Thalpawila Kusalagnana

I obtained my monastic education for 8 years which included Pali, Sanskrit, Sinhala, English and Buddhism. Then I passed Pandit (eq. Bachelor degree) exam (2nd place in Sri Lanka) through which one can become an expert in Oriental studies. I have got two Masters degrees (Hamburg - grade 1 and Kelaniya) in Buddhist Studies, a postgraduate diploma in Buddhist Studies, diplomas in English and Buddhist Psychological Counselling. I passed the higher exam to become maestro of Tipitaka (Buddhist canonical texts). I have been teaching Pali and Buddhism since 2000 and have got experience in tutoring at the University of Hamburg. I have been translating Pali Buddhist Canon into German since 2012. I have studied Buddhist Philosophy and literature since the early phase of my academic education.

03-2015 - 09-2015

Project: Analysis on Verbal paradigms in Pali according to Maharupasiddhi

Scope/workload: 6th chapter of Maharupasiddhi: the oldest grammar book of Pali.

This research is a fulfillment of a part of the International Degree of Master of Arts. Submitted in 2015 to the Faculty of Humanities, University of Hamburg, Germany. Supervised by Professor Dr. Michael Zimmermann. This study is mainly based on the first part (‘vibhatti-vidhāna’) of the sixth chapter (‘ākhyāta-kaṇḍa’) of Rūpasiddhi. The main purspose of the study was to make a commentarial edition and translation to the selected text using ancient manuscripts and contemporary printed versions and to indicate how the verb in Pali is formed. Two palm leaf manuscripts, three printed versions in Sinhala script and one printed version in Burmese script are used in this study. The evolution of Pali grammar since its lost ancient works has been taken into account in this study while the critics and opinions of modern scholars on Pali are discussed. A study on the generation of Pali grammar works is done since it is significant in understanding the background for Rūpasiddhi to be composed. A detailed account on Rūpasiddhi and its connected works has been made while the strong necessity of a good edition and translation of Rūpasiddhi is stressed. Before beginning the edition of the main text, a description of the contents of seven chapters in Rūpasiddhi has been made. The main chapters of the research work are; Rūpasiddhi, Author and Associated Works, Grammar of Rūpasiddhi, Tenses and Moods in Pali, Edition and Commentarial Translation: Formation of (Eight) Verbal Paradigms of Six-fold Time in the 6th Chapter of Rūpasiddhi.

08-2015

Type: Comparative study: Theravada and Mahayana

Title: The Land of Buddha in Mahayana and The Kingdom of Universal Monarch in Theravada.

Production published (made available): Faculty of Humanities, University of Hamburg

Degree: Master

Study counsellor: Professor Dr. Luis Gómez

Subject Scheme: Buddhist Paradises as Belief and Narrative.

From the discourses that present the idea of the Land of Buddha and the Kingdom of Universal Monarch, the Shorter Sukhāvatīvyuha Sutra (Sanskrit) from Mahayana and Mahāsudassana Sutta (Pali) from Theravada has been used for this study since both the discourses are rich in the subjectrelated facts and many similarities can be drawn from the particulars that both discourses contain. A comparison and a study on the facts regarding the land of Buddha and Universal Monarch have been focused.

07-2015

Type: Field Study: Sri Lankan Buddhism

Title: Theravāda Buddhism in Sri Lanka, its Propagation and Establishment in the World

Production published (made available) at: Faculty of Humanities, University of Hamburg,

Degree: Master

Study counsellor: Professor Dr. Michael Zimmerman

This research is based on an experiment on the history and current status of Theravada in Sri Lanka and its spread in the world. Even though Buddhism has ruined in the country where it was born, Sri Lankans protect Buddhism considering it as their highest treasure since 2300 years. Sri Lanka subjects to the respect of preserving the teaching of Buddha by learning it by heart for three generations and then writing it on palm leaves to prevent it from being vanished. Buddhist tradition that has been established in Sri Lanka was named Theravāda. Sri Lanka played and plays the major role in propagating Theravāda Buddhism in the world. Sri Lankan Buddhist monks have been to Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia and then those countries got the identity of Theravāda. There are a number of Sri Lankan Buddhist temples in Europe and Americas while a great missionary work is being carried out by the monks who live in these states. It has been discussed that the image of Westerners about Theravāda as a pessimistic tradition has to be revolutionized by introducing the practical aspects of Theravāda and by proving how far it matches with the goals of the 21st century.

10-2013

Type: Survey in Buddhist Studies

Title: The Concept of Kamma (action) and its Classification in Theravāda Buddhism

Production published (made available) at: Faculty of Humanities, University of Hamburg

Degree: Master

Study counsellor: Prof. Dr. Steffen Doell

The teaching of Kamma (action) is one of the main concepts of Buddhism. All schools of Buddhism talk about the teaching on Kamma. This paper focuses on the Classification of the Kamma. The cause for the being to wander between death and rebirth again and again is Kamma. Hence the way of stopping the wandering in Saṃsāra is by cessation of Kamma. The teaching of Kamma in Buddhism guides the person to make his life successful and to achieve the final goal, Nibbāna. Though Kamma is one as a whole, it can be classified into three groups according to its function, time of operation and priority of effect. It is considered in this work that all parts in this classification cannot be found together in one single discourse in Pāli Canon, but the functionality of Kamma according to the parts of this classification are found in Pāli Canon.

10-2012

Type: Survey in Philology

Title: Study of Manuscript Culture

Production published (made available) at: University of Hamburg

Degree: Master

Study counsellor: Prof. Dr. Harunaga Isaacsson

Manuscript, Its Background, Manuscript Culture and Preservation have been studied as fundamental facts in this paper, while Textual Criticism, Codex, Codicology, Paleography, Paratext and Colophon taken into account as neighboring facts. The study of manuscript is a famous subject in Universities and colleges. The field of manuscript is spread in a vast range and can be split into many layers. The meaning of the term 'manuscript' also varies from time to time according to its usage and purpose. The term 'manuscript' in this paper has been taken as a common term in all fields and times. Therefore, there is no specific area or era taken into account in this study.

Supervised by Prof. Dr. Harunaga Isaacsson, Faculty of Humanities, University of Hamburg, Germany.

05.2014

Presentation title: Sri Lankan Buddhism in Europe

Venue: Faculty of Humanities, University of Hamburg

Participants: Professor Dr. Michael Zimmerman, M.A. Students, B.A. Students

09.2014

Presentation title: Action and its consequence according to the Buddhist doctrine

Venue: Faculty of Humanities, University of Hamburg

Participants: Professor Dr. Steffen Doell, PhD Students, M.A. Students

06-2017

Goethe Zertifikat B2

Duration: 12 months

Successfully completed the German language course, Level B2 conducted by the Volkshochschule in Wedel, Germany. Course included: Grammar, Speech, Listening, Comprehension and Writing. After the course, passed the exam Goethe Zertifikat B2 with 79 marks out of 100 and obtained the certificate.

01-2015

German Language B1

Duration: 6 months

Successfully completed the German language course, Level B1 conducted by the Volkshochschule in Farmsen, Germany. Course included: Grammar, Speech, Listening, Comprehension and Writing.