The unique “Dhamma Duta” of the 20th century

Deshabandu Alec Robertson, [1928 – 2002], will be long remembered among the English-speaking Buddhists of Sri Lanka, as an orator who used his excellent skills in the art of communication, his mastery of the English language and his encyclopaedic knowledge of the Buddha Dhamma, to impart the words of the Buddha, to audiences across Sri Lanka and abroad. He was indeed a Dhamma Duta, par excellence. [an exemplary disseminator of the teachings of the Buddha].

He may be regarded as one of the great pillars of the ‘Servants of the Buddha’, an organisation that delivers the message of the Buddha in English. This organisation was established during colonial times when Buddhism was suppressed. The English-speaking Buddhists of Colombo headed by Dr. Cassius Pereira, later Ven. Kassapa Thera, started this organisation to cater to their spiritual needs. It has survived for over 100 years and continues to thrive. Alec Robertson dedicated himself to its work from a very early age until the end of his life. 

Having developed a flair for public speaking in his youth, he started giving Buddhist sermons at Maitriya Hall, a Dhamma preaching hall constructed in 1903, in the style of a church.  This unique historical site continues to be the centre from which weekly talks on Buddhism are delivered every Saturday afternoon. This programme has continued unabated, through two world wars and the subsequent hartals and emergencies.  It was only during the Covid pandemic that the weekly talks had to be suspended. However, the work of the Servants of the Buddha continued on-line; drawing new audiences from across the world.  

Alec Robertson’s profound knowledge of the Dhamma, his monumental memory and exceptional public speaking skills made him one of the most outstanding Dhamma teachers of his era. He was able to explain the most subtle and abstruse aspects of the Dhamma in such simple every day terms that even a child could comprehend. He held his audiences spell bound with his wit and humour plus his ability to quote from the Thripitaka, the Dhammapada, English literature and the Bible, with equal ease and aplomb. He strikingly demonstrated through his talks, the fusion of the East and West that epitomises the Servants of the Buddha. He added depth and colour to his talks by illustrating Dhamma points from his gargantuan repertoire of quotes.  One of his favourite stanzas from English literature, illustrating the concept of impermanence, anicca was:

“The boasts of heraldry, the pomp of power,
 and all that beauty, all that wealth ever gave,
 Await alike the inevitable hour,
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.” 
- Thomas Grey, “Elegy written in a Country Churchyard” –
Likewise, he would quote from Shakespeare to illustrate many Buddhist concepts.  When explaining “non-self,” anatta, he   would recount the following lines from Shakespeare: 
“For tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow,
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more.  It is tale told by an idiot,
Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
[“Macbeth” William Shakespeare]
One of his favourite quotes from the Dhammapada was:
“Whosoever controls this
 Wretched unruly craving,
So difficult to overcome, 
From him sorrow falls away, like
Water drops from a lotus leaf”
[Dhammapada v 336]

As Secretary of the Servants of the Buddha, [from 1985 to 1997], I took notes and prepared the Minutes of almost all of the talks given during that time, which included Alec Robertson’s talks given on the first Saturday of every month. In that entire time, I never once saw him using any notes, even at large important gatherings.  He was also a popular Dhamma speaker in Sinhala, as he laced his talks with local humour and anecdotes and explained the Dhamma in a manner that had widespread appeal and was easily understood. He would always say that “an ounce of practice is worth more than a ton of theory” and remark that many Buddhists remained at the theoretical level, which was like buying a bus ticket and studying all its details and arguing about its wording, colour and details and never getting on the bus to reach one’s destination. He explained the Dhamma in a down to earth manner that was conducive to practice in daily life. 

 In the nineties, a Sil programme was conducted every Poya day at Maitriya Hall. On each of those days Robertson himself observed sil and travelled from one temple and Dhamma hall to the other giving talks to the devotees; in Sinhala. Then he would quickly return to Maitriya Hall to deliver a talk in English. Embracing a simple life-style he was an easy going friendly and approachable person, who travelled by bus, mingled with the crowds, practised humility and maintained a low profile. This was an example of “if you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch ……. You’ll be a man my son” [“If” by Rudyard Kipling] .Rabindranath Tagore’s famous words, “Those who are nearest the great are greatest in humility”, applies to Alec Robertson. 

However, as President of the Servants of the Buddha, Robertson maintained a relentless and strict insistence that speakers keep to the true authentic word of the Buddha, as expounded in the Pali Canon. He firmly discouraged speakers from propounding their own theories, as this would lead to a dilution of the Dhamma and its ultimate demise. 

Robertson’s voice rang with equal fervour in the Maitriya Hall as well as over the air-waves of Radio Ceylon, [later Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation]. The regular weekly programme “The Buddhist Forum” was chaired by him for decades.  It was a popular medium through which English-speaking audiences were able to hear the Dhamma. The message of the Buddha was carried by him to Singapore, Australia, Malaysia and the Maldives, where he was invited to deliver Dhamma talks. Such was his versatility as a Dhamma speaker that if an invited speaker was absent on a Saturday afternoon, he would step in with no hesitation, no notes or references, and deliver a talk on the very same subject, perhaps better than what the speaker could have done. 

He served as the President of the Servants of the Buddha for 30 years – the longest serving President. He made a formidable contribution towards the progress of this society and its survival, making sure that it maintained its strict neutrality and was not tainted by political bias or influence. The ethos of the society has continued to be its quiet service, outside the glare of publicity and fanfare, and its strict neutrality and conformity to the principles of Buddhist ethics.

 The devoted honorary selfless service of Alec Robertson to the Buddha Sasana over a life time, was recognised by the President of Sri Lanka, who bestowed on him the title of Deshabandu in 1987. The following year, he was also appointed as a Member of Parliament on the National list, to represent the Eurasian community and to be a voice of “Buddhist Virtue” in parliament. I daresay that there is no such voice in parliament today. 

The message that Robertson leaves behind are his oft quoted words of extolling “Simple living and high thinking” and the importance of practicing Buddhist virtues and the teachings of the Buddha, in daily life and with every single thought, word and deed.

“That deed is not well done which,
 being done, one afterwards repents,
 and the fruit whereof is received
 with tears and lamentations.”
[Dhammapada 67]
“Evil that is done does not immediately bear fruit,
 as milk that is suckled by a babe,
 it follows the fool like a smouldering spark,
 that at last breaks out into flame”.
[Dhammapada 71]
Anoja Wijeyesekera