Shakyamuni Buddha 's Appreciation  
57

Buddhism sent to Sri Lanka [1]

King Asoka (ruler -272 / -236)

In AD 326,  Alexander the Great (-356 / -323) of Macedonia, a student of the Aristotelian philosopher, invaded northern India and established a kingdom with the capital Taksasila (Greek Is Taxila). But in the year -323, Alexander died in Babylon, at the age of 32.

The same year,  Candragupta Maurya , which the Greeks called  Sandrocatus uprising in northern India, against the invasion of Alexander, and then the victory is always king  Nanda [2] of India in -316, made Mauryan (Moriyan) empire, taking Patthiputta (Patna) as capital. Candragupta is considered by historians to be the first king of India. Candragupta passed the throne to Bindusara. King Bindusara passed the throne to his son,  Devanapiyena Piyadasina , named  Asokavadanaputta , or  Asoka , in the year 272. King Asoka, born in -304 in Pataliputta, died in -232 in Pataliputta. Prior to the throne, he was the deputy ruler of Taxila and Ujjain. 

Asoka was crowned in -272, a warlike emperor like his grandfather Candragupta. In the eighth year after his enthronement, in -264, he invaded Kalinga, southern India. This brutal victory left 100,000 dead and 150,000 captured prisoners and more than a few times more dead wronged. After the battle of Kalinga, Asoka felt remorse, and in 1960 he made an unforgettable tabloid on the rock that spoke of his determination to renounce the war. Taking this opportunity, Nigrodha Aja-la-dynasty, she called Asoka as a note, gave Asoka a brief lecture on the state of enlightenment and awakening. King Asoka immediately enlightened, became a very virtuous king, the people dubbed as Dhammasa. Asoka then abandoned the conquests by the war (dig-vijaya), And the beginning of "dhamma-vijaya." He became an enthusiastic supporter of Buddhism, inviting the tutor Moggaliputta Tissa [3] as the spiritual teacher, and chaired the  third Buddhist convention at Pātaliputta in the year 252. King Asoka again asked the master to take a look at all the Buddha statues, each of which the king had for his memorial stone pillar, a relic for the posterity . Asoka passed on all the relics of the Buddha, divided into 84,000 pieces, contained in 84,000 bronze vases of the same size, a liter, on the lid with a lion statue , then entrusted to the great missionaries. The towers are scattered throughout India and beyond.

King Devanampiya Tissa

The history of Sri Lanka dates back to the time when  Vijaya set foot on the territory from 543 BC. King Vijaya married the daughter of King Pandya of India, Queen of India, and was closely associated with India. The Mahàvamsa, Dipavamsa and Samantàpasadika vividly describe the  three visits to this island by Lord Buddha Sàkyamuni in the fifth month, the fifth year and the eighth year after. The day of enlightenment .

King  Devanampiya Tissa of Sri Lanka was friendly with King Asoka. Although the two have never met each other, through intimate diplomatic relations, it can be said that Devanampiya Tissa and Asoka (Devanapiyena Piyadasina) are close friends. The book records that after receiving a delegation of precious gifts from King Devanampiya Tissa, Asoka sent back a diplomatic mission with a message containing the following sentence:

"I have taken refuge in the Three Jewels, ie, take refuge in the Buddha, with the Dharma, and with the monks in the Church. I myself proclaimed myself to be a lay follower in Shakyamuni's Shakyamuni. Now, my dear! He is the best of the people, take the faith that transforms his mind, take refuge with the most treasures of the treasures of the world. "

Master Mahà Mahìnda

When Maha Mahānda, King Asoka's son, was dispatched to Sri Lanka by his father and Master Moggaliputta Tissa to establish the Buddha Sasana there, he brought the Tipitaka Third, leave the Asokaràma monastery at Pātaliputta (Patna), visit Vedisa mother Devi. Along with him were the Ittiya Bhikkhus, Uttiya, Sambala and Bhaddasala, the Sumana nuns, and the Bhanduka Bhikkhu, the grandson of Vedisa Devi. All are religious and special. Each missionary delegation usually has five Bhikkhus for the upasampada.

After staying in Vedisa for a month to prepare the trip, the delegation set off for Sri Lanka. On the full moon day of June 252 BC, the mission team reached the top of Missaka Hill, 12 km east of Anuradhapura. Meet on the national holiday, King Devanampiya Tissa is playing hunting, suddenly saw five people in yellow saffron go to. The king was startled, Mahà Mahānda went to greet and reassure him:

- Great King, we are the monks, disciples of the king of Truth. Out of compassion for the Great King, we from Jambudipa [4] here. [5]

With the help of the king, the propagation of good progress. The relics of the Buddha are worshiped in the Thuparāma Dagaba stupa in the capital Anuradhapura. The king dedicates the Maha Meghavana Park as a sanctuary for the newly established Sangha, and the Maha Vihara main temple is erected here. Over time, this institution became famous and trained many learned scholars. Among the prominent teachers here was Buddhaghosa from India in 423, who wrote many precious commentaries on the teachings of the Buddha, while living in the temple. Sri Lanka became the center of the propagation of Theravada Buddhism to Burma, Thailand, Kampuchea, Laos and Indonesia.

Sister Sanghamitta

Just one year after the Mahayana Mahārāja mission headed to Sri Lanka, both the court and the people of the capital were very excited to attend the sermon and to seek ordination and refuge in the Triple Jewel. Anula, the deputy of a Vice-Emperor named Mahānāga, and a large number of women and girls came to hear the Dharma, also pardon Mahà Mahānda for the monk. But according to the Precepts, a bhikkhuni does not have the right to preside over the ordination of a woman if she has not been offered a bhikkhu ordination after having interviewed and certified that she is fully qualified. To go out (Dharma Law, Small Business, Vol. 2: 519, 573-580). Hence the great Mahà Mahānda to King Devanampiya Tissa invites his brother Sanghamitta Bhikkhunī to Sri Lanka to ordain women for ordination and establish the Bhikkhunī Sangha.

Devanampiya Tissa was very pleased to send to Emperor Asoka a delegation led by Arittha, to express his longing for Mahà Mahānda and his own. Approved by the king, Bhiksuni Sanghamitta extracted a small branch towards the south of the Great Bodhi tree where the Buddha went to Sri Lanka. Along with Sanghamitta Bhikkhu there are also 11 other bhikkhuni, all of whom are religious and distinguished. There are also the mandarins, the princes, the very proud progenitors, accompanied by the son of Bodhi tree. According to the history of the book, the ceremony was solemnly celebrated to send the delegation of Nun Sanghamitta and the Bodhi Tree off the Tamralipti Harbor. Emperor Asoka take me out into the harbor, deeply moved, watched fleet receding until sight [6] .

In 251 BC, after seven days crossing the sea, the boat arrived at the port of Jambukola, north of Sri Lanka. King Devanampiya Tissa came to receive the Bodhi tree in a solemn ceremony lasting 10 days. On the 10th day, the Bodhi Tree was placed on a stately carriage, along with a large convoy of caravans to the capital Anuradhapura. Here again there is another solemn ceremony to  plant the Bodhi tree at Maha Meghavana . To this day, the Bodhi Tree is still lush and lush, receiving the grave of millions of pilgrims. END=NAM MO AMITABHA BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH GIAC TAM.THE MIND OF ENLIGHTENMENT.VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=GOLDEN AMITABHA PURELAND=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.15/5/2017.