Walpola Rahula

The venerable Prof Walpola Sri Rahula Maha Thera (1907-1997) was a Buddhist monk, scholar and writer. He is considered to be one of the top Sri Lankan intellectuals in the 20th century. In 1964, he became the Professor of History and Religions at Northwestern University, thus becoming the first bhikkhu to hold a professorial chair in the western world. He also once held the Vice-Chancellor position of the then Vidyodaya University (currently known as University of Sri Jayewardenepura). He has written extensively about Buddhism in English, French and Sinhalese. Venerable Thera's book, "What The Buddha Taught" is considered by many as one of the best books written about Theravada Buddhism [ [http://www.angelfire.com/realm/bodhisattva/rahula.html Remembering Walpola Rahula, by Ven. W. Piyananda] ] .

Biography

He was born in 1907 at Walpola, a tiny southern village in Sri Lanka. At thirteen he entered the Order of the Sangha. He had his education in Sinhala, Pali, Sanskrit, Buddhist religion, history and philosophy. He studied at the Vidyalankara Pirivena and at the University of Ceylon, where he associated with E. F. C. Ludowvk, G. P. Malalasekera, E. W. Adikaram and other luminaries. After his period at the Sorbonne, He became the Vice-chancellor of the Vidyodaya University. He was noted not only for his erudition, but also for his strong socialist views as well as his belief that monks have a duty to play a role in guiding the political consciousness of the people. His book "Bhikshuvakage Urumaya" (Heritage of the Bhikkhu) was a strong voice in the Buddhist Nationalist movement that led to the 1956 electoral victory of Solomon Dias Bandaranaike. He left Vidyodaya University in 1969, due to political differences with the government of the day. He returned to the west and worked in many academic institutions in Europe. Ven. Prof. Rahula returned to Sri Lanka during his last days, and lived in the Temple near the New Parliament in Kotte, until his passing away.

Academic career

Dr Rahula attended Ceylon university (now known as University of Colombo). He obtained a BA Honours degree (London), and then earned a Doctorate of Philosophy having written a thesis on the History of Buddhism in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Then he went on to study Indian Philosophy at Calcutta University and later studied Mahayana at Sorbonne University. It was during his time at the Sorbonne in the late-1950s that he produced "What the Buddha Taught", a highly regarded introductory text on Buddhism for which Dr Rahula is best known.

Venerable Dr. Rahula is the first Buddhist monk to become a professor in a Western University. When he became the Professor of History and Literature of Religions there were no Theravada Temples in the United States. He later became a professor Emeritus at the same University. Dr Rahula also held positions in several other American Universities. He was a visiting lecturer at the Swarthmore College and Regents Lecturer at the UCLA. Dr Rahula became the Vice-Chancellor of the Vidyoda University (now Sri Jayawardhanapura University) in 1964. He was later instrumental in encouraging the formation of the first Theravada temple in the United States, the Washington Vihara.

Titles

Dr Rahula has been awarded several titles during his life time. The highest honorary title "Tripitakavagisvaracarya" (Supreme Master of Buddhist Scriptures) was given to him by Sri Kalyapi Samagri Sangha-sabha, the Chapter of the Sangha in Sri Lanka, in 1965, with the qualification, "Sri" (Gracious), a title held by only two or three scholars in Sri Lanka. He was awarded "Aggamaha Panditha" title from Burma.

Publications

Dr Rahula has written extensively about Theravada Buddhism. Apart from his world-renowned book "What the Buddha Taught", he had published enormous number of papers on Buddhism. Notable books written by him includes, "History of Buddhism in Ceylon", "Heritage of the Bhikkhu", "Zen and the taming of the Bull" and "Le Compendium de la Super Doctrine" (French).

Bibliography

* "What The Buddha Taught" (1959, ISBN 0-8021-3031-3)
* "History of Buddhism in Ceylon: The Anuradhapura period, 3rd Century BC–10th Century AD" (1966)
* "Humour in Pali Literature and Other Essays" (1997, ISBN 955-650-000-6)
* "The Heritage of the Bhikkhu: A Short History of the Bhikkhu in Educational, Cultural, Social, and Political Life" (1974, ISBN 0-394-49260-9)
* "Heritage of Bhikkhu" (1974, ISBN 0-394-17823-8)
* "Zen and the Taming of the Bull: Towards the Definition of Buddhist Thought: Essays" (1978, ISBN 0-900406-69-0)
* "The Heritage of the Bhikkhu: The Buddhist Tradition of Service" (2003, ISBN 0-8021-4023-8)

References

External links

* [http://www.angelfire.com/realm/bodhisattva/rahula.html Remembering Dr. Walpola Rahula]
*Walpola Rahula, (1996). "What the Buddha Taught", ISBN 955-9219-19-7
* [http://www.lankahands.com/product.php?id=251 What Buddha Taught]
* [http://lakdiva.com/island/i981025/tue/islfetrs.htm#Religion Venerable Walpola Rahula] : A brief biographical sketch by Udaya Mallawarachchi. From the book "Buddhist Studies in Honour of Walpola Rahula", 1980, ISBN 0860920305