English Translation of Main Headlines

For Buddhists in Sri Lanka, the hallowed day of Poson is second only to the festival of Vesak in terms of importance. Poson holds great significance as the day on which Sri Lanka first adopted Buddhism, when the Monk Arahat Mahinda Thero from India converted the ruler of Sri Lanka, King Devanampiya Tissa and his court to Buddhism in the 3rd century BC, thereby setting in motion a series of events that would see Sri Lanka become the home of Theravada Buddhism. The tale of the first meeting between Arahat Mahinda Thero and King Devanampiya Tissa tells of the King engaged in hunting game in the royal park, when a well-built deer ran swiftly by the king's side. He pulled out an arrow and aimed at the deer when all of a sudden he was drawn away from it by the sound Arahat Mahinda Thero calling his name. Despite having missed his game, the King was not annoyed as he listened to the Monk's teachings of Buddhism. One of the key teachings of Buddhism being to not harm animals, an underlying message of the Monk stopping the King at that precise moment. Thus, the wording of Deer Friends refers to all Buddhists, who through their religious beliefs, do not harm and are, indeed, friends to all animals.