The Indians/Sri Lankans mostly use this word to refer to an island.
Sure. Check SC’s define entry for dīpa:
dīpa
masculine neuter
an island; a shelter, a place of refuge
a division of the terrestrial world, one of the four continents
the island of Sri Laṅkā
(…)
an island continent (mahā˚, always as 4);
terra firma, solid foundation, resting-place, shelter, refuge (in this sense freq. combined w. tāṇa lena & saraṇa & expl. in Com by patiṭṭhā)-
(…)
*Ved. dvīpa = dvi + ap (sp.) of āpa water, lit. “double-watered,” between (two) waters
Gabriel, I am thankful for your effort to point out the obvious to other people who can come into this thread, but just in case, don’t waste your time. Rajitha knows the answer already, and for some reason this answer is so dear to him that no amount of evidence will be able to change his opinion. The Commentarial tradition got it all wrong. Or the misguided Westerners. Or Ven. Buddhaghosa, who knows? In any case, very plain and unambiguous texts of the Buddhist, Jain and Hindu tradition describing giant trees, alleged ‘islands’ that are much larger than the entire equator line, mountains that could literally reach the moon in the real world: if one ignores this, one can ignore anything.
You did a great job sharing the links to the wiki and SC dictionary entry, let’s just leave it at that. Trying to bring in further rational arguments can only make it look as if we thought that the idea Sri Lanka is the Buddha’s birthplace to be rational or even worth discussing. Rajitha has a right to his opinion and he will stick to it no matter what, we fulfilled our intellectual duty by pointing out it is absurd.
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We Sri Lankans also use Mahadvipa to mean continent, don’t we? Are you taking this where I think you might be?
Did you know Jesus visited America on his way to heaven according to the Mormons?
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The name in question is jambudipa, not jambu-maha-dipa.
[quote=“Rajitha, post:20, topic:5303, full:true”]
When did it happen Coemgenu? Was it when you realised Santa Clause does not exist? Or when you realised it wasn’t the Tooth fairy who left some cash under the pillow? When did you become cynical?
The magic has slowly faded away has it not? What if I told you the magic does exist. There is a heaven and there are angles. All it takes is some faith. Unlike the faith you had in Santa I can guarantee this time you will not be let down.
Did you know no one hardly visit Bodhghaya during Vesak? The reason people avoid visiting is because of the scorching hot 40c or 100f degree weather. See here → Bodhgya climate.
Can you imagine anyone attaining enlightment in this heat? The Sutha mention quite clearly the weather was “pleasant” during birth, enlightenment, and Parinibbana. India is not Lord Buddha’s birthplace.
[/quote]I’m not sure what I’m supposed to make of that which is above this post. The essential message I got from it is this: “Sometimes when you believe really hard, it turns out Santa Claus is actually real. Also the Buddha was truly enlightened because… Bodh Gaya is very hot?”
The end point is such a non-sequitur I don’t really know how “a” connects to “b” here.
I’m sorry but, like I said before, if you want to pretend Sumeru exists go ahead, but no one will believe you until you prove it. And this: [quote=Rajitha]The name in question is jambudipa, not jambu-maha-dipa.[/quote]is not called “proving” anything really, just showing off a willful ignorance of the basic history of your own language.
Well, I did say there is a contradiction in the Sutha. You missed it I think.
[quote=“Rajitha, post:20, topic:5303”]
The Sutha mention quite clearly the weather was “pleasant” during birth, enlightenment, and Parinibbana. [/quote]
Would you happen to have a source for that? As far as I can recall, none of the Sutta accounts of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and parinibbāna is embellished with a weather report.
In the birth account of the Acchariya-abbhūtasutta there is mention of two jets of water, one warm and one cool, falling from the heavens and bathing the newly-born Bodhisatta and his mother. But in the context (i.e., a sutta whose name means “Wonders and Marvels”) clearly this is meant to be read as a miraculous event, not a regular meteorological occurrence.
In the accounts of the enlightenment there is no mention of the weather at the actual time of the event, though the Mucalindasutta does report how it was in the aftermath. It doesn’t appear to have been “pleasant”:
[quote]“Then at that time a great cloud arose out of season, bringing seven days of rainy weather, cold winds, and overcast days.”
Ud2.1 [/quote]
As for the Parinibbāna, in DN16 we have botanical reports of sala trees blooming out of season, seismological reports of a whopping great earthquake, and even thaumaturgical reports of flowers and sandal powder falling from heaven. But sad to say, no news about the weather.
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No more than I can imagine Wittgenstein jotting down his Tractatus in between sessions of directing Austrian artillery fire against the Brusilov Offensive in WW I. But apparently he did.
I don’t think what one can imagine has very much bearing on anything; certainly not on settling the question of where the Buddha flourished.
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This does not match the actual situation.
As charming April doth all months outvie
With budding flowers and woodland greenery,
A stanza from an old English translation (that you think was wrong on so many crucial points) of a Jataka of all things describes the weather in Bodhgaya during the Buddha’s Enlightenment, and the air temperature is supposed to have a bearing on whether the Buddha can achieve Elightenment, although even Mara failed to do anything to prevent it, and somehow this proves that the Buddha was not born (and possibly did not leave) in Nepal and India despite enormous amounts of evidence to teh contrary in the Canon, Commentarial literature, Mahavamsa, and archaelogical research. Are you even serious?
It seems Mahādipa may appear in a newer strata of Pāli, whereas dipa, it seems, had the function of denoting “landmass in the water” in general before mahāpida came into strong usage, regardless of if an island or continent was meant.
Look where Mahāpida occurs: only in the Therīapadāna (Yattha yatthūpapajjāmi,
tassa kammassa vāhasā;/Pajjalanti mahādīpā,/tattha tattha gatāya me.) & the Milindapañha (…dvisahassaparittadīpaparivāresu catūsu mahādīpesu ekamukhena āṇā pavattissati,…).
Now look where dipa occurs (quite frequently) and you will see why this has occurred to me.
One would have to check other parallel contemporaneous Prākrit texts to know for sure.
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You are right. Can we / should moderators do anything about this kind of behaviour?
I think we should just leave it as it is. Dissenting opinions are okay, we have provided all the evidence for other people to decide what’s true and what’s wrong, let our comments speak for themselves.
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I haven’t laughed this hard in while! 
its good thread to learn to take it easy once in a while 
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[quote=“Rajitha, post:20, topic:5303”]
When did it happen Coemgenu? Was it when you realised Santa Clause does not exist? Or when you realised it wasn’t the Tooth fairy who left some cash under the pillow? When did you become cynical?
The magic has slowly faded away has it not? What if I told you the magic does exist. There is a heaven and there are angles. All it takes is some faith. Unlike the faith you had in Santa I can guarantee this time you will not be let down.
[/quote]Forgive me for me inquiries, but I really cannot get what you are trying to explain in this responce to me that you wrote.
If I may, I would like to ask clarification on a point you made earlier: are you suggesting that if I really believe hard, Sumeru and Jambudvīpa will simply “spontaneously exist” for me, and presumably everyone else who is really believing hard as well? Does this mean that modern technology cannot capture footage of any sort of island or continent that resembles the traditional measurements given for Jambudvīpa because the technology can’t believe really hard like I presumably can, or because those viewing footage of Jambudvīpa are generally not apply sufficient belief or faith? Is this what you mean?
Or do you mean that with sufficient faith, Jambudvīpa can be inferred to be the island of Sri Lanka, and if so, why does it specifically require faith to believe that Jambudvīpa is Sri Lanka, what is the benefit of faith in Jambudvīpa being Sri Lanka? How is it related at all to faith in the Buddha or the Dharma or the Sangha, given that “Jambudvīpa = Sri Lanka” is not a fact to be found without “faith”? “Jambudvīpa = Sri Lanka”, if it is indeed a truth, is a truth that rests outside of “the all”. As far as I know, there is no extra “faith aggregate” beyond “the all” that undergoes contact with Dhamma to produce “truth consciousness” capable of perceiving the “truth” of either the pseudo-material existence of Jambudvīpa (or Sumeru) or the truth that somehow Jambudvīpa is unambiguously historically the island of Sri Lanka.
Ok, but I read the Himavata - Himalayas were in the South. That means this middle of the ‘Island’ is to the North of the mountain range. That seems like the only geographically identifiable name there.
After 10 lunar months, feeling that the time of birth was near, she went to the Lumbini grove outside the city of Kapilavastu.
You will then have to show how the above two cities are North of the Himalayas.
Well. I was on a quest to find more myself. I would have eventually got there anyhow. Battered by life, being let down all your life perhaps made you trust people less.
The reason that prompted this post was this video here. Notice an abnormal region where gravity is incredibly low?
I have been told this is where all blessed Buddha’s are born. There are 1000 world systems with an identical region where the gravity helps the enlightenment of a Thathagatha.
There is a lot more information including Mt, Meru. I really haven’t digested it all myself. This is why I said not to be let down as you once perhaps were by Santa once. There could be something special here.
[quote=“Rajitha, post:38, topic:5303”]
gravity helps the enlightenment of a Thathagatha.
[/quote]Where did you learn this?
Out of curiosity, does the gravity itself help a Tathāgata arise, or is it the anomaly that causes the gravitation irregularities that is believed to assist with the arising of a Tathāgata?
[quote=“Rajitha, post:38, topic:5303”]
The reason that prompted this post was this video here. Notice an abnormal region where gravity is incredibly low?
[/quote]There are a few low points on the globe, are all of these variations in low and high due to objects that require belief to be perceived? Is that what you are suggesting?
Are all of them believed assist in the arising of a Tathāgata either on account of their gravity or on account of what causes gravitational variance?
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Yes it does (apparently).