A Sinhalese poem of the 15th century
Translated by Bhikkhu K. Nanananda
Towards a Better World is a translation of the famous Sinhala didactic poem Lo-wada Sangarava composed by the Venerable Vidagama Maitreya Mahathera (15 th C. A. D.). This venerable poet flourished during the Kotte period of Sri Lankan history, which saw a revival of Sinhala literature.
As the head of the Vidagama Sri Ghanananda monastery, a leading educational centre of the Kotte Era, the Venerable Mahathera made a notable contribution to Sinhala literature and Buddhist culture with his rare poetic talent and eloquence in preaching.
Lo-wada Sangarava is the best known among his literary works, both for its remarkable poetic excellence and the vast impact it has made on the lives of the Buddhists ever since it was composed.
At a juncture in which the West is looking up to the wisdom of the East to make its own concept of the millenium a reality, this time honoured didactic poem of the Venerable Vidagama Maitreya Mahathera is presented here in translation in the hope that it will contribute towards a better world. The a-moral and the immoral trends in moden society, wedded as it is to material progress as the hand-maid of prosperity, are leading towards moral anarchy with disastrous consequences. May this translation- Towards a Better World -help bring about an inner transformation by an awakening to the true values of life !
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