the last few months prt 1.

What Happened here during the last few months!

During the last few months we had a number of things happening, donations received, and visitors to be welcomed!!!

We received some incredible donations;

Bhante, who was working with great pain on his old PC (really pain because of the problems with his arms), was supplied with a new laptop by “Big John” and Claudette Velenturf.

Mr. Peter Sandkuyl donated a beamer so we will be able to start our program concerning the information about inbreed or marriage in the family and the genetic dangers connected with this, we hope to start this program in may this year and have selected 17 villages to be visited.
Also we will use the laptop and beamer for other educational programs. We will keep you informed about this.

Mr. Jaap Plugge donated SRS. 45.000 for our program to supply eyeglasses for children who urgently need them.

The family Cle and Monica van Beurden and their daughters visited Sri Lanka and we where able to meet them shortly in Hikkaduwa. They donated €50. = on the spot for buying 10 pare of shoes for the children who needed them to go to school. They promised a donation for the Dodanduwa family project and the daughters promised to donate their salary of one day work in the restaurant. Further more Cle promised to try and collect some laptops from the company he works for so we could donate them to schools and / or use them for our educational projects. It did not stay with a prommis we received already one laptop and are using that one now connected with the printer so we can print texts more easely. This laptop is mainly used by the Rev. Ariyadhamma for writing the necessary Singhalese text and has already been of great service because he writes on them the texts for the meetings, makes posters etc. on the moment for the construction of the Tsunami Memorial Monument to be constructed here on our Temple land in corporation with an initiative of ms. Jacky van Oostveen from the Netherlands.

The PC who we used before is donated to the Pushparama Pirivena (Seminary for young monks) in Metiyagoda.

We would like to thank each and every one of them for their donation.

We had another visitor: Mr. Arturo Zoller, an Artist from the Netherlands and true his mediation we received an anonymous donation of SRS.200.000 for the operation of a girl who is suffering of Oscleriosis. This girl can be saved now of a future as an invalid. (Her future would be very limited because if she did not undergo the operation she would not have a long time to live!!!!).

We thank the Anonymous donator (we only know it’s a lady from Amsterdam) for here great act of mercy and kindness!!!!! This all is the true spirit of giving:
Personally I would like to thank all of you: You make me happy, humble and proud!!!!
Like the German family who donated last year money which made it possible to feed 12 underfed children during 6 ½ months!!!!!! THANK YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Unfortunately we had to stop this program because the funds run out)
When our friends from Holland (volunteers for the Dodanduwa project) arrived Nicole brought among others a Table Tennis set for Ariyadhamma and they tried it out immediately.
Playing “ping-pong”. Where is that ball? J

We had the program in Dodanduwa where we could renovate and paint the house of a very poor family. There where 4 volunteers (Ardje, Nicole, Maud and Thijs) who worked very hard on this project. Even though it went not as smooth as we hoped and it was sometimes a quite frustrating experience: the work was done. The project is ongoing: we could not finish the whole program because of a lack of funds, but we hope to be able to finish the rest soon.
tattoo time after hard work.
On the 11th of February we celebrated Bhante’s birthday together with the volunteers, Bhante, his pupils and Anura (our three-wheel driver) and his little son. We went on a boat trip on the Maduganga, we visited an island Temple, the cinnamon island and had a nice lunch at a local restaurant on the river.

Our dear friend Ms. Dominique Rousseau from the French “Ayubowan” Foundation visited us and was just in time to participate in the following event:

On the 21st of February our dear friend Mrs. Joy Butler Markham of the Manacare Foundation organized a surprise Birthday Party for Bhante, all our “expats” friends and the workers of the Manacare Centre in Telwatta where present and Bhante received some nice presents. Joy organized the party on the 21st because she was out of the country to visit here daughter Petra in Hong Kong. Petra got here 3rd child, and this time here wish for a girl was fore filled and the new baby was named Isabella, congratulations to Joy, Petra, her husband and the other children! We wish the newborn “Ayyu, Vanno, Sukham Balam!”- Long live, Good Health, Beauty and Happiness!

Later Bhante went to Wellawaya to participate in an almsgiving on an invitation by one of his old pupils who is now the school principle in Weherajaya near Wellawaya. People who know Bhante will also know that this is quit a thing for him; 1st of all it’s a trip of 7 hours to go there by three-wheeler, secondly we all know that normally Bhante does not like very much to go to this official almsgivings because it “takes him to much time” which he prefers to spent working or meditating. This time he went there because his old pupil invited him as a guest of honour and as an exception he accepted this invitation specially to be able to see this pupil again after so many years.

The whole trip took him 3 days, and he came back quite sick because on the way there they made a stop in Matara to take breakfast and Bhante got food poison (possibly Salmonella).
This took him nearly 3 weeks to recover. After the first 10 days with high fever and all the other symptoms (during which time he had to continue working), he was getting on again, but suffered from a total lack of energy. Fortunately he’s recovered well again.

Mr. Jaap Plugge and his friend Mr. Gilles Heystek visited us last week and Gilles gave Bhante a bottle of medicine (all kind of poisons combined), which is working very well and Bhante’s energy is returning quickly. Thanks a lot Gilles!!!!!!!! His diagnosis of Pfeifer was confirmed by the doctor who checked Bhante lately.

Ms. Jacky van Oostveen has been here a few weeks working very hard on here Tsunami Monument project and here Tsunami Photo Museum. We tried to help here as much as possible; we arranged for here to be able to work in the Library, helped to hold different meetings, specially the Rev. Ariyadhamma has been working a lot with here to make the Singhalese text of handbills, posters, info sheets etc. etc.

In the mean time Bhante went up and down again to Wellawaya in one day (this time by car), because there had to be some things discussed about two boys who would like to be ordained in near future as his pupils.

Then there is more great news!!!!

Finally we have found a very nice person to come and help out in Temple!!!

Dumith is a young man of 26 years who came last week to work in Temple. He turned out to be not only a very nice and quite young man, but also a hard worker.

Bhante told him several times to take some rest during the afternoon heat but he likes to continue his work and after his evening bath he likes to come and learn more English from Bhante and Ariyadhamma Thero.

We hope and trust that he will develop to be a valuable member of our team. He’s learning to cook, receive visitors etc. etc. and he can manage the things with the Ven. Puññasara Thera also quite well up till now (and that means something!!!).

So: Welcome Dumith!!!!! We are Happy to have you on board!!!!
There is also some sad news; the very brave, lovely and by many, and specially by us, dearly beloved little cat Boefie died last week, most probably after being poisoned. We are missing him daily! May he have a better rebirth!

We are making a pond, later more about that, but Alexander brought us a wheelchair and a number of chruches; they where just in time becous the Rev. Ariyadhamma wounded his feet badly and had to be operated. Afther that he is using one pair of the chruches so we say: Thank you Sander! Just in time :-)

THE BLUE LOTUS BUDDHIST FELLOWSHIP&
THE BLUE LOTUS SANGHA SABHAVA
at the
PURANA TOTAGAMUWA RATHPATH RAJA MAHA VIHARAYA,
TELWATTA.

There are many ancient Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka which are famous for their prolonged existence with royal patronage and important historical events associated with them. The ancient royal patronage denotes with the title Raja Maha (Great Royal or better even Royal – Raja, Great - Maha) which the Totagamu Viharaya also inherited from the days of yore. This temple is situated within the Telwatta Sanctuary; 400 meters interior on the land side of the Colombo – Galle main road between the coastal towns of Ambalangoda and Hikkaduwa in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka.

The Totagamu Raja Maha Viharaya used to be, not only a Buddhist Temple but, also a great seat of learning. In the 15th century even equivalent to a University, and can be considered as one of the most significant temples in the country. In that time it was headed by a pre-eminent Buddhist Prelate of high intellect and incomparable knowledge of six oriental languages carrying the title Shadbhasha Paramesvara, the Most Venerable Totagamuve Sri Rahula Sangharaja (1408 – 1491). This educational institution attached to the temple was called Vijayaba Pirivena, and was recognized by many scholars. Originally it was build in the Anuradhapura period and during the Polonnaruwa period the famous Vijayaba Pirivena, as a centre of learning in the South was started. During the Kotte period this educational institution became world famous. According to the Sri Lankan chronicle the Mahavamsa (Mv.11.4) this temple was built in the 3rd Century BC during the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa (307–267 BC.) whose capital was in Anuradhapura.

The Chola invaders from South India occupied our first capital Anuradhapura for a considerable number of years until King Vijayabahu I (1010 - 1051) defeated them, and drove them back to India. This event caused the shifting of the capital city more towards the western low lands of the island. By this time the Totagamuva Temple was in a dilapidated condition and the King Maha Vijayabahu moved to commence its renovation and reconstruction activities. The educational institution the Pirivena was established under his patronage and named after him – Vijayaba Pirivena.

The historical annals reveal further renovation has been done by King Parakramabahu IV (1302 – 1326) who vested in the temple a vast extend of paddy lands from neighboring Baddegama with gardens containing 50.000 coconut trees by a proclamation for the maintenance of the temple and Pirivena (MV.88.88.93).

This was followed by the Golden Age of the Vijayaba Pirivena during which it was elevated to a high level academic institution of multilateral disciplines having the Ven. Totagamuve Sri Rahula as its head. The that time capital was Kotte and King Parakramabahu VI ruled from 1415 - - the country. And during this time the Vijayaba Pirivena was known as the famous University of the East. Its fame wend beyond seas and students of different other country’s received their education in this Pirivena.

In 1505 with the arrival of the Portuguese, commenced the dark period in Sri Lanka. In the year 1580 ten shiploads of Portuguese headed by Thome de Souza landed here at a place near Kosgoda on the Southern Coast.

They ran riot destroying all Buddhist Places of worship by setting them ablaze and annihilated almost all the Buddhist Monks, Nuns, Laymen, women and children whom they come across. Totagamuva Viharaya, the Vijayaba Pirivena and the inmates, both Monks and laymen where no exception.

However, in 1765 the Ven. Vehalle Dhammadinna Thera had identified this Temple and he instructed his pupil The Ven. Pallattara Puññasara to stay here and give life to it once again. In this endeavor it is regrettable to note that the State co-operation had not been extended to the Ven. Dhammadina Thera. This historical place of Buddhist worship should necessarily get the attention of the world. It is the bounden duty of the present generation to refurbish this ancient educational and religious centre of historical importance and bring it back to its pristine glory for the sake of prosperity.

Because of his great concern and whish to restore this place to its old glory The Most Venerable Rajakiya Panditta Gammeddegoda Puññasara Maha Thera Chief Incumbent of the Temple has been working very hard to improve the place.
From the left: Ven.G. Puññasara Maha Thera, the Most Ven. Udagama Sri Buddharakkhita Maha Nayaka Thera o/t Asgiriya Maha Viharaya in Kandy and the Ven. H. S. Devamitta Maha Thera.

In the present time there has been, due to his guidance, constructed a new library: The Sri Rahula Cultural Library, which is regularly visited by students and scholars alike to do researches and to consult the Ven. Puññasara Thera (Panditta Hamuduruwa) who has a vast knowledge about (among others) the history of the place. Also a great number of school classes and groups of students and pilgrims frequently visit the place to hear lectures about the history and about the literature of The Most Venerable Totagamuva Sri Rahula Sangharaja. Because there is no Lecture Hall those lectures now have to be held in the open. We hope to be able to chance this in the near future.
In February 2007 the Ven. Gammeddegoda Puññasara Thera invited his oldest pupil the Dutch monk the Ven. Holland S. Devamitta Thera together with the Rev. Baddegama Ariyadhamma Thero (pupil of the Ven. Devamitta) to come and stay with him. Mainly due to his old age (83), the Ven. Puññasara Thera decided in January 2008 to hand over the daily affairs of the place to be managed by the Ven. Devamitta. Naturally the Ven. Puññasara Thera is consulted on a daily base. The Ven. Puññasara Thera also agreed to hand over a peace of land (about 2 acres), which is adjoining the Temple where Bhante Devamitta hopes to construct a new Monastery Building and a Meditation and Dhamma Study Centre. The monastic building is an urgent need.
Right: Ven Puññasara’s Avasa left; backside library front; dining hall which is near to collapse after tsunami washed away part o/t/ foundation.

The Ven. Puññasara Thera is living in his Avasa (monks house), but there is in fact no place where other monks can reside. Because of this Bhante Devamitta and the Rev. Ariyadhamma are (hopefully only temporarily) residing in the guest rooms of the library, another pupil of Bhante Devamitta (shared with the Ven. B. Samittha Thera) is residing in Baddegama.
Rev. Devarakkhita. Rev. Ariyadhamma and Devarakkhita

Sri Rahula Cultural Library.

Further more there are a few requests of boys to be ordained as pupils of Bhante Devamitta. We will start to ordain some of them in the near future but the lodging situation will be a big problem.

There is also a great need for a Meditation c.q. Lecture Hall. The library which we use on the moment for the meditation activities is too small for this purpose and lectures are given mostly in the open air. Also it’s very difficult for the monks to do their religious work: teaching is now limited to teaching on a personal base or the teaching of a few people at the time. Considering the rest of their work; organizing educational, medical, social and cultural activities it’s also difficult because of the lack of accommodation. With the construction of a Monastery building and a Meditation / Lecture Hall we hope this will change in the near future. The Meditation Centre will also have a few “kuti’s” (Cabana’s) where visiting practitioners can be lodged. We hope to start a fund raising campaign as soon as the estimates are ready, we will keep you informed.