User:Ldesilva/Lynn de Silva

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Lynn Alton de Silva
de Silva in 1970
Born	16 June 1919 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Died	22 May 1982 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Cause of death	Cardiac Arrest
Burial place	Colombo, Sri Lanka
Residence	490/6, Havelock Road, Colombo 6
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Alma mater	Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (S.T.M), University of Birmingham (M.A), Serampore College (B.D.,Th.D)
Occupation	Methodist minister and Director of the Ecumenical Institute in Sri Lanka
Home town	Colombo, Sri Lanka
Title	Reverend Doctor
Known for	Buddhist-Christian Dialogue
Religious beliefs	Methodist Christian
Spouse	Lakshmi de Silva
Children	Lahan Jayalath de Silva, Lalith Chrishantha de Silva, Shiromi Priyala Rodrigo and Shantha Asiri de Silva
Parents	John de Silva and Clara de Silva
Relatives	Siblings: Fred de Silva, Roy de Silva, Denzil de Silva, Eric de Silva, Hugh de Silva and Pearl de Silva. In-laws: Wimal Mendis, Lilamani Mendis, Jayasiri Mendis, Langanee Mendis, Srimathi Wijeratne, Cecili de Silva, Eunice de Silva, Annie de Silva and Christobell de Silva
Notes Lynn de Silva's brothers are mentioned in [1], and the orbituary of a brother-in-law (George) and a sister-in-law (Eunice) of Lynn de Silva mentions most of the names above. All of the remaining details above were obtained from [2].

Lynn Alton de Silva (16 June 1919 - 22 May 1982) was a Sri Lankan theologian and Methodist minister. He was founder and editor of the Buddhist-Christian journal Dialogue (1961 - 1981), chief translator of the New Testament of the Bible into the New Sinhala Bible (1973 - 1982), and director of the Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue (formerly Study Center for Religion and Society) in Sri Lanka (1962 - 1982).^[3][2] Lynn de Silva is considered to be the foremost^[4] Christian practitioner of Buddhist-Christian dialogue in Sri Lanka during his generation, and considered a pioneer in the international dialogue among Christians and Buddhists.^{[3][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]} Lynn de Silva is also considered, along with his brothers Fred de Silva and Denzil de Silva, to be the most significant methodist writer in a 150 year history (1814-1964) of the methodist church in Sri Lanka.^[1]

In 1974, de Silva released the first edition of his book Buddhism: Beliefs and Practices in Sri Lanka (de Silva 1974). The book is widely cited in the theological literature (e.g., ^{[12][13][14][15][16][17]}) and was considered in the early 1980's to be unparalleled as an introduction to Buddhism in Sri Lanka.^[3] His classic study The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity (de Silva 1979), included in John Hick's Library of Philosophy and Religion series,^[18] points out an age-old misconception held by Buddhists and Christians, that the idea of an immortal soul is a biblical belief.^[8]

In 1970, de Silva was a William Paton Fellow at Selly Oak Colleges in Birmingham, England and a visiting lecturer at University of Bristol, England.^[2] Works by de Silva include books and articles, both theological and non-theological, in both English and Sinhalese. In addition to his proficiency in English and Sinhalese, de Silva was familiar with Greek and Hebrew, and literate in Pali.^[2] In his spare time, de Silva was an avid painter, with one of his paintings having appeared at an exhibit held at the Lionel Wendt Gallery in Colombo, Sri Lanka.^[2]

[edit] Youth and Schooling

(This section is very rough) Lynn de Silva was born to a Methodist family in Katunayake, Sri Lanka on 16 June 1919. His father, John de Silva, was a Methodist minister, and his mother Clara de Silva was a house wife. Lynn de Silva was the youngest out of one sister: Pearl de Silva, and six brothers: Fred de Silva, Roy de Silva, Denzil de Silva, Eric de Silva and Hugh de Silva.

Lynn de Silva completed his primary and secondary studies at [[prince of wales,], in moratuwa. He completed his Sri Lankan General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level exams in YYYY, and General Certificate of Education Advanced Level exams in YYYY.they woudnt have had OL & Al it was called GCSE & HSE if I remember right

As a young boy, Lynn de Silva attended his father's sermons at ZZZZ church in Katunayake.

• Were there any racial conflicts during his youth?

1956 i cant tell there was a racial conflict in Sl 1977 - there was a refugeee camp @ Havelock road, he went in his car & brought people. when the hostel got ful some wew kept in our house lynn served in dehiwela, moratuwa parishes

• Were there any major events during his youth?
• What did his mother do for a living?
• What was their local church?
• Where did his father preach?

just for your info, seeyas father is the one who has baptised archchi in moratuwa

• Which of the brothers became priest first?

Rev. F S de Silva being the eldest

• Did they live in Katunayake all along or did they move a couple of times?

no priest are transferred every 5 years

• What subjects did he like at school?
• What were his hobbies? Reading/writing/music/sports?
• Who were his friends?
• Or any other info. about him and the brothers during their school days would be good.

lavi also look up John Wesly's website -- founder of Methodism for ideas

Hugh de Silva, died while studying to be ordained. Four of the brothers grew up to become Methodist ministers, setting the record for the most number of church ministers from siblings belonging to one family.^{[citation needed]}

SHIRO+PEACE's TEXT: His Father - Rev. John de Silva, Brothers - Rev. Fred S. de Silva - President Methodist Church of Sri Lanka, Rev. Rev. Denzil de Silva,President, Methodist Church, Sri Lanka, Roy de Silva, Mr. Eric de Silva - Burser, Wesly College, Miss. Pearl de Silva - Staff Methodist College. A mention about the brothers must be made as it was a record at that time for 4 brothers to enter into the Ministry.

[edit] Family, Tertiary Education and Career

Lynn and Lakshmi in the early 1950's

Before being accepted as a candidate for the ministry, de Silva was a teacher from 1938 to 1942. In 1942, he trained for the ministry at the United Theological College in Bangalore, and entered active service to the Methodist ministry in 1946. He served as a minister in stations including Kollupitiya, Wellawatte, Kandy, Badulla, Galle, Kalahe, Mutwal and Seeduwa; he served a total of two years at the first two stations, half a year at Kandy, two years at Kalahe, three years at Mutuwal, and three and half years at Seeduwa.^[11] In September 1950, de Silva was ordained as a Methodist minister.

A few months after being ordained, Lynn de Silva married Lakshmi Mendis, on 3 February 1951, at the Colpetty Methodist Church in Colombo. Toward the end of the year, Lynn and Lakshmi had their first son, Lahan Jayalath de Silva, on 16 November 1951.

Throughout the 1950's, de Silva pursued his tertiary education. He obtained a Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.) degree from Serampore College in India, a Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) degree at the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, a Diploma in Buddhism with a specialisation in Theravada Buddhism from the Vidyalankara University in Sri Lanka, a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree from University of Birmingham in England, and a Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) degree from Serampore College. In addition, de Silva did a study course in Mahayana Buddhism at the Vidyodaya University in Sri Lanka, he visited Buddhist study centres in Germany, England and the U.S.A., and he went on a study tour of Buddhism in Burma, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. During his studies, Lynn and Lakshmi had their second son, Lalith Chrishantha de Silva, on 16 September 1954.

Lynn de Silva's pioneering work in Buddhist-Christian dialogue, and his work in Bible translation, began in the early 1960's, after he had completed his service as a minister at Seeduwa. In 1962, de Silva was appointed to serve the National Christian Council at the Study Centre for Religion and Society in Wellawatte, which later became the Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue, an important center for Buddhist studies. It was shortly before starting work at the Study Center that Lynn and Lakshmi had their third child, Shiromi Priyala de Silva (later Rodrigo), on 3 September 1961.

Whilst managing the Study Center, de Silva was appointed co-translator of the Sinhala Bible Revision Committee in 1964. The team consisted of around 40 scholars, including Protestant and Roman Catholic clergy, Buddhist monks and academics. From 1964 to 1973, the team focused on translating the Hebrew version of the New Testament of the Bible into Sinhalese. On the same year in which de Silva began Bible translation work, Lynn and Lakshmi had their last child and third son, Shantha Asiri de Silva, on 6 March 1964.

(Left to right) Lakshmi, Shiromi, Lynn, Shantha and Lalith

Around the age of fifty, in the late 1960's, de Silva experienced a severe heart attack. During this period, and while he was recovering, his wife Lakshmi managed the home, watched over his health, moderated his appointments, and guided the work at the Study Center by handling most of the administrative duties, organisation of conferences, and publication related tasks. She continued to take these responsibilities even after de Silva's recovery, which enabled him to focus on his research, writing and travel.

A painting by Lynn de Silva of his wife Lakshmi

After his recovery, and during his role as director of the Study Center, de Silva served the World Church as William Paton Lecturer at the Selly Oak Colleges in Birmingham, from 1970-1971. Both Lynn and Lakshmi lived in England during this period. After his return to Sri Lanka, de Silva continued his Bible translation work, and he was appointed chief translator of the Old Testament into Sinhala, from 1973. Rev. Aloysius Peiris S.J. states the following reasons for de Silva's appointment as chief translator:

In this translation work, Lakshmi de Silva played an important role as secretary of the translation committee. After three months of training, Lakshmi was involved in technical work as well as clerical work such as typing, proof-reading and dealing with the press. Furthermore, she had sufficient knowledge in Greek and Hebrew to be able to check the accuracy and consistency of the Bible translation that the team led by Lynn was working on. Her proof-reading and full-time work continued even after she had fallen ill towards the latter part of her life. With the experience she had gained, Lakshmi compiled valuable material for use in future bible translations. Although Lakshmi possessed the skills necessary to become a scholar in her own right, she was content to take a back seat in order to support Lynn de Silva's work. She died in 1980, just over a year before the Sinhala bible translation was completed.^[19]

Lynn de Silva in the early 1980's with some of his family and extended family

Lynn de Silva's interests included painting and writing popular Sinhalese novels. One of his paintings had appeared at an exhibit held at the Lionel Wendt Gallery in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Lynn de Silva's other professional activities included membership in the Committees of the World Council of Churches (WCC) that focuses on the Christian approach to other faiths. In particular, he was a WCC committee member (Paris 1962, Geneva 1967 and 1973); a member of the working committee of the Division of World Mission and Evangelism (Mexico 1963, Zurich 1966 and Cantebury 1969); and member of the working committee on Dialogue with Faiths and Ideologies (DFI) since 1969. Among the DFI consultations attended by him were Ajaltoun, Beirut 1970, Athens 1973, Berlin 1974, Colombo 1974 and 1978, Chiang Mai, Thailand 1977, Jerusalem 1978, Trinidad 1978 and Budapest 1980. DFI Study Center Directors Consultations included Kandy 1966, Hong Kong 1971, and Singapore 1980.

Other significant ecumenical activities include study tours in Buddhist countries and study programs in centers of "Buddhist study in the West, such as the Buddhist-Christian Renewal and the Future of Humanity" at the University of Hawaii in 1980. He was also a participant at the 1976 sessions of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, and the Asian Theological Conference at Wennappuwa, Sri Lanka in 1979. De Silva was also appointed to the Presidium of the National Council for Religion and Peace in Sri Lanka, and he was Executive President of this organisation from 1979-1980.

[edit] History of Buddhist-Christian Relations in Sri Lanka

Ever since the 16th century, during colonisations of Sri Lanka by the Portuguese, Dutch and English, Christian missionaries had attempted to convert the Buddhist population into Christianity, with the general belief during this period being that there was nothing worthy of study in non-Christian religions.^[20] In the early 19th century, this view started to change, into the conviction that every evangelist should have sound knowledge in Buddhism. The most prominent Christian scholars supporting this conviction were Daniel John Gogerly, C. H. S. Ward and Robert Spence Hardy.^[1]

Despite their conviction that knowledge in Buddhism was essential, their attitude towards Buddhism was still negative. Through their Polemical writings, they revealed their negative attitudes and beliefs that Buddhism was in error and that Christianity should replace Buddhism. Such attitude antagonised the Buddhists, and eventually led to a national Buddhist movement, starting from controversies held at Baddegama (1865), Udanwita (1866) and Gampola (1871). The last and most popular of these controversies was the historic debate Panadura Vadaya, held in Panadura (1873), between Rev. David de Silva and Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera. One of the rules of the debate was that Christians should try to prove that Buddhism is false, and vice versa.^[1]

Gradually, this negative attitude between Buddhists and Christians started to change. The main influences responsible for the change in attitude included (1) more accurate knowledge of Buddhism than was available in the past; (2) interest in and appreciation for Buddhism shown by Western scholars such as Arthur Schopenhauer, who's philosophy was similar to that of the Buddha; (3) the book by Edwin Arnold titled The Light of Asia, which created a popular interest in Buddhism; (4) the Edinburgh Missionary Conference of 1910, which set the tone for a new Christian ecumenical movement; (5) missionary activities of Buddhists such as Anagarika Dharmapala in the West; and (6) the Tambaram Missionary Conference in 1938, with one of the main themes for discussion being Christian message in a non-Christian world.^[1]

Perhaps the first methodist missionary to practice this more positive attitude towards Buddhism was Rev. Stanley Bishop, who made his attitude evident in a book titled Guatama or Jesus (1907). In the introductory chapter, Bishop states:

Another significant step towards dialogue between Christians and Buddhists was by Daniel T. Niles, in his book Eternal Life Now (1946). The purpose of this book is twofold: (1) to convey the Christian message in the Buddhist context, by using terms such as anicca, dukkha, samsara, sarana, anatta, sila, samadhi, panna, and arahat, and (2) to convey Buddhist truths within the context of Christianity.^[1]

With the resurgence of Buddhism after independence, the conviction grew even stronger for the need to consider Christianity in the light of a culture and heritage that is predominantly Buddhist, and led to an increased need for dialogue between the two religions. Consequently, the Study Center for Religion and Society, which was later renamed to Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue (EISD), was established in Colombo in 1951. The center was initially managed by Rev. G. B. Jackson, and later directed by Rev. Lynn de Silva, whose main aim was to promote dialogue between Christians and Buddhists.^[1]

[edit] Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue

Lynn de Silva was director of the Study Center for Religion and Society since 1962. The center was organised into two divisions: Division of Buddhist Studies, and Division of Frontier Studies. The purpose of the former division was to promote study and research in Buddhism, while the purpose of the latter division was to explore the theological and social implications of the Christian faith in Sri Lanka. The center was involved in successfully organising a number of dialogues, meetings and seminaries,^[11] and was noted in 1975 as probably the most active of all similar study centers worldwide.^[21]

In 1977, the center was renamed to Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue (EISD), and set up as an autonomous body separate from the control of religious bodies and institutions. Although the primary focus was maintained on Buddhist-Christian studies and dialogue, a third additional division called Division of Studies of other Faiths and Ideologies was opened in order to initiate studies in other religions.^[11] In addition to publishing books and papers on dialogue between Christianity and other religions, the EISD publishes the Dialogue journal on a quarterly basis, which was founded and edited by Lynn de Silva.^[3][11]

After Lynn de Silva's death, the EISD was directed by Rev. Kenneth Fernando, and currently (as of 2008) directed by Marshal Fernando. Rev. Fr. Aloysius Pieris S. J., who had been collaborating with de Silva since 1968, and who in partnership with de Silva had officially been responsible for editing the New Series of Dialogue, continued to work as editor of the journal after de Silva's death. A sister-in law of Lynn de Silva, Langanee Mendis, who was trained by de Silva as his secretary after the death of his wife Lakshmi,^[22] continues to work (as of 2008) as the Administrative Secretary at the institute. Mrs. Mendis is credited as being the main person responsible for the uninterrupted functioning of the institute after Lynn de Silva's death.^[22] Furthermore, she was considered by Pieris in 2003 to be "a tower of strength [for the Ecumenical Institute] for well over 20 years".^[23]

[edit] World Council of Churches Debate

In 1975, at the ninth assembly in Nairobi of the World Council of Churches, interreligious dialogue played a central role. For the firs time, representatives from five different faiths () were present and participated in discussions....

[edit] Translational Theology of Lynn de Silva

Motivated partly by wanting to communicate the Christian message in a manner that the Sri Lankan culture understood, and partly by wanting to reconstruct a theology focused towards the Buddhist cultural environment, de Silva began his study of the intricacies of the Buddhist religion. He consulted reputed Buddhist monks and scholars, visited Buddhist places of worship, and consulted written sources on Sri Lankan Buddhism. His findings eventually led to his most popular work -- the book titled Buddhism: Beliefs and Practices in Sri Lanka (de Silva 1974). Subsequently, after much exposure to Buddhism, de Silva's perception of his mission changed, to one that focused on dialogue between Buddhism and Christianity, rather than debate.^[2] In 1980, during the first Conference on East-West Religions in Encounter in Hawaii, de Silva stated how his attitude towards Buddhism had changed.^[3]

Lynn de Silva's objective was to develop a richer appreciation of the similarities between Buddhism and Christianity. He used Buddhist concepts to communicate Christian beliefs in a language understood from the Buddhist context, and he aimed at extending Christian theology with Buddhist concepts in order to gain a more thorough understanding of Christianity.^[24]

[edit] Tilakkhana

De Silva believed that a living theology "must begin with living existential realities and not with metaphysical speculations". Furthermore, he claimed that such a theology should begin with an attempt at understanding man's existence from concrete experiences common to mankind, in a similar manner to how Buddhism begins. Therefore, in Tilakkhana, or the three characteristics -- anicca, dukkha and anattā -- of all existence discovered by the Buddha in his diagnosis of the human predicament, de Silva found the appropriate starting point for an Asian Christian theology.

In his search for Tilakkhana in the bible, de Silva locates anicca and dukkha in a number of Biblical passages that speak of the transitoriness, suffering, and anxiety of human life. He observes that, although there is no systematic exposition of the human condition in the Bible as found in Buddhist texts, the undertones of anicca, dukkha and anattā do occur together. Furthermore, he maintains that "the polarity of conflict between being and the possibility of non-being that lies at the core of human existence, the mood of anxiety, the finitude and precariousness of man's life, is a familiar theme that runs through the Bible".

[edit] Anattā-Pneuma

In 1979, de Silva released his most outstanding contribution to Theology^[2], the book titled The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity (de Silva 1979), which has since been cited extensively ^{[citation needed]} and attracted reviews from prestigious international journals (e.g., ^[8][18][25]). In this book, de Silva compares the biblical notion of "the soul" (pneuma) or "the self", with the Buddhist doctrine of "no soul" (anattā) or "no self". Contrary to popular belief, de Silva shows that modern Christian scholarship does not support the notion of a soul as an immortal entity separate from the body. He argues that such a misconception arose as a consequence of the translation of the Bible into Greek. He writes:

Based on his observation, de Silva shows how the Buddhist doctrine of anattā is complementary to the Christian notion of personal identity -- pneuma. He distinguishes that, while pneuma focuses on man as a relational entity, anattā focuses on man as an isolated entity. Furthermore, de Silva infers that if we do consider anattā to be real in Buddhism or Christianity, pneuma must also be real for Nibbāna or the Kingdom of God to be a positive ideal.^[8] In conclusion, de Silva proposes the compound notion anattā-pneuma as a solution for the problem of the self in Buddhism and Christianity; this new notion, he states, conforms with the anattā Buddhist-Christian belief in the non-existence of an immortal soul inhabiting the body, but also lays more emphasis on social relationships by means of pneuma.

[edit] Salvation

With his pluralistic view on religion, Lynn de Silva believed that salvation does not only apply to Christians, but also to other religions. While Christians can use Christ as their means for salvation, other religions can use their respective means for salvation. On page 64 of (de Silva 1967), de Silva writes:

De Silva shared John Hick's view that although different religions use different concepts such as God and Buddha, all these concepts refer to the same ultimate Reality.^[26] De Silva writes:

[edit] Anattā and God

[edit] Thanatology

In the last few years before his death, de Silva focused his study towards the field of Thanatology -- the study of human death. His quest was motivated mainly by the death of his wife Lakshmi in December 1980, but also by his curiosity about the meaning of resurrection. With this frame of mind, de Silva studied the beliefs and practices of people with respect to death, such as the phenomenon of mediums, with help from Buddhist exponents of reincarnation. Although traces of his findings were found in his last writings, de Silva passed away before completing his study, in May 1982.^[2] His last findings were published posthumously by his friend and colleague, Rev. Fr. Aloysius Pieris S.J., in the paper Buddhism and Christianity Relativised, in volume 9 of Dialogue.

De Silva believed that Theologians should not ignore data about the Parapsychology. He urges that the evidence and data about the paranormal is compelling and merits careful study. He believed Purgatory to be a place of cleansing, which ultimately makes a person ready for eternal life in Heaven. He states:

In his last publication Reflections on Life in the Midst of Death, de Silva explains that it is sin which has created the illusion of self in man, and that it is this illusion that drives man towards self-possession and selfishness. He further states that belief in self alienates man from Ultimate Reality as well as from one another, giving rise to dukkha or feelings of despair, emptiness and meaninglessness when man is in the midst of death. He stresses on the importance of love in overcoming this clinging to self, and that love is, by nature, non-selfish and involves responsibility and venturing beyond one's own interests.

In the last section of this paper de Silva talks about "Life Beyond Death". He states that the Hindu/Buddhist view that Ultimate Reality is reached through a process of purification through liberation from self and elevation to stages of spiritual development, is more acceptable than the belief in a single life on earth and an everlasting hell or heaven after death. He insists that the Hindu/Buddhist view conforms to modern theological as well as psychical research.

[edit] An Indigenous Theology

todo ^{[27][28][29][30][31][32]}

[edit] Positions and Ecumenical Activities

The following lists were obtained from ^[2].

[edit] Positions and Responsibilities

• Superintendent Minister in Circuits in the Methodist Church
• Manager of fourteen schools
• William Paton Lecturer, Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham, England 1970 – 71.
• Visiting Lecturer in Asian Religions, University of Bristol, England, 1970 –71.
• Co-translator of the Bible into Sinhalese 1964-1973
• Chief Translator of the joint Protestant-Roman Catholic translation of the Bible into Sinhalese, 1973-1982.
• Member of the Committee on Research of the Senate of Serampore College, responsible for the M.Th, and D.Th. degrees.
• Appointed to the Residium of the National Council for Religion and Peace (an Inter-religious organisation), and Executive President in 1979-80.
• Editor, Methodist Witness Christ News Bulletin.
• Director, Study Centre (later Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue 1962-1982.
• Elected member of the working committee of the Division of World Mission and Evangelism (DWME) of the World Council of Churches in ????. Re-elected in 1963 and 1968.
• Appointed member of the Unit of Committee of the World Council of Churches and the Working Committee on Dialogue-with Faiths and Ideologies (DFI) of the WCC in 1969.

[edit] Ecumenical Activities

• 1961—Consultation on Buddhist-Christian Encounter, Rangoon.
• 1962--WCC Central Committee, Paris.
• 1963—WCC Division of World Mission and evangelism (DWME) Mexico.
• 1966—Working Committee of the WCC, DWME, Zurich.
• 1966—Consultation on Study Centres, organized by the WCC, Kandy.
• 1967—WCC Central Committee, Geneva.
• 1969—Department of Studies in Mission and Evangelism of the WCC, Canterbury.
• 1970—DFI Consultation on Dialogue with men of Living Faiths, Beirut.
• 1971—DFI, Study Centre Directors Consultation, Hong, Kong.
• 1971—British Methodist Conference, England.
• 1973—DFI Meeting Athens.
• 1973—WCC Unit I Committee and Central Committee, Geneva.
• 1974—Conference of the DFI on "Towards World Community", Colombo.
• 1974—International Association for Mission Studies, Frankfurt. Chief Co-ordinator and Chairman for section on Buddhism.
• 1974—WCC Unit I Committee, Berlin.
• 1975—Fifth Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Nairobi.
• 1976—Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians Dares Salaam, Tanzania.
• 1976—Committee of Research of the Senate of Serampore College, Madras.
• 1977—DFI Consultation on Dialogue in Community, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
• 1977—DFI Consultation on "Religious Dimensions in Humanity’s Relation to nature", Colombo.
• 1978—DFI Working Committee, Trinidad.
• 1978—Dialogue Working Group organized by the Church of Sweden Mission, Jerusalem.
• 1979—Asian Theological Conference, Wennappuwa, Sri Lanka.
• 1980—DFI Working Group, Budapest, Hungary.
• 1980—Conference on "Buddhist-Christian Renewal and the Future of Humanity: sponsored by the University of Hawaii Department of Religion, the Council of Churches and the Hawaii Buddhist Council, Hawaii.
• 1980—Consultation on the "Theological Basis for Peace with Justice" of the Asian Christian Peace Conference, Colombo.
• 1980—WCC Consultation on the Role of Study Centers, Singapore.
• 1981—DFI meeting, Bali Indonesia.
• 1982—CCA meeting in Singapore, to plan a CCA dialogue program for the next few years.

[edit] Publications

[edit] Books

• de Silva, Lynn A. (1950), Purana Darshanaya (Sinhalese), Colombo, Sri Lanka: M.D. Gunasena 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1961), Lukge Subaranchi Pradipaya (Sinhalese), Colombo, Sri Lanka: Committee for Publication of Christian Literature 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1964), Creation, Redemption and Consummation in Buddhist and Christian Thought, Chiang Mai, Thailand: Thailand Theological Seminary 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1968), Reincarnation in Buddhist and Christian Thought, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Christian Literature Society, ISBN B0006C3NP6 (ASIN:Amazon) 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1974), Buddhism: Beliefs and Practices in Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Wesley Press, ISBN B0000CQC8X (ASIN:Amazon) 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1979), The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity (Second Ed.), London: Macmillan Press, ISBN 0333236602 

• de Silva, Lynn A. (1980), Lakdiva Pariharaika Buddhagama (Sinhalese), Colombo, Sri Lanka: Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue 

[edit] Papers

Following is a list of booklets, pamphlets, conference papers, book chapters and magazine articles written by Lynn de Silva.

• de Silva, Lynn A. (1952), Premaoushadaya (Sinhalese), Colombo, Sri Lanka: Liberty Press 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1952), Premaye Rahase (Sinhalese), Colombo, Sri Lanka: Salvation Army Press 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1957), Deva Vishvasaya (Sinhalese), Colombo, Sri Lanka: Committee for the Publication of Christian Literature 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1957), Belief in God, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Committee for the Publication of Christian Literature 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1961), Than, U. Kyaw, ed., “The Biblical Understanding of Man and of Man in Society in Relation to Buddhism”, A Consultation on Buddhist-Christian Encounter (Rangoon [Reprinted in Cyclostyled form by Study Center, Sri Lanka, 1964]) 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1961), Than, U. Kyaw, ed., “The Christian Solution to the Problem of Man in Relation to Buddhism”, A Consultation on Buddhist-Christian Encounter (Rangoon [Reprinted in Cyclostyled form by Study Center, Sri Lanka, 1964]) 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1964), Bauddha Jatika Balavegaya and the Search for the Historical Jesus, Colombo, Sri Lanka 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1966), Why can't I save myself? The Christian Answer in Relation to Buddhist Thought, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Christian Study Centre 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1967), Singh, Herbert Jai, ed., “Buddhist-Christian Dialogue”, Inter-Religious Dialogue (Bangalore: The Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society) 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1967), Hayward, Victor E. W., ed., “Non-Christian Religions and God’s Plan of Salvation”, Study Encounter, 2 (WCC) 3: 61-67 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1967), Hayward, Victor E. W., ed., “Relevant Areas of Dialogue with Buddhists”, Study Encounter, 2 (WCC) 3: 79-80 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1968), Potter, Philip, ed., “Good News of Salvation to the Buddhist”, International Review of Missions, 288 (WCC) 57: 448-458 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1969), The Cross and the Bodhi Tree, Wesley Press 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1970), Why believe in God? The Christian Answer in Relation to Buddhism, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Christian Study Centre 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1971), Samartha, Stanley J., ed., “Some Issues in Buddhist-Christian Dialogue”, Dialogue Between Men of Living Faiths (Geneva: WCC): 47-58 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1971), Small, Walter J. T., ed., “Encounter with Buddhism”, A History of the Methodist Church in Ceylon (Colombo, Sri Lanka): 570-579 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1975), Brown, David A., ed., “Buddhism”, A Guide To Religions (S.P.C.K. and United Society for Christian Literature for the Theological Education Fund), ISBN 9780281028498 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1975), Brown, David A., ed., “Buddhism”, A Guide To Religions: Study Guide No. 12 (London: S.P.C.K.) 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1976), Elwood, Douglas J., ed., “The Problem of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity”, What Asian Christians are Thinking: A Theological Source Book (New Day Publishers of the Christian Literature Society of the Philippines) 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1976), Peton, David M., ed., “Dialogue [Part of a talk delivered at the Fifth Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Nairobi]”, Breaking Barriers (London: S.P.C.K.) 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1976), Anderson, Gerald H., ed., “Sri Lanka: Theological Construction in a Buddhist Context”, Asian Voices in Christian Theology (New York: Orbis Books): 37-52, ISBN 0883440164 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1977), “Dialogue: A Matter of Necessity [Also in French as: "Le dialogue n'est plus un choix, Mais Une Necessite", in Volume 3 of Mensuel]”, One World (Colombo, Sri Lanka: WCC) 23: 10-11 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1978), Amirtham, Samuel, ed., “An Existential Understanding of the Doctrine of Creation in the Context of Buddhism”, A Vision for Man: Essays on Faith, Theology and Society (India: Christian Literature Society): 78-91 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1979), Carter, John Ross, ed., “Christian Community within Communities”, Religiousness in Sri Lanka (Colombo: Marga Institute): 273-300 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1979), Emergent Theology in the Context of Buddhism, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue 
• Samartha, Stanley J. and de Silva, Lynn A., ed. (1979), Man in Nature: Guest or Engineer? A Preliminary Enquiry by Christians and Buddhists into the Religious Dimensions in Humanity's Relation to Nature, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue [in cooperation with the WCC, Geneva], pp. 16-23 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1980), Fabella, Virginia, ed., “Christian Reflection in a Buddhist Context”, Asia's Struggle for Full Humanity: Towards a Relevant Theology (Maryknoll, New York, U.S.A.: Orbis Books): 96-107, ISBN 0883440156 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1980), Elwood, Douglas J., ed., “Emergent Theology in the Context of Buddhism”, Asian Christian Theology: Emerging Themes (Philadelphia: Westminister Press): 220-238 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1980), Francis, T. Dayananda, ed., “Dialogue in the Context of Sri Lanka Buddhism”, New Approaches to Interfaith Dialogue (Colombo, Sri Lanka: Church of Sweden Mission): 89-102 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (1982), “Reflections on Life in the midst of Death [Presented at Department of Faiths and Ideologies (DFI) of the World Council of Churches in Bali, Indonesia in December 1981]”, Dialogue, 1 (Colombo, Sri Lanka: Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue) 10: 4-17 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (196?), “Buddhism and Christianity”, Encyclopedia of Buddhism (Sri Lanka: ???) 
• Corless, Roger J. and de Silva, Lynn (1992), “Christians Learning About Buddhist Neighbors [Published posthumously]”, Occasional Paper #6 (U.S.A.: Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, Presbyterian Church) 

[edit] Newspaper Articles

• de Silva, Lynn A. (October 5, 1971), “Dialogue Between Faiths”, The Ceylon Daily (Sri Lanka) 
• de Silva, Lynn A. (March 26, 1978), “Many Mansions”, The Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka) 

[edit] Dialogue Journal

Following is a list of editorials and article edits in the Dialogue journal by Lynn de Silva.^[2]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Homepage