Browsing by Author "Jayasinghe, Sampath Suranga"

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An Analytical Study of Buddhist Attitude Towards Compassionate Death
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2023) Jayasinghe, Sampath Suranga
Due to some disease, at a time when there is no longer any hope of life or old age and unable to return to normal, a person who is suffering a painful end and is given a healing death to relieve the pain is called compassionate killing. This compassionate killing is also called euthanasia, happy death, good death, and euthanasia. Around the world, euthanasia has been talked about for some time. In some countries, this system is legal, and in some countries, citizens over the age of eighteen can request permission for a healthy death if they are suffering from an incurable disease. The purpose of this research is to investigate whether it is compatible with Buddhism to take a human life based on compassion or to contribute to or support it. Primary and secondary sources are contributed to this research. Killing a person, providing a weapon for death, or causing death by means of any medicine are mentioned in the Vinaya Pitaka as reasons for a monk to become parajika. Buddhism teaches that every creature born in this world has the right to live. In Buddhist practice, a mother protects the only son born from her womb and spreads her heart to all beings in such a way. It protects the right to life of all animals. If a person thinks death is better than living in extreme pain in a terminally ill condition where he can no longer hope for his life, can another person support it? According to Buddhism, five things must be fulfilled for a murder to take place. If these five things are fulfilled out of hatred or compassion, then the crime of manslaughter is committed. Also, it can be concluded that compassionate killing, which is carried out of compassion or any reason, is against Buddhism, and the person who does will have to face the consequences of his demerits of murdering a human.
An Analytical Study of the Background Which Had Been Urged in India for the Necessity to Translate Sinhala Commentaries Into Pali
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2023) Jayasinghe, Sampath Suranga
We must pay our respect to Mahavira Bhikkhus, who protected and developed the commentaries that have been written for the Pali canon. These Sinhala commentaries were translated into Pali in the 5th century AD. At that time, the Mahayana tradition had been widely spread in India. This research is focused on studying the reasons which arose the utility of Theravada commentaries in that environment in India that was vastly spread with Mahayana tradition. In this study, archaeological and literature resources are used. Venerable Revata, who guided the greatest commentator, Venerable Buddhaghosha, to translate Sinhala commentaries into Pali, lived in a temple that was close to Mahā-bodhi in India. There are some Chinese records that prove this temple where Venerable Revatha has been lived. In the 7th century AD, A Chinese traveller named Hyun-Syang wrote about a Sinhala temple which is close to the Mahā-Bodhi tree in India. Was this the temple that Venerable Revata lived in? Had this temple any connection with Mahavira in Sri Lanka? if so, why did the Bhikkhus in Sinhalarama temple tend to turn Sinhala commentaries into Pali language? These kinds of questions arise regarding the information about the Sinhala temple in India. Epigraphy, which has been placed in a museum and Chinese records, is crucial when searching for answers to the questions that have been mentioned. In that epigraphy, there is a sentence that says, “A Sri Lankan king named Meghawarna has built this temple for the Bhikkhus of his country”. It is significant to see that, this information has been described in Chinese texts. This text also elaborates that the Mahayana tradition was powerful at that time. Therefore, the Sinhala temple situated close to the Maha-Bodhi tree was the residence of so many Theravadins from any country. There was a motive to develop Theravada tradition in India, taking this temple as their head department. In order to fulfil their aspiration and also, for the usage of the people in other countries, they translated Sinhala commentaries into Pali language in need of spreading a Theravada interpretation of Buddha’s teachings.