The Unforgettable Dharmapala

Author: Ananda W. P. Guruge

Publisher: Godage 2014 

The character and work of Dharmapala have been subjected to various interpretations, especially by the school of thought (ගුරුකුලය) led by Gananath Obeysekere and Richard Gombrich. For example, in his book "The White Buddhist—The Asian Odyssey of Henry Steel Olcott," Stephen Prothero states the following.

"So if Olcott can be chastened for providing subtle legitimization for the British rule, Dharmapala should be criticized for stroking the fires of the ethnic and religious hatred that erupted so violently between the Hindi Tamils and the Buddhist Sinhalese in the 1980s.  At least on this score, Olcott’s hands are clean."

On the other hand, those who do not belong to the Obeysekere and Gombrich school of thought have a different take on Dharmapala. For instance, Rick Fields, in his book "How the Swans Came to the Lake—Narrative History of Buddhism in America," presents a non-opinionated and factual account of Dharmapala's activities (refer to Chapters 6, 7, and 8 of the book).

"On his third visit to America, during the years 1902-1904, he visited technical schools.  (Tuskegee and Carlisle especially drew his attention.) He was convinced that the East needed the technology of the West, just as the West needed the dharma of the East.  Mrs. Foster supplied the funds for an industrial school at Saranath."

Fortunately, some Sinhala scholars are now making efforts to set the record straight. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Dharmapala, the Center for Contemporary Studies of University of Colombo published a commemorative volume edited by Professor Sandagomi Koperahewa in 2015, titled "Anagarika Dharmapala and India—Sri Lanka Relations." Even a senior professor who regularly praises Obeysekere and Gombrich has recently changed his mind about Dharmapala. He is currently studying Dharmapala and may publish his findings in the near future.

The Sinhala scholar at the forefront of setting the record straight is Ananda Guruge. He has authored numerous books on Dharmapala. In addition to this book, I have acquired copies of his works, including "ධර්මපාල ලිපි," "Return to Righteousness," and "Serendipity of Andrew George," which is a sequel to "To Free at Last in Paradise." (I didn't purchase a copy of "To Free at Last in Paradise" because the remaining copies at Godage were in a dilapidated state.  These two books are novels.)

This is a concise account of the life and work of Dharmapala. In his preface titled "About this book," Guruge states the following.

"As a unique human being, he belongs to all times and climes.  His thoughts and actions deserve worldwide attention.  Hence this three-part miscellany outlining his life and his achievements.  Each part is self contained but presented from its own particular perspective.  The reader may read them in any order."

"On the 17th of September 2014, the 150th Birth Anniversary of the Anagarika Dharmapala will be celebrated worldwide by grateful admirers of his dedicated services.  This book is republished to enable a comprehensive assessment and evaluation of his contribution to national and Buddhist renaissance."

This book is divided into three parts after a brief introduction: "The Life and Work of Dharmapala"; "The Fire Brand in Action: From the Eyes of a Historical Novelist"; and "Anagarika Dharmapala! Thou should be Living at This Hour".  

Most of the content in the first part of this book was taken from his more comprehensive volume, "Return to Righteousness—a Collection of Speeches, Essays, and Letters of Dharmapala." The second part comprises material from his novels, while the third part is dedicated to the fruits of Dharmapala's labor in Sri Lankan society.

On January 2nd, 1891, Dharmapala visited Isipathana, Benares, and the Bodhi tree, where he vowed to dedicate his life to rescuing the holy place from neglect. He spent the remainder of his life pursuing this goal, considering everything else secondary. The Brahmins, responsible for the extinction of Buddhism in India, controlled the Mahabodhi temple, which had become a site of worship for Shivaists and Vaishnavas.

When Dharmapala visited the temple, it was under the control of a Shivaite Brahmin (mahant). In 1891, Dharmapala founded the Maha Bodhi Society, and its headquarters were moved to Calcutta in 1892 with the aim of reclaiming control of the Mahabodhi Temple for Buddhists.

In February 1895, Dharmapala arranged to place a Japanese Buddhist image in the shrine of the temple, but the Mahant's servants forcibly removed it. Dharmapala took the Mahant to court. The case, known as the Bodhgaya case, dragged on until 1910, and the court ultimately sided with the Mahant. Unfortunately, even today, the Mahabodhi Temple is not completely in the hands of the Buddhists.

Most of his life was dedicated to Dharma-dootha activities abroad and working towards restoring control of the Mahabodhi temple to Buddhists. He spent only a few years in Sri Lanka as an activist. In May 1906, he established the Sinhala Bauddhaya and Maha Bodhi Press. He initiated the national revival and toured all over the island in 1912.

He was interned in Calcutta by the British from June 1915 to 1920. To keep him occupied, the British government of India communicated to him that they were prepared to present a relic of Buddha to the Maha Bodhi Society if Dharmapala would build a Vihara in Calcutta. Dharmapala accepted this offer and completed the construction of the Vihara at College Square, Number 4, by November 1920.

In a short story titled "The Miracle Girl," Rita Chang-Eppig (from the book The Best American Short Stories 2021) captures the attitudes of Christian (or Catholic) missionaries. Foreign Christian missionaries descended on a poor, remote village in Taiwan and established a school and a food pantry to educate and feed the poor. 

“All villages had to do was set aside some time on Sundays to listen to their stories.” “The stories became facts, if not among the adults, then at least among the children.”

“The teachers liked to tell this story: One day God decided to draw mankind a bath.  He took one group of people and cleanse them first.  They, having bathed in pure water, emerged white.  Then God took a second group of people and cleanse them.  They, having bathed in slightly soiled water, emerged yellow.  Finally God took a third group of people and cleansed them.  They having bathed in heavily soiled water, emerged black.”

In the book “India Discovered,” John Keay describes the attitudes of missionaries from the 1830s onwards.  

“The evangelicals horrified by the idea that Christians could take the idolatry and improprieties of a pagan culture seriously, seeing in India an unlimited field for missionary activity, and insisting that it was part of a Christian government’s duty to promote this.”

“No longer did British feel any sneaking sense of surprise at their success in India.  Clearly it was ordained, either by the Almighty as the Evangelicals would have it, or by history as the Utilitarians preferred.  The word ‘nigger’ was slowly coming into fashion.”

The following is from the book “Curry & Rise on Forty Plates or The Ingredients of Social Life at Our Station in India,” by George Franklin Atkinson.  

“Then you see him in his court—niggers—ten thousand pardons! no, not niggers, I mean natives—sons of the soil—Orientals—Asiatics', …”

Dharmapala criticized the high-handed activities of Catholic missionaries. At the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in September 1893, when questioned about “How can the Method of Christian Missionaries be Improved?” Dharmapala calmly and without the least passion arraigned the missionaries for what he termed their intolerance and selfishness, based on his observations of their actions.

“I warn you that if you want to establish Christianity in the East, it can only be done on the principles of Christ’s love and meekness.  Let the missionaries study all the religions; let them be a type of meekness and lowliness, and they will find a welcome in all lands.”

Dharmapala wanted to replace British rule with local governance while preserving the benefits of Western Civilization that they brought to Sri Lanka, such as education in science and technology. He urged young men from Bengal to open schools in Sri Lanka for both boys and girls.

We are living in a time where people are using the Buddhist Sangha robe for business activities. For instance, one person, after obtaining a degree in science, decides that the best way to make money is to become a monk and starts an agrarian business. Additionally, there is another person who, as a post-retirement project to make money, decides to become a monk and disseminates a false narrative that Buddha was born in Sri Lanka. In my humble opinion, we need another Dharmapala to set things straight in Sri Lanka once again.