearby temples. He was ordained at age of twenties in Dodanduwa Gala Uda vihara by Venerable Thelikada
Thelikada
Thelikada is a rural village situated in Galle District, in the southern part of Sri Lanka.The Gin River flows near the village. Also the Gin Dam is lying inside the village...
Sonutthara Thera, the chief incumbent of the temple. His eloquent first sermon he made in the night he ordained the people gathered in the temple exclaimed that the young thera will prosper the Buddhism in the country and pledged their support in his religious work. He gained proficiency in Buddhism and oriental languages while he was in the temple.
One day while he was reading a magazine Bauddha Sahodaraya (Sinhalese Buddhist Brotherhood) he learned that Buddhists in Colombo is subject to religious discrimination
Religious discrimination
Religious discrimination is valuing or treating a person or group differently because of what they do or do not believe.A concept like that of 'religious discrimination' is necessary to take into account ambiguities of the term religious persecution. The infamous cases in which people have been...
by the Christians. Disturbed by the news Gunanada thera decided to moved to Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, and reside in Deepaduttaaramaya in Kotahena, which happened to be the first Buddhist temple in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
with a history of 300 years. From there the thera begin his speeches in defending Buddhism against arguments raised by the Christian missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
.
Great debates
The Christian missionaries were propagating the religion through the pamphlets and the books. Rev. D.J. Gogerly of the Wesleyan mission published Christian Pragnapthi in 1849. Gunananda thera replied with Durlabdi Vinodini in 1862 for Buddhists. Hikkaduwe Sumangala thera wrote Christiani Vada Mardanaya and Samyak Darshanaya in 1862-63. Soon after publications were replaced by public debates.Baddegama debate was originated from an argument arises in between a young monk name Sumangala and a Christian priest in temple of Baddegama. Gunananda thera and many other monks such as Bulatgama Dhammalankara, Sri Sumanatissa, Kahawe Nanananda, Hikkaduwe Sumangala, Weligama Sri Sumangala
Weligama Sri Sumangala
Venerable Weligama Sri Sumangala Thera was an outstanding scholar bhikkhu with many important publications -Hitopadsesa Atthadassi, Hitopadsesa Padarthavykanaya, Upadesa Vinischaya, Siddanta Sekaraya. His work Siddhanta Sekharaya of 700 pages was printed at the Government Press in 1897...
, Pothuwila Gunaratana participated in the debate. The debate was not held face-to-face. This is because of the manner of the behavior of the Christian debaters would lead to conflicts, the Buddhists as the majority would naturally be blamed. Considering the situation the two parties agreed to carry out the debate in the writings. First the writings are done in Baddegama, though later writings were carried out in Galle
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....
. Waragoda debate also held in 1865.
Third debate was conducted in Udanwita in Hathara korele present day Kegalle District
Kegalle District
Kegalle is a district in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 1,663 km². It was a former Dissavani of Sri Lanka. Has a population of 785,524 according to census 2001.-Physical Information:...
. The Creator
Creator deity
A creator deity is a deity responsible for the creation of the world . In monotheism, the single God is often also the creator deity, while polytheistic traditions may or may not have creator deities...
, the redeemer
Redeemer
- Religion :*Redeemer , referring to Jesus Christ*Mahdi, described in Islam as "the Redeemer "*Redeemer Presbyterian Church - Other organisations :*Redeemer Lutheran College, school in Queensland, Australia...
and the Eternal heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
were the debating topics. The debate was carried out in 1 February 1866. John Edwards Hunupola (Hunupola nilame), was the debater who represented the Christian side, was a former Buddhist monk and a convertee to Christianity. As agreed before the debate Gunananda thera published the summary of the debate. In response Hunupola nilame also published his own version of summary. Gunananda thera issued more publications to counter the Hunupola nilame's summary. There is no records of Liyanagemulla debate, the only Known fact about the debate is that it held in 1866.
As the spirit of the debating rose in Buddhist side and Christian side, both parties agreed to debate in Gampola
Gampola
Gampola is a town located near Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Gampola was made the capital city of the island by King Buwanekabahu IV, who ruled for four years in the mid fourteenth century. The last king of Gampola was King Buwanekabahu V. He ruled the island for 29 years. A separate...
on June 9 and 10 of 1871. Gunananda thera showed his oratory skills in this debate and in appreciation the crowd cried in joy. The crowd paraded Gunananda thera around the Gampola
Gampola
Gampola is a town located near Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Gampola was made the capital city of the island by King Buwanekabahu IV, who ruled for four years in the mid fourteenth century. The last king of Gampola was King Buwanekabahu V. He ruled the island for 29 years. A separate...
town. After the thera delivered several sermons round various places in Gampola
Gampola
Gampola is a town located near Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Gampola was made the capital city of the island by King Buwanekabahu IV, who ruled for four years in the mid fourteenth century. The last king of Gampola was King Buwanekabahu V. He ruled the island for 29 years. A separate...
, people arranged a procession taking the thera to the Peradeniya
Peradeniya
Peradeniya is a town of about 50,000 inhabitants on the outskirts of Kandy in Sri Lanka. It is situated on the A1 main road connecting Kandy and Colombo, just a few kilometres west of Kandy....
railway station and send the thera back to Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
. There people collected the sum of £75 to print the sermons the thera delivered.
Panadura Debate
All these debates culminated in the most notable of all debates, PanaduraPanadura
- History :The historic debate 'Panadura Vadaya' was held in this place which is a milestone of the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka with the initiative of the ven. Migettuwaththe Gunananda Thera.- People and Culture :Panadura is home to about 100,000 citizens...
debate two years after the Gampola debate in 1873. The cause for debate arose when Rev. David de Silva delivered a sermon on the Soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
at the Wesleyan Chapel, Panadura in 12 June 1873. Gunananda thera delivered a sermon a week later criticising the points raised by Rev. David de Silva. The two parties signed an agreement on 24 July 1873 to hold another debate at Panadura. Though this not the only reason of the debate. The debating on religious points arose more than 10 years ago.
The Christian may have thought that the Buddhists were not educated and hence could be easily defeated in a debate. Therefore this could be a miscalculation on the part of Christians. The Buddhist monks are familiar with Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
and Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
texts like Nyaya Bindu written by Dignāga
Dignaga
Dignāga was an Indian scholar and one of the Buddhist founders of Indian logic.He was born into a Brahmin family in Simhavakta near Kanchi Kanchipuram), and very little is known of his early years, except that he took as his spiritual preceptor Nagadatta of the Vatsiputriya school, before being...
and Tarka sastra
Tarka sastra
Tarka Sastra is a science of dialectics, logic and reasoning, and art of debate that analyzes the nature and source of knowledge and its validity. Sastra in Sanskrit means that which gives teaching, instruction or command. Tarka means debate or an argument. According to one reckoning, there are six...
by Dharmakirti
Dharmakirti
Dharmakīrti , was an Indian scholar and one of the Buddhist founders of Indian philosophical logic. He was one of the primary theorists of Buddhist atomism, according to which the only items considered to exist are momentary states of consciousness.-History:Born around the turn of the 7th century,...
, which were written on art of debating, were not hesitate to accept the challenge of debating in public.
The debate was held in 24th and 26 August in 1873 at the site where the Rankot Vihara stands today. The ablest debaters were summoned on the side of the Christians. Gunananda thera was the debater on the side of the Buddhists while Rev. David de Silva and Catechist S.F. Sirimanna represented the Christian side. The debate revolved around the topics ranged from the nature of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, the Soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
and resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
, to the concept of Karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
, Rebirth
Rebirth (Buddhism)
Rebirth in Buddhism is the doctrine that the evolving consciousness or stream of consciousness upon death , becomes one of the contributing causes for the arising of a new aggregation...
, Nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
and the principle of Pratītyasamutpāda or dependent origination. Dr. K.D.G. Wimalaratna, Director of National Archives wrote;
Dr. Vijaya Samaraweera in his article "The Government and Religion: Problems and Policies c1832 to c1910", stated;
At the end of the second day of the debate the jubilant crowd uttered "sadhu, sadhu". The Christians were not pleased the noise the Buddhists audience were making. When atmosphere became heated Migettuwatte Gunananda thera raised his voice and ordered "everybody should be silent". After that remark the crowd were dispersed without making any further scenarios.
Impact of the debate
The impact of the debate was phenomenal in both locally and internationally. Locally it was the principal factor behind reviving the identity and pride of SinhalaSinhalese people
The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...
Buddhists. Internationally, it was instrumental in making awareness of Buddhism in the west
Buddhism in the West
Buddhism in the West broadly encompasses the knowledge and practice of Buddhism outside of Asia. Occasional intersections between Western civilization and the Buddhist world have been occurring for thousands of years, but it was not until the era of European colonization of Buddhist countries in...
. The editor of Ceylon Times newspaper John Cooper, arranged Edward Perera to write a summary on the debate and thousands of copies of the translation were published. This translation was published as a book, Buddhism and Christianity face to face by J.M. Peebles in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with an introduction in 1878. After reading a copy of the book Henry Steel Olcott
Henry Steel Olcott
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott was an American military officer, journalist, lawyer and the co-founder and first President of the Theosophical Society....
, the co-founder of the Theosophical Society
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is an organization formed in 1875 to advance the spiritual principles and search for Truth known as Theosophy. The original organization, after splits and realignments has several successors...
came to Sri Lanka in 17 May 1880. With arrival of colonel Olcott the activities of the revival movement accelerated. Olcott had described Gunananda thera as;
Rev. S. Langden, who was present when the thera spoke in the Panadura debate remarked;
Gunananda thera continued work to revive the Buddhism in the country and had published many Buddhist periodicals which included Riviresa, Lakmini Kirana and Sathya Margaya. The thera was also served in the committee that designed the Buddhist flag
Buddhist flag
The Buddhist flag is a flag designed in the late 19th century to symbolise and universally represent Buddhism. It is used by Buddhists throughout the world.-History:...
in 1885.
Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera died in 1890 September 21 at about 11.00 am at the age of 67.