Features

Centenary of the Berlin Viharaya

Published

2 years ago

2024/07/28

Thilina Walpola

German Dharmaduta Society is now 72-years old

by Dr. S. H. Perera

Germans came to know about the Buddhism, when they travelled to Kalmyki region of Russia in 17^th century, from the Nomadic people from Mongolia who settled there.

Anton Walter Florus Gueth (1878 – 1957), a German who had travelled to Burma in 1904 ordained as the first German monk and came to Sri Lanka as Ven. Nyanatiloka thero and lived at the Polgasduwa Hermitage. He has written and published several book in Germany. Hermann Hess, Nobel Prize winner (1877 – 1962) has published ‘Sidhartha’ in 1922, which was a great value to German Buddhism.

Dr. Paul Dahlke

Dr. Paul Dahlke (25 Jan. 1865 – 29 Feb. 1928) was a German physician and one of the pioneers of Buddhism in Germany. Dahlke was born in East Prussia as the son of a civil servant. He completed the Gymnasium (high school) in 1883 and proceeded to study medicine in Berlin. He received his MD degree in August 1887 and soon took over a Homeopathic medical practice.

In 1898 he started a journey around the world and was fascinated by the South Pacific. He also stopped over in Ceylon, where he encountered Buddhism. He had read about Buddhism when he studied Schopenhauer. Two years later he went on his second journey, this time specifically to Ceylon to learn more about Buddhism.

He learned Pali and met local Sinhala Buddhist monks, among them Ven. Hikkaduwe Sumangala, Ven. Suriyagoda Sumangala, Ven. Nyananissara and Ven. Wagiswara Theros. He returned a Buddhist and in the following years made several more journeys to Asia primarily to Ceylon, but also to China, India, Burma, Thailand and Indonesia. When the first World War started he was in Germany and was unable to travel to Ceylon as he had planned.

Dahlke had realized that studying and writing on Buddhism alone was not enough. He therefore decided to found a Buddhist Community right in the heart of Germany. Acquiring an extent of 11 acres land in the Berlin suburb of Frohnau in 1919, he proceeded to construct ‘Das Buddhistische Haus’ which he completed in 1924.

It was his intention that the property should be a Buddhist center. Besides the house proper, containing living quarters and library, a meeting hall was built close by, and separate rooms and cells for accommodating guests. Therefore, it was to be a midway solution between a monastery and layman’s habitation.

Before long Dr. Dahlke had a group of disciples around him prepared to live according to the Dhamma, and the Buddhist House soon become the center of German Buddhism. Anagarika Dharmapala, a good friend of Dr. Paul Dahlke, spent 10 days in the Buddhist House on his way to England in 1925.

Dr. Dahlke’s Buddhist group in Frohnau, Berlin had another strong link in Sri Lanka. The International Buddhist Union (IBU -Jatyantara Bauddha Samagama) with it’s headquarters in the island Hermitage (Polgasduwa Tapasarama) in Sri Lanka, which was under the leadership of the German born monk Ven. Nyanatiloka Maha Nayaka Thera. The Island Hermitage was a little island on the Ratgama Lake near Dodanduwa, that gradually became the home of a small band of European and Asian Buddhist monks.

One of the principal tasks of the IBU. was publishing and distributing Buddhist literature punished at Buddhist Publishing House “Benares Verlag”, Muenchen – Neubiberg, Germany.

At Das Buddhistische Haus, Dr. Dahlke was instrumental in publishing two Buddhist periodicals namely ‘Neu Buddhist’ and ‘Brockensammlung’ or ‘Scrap collection’. He has authored Buddhist books namely, ‘Buddhism Essays (1903)’ ‘Buddhism and Science’, ‘Buddhism and it’s place in the Mental Life of Mankind (1924)’ ‘Buddhism as a Doctrine of Actuality and way of Life’.

Dr. Dahlke died on February 29, 1928. With his death the Buddhistische Haus ceased to be a center for the Theravada Buddhist activities. His work was continued in a small house called ‘Holzhaus’ close to the premises of the Das Buddhistische Haus, built by Dr. Kurt Fischer, Dahlke’s secretary and editor of the magazine ‘’Buddhist Life and Thought’.

The Buddhistische Haus was in the hands of Dr. Dahlke’s sister, Bartha Dahlke from 1929 – 1944. She was the first disciple of Paul Dahlke having embraced Buddhism in 1914.

First Day cover and the stamp

After the flight of Rudolf Hess to England in May 1941, the Nazi German Government (1933 – 1945) began to frown on Buddhist activities. DBH later became a center for war refugees towards the closing stages of WW2. Bartha Dahlke left DBH in 1944 for the island of Sylt in Denmark and died in 1947. In 1942 the Gestapo police summoned several Buddhist groups and publishers of Buddhist literature for interrogation. Among them was Dr. Kurt Fischer, secretary of Dr. Dahlke, who died soon after receiving Gestapo summons.

Dr. Wolfang Schumacher, Herr Guido Auster, Dr. Helmuth Klar and other prominent German Buddhists thereafter continued Herr Fischer’s activities. Some of the German Buddhist groups had continued to hold meetings in secret during the latter stages of the war.

Asoka Weeraratna

Two businessmen, Asoka Weeraratna and his elder brother Dharmasena, re-located their family jewellery business from Galle to Maradana in Colombo in 1948. They also imported Swiss watches. Asoka made a number of business trips to Europe in 1950’s to import Swiss watches such as Paul Buhre, Boilat, Henry Sandoz, Roamer, Enicar and the German pen, Reform. They were the leading importers of Swiss watches to Sri Lanka.

In 1951 Asoka Weeraratna undertook his first business visit to West Germarny, meeting many people who had lost their families, wealth and possessions. This left a deep impression in him. In post-war Germany, the widespread sentiment was one of desperation and resignation – ‘kaput, kaput, alles kaput‘ (finished, finished, all is finished). He recognized the growing thirst for an alternative moral and spiritual philosophy.

On his return from West Germany, convinced of the potential for growth of Buddhism in that country, Weeraratna founded the ‘Lanka Dammaduta Society’ on September 21, 1952, and worked more or less in the back room of his family shop, P. J. Weeraratna and Sons at 592, Second Division, Maradana. This Society was later re-named ‘German Dharmaduta Society’ (GDS) on May 8, 1957.

Venerable Nanatiloka Maha thera, the well known German scholar monk was the first patron of the society.

A temporary training centre for Dharmaduta work opened at No. 145, Kandy Road, Dalugama, Kelaniya. The German monk, Venerable Nyanaponika Thera and several other Bhikkhus were given accommodation there.

In 1954, the Society launched a ‘Million Rupee Trust Fund’ for the permanent establishment of the Buddha Sasana in Germany. The Fund was inaugurated at a public meeting held at the Colombo Town Hall on September 6, 1954, presided by Mr. Dudley Senanayake, the former prime minister. The Government declared the Million Rupee Fund an approved charity. Walther Schmits, a German Buddhist, left DM 550,000 to the society upon his death in 1957.

In November 1955 the Government granted to the society an acre of vacant crown land at No. 417, Bullers Road, (Buddhaloka Mawatha) Colombo on a 99-year lease to construct new headquarters of the Lanka Dharmaduta Society. The foundation stone was laid on December 9, 1955 by Mr. Dudley Senanayake. On August 7, 1956, Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike declared open at a public meeting the new headquarters of GDS, consisting of a two storey dormitory with 14 rooms, an Assembly Hall, Office and Library built at a cost of Rs. 125,000.

The society sponsored the first Buddhist Mission to Germany, which left the Colombo Harbour by ship ‘SS Orantes’ on June 16, 1957. The three monks in this mission comprised Venerable Soma, Venerable Kheminda, Venerable Vinta of the Vajiraramaya Temple, Bambalapitiya. Mr. Asoka Weeraratna joined the mission in Berlin having flown from Colombo. Once the mission landed at Berlin the bhikkus reached Das Buddhistische Haus and stayed there.

By then Asoka Weeraratna had a thought of buying the Buddhist House. He negotiated with the nephew of the late Dr. Paul Dahlke, who lived in an island called Sylt near Denmark, in the extreme north of West Germany, 500 km from Berlin, He bought the property on December 13, 1957 for DM 174,370 (Rs. 318,016) on behalf of the GDS. Five trustees, Dudley Senanayake, Henry Amarasuriya, Dr. P. B. Fernando, Proctor Nelson Soysa and Asoka Weeraratne were appointed. The acquisition was completed on April 12, 1961.

Today Buddhist House is the oldest Theravada Buddhist Centre in Europe. It has been designated as a National Heritage Site since 1995 recognized by the German local authorities.

In 1964 Asoka Weeraratna acquired 500 acres from the Mitirigala Mukalana, a forest reserve, from the Government of Sri Lanka on a 99-year lease. With his personal funds and with the help of others who had volunteered to build ‘kutis’, he began the construction of the Mitirigala Forest Hermitage. Within a period of three years the reserve was transformed into a hermitage, which included ‘bhavana salawa’ (meditation center), ‘sakman malus’ and ‘kutis’.

On July 13, 1967 Ven. Nanarama Maha Thera arrived at the Nissarana Vanaya, accompanied by few monks to commence their residence there. The meditation program commenced on July 22, 1967.

On August 22, 1972, Asoka Weeraratna was ordained as a resident monk at the Nissarana Vanaya Aranya under the name, ‘Mitirigala Dhammanisanthi Thero’. He spent 27 years at the Nissarana Vanaya and passed away on July 2, 1999, at the age of eighty years.

Venerable Mitirigala Dhammanisanthi Thero (Asoka Weeraratna) is destined to be ranked in history as one of the preeminent figures of Sri Lanka’s post-independence Buddhist renaissance.

Berlin Viharaya celebrates it’s centenary in 2024. There will be a seminar conducted at the Berlin Viharaya on August 3 and 4. Tissa Weeraratna the nephew of Asoka Weeraratna is the present caretaker of the Berlin temple. The present resident monk of the temple is Ven. Palane Dhammakusala Thero.

Under the state sponsership Sri Lanka too will host a seminar at Temple Trees on August 3, 2024 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena will be the chief guest. The German Ambassador and other dignitaries will also attend the meeting.

The book titled ‘100 years of Das Buddhistische Haus’ authored by the secretary of German Dharmadutha Sociecty Sri Lanka, Senaka Weerarata and stamp with first day cover will also be issued at the meeting.

Present Board of management of the German Dharmadutha Society (GDS) consist of the following: Trustees – Senaka Weeraratna, Lakshman Hettiarachchi, Ananda Wimaladaharma, Kosala Wickramanayake, President: Major General Sardha Abeyratne, Vice Presidents – Prof. Jayasiri Lankage, Dr. Newton Peiris, Harendra de Silva, Dr. Manouri Senanayake. Secretary– Senaka Weeraratna, Assistant Secretary – Dr. S. H. Perara, Treasurer – S. M. Wijeratne, Committee members – Chandra de Silva, Ms. Renuka Nagodavithana, Lalith Manage, Ranjith Wimalasiri, Prof. Virajni Karunaratne, Nayana Weerasiri. Administrative secretary – Mr. Keminda Silva.

(The writer may be reached at 038-2298198)

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Features

Recruiting academics to state universities – beset by archaic selection processes?

Published

23 hours ago

2026/03/3

Thilina Walpola

by Kaushalya Perera

Time has, by and large, stood still in the business of academic staff recruitment to state universities. Qualifications have proliferated and evolved to be more interdisciplinary, but our selection processes and evaluation criteria are unchanged since at least the late 1990s. But before I delve into the problems, I will describe the existing processes and schemes of recruitment. The discussion is limited to UGC-governed state universities (and does not include recruitment to medical and engineering sectors) though the problems may be relevant to other higher education institutions (HEIs).

How recruitment happens currently in SL state universities

Academic ranks in Sri Lankan state universities can be divided into three tiers (subdivisions are not discussed).

* Lecturer (Probationary)

– recruited with a four-year undergraduate degree. A tiny step higher is the Lecturer (Unconfirmed), recruited with a postgraduate degree but no teaching experience.

* A Senior Lecturer can be recruited with certain postgraduate qualifications and some number of years of teaching and research.

* Above this is the professor (of four types), which can be left out of this discussion since only one of those (Chair Professor) is by application.

State universities cannot hire permanent academic staff as and when they wish. Prior to advertising a vacancy, approval to recruit is obtained through a mind-numbing and time-consuming process (months!) ending at the Department of Management Services. The call for applications must list all ranks up to Senior Lecturer. All eligible candidates for Probationary to Senior Lecturer are interviewed, e.g., if a Department wants someone with a doctoral degree, they must still advertise for and interview candidates for all ranks, not only candidates with a doctoral degree. In the evaluation criteria, the first degree is more important than the doctoral degree (more on this strange phenomenon later). All of this is only possible when universities are not under a ‘hiring freeze’, which governments declare regularly and generally lasts several years.

Problem type 1

– Archaic processes and evaluation criteria

Twenty-five years ago, as a probationary lecturer with a first degree, I was a typical hire. We would be recruited, work some years and obtain postgraduate degrees (ideally using the privilege of paid study leave to attend a reputed university in the first world). State universities are primarily undergraduate teaching spaces, and when doctoral degrees were scarce, hiring probationary lecturers may have been a practical solution. The path to a higher degree was through the academic job. Now, due to availability of candidates with postgraduate qualifications and the problems of retaining academics who find foreign postgraduate opportunities, preference for candidates applying with a postgraduate qualification is growing. The evaluation scheme, however, prioritises the first degree over the candidate’s postgraduate education. Were I to apply to a Faculty of Education, despite a PhD on language teaching and research in education, I may not even be interviewed since my undergraduate degree is not in education. The ‘first degree first’ phenomenon shows that universities essentially ignore the intellectual development of a person beyond their early twenties. It also ignores the breadth of disciplines and their overlap with other fields.

This can be helped (not solved) by a simple fix, which can also reduce brain drain: give precedence to the doctoral degree in the required field, regardless of the candidate’s first degree, effected by a UGC circular. The suggestion is not fool-proof. It is a first step, and offered with the understanding that any selection process, however well the evaluation criteria are articulated, will be beset by multiple issues, including that of bias. Like other Sri Lankan institutions, universities, too, have tribal tendencies, surfacing in the form of a preference for one’s own alumni. Nevertheless, there are other problems that are, arguably, more pressing as I discuss next. In relation to the evaluation criteria, a problem is the narrow interpretation of any regulation, e.g., deciding the degree’s suitability based on the title rather than considering courses in the transcript. Despite rhetoric promoting internationalising and inter-disciplinarity, decision-making administrative and academic bodies have very literal expectations of candidates’ qualifications, e.g., a candidate with knowledge of digital literacy should show this through the title of the degree!

Problem type 2 – The mess of badly regulated higher education

A direct consequence of the contemporary expansion of higher education is a large number of applicants with myriad qualifications. The diversity of degree programmes cited makes the responsibility of selecting a suitable candidate for the job a challenging but very important one. After all, the job is for life – it is very difficult to fire a permanent employer in the state sector.

Widely varying undergraduate degree programmes.

At present, Sri Lankan undergraduates bring qualifications (at times more than one) from multiple types of higher education institutions: a degree from a UGC-affiliated state university, a state university external to the UGC, a state institution that is not a university, a foreign university, or a private HEI aka ‘private university’. It could be a degree received by attending on-site, in Sri Lanka or abroad. It could be from a private HEI’s affiliated foreign university or an external degree from a state university or an online only degree from a private HEI that is ‘UGC-approved’ or ‘Ministry of Education approved’, i.e., never studied in a university setting. Needless to say, the diversity (and their differences in quality) are dizzying. Unfortunately, under the evaluation scheme all degrees ‘recognised’ by the UGC are assigned the same marks. The same goes for the candidates’ merits or distinctions, first classes, etc., regardless of how difficult or easy the degree programme may be and even when capabilities, exposure, input, etc are obviously different.

Similar issues are faced when we consider postgraduate qualifications, though to a lesser degree. In my discipline(s), at least, a postgraduate degree obtained on-site from a first-world university is preferable to one from a local university (which usually have weekend or evening classes similar to part-time study) or online from a foreign university. Elitist this may be, but even the best local postgraduate degrees cannot provide the experience and intellectual growth gained by being in a university that gives you access to six million books and teaching and supervision by internationally-recognised scholars. Unfortunately, in the evaluation schemes for recruitment, the worst postgraduate qualification you know of will receive the same marks as one from NUS, Harvard or Leiden.

The problem is clear but what about a solution?

Recruitment to state universities needs to change to meet contemporary needs. We need evaluation criteria that allows us to get rid of the dross as well as a more sophisticated institutional understanding of using them. Recruitment is key if we want our institutions (and our country) to progress. I reiterate here the recommendations proposed in ‘Considerations for Higher Education Reform’ circulated previously by Kuppi Collective:

* Change bond regulations to be more just, in order to retain better qualified academics.

* Update the schemes of recruitment to reflect present-day realities of inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary training in order to recruit suitably qualified candidates.

* Ensure recruitment processes are made transparent by university administrations.

Kaushalya Perera is a senior lecturer at the University of Colombo.

(Kuppi is a politics and pedagogy happening on the margins of the lecture hall that parodies, subverts, and simultaneously reaffirms social hierarchies.)

Features

Talento … oozing with talent

Published

23 hours ago

2026/03/3

Thilina Walpola

Talento: Gained recognition as a leading wedding and dance band

This week, too, the spotlight is on an outfit that has gained popularity, mainly through social media.

Last week we had MISTER Band in our scene, and on 10th February, Yellow Beatz – both social media favourites.

Talento is a seven-piece band that plays all types of music, from the ‘60s to the modern tracks of today.

The band has reached many heights, since its inception in 2012, and has gained recognition as a leading wedding and dance band in the scene here.

The members that makeup the outfit have a solid musical background, which comes through years of hard work and dedication

Their portfolio of music contains a mix of both western and eastern songs and are carefully selected, they say, to match the requirements of the intended audience, occasion, or event.

Although the baila is a specialty, which is inherent to this group, that originates from Moratuwa, their repertoire is made up of a vast collection of love, classic, oldies and modern-day hits.

The musicians, who make up Talento, are:

Prabuddha Geetharuchi:

Geilee Fonseka: Dynamic and charismatic vocalist

Prabuddha Geetharuchi: The main man behind the band Talento

(Vocalist/ Frontman). He is an avid music enthusiast and was mentored by a lot of famous musicians, and trainers, since he was a child. Growing up with them influenced him to take on western songs, as well as other music styles. A Peterite, he is the main man behind the band Talento and is a versatile singer/entertainer who never fails to get the crowd going.

Geilee Fonseka (Vocals):

A dynamic and charismatic vocalist whose vibrant stage presence, and powerful voice, bring a fresh spark to every performance. Young, energetic, and musically refined, she is an artiste who effortlessly blends passion with precision – captivating audiences from the very first note. Blessed with an immense vocal range, Geilee is a truly versatile singer, confidently delivering Western and Eastern music across multiple languages and genres.

Chandana Perera (Drummer):

His expertise and exceptional skills have earned him recognition as one of the finest acoustic drummers in Sri Lanka. With over 40 tours under his belt, Chandana has demonstrated his dedication and passion for music, embodying the essential role of a drummer as the heartbeat of any band.

Harsha Soysa:

(Bassist/Vocalist). He a chorister of the western choir of St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa, who began his musical education under famous voice trainers, as well as bass guitar trainers in Sri Lanka. He has also performed at events overseas. He acts as the second singer of the band

Udara Jayakody:

(Keyboardist). He is also a qualified pianist, adding technical flavour to Talento’s music. His singing and harmonising skills are an extra asset to the band. From his childhood he has been a part of a number of orchestras as a pianist. He has also previously performed with several famous western bands.

Aruna Madushanka:

(Saxophonist). His proficiciency in playing various instruments, including the saxophone, soprano saxophone, and western flute, showcases his versatility as a musician, and his musical repertoire is further enhanced by his remarkable singing ability.

Prashan Pramuditha:

(Lead guitar). He has the ability to play different styles, both oriental and western music, and he also creates unique tones and patterns with the guitar..

Features

Special milestone for JJ Twins

Published

23 hours ago

2026/03/3

Thilina Walpola

Twin brothers Julian and Jason Prins

The JJ Twins, the Sri Lankan musical duo, performing in the Maldives, and known for blending R&B, Hip Hop, and Sri Lankan rhythms, thereby creating a unique sound, have come out with a brand-new single ‘Me Mawathe.’

In fact, it’s a very special milestone for the twin brothers, Julian and Jason Prins, as ‘Me Mawathe’ is their first ever Sinhala song!

‘Me Mawathe’ showcases a fresh new sound, while staying true to the signature harmony and emotion that their fans love.

This heartfelt track captures the beauty of love, journey, and connection, brought to life through powerful vocals and captivating melodies.

It marks an exciting new chapter for the JJ Twins as they expand their musical journey and connect with audiences in a whole new way.

Their recent album, ‘CONCLUDED,’ explores themes of love, heartbreak, and healing, and include hits like ‘Can’t Get You Off My Mind’ and ‘You Left Me Here to Die’ which showcase their emotional intensity.

Readers could stay connected and follow JJ Twins on social media for exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and upcoming releases:

Instagram: http://instagram.com/jjtwinsofficial

TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@jjtwinsmusic

Facebook: http://facebook.com/jjtwinssingers

YouTube: http://youtube.com/jjtwins