Money Greedy Professors and unsophisticated poor Sinhala Buddhist Villagers
Posted on July 26th, 2012
By Charles.S.Perera
I was in a Buddhist Meditation Centre ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” Pallekelle Devenapetis Samatha Vipassana Meditation Centre, in Kundasale, not far away from Kandy. Peradeniya UniversityƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and the Polgolla Open University are not far away from it. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Some times students from these Universities meditate at the Centre.
This Meditation Centre is a unique place founded byƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ lateƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Venerable Amatha Gavesi.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He was a retired Director of the Police Training School.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He was well versed in the teachings of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Buddha, andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ well known for his knowledge of the Sutta Pitaka- the Canonical writings on the discourses of the Buddha.
After his retirfement, he became an instructor of meditation at the Kanduboda Meditation Centre , but left it as he did not agree with the object of meditation used by the Centre.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ There after he was ordained and donned the yellow robes of a Buddhist Monk, andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ set up his ownƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Meditation Centre in Krunegala. Subsequently when he was offered a building by President R.Premadasa at the Gamudawa in Pallekelle, he founded the present Devenapetis Samata Vipassana Meditation Centre.
He raised the social status of the women who donned yellow robes to keep the ten precepts as Dasa Sil Mathavo,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ popularly called Manio.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He trainedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a group of them to become instructors in Meditation, now there are nearly 35 of them in Pallekelle and in its Branch Centre in Kurunegala. Today the Centre after the death of the Venerable Amathya Gavesi is Administered ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ by the Manio and theyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ continue the work of theirƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ teacher theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ late ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Amata Gavesi by conductingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 14 day meditation retreats giving instructions to meditators.
The Centre provides free accommodation to those who follow the meditation retreats. The daily morning breakfast and the lunch are also provided free for the meditators .ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ These two meals ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”the breakfast and lunch and the morning rice broth are offered mostly by the Villagers from distant ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and some timese quite remote villages in Sri Lanka.
They come to offer ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ these meals the_DanaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to around ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 50 to 60 Manios, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and lay meditators every day.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ When one group has offered the Dana they go away in the evening afterƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ offering ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the evening cup of plain tea.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And soon after arrives another busload or lorry load of villagers from else where for the next days Dana.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That continues without a break.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ IfƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a group of people fails to come for some reason the CentreƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ provides the meals from contributions made in advance by well wishes for such an eventuality.
During my stay the meals were provided by villagers coming fromƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Walapone, Mahakanda, Alawatugoda, Dehiovita, Inginiyagala, Anuradhapura, Wetakeiya; Medamahanuwara, Wilenegama, Maiyangana , Hasalaka and so on..ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Some of these are distant villages.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
I spoke to many of them and broached the question of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-high cost of livingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ which the anti government forces keep on harping and for which the already very highly paid University professors have gone out on strike.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But they who do not earn as much are satisfied and with what they earn and ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ spend generously for alms giving, and ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ thus to help the dissemination of the teachings of the Buddha.
They told me thanks to the Government ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the President Rajapakse and the peace that he has brought to the country they have enough to eat and liveƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ well enough ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and educate their children.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They say above all what they are mostly ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ gratefulƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to the President Rajapakse is thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ he ended the terrorism and allowed them to live without fear of death.
Some of them who are living in boarder villagers to the land held by the terrorist have many of their kith and kin massacred and knows what it was under terrorism.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Listening to them it was obvious they will not let the President Rajapakse off the high pedestal of respect and affection on which they have placed him for quite some time.
It is only in the towns and among the highly paid university dons and JVP sponsored trade unionsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ one finds the critics of the Government and the President,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ making him responsible for the high cost of living, which had been a source of complaints from the very beginning of our independence.
I asked the villagers what they think of the UNP whether they would vote for UNP to come back to power.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They said UNP did lot of damage and when they could have defeated the tigers they did not do so . ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Under UNP they were not better off and there is no reason why they should vote for UNP to come back. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They are happy with the present Government ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the President Mahinda Rajapakse.
About Sarath Fonseka , an old man said that he spoilt every thing because of his bad mouthƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He is a military man and will never be a good President even if he is elected he said ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and the others laughed in agreement.
July 26th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
What I observed, now there is peace, Yapapatuna University is conducting lectures well and they are trying to do the best with what they have. It is the same, I suppose with Universities in the Eastern area. Instead, sabotaging the studies of students with these strikes, those teachers are trying to the best to the students in those area.
On the other hand, University Teachers in the South as well as Students are divided into different politically affiliated groups and whom do they sabotage ? themselves.
These teachers are just reading the same lecture notes. They are not teaching to challenging children. they are READING THE LECTURE note or are talking to a selected group of bright youngsters who can follow things easily. It is not like younger grade in the school. What ever they teach, the content is not immediately applicable outside. Most of the time, it is something completely different.
I don’t know why these teachers are this much screaming about more money and every thing else when they get so many other things. We can not live in a perfect world. Because of that, we will always have short comings.
The best thing is govt change the system.
July 26th, 2012 at 4:24 pm
I don’t think any of these lecturers are Nobel – laureates or those who have contributed with something extra ordinary. Yet, they keep their interests at the front and disregard every thing else.
July 26th, 2012 at 5:05 pm
They are TOO kind and innocent.
I wish the cultures in the villages will remain as they are without POLLUTING with south Indian and Arabic cultures.
July 26th, 2012 at 7:04 pm
I think Buddhists are like that. I visited a VERY remote Buddhist Monastery in Sandiego area. I thought the monks would be deficient of foods etc., and asked what they needed. The care taker said, they had over 900 Kgs of Rice. There were, I suppose, less than 10 monks and some civilians were living there.
July 27th, 2012 at 3:21 am
To add to that Lorenzo,
Keeping out South Indian culture, Arabic culture and most of all ….. Sirasak-Nethi culture.
July 27th, 2012 at 7:27 am
Sri Lankan Medical Doctors are the same. Why they do not want Private Medical Universities? It is because for them to have same GREEDY Control over their pay check. This monopoly of govrnment Mdical Colleges MUST be broken. Their pay must be frozen until Private Medical Collegs are up and running.
July 27th, 2012 at 11:12 pm
Lorenzo, a peetha Parangia, still wants the rule of his Parangia masters.How many Sinhalese and Tamils need Parangi culture? Pope a NAZI criminal is the boss of all catholic bastards in Sri Lanka, Catholic Church is still part of the LTTE criminals.
Sinhala Catholics and Tamil Catholics still try to give parts of Sri Lanka to the CHRISTIAN rule. India helped to defeat the Christian terror. That is why many Sinhala Christian monkeys barking!