Forest Life in Sri Lanka

Dear Dhamma friends 🌼

I hope this message finds you well, adjusting to winter, and fluctuating Covid conditions.
As an update on our little Dhamma community, Bhante Ānanda remains in Sri Lanka at an in-land forest monastery dedicated to contemplative freedom, and seclusion for monks.

At this time, it is uncertain whether he will spend vassa (the three month rainy season retreat from July to October) there, or return back here to BC.

Bhante is crafting a dwelling (kuti) in the jungle there. This structure will have a metal roof, wood walls & floor, with a rock foundation. The basic framework is completed, and a door recently installed. 🙂

Now Bhante has a solo place to retreat and practice. Siding and interior improvements will happen over time. Should anyone wish to offer dāna (donation) support toward this invaluable project, please visit: https://heartdhamma.love/dana/ .

So far, Bhante has experienced wonderful acts of generosity at nearby villages while walking for alms food. Attached below are the rich descriptions he has shared thus far.

Wonderful teachings!
Please send any comments or messages to: heartdhamma@protonmail.com.

Wishing you all continued happiness and vigour.

With mettā,

Marty

Here, an alms-round description from Bhante:

“I started going for alms a couple days a week here with Sudhīra Bhante, another Canadian monk (who is 22, yet my senior, even though I am 11 years older, therefore, I pay respects to him).

We robe up at dawn at the dāna salla and start walking to the monastery road. In coronavirus times, we cannot go to the village and this small road is our only allowance. Technically, Bhante (the abbot) says five houses… but here, people don’t really care how many houses you’re allowed. As soon as we arrive to the first driveway, these two elderly ladies are waiting for us, food ready, by the road. Then, it seems, the whole road already knows we are here. Other people come and join in the offering.

Next house, two young girls dressed in school uniform offer with as much mindfulness as they can gather, just before going to school. Their mother comes and joins in for the blessing.

Then, Kasun’s mother’s house, she already cooks the meals for the whole monastery but she and Kasun, are delighted to offer further to pindapata monks, as this is even more significant to people here. When monks take the hardship of going out of the monastery, from one house to the next, showing themselves in the community, giving of their presence. Giving villagers an opportunity to make merits and to give.
A pack of typical small Sri Lankan stray dogs is glaring at us quietly at the bend of the road.

They are happy to see us.

Then, this elderly couple comes to their driveway gate to meet us. Cane in hand, trembling. But strong in Dhamma. To them, it means a lot to feed us. To give to sangha in this very pure and blameless manner. Like everyone else before, they kneel in the dirt, raised palms in añjali, as we thank them with a stanza from the Dhammapāda.

The last house, a family lives there, and it seems people from the village also know that this is our last house. Cars pull in the driveway, the village knows we are not going to it, so it seems, it is coming to us.

More than 10 people offer their dish. I feel ashamed to accept so much food. It is ridiculous. My bowl is full to the rim and heavy. I can obviously never eat that much food. But here, I quickly realize and I am told, it is much more offensive to not allow people to give. For them, that’s what matters.
They want to give. They don’t care how much food I will not eat. They know I won’t be able to eat all of that. Not to mention what they are putting in my bag to save some room in my bowl. 🙂

We simply accept, and allow them to give. They are truly happy to do so. The whole group kneels down before us and we wish them happiness in the Buddha’s own words.
Mettā is just pouring out from every cell in my body. Naturally. Witnessing such faith, devotion and happiness in Dhamma goes straight to the heart. I do not know these people, never seen them. Yet, they are giving me my life because of Dhamma and it brings them a lot of happiness.

No words exchanged, but eyes tell more than lips can.

We make our way back, it is still dawn. Two cars, successively, pass us, and pull over ahead of us, to offer some alms. People walking to work and to school are truly delighted to see us and immediately come and pay respects in the middle of the road. Two houses, where we are not meant to stop, have people with dishes ready, waiting by the road. They saw us walking up, so they knew they would catch us on our return.

Some other people come to us, kneel on the bare ground, in their good clothes, chant a loving homage to the Buddha, with melodious voice, forehead on the ground. Looking back up, they are beaming with happiness and Love.

I know this Love. It is the same Love I have for the Buddha. It is a very special kind of Love. But here, I see it in almost everyone. These people Love the Buddha so much, more than themselves, more than anything else in this world. Because he makes their lives happy, the rest are just conditions.

We come back, charged and purified by Dhammic Loving energy. Our lives depend on these people. They are fueling our practice. We are fueling their Love and faith, keeping the Buddha alive, 2600 years after his passing. A monk who goes on almsround like this could hardly think of being lazy. It feels natural to practice and live in a way to turn these offerings into abundant fruits.

The Buddha’s teaching and way of life are indeed, perfect. It all perfectly fits together in the most harmonious living symphony.
We arrive back at the dāna salla, take all the fruits and sweets from our bowls, put them on plates and offer them, one monk after the other, starting from the most senior to the juniors, to the whole sangha. They only accept some because in this culture, not to allow another person to give is offensive. Not to allow another person to make merits is seen as being rude. They take something, even if it is only one pomegranate seed or one rose-apple slice.

Then I ask permission and leave from Bhante “Avasaray Swaminanse” 🙏🏻 I walk back up through the forest to meditate then eat in my kuti.

A slice of monastic life here in Sri Lanka. 🙂
Have a beautiful day. Yes, be happy, be happy. 🙂

Sukhi hotu, sukhi hotu. “

And more recently, a further alms description in a message:

“After receiving my booster vaccine (Pfeizer), I asked permission to our abbot to go on pindapāta everyday from now on. He has agreed and I was assigned a new area. A small village across the road. It is quite poor, the entire village has one touktouk.

Most of these people are probably scrambling hard just to have food on the table every day. But they were very pleased to see a monk walking in their little village.

Eyes of hope and gratitude share a glance as I thank them with the words of the Buddha in pāli. The bowlful of rice and the neatly tucked-in plastic bag containing a couple of table spoons of curry they offer in the bowl with so much faith and appreciation, for what they have, is an immense gift. One could hardly remain unaffected.

Going on alms is a powerful lesson in humility, everytime. The Buddha’s teaching is perfect. Svakkhato.

Before I walk into the village, it occurs to me: “My life completely depends on these people. I walk in without knowing who will give and how much. But still, my life is within their hands.”

That is the kind of merit people do when they offer some of their own food to the monks. They give life to the triple gem.

And I completely surrender to the idea that, my life is within their hands, as I walk out of the forest and across the road at dawn, into their neighbourhood. I have no idea what will happen or if I will even get food.

“Iye vaedinne nae?” One of the house man says. “You didn’t come yesterday” I try to mumble in my broken Sinhalese: “Ov! Iye Vaeduva namut dāne tiyenava atthi. Mata tava puluvan nae.”“Yes, I came yesterday but I had enough food. I could not accept more.”

I apologize for my poor Sinhalese to them and try to explain I will be back the next day. “Mama maehae pindapāta vaedinava haema dama” “I come here for alms everyday”. They smilingly nod to me, from side to side.

They quickly figure my language handicap. Yet, they are so caring, they always make sure I have enough in my bowl. “Bat Tava tikak Swaminanse?” “A bit more rice Swaminanse?” When they see my bowl is nearly empty as I start my round.

Such Love and care for the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. For doing good deeds. Surely, these people are far richer than the so called rich countries. They have a sixteenth of people in richer countries, yet, they behave as though they were the wealthiest, which they are. Giving open-handedly, liberally, with gladness in their heart. For the sheer goodness of giving, itself.

I explained on my first round a few days ago, that I will be coming every day, which is a normal thing for pindapāta monks to announce on their first round in a neighbourhood. The next day, they all had prepared more in expectation of my coming.

I feel inevitably tied to them, like a part of their family. They have prepared a portion for me, it is waiting on their kitchen table. If I don’t turn up one day, they worry about me. They ask if I am okay. And they try to understand what happened.

Finally, after my round, I walk back up for 40 min into the forest, where my kuti is. Pondering on the beautiful words of the Buddha:

Dhp 49: “Yathāpi bhamaro pupphaṃ,

vaṇṇagandhamaheṭhayaṃ;

Paleti rasamādāya,evaṃ gāme munī care.”

Dhp 49:

“As a bee gathers honey from the flower without injuring its color or fragrance,

even so the sage goes on his alms-round in the village.”

A slice of Dhamma life here from the monastery.

May you all have a beautiful day. 🙂

May you all be happy and continue doing good deeds. 🙂

Much Mettā 🌸☸️🦚”