The Word (Volume 15); Monthly Magazine Devoted to Philosophy, Science, Religion Eastern Thought, Occultism, Theosophy and the Brotherhood of Humanity

by Harold Waldwin Percival, General Books

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SUMANGALA, AND THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. By An American Newspaper Writer. THE Very Reverend H. Sumangala Thero, High Priest of Adam's Peak, and Principal of Vidyodaya College, Colombo, Ceylon, is recognized as the leading Buddhist Priest in the world. He is now very old and feeble, and, according to Dr. Vincent Wijitunge, who lives in Colombo and sees him often, he can not last very long. But, he adds?He is one of the ablest, if not the ablest priest we have in our country in spite of his age, and he is still doing good work. Sumangala, as he is affectionately called by his people, has devoted his long life to the work of educating and elevating the Singha in Ceylon. The youths of the country are given free tuition, and every boy has all the advantages the schools afford. They are all treated alike and are instructed in their religion along with the three R's. It is this teaching that so steadfastly binds the people to the support of the monastic system. The chief rules taught are humility, temperance, and meditation on the transitoriness and unreality of life, and the relief that is found in following the noble Law of Buddha. Sumangala has placed western students of Buddhism under many obligations, for he has devoted his great learning to the use of those who sought instruction and he has been most helpful to all who have traveled in his country, and sought his acquaintance. When Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott visited Ceylon on their way to India in 1878, Sumangala welcomed them, and, it is said, called their attention to the fact that they had landed on the 2500th anniversary of the Great Teacher's birth. He deemed their mission to have been inaugurated under most favorable circumstances and has ever been interested in the work done by them, and in the societ...

150 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2010