W. S. Karunaratne
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Wijesinghe Sugathadasa | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 1986 |
Nationality | Sri Lankan |
Citizenship | Sri Lanka |
Education | University of London |
Alma mater | Ananda College, University of Peradeniya, University of London |
Occupation(s) | Academic, diplomat |
Known for | Scholarly works of Buddhist philosophy and comparative religion |
Notable work | Theory of Causality |
Title | Professor, Ambassador |
Spouse | Indumathi Gunathilaka |
Children | Shantarakshita, Kamalaseeli, Chandrakeerthi, Harsha |
Parent(s) | Don Charles Karunaratne and Donna Charlinton Dissanayake |
Wijesinghe Sugathadasa Karunaratne (24 December 1928 – 1986) was a well-known Buddhist scholar. He was affectionately known by the Sri Lankan masses as "W. S." and as "The Don" by the academia. Karunaratne was born in Katugastota, a small village in the Kandy district in Sri Lanka.
Early years
Coming from a family of nine siblings, Karunaratne grew up in a very poor home. The household moved as his police constable father was transferred around the country during the British colonial rule of Sri Lanka. The Karunaratne family lived a meager life in dilapidated police barracks, which usually consisted of one room and kitchen unit without any other living space, running water or electricity. The children studied at night with the help of faint kerosene lamps.
Karunaratne initially attended
Education
Karunaratne entered the University of Ceylon in 1948. When his father died at a young age, the burden of supporting the family fell on Karunaratne as the second-oldest male child. While pursuing his education, Karunaratne worked part-time and managed to feed the family and keep the children in school. He won numerous scholarships and obtained a Bachelor of Arts with first class honours in 1952. Karunaratne's father had wanted him to join the Ceylon Civil Service, but his professors persuaded him to become an assistant lecturer at the university's Peradeniya Campus (which became the University of Peradeniya in 1978) in the Department of Pali and Buddhist Civilization. In 1954, Karunaratne married one of his students, Indumathi Gunatillake, who eventually became an expert in Tibetan Buddhism and joined the Sri Lanka Encyclopedia of Buddhism as an assistant editor. Soon after their wedding, Karunaratne and his wife moved to London, England, where, at age 28, Karunaratne obtained his doctorate from the University of London for his thesis on "The Theory of Causality in Early Buddhism". In the same year, Karunaratne was chosen as the F. L. Woodward prizeman of the School of Oriental and African Studies.
Buddhist studies
Twelve years later, the Department of Pali and Buddhist Civilization was contemplating the establishment of a separate department of Buddhist Philosophy. In 1964, Karunaratne was selected as its first professor (over competing candidate Reverend Dr.
The university went through a transformation in the 1970s, and the Arts faculty was moved to the Vidyalankara Campus in Kelaniya. From 1973 to 1978, Professor Karunaratne continued to be the dean of the Faculty of Arts at Vidyalankara, as well as the Buddhist philosophy chair. In addition, he also served as a member of the transitional University of Sri Lanka's board of regents.
Diplomacy
In 1978, President J. R. Jayewardene invited Karunaratne to be Sri Lanka's ambassador to the United States. Karunaratne took a leave of absence from the university to accept the position in Washington, D.C. After distinguished service as the ambassador to the United States, as well as to the United Mexican States, he returned to teaching at the Vidyalankara Campus until his death in 1986.
Oratory
Apart from his academic achievements, Karunaratne was well known throughout Sri Lanka for his remarkable ability to make public speeches on almost any given subject. He is referred to by some as the "Silver Tongue of Asia". He was well known for his intellect and the unique knowledge and memory of the Buddhist Cannon; the
Politics
After the '1956 revolution',[
Contributions
Professor Karunaratne was equally fluent in Sinhala, Tamil and English in addition to the classical languages of Pali, Sanskrit and Latin. He read in Hindi, French, German and Burmese. He was a visiting professor in the United States in 1963, lecturing at numerous universities as a
Gallery
-
Meeting late Pope John Paul II
-
Discuss Human Rights issues with Secretary of State Warren Christopher
-
Calling on US Military leaders
-
Observing Honor Guard at the Mexican Presidential Palace
-
Meeting with Mexican President José López Portillo
-
Greeted by school children at the Mexican Presidential Palace
-
Peoples United Front (MEP) days with Robert Gunawardena
-
Addressing rural villagers
-
Campaigning with Philip Gunawardena, MEP Leader
-
With University students atRangoon University, Burma
-
President Ranasinghe Premadasa pay respects
-
Prime Minister Dingiri Banda Wijetunga pay respects
-
Speaker of the Parliament E. L. Senanayake pay respects
-
Vijaya Kumaratunga pay respects
-
Monks come from around the country
-
Transfer Merits
-
Students say goodbye
-
Funeral procession
-
To lay in state
-
Funeral Pyre
Speeches
- Addressing members of the 8th Sri Lanka Parliament
- Sara Dharma', addressing Sri Lanka Central Bank staff
See also
- Sri Lankan Non Career Diplomats
External links
- http://www.pirith.org/#Karunaratne
- https://web.archive.org/web/20110718113444/http://www.worldbuddhistuniversity.com/uploads/files/e-jornal/World%20Buddhist%20Vol_5%20No_1.pdf
- http://www.maithri.com/links/articles/lotus2.htm
- https://web.archive.org/web/20070928082102/http://web.singnet.com/~chlim/yogacara.html
- http://www.answers.com/topic/ananda-college
- https://web.archive.org/web/20140224112220/http://www.buddhism.hku.hk/staff_info/ProfYKarunadasa.pdf
- http://vipassana.com/index.php
- https://web.archive.org/web/20100208160709/http://www.cmb.ac.lk/academic/institutes/pgim/ACA/BC/Anaesthesiology.htm
- http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Department_of_Buddhist_Studies/Origins_of_Buddhism_and_the_Basic_Concepts_of_Culture
- https://web.archive.org/web/20061114104222/http://www.windhorsepublications.com/CartV2/reviews.asp?ProductID=354
- http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org/documents/diary/1978/d060578t.pdf
- https://web.archive.org/web/20100501200624/http://www.arts.pdn.ac.lk/pali/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20061013083750/http://www.pgis.lk/newsletter/news5/index.html
- https://web.archive.org/web/20061011033724/http://www.globalnonviolence.org/docs/buddhism/chapter12.pdf
- http://herenow.org/buddrel/5thru5.3.html
- http://tamilnation.co/selfdetermination/nation/roberts.htm
- https://web.archive.org/web/20061016151141/http://www.barricksinsurance.com/buddhist_bibliography.html
- https://web.archive.org/web/20061127201747/http://www.theodeboer.com/books.php?Author=&Title=&Description=&All=&Pmin=&Pmax=&ordernr=0&srchfrm=1&catnr=29&pg=114
- http://faculty.washington.edu/kpotter/ckeyt/b.htm
- http://faculty.washington.edu/kpotter/xb.htm
- https://web.archive.org/web/20060511224208/http://www.southasiafoundation.org/saf/safdic/characteraw.asp?ch=w
- DOI.org
- http://www.oikozoe.or.kr/bbs/read.cgi?board=data&nnew=2&y_number=46
- http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/(gbilm445cyorjeyzhye1psad)/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,4,6;journal,14,15;linkingpublicationresults,1:108538,1
- https://web.archive.org/web/20061207004336/http://buddhistcc.com/books_all.htm