Dhamma tour in Sri Lanka

FWBO News is pleased to present this report from Ujukarin and Saddhavira, the two Order Members most involved with the FWBO in Sri Lanka – where we have for many years had a small group, and more recently a retreat centre, Sagaraloka (‘Realm of the Ocean’).

They say –

“The Sri Lanka FWBO sangha consists of around 15 mitras and one resident OM, and hence relies for its activities at least partly on visits from abroad. Last December and January we saw Ashvajit and Rijumati, both reported earlier in FWBO News; and during the week up to and including ‘Medin’ Full Moon day (known in the west as Good Friday) Saddhavira toured the country with Ujukarin – new to the Order, but who has been coming twice a year to Sri Lanka for the last five years.

Next to a number of one-to-one meetings with mitras and old and new friends, the main activities of the tour were –

* The normal Colombo Sunday afternoon class upgraded to a full day retreat, on the theme of ‘balanced effort’. Attendance around 15 people.

* A day at the new yoga/meditation centre of our friend and mitra Maitri Bandara in Matale, north of Kandy. Attendance something like 40-50 people, partly for the yoga sessions and partly for our talks.

* A 3-night retreat, Thu-Sun, in Sagaraloka retreat centre in Unawatuna near Galle. Attendance on the average 8 people, including one Bhikshu.

Based on all these meetings and events, new invitations are coming in, both for Saddhavira alone and for him with any visiting OM – e.g. for a day retreat in the cool hill country and a longer event at the vihara of the befriended Bhikshu. So watch this space for news of a slowly-growing remote FWBO sangha in an environment very different to that of Western Buddhism …

Rijumati's travels

FWBO News is pleased to present these excerpts from the travel diaries of Rijumati, an Order Member who for many years was one of the pillars of Windhorse:Evolution, the FWBO’s large Right Livelihood business in Cambridge, UK. The Western Buddhist Order has always contained great diversity of people, who have always been able to move freely between a wide variety of different lifestyles, based on their spiritual needs and Sangharakshita’s dictum “commitment is primary, the observance of the Ten Precepts secondary, and life-style tertiary, by which one would mean that although all three are of importance, the second is important as an expression of the first, and the third important as an expression of the second.”.

Rijumati’s diary is living proof of this. The letters were originally published in Shabda, the Order’s monthly journal.

Enjoy…


Setting out

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

By the time you read this I will be somewhere in the Arabian Sea on a freight ship bound to Sri Lanka.

This is the start of a period travelling around the world which will last a year or more and marks the end of an era of living in Cambridge. I've decided to travel without using any aeroplanes, hence the freight ship travelling to Colombo. This is partly because I want to avoid the carbon emissions implied in long haul air travel, and partly because I dislike the mode of travelling that ties one into airline deadlines and schedules.

As I got on the train from Cambridge it really felt like I was leaving - after 24 years of living there. Of course many of my friends, people I love, and my possessions are still there, but somehow leaving for an open period with no definite commitment to return felt like a parting. I leave behind a lovely girlfriend, a great community, dear friends and a meaningful job - and yet in the end I felt caged by the nice life that I had in Cambridge. It's crazy to give all that up, and yet I know in my guts that I'm doing the right thing, although I can't explain why. It's as if some part of me was pining away, despite all the wonderful things in my life. So I am cut adrift, wandering in the open sea of possibility.

Click here to read more…

Travels in Sri Lanka...

A few days ago we posted what will hopefully be the first of several stories from Dhammaloka’s tour of Malaysia and China. We are hoping to do the same for Ashvajit, an Order Member of many years standing, who is spending the next several months visiting many FWBO/TBMSG groups in Sri Lanka and India.

He has just arrived in Sri Lanka where he sent us this short report as a sort of prelude to his main travels.

“I have spent my first day in south Sri Lanka staying with my old friend Jinasena at Unawatuna Beach. He manages a very pleasant guest house called Zimmer Rest, and he set me to work yesterday opening an exhibition of Sri Lankan paintings by an artist going by the name of Lionel Weerasinghe and giving a short talk on Art.

I have also taught one Manchester tourist to meditate - he was very receptive and easily got absorbed - said he felt stoned. I said I couldn't remember what that was like!

More to come…”

Ordination in the Netherlands

On Saturday 27th October in the context of a retreat in Schoorl, in the Netherlands, Eric de Ruijter became UJUKARIN, 'He who makes (the mind) straight'.

His Private Preceptor was Dhammaketu, his Public Preceptor Surata.

Sadhu!

FWBO retreat centre in Sri Lanka

Saddhavira, an Order Member with roots in both Sri Lanka and New Zealand, has an ambitious vision for his retreat centre on Unawatuna Beach in Sri Lanka. Named Sagaraloka, 'Realm of the Ocean', he sees it as combining the best of the East and the West - the East's warmth and openness, the West's tolerance of difference and rationality.

As well as the visitors' retreat centre, Saddhavira conducts local activities. He says "We have about 12 Mitras and 8 of them have asked for ordination. There is a regular class in Colombo and also at the new retreat Centre".

The Centre has been in operation for a number of years now and is very much open to visitors. Saddhavira asks anyone visiting the area to contact him on globalbuddhist [at] gmail.com.

FWBO Sri Lanka

Saddhavira is a Sri Lankan born member of the Western Buddhist Order who runs a guest house and vegetarian restaurant on Unawatuna Beach (right) in Sri Lanka . The very first story for the FWBO & TBMSG News was to report on his ordination at Padmaloka in May 2005. His preceptor Ashvajit is a regular visitor to Sri Lanka.

Saddhavira has been running Dharma activities in Sri Lanka for many years now. He sayd "We have about 12 Mitras and 8 of them have asked for ordination. We have a regular class in Colombo and teach meditation for Western Travellers who come to the beach and our Sri Lankan friends in the new retreat Centre. Sri Lanka is very consevative. However, the English speaking young are open and most of our friends speak good English. We need more Western teachers."

After the Tsunami on Boxing Day 2004, Saddhavira had to rebuild his guest house. He is now also building a retreat centre. Sagaraloka - The Ocean Realm - will have facilities for about twenty people at a time, and Saddhavira hopes to attract westerners both to enjoy the natural beauty, but also to help teach the Dharma. He says "I plan to conduct light , short retreats for Sri Lankans". He also points out that Unawatuna beach in Sri Lanka is considered to be one of the 10 best beachs in the world! The building is nearly finished, but Saddhavira is running short of funds. If you could help in any capacity please contact Saddhavira:

Sagaraloka, C/o South Ceylon Lodging Unawatuna, Sri Lanka.
ph 0094912245863, 0094777105449 mobile
Email goonas[at]sltnet.lk

image - monks on Unawatuna beach