He was truly a disciple of the Buddha, who had that ability to be 'ujupatipanno' forthright. He was admired even by non-Buddhists for that quality alone. He was posthumously respected with a yellow flag raised in almost every household both Buddhist and non-Buddhist. Venerable Gangodavila Soma thus became a household name in every corner of the society.

Born on April 24th, 1948 in Gangodavila, Ven. Soma Thera, then known as Somarathne, was the eldest of a family of four.

Having started his primary education at Ananda Shastralaya, Kotte, Somarathne had his secondary education at Thurstan College, Colombo. Somarathne was to pursue more Buddhism than any other subject.
It is that much that the Chief Prelate of Bambalapitiya Vajiraramaya had no qualms in handing the teaching job to the Dhamma Wizard who was still in Grade 8! Ven. Soma's Dhamma journey hence had a gracious launch.
Ven. Soma Thera's funeral, no doubt, is one of Sri Lanka's largely attended funerals in the century. What is remarkable about Ven. Soma Thera is that he was well-versed in the Thripitaka, the three canons of Buddhism - a rare privilege a monk can ever claim.

Having dedicated his life for the Dhamma, Ven. Soma Thera studied the Thripitaka thrice. Obviously, anybody coming to him to get a Dhamma issue solved, would not return empty handed.

It is essential to discuss Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thera's intellectual contribution in this background. During his short and busy life, he has authored 10 publications including one English book titled 'Buddha - Get to know him'.

The book reviews the nine great spiritual qualities of the Buddha; this is quite familiar to the average Buddhist starting from 'Itipiso Bhagava Arahan...' and so on. Ven. Soma Thera's effort in authoring 'Buddha - Get to know him' is to annotate the nine great qualities.

A similar effort was carried out in the posthumously famed 'Buddha Stupa'. In 'Buddha Stupa' Ven. Soma Thera emphasises the need of concentrating the Buddha's nine great qualities for a calm and serene mind.

The mind of such a being can be compared with a Buddha Stupa, a Buddhist shrine. 'Buddha Stupa', I feel, is his most serious work, as it provides a detailed chapter-wise analysis of the nine great qualities of the Buddha.

Another intellectual exercise Ven. Soma Thera is annotating the Dhammapada, a Buddhist text consisting 423 stanzas.

Having explored various related texts written in explanation of Dhammapada like 'Dhammapada Purana Sannaya', 'Saddharma Sagaraya' and 'Dhammapada Pradeepaya', Ven. Soma Thera undertook a notable attempt to further simplify the text so that it will be of maximum use to the common reader. Even a single stanza would be useful in rectifying one's mistakes - so obviously it is a mirror that reflects one's own self.

'Sithata Sahana Dena Budu Bana' (Buddhist Sermons for Consolation) was based on weekly Dhamma articles published in Sunday Divaina.

The book addresses the present-day society's chaos. Ven. Soma Thera explicitly describes how Buddhism can be practically applied in the present-day society. 'Deshaya Surakina Ran Asipatha' (The Golden Sword that Protects the Country) basically speaks about the need to defeat the terrorism.

The soldier in the battlefield, according to Ven. Soma Thera, is not an assassin. The soldier's main intention is to save the country from terrorism. He is more engrossed in killing a terrorist rather than a human being.

'Rahula Matha' (Mother of Rahula) is his first book based on the life of Princess Yasodhara, Prince Siddhartha's wife. He explains the way the princess gradually renounced the palatial luxuries to become a spiritually elevated asset of the Buddhist order. The book is said to have inspired many young ladies on their spiritual activities.

'Deva Sankalpaya haa Bauddha Akalpa' (Concept of God and the Buddhist Attitude) discusses much of his commonly discussed viewpoints on the God concept in Buddhism. Although Buddhism does not entertain the concept of Almighty God, the doctrine accepts the existence of many gods superior to that of humans.

This does not imply that the humans should venerate the gods. With these concepts, Ven. Soma Thera strictly stood against the presence of Devalayas in the Buddhist temples. Thilak Senasinghe, Chamika Munasinghe and Indu Perera are three pioneering authors who have documented Ven. Gangodavila Soma Thera's dhamma sermons.

Thilak Senasinghe has recorded the late bhikkhu's standpoint against the heretic concepts prevalent in the Buddhist society.

Chamika Munasinghe has written a number of books containing the Venerable's Dhamma vision. Indu Perera has authored Ven. Soma Thera's biography, which is certainly an interesting for a student of the late spiritual scholar's life.

(sachitra@gmail.com)