Nealy 90 (ninety) years ago, Moncure D Conway, the author of "My pilgrimage to the Wise Men of the East", I visited Colombo.
He was a friend of Sir Ponnambalam Ramachandra (then Solicitor General of Ceylon) and together with him Conway went to Vidyodaya Pirivena (destroyed by converting to a university) to learn something of the Buddha's teachings from Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thero, the founder of the institution.
The Nayaka There explained to them the principles contained in the Kalama Sutta and at the end of the conversation Ramachandra whispered to Conway " Is it not strange that you and I who come from different religions and regions, should together listen to a sermon from the Buddha in favour of free thought, that independence of traditional and fashionable doctrines, which is still the vital principle of Human Development?
Conway;
" Yes and we with (Kalama) princes the doctrine of goodwill"!
No comments:
Post a Comment