Gangodawila Soma Thero (24 April 1948 – 12 December 2003) was a ''

bhikkhu A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics (" nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist ...

'' (Buddhist monk) from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. 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 Most Venerable Madihe Pannaseeha Mahathera (Pali: Paññāsīha) (June 21, 1913 – September 9, 2003) was an eminent Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, who was the Mahanayaka of Amarapura sect from July 13, 1969 until his death on September 9, 2003. ...

and Ampitiye Rahula Maha Thero and was both a learned monk and a social reformer. The cause of his death remains in dispute.

Teachings

Before his return to Sri Lanka, the knowledge and the practice of the ''

Dhamma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for ' ...

'' 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 The Kingdom of Kandy was a monarchy on the island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century. Initially a client kingdom of the Kin ...

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. He worked to teach Sri Lankan people the importance of

diligence Diligence—carefulness and persistent effort or work—is one of the seven heavenly virtues. It is indicative of a work ethic, the belief that work is good in itself. In students Bernard et al. suggest that diligence in students is defin ...

. 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 The Five precepts ( sa, pañcaśīla, italic=yes; pi, pañcasīla, italic=yes) or five rules of training ( sa, pañcaśikṣapada, italic=yes; pi, pañcasikkhapada, italic=yes) is the most important system of morality for Buddhist lay peo ...

. He emphasized letting go of false views and beliefs, such as worshipping deities over the Buddha. 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

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 An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

conferred by the

Russian Government The Government of Russia exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers. It has its legal basis in the Constitution of the Russ ...

. He was rushed to a hospital in

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

after a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. 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 or the Mahamewnawa monastery. A Special Presidential Commission was appointed to investigate this tragedy by

President of Sri Lanka The President of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජනාධිපති ''Śrī Laṃkā Janādhipathi''; ta, இலங்கை சனாதிபதி ''Ilankai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of t ...

.http://www.asiantribune.com/node/14650

References

External links

Sakyamuni Sambuddha Vihara
(incl. sermons and videos)
Dhamma Talks
*
Most Ven Gangodawila Soma Thero MP3 Sermons,E-Books and VideosMost Ven Gangodawila Soma Thero Dhamma Deshana
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soma Thero, Gangodawila Theravada Buddhist monks Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhists Sri Lankan Buddhist monks 1948 births 2003 deaths Alumni of Isipathana College Sinhalese monks 20th-century Buddhist monks