Sri Lankan Journal - Entry 9

(To start at the beginning, scroll down to Entry #1.)


I am at the book launching event. (Picture, right, taken as I write.) Today we mark the publication of Bhante's two books--Lessons of the Lotus and Poems of Awakening--in three new editions representing the official languages of Sri Lanka: English, Sinhala, and Tamil. (Today's program is conducted in entirely English--thank you, God.)

How do I describe the scene in a way you will be here with me and believe what is happening? The program is taking place on the second floor of a large public auditorium complex in downtown Colombo. Bhante's people have gathered in ascending, semi-circular rows like UN delegates. The first two rows are clergy. There are Buddhist monks in robes of safron, yellow-orange, dull red, russet, yellow, and another color I call, for lack of another term, spicy brown mustard (picture, right). The colors, I am told, represent various schools of Buddhist thought, followers of this or that teacher, roughly comparable to monastic orders in Roman Catholicism. There are also Hindu priests and Muslims and a Christian or two, plus a lot of non-clergy--men in long-sleeved white shirts or short-sleeved sports shirts, women Sri Lankan native in saris and western clothes. This is a large gathering, and I am honored to be Bhante's special guest from America.

I sit at the head table on the platform beside the man of the hour, the Venerable Yatirawana Wimala Thero. I am confused. Is that Bhante's actual name--Yatirawana Wimala? The monk to my right confirms it, explaining Thero means elder, and Bhante is a term like Father or Reverend in the Christian West. All Sri Lankan monks are Bhante's. What a shock! I always thought "Bhante" was the first name of my friend. Well, title or not, he's still Bhante Wimala to me. After all, it's how he introduces himself. I think he uses his title as a first name in the West because Bhante rolls off the American tongue a lot easier than Yatirawana. .

The monk (to my right in the first picture, above) has an interesting life story. His full designation in the printed program is the Venerable Olande Ananda Nayka Thero. If I spoke Sinhala I might have noticed his name, Olande, is a form of Hollander, which means a person from the Netherlands. He is a Westerner whose spiritual journey followed several paths that eventually led him to Sri Lanka, where he become a Buddhist monk. Olande Ananda is fluent in the local langauge and speaks perfect English. When he led the meditation, I thought for a moment I was in a Unity church. He told me with a sly smile that they promoted him to "Nayaka Thero" on the program, which means "chief elder" even though he's just a plain ol' Thero.

There was a deligtful opening ceremony with Sri Lanka girls doing a traditional dance, followed by the head table and other major delegates getting up to light candles. (See right and below.)

When the program speakers begin, I am surprised to learn than not only am here to introduce Bhante but my position is listed as "Chair" of the session and guest of honor at this august gathering. TV cameras point at us, photographers snap their flashes. And the whole thing is being simultaneously translated in Sinhala and Tamil. Yikes! This is a media event, and I'm the main guest of honor. .

Why didn't I lose twenty pounds before coming here??.

Now it's my turn to speak. I look out across a sea of faces--Buddhist monks, Hindu priests, Muslim leaders, plus an assembled representation of the Sri Lankan intelligentsia, people with PhD' s and MD's and LLD's--and I think, "Okay, Reverend Smartass, what do you preach to this crowd?!" ..

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Suddenly, I feel like Dorothy's little man behind the curtain, and I want to click my heels and say, "There's no place like home..."

But my task saves me. I am here to introduce my friend and co-worker in spiritual awareness. I begin speaking....

."We gather here today to celebrate the publication of two important books in Sinhalese, Tamil and English. But we really didn't assemble in this lovely place just to attend a book launching. We gather in Sri Lanka's capital city to honor the work of a citizen of the world, the Venerable Bhante Wimala. It is because of this gentle, intelligent, compassionate man that I flew halfway around the globe--that many of us traveled great distances. We come from cities and villages across the earth where Bhante Wimala has walked and taught..." .

I tell them Bhante is like pure gold, that's why his presence is valued in any culture or country. Recalling his visit to Unity Institute, I describe how Bhante spoke on compassion and gave my students a new definition for selfless love that they continued to discuss for months. I tell them how he showed us the wisdom of peace without glossing over the need for justice amid the danger and sufferings of the contemporary world. Then I say something that generates a few faint smiles on the supremely unperterbed faces in the first two rows:

"I only know one Buddhist monk personally, but if all Buddhists are like Bhante Wimala then I think we Christians have a lot to learn from you."

I sit, but there is no applause. Did I bomb? But wait a minute--there has been no applause yet, not even for the teenage girl dancers or the flute soloist. There will be none this afternoon. Bhante Olande tells me silent appreciation is typical and considered a show of respect and decorum. .

Bhante rises to speak; I take notes. He speaks for about thirty minutes on "Inner Peace and Outer Peace." His lesson/sermon could have been delivered from the pulpit of any Unity church in the world. Inner peace is how you feel toward yourself; outer peace is how you feel toward others. Bhante says every thought has power. Positive thoughts bring comfort; when you feel kindness and compassion those feelings are beneficial to the person experiencing them, the body aqnd mind are in fulfillment. However, negative thoughts bring discomfort. When you are angry or fearful, look at your mind and body--it will be tense, anxious, and stressful. "It hurts top be angry," he says. "It ghurts to hate people. It even hurts to dislike people." Having a good reason to be angry or hateful doesn't exempt you from the consequences of it. Holding onto negative emotions causes you to suffer. Outer peace will be established only when people release the need to hate or even dislike others. "Peace in the world will come when people realize the nature of their own suffering and free the mind from negative thoughts."

He finishes speaking, and I resist the temptation to jump up and shout, "Amen!"

Bhante is presented with the first copies of his new translation editions, and he turns to make presentations to all his major guests. The paparazzi swoop in to snap wildly, TV cameras roll. And I'm the first major guest!

After much more of the above, plus "Sacred Flute Music" and brief speeches by dignataries from several major groups, the assembly concludes with the singing of the Sri Lankan National Anthem. An interesting cultural phenomenon took place. The monks kept their seats, but everyone else in the audience rose. Those of us at the head table also stood for the anthem, except for the monk from Holland. Olande Ananda told me later that he had followed the lead of the clergy in the audience, then he noticed Bhante Wimala was standing. Bhante himself said he got up reflexively with the head table, like people do in America, then realized he was the only cleric (besides me) who was standing. "But then, I couldn't sit down," he said. That would have been awkward.

There was a lot of milling around with photographers and newspeople interviewing this cleric or that, and everyone wanted to get on camera with Bhante. I'm certain he was on the Evening News. After the official picture-taking, I asked for a few shots of the colorful costumes and weaseled my way into photo-op's with a few high-placed Buddhist clergy. At least they were venerated quite highly by the others. And some of the lovely saris on camera, too. (See below.)

This was a day...and now I am seriously hungry. And Bhante doesn't eat dinner!

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(More later, including a stop for Chinese take-out.)