Category Archives: meditations

Deciphering Buddhism: The Correct Pathway

Ananda Abeysekara’s Academic Article: “On Rewriting Buddhism: Or, How Not to Write a History,” Religion and Society, vol. 13. 1(2022): 39-80. 

ABSTRACT: Through a detailed reading of a recent study of medieval Buddhism and politics in Sri Lanka in conjunction with a number of other works, this article explores the troubling legacy of translating the historical questions of subjectivity into the modern language of ‘agency’, ‘autonomy’, ‘innovation’, and ‘creativity’. This legacy cannot easily be separated from the politics of white privilege in post-colonial studies of Buddhism and South Asian religion. The problem with trying to expose creativity, so pervasive in the studies of South Asian religion, is not merely a matter of anachronistic conceptualization of divergent historical forms of religious practice and subjectivity. It is that the very possibility of translating subjectivity into easily digestible aestheticized modes of being (e.g., creativity) is predicated on an uninterrogated assumption about the self-evidence of such concepts independent of temporal forms of power encountered in forms of life. Continue reading

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Estelle Fernando nee Roberts: Vale in Sadness & Fellowship

Michael Roberts

Estelle Barbara Roberts was born as the second child from the second bed of Thomas Webb Roberts (1881-1978) on the 2nd May 1929. She was brought up within the Fort of Galle and received her education at Southlands, Sacred Heart Convent and Richmond Colleges; but was then swept off her feet by an earnest young government servant, Charles Hubert Fernando, who played tennis at the Galle Gymkhana Club (where TW was a kind of institution and a regular).

 

Estelle standing on left at Sacred Heart Convent

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Memories of Peradeniya University Campus Sparked by A Visit in 2012

Rex Olegasegaram, whose favöured title runs thus: “Peradeniya Campus – A Visit Down Memory Lane

In November, 2012 when I drove into the Peradeniya University along with my wife Navaranjini, it was indeed a wonderful visit down memory lane covering my very enjoyable undergraduate spell in 1955/59. Then known as the Peradeniya campus of the University of Ceylon, it has indeed seen a number of physical changes in the interim period with new Halls of Residence, some significant changes to existing buildings (e.g. the old tinned roof of the Economics Department replaced with new modern structures), new approaches etc. Notwithstanding, a number of features that obtained at that time still continue: the older Halls of Residence, some lecture theatres, the library including the “pilloring” area, the gymnasium and the sport venues.

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Meaningful Moments at the National War Memorial in Battaramulla, Colombo

Compiled by Gp Capt Kumar Kirinde, SLAF [retd] …. with his title being  “National War Memorial,Colombo and the National War Heroes Day Commemoration”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The National War Memorial in front of the Parliament complex at Sri Jayewardenepura, Colombo is dedicated to all military personnel killed since World War I and police personal killed due to militancy. An annual ceremony to commemorate the velour and gallantry of War Heroes is held at the site on the Remembrance Day unique to Sri Lanka, which is 20th May. This day in 2009 the country’s civil war which went on for 26 years came to an end.

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Tenacity in Life’s Journey: Marvan Atapattu’s Message to One & All

Suresh Murugaser’s Message  …. in FACEBOOK

I’m sharing this story because most people give up so easily. Its an amazing testament to Marvan’s tenacity and intelligence! An amazing story on Marvan Attapattu, Srilankan Cricketer.

It’s a story that needs to be told, over and over again. Making his debut in Test cricket for Sri Lanka, Marvan scored a duck in his first innings. And again, in his second innings.

UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 16: Cricket: 1st test 2002 England v Sri Lanka at Lord’s 1st day MARVAN ATAPATTU / SRI LANKAN OPENING BATSMAN MADE 185 IN FIRST INNINGS (Photo by David Munden/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

Sri Lankan batsman Marvan Atapattu hooks a boundary during his innings against the British Universities at the County Ground Northampton, on the opening day of their tour match (Photo by David Davies – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)

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Obeyesekere on the Didactic Essence of Buddhist Story-Telling

Gananath Obeyesekere, in a Video Talk in 2023 ………………. https://kathika.lk/2023/05/06/the-relevence-of-buddhist-story-telling-in-education-gananath-obeyesekere-video/?fbclid=IwAR1T52u

Professor Gananath Obeyesekere spoke of the dry presentation of Buddhist teachings in abstract intellectual terms that he remembers from his youth. These were in contrast to the experience of going to pilgrimage places where pilgrims and their teachers told stories based on vernacular texts.

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Profound Currents of Thought at Trinity College: Fraser, Martin Wickramasinghe & Bishop Wickremesinghe

Uditha Devapriya, whose chosen title was  “Martin Wickramasinghe and A. G. Fraser.”

On 7 February 1971, Trinity College, Kandy held its 99th annual Prize Giving. Presided by the then Anglican Bishop of Kurunegala, Lakshman Wickremesinghe, the ceremony featured Martin Wickramasinghe as its Chief Guest. By this point Wickramasinghe had established himself as Sri Lanka’s leading literary figure. A grand old man of 80, he was now writing on a whole range of topics outside culture and literature. His essays addressed some of the more compelling socio-political issues of the day, including youth unrest. His speech at the Prize Giving dwelt on these issues and reflected his concerns.

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Sinhala Village Roots and Jungle Lore at Discerning Depth

Sugath Kulatunga, 

responding to an Invitation from The Editor, Thuppahi after the latter had seen an extract of this detailed and invaluable autobiography in Facebook in 2023 **

1/10/2014: Written for the reading pleasure of my grandchildren.

As a child and in school:

I am very fortunate to have been brought up as a small child in a rural village in the Kalutara District of Sri Lanka, in a setting under relatively comfortable and caring conditions. I was the number two of three brothers and two younger sisters. Two more brothers were added to the family later on. We were the masters of our time and life was totally carefree. Our parents had an abundance of time for us. In addition, most of the time during the early childhood we had my mother’s sisters, who adored us, staying with the family. We also had the loving but respectful attention of the senior schoolgirls.

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Artificial Intelligence: Humankind’s Master or Servant?

Chandre Dharmawardana, in The Island, 17 April 2023 , ….. whose preferred title is “The relevant and irrelevant fear of Artificial Intelligence”

The oracle-like power of the ‘large-language’ Chatbot named chatGPT  has frightened rational techies and mystic mullahs alike. Elon Musk, Steve Wozniac who co-founded  Apple Inc., historians like Yuval Harari,  and academics like the Turing-prize winner Yoshua Bengio of Montreal University called for a six-month pause for developing AI  beyond GPT-4, the latest technology released by OpenAI.

 

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Fidel & Danny ‘String Together’ Melodious Accounts of Day One at the Galle Test Match

Andrew Fidel Fernando, in ESPNcricinfo, 16 April 2023, 

Dimuth Karunaratne struck an assured 179, Kusal Mendis amassed 140, and Sri Lanka took firm grip of the Test, as that pair’s 281-run partnership for the second wicket formed the centrepiece of the hosts’ dominant day one. Not only were Karunaratne and Mendis largely untroubled by the Ireland bowlers on a flat Galle deck, they also ensured that their progress was brisk, hitting 33 fours and a six between them.

 

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