Gangodawila Soma Thero (24 April 1948 – 12 December 2003) was a bhikkhu (Buddhist monk) from Sri Lanka. Following tradition, he used the name of his birthplace, Gangodawila, in front of his name; thero is a term for an elder monk. Soma thero followed the example set by his teachers, Madihe Pannaseeha Thero and Ampitiye Rahula Maha Thero and was both a learned monk and a social reformer. The cause of his death remains in dispute.
Gangodawila Soma Thero
ගංගොඩවිල සෝම හිමි
Title
Chief incumbent of Buddhist Temple Victoria (Australia)
Before his return to Sri Lanka, the knowledge and the practice of the Dhamma had dwindled within Sri Lankan society. The practice had been diminishing for centuries following the rule of King Rajasinghe I. The great Buddhist revival programs had been rejuvenating the practice since the Kandyan kingdom into the mid-20th century. But following civil unrest, political instability, and war during the last 3 decades of the 20th century, the practice was again becoming forgotten. During that crucial time, Soma thero started propagating the Dhamma, creating a new enthusiasm among the people.[1][2]
He worked to teach Sri Lankan people the importance of diligence. He spoke of the importance of relinquishing sleepiness or "Thina-middha" and paying attention when listening to the Dhamma. He also spoke on the importance of observing the Five Precepts. He emphasized letting go of false views and beliefs, such as worshipping deities over the Buddha.[3]
He also gave worldly advice, such as the importance of learning the English language.
Soma thero was a proponent of vegetarianism and he spoke against killing animals for meat.
Deathedit
Gangodawila Soma Thera of the Vajiraramaya Maharagama died in St. Petersburg, Russia on 12 December 2003, at age 56. He was in Russia to accept an honorary doctorate conferred by the Russian Government. He was rushed to a hospital in St Petersburg after a heart attack. He underwent two emergency operations.
The circumstances of his death aroused suspicion. Some accused certain political parties of Sri Lanka whilst others accused born again Christians. A Special Presidential Commission was appointed to investigate this tragedy by President of Sri Lanka.[4][5]
^"Ape Soma Hamuduruwo - අද ගැන එදා දුටු අපේ සෝම හාමුදුරුවෝ" (in Sinhala). 11 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
^"Venerable Gangodawila Soma Thero - Importance of Observing the Five Precepts - YouTube". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
^"Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan president warns against anti-Christian violence".
gangodawila, soma, thero, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, topic, this, article, meet, wikipedia, notability, guideline, biographies, please, help, demon. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia s notability guideline for biographies Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing reliable secondary sources that are independent of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention If notability cannot be shown the article is likely to be merged redirected or deleted Find sources Gangodawila Soma Thero news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Gangodawila Soma Thero news newspapers books scholar JSTOR December 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Gangodawila Soma Thero 24 April 1948 12 December 2003 was a bhikkhu Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka Following tradition he used the name of his birthplace Gangodawila in front of his name thero is a term for an elder monk Soma thero followed the example set by his teachers Madihe Pannaseeha Thero and Ampitiye Rahula Maha Thero and was both a learned monk and a social reformer The cause of his death remains in dispute Gangodawila Soma Theroග ග ඩව ල ස ම හ ම TitleChief incumbent of Buddhist Temple Victoria Australia PersonalBorn 1948 04 24 24 April 1948Gangodawila Sri LankaDied12 December 2003 2003 12 12 aged 55 Saint Petersburg RussiaReligionBuddhismNationalitySinhaleseDenominationTheravadaSchoolAmarapura Nikaya Ananda Sastralaya KotteAlma materIsipathana CollegeMaharagama Bhikkhu Training CentreTeachersMadihe Pannaseeha TheroAmpitiye Rahula Maha Thero Contents 1 Teachings 2 Death 3 References 4 External linksTeachings editBefore his return to Sri Lanka the knowledge and the practice of the Dhamma had dwindled within Sri Lankan society The practice had been diminishing for centuries following the rule of King Rajasinghe I The great Buddhist revival programs had been rejuvenating the practice since the Kandyan kingdom into the mid 20th century But following civil unrest political instability and war during the last 3 decades of the 20th century the practice was again becoming forgotten During that crucial time Soma thero started propagating the Dhamma creating a new enthusiasm among the people 1 2 He worked to teach Sri Lankan people the importance of diligence He spoke of the importance of relinquishing sleepiness or Thina middha and paying attention when listening to the Dhamma He also spoke on the importance of observing the Five Precepts He emphasized letting go of false views and beliefs such as worshipping deities over the Buddha 3 He also gave worldly advice such as the importance of learning the English language Soma thero was a proponent of vegetarianism and he spoke against killing animals for meat Death editGangodawila Soma Thera of the Vajiraramaya Maharagama died in St Petersburg Russia on 12 December 2003 at age 56 He was in Russia to accept an honorary doctorate conferred by the Russian Government He was rushed to a hospital in St Petersburg after a heart attack He underwent two emergency operations The circumstances of his death aroused suspicion Some accused certain political parties of Sri Lanka whilst others accused born again Christians A Special Presidential Commission was appointed to investigate this tragedy by President of Sri Lanka 4 5 References edit Venerable Gangodawila Soma Thero බ ද ධ රශ ම Buddharashmi Retrieved 31 January 2021 Ape Soma Hamuduruwo අද ග න එද ද ට අප ස ම හ ම ද ර ව in Sinhala 11 January 2016 Retrieved 2 February 2021 Venerable Gangodawila Soma Thero Importance of Observing the Five Precepts YouTube youtube com Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 Retrieved 31 January 2021 Sri Lanka Sri Lankan president warns against anti Christian violence Asian Tribune dead link External links edithttps www gangodawilasomathera com Official Website for Late Gangodawila Soma Thera Sakyamuni Sambuddha Vihara incl sermons and videos Dhamma Talks Dhamma Talks Most Ven Soma Thera at the Wayback Machine archived 27 October 2009 Most Ven Gangodawila Soma Thero MP3 Sermons E Books and Videos Most Ven Gangodawila Soma Thero Dhamma Deshana Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gangodawila Soma Thero amp oldid 1187007095, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
