Mihintale

When talking about Mihintale it is difficult not to talk about this significant event because the two things are so intrinsically linked. So we will start here at the very beginning....

It happened one day, that the King, Devanampiyatissa, went on a hunting expedition. During the course of this expedition, Devenampiyatissa came upon a deer. Being a hunting expedition, the king naturally took aim and shot at the deer.

The deer however, evaded his arrow and took flight. The king being a good huntsman went after this deer, watching as over and over again the deer evaded every single one of his arrows. Arrows that would normally have flown true and found their target.

Well, it so happened that in his pursuit of this deer Devanampiyatissa became separated from his entourage and it was at this time that he came upon a yellow-robed Bhikku (Buddhist monk) seated beneath a tree.

The king going forward reached the Bhikku and inquired of him what he was doing alone under a tree. The Bhikku, instead of replying, asked the King three questions. These questions were put to the king by this Bhikku in order that he might determine the intelligence level of the king.

When the king answered the three questions, the Bhikku then presented his credentials. He was the Arahat Mahinda Thero, son of King Devanampiyatissa’s friend, Emperor Ashoka of India. He was an envoy, sent by the king to give one of the greatest gifts of all to the King of Lanka – the gift of knowledge of Theravada Buddhism.

The Arahat Mahinda also explained to the King that he had led the king to this spot by taking on the form of a deer, which was why Devanampiyatissa had been unable to send his arrows into the deer.

He was able to do this, Mahinda Thero explained, using the powers of his mind. He then proceeded to explain about Theravada Buddhism to the King, whereupon this worthy individual came to appreciate the ways of the Buddhist philosophy of life.

When their King took so readily to the Buddhist philosophy, all the citizens of Lanka, who were all Sinhala at this point in history, proceeded to embrace this philosophy of life as well. It was at this point the Bhikku Sasana (the sect of Buddhist monks) was established in Lanka, with many a Sinhala person leaving behind the trappings of life to become a Bhikku.

The King fully embracing this way of life, then set about creating many a Viharaya and Chaitya, temples or shrines, where the people of Lanka could go to practice Buddhism.

It was during these proceedings that the request was brought to the king from the women saying that they too wished to shed the trappings of life. In order to do this however, a Bhikkuni Sasana (the sect of female Buddhist monks) needed to be started.

To achieve this, the Arahat Mahinda Thero’s sister, Sanghamitta (සංඝමිත්තා), who was herself an Arahat came to the shores of Lanka. She came bearing with her a branch of the very Bo tree under which Siddhartha Guatama achieved Enlightenment to become a Buddha. This was then planted at the South Gate of the palace in Anuradhapura where it stands to this day, the oldest living tree to have been planted by man in the recorded history of the world.

The tale of how this branch came safely to these shores is an interesting and very noteworthy one and one that we will delve into another day.

With the arrival of Sanghamitta Therani it was then possible to begin a Mehenisasna, (Bhikkuni Sasana) in Lankawa. And although the Bhikkuni Sasana was begun at this point, and although it continued down through the centuries, it is unfortunate to note that as of this present day there is no proper Bhikkuni Sasana.

Indeed, at one point in time, it even seemed as if the Bhikku Sasana would vanish from this island as well, since marauding invaders at one point in the history of Lanka looked set to wipe out the entire populace of Bhikkus. But that, is most definitely another story!

More to come in "Mihintale Today", which will be published here shortly.