(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor Adeline)

Formerly known as David Hewavitharne, Anagarika Dharmapala (Sinhalese: අනගාරික ධර්මපාල) of Sri Lanka was one of the most revered Buddhist revivalists and writers of the 20^th Century. He was well known as a significant reformer of Buddhism in Sri Lanka as well as one of the founding fathers of non-violent Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism. He was also one of the pioneers who revived Buddhism in India after it had been completely destroyed there, and the first Buddhist to preach the Dharma in Asia, Europe, and North America in modern times.

Together with Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, Anagarika Dharmapala (henceforth referred to as Dharmapala) played a crucial role in the transmission of Sri Lankan Buddhism to the West. He also inspired a mass movement of South Indian Dalits, including the Tamils, to embrace Buddhism ahead of B.R. Ambedkar.

Dharmapala founded the Maha Bodhi Society of India in 1891, spoke at the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, and restored many sacred Buddhist monasteries and temples. In the latter stages of his life, he entered the order of Buddhist Sangha and was known as Venerable Sri Devamitta Dharmapala.

The Theosophists of 1893. Anagarika Dharmapala is seated on the front left.

Early Life

On 17 September 1864, the leading light of Sri Lanka’s Buddhist Renaissance Movement, who was destined to spur on the people of Sri Lanka, was born into the Hewavitharne family, a rich and influential devout Buddhist family in Matara, Colombo. His father, Don Carolis Hewavitharne of Hiththetiya, was the owner of a furniture shop and his mother, Mallika Dharmagunawardhana, was the daughter of the richest merchant of Ceylon at the time, Andiris Perera Dharmagunawardhana. His given name was Don David Hewavitharne and his two younger brothers were Dr Charles Alwis Hewavitharne and Edmund Hewavitharne. Sri Lanka at that time was known as Ceylon, a British colony, and so the three brothers were educated according to the English schooling system. Dharmapala attended Christian College in Kotte; St Benedict’s College in Kotahena; St Thomas’ College in Mutwal and the Colombo Academy (Royal College).

Anagarika Dharmapala’s parents, Don Carolis Hewavitharne and Mallika Dharmagunawardhana

Although educated in Christian schools, Dharmapala’s ideas were shaped by and conformed with the Buddhist way of life. In 1874, when he was only 10 years old, he attended a great debate between the Buddhist monks Venerable Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera and Migettuwatte Sri Gunananda Thera, and Christian missionaries in Ceylon. Sometime later, the Founders of the Theosophical Society, Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott, heard about the debate and wrote to the monks to inform them that they would travel to Ceylon to help with the Buddhist cause in the interest of universal brotherhood. Dharmapala wrote:

“The letters from Colonel Olcott and Madame Blavatsky were translated into Sinhalese and widely distributed. My heart warmed towards these two strangers, so far away and yet so sympathetic, and I made up my mind that, when they came to Ceylon, I would join them.

They did come to Colombo a few years later, when I was sixteen. The Buddhists entertained them royally. I remember going up to greet them. The moment I touched their hands, I felt overjoyed. The desire for universal brotherhood, for all the things they wanted for humanity, struck a responsive chord in me. I began to read their magazine… I pondered on the conversations I had had with the two Theosophists. I made up my mind not to entangle myself in the net of worldly desires. I would endeavour from then on to devote my life to the welfare of others. Exactly how I was to carry out my resolve, I was not certain, but I felt that somehow the way would be found in the writings of Madame Blavatsky.”

Source: The Esoteric World of Madame Blavatsky, by Daniel H Caldwell

Spiritual Imprints

It was in 1875 in New York that Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott founded the Theosophical Society. Both were very sympathetic to what they understood about Buddhism and even declared themselves to be Buddhists. They even took Buddhist refuge vows and precepts from a prominent Sinhalese bhikkhu in 1880 when they arrived in Ceylon. It was at this time that the 16-year-old Dharmapala had the opportunity to meet them, an event that drew him into a life of religious dedication.

Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Colonel Henry Steel Olcott

Three years later in 1883, the 19-year-old Dharmapala had already mastered the foundations of Christian theology and knew more than half of the Bible by heart. Dharmapala used this knowledge to highlight the hypocrisy he perceived in his missionary instructors. That year, a mob of Sri Lankan Catholics attacked a Buddhist procession, which prompted him to leave school. It was then that he turned his intellectual pursuits to Buddhism instead. Not long after that, he found himself studying under the two great and influential Buddhist leaders of the time, Venerable Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera and Migettuwatte Sri Gunananda Thera. As a result, he developed great devotion towards Buddhist monks and this can be seen in one of his autobiographical notes, where he states:

“In contrast to my wine-drinking, meat-eating, and pleasure-loving missionary teachers, the Bhikkhus were meek and abstemious. I loved their company and would sit quietly in a corner and listen to their wise discourse, even when it was far above my head.”

Source: The Bible and Asia, by R. S. Sugirtharajah

Dharmapala began to read The Theosophist and other Theosophical books and, over time, became even more attracted to the works of Madame Blavatsky. On 3 February 1884, during Colonel Olcott’s visit to Ceylon, he signed the young Dharmapala up as a member of the Theosophical Society. In December that same year, the young Dharmapala was asked to travel to Chennai to assist with Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott’s work. When his father refused, Dharmapala recounted:

“Madame Blavatsky faced the priests and my united family. She was a wonderful woman, with energy and will-power that pushed aside all obstacles. She said, ‘That boy will die if you do not let him go. I will take him with me anyway.'”

Source: The Biographical Process: Studies in the History and Psychology of Religion, by Frank E. Reynolds and Donald Capps

Indeed, Madame Blavatsky took Dharmapala to Adyar, Chennai in India without his father’s permission. Once, when he was in Adyar, he expressed his willingness to devote his life to the Theosophical cause. Instead, Madame Blavatsky advised him to learn Pali and work for the welfare of humanity. She told him not to take up the study of occultism.

Upon returning from India, he lived at the Theosophical Society Headquarters. Two years after that, in 1886, when Colonel Olcott and C.W. Leadbeater travelled to Ceylon, Dharmapala was working as a junior clerk and had already acquired a sound knowledge of the English, Sinhalese and Pali languages. In addition, he had also mastered the Buddhist scriptures.

Not long after, Dharmapala accompanied Colonel Olcott and Leadbeater on their tour throughout Ceylon, dedicating his time towards the welfare of Buddhism and the Theosophical Society. By that time, Dharmapala had his parents and uncle all working alongside Colonel Olcott to revive Buddhism, including introducing the Buddhist flag as a unifying symbol, and supporting Buddhist schools.

In 1889, Dharmapala travelled to Japan with Colonel Olcott in an effort to create an ecumenical “International Buddhist League”. From Japan, they travelled to Singapore, Hong Kong, Saigon, and Shanghai. The trip was hard on Dharmapala’s health. When winter hit Japan that year, Dharmapala had to be hospitalised due to severe rheumatism. After returning to South Asia, Dharmapala and Colonel Olcott established the Maha Bodhi Society in 1891. The trip to Bodhgaya was inspired by an earlier visit there in 1885 by Sir Edwin Arnold, the author of ‘The Light of Asia’. In accordance with the advice of Weligama Sri Sumangala Thera, Sir Edwin had advocated for the renovation of the site and its return to Buddhist care. Dharmapala resolved to restore Bodhgaya to its former status as a Buddhist holy site and began an international campaign that was to last until his death in 1933.

Sir Edwin Arnold, the author of ‘The Light of Asia’

Buddhist Revival

Colonel Olcott was very devoted to the Buddhist education cause in Ceylon, and made countless trips there. As a result, he eventually set up more than 300 Buddhist schools in the country, some of which are still in existence today. It was during this period that David Hewavitharne decided to change his name to Anagarika Dharmapala. In Pali, Anagarika means ‘homeless one’ while Dharmapala means ‘Dharma Protector‘. An Anagarika is a midway status between an ordained member of the Sangha and a layperson.

In accordance with Buddhist practice at that time, Dharmapala took the Eight Precepts (to refrain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, wrong speech, intoxicating substances, eating after noon, entertainment and fashion, and sleeping on luxurious beds), making these commitments for life. These Eight Precepts were commonly observed by Ceylonese laypersons on days of observance but not for life. Dharmapala was the first anagarika who was celibate and a full-time Dharma worker in modern times. It is said that he actually took the vows of celibacy when he was eight years old, and held them all his life.

Anagarika Dharmapala

After he changed his name and took his vows, he changed his attire to a yellow robe that was not of the traditional bhikkhu pattern, and kept his hair. Having renounced the wealth, position and comforts of secular life, Dharmapala began his spiritual work, travelling around the world and becoming a role model for lay activism among modern Buddhists. He is also viewed as a Bodhisattva in Ceylon.

Dharmapala’s commitment to a spiritual life was exemplified by his application to Helena Petrovna Blavatsky’s School of Discipleship, the Esoteric Section of the Theosophical Society, on 4 January 1891. Dharmapala marked this date in his diary as the day he began a new life. On 3 March 1891, his certificate of admission arrived with a letter from Bertram Keightley, Madame Blavatsky’s representative at the esoteric school in India, which stated:

“Your progress and development will be determined by the quantity and quality of the work you do for the Theosophical Society and the Masters, and your future status in the school will solely depend thereon.”

Source: http://theosophy.wiki/w-en/index.php?title=Anagarika_Dharmapala

On 8 May 1891, Madame Blavatsky passed away in London and Dharmapala marked her passing in his diary with the poignant words, “My beloved teacher is no more.”

Dharmapala journeyed to remote villages in Ceylon to see for himself how the handicapped and local villagers were forced to suffer without proper roads, houses, schools and hospitals. Not long after, he became convinced that the greatness of a nation depended solely on the happiness and contentment of its rural folk. To Dharmapala, it was a fact. He dreamed of the day when Ceylon would gain independence, in order to breathe life back into local religion and the pristine glory of the Sinhala race. It was for these ends that Dharmapala served the Dharma in many ways. The most outstanding was the active part he played in reviving Buddhism in Ceylon and his contribution to the nationalist movement. He campaigned for these causes amidst tremendous difficulties without giving up.

In 1893, Colonel Olcott sponsored Dharmapala’s invitation to attend the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago as a speaker representing Theravada Buddhism. With his erudite knowledge of the Dharma, Dharmapala and the Japanese Zen master Soyen Shaku inspired the first wave of interest in Buddhism amongst European-Americans. Dharmapala also gave lectures at the Parliament and during the Theosophical Congress, which was held around the same time.

The 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions held on the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago, was the largest and most spectacular event among many other congresses in the World’s Columbian Exposition.

A description of Dharmapala was published in the St. Louis Observer on his memorable presentation at the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions:

“With black curly locks thrown from his broad brow, his clean, clear eyes fixed upon the audience, his long, brown fingers emphasising the utterances of his vibrant voice, he looked the very image of a propagandist, and one trembled to know that such a figure stood at the head of the movement to consolidate all the disciples of Buddha and to spread the light of Asia throughout the world.”

Source: Buddhist Faith in America, by Michael Burgan, J. Gordon Melton

Dharmapala sailed to England a month before the Congress in July and was warmly greeted by Sir Edwin Arnold, C.W. Leadbeater, Bertram Keightley, and the young C. Jinarajadasa. Sir Edwin hosted Dharmapala in his house and when he journeyed to London, he stayed with Annie Besant. Mrs. Besant was furious to discover that he planned to travel by third class to New York, and so she upgraded him to first class instead. Dharmapala and Mrs. Besant arrived in the United States on September 2, after which Dharmapala continued to Chicago by train.

Dharmapala with Colonel Olcott and Annie Besant at the 1893 Theosophical Congress

After the Congress, he spoke about “The World’s Debt to Buddha” and “Buddhism and Christianity” at the Parliament and both talks captivated people’s attention. Dharmapala skilfully ignited a desire to learn more about Buddhism amongst Western audiences, and his talks included references to science, Christianity and the European Enlightenment. He explained that the Buddha had denied the existence of a creator, and told his audience that science was preparing Western minds for Buddhist teachings. He remarked:

“Accepting the doctrine of evolution as the only true one, with its corollary, the law of cause and effect, he condemns the idea of a creator and strictly forbids inquiry into it as being useless.”

Dharmapala also added that Buddhism was “a comprehensive system of ethics and a transcendental metaphysics embracing a sublime psychology.” During the two-day congress organised by the Theosophical Society, Dharmapala was the appointed representative of the Ceylon Section of the organisation. He spoke twice, with 4,000 people present for his second talk, and gave a general presentation of Theosophy. His opening words were:

“Brothers and Sisters — A philosophical exposition of this grand subject of Theosophy is not within my province. Abler minds are here to give a Theosophic exposition of that beautiful subject. I am here as a Buddhist. I come to attend the religious Congress as such; but I am here to-day to express my deepest sympathy, my deepest, I should say, allegiance to the Theosophic cause, simply because it made me respect my own religion. And now look: there are Brahmans here on this platform, and here are my sweet sister, Mrs. Muller, and my brother Chakravarti, one a Brahman and the other a Christian, and by the study of Theosophy she loves it just now more than she used to do.”

Source: Dawn of Religious Pluralism: Voices From the World’s Parliament of Religions, 1893. Edited by Richard Hughes Seager.

Dharmapala brought the teachings of the Buddha to the Western world in a manner like never before through his talks. Needless to say, his work in America brought him international recognition and he made a deep impression on his Chicago hosts:

“No one who saw him then could ever forget the noble and Christ like beauty of the noted Sinhalese Buddhist and friend of H.P.B., Dharmapala. Tall and almost luminously ascetic, robed classically in spotless white, he was a lodestone to the throngs who swarmed into those meetings. Merely to look at him was a revelation of character and spiritual attainment.”

Leoline Leonard Wright, “Vignettes from the World’s Congress of Religions”

In a well-attended public ceremony in Chicago, he led the first American to accept Buddhism. It was held under the auspices of the Theosophical Society. The individual was Mr. C.T. Strauss, a Jewish haberdasher and member of the Theosophical Society delegation, who would later become an author and leading expositor of Buddhism in the West. Dharmapala visited Brooklyn, New York after Chicago where he met more members of the Society, attended some meetings, and gave a talk at the Aryan Theosophical Society. He also visited San Francisco on his way back home where he met more members of the Theosophical Society and gave them a public lecture that resulted in favourable comments in the West Coast newspaper.

Mary Elizabeth Mikahala Robinson Foster

Dharmapala made a good impression on the people he met and was described as a person of “gentleness, sincerity, and devotion”. When he stopped by Honolulu, the Hawaiian Theosophists greeted him warmly. There he met Mary E. Foster, a descendant of King Kamehameha, who later became a major donor to his causes. She had emotional problems and Dharmapala counselled her using Buddhist techniques. In return, she granted him an enormous donation of over one million rupees (equivalent to over $2.7 million as of 2010, but worth much more due to lower costs of goods and services in India).

At the World’s Parliament of Religions, Dharmapala also encountered important people in his life such as D.T. Suzuki, a brilliant Japanese scholar who was married to Theosophist Beatrice Lane Suzuki, and Dr. Paul Carus of the Open Court Publishing Company. He also became very friendly with Swami Vivekananda, and had great praise for the swami’s impact at the Parliament.

Dharmapala returned to America in 1896, invited by Dr. Paul Carus and again in 1902-1904, where he travelled and taught widely. He was in demand as a speaker, particularly after his notable performance in Chicago in 1893. During his 1896-1897 trip and subsequent visits to the US, he gave lectures to both Buddhists and Theosophists. Chicago Branch members wrote in December 1896:

“The last few months we have had the advantage of having with us three ‘wise men from the East’, the well-known Buddhist bhikshu, Anagarika H. Dharmapala, Virchand Ghandi, B.A., and Saalan, who are instructing us in Hindu philosophy, etc. and have been giving Sunday evening lectures on lines practically identical with Theosophical teachings.”

Source: http://theosophy.wiki/w-en/index.php?title=Anagarika_Dharmapala

On 30 October 1896, Dharmapala responded to a request by Dr. J.D. Buck to schedule a lecture, stating:

“I have received your kind note. I am sorry I have engagements accepted all through November. Early December I may or may not remain in Chicago.

You ask me “What would your price or terms be?” A follower of Buddha charges no price; he gives freely and abundantly. He lives for the world and works without expecting reward of any kind. Wherever I am asked to go, I go.

Source: http://theosophy.wiki/w-en/index.php?title=Anagarika_Dharmapala

During a visit to Boston in December 1903, Dharmapala attended a class by William James, a well-known American philosopher and psychologist, at Harvard University.

“I tried unobtrusively to reach the back of the lecture-hall to hear the great teacher of psychology, but it is difficult for a man in a yellow robe to be inconspicuous in America. Professor James saw me and motioned for me to come to the front of the hall. He said: ‘Take my chair, and I shall sit with my students. You are better equipped to lecture on psychology than I am.’ After I had outlined to his advanced class some elements of Buddhist doctrine, he turned to his students and said, ‘This is the psychology everybody will be studying twenty-five years from now.'”

Source: The Uses of Variety: Modern Americanism and the Quest for National Distinctiveness, by Carrie Tirado Bramen

In addition, Dharmapala’s portrait was featured as the frontispiece of The Chicago Vegetarian during his stay in that city. His article ‘The Best Food for Man’ was also printed in the work.

Dharmapala eventually separated from Colonel Olcott and the Theosophists because of the Colonel’s stance on universal religion. As pointed out by scholar David McMahan:

“One of the important factors in his rejection of theosophy centred on this issue of universalism; the price of Buddhism being assimilated into a non-Buddhist model of truth was ultimately too high for him.”

Source: The Making of Buddhist Modernism, by David L. McMahan

Dharmapala also stated that Theosophy was “only consolidating Krishna worship. To say that all religions have a common foundation only shows the ignorance of the speaker; Dharma alone is supreme to the Buddhist.”

At the same time, the differences between Colonel Olcott and Dharmapala seemed to be about their priorities. Colonel Olcott’s first priority was to spread Buddhist teachings, while Dharmapala prioritised the struggle to regain control of the temple at Bodhgaya, the sacred site where Lord Buddha Shakyamuni attained enlightenment, which at the time was under the control of a Hindu sect.

This rift grew further and resulted in Colonel Olcott’s resignation from the Maha Bodhi Society and Dharmapala’s resignation from the Theosophical Society in 1905. However, Dharmapala always held a connection with Madame Blavatsky’s teachings. In July 1925, he wrote to Christmas Humphreys saying that Madame Blavatsky was “the messenger of the Masters of Trans-Himalayan Lodge” and that he was a member of the Blavatsky Association in London. He said he wished “to see through it the spread of such teachings as were given by H.P.B. as she received them from the Masters” and added he thought there were “quite a number of Theosophists who were inclined towards the Buddha Dhamma.”

Religious Contributions

A letter written by Anagarika Dharmapala in English to a friend in Japan, dated June 23, 1902

Dharmapala was fearless in his manner, independent in spirit, and his dynamic personality shone forth radiant energy which enthralled both national and international audiences. Wherever he went, large crowds assembled and listened to him with rapt attention. His vibrant voice resonated and inspired listeners with its magical effects. His masterful oratory spread across the country calling for Buddhist resurgence, Buddhist unity and national awareness.

He was at the forefront of national and Buddhist movements for 47 years. His weekly publication, Sinhala Bauddhaya, was a powerful organ of Buddhist opinion, which guided and inspired the nation’s religious and national campaigns. Besides these, he addressed thousands of meetings and published numerous articles in national and international journals. Whenever he wrote, he was a force to be reckoned with. However, Dharmapala’s personal correspondence shows his true form – warm and genial in friendship and devastatingly critical of himself.

Sir Edwin Arnold, author of ‘The Light of Asia’, had previously published articles in the Telegraph in 1885 that drew attention to the Bodhgaya Temple. At the time, it had been abandoned and was in deplorable condition. In January 1891, accompanied by the Japanese priest Kozen Gunaratna, Dharmapala embarked on a pilgrimage in 1891 to the recently restored Maha Bodhi Temple at Bodhgaya, India where Siddhartha Gautama – the Buddha – had attained Enlightenment.

He was shocked to discover the temple in the hands of a Saivite priest, the Buddha’s image transformed into a Hindu icon, and Buddhists barred from worship. Spurred on by Sir Edwin Arnold’s writings, he developed a strong urge to take action and began a movement of non-violent agitation. He wrote in his diary:

“As soon as I touched with my forehead on the Vajrasana a sudden impulse came to my mind. It prompted me to stop here and take care of this sacred spot so sacred that nothing in this world is equal to this place where Prince Sakyasinha gained Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.”

Source: http://theosophy.wiki/w-en/index.php?title=Anagarika_Dharmapala

Statue of Anagarika Dharmapala in Kolkata College Square

The Maha Bodhi Society at Colombo was founded on 31 May 1891. The High Priest of Ceylon, H. Sumangala, became President, Colonel Olcott was Director and Chief Advisor, and Dharmapala was General Secretary. The new Society solicited contributions to maintain a staff at the site, and convened an International Buddhist conference at Bodhgaya in October 1891. The following year, its offices were established in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and a journal, ‘The Maha Bodhi’ began publication in 1892, with Dharmapala serving as its editor for many years.

One of the Maha Bodhi Society’s primary aims was the restoration of Buddhist control at Bodhgaya’s Maha Bodhi Temple, the chief of the four ancient Buddhist holy sites. To accomplish this, Dharmapala initiated a lawsuit against the Brahmin priests who had controlled the site for centuries.

After a protracted struggle, his battle was successful only after Indian Independence (1947) and 16 years after Dharmapala’s passing (1933), with the partial restoration of the site to the management of the Maha Bodhi Society in 1949. It was then that the temple management of Bodhgaya was entrusted to a committee comprised of equal numbers of Hindus and Buddhists. A statue of Anagarika Dharmapala was erected in College Square near the Kolkata Maha Bodhi Society in recognition of his life and works.

Anagarika Dharmapala (seated-centre) at the Mahabodhi Society Headquarters in Calcutta

While living in England in 1893, Dharmapala contacted William Rhys Davids, founder of the Pali Text Society, for advice about the temple. Over the course of a number of years, the Maha Bodhi Society succeeded in restoring the ancient Buddhist shrines at Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar. Substantial donations by Hawaiian Theosophist Mary E. Foster facilitated this work.

The Society was effective in raising awareness of the Buddhist heritage of India and Ceylon, and increasing the knowledge of Buddhism in the Western world. During his years with the Society, Dharmapala established Upasana Centres, libraries, schools, colleges, orphanages and hospitals in India and Sri Lanka to serve the general public. He was also a strong advocate of independence in both India and Sri Lanka.

The Maha Bodhi Society of India continues to this day in Kolkata, and related organisations have been established in Bangalore, Chennai, Colombo and elsewhere. Maha Bodhi Society centres were set up in various Indian cities and have successfully raised awareness of Buddhism amongst the Indian people. As a result, many educated Indians of all castes in South India have become Buddhists. Due to Dharmapala’s efforts, Kushinagar, the site of the Buddha’s parinirvana once again became a major pilgrimage site for Buddhists, as it had been many centuries ago.

Dharmapala, Science, and Protestant Buddhism

Coined by scholar Gananath Obeyesekere, the term ‘Protestant Buddhism’ is often applied to Dharmapala’s form of Buddhism. It is protestant in two ways:

1. It is influenced by Protestant ideals such as freedom of conscience, freedom from religious institutions, and focus on the individual’s internal experiences.
2. It is in itself a protest against claims of Christian superiority, colonialism, and Christian missionary work aimed to weaken Buddhism.

“Its salient characteristic is the importance it assigns to the laity,” according to Gananath Obeyesekere. It arose among the new, literate middle class centred in Colombo.

The term ‘Buddhist modernism’ is used to describe forms of Buddhism that suit the modern world, usually influenced by the European Enlightenment, often adapted by Asian Buddhists as a counter to claims of European or Christian superiority. Buddhist modernists only emphasise certain aspects of traditional Buddhism. Some of the characteristics of Buddhist modernism include:

1. Importance of the laity as opposed to the ordained Sangha;
2. Emphasis on spontaneity, creativity, and intuition;
3. Consistency with (and in anticipation of) modern science;
4. Rationality and de-emphasis of supernatural and mythological aspects;
5. Democratic, anti-institutional character; emphasis on meditation over devotional and ceremonial actions.

Dharmapala matches these descriptions, and is an excellent example of an Asian Buddhist modernist, perhaps also a paradigmatic example of Protestant Buddhism. He was particularly concerned with presenting Buddhism as consistent with science, especially with the theory of evolution.

Ancient Monasteries at Sarnath

Dharmapala was also known as Ven Sri Devamitta Dharmapala

Dharmapala last visited Ceylon again in 1931 when he founded the Anagarika Dharmapala Trust. He entered the holy order of ordained Bhikkus, taking the name Sri Devamitta Dharmapala upon returning to India. He received the higher ordination, ‘Upasampada’ in January 1933.

Dharmapala passed away on 29 April 1933 at Mulagandhakuti Vihara, the Buddhist temple he built at Isipatana, Sarnath, near Benares. It was here that he lived as a monk, and it was also the location where the Buddha had first preached after his Enlightenment.

Dharmapala’s last words were:

“Let me die soon. Let me be reborn. I can no longer prolong my agony, I would like to be born again twenty-five times to spread the Buddha Dhamma.”

Source: http://theosophy.wiki/w-en/index.php?title=Anagarika_Dharmapala

Survey of Writings

Most of Dharmapala’s works are collected in ‘Return to Righteousness: A Collection of Speeches, Essays, and Letters of the Anagarika Dharmapala’, edited by Ananda Guruge of the Colombo Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, and published in 1965.

As the founder and editor of the journal of the Maha Bodhi Society for many years, Dharmapala regularly submitted articles to popular newspapers such as The Buddhist and Sinhala Bauddhaya to advise people on how to lead a pious and meritorious life.

His writings can also be found in early Theosophical journals while The Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals lists several articles by or about Dharmapala. Apart from that, he also wrote many other books and pamphlets. Many of Dharmapala’s works are available in Sinhalese. Below are his English-language publications in chronological order:

Downloadable Books

The World’s Debt to Buddha (1893)

This paper was read to a crowded session of the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago on 18 September 1893. During this early stage of his career, Dharmapala’s main concern was to make Buddhism palatable to his Western audience. This talk is full of references to science, the European Enlightenment, and Christianity.

While presenting Buddhism in these familiar terms, he also hinted that it was superior to any philosophy of the West. In addition, he spent considerable time discussing the ideal Buddhist polity under Asoka and the Buddha’s ethics for laypeople.

Download Free PDF Version

The Life and Teachings of Buddha

• Published: 1912
• Publisher: G.A. Natesan & Co (Madras)
• Language: English

Download Free PDF Version

The Constructive Optimism of Buddhism (1915)

Buddhism was often portrayed in the West, especially by Christian missionaries, as pessimistic, nihilistic, and passive. One of Dharmapala’s main concerns was to counter such claims, and this concern is especially evident in this essay.

Download Free PDF Version

The Arya Dharma of Sakya Muni, Gautama, Buddha or, The Ethics of Self Discipline

• Published: 1917
• Publisher: Maha Bodhi Society (Calcutta)
• Language: English

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Great Sayings of Anagarika Dharmapala

• Published: 1964
• Compiled by Bhikshu Sangharakshita and Buddhadasa P. Kirthisinghe
• Publisher: Buddhist Publication Society (Kandy, Ceylon)
• Language: English
• This booklet was published as a tribute to the Birth Centenary of the late Venerable Anagarika Dharmapala. The sayings reproduced here have been collected by Bhikshu Sangharakshita from the Vols. XVI, XIX, XXI, XXIII, XXV, and XXVII of the Maha Bodhi journal. They were first published separately in 1957 by the Maha Bodhi Society of India, Calcutta.

Download Free PDF Version

The texts above were sourced from legitimate book-hosting services offering these texts for free download. They are made available here for purely educational, non-commercial purposes.

Other Writings and Lectures

The Kinship between Hinduism and Buddhism

This lecture was delivered in the Town Hall at Calcutta on 24 October 1892.

• Published: 1893
• With Henry S. Olcott
• Publisher: The Maha-Bodhi Society (Calcutta)
• Language: English

History of an Ancient Civilization: Ceylon under British Rule (1902)

• Published: 1902
• Language: English
• Los Angeles

The Psychology of Progress, or, The Thirty-Seven Principles of Bodhi

• Published: 1912
• Publisher: The Maha-Bodhi Society (Calcutta)
• Language: English

Desire in Buddhism

• Published: 1917
• Language: English
• This is primarily a criticism of the morals of Christian Europe, European colonialism, and Christian missionaries.

Buddhism in Its Relationship with Hinduism

• Published: 1918
• Publisher: The Maha-Bodhi Society (Calcutta)
• Language: English

Message of the Buddha

• Published: 1925
• Language: English
• In the later stages of his career, Dharmapala’s vociferous anti-Christian tone was more evident. Dharmapala must be understood in the context of British colonisation of Ceylon and the presence of Christian missionaries there. This work is a good example of ‘Protestant Buddhism’ as described above.

Evolution from the Standpoint of Buddhism

• Published: 1926
• Language: English

Basic Buddhism

• Published: 1945
• Publisher: All-Ceylon Buddhist Students’ Union (Sydney)
• Language: English

Return to Righteousness, A Collection of Speeches, Essays, and Letters of the Anagarika Dharmapala

• 1965
• Edited by Ananda W. P. Guruge
• Publisher: Anagarika Dharmapala Birth Centenary Committee, Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs (Colombo, Ceylon)
• Language: English

Legacy and Conclusion

Dharmapala, who had nothing but love for his country and religion, had a truly international outlook. He was a colossus who rejected the barriers of race, creed and nationality. His activities were not simply confined to the land of his birth; he inspired men and events of other countries as well. His untiring struggle in India to acquire the holy site of Bodhgaya for the Buddhists is an outstanding example of his principles, which transcended barriers of race and nationality. He went about his onerous tasks with great zeal, and all that he uttered came from a sincere heart burning with patriotism and religious fervour.

With his enthusiasm and tireless efforts driving his human frame to lengths beyond common endurance, in a noble life dedicated to national and religious causes after seeing the plight his people had fallen into — their religion neglected, their lives dispirited and drifting into something alien and unnatural — Anagarika Dharmapala became an inspiration for his compatriots today.

In 2014, India and Sri Lanka issued postage stamps to mark the 150^th anniversary of Dharmapala’s birth. A road has also been named in his honour as ‘Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha’ (Anagarika Dharmapala Street) in Colombo.

Anagarika Dharmapala

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/Anagarika.mp4

 
Sources:

• http://www.anagarika.dharmapalappa.lk/home_en.htm
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anagarika_Dharmapala
• http://www.londonbuddhistvihara.org/Dharmapala.htm
• https://tricycle.org/magazine/anagarika-dharmapala/
• http://theosophy.wiki/w-en/index.php?title=Anagarika_Dharmapala

 
For more interesting information:

• Nicholas Roerich & art (1874-1947)
• George Roerich – Light of the Morning Star
• Helena Roerich: Writer, Philosopher and Peacemaker
• Lama Anagarika Govinda: The Pioneer Who Introduced Tibetan Buddhism to the World
• Li Gotami: The Woman Who Dedicated Her Life to the Arts
• Kazi Dawa Samdup: a Pioneering Translator of Tibetan Buddhist Texts
• Ekai Kawaguchi – Three Years in Tibet
• Alexandra David-Néel
• Professor Garma C.C. Chang – The Illustrious Pioneer
• Bill Porter (Red Pine): The Translator of Chinese Poems and Promoter of Zen Buddhism
• John Blofeld and His Spiritual Journey
• Herbert Guenther – Master of Languages & Buddhism
• Walter Evans-Wentz: American Pioneer Scholar on Tibetan Buddhism
• Theos Bernard – The American Explorer of Tibet
• In the Footsteps of Joseph Rock

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