"श्रीलंका में बौद्धधर्म": अवतरणों में अंतर
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Sandesh9822 (वार्ता | योगदान) नया पृष्ठ: श्रीलंका में बौद्ध धर्म प्रमुख धर्म है जो श्रीलंका में 72% से 75% है। |
Sandesh9822 (वार्ता | योगदान) No edit summary टैग: मोबाइल संपादन मोबाइल वेब संपादन |
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पंक्ति 1:
{{Infobox religious group
| group = श्रीलंका में बौद्ध धर्म
| flag =
| flag_caption =
| image = {{image array|perrow=3|width=80|height=80
| image1 = Weliwita Sri Saranankara thera.jpg | caption1= [[Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero]]
| image2 = Venerable Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera (1823-1890).jpg | caption2= [[Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera]]
| image3 = Anagarika Dharmapala.jpg | caption3= [[Anagarika Dharmapala]]
| image4 = Brahmachari Walisingha Harischandra (1876-1913).jpg | caption4= [[Brahmachari Walisinghe Harischandra]]
| image5 = Official Photographic Portrait of Don Stephen Senanayaka (1884-1952).jpg | caption5 = [[D. S. Senanayake]]
| image6 = Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranayaka (1916-2000) (Hon.Sirimavo Bandaranaike with Hon.Lalith Athulathmudali Crop).jpg | caption6 = [[Sirimavo Bandaranaike]]
| image7 = Nissanka Parakrama.jpg | caption7 = [[Nissanka Wijeyeratne]]
| image8 = A T Ariyarathna.jpg | caption8 = [[A. T. Ariyaratne]]
| image9 = Pradeep Nilanga Dela.jpg | caption9 = [[Pradeep Nilanga Dela]]
}}
| image_caption =
| population = 1,42,22,844 (2012)<ref>{{cite web|title=A3 : Population by religion according to districts, 2012|url=http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/CPH2011/index.php?fileName=pop43&gp=Activities&tpl=3|work=Census of Population & Housing, 2011|publisher=Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka}}</ref>
| founder =
| regions = [[Provinces of Sri Lanka|Province]]
| tablehdr =
| region1 = {{flagcountry|Western Province, Sri Lanka}}
| pop1 = 4,288,797
| ref1 =
| region2 = {{flagcountry|Southern Province, Sri Lanka}}
| pop2 = 2,334,535
| ref2 =
| region3 = {{flagcountry|North Western Province, Sri Lanka}}
| pop3 = 1,754,424
| ref3 =
| region4 = {{flagcountry|Central Province, Sri Lanka}}
| pop4 = 1,665,465
| ref4 =
| region5 = {{flagcountry|Sabaragamuwa Province}}
| pop5 = 1,647,462
| ref5 =
| religions = [[बौद्ध धर्म]]
| scriptures =
| languages = {{Hlist|[[Sinhala language|Sinhala]]|[[Tamil language|Tamil]]}}
| related-c =
| website =
| notes =
}}[[File:Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba.jpg|thumb|250px|According to the [[Mahavamsa]], the [[Ruwanwelisaya|Great Stupa]] in [[Anuradhapura]], [[Sri Lanka]] (around 140 BCE.).]]
[[File:Sri lanka aukana buddha statue.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Avukana Buddha statue]] from 5th century]]
[[File:British Museum Asia 45 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Gilded bronze statue of the [[Tara (Buddhism)|Tara]] [[Bodhisattva]], from the [[Anuradhapura]] period (8th century)]]
[[File:Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara-BMA.jpg|thumb|upright|Bronze statue of [[Avalokiteśvara]]. [[Sri Lanka]], ca. 750.]]
[[File:World's highest statue of walking Buddha.JPG|thumb|80-foot World's tallest statue of walking Buddha in Pilimathalawa, Kandy<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.buddhistdoor.net/news/worlds-tallest-walking-buddha | title=World's Tallest Walking Buddha | accessdate=21 September 2016}}</ref>]]
[[Theravada]] [[Buddhism]] is the [[religion]] of 70.1% of the population of [[Sri Lanka]].<ref>"Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka, 2012 - [http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/CPH2011/Pages/Activities/Reports/FinalReport/Population/Table%20A4.pdf Table A4: Population by district, religion and sex]" (PDF). Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.</ref> The island has been a center of Buddhist scholarship and learning since the introduction of Buddhism in the third century [[Common Era|BCE]] producing eminent scholars such as [[Buddhaghosa]] and preserving the vast [[Pāli Canon]]. Throughout most of its history, Sinhalese kings have played a major role in the maintenance and revival of the Buddhist institutions of the island. During the 19th century, a modern Buddhist revival took place on the island which promoted Buddhist education and learning. There are around 6,000 Buddhist monasteries on Sri Lanka with approximately 15,000 monks.<ref name=Perera>Perera, HR, Buddhism in Sri Lanka A Short History, 2007, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/perera/wheel100.html</ref>
== History ==
===Introduction of Buddhism===
According to traditional Sri Lankan chronicles such as the ''[[Dipavamsa]]'', Buddhism was introduced into Sri Lanka in the third century BCE after the [[Third Buddhist council]] by [[Mahinda (Buddhist monk)|Mahinda Bhikkhu]], son of Emperor [[Ashoka]], during the reign of [[Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura]]. During this time, a sapling of the [[Bodhi Tree]] was brought to Sri Lanka and the first monasteries and Buddhist monuments were established. Among these, the [[Isurumuniya]] and the [[Vessagiri]] remain important centers of worship. He is also credited with the construction of the Pathamaka [[cetiya]], the Jambukola [[vihara|vihāra]] and the Hatthālhaka vihāra and the refectory. The Pali Canon, having previously been preserved as an oral tradition, was first committed to writing in Sri Lanka around 30 BCE.
''Mahavamsa'' §29{{sfn|McEvilley|2012|p=558}} records that during the rule of the [[Greco-Bactrian Kingdom|Greco-Bactrian]] King [[Menander I]], a [[Yona]] head monk named [[Mahadharmaraksita]] led 30,000 Buddhist monks from "the Greek city of Alasandra" ([[v]], around {{convert|150|km}} north of modern [[Kabul]], Afghanistan) to Sri Lanka for the dedication of the [[Ruwanwelisaya]] in [[Anuradhapura]], indicating that [[Greco-Buddhism]] contributed to early Sri Lankan Buddhism. See also the ''[[Milinda Panha]]''.
===Center of Pali literature===
As a result of the work of [[Buddhaghosa]] and other compilers such as [[Dhammapala]], Sri Lanka developed a strong tradition of written textual transmission of the Pali Canon. The compilation of the [[Atthakatha]] (commentaries) along with the [[Nikāya]]s and other Pitakas were committed to writing for the first time in the [[Aluvihare Rock Temple]] during the first century BCE.<ref name=Perera /> Buddhist literature in Sinhalese also thrived and by 410, Sri Lankan monks traveled widely throughout India and Asia introducing their works.
===Theravāda subdivisions===
Over much of the early history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, three subdivisions of Theravāda existed in Sri Lanka, consisting of the monks of the three [[mahavihara]]s, [[Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya]], [[Abhayagiri vihāra]] and [[Jetavanaramaya]].<ref name="Warder, A.K. 2000. p. 280">Warder, A.K. ''Indian Buddhism''. 2000. p. 280</ref> The Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya was the first tradition to be established while Abhayagiri vihāra and Jetavanaramaya were established by monks who had broken away from the Maha Viharaya tradition.<ref name="Warder, A.K. 2000. p. 280"/> According to A.K. Warder, the Indian [[Mahīśāsaka]] established itself in Sri Lanka alongside the Theravadas, into which they were later absorbed.<ref name="Warder, A.K. 2000. p. 280"/> Northern regions of Sri Lanka also seem to have been ceded to sects from India at certain times.<ref name="Warder, A.K. 2000. p. 280"/>
In the 7th century, Xuanzang wrote of two major divisions of Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka, referring to the Abhayagiri tradition as the "Mahayana Sthaviras," and the Mahāvihāra tradition as the "[[Hinayana]] Sthaviras."<ref>Baruah, Bibhuti. ''Buddhist Sects and Sectarianism.'' 2008. p. 53</ref> Abhayagiri appears to have been a center for Mahayana and [[Vajrayana]] teachings;<ref>"Esoteric Buddhism in Southeast Asia in the Light of Recent Scholarship" by Hiram Woodward. ''Journal of Southeast Asian Studies'', Vol. 35, No. 2 (Jun., 2004), p. 341</ref> Xuanzang writes, "The Mahāvihāravāsins reject the Mahāyāna and practice the Hīnayāna, while the Abhayagirivihāravāsins study both Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna teachings and propagate the ''[[Tripiṭaka]]''.<ref>Hirakawa, Akira. Groner, Paul. ''A History of Indian Buddhism: From Śākyamuni to Early Mahāyāna.'' 2007. p. 121</ref>
In the 8th century, both Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism were being practiced in Sri Lanka, and two Indian monks responsible for propagating Vajrayana Buddhism in China, [[Vajrabodhi]] and [[Amoghavajra]], visited the island during this time.<ref>Hirakawa, Akira. Groner, Paul. ''A History of Indian Buddhism: From Śākyamuni to Early Mahāyāna.'' 2007. pp. 125-126</ref>
In Pali commentaries, terms used for the Mahayanins of Abhayagiri were Vaitulya, Vaipulya and Vaidalya. According to HR Perera, the Theravada commentaries considered them heretical and their doctrines included:
{{quote|They held the view that the Buddha, having been born in the [[Tushita|Tusita heaven]], lived there and never came down to earth and it was only a created form that appeared among men. This created form and Ānanda, who learned from it, preached the doctrine. They also held that nothing whatever given to the Order bears fruit, for the Sangha, which in the ultimate sense of the term meant only the path and fruitions, does not accept anything. According to them any human pair may enter upon sexual intercourse by mutual consent.<ref name=Perera />}}
===Accounts of Chinese pilgrims===
In the 5th century, [[Faxian]] visited Sri Lanka and lived there for two years with the monks. Faxian obtained a [[Sanskrit]] copy of the [[Vinaya]] of the [[Mahīśāsaka]] at the [[Abhayagiri vihāra]] c. 406. The Mahīśāsaka Vinaya was then translated into Chinese in 434 by Buddhajiva and [[Zhu Daosheng]].<ref>Hsing Yun. ''Humanistic Buddhism.'' 2005. p. 163</ref> This translation of the Mahīśāsaka Vinaya remains extant in the [[Chinese Buddhist canon]] as [[Taishō Tripiṭaka]] 1421.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue/files/k0895.html|title=The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalog (T 1421)}}</ref>
The 7th century pilgrim [[Xuanzang]] first learned for several years at [[Nalanda]] and then intended to go to Sri Lanka to seek out further instruction. However, after meeting Sri Lankan monks in the [[Chola dynasty|Chola]] capital who were refugees, he decided not to visit:
{{quote|At the time of Hiuen Tsang's visit the capital was visited by 300 [[bhikkhu|Bhikshus]] of Ceylon who had left the island in consequence of [[famine]] and [[revolution]] there. On the pilgrim telling them of his intended visit to Ceylon for instruction, they told him that there were no Brethren there superior to them. Then the pilgrim discussed some [[Yogacara|Yoga]] texts with them and found that their explanations could not excel those given to him by [[Śīlabhadra]] at Nālandā.{{sfn|Mookerji|1998|p=520}}}}
===Decline and revival===
From the 5th century to the eleventh century, the island of Sri Lanka saw continuous warfare between local kings, pretenders and foreign invaders such as the South Indian Chola and [[Pandyan dynasty|Pandyan]] dynasties. This warfare saw the sacking of viharas and made the situation for difficult for Buddhism.<ref name=Perera /> In 1070, [[Vijayabahu I of Polonnaruwa]] conquered the island and set about repairing the monasteries. The state of Sri Lankan Buddhism was so bad at this time that he could not find five bhikkhus in the whole island to ordain more monks and restore the monastic tradition; therefore, he sent an embassy to [[Burma]], which sent back several eminent elders with Buddhist texts.<ref name=Perera /> The king oversaw the ordination of thousands of monks. The royal reforming of Sri Lankan Buddhism continued under [[Parakramabahu I]] (c. 1153), who restored many stupas and monasteries. During this period, Sri Lankan Buddhist literature thrived once again and the three greats writers [[Mahākassapa Thera]] of [[Dimbulagala Raja Maha Vihara]], Moggallana Thera and [[Sāriputta Thera]] compiled Pali commentaries and [[Subcommentaries, Theravada|sub-commentaries]]. [[Parakramabahu II of Dambadeniya]] (from c. 1236) was a learned king and wrote several Sinhalese Buddhist texts.
===Abolition of other Theravada traditions===
Before the 12th century, more rulers of Sri Lanka gave support and patronage to the Abhayagiris, and travelers such as Faxian saw the Abhayagiris as the main Buddhist tradition in Sri Lanka.<ref>Hirakawa, Akira. Groner, Paul. ''A History of Indian Buddhism: From Śākyamuni to Early Mahāyāna.'' 2007. p. 125</ref><ref>Sujato, Bhikkhu. ''Sects & Sectarianism: The Origins of Buddhist Schools.'' 2006. p. 59</ref> The trend of Abhayagiri being the dominant sect changed in the 12th century, when the Maha Viharaya gained the political support of Parakramabahu I (1153–1186), who completely abolished the Abhayagiri and Jetavanaya traditions.<ref>Hirakawa, Akira. Groner, Paul. ''A History of Indian Buddhism: From Śākyamuni to Early Mahāyāna.'' 2007. p. 126</ref><ref name="Williams, Duncan 1999. p. 134">Williams, Duncan. Queen, Christopher. ''American Buddhism: Methods and Findings in Recent Scholarship.'' 1999. p. 134</ref> The monks of these two traditions were then defrocked and given the choice of either returning to the laity permanently or attempting reordination under the Maha Viharaya tradition as [[śrāmaṇera|sāmaṇera]]s.<ref name="Williams, Duncan 1999. p. 134"/><ref>Gombrich, Richard. ''Theravāda Buddhism: A Social History From Ancient Benares to Modern Colombo.'' 1988. p. 159</ref> Parakkamabāhu also appointed a ''[[sangharaja|saṅgharāja]]'' "King of the Sangha," a monk who would preside over the [[Sangha (Buddhism)|Sangha]] and its ordinations in Sri Lanka with the assistance of two deputies.<ref>Gombrich, Richard. ''Theravāda Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benares to Modern Colombo.'' 1988. p. 159</ref>
===Mahayana legacy===
Veneration of [[Avalokiteśvara]] has continued to the present day in Sri Lanka, where he is called Nātha.<ref>Baruah, Bibhuti. ''Buddhist Sects and Sectarianism.'' 2008. p. 137</ref> In more recent times, some western-educated Theravādins have attempted to identify Nātha with [[Maitreya]]. However, traditions and basic iconography, including an image of [[Amitābha]] on his crown, identify Nātha as Avalokiteśvara.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/lanka/matara/we01.html|title=Art & Archaeology - Sri Lanka - Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara}}</ref>
{{quote|It is clear from sculptural evidence alone that the Mahāyāna was fairly widespread throughout [Sri Lanka], although the modern account of the history of Buddhism on the island presents an unbroken and pure lineage of Theravāda. (One can only assume that similar trends were transmitted to other parts of Southeast Asia with Sri Lankan ordination lineages.) Relics of an extensive cult of Avalokiteśvara can be seen in the present-day figure of Nātha.<ref name="Skilton, Andrew 2004. p. 151">Skilton, Andrew. ''A Concise History of Buddhism.'' 2004. p. 151</ref>}}
Early reports by Europeans from the 18th century describe the Buddhist monks of Sri Lanka as being engaged in the recitation of [[mantra]]s and using [[Buddhist prayer beads]] for counting as practiced in Mahayana Buddhism.<ref name="Skilton, Andrew 2004. p. 151"/>
===Lineage continuity===
Sri Lanka has the longest continuous history of Buddhism of any Buddhist nation, with the Sangha having existed in a largely unbroken lineage since its introduction in the 3rd century BCE. During periods of decline, the Sri Lankan monastic lineage was revived through contact with Burma and [[Thailand]].
===Colonialism and Christianity===
[[File:AMH-7013-KB Procession of monks on Ceylon.jpg|thumb|230px|Dutch painting of the Buddhist religious festival in Ceylon, c. 1672]]
From the 16th century onward, [[missionary|missionaries]] and [[Portugal|Portuguese]], [[Netherlands|Dutch]] and [[United Kingdom|British]] colonizers of Sri Lanka have attempted to convert the local population to [[Christianity]]. The wars with the Portuguese and their allies weakened the Sangha. In 1592, [[Vimaladharmasuriya I of Kandy]] sought aid from Burma in order to ordain Buddhist monks on the island as there was hardly a single properly ordained monk left.<ref name=Perera /> From 1612 to 1658, the Dutch and the Portuguese fought over the island with the Sinhalese caught in the middle, the Dutch won and occupied the maritime sections of the island that had been occupied by the Portuguese until 1796 when they surrendered their territories to the British. The Dutch were less zealous than the Portuguese in their religious proselytizing, though they still discriminated against Buddhists which were not allowed to register with the local authorities therefore many Sinhalese pretended to be Protestant.<ref name=Perera /> During this period many religiously inclined Sinhalese rulers of the interior such as [[Vira Narendra Sinha of Kandy]] (1706-1739) and [[Sri Vijaya Rajasinha of Kandy]] (1739-1747) continued to patronize Buddhism, restoring temples and monasteries.
In the mid 18th century the higher ordination of Buddhist monks known as [[upasampada]], which was defunct at the time, was revived with the help of Thai Buddhist monks on the initiatives taken by [[Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero]] during the reign of king Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe.<ref>[http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items05/270405-2.html Weliwita Sri Saranankara Theroenerable Weliwita Sri Saranankara Mahathera], Dr. Daya Hewapathirane, Lankaweb</ref>
In 1813 the American Ceylon Mission (Protestant) was established in [[Jaffna]]. In 1815 a British army captured Kandy and deposed the Sinhalese king ending a line of Buddhist kings lasting 2301 years, they retained Sri Lanka until 1948. Like the Dutch, the British refused to register unbaptized infants and to accept non-Christian marriages. They also always preferred Christians in government administration. The British also supported various Christian missionary groups who established schools on the island. Education in these schools (which disparaged Buddhism) were a requirement for government office. Missionaries also wrote tracts in Sinhalese attacking Buddhism and promoting Christianity<ref name=Perera />
===Buddhist revival===
[[File:Olcott and Buddhists.jpg|thumb|250px|Henry Olcott and Buddhists (Colombo, 1883).]]
In the 19th century, a national Buddhist movement began as a response to Christian proselytizing, and was empowered by the results of the [[Panadura]] debate between Christian priests and Buddhist monks such as [[Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera]] and [[Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera]] which was widely seen as a victory for the Buddhists.<ref>[http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=local/buddhists-must-safeguard-religion-sangha-thera Buddhists must safeguard religion, Sangha - Thera], Daily News</ref> In 1880 [[Henry Steel Olcott]] arrived in Sri Lanka with [[Madame Blavatsky]] of the [[Theosophical Society]]; he had been inspired when he read about the Panadura debate and after learning about Buddhism converted to the religion. Olcott and the Sinhalese Buddhist leaders established the Buddhist Theosophical Society in 1880, with the goal of establishing Buddhist schools (there were only three at the time, by 1940, there were 429 Buddhist schools on the island).<ref name=Perera /> The society also had its own publications to promote Buddhism; the Sinhalese newspaper, ''Sarasavisandarasa'', and its English counterpart, ''The Buddhist''. As a result of their efforts, [[Vesak]] became a public holiday, Buddhist registrars of marriage were allowed, and interest in Buddhism increased. Another important figure in the revival is [[Anagarika Dharmapala]], initially an interpreter for Olcott, who traveled around the island preaching and writing. After traveling to India, he established the [[Maha Bodhi Society]] in 1891 whose goal was to revive Buddhism in India, and restore the ancient Buddhist shrines at [[Bodh Gaya]], [[Sarnath]] and [[Kushinara]].<ref name="maha">[http://mahabodhisociety.com/ Maha Bodhi Society]</ref> His efforts saw the restoration of these sites and a renewal of interest in Buddhism among some Indians. The associations of the Buddhist revival also contributed much to the publication of Buddhist texts, and promotion of Buddhist scholarship. Revivalist Buddhist scholars include Sir D. B. Jayatillake, F. R. Somnayake, Valisinha Harishchandra and [[W. A. de Silva]].<ref name=Perera /> Several Buddhist shrines were also rebuilt. Buddhist leaders were also active in the movement for Sri Lankan independence. Since independence, Buddhism has continued to thrive on the island.
[[File:Zahntempel Kandy.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Temple of the Tooth]] was renovated during the Buddhist revival.]]
Since the Buddhist revival Sri Lanka has also been an important center of Western Buddhist scholarship. One of the first western bhikkhus, [[Nyanatiloka]] Mahathera studied in Sri Lanka, established the [[Island Hermitage]] there and ordained several western monks. Western monks who studied in the island hermitage such as [[Nanamoli Bhikkhu]] and Ven. [[Nyanaponika]] (who established the [[Buddhist Publication Society]] along with [[Bhikkhu Bodhi]]) were responsible for many important translations of the [[Pali Canon]] and other texts on Buddhism in English and German.
===Bhikkhuni ordination===
A few years after the arrival of Mahinda, [[Bhikkhuni]] [[Sanghamitta]], who is also believed to be the daughter of Emperor Ashoka, came to Sri Lanka. She started the first nun's order in Sri Lanka, but this order of nuns died out in Sri Lanka in the 11th century.
Many women have been ordained in Sri Lanka since 1996.<ref>''Buddhist Studies Review'', volume 24.2, page 227</ref> In 1996 through the efforts of [[Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women|Sakyadhita]], an International Buddhist Women Association, Theravada bhikkhuni order was revived, when 11 Sri Lankan women received full ordination in Sarnath, India, in a procedure held by Ven. Dodangoda Revata Mahāthera and the late Ven. Mapalagama Vipulasāra Mahāthera of the [[Maha Bodhi Society|Mahābodhi Society]] in India with assistance from monks and nuns of Korean Chogyo order.<ref>{{cite web | title= Bhikkhuni ordination | publisher= Dhammawiki (archived) | url= http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Bhikkhuni_ordination | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719081411/http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Bhikkhuni_ordination | archivedate= 23 December 2013}}</ref>
<ref>{{ cite book | title= The Revival of Bhikkhuni Ordination in the Theravada Tradition | author= Bhikkhu Bodhi | publisher= Dignity and Discipline: Reviving Full Ordination for Buddhist Nuns | url=https://books.google.com.ua/books?id=RoLIQEJHptMC&pg=PA99&lpg#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref><ref>{{ cite web | title=
Abstract: Theravada Bhikkhunis | author= Bhikkuni Dr. Kusuma Devendra | publisher= International Congress On Buddhist Women's Role in the Sangha | url=http://www.congress-on-buddhist-women.org/71.0.html}}</ref><ref>{{ cite web | title=Keeping track of the revival of bhikkhuni ordination in Sri Lanka
| author= Dhammananda Bhikkhuni | publisher= | url=http://h.foyuan.net/blog-1484-56050.html}}</ref> Some bhikkhuni ordinations were carried out with the assistance of nuns from the East Asian tradition;<ref>id, page 227</ref> others were carried out by the Theravada monk's Order alone.<ref name="id, page 228">id, page 228</ref> Since 2005, many ordination ceremonies for women have been organized by the head of the Dambulla chapter of the Siyam Nikaya in Sri Lanka.<ref name="id, page 228" />
==Buddhist monastic groups==
The different sects of the Sri Lankan Buddhist clergy are referred to as [[Nikaya]]s, and three main Nikayas are:
* [[Siam Nikaya]], founded in the 18th century by Ven. [[Upali Thera]], a [[Thai people|Siamese]] monk who was invited by the King [[Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy]], and on the initiative of [[Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero]].
* [[Amarapura Nikaya]], founded in 1800 with higher ordination obtained from [[Myanmar]] (Burma)
* [[Ramanna Nikaya]], founded in 1864 by Ambagahawatte Saranankara.
Within these three main divisions there are numerous other divisions, some of which are caste based. There are no doctrinal differences among any of them.
==Demographics==
[[File:Buddhismus in Sri Lanka 2012.svg|thumb|Buddhism in Sri Lanka 2012 Census]]
Buddhism in Sri Lanka is predominantly practised by the [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]], however the 2012 Sri Lanka Census revealed a Buddhist population of 22,254, including eleven monks, amongst the Sri Lankan Tamil population, accounting to roughly 1% of all Sri Lankan Tamils in Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Perera|first1=Yohan|title=22,254 Tamil Buddhists in SL|url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/105937/-Tamil-Buddhists-in-SL|publisher=Daily Mirror|accessdate=31 March 2016}}</ref> In 1988 almost 93% of the Sinhalese speaking population in Sri Lanka were Buddhist.<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov">The Library of Congress. (2009). A Country Study: Sri Lanka. Available: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/lktoc.html. Last accessed 3 March 2010.</ref>
==See also==
* [[Sinhalese people]]
* [[Early Buddhist schools]]
* [[Demographics of Sri Lanka]]
* [[Rahul Sankrityayan]]
* [[Faxian]]
* [[Solosmasthana]]
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
===Bibliography===
* {{cite book|ref=harv|last=Gombrich|first=Richard|authorlink=Richard Gombrich|title=Buddhist Precept & Practice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lqp4LuZQnHsC|date=2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-15623-6}}
* {{cite book|ref=harv|last=McEvilley|first=Thomas|title=The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gbjelOMYyN8C&pg=PT558|date=2012|publisher=Constable & Robinson|isbn=978-1-58115-933-2}}
* {{cite book|ref=harv|last=Mookerji|first=Radha Kumud|title=Ancient Indian Education: Brahmanical and Buddhist|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mjFfqpq7HhkC&pg=PA345|date=1998|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0423-4}}
=== Further reading ===
* Tessa Bartholomeusz: First Among Equals: Buddhism and the Sri Lankan State, in: Ian Harris (ed.), ''Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth-Century Asia''. London/New York: Continuum, 1999, pp. 173–193.
* [[Mahinda Deegalle]]: ''Popularizing Buddhism: Preaching as Performance in Sri Lanka''. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2006.
* [[Richard Gombrich]]: ''Theravada Buddhism: a social history from ancient Benares to modern Colombo''. 2nd rev. ed. London: Routledge, 2006.
* Langer, Rita. ''Buddhist Rituals of Death and Rebirth: A study of contemporary Sri Lankan practice and its origins''. Abingdon: Routledge, 2007. ISBN 0-415-39496-1
==External links==
{{TheravadaBuddhism}}
* [http://sinhala.mahamevnawa.lk Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery - Sri Lanka]
* [http://buddhactivity.org/action.htm?-Response=buddhacountry.htm&ccountry=Sri%20Lanka Buddhactivity Dharma Centres database]
* [http://mahavamsa.org/ The Mahavamsa History of Sri Lanka] The Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka
* [http://www.bps.lk/wheels_library/wh_281.html#_Toc159679743 Colonel Olcott and the Buddhist Revival In Sri Lanka] {{dead link|date=July 2013}}
* [http://www.kelaniyatemple.com Kelani Rajamaha Viharaya]
* [http://path-to-nibbana.org/ The Dhamma proclaimed by the Gautama Buddha]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090410085044/http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/04/religious-protector-from-ethnic-strife.html Religious protector from Ethnic Strife]
{{Asia in topic|Buddhism in}}
{{Buddhism in Sri Lanka}}
{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Religion in Sri Lanka}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buddhism In Sri Lanka}}
[[Category:Buddhism in Sri Lanka| ]]
[[Category:Theravada|Sri Lanka]]
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