Venerable Dr. Hammalawa Saddhatissa (M.A., Ph.D, D.Litt) was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1914. He was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1926. Proficient in Pali, Sanskrit, Sinhalese and Hindi, he studied at the Universities of Benares, London and Edinburgh. He received his Ph.D from the University of Edinburgh in 1963.
He was Professor of Pali and Buddhism at Benares Hindu University from 1956 to 1957, Lecturer at the University of London from 1958-1960 and Professor at the University of Toronto, Canada, from 1966-1969. He was a visiting lecturer at Oxford University in 1973, He has lectured in university in Europe, the United States, as well as in Korea and Japan.
He was renowned for his translation of Sanskrit and Pali works into English. His critical study of the Upasakajanalankara and the Dasabodhisattuppattikatha (the Birth-Stories of Ten Bodhisattas) and the Namarupasamasa (the Summary of Mind and Matter) published by the Pali Text Society, London, are well-known among Pali scholars. Among his numerous contributions to the clear understanding of Buddhism are: Buddhist Ethics, The Buddha’s Way, The Life of the Buddha, and the translation of the Sutta Nipata which have won world-wide recognition as authoritative books in their field. He contributed numerous scholarly articles to felicitation volumes and journals which have been collected and edited to form the present book. Further articles on all aspects of Buddhism have been compiled as one comprehensive work — Facets of Buddhism — providing a rich source of spiritual guidance for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.◈
Ven. Dr. Hammalawa Saddhatissa Maha Thera after almost fifty years of selfless service towards the noble cause of the propagation of Buddha Dhamma in India and Europe and in the world at large, passed away fifteen years ago in London on 13 February 1990. He was one of the most erudite, articulate and pious and popular monks of our times.
He was the head of the London Buddhist Vihara and the Sanghanayake of the United Kingdom and Europe. The London Buddhist Vihara was founded in the 1920s by that great Buddhist revivalist, Anagarika Dharmapala, whose aim was a Buddhist renaissance in and beyond the confines of his own country. Anagarika Dharmapala, with the dedicated assistance and co-operation of Anagarika Devapriya Walisinha, sent the Most Ven. Parawahera Wajiragnana Thera and Venerables Dehigaspe Pannasara and Hegoda Nandasara Theras to London to break new ground in the United Kingdom and Europe as Dhammadutas. However, this Dhammaduta service fell into abeyance with the onset of the Second World War.
Thereafter, the London Buddhist Vihara was reopened in 1954. And it stood in great need of clear direction and purposeful leadership. Hence, the Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka looked up to the Ven. Saddhatissa Thera, who has already distinguished himself as a great Dhammaduta with his indefatigable service in India, to help them in this task.
The Ven. Saddhatissa Thera came to London in 1957. At that time the Vihara was the only Theravada centre in the UK and the whole of Europe. However, it was still in a rudimentary state. His charismatic personality, his breadth and depth of scholarship, his penetrating knowledge of the Buddha Dhamma and of the Pali and Sanskrit languages and his skill as an exponent of the Buddha’s teaching, soon enabled him to fill his position as head of the Vihara with great distinction.
And the vihara in turn became a focal point of Buddhist learning and practice serving the religious needs of all Buddhists in the UK and Europe. It also drew the focus of attention of eminent scholars and orientalists internationally.
The vihara though a Theravada Buddhist centre encouraged discussions on the views and teachings of all Buddhist traditions and always welcomed their representatives. It also acquired a popularity among the representatives of other religions encouraged by Maha Thera’s keen interest in inter-religious dialogue. The Ven. Dr. Saddhatissa Thera served the vihara as its head for nearly three decades and his name will always be associated with that of the vihara for posterity. The Ven. Maha Thera also revived the British Mahabodhi Society with the active assistance of a group of Western Buddhists giving further impetus to the spread of Buddhism.
Prior to his leaving for London, he was engaged in Dhammaduta activity in India. Impressed by his scholarship and his reputation as an exponent of the Buddha Dhamma, Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka invited him to continue the pioneering work initiated by the late Anagarika Dharmapala in the subcontinent. He committed himself to this task in a tireless and selfless manner and made himself conversant in Indian languages like Hindi, Urdu and Panjab to help him to carry the message of the Buddha to the local people.
His 12-year Dharmaduta Service in India culminated in the mass conversion at Nagpur on October 14th 1956 of over half a million members of a socially disadvantaged community led by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, an architect of the Indian Constitution.
Dr. Ambedkar was a frequent caller on the Maha Thera primarily to discuss the administration of the sangha according to the Vinayapitaka. His intention had been to draft the new Indian constitution along the lines set out in the disciplinary code for the Buddhist monks. Out of this encounter, Dr. Ambedkar gradually displayed a deeper appreciation of the Buddha and his teachings. During their talks he had revealed to the Maha Thera his desire to adopt Buddhism as his religion, and to encourage his followers to do likewise.
The Ven. Maha Thera was born at Hammalawa, a rather remote hamlet in the North Western region of the island. His father was a Ayurvedic practitioner. From a very young age, he showed a liking towards the monastic order, and was admitted into the order as a “Samanera” at the young age of twelve years.
As a young monk, he had his early education at the Sastrodaya Pirivena at Sandalankawa. Then he proceeded to Vidyodaya Pirivena, Colombo for higher studies. Here, he distinguished himself as a brilliant student and passed its final examination with honours. At about the same time, he also passed with distinction the “Pracheena” exam.
He made use of his sojourn in the sub-continent to obtain the M. A. Degree from the Benares University. Subsequently, he was made a lecturer at the same university. He obtained his PhD from the University of Edinburgh.
At various times, he held academic appointments at a number of universities. He was a visiting lecturer in Buddhist studies at the Oxford University, a lecturer in Sinhala at the University of London and Professor of Pali and Buddhism at the University of Toronto. He was also the Buddhist Chaplain at the London University.
He was one of the two vice presidents of the Pali Text Society of Great Britain.
And he served the society with commitment as an expositor, translator and editor of the Pali texts. His translation of the Sutta Nipata and the editing of the Pali texts of the Tripitaka are of particular importance in this regard.
The Ven. Maha Thera had been a prolific writer and his writing had ranged over Buddhism, Sri Lankan history and culture, Sinhala language and literature, Pali language and literature and national issues. His work consists of newspaper articles to scholarly monographs published in many countries over a period of four decades.
This article is not complete. I believe, unless I mention the name of Maha Thera’s pupil and “Upasthayake”, Rev. Galayaye Piyadassi Thera. It was Rev. Piyadassi who so devotedly attended to the Maha Thera, when his health, during his last year or two, was in a rather poor state.
Rev. Piyadassi was so inspired by Maha Thera’s service to humanity, he realised it his duty to establish an institution to continue Maha Thera’s service for the benefit of posterity. Hence, the Saddhatissa International Buddhist Centre at Kingsbury in London. The institution has blossomed out into a centre famous for its Buddhist religious activities and Buddhist learning and research. It also provides facilities for children’s education and social and cultural activities.
It is with gratitude I recall the inspiring advice and kindly guidance my family and I always received from the Maha Thera, and the blessings he often bestowed on us during my student days in London and our subsequent stay there. This advice and guidance has stood me in good stead even to this day and has inspired me in moments of need.
I like to conclude this article quoting what Russell Webb, a former associate of Maha Thera, had written of him. “To meet the Venerable Dr. Saddhatissa is to enter into a calming atmosphere, where a basic kindly spirit, devoid of material considerations, manifests itself.
A serenity and warmth of feeling are ever displayed which must surely characterise the inner detachment of someone far advanced on the path of enlightenment.”
1 comments
I wish to say that the entry of Venerable Dr H Saddhatissa into my life in the 1960’s filled the gap of a father . He and two other bhikkhus, Ven Dr Ratnasara (who went eventually to California) and Ven Dr Dhammaloka, stabilized and supported me, and put me on the academic path to eventually receive a Ph.d in Comparative Religion. My gratitude to these blessed bhikkhus knows no bounds. They were my “uncles”. Eventually I came to Leeds in 1970 where there was only one Buddhist who made himself known to me, my Professor. It was hard to keep going as an almost solitary Buddhist until a group was formed in 1977. But the love, affection and encouragement I received from them all has inspired me to get through some very difficult times. What I also learnt from them was the capacity to embrace people without wanting to “possess” them and although I do not practice Theravada Buddhism now, but am a member of Soka Gakkai International , I will never forget them as gentle but powerful Teachers and human being.s