Lynn de Silva
Lynn Alton de Silva | |
---|---|
Reverend Doctor | |
Spouse | Lakshmi Sirima née Mendis |
Children | 4 |
Lynn Alton de Silva (16 June 1919 – 22 May 1982) was a Sri Lankan theologian and
Lynn de Silva's book titled Buddhism: Beliefs and Practices in Sri Lanka (de Silva 1974) was mentioned in two journals in the early 1980s as being unparalleled as an introduction to Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Possibly his most notable contribution to theology is the book titled The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity (de Silva 1979),[5] in which he points out an age-old misconception held by Buddhists and Christians that the notion of an immortal soul is a biblical teaching. This book is considered by Schmidt-Leukel to be one of the classics in Buddhist-Christian dialogue, and one which has become well known among those actively involved in this dialogue. The book was also included in John Hick's Library of Philosophy and Religion series.
Lynn de Silva's father and three of his brothers were Methodist ministers. According to Walter Small, Lynn de Silva and his brothers Fred and Denzil were among the most significant Methodist writers during the period 1931–1964 in Sri Lanka.[6][7] After entering active service in the Methodist ministry in 1946, de Silva pursued his tertiary education, obtaining qualifications including a Bachelor of Divinity degree, two Master's degrees, and a Doctor of Theology degree. In addition to serving in the ministry, de Silva participated for twenty years in the dialogical and ecumenical activities of the World Council of Churches, and he was Executive President of the Presidium of the National Council for Religion and Peace in Sri Lanka (1979–1980). He died shortly after this role while addressing an audience at a conference, having continued to work until the end. In 1999, the Study Center building of the EISD was dedicated to the memory of Lynn de Silva and Rev. G. B. Jackson, the first director of the EISD.
Family, education and career
Lynn Alton de Silva was born to a
Education
Before being accepted as a candidate for the ministry, de Silva was a teacher from 1938 to 1942.
A few months after being ordained, Lynn de Silva married Lakshmi Mendis, on 3 February 1951,[12] at the Colpetty Methodist Church in Colombo. Toward the end of the year, on 16 November 1951, Lynn and Lakshmi had their first son, Lahan Jayalath de Silva.
Starting from the 1950s, de Silva pursued his tertiary education. He obtained a
Career and activities
Lynn de Silva's pioneering work in Buddhist-Christian dialogue, and his work in Bible translation, began in the early 1960s after he had completed his service at Seeduwa. In 1962, de Silva was appointed to serve the National Christian Council at the Study Centre for Religion and Society in Wellawatte, which later became the Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue—an important center for Buddhist studies.[11] It was shortly before starting work at the Study Center that Lynn and Lakshmi had their third child, Shiromi Priyala de Silva (later Rodrigo), on 3 September 1961.
Whilst managing the Study Center, de Silva was appointed co-translator of the Sinhala Bible Revision Committee in 1964.
Around the age of fifty, in the late 1960s, de Silva experienced a severe heart attack.[5] During his recovery, Lakshmi managed the home, watched over his health, and moderated his appointments.[5] Furthermore, she guided the work at the Study Center by handling most of the administrative duties, organisation of conferences, and publication related tasks.[5] She continued to take these responsibilities even after de Silva's recovery, so that he could focus on his research, writing and travel.[5]
From 1970 to 1971, de Silva lived in England with Lakshmi while he served the World Churches as William Paton Lecturer at
After his return to Sri Lanka, de Silva continued with Bible translation work, and he was appointed chief translator of the Old Testament into Sinhala in 1973.[13] Fr. Aloysius Peiris S.J. states the following in relation to de Silva's new position as chief translator:
His proficiency in his own mother-tongue coupled with his familiarity with Greek and Hebrew, as well as a thorough grounding in biblical theology, gave him an eminent position in the team that made the new Sinhala translation of the Bible. It was thanks to his ruthless criticism that many traditional Christian terms in Sinhala ... were eliminated from Biblical and liturgical use. He pointed out as nobody did before, such words when uttered in a Buddhist context, distort the Gospel message whilst doing violence also to the Sinhala language.
Lakshmi de Silva also played an important role in the Bible translation work. After three months of training, she was appointed secretary of the translation committee.[12][13] Her role in the committee involved technical work such as proofreading, and clerical work such as typing and dealing with the press.[12] She possessed sufficient knowledge in Greek and Hebrew to be able to check the accuracy and consistency of the Bible translation, which she continued at a full-time capacity even after she had fallen ill toward the latter part of her life.[12] With the experience she had gained, Lakshmi compiled valuable material for use in future bible translations.[12] Although she possessed the skills necessary to become a scholar in her own right, she was content to take a back seat to support her husband's work.[12] She died in 1980, just over a year before the Sinhala Bible translation was completed.[12]
Lynn de Silva's ecumenical responsibilities included membership in the Committees of the World Council of Churches (WCC) that focused on the Christian approach to other faiths. In particular, he was a WCC committee member (Paris 1962, Geneva 1967 and 1973); a member of the working group of the Division of World Mission and Evangelism (Mexico 1963, Zurich 1966 and Cantebury 1969); and member of the working group on Dialogue with Faiths and Ideologies (DFI) since 1969.[14] Some of his other significant ecumenical activities were visits to Buddhist study centres in Germany, England and the USA, and study tours of Buddhism in Burma, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.[5][14]
Lynn de Silva's quest for unity stretched beyond his dialogue with Buddhists. He was among a group of people that led the movement for the "
Lynn de Silva's interests included writing Sinhalese short stories (e.g., Premaoushadaya (
History of Buddhist-Christian relations in Sri Lanka
Ever since the 16th century, during colonisations of Sri Lanka by the Portuguese, Dutch and English,
Despite their belief that knowledge in Buddhism was essential, their attitude toward Buddhism was still negative. Through their
Gradually, this negative attitude between Buddhists and Christians started to change. The main influences responsible for the change included (1) more accurate knowledge of Buddhism than was available in the past; (2) interest in and appreciation for Buddhism shown by Western scholars such as
Perhaps the first Methodist missionary to practice this more positive attitude toward Buddhism was Rev. Stanley Bishop, who made his attitude evident in a book titled Gautama or Jesus (1907).[22] In the introductory chapter, Bishop states:
The apparently wide differences between the teachings of Gautama Buddha and of Jesus Christ have led many to suppose that there is very little in common between the two systems. Some have even been entrapped into the statement that Buddhist doctrine is in direct opposition to Christianity, or vice versa, and that there is no common ground upon which the Buddhist and the Christian may meet for mutual help. It is hard for anyone who is at all conversant with Buddhism to maintain the position so often adopted – that the Christian has nothing to learn and all to teach. Neither statement is based on anything surer than ignorance....These pages are written in an attempt to show that although the Christian may receive much light and stimulus from the teaching of the Buddha, the Buddhist may receive from Christ what Gautama was never in a position to give.[22]
Another significant step toward dialogue between Christians and Buddhists was by Daniel T. Niles, in his book Eternal Life Now (1946).
With the resurgence of Buddhism after Sri Lankan independence, the conviction grew even stronger for the need to consider Christianity in the light of a culture and heritage that is predominantly Buddhist, which led to an increased need for dialogue between the two religions.[24] Consequently, the Study Center for Religion and Society, which was later renamed to Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue (EISD), was established in Colombo in 1951.[24][25] The center was initially managed by Rev. G. B. Jackson, and later directed by Lynn de Silva, whose focus was on Buddhist studies.[24]
Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue
Lynn de Silva was the director of the Study Center for Religion and Society from 1962. The center was organised into two divisions: Division of Buddhist Studies, and Division of Frontier Studies. The purpose of the former division was to promote study and research in Buddhism, while the purpose of the latter division was to explore the theological and social implications of the Christian faith in Sri Lanka.[26] The center was involved in successfully organising a number of dialogues, meetings, and seminaries,[27] and it became an internationally recognised center for dialogue with Buddhism and other ecumenical concerns.[28] Furthermore, the center was recognised in the 1970s and 1980s as one of the most active of all similar study centres worldwide.[29][30]
In 1977, the center was renamed to Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue (EISD), and set up as an autonomous body separate from the control of religious bodies and institutions.[27][31] Although the primary focus was maintained on Buddhist-Christian studies and dialogue, a third additional division called Division of Studies of other Faiths and Ideologies was established to initiate studies in other religions.[27] In addition to publishing books and papers on dialogue between Christianity and other religions, the EISD published the Dialogue journal on a quarterly basis, which was founded and initially edited by Lynn de Silva.[27][32]
World Council of Churches assembly at Nairobi
The assembly at Nairobi in 1975 of the World Council of Churches was an important milestone in the history of inter-religious dialogue. For the first time, representatives from five different faiths were present at the gathering, and the discussions were centred around the topic of inter-religious dialogue.[33]
At a session that emphasised "seeking community" with people of other faiths, cultures and ideologies, the presentations were driven by, as the former director of the WCC sub-unit Dialogue with People of Living Faiths and Ideologies (DFI) –
According to Sperber and de Alwis,
In his speech to the general assembly at Nairobi, de Silva asserted that his concern was to alleviate the fear voiced by Europeans about dialogue which, he claimed, arises in people who have not lived among people of other faiths.[38] He argued that the spirituality of others can be shared without diminishing one's loyalty to one's own faith.[38] Further, he argued that dialogue is a safeguard against syncretism, not a temptation to syncretism, and that Asian Christians should overcome the obstacles that separate one religion from another, and seek to express the Christian faith in the thought-forms and life-forms of Asia.[38]
In a publication titled Freedom from Teutonic Captivity (Dialogue, New Series, Vol. 3, No. 1), de Silva shared his thoughts on the Nairobi debate, and he presented the significance of the debate as follows:
1. It revealed the strength of the Afro-Asian solidarity in their commitment to dialogue; 2. it revealed more clearly than ever before that the Third World Churches will no longer tolerate being dictated to by the Western Churches; 3. it revealed their determination to break away from teutonic captivity and discover the Christ who "Frees and Unites" in the living context of Asian and African religions.
The Asian theology of Lynn de Silva
Lynn de Silva gained an interest in Buddhism and its culture at an early stage in his ministry.
To obtain the necessary background in Sri Lankan Buddhist practices, de Silva consulted reputed Buddhist monks and scholars, visited Buddhist places of worship, and consulted written sources on Sri Lankan Buddhism.[5] Although most of his studies were completed in English, he took a special effort to master Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan culture.[10] Furthermore, he became proficient in Pali, the language of the Buddhist scriptures.[5][10][15] His findings eventually led to the book titled Buddhism: Beliefs and Practices in Sri Lanka (de Silva 1974), which is widely cited in religious literature (e.g.,[40][41][42][43][44][45][46]). According to two journals, this book was unparalleled as an introduction to Buddhism in Sri Lanka in the early 1980s, and it was also the most complete, thorough and sensitive book on Buddhism in Sri Lanka, resulting in it generally being recommended by professors and monks as a standard book on Buddhist practices in Sri Lanka.[10][32]
Anattā-Pneuma
In 1979 de Silva released a book titled The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity (
In his review of de Silva's book,
From the evangelical theologians, Tissa Weerasinghe believed that de Silva needs to put more emphasis on the "glaring disharmony" between Christianity and Buddhism that their differing views on the biblical notion of soul suggest.
Salvation
With an inclusivistic view on religion in the early stages of his career, Lynn de Silva believed that salvation does not only apply to Christians, but also to other religions. He maintained that while Christians can use Christ as their means for salvation, other religions can use their own means for salvation. Later in his life, de Silva developed more of a pluralistic view on religion, believing that neither of the two religions is superior to the other. Perry Schmidt-Leukel notes how this change of view is evident in de Silva's posthumous article Buddhism and Christianity Relativised, in volume 9 of the Dialogue journal.[1]
In her PhD thesis containing a chapter on de Silva's work, Damayanthi Niles claims that there is a problem with de Silva's argument in relation to salvation, in that it "reconciles the exclusive Christ-event and the inclusive vision of God's salvific plan purely on Christian terms," and that it does not take the "religious visions and commitments of other faiths seriously."[57] Furthermore, she argues that de Silva's understanding of salvation, as found in his paper Non-Christian Religions and God's Plan of Salvation (de Silva 1967b), borrows a religious idea from other religions and uses the idea to make Christianity more palatable to other religions and to Christians sensitive to pluralism.[57]
Thanatology
In the last few years before his death, de Silva focused his study towards the study of human death, namely, the field of
In this paper, de Silva talks about "Life Beyond Death," and writes that theologians should not ignore data from Parapsychology. He urges that evidence about the paranormal is compelling, and that it is a field that merits careful study. Regarding
Tissa de Alwis, in his Th.D. thesis studying the works of Lynn de Silva, argues that "de Silva's attempt to harmonise Rebirth, Purgatory, and an intermediate state, which is a kind of a continuum in which one passes from a near state of annihilation to the closest union with God, is inconsistent with the radical picture of Biblical anatta"; furthermore, de Alwis states that de Silva "fails to define lostness in the final sense and slides into an unrestricted universalism."[58]
Death and legacy
On 22 May 1982, while addressing the audience at a conference, Lynn de Silva succumbed to cardiac arrest. The conference was organised by the National Christian Council on the theme "Jesus Christ, Life of the World."[5] Being the third and final speaker, he completed his discourse on 2 Timothy 3: 15–17 and he stood up again to answer a question from the audience, but he was barely able to formulate a reply and sat back in his chair.[5] He died soon afterward, having continued to work until the end.
After Lynn de Silva's death, the EISD was directed by Rev. Kenneth Fernando, and currently (as of 2008) directed by Marshal Fernando. Fr. Aloysius Pieris S. J., who had been collaborating with de Silva since 1968, and who in partnership with de Silva had officially been responsible for editing the New Series of Dialogue, continued to work as editor of the journal after de Silva's death.[59] A sister-in law of Lynn de Silva, Langanee Mendis, who was trained by de Silva as his secretary after the death of his wife Lakshmi,[59] continues to work (as of 2008) as the Administrative Secretary at the institute. Mrs. Mendis is credited as being the main person responsible for the uninterrupted functioning of the institute after Lynn de Silva's death.[59] Furthermore, she was considered by Pieris in 2003 to be "a tower of strength [for the Ecumenical Institute] for well over 20 years."[31]
In March 1999, the Study Center building of the EISD was dedicated to the memory of Rev. G. B. Jackson and Lynn de Silva, by Rt. Rev.
Publications
Selected books and papers
- de Silva, Lynn A. (1950), Purana Darshanaya (Sinhalese), Colombo, Sri Lanka: M.D. Gunasena
- de Silva, Lynn A. (1961), Lukge Subaranchi Pradipaya (Sinhalese), Colombo, Sri Lanka: Committee for Publication of Christian Literature
- de Silva, Lynn A. (1964), Creation, Redemption and Consummation in Buddhist and Christian Thought, Chiang Mai, Thailand: Thailand Theological Seminary
- de Silva, Lynn A. (1968), Reincarnation in Buddhist and Christian Thought, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Christian Literature Society, ASIN B0006C3NP6
- de Silva, Lynn A. (1974), Buddhism: Beliefs and Practices in Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Wesley Press, ASIN B0000CQC8X
- de Silva, Lynn A. (1979), The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity (Second Ed.) [First edition published by the Study Center for Religion and Society, Colombo, 1975], London: Macmillan Press, ISBN 978-0-333-23660-4
- de Silva, Lynn A. (1980), Lakdiva Pariharaika Buddhagama (Sinhalese), Colombo, Sri Lanka: Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue
- de Silva, Lynn A. (1952a), Premaoushadaya (Sinhalese), Colombo, Sri Lanka: Liberty Press
- de Silva, Lynn A. (1952b), Premaye Rahasa (Sinhalese), Colombo, Sri Lanka: Salvation Army Press
- de Silva, Lynn A. (1967b), Hayward, Victor E. W. (ed.), "Non-Christian Religions and God's Plan of Salvation", Study Encounter, 2, 3, WCC: 61–67
Lynn de Silva as subject
- de Alwis, Tissa Brian (1982). Christian-Buddhist Dialogue in the Writings of Lynn A. de Silva (Th.D. thesis). Andrews University, USA: University Microfilms International.
- Dornberg, Ulrich (1992), "Lynn A. de Silva", Searching Through the Crisis: Christians, Contextual Theology and Social Change in Sri Lanka in the 1970s and 1980s, Colombo: Center for Society and Religion: 137–140
- Balasundaram, Franklyn J. (1994). The prophetic voices of Asia. Colombo: Center for Society and Religion. pp. 107–115.
- Höhensteiger, Petrus (1998). Mit Buddha und Christus auf dem Weg (an anthology of six major writings of Lynn de Silva). Freiburg: Herder.
- Niles, Damayanthi Mercy Arulratnum (1998). Religion and the Christian Faith in South Asia: A Critical Enquiry into the Writings of Hendrik Kraemer, Lynn de Silva & M. M. Thomas with Regard to the use of Understandings of Religion in the Theological Task (Ph.D. thesis). University of Chicago, USA: University Microfilms International.
See also
- Stanley Jedidiah Samartha
- Joshua Russell Chandran
- Paul David Devanandan
- Leonard Swidler
- John Hick
- D. S. Amalorpavadass
- Roger Corless
- Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue
References
- ^
- ^ Fr. Aloysius Peiris S.J. became co-editor when the journal started its New Series in 1974.
- ^ formerly called the Study Center for Religion and Society
- ISBN 9781625648648.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Pieris S.J., Aloysius (1982), "Rev. Dr. Lynn A. de Silva: A Tribute", Dialogue, 9, Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue: 1–3
- ^ Small, Walter J. T. (1971), A History of the Methodist Church in Ceylon, 1814–1964, Wesley Press, p. 531
- ^ The most significant Methodist writer during this period, according to (Small 1971, pp. 529, 530, 531), is Rev. D.T. Niles. Some others include Rev. C.H. S. Ward and Rev. J. Simon de Silva. The following quote from (Small 1971, p. 531) describes the works by Fred and Denzil: "Fred, who was for over 10 years Editor of "Methodist Witness" (Sinhalese) as well as of the Church Record, has had two books published by the C.l.S., "Christhiani Wivahaya" and "Vishudi Kamaya" and one by Gunasena’s, "Why to People Suffer?", as well as a number of pamphlets, including "Trouble in God’s world". Denzil has written "Sohon Ethara"".
- ^ a b (Small 1971, p. 615)
- ^ a b (Small 1971, p. 616)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Obituary – Rev. Dr. Lynn A. de Silva", Methodist Conference Report, 1982
- ^ a b (de Alwis 1982, p. 35)
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Mrs. Lakshmi de Silva", Sri Lanka Methodist Church Record, 1, 125, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Ceylon Business Appliances Limited: 14–15, 1981
- ^ a b c d e A Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication on the Publication of the New Sinhala Interconfessional Bible, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Under the auspices of The Ceylon Bible Society and The Catholic Bishops' Conference, 1983
- ^ a b c (de Alwis 1982, p. 32)
- ^ a b (Niles 1998, p. 50)
- ^ Buddhism in Sri Lanka
- ^ (Small 1971, p. 571)
- ^ a b c (Small 1971, p. 570)
- ^ Panadura#The historic Panadura Debate .27Panadura Vadaya.27
- ^ (Small 1971, p. 574)
- ^ (Small 1971, pp. 574, 575)
- ^ a b (Small 1971, p. 575)
- ^ a b (Small 1971, p. 576)
- ^ a b c (Small 1971, p. 577)
- ^ "Ecumenicalism and the Left movement". Sunday Observer. 16 February 2003. Archived from the original on 12 April 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
- ^ (de Alwis 1982, pp. 35, 36)
- ^ a b c d (de Alwis 1982, p. 36)
- ^ (England et al. 2002, p. 528)
- ^ JSTOR 1203142
- ^ Spae, Joseph J. (1975), "Three notes on the Christian-Buddhist Dialogue", Zeitschrift für Missionswissenschaft und Religionswissenschaft, 1, 59: 24
- ^ a b "Fifty years of Buddhist - Christian dialogue". Sunday Observer. 13 July 2003. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
- ^ JSTOR 1389922
- ^ a b c (de Alwis 1982, p. 28)
- ^ (de Alwis 1982, pp. 28, 29)
- ISBN 3-11-016795-6
- ^ (de Alwis 1982, p. 29)
- ^ (de Alwis 1982, p. 31)
- ^ a b c (de Alwis 1982, p. 33)
- ISBN 0-664-22461-X
- ISBN 962-201-850-5
- ISBN 0-691-11435-8
- ISSN 1076-9005
- ISSN 1076-9005
- ^ Turpie, David (2001). Wesak and the Re-Creation of Buddhist Tradition (PDF) (Master's thesis). Montreal, Quebec: McGill University. pp. 11, 12, 21.
- ^ Katz, Nathan (1978), Meanderings of the Wheel of Dhamma, vol. 257, Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society, pp. http://www.bps.lk/wheels_library/wh_257.html
- ISBN 81-208-0647-6
- S2CID 34960691
- S2CID 170456297
- ISSN 1448-6326, archived from the originalon 17 October 2009, retrieved 3 May 2008
- ISBN 0-88344-198-5
- ^ Griffith-Dickson, Gwen (31 January 2002), "From 'Self' and 'Other' – to 'We'", Gresham College Lecture, Barnard's Inn Hall, Holborn, London,
excellent source to consult on the Buddhist doctrine of no-self
- ^ JSTOR 1398982
- ^
Amore, Roy C. (1980), "(Review) The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity by Lynn A. de Silva", Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 48 (4), Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 48, No. 4: 630–631, JSTOR 1463468
- ^ ISBN 0-310-20971-4
- ISBN 0-87808-508-4
- S2CID 149288562
- ^ a b (Niles 1998, p. 55)
- ^ de Alwis, Tissa Brian (1983), "Christian Buddhist Dialogue in the Writings of Lynn A. de Silva", Dialogue, 10 (1), Colombo, Sri Lanka: Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue
- ^ a b c Pieris S. J., Aloysius (1983), "'Dialogue' and the EISD after Dr. Lynn A. de Silva", Dialogue, 1, 10: 39
- ^ "Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue (EISD)". Global Ministries. Archived from the original on 22 July 2014.
- ^ Jayanthi Liyanage (17 November 2009). "Help people think rationally". Daily News.