Mahinda (Buddhist monk)
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|
Devi (mother) | |
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Sect | Theravada |
Education | Buddhist religion |
Known for | Establishing Theravāda Buddhism in Sri Lanka |
Mahinda (
Mahinda was sent as a
Historical sources
The
Period: Circa 200 BC, Script: Early
The Mahavamsa says that Mahinda, the son of Ashoka, came to Sri Lanka and that Ashoka's daughter became a nun and brought the Bodhi Tree.[4]
Though Ashoka wanted his prodigal eldest son Mahendra to succeed him and made several attempts to bring him out of renunciation, due to the orthodox Hindu community's refusal to accept a Buddhist Crown Prince from a Vaishya mother as well as Mahendra's own lack of enthusiasm to take over an empire, he gave up. Though texts describe Mahendra's motive in leaving for Sri Lanka as spiritual, historians have argued that it was more of a political motive. Ashoka had feared that Mahendra would be killed just like Sushima, so to keep him safe and to avoid any succession war, he sent him to Sri Lanka. The party left from Vedasagiri
Mahavamsa and Dipavamsa, the chronicles of Sri Lanka, record the arrival of the party on the full moon of
Mahinda then sent for his sister
After a month spent delivering discourses to Sri Lankans who had ventured to the capital, Mahinda retreated to
Mahinda outlived Devanampiyatissa and died at the age of 80 in
Significance and legacy
The 20th century Sri Lankan monk
Mihintale, the mountain where Mahinda supposedly first encountered King Devanampiyatissa and the site of his funerary stupa, is an important pilgrimage site in Sri Lanka.[5] Pilgrimages are traditionally undertaken in the month of June (Poson in the old Sinhala calendar), when Mahinda is believed to have arrived in Sri Lanka on the full-moon night of the month, a traditional time for religious observances in Theravada Buddhism.[5]
See also
- Sri Lankan Buddhism
- Ashoka
- Theravada
- Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura
- History of Sri Lanka
References
- ^ "Ashoka's son took Buddhism outside India". The Times of India. Nirmukta. 16 March 2015.
- ^ ISBN 0-02-865910-4
- ^ a b Paranavitana, Senarath (1962). An inscription of circa 200 B.C. at Rajagala commemorating saint Mahinda. Colombo: University of Ceylon review by Ceylon University Press. pp. 159–162.
- ^ "Asoka's Missions".
- ^ ISBN 0-02-865910-4
Sugunasiri, Suwanda H. J., 2012, Arahant Mahinda - Redactor of the Buddhapujava in Sinhala Buddhism (with Pali Text, Translation and analysis), Nalanda Publishing Canada,