Everything is subject to change
Gitan had oraganize a four day meditation retreat for me to teach on Hantane mountain above Kanday. It was held in the newly constructed Mount Royal hotel at the end of the mountain road. 28 persons mostly from Colombo came up for the retreat. The retreat went off very nicely and everyone was satisfied and happy afterwards.
Following the retreat Gitan and I made a three day road journey through the Northern Provence to Jaffna and back down to Trincomalee. We were accompanied by another Western monk, Ven. Guttasila. He has lived in Sri Lanka for thirty years. The Northern Province was closed to tourists for thirty years during the war with the LTTE. Since the war ended two years ago tourists are now once again allowed to travel through the area to Jaffna. In the Jaffna area there are a few ancient religious sites: The Naga Dipa Buddhist temple and a Hindu Kovil; the site where the Arahat Sanghamitta came ashore bringing the sacred Bodhi tree sapling; and a burial site for Arahants. Naga dipa is an island situated a few miles of the coast from Jaffna. One needs to ride a ferry to get to the island.We visited these places and then then spent the night in a hotel in Jaffna town. The next day we drove down to Mullattivu and Trincomalee. On the way we saw some of the effects of the long destructive war with the LTTE, which are slowly being cleaned up, including de-ming the area along the roadside. Closer to Trincomalee we visited another ancient Buddhist site, Thiriyaya. Thiriyaya is an ancient stupa marking the spot where the two Burmese merchants Tapussa and Baluka enshirined the 'hair relic' of the Buddha. According to the historical record these two men had met the Buddha just after his Enlightenment near Bodhgaya. They were the first to take the Three Refuges and Five Precepts directly from the newly Awakened Buddha. They were his first two lay disciples.
As a momento the Buddha gave them a few strands of his hair. These 'hair relics' it is said were later brought to Sri Lanka by Tapussa and Baluka and they had this memorial stupa erected. This then is the first Buddhist stupa erected on the island of Sri Lanka.
We spent our last night at a hotel on the Niliveli beach just north of Trincomalee town. In the morning we did our early morning predawn meditation on the wide sandy beach followed by a series of Yoga exercises with the rising sun. I hadn't been able to do that in a long while.
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| Participants at the group retreat in Hantane |
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| Walking on the boat jetty to catch the launch to Naga Dipa |
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| On the small boat ferry |
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| Approaching the shoreline at Naga Dipa |
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| The Hindu Temple |
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| At the Buddhist temple |
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| Walking back for the return boat ride |
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| On the way back I opt to ride on the upper deck for the nice views |
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| Statue of Arahat Sanghamitta with the Bo sapling |
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| Map showing location of the spot on the coast north of Jaffna where Sangamitta had first landed |
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| Display depicting the landing with Bo-sapling |
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| Guide explaining about the stupas of the Arahants |
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| Graveyard of bombed and burnt out vehicles from the war |
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| The first Buddhist stupa at Thiriyaya |
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As we were leaving this wild elephant came out of the jungle to say 'hi'
After the trip to Jaffna and Trincomalee I went to stay in Kandy for one week at the Senanayaka aramaya in Udawattakale Forest Preserve. While in Kandy I also met Ven. Uganda Buddharakkita who used to live with me at the Bhavana Society Forest Monastery in West Virginia. He is living in Sri Lanka for three years pursuing a degree in Buddhist studies.
While walking through the Udawattakale forest I almost stepped on this fellow.
Don't tread on me
Before leaving the Island a friends of Gitan invited us to their weekend getaway house on a large lake near Moratuwa to spend a quiet weekend.
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| Bolgoda lake near Moratuwa |
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| A casual lunch under the cool shady trees |
