What are your plans for Poson this year? Will you be observing Sil or travelling to Mihintale with your parents or grandparents or is your school arranging a sil program for you? Regardless of the way you hope to mark this special day, we all know this is a very important poya day for all Buddhists in Sri Lanka.
Poson Poya marks the day when Arahant Mahinda, the son of Emperor Ashoka from India, came to Sri Lanka, more than 2,300 years ago. King Devanampiyatissa was on a hunting trip and he was in the midst of chasing a deer when a kind voice addressed him from the sky, the voice spoke to him as “Tissa.” The king startled by what he heard looked up in the sky and on top of the rock of Mihintale saw a retinue of bhikkhus clad in saffron robes. Thus begins the story of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. As history tells us Arahant Mahinda’s first instinct was to test the wisdom of the king who was ruling Sri Lanka at the time. So he began with a series of questions which tested his ability to absorb the Buddha Dhamma which required wisdom more than anything else. Impressed by the King’s answers, Arahant Mahinda introduced the noble teachings of the Buddha to our island. That moment changed the history of Sri Lanka forever, as many people began to follow the path of peace, kindness, and wisdom.
This fateful meeting changed the course of our country as well. Buddhism started to spread all over Sri Lanka and people began to live more peacefully, by showing kindness to animals, helping and giving to others. Temples were built, bhikkhus taught people how to live good lives, and kings ruled with wisdom and kindness.
Buddhism also helped build schools, libraries and beautiful artwork. The many wonderful ruins you see in ancient cities like Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa all owe its beginnings to that Poson Poya day 2300 years ago.
Because Arahant Mahinda came to the island and established Buddhism, his younger sister Arahant Theri Sanghamitta came from India bringing a young off shoot of the Bodhi Tree where the Buddha attained Enlightenment. Accompanying her, large groups of people came to the island, such as sculptors, artists, engineers and architects who helped develop the arts and culture of Sri Lanka. If you go to Anuradhapura, you may have seen beautiful stone works of art like moonstones, ponds, sculptures, statues of the Buddha, large water tanks and huge stupas, all of these owe its beginnings to that one peaceful meeting on that very first Poson Poya day.
So, while our history is important it is also important to remember the light of the Dhamma—that touched our lives, the teachings of the Buddha—that help us live happy, kind, and meaningful lives. Every time we do something good, we are keeping that light alive. So this Poson Poya day, look up at the moon, smile, and remember that you too can follow the path of peace—just like King Devanampiyatissa did a long time ago.
See you next week !
