Hinduism

Second Indian Expedition - Travels to Buddhist sites in India and Sri Lanka

(53) Arrival in Colombo, a major city in Sri Lanka! Impressed by the beautiful seaside scenery! Introducing its cityscape!

Colombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka, with a combined population and urban area of over 2 million. The city, which is also the center of business in Sri Lanka, is developing remarkably, and high-rise buildings are being constructed one after another. I was surprised as soon as I arrived at the city that it is almost as developed and beautiful as Japan's metropolitan area.
kataragamaSecond Indian Expedition - Travels to Buddhist sites in India and Sri Lanka

(51) Buddhistization of the Hindu holy city of Kataragama and nighttime pujas - Amazing difference from India.

Although originally a Hindu deity, Lord Katharagama himself came to be worshipped as the guardian deity of Buddhism in Sri Lankan Buddhism. This is quite similar to the Japanese term "kamibutsu shugyo," which means the union of Shintoism and Buddhism.

Kataragama has been an object of worship for both Hindus and Buddhists, but this began to change in the mid-20th century.
Abhayagiri Avalokitesvara (bodhisattva)Second Indian Expedition - Travels to Buddhist sites in India and Sri Lanka

(49) Why did Mahayana Buddhism die in Sri Lanka - What happened to the Buddhist community in Sri Lanka, which was also a center of esoteric Buddhism?

In my previous article, I talked about the existence of a Mahayana Buddhist tradition in Sri Lanka, and in this article I will give a brief overview of such a Mahayana Buddhist tradition in Sri Lanka.

A very important point about what Buddhism is all about will be discussed in this article. I am sure readers will be surprised.
Second Indian Expedition - Travels to Buddhist sites in India and Sri Lanka

(46) Thinking about the 1971 armed uprising by Marxist students at the University of Peradeniya in Kandy.

I have been in the process of studying Dostoevsky for the past few years, mostly European history. And now I am learning about India and Sri Lanka.

But I wondered, "What do I really know about Europe, India, and Sri Lanka? What do I think I know about Europe, India, and Sri Lanka?" Coming to the University of Peradeniya made me aware of this question once again.
DharmapalaSecond Indian Expedition - Travels to Buddhist sites in India and Sri Lanka

(43) What is Protestant Buddhism in Dharmapala - The existence and impact of a new Buddhism that is also different from traditional Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

As we saw in the previous article, traditional Sri Lankan Buddhism is different from our image of strict Theravada Buddhism. If anything, it is even closer to our Japanese Buddhism.

So why is there such an "image gap"?

The key to this is found in the "Protestant Buddhism" of Dharmapala, which I will introduce here.
Second Indian Expedition - Travels to Buddhist sites in India and Sri Lanka

(42) Experiencing Puja at the Buddha's Tooth Temple in Kandy - Thoughts on what traditional Buddhism in Sri Lanka is all about.

This article will introduce the iconic Buddha Tooth Temple in Kandy. We will also talk about its interior and nighttime pujas.

In the latter half of the article, we will consider the diversity of Sri Lankan Buddhism, using the temple in the precincts of the Buddha's Tooth Temple as a clue. In Sri Lanka, there existed a culture similar to the Japanese Shinto/Buddhist syncretism.