Walpola Rahula

Walpola Rahula

Walpola Rahula (1907–1997) was a Buddhist monk, scholar and writer. He received a traditional training and education in his native Sri Lanka before studying at the University of Calcutta and the Sorbonne. He held a chair at Northwestern University, Illinois, and was the Vice-Chancellor of Vidyodaya University (currently known as the University of Sri Jayewardenepura). He is widely regarded as one of the most influential scholars of the Buddhist tradition during his time. His book What Buddha Taught remains highly influential.

Biography

Walpola Rahula was born in 1907 at Walpola, a tiny village in southern Sri Lanka. At thirteen, he entered the Sangha. His education covered Sinhala, Pali, Sanskrit, Buddhism, history and philosophy. He studied at the Vidyalankara Pirivena and at the University of Ceylon, where he associated with E. F. C. Ludowvk, G.P Malalasekera, E. W. Adikaram and other luminaries. After a period of study at the Sorbonne, he became Vice-Chancellor of Vidyodaya University. He was noted not only for his erudition but also for his strong socialist views, as well as his belief that monks have a duty to play a role in guiding the political consciousness of the people.

Academic career

Editor's note: this section needs attention. Need to clarify dates for position at Vidyoda University

Rahula attended Ceylon university (now known as the University of Colombo). He obtained a B.A. Honours degree (London), and then earned a Doctorate of Philosophy, having written a thesis on the History of Buddhism in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Then he went on to study Indian Philosophy at Calcutta University and later studied Mahayana at the Sorbonne. It was during his time at the Sorbonne in the late 1950s that he produced What the Buddha Taught, a highly regarded introductory text on Buddhism, for which he is best known.

In 1964, he became the Professor of History and Religions at Northwestern University, thus becoming the first bhikkhu to hold a professorial chair in the Western world. Also at this time, there were no Theravada Temples in the United States. He later became a Professor Emeritus at the same University.

Rahula also held positions at several other American Universities. He was a visiting lecturer at Swarthmore College and Regents Lecturer at UCLA. He became Vice-Chancellor of Vidyoda University (now Sri Jayawardhanapura University) in 1964. He was later instrumental in encouraging the formation of the first Theravada temple in the United States, the Washington Vihara.

Titles

Rahula was awarded several titles during his lifetime. The highest honorary title, Tripitakavagisvaracarya (Supreme Master of Buddhist Scriptures), was given him by Sri Kalyapi Samagri Sangha-sabha (the Chapter of the Sangha in Sri Lanka) in 1965, with the qualification Sri (Gracious), a title held by only two or three scholars in Sri Lanka. He was also awarded the title "Aggamaha Panditha" from Burma.

Publications

Rahula wrote extensively about Theravada Buddhism. Apart from his world-renowned book What the Buddha Taught, he published an enormous number of papers on Buddhism. Notable books written by him include, History of Buddhism in Ceylon, Heritage of the Bhikkhu, Zen and the Taming of the Bull and Le Compendium de la Super Doctrine (French).

Bibliography

• What the Buddha Taught (1959, revised 1970, ISBN 0-8021-3031-3)
• History of Buddhism in Ceylon: The Anuradhapura period, 3rd Century BC–10th Century AD (1966)
• Humour in Pali Literature and Other Essays (1997, ISBN 955-650-000-6)
• The Heritage of the Bhikkhu: A Short History of the Bhikkhu in Educational, Cultural, Social, and Political Life (1974, ISBN 0-394-49260-9)
• Heritage of Bhikkhu (1974, ISBN 0-394-17823-8)
• Zen and the Taming of the Bull: Towards the Definition of Buddhist Thought: Essays (1978, ISBN 0-900406-69-0)
• The Heritage of the Bhikkhu: The Buddhist Tradition of Service (2003, ISBN 0-8021-4023-8)

Videos

Search for videos:

• Search YouTube for: Walpola Rahula

Selected videos:

• We are all caught in the idea of progress.

  Description: First Conversation with the Buddhist Scholars Walpola Rahula and Irmgard Schloegl, and with Professor David Bohm and Others.

• Death

  Description: Conversation with the Buddhist Scholar Walpola Rahula, and with Phiroz Mehta and Others

See also

• Theravada

External links

• What the Buddha Taught
• Venerable Walpola Rahula: A brief biographical sketch by Udaya Mallawarachchi. From the book Buddhist Studies in Honour of Walpola Rahula, 1980, ISBN 0-86092-030-5