Shradda and my visit to Sambudda Raja Maligawa.

‘Shradda’ is a Sanskrit word which has no equivalent in English, at best it can be understood as faith with love and reverence.

Why we need to develop Shradda?

    Because we are going  to understand the reality of this life and the world, I would say the universe.

At the beginning we do not have a clue. But we have or aware of some explanations from the dignified person called Lord Buddha. The Lord Buddha taught us the reality of the life and guided us attain a status where time and space do not exists. This status is commonly called Niravana.

So.. why still we need Shardda?

If we want to achieve Niravana  we need to go  the path guided by the Lord one. Since we cannot understand what will be the end, we need to develop a faith about our leader, the dignified one. It is a faith with love and reverence.

Other famous religious beliefs do follow the same ideology. That is they ask followers to have a full faith or total believe in GOD. It is not same as Shradda, it is a devotion (Bhakthiya), selfless affection to the religious theory. Affection is a bond (bandimak). We must not have any bond on our way to Nirvana.

So, we are not devotees of Lord Buddha. We are Shraddawathun of Lord Buddha. Since there is no word to match in English, most people leisurely used the word ‘devotee’.

I visited Sambuddha Raja maha vihara from various websites including Mahamegha and news, we (with my family) thought of visiting there to worship this great ‘ masterpiece ’.

It was 2.00 PM and very hot. When entering the shrine room there was a board saying to remove shoes. Still we have to move about 50m to reach the shrine room entrance.

No trees to shade. Environment concern is zero point. It was a concrete world.   Very hot indeed. We had to run on asphalt layered road.. So we ran.

On our way, a well-built monk announced that we need to raise our hands and place in forehead to get Shradda and also have to pass the hot path to feel how it likes in the hell. I was quick to pick that this is not a Shradda but a devotion.

When we enter a bald headed person asked us to chant ‘Sadu’ and place our hands in the forehead.  I didn’t do anything but smiled with him. Thanks.. he absorbed my dissatisfaction about his command.

The building architecture is really impressive. It do posses modern architectural capabilities. I looked at a drawing in lonely large wall. For me it was like wicked drawing. Anyone can categorise those creation for various artistic roots like Shanchi, Amarawathi...etc.. But, definitely these artists had not had any Sharddha about the dignified once. He might have a good artistic talent but do not have Shradda. So.. how he can express the Lord Buddha’s immense good qualities (Budu Guna) without Shradda.

We stopped at the first Lord Buddha’s statue. My little one came and asked.

‘Thaththi.. ayi budu sadu lipstick ganne. e kaleth ewa thibunada’ (Father why Lord buddha is using lipstick. Was that available at that time also)

That was end. I will never visit this place. Let my beloved country be safe from these ‘Mahayana’ trends.