Hasala: Welcome to Sri Lanka again.

Bhante: Thank you. Last year I came briefly after being away for nearly 20 years. Now I'm delighted to be back again.


H: When did you first come to Sri Lanka?

B: I first visited your county when I was 14-years old when my parents took me to the UK. Our ship stopped in Colombo for a day. I remember travelling from Fort to the Mount Lavinia Hotel and seeing all the coconut trees on each side of the road. I notice that there are none • 'there now. Then I came in 1976 as a monk and I 'ended up staying for 20 years. I became a monk in India, but it was in Sri Lanka that I learned Buddhism at a deeper level.


H: Over the last decades you have become quite well-known for your writings. How and why did you start writing?

B: I was a rather poor student; bad at spelling and grammar, so it's always been a surprise to me that I have written so much and that people appreciate what I write. As I learned the Dhamma. I often noticed how many books made claims about Buddhism that were not true or which failed to mention aspects of the Dhamma which I thought were important. It was to rectify such a problem that first prompted me to start writing, then I just improved my grammar and spelling as I went along. I don't think I'm a good writer but I'm good at explaining the Dhamma in a simple and understandable manner.


H: Of all your books, which is your favourite?

B: I like them all (laughs). So rather than tell you which ones I like, I'll tell you which ones have proved to be most popular. My book “Good Question, Good Answer” has been translated into 37 languages. most recently into Russian and Marathi. I identified questions people most often ask about Buddhism and then gave simple straightforward answers to them. No Pali terms or deep philosophical explanations. So, it's a good primer on Buddhism and hence it's been reprinted hundreds of times.

My most recent book, “Footprints in the Dust,” is now available in Chinese, German. Indonesian, Marathi and Sinhala and there are currently Spanish and Vietnamese translations underway. There are literally hundreds of biographies of the Buddha, but all of them mix the few details from Tipitaka with the myths and legends that grew up over the centuries "Footprints ...' is based only on the information about the Buddha from the Pali Tipitaka, and most readers comment on what a startlingly different and more realistic image this gives of the Buddha. It shows him as an extraordinary and accessible human.


H: You have also written a guidebook to Sri Lanka, haven't you?

B: Yes, although it's not the usual guidebook about where to eat, where to stay, or which are the best beaches. It’s a guidebook for people coming to Lanka to discover its Buddhist heritage; it's a guidebook specifically for Buddhist pilgrims. During my years in Sri Lanka, I travelled from Point Pedro to Dondra Head, from the lighthouse at Sangamam Kanda to the Dutch Fort at Kalpitiya which is about as far west as it's possible to go, and to the top of Pidurutalagala and a place near Hambantota which I was told was the lowest place in Sri Lanka, several metres below sea level.

In the 1970s and 80s, I visited nearly all the well-known sacred places but also many arannas; long abandoned ones in the forest and ones still inhabited by monks. So, my book covers all the well-known Buddhist sites plus many of the little-known, rarely visited ones. My favourite places are Tiriyaya, Kutumbigala and Rajagala. In Ampara district. The pristine forest, the wildlife and the austere monks living in these places made this a wonderful experience for me. I hope the hook also encourages more Lankans to explore more of their Buddhist heritage off the beaten track.


H: What are you writing about next?

B: I have just finished two new books. One is called “Begging Bowl and Banquet”, “Food and Drink in the Buddha's India” which includes everything the Buddha had to say about what we eat and drink, a subject people don't often associate with the Dhamma. But the Buddha had something to say about dieting, food fads, gluttony, vegetarianism. digestion, table manners, healthy eating habits and much else. You will be surprised to know that in the Jatakas there are recipes on how to prepare on how to cook several dishes. The other book is due out soon from Neptune Publications in Pelawatta. It is called “The Buddha in History Tradition and Culture” and looks at the profound impact the Buddha has had throughout history.


H: You have been writing for the Sunday Island for a long time now, haven't you?

B: Yes. I started writing for the newspaper at least 20 years ago, then stopped, then started again. I think you see in my articles the other thing about my writing - I write about unusual and obscure but still interesting and important aspects of Buddhism. I like to clarify misunderstandings about it, too. You may remember that some months ago I wrote an article debunking the silly notion that the Buddha was born in Sri Lanka.


H: During your decades in Sri Lanka who were the most impressive or the most interesting people you met?

B: One of the virtues of Sinhalese people is their hospitality, their openness to and curiosity about outsiders, to foreigners, and this made it easy for me to meet people and very often they would approach me and talk to me. I think the most interesting person I ever met was Rohana Wijeweera – beret, beard and all. After his release from prison in 1977 he came to Kandy to give a talk; there was a huge crowd, I happened to be passing by the venue where he was to speak, and although I didn't know why they had all gathered, out of curiosity I went in.

Wijeweera apparently noticed me and one of his people told me he would like to speak with me. That's how it happened. He asked me about myself and seemed intrigued that a Westerner would become a Buddhist monk. We chatted for about 10 minutes and when he told me it was his time to speak, he excused himself and left.

The most impressive people I got to know and who had a very positive effect on me were the meditation teacher Godwin Samararatna, Hinatinna Dhammaloka and the German monk Nyanaponika; one layman and two monks. They exhibited all the best Buddhist virtues - kindness and patience, learning and modesty. I think I'm a better person for coming into contact with them. They made the Dhamma real for me. People tell me the standards within the Sangha have declined nowadays but I'm sure there are still monks who cherish the Dhamma and try to live by it.


H: What do you plan to do during your stay in Sri Lanka?

B: I will be visiting the Colombo Book Fair, and giving talks at the university, on the TV and at several other venues. I have also been invited to give several talks at Maitriya Hall in Bambalapitiya. When I arrived in Sri Lanka in 1976,1 was invited to give talk there. It was the first public talk I ever gave as a monk, so I have a long association with Maitriya Hall. As I will probably not be able to visit Sri Lanka again due to age, I also plan to meet the many friends I made while here.