‘Monks & Monkeys’ launched

Saturday, 31 March 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By D.C. Ranatunga

A lad of 24, university graduate, born and bred in Holland, gets bored with the world around him. While attending a summer course at Cornell University he starts practising Transcendental Meditation.

Back home in Amsterdam he comes across a book on Yoga and decides to go in search of an ‘ashram’ in India to stay and practise Yoga. The family with whom he stayed tells him that Buddhist meditation may be a better option for him. He visits a few Buddhist places of worship and is impressed. A Buddhist monk whom he meets by chance in the train while travelling to Nepal advises him to come to Sri Lanka if he is interested in Buddhism.

On 1 May 1975 he comes by boat from Rameshwaram to Talaimannar and from there to Anuradhapura by train. He is even more impressed by seeing the glory of Anuradhapura. He gets to know about the meditation centre at Kanduboda he decides to go there.

Through an introduction from the curator of the Anuradhapura museum he comes to Pagoda, meets the Most Venerable Davuldena Gnanissara Nayaka Thera at the Sri Vidya Vijayaramaya where he was the chief prelate. He follows meditation classes, gets ordained in September 1975 and receives higher ordination in August 1977. To this day he continues to stay in Pagoda but travels extensively teaching the Dhamma and holding meditation retreats in several countries.

Venerable Olande Ananda relates the ‘Travails of a flying Dutch monk over 40+ years in Sri Lanka’ in ‘Monks & Monkeys’ launched at the Sri Lanka Foundation this week.

While recording the life story of this remarkable monk I was amazed at the coincidental happenings in his journey both before and after donning the robe.

A common friend of the monk and myself, Deepal Sooriyaarachchi, veteran photographer Sarath Perera and seasoned art director Somachandra (Ruwan) Peiris partnered me in putting together ‘Monks & Monkeys’.

Pix courtesy Sarath Perera