View source for Ananda W. P. Guruge

{{more citations needed|date=June 2017}}
[[File:AWPGuruge inRangoon 19560423.jpg|thumb|Ananda Wahihana Palliya Guruge, General Secretary of the Lankā Bauddha Mandalaya reads a message from the Prime Minister of Ceylon S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike at the Buddhist Council (''Chaṭṭa Sangāyanā'') in Rangoon, 1956-04-23.]]
'''Ananda Wahihana Palliya Guruge''' (28 December 1928 – 6 August 2014<ref>[http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2014/08/19/dr-ananda-guruge-scholar-professor-historian-diplomat-patriot-buddhist-sri-lankan/ Tribute  to  great scholar Dr. Prof. W.P. Ananda Guruge.]</ref>), known as '''Ananda W. P. Guruge''', was a [[Sri Lanka]]n diplomat, Buddhist scholar and writer. Guruge was the former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of [[Sri Lanka]] to [[UNESCO]], France, and United States (with non-resident accreditation to Spain, Algeria and Mexico) during the period from 1985 to 1994. Guruge was adjunct professor of Religious Studies at [[Cal State Fullerton]] and was the dean of academic affairs at [[University of the West]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ananda-guruge.com/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2009-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423115943/http://www.ananda-guruge.com/ |archive-date=2009-04-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Education==
Guruge was educated at [[Dharmaraja College]], and went on to graduate from the  [[University of Ceylon]] in 1947 with a [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]] first class honors in [[Sanskrit]] special. Thereafter he gained a Government Scholarship to do a [[PhD]] at the [[University of London]].

==Civil service==
He joined the [[Ceylon Civil Service]], taking the civil service exam at the age of 23 and was posted to the [[Jaffna]] Kachcheri as a [[cadet]]. During his career he served as the Head of the [[Dehiwala Zoo]] and the [[Colombo]] Kachcheri. Eventually he was transferred to the [[General Treasury Building|Treasury]] and from there to the [[Prime Minister's Office (Sri Lanka)|Prime Minister’s Office]]. From 1952, he served Prime Ministers [[Dudley Shelton Senanayake|Dudley Senanayake]] and [[John Lionel Kotelawala|Sir John Kotelawela]] as the senior Assistant Secretary <!-- Ref: http://www.ananda-guruge.com/Jayanti1.htm --> to the [[Prime Minister of Sri Lanka|Prime Minister]], until he head the government program to celebrate ''2500 Buddha Jayanti''. [[Bradman Weerakoon]], who was the assistant secretary to the Prime Minister at the time, succeeded Dr. Guruge as senior Assistant Secretary and later Secretary to the Prime Minister. Guruge was appointed as the Additional Secretary at the [[Ministry of Education (Sri Lanka)|Ministry of Education]] and Cultural Affairs in 1965.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20020416075330/http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/CL22Df03.html SRI LANKA: The Untold Story AsiaTimes]</ref>

==Buddhist Leadership==
Active in international Buddhist leadership, Professor Guruge was Vice President of the [[World Fellowship of Buddhists]], the Patron of the [[European Buddhist Union]], and the Dean of Academic Affairs and Director of the International Academy of Buddhism at [[University of the West]] in Rosemead, California.<ref>[http://www.uwest.edu/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=54 University of the West] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302031623/http://www.uwest.edu/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=54 |date=March 2, 2010 }}</ref> He was also an adjunct professor of [[Buddhism]], [[Hinduism]] and Peace Studies at [[California State University, Fullerton]]. Dr. Guruge is also the Liaison Officer to the [[United Nations]] and [[UNESCO]] for the [[World Fellowship of Buddhists]]; and was the Chairman of the World Buddhist University Council. He served as an editor of Hsi Lai Journal of Humanistic Buddhism.

==Writings==
Guruge authored 53 books in Sinhala and English, including ''What In Brief Is Buddhism'', ''Free At Last in Paradise'', ''Serendipity of Andrew George'', ''Peace At Last in Paradise'' and ''The Unforgettable Dharmapala''. He has also published over 175 research articles on Asian history, Buddhism and education. He also translated the [[Mahavamsa]] into English in 1989.<ref>[http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2009/09/20/mon01.asp Historical survey of Sri Lankan traditional dance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924130817/http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2009/09/20/mon01.asp |date=2015-09-24 }} Sunday Observer - September 20, 2009</ref>

==Death==
Guruge died in [[Rosemead, California]], at the age of 85.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/50740-dr-guruge-passes-away.html |title=Dr. Guruge passes away |publisher=Dailymirror.lk |date= |access-date=2014-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810031507/http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/50740-dr-guruge-passes-away.html |archive-date=2014-08-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Guruge reportedly died on a flight returning to the United States after assisting with school accreditation in Australia.{{citation needed|date=September 2014}}

==See also==
*[[List of Sri Lankan non-career diplomats]]
*[[List of Sri Lankan academics]]
*[[Ceylon Civil Service#Notable members of the CCS|Notable members of the Ceylon Civil Service]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
<!-- Reference: http://www.rivira.lk/2010/03/21/rivinetha2.htm -->

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224152/http://epaper.dailynews.lk/art.asp?id=2014%2F08%2F15%2Fpg08_1&pt=p&h= Versatile scholar and administrator]

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[[Category:Sri Lankan scholars of Buddhism]]
[[Category:Sinhalese people]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan academics]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Buddhists]]
[[Category:Sinhalese writers]]
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:Permanent Delegates of Sri Lanka to UNESCO]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to Algeria]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to France]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to Mexico]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to Spain]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to the United States]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan civil servants]]
[[Category:California State University, Fullerton faculty]]
[[Category:Alumni of Dharmaraja College]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Ceylon (Colombo)]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of London]]
[[Category:People from Rosemead, California]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan academic administrators]]