Did the Buddha Ever Visit Sri Lanka?

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

Other Books

Whatever it says in Other Books, whether that be ancient Pali books, or books by contemporary authors, should be compared with reliable sources. If it agrees with them; it should be accepted. If not, it should be rejected.

[BKh]

Whatever it says in Other Books, whether that be ancient Pali books, or books by contemporary authors, should be compared with reliable sources. If it agrees with them; it should be accepted. If not, it should be rejected.

Bhante,
But the suttas don't say that the Buddha didn't go to Sri Lanka. Remember the handful of leaves. There is much that the Buddha didn't reveal.

It's perfectly fine to not believe the history books of Sri Lanka. I guess my point is that you can't say that they are false simply because that information is not found in the suttas. There are millions of factual things that are not found in the suttas!

I'd be interested in hearing what you think the contradiction or non agreement is. We have already established that travel through air by psychic powers is not against what the suttas say. Are there things about the Buddha's visit that you think contradicts the suttas? Are their things he did on the visit that go against information regarding the nature or behaviour of a Buddha in the suttas? Because that would be an important thing to know. As would the lack of contradictions.

Rereading your OP,

I wonder what the general consensus is among learned monks and scholars?

I'm afraid that DhammaWheel may not be the place to get this answer. Perhaps you could contact Bhante Anandajoti. He would probably be more in touch with this. Or the former Nyanatusita. Or Bhante Bodhi. I'm also not sure what you were trying to learn since you come back around to not believing anything not exactly found in the suttas. Were you looking for non-canonical facts that would disprove a visit? I'm not sure what those facts would be.

With respects

[Lucas Oliveira]

Other Books

Whatever it says in Other Books, whether that be ancient Pali books, or books by contemporary authors, should be compared with reliable sources. If it agrees with them; it should be accepted. If not, it should be rejected.

Other Books.png

Thank you Bhante!

[confusedlayman]

Probably not because it's too far away from north India, and there were no ships to travel from India into Sri Lanka.

there were ships that travel to rome, turkey, indonesia etc.. why not ceylon?

[justindesilva]

Probably not because it's too far away from north India, and there were no ships to travel from India into Sri Lanka.

there were ships that travel to rome, turkey, indonesia etc.. why not ceylon?

It is possible that Sri Lanka at its north end and the southern tip of South India would have been walkable. Even a recent investigation has shown that this strip of land would have been above the sea level.

[lostitude]

There is nothing ridiculous about the Buddha flying to distant places using his psychic powers.

Really? To me there is. You first have to accept the idea that psychic powers and flying carpets are real, which requires and extremely open mind that I personally don’t have.

[Catoni54]

There is nothing ridiculous about the Buddha flying to distant places using his psychic powers.

Really? To me there is. You first have to accept the idea that psychic powers and flying carpets are real, which requires and extremely open mind that I personally don’t have.

Some people do indeed have an extremely open mind. But didn’t Lord Buddha say we don’t have to accept everything people claim... even things Lord Buddha himself claimed... if it didn’t agree with our own experiment and trial and common sense?
Personally I don’t believe Lord Buddha could fly. And I don’t believe Jesus Christ raised a man from the dead who had died three days previously or could walk on deep water unless it was frozen thick.
Maybe I don’t have an open enough mind,

[form]

Seems like the Buddha also have many of the same limitations a mortal has. Unless he really can fly, I dun see how he can travel to far away places or across the seas. He has no money to. There is also no way he can overcome the language and cultural barrier outside India. He needs to eat and how is he going to get alm offerings in China? Dhamma taught by him at that time need to have an ancient Indian religious background and settings as pre requisite.

[rhinoceroshorn]

Seems like the Buddha also have many of the same limitations a mortal has. Unless he really can fly, I dun see how he can travel to far away places or across the seas. He has no money to. There is also no way he can overcome the language and cultural barrier outside India. He needs to eat and how is he going to get alm offerings in China? Dhamma taught by him at that time need to have an ancient Indian religious background and settings as pre requisite.

Hello my friend.
May Mahāsīhanāda Sutta (mn 12) interest you.
In this sutta a monk disrobed because he didn't believe the Buddha had any supranormal power (he refused to show them to him).

5. "Sariputta, this misguided man Sunakkhatta...

6. "And he will never infer of me according to Dhamma: 'That Blessed One enjoys the various kinds of supernormal power: having been one, he becomes many; having been many, he becomes one; he appears and vanishes; he goes unhindered through a wall, through an enclosure, through a mountain, as though through space; he dives in and out of the earth as though it were water; he walks on water without sinking as though it were earth; seated cross-legged, he travels in space like a bird; with his hand he touches and strokes the moon and sun so powerful and mighty; he wields bodily mastery even as far as the Brahma-world.'

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .ntbb.html

[form]

Seems like the Buddha also have many of the same limitations a mortal has. Unless he really can fly, I dun see how he can travel to far away places or across the seas. He has no money to. There is also no way he can overcome the language and cultural barrier outside India. He needs to eat and how is he going to get alm offerings in China? Dhamma taught by him at that time need to have an ancient Indian religious background and settings as pre requisite.

Hello my friend.
May Mahāsīhanāda Sutta (mn 12) interest you.
In this sutta a monk disrobed because he didn't believe the Buddha had any supranormal power (he refused to show them to him).

5. "Sariputta, this misguided man Sunakkhatta...

6. "And he will never infer of me according to Dhamma: 'That Blessed One enjoys the various kinds of supernormal power: having been one, he becomes many; having been many, he becomes one; he appears and vanishes; he goes unhindered through a wall, through an enclosure, through a mountain, as though through space; he dives in and out of the earth as though it were water; he walks on water without sinking as though it were earth; seated cross-legged, he travels in space like a bird; with his hand he touches and strokes the moon and sun so powerful and mighty; he wields bodily mastery even as far as the Brahma-world.'

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .ntbb.html

It is just something we won't understand why he used it sometimes while other times he dun.

For example, he can probably used it for anti aging purpose and to not become sick to allow him to perform what he want better. Or, he can fly around instead of to be on foot to travel across India.

I believe in supernormal powers, which is known as ESP in our time.

[rhinoceroshorn]

It is just something we won't understand why he used it sometimes while other times he dun.

If he never used, you would ask why. If he always used, you would also ask why.
He simply used when he found it appropriate?
Tathāgatas don't need to follow our vain logic.

[rhinoceroshorn]

In this Jātaka the Buddha asks ven. Moggallāna to do the job of flying for him.
Maybe the Buddha refrained from showing his powers.

[Lucas Oliveira]

It is just something we won't understand why he used it sometimes while other times he dun.

For example, he can probably used it for anti aging purpose and to not become sick to allow him to perform what he want better. Or, he can fly around instead of to be on foot to travel across India.

I believe in supernormal powers, which is known as ESP in our time.

Seated, the Blessed One addressed Ven. Ānanda, “Vesālī is refreshing, Ānanda. Refreshing, too, are the Udena shrine, the Gotamaka shrine, the Sattamba shrine, the ManySon shrine, the Sāranda shrine, the Pāvāla shrine.23
“Anyone, Ānanda, in whom the four bases of power24 are developed, pursued, given a means of transport, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, and well-undertaken, could—if he wanted—remain for an eon or the remainder of an eon.25 In the Tathāgata, Ānanda, the four bases of power are developed, pursued, given a means of transport, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, and well-undertaken. He could—if he wanted—remain for an eon or the remainder of an eon.”

But Ven. Ānanda—even when the Blessed One had given such a blatant sign, such a blatant hint—wasn’t able to understand his meaning. He didn’t beg of him, “Lord, may the Blessed One remain for an eon. May the One Well-Gone remain for an eon—for the benefit of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of sympathy for the world, for the welfare, benefit, & happiness of human beings & devas.” It was as if his mind were possessed by Māra.
https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/DN/DN16.html

There is nothing ridiculous about the Buddha flying to distant places using his psychic powers.

Really? To me there is. You first have to accept the idea that psychic powers and flying carpets are real, which requires and extremely open mind that I personally don’t have.

The Buddha has psychic powers ..

Who uses flying carpet is the Aladdin ..

i also had difficulties to believe in psychic powers ..

my luck was that before I started studying Buddhism I studied spirituality and found many scientific works that bought various subjects about spirituality ..

so when I studied the Buddha's teachings, I was able to understand better.

[justindesilva]

It is just something we won't understand why he used it sometimes while other times he dun.

For example, he can probably used it for anti aging purpose and to not become sick to allow him to perform what he want better. Or, he can fly around instead of to be on foot to travel across India.

I believe in supernormal powers, which is known as ESP in our time.

Seated, the Blessed One addressed Ven. Ānanda, “Vesālī is refreshing, Ānanda. Refreshing, too, are the Udena shrine, the Gotamaka shrine, the Sattamba shrine, the ManySon shrine, the Sāranda shrine, the Pāvāla shrine.23
“Anyone, Ānanda, in whom the four bases of power24 are developed, pursued, given a means of transport, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, and well-undertaken, could—if he wanted—remain for an eon or the remainder of an eon.25 In the Tathāgata, Ānanda, the four bases of power are developed, pursued, given a means of transport, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, and well-undertaken. He could—if he wanted—remain for an eon or the remainder of an eon.”

But Ven. Ānanda—even when the Blessed One had given such a blatant sign, such a blatant hint—wasn’t able to understand his meaning. He didn’t beg of him, “Lord, may the Blessed One remain for an eon. May the One Well-Gone remain for an eon—for the benefit of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of sympathy for the world, for the welfare, benefit, & happiness of human beings & devas.” It was as if his mind were possessed by Māra.
https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/DN/DN16.html

There is nothing ridiculous about the Buddha flying to distant places using his psychic powers.

Really? To me there is. You first have to accept the idea that psychic powers and flying carpets are real, which requires and extremely open mind that I personally don’t have.

The Buddha has psychic powers ..

Who uses flying carpet is the Aladdin ..

i also had difficulties to believe in psychic powers ..

my luck was that before I started studying Buddhism I studied spirituality and found many scientific works that bought various subjects about spirituality ..

so when I studied the Buddha's teachings, I was able to understand better.

Lord budda advised his desciples not to use psychic powers (iddi) unless it was unavoidable. We sri lankans believe that the foot print if budda called Sri para or ( adams peak in english) was an inscription of his foot left during one of his visits. Sri pada is a mountain nearly 1000m which takes a night to climb on a trek in the hills of Sri Lanka. It is said that Lord budda left his foot inscription on an invitation to do so.
Whether it is true or not many thousands of Sri lankans visit and worship this top hill yearly out of faith or sadda. People also watch the rising sun that hides and reappear and adds to faith not knowing it's reason.
The other two places in Sri Lanka is also believed to be travelled on sky ( iddi). One to Kelaniya (western province) to settle a dispute between two Royal brothers. A few other places are also known to be places visited.
Yet until Arhat Mahinda brought damma to Sri Lanka 250 years later since parinirvsna there is no evidence of Sri lankans following Buddhism.

[lostitude]

my luck was that before I started studying Buddhism I studied spirituality and found many scientific works that bought various subjects about spirituality ..

No offense but I think you meant quackery paraded as scientific works. If those stories had any scientific grounding to them, I'm pretty sure everyone would know because it would hit the headlines.