Autobiography of Bhante Lakkana in Brief

Why I Became A Buddhist Monk

When I was a child, I loved to see pictures of ascetics practicing meditation under the trees. Their deep calmness delighted my heart, and I thought they must be the most peaceful people to ever live on this earth! Also as a child, my parents sent me to a Buddhist Sunday School. There, a Buddhist monk and some lay people taught us about the life of the Buddha and about his teachings. Although the walk to that school was quite far, I really enjoyed going there with the other children and eating mangoes from the wild trees as we went along. Then one day, on the way home from the Sunday School, I heard some voices down below under a bridge. Peeping down, I saw an old woman struggling in the middle of the river and two men trying to pull her from both sides. Alas, these men were not able swimmers, and so neither was able to grasp her firmly and she drowned. I was deeply disturbed by this incident. The woman was the wife of the village shoemaker. When I saw him he was in a very sad mood. As I approached him, I felt like touching his head and saying 'do not cry ,' but, I didn't do that, I just went along my way home with a deep feeling of sorrow in my heart. Reaching home, I tried to talk to my parents about what happened, but they were very busy with other matters, and paid no attention to me. I felt very strongly that I did not want people to die...not others, and specially not myself. My parents had also taken me to many funerals, in our village. In Sri Lanka, family members grieve and cry out very loudly at funerals and some times they even attempt to throw themselves upon the cremation fire. Having seen and heard so much of this, even as a child, I grew very concerned and disturbed about death and dying. Many questions about life, such as where did I come from, what is the purpose of my life, where will I go after death and the like, occupied my thoughts. Although I asked others about these things, I really got no answer that seemed completely satisfactory. As a young adult, I took to the sea as a sailor aboard a foreign vessel. I visited many countries in Europe and Asia and always enjoyed the chance to go ashore and meet the people of the towns and villages. Once, while working with my cousin aboard a Greek ship, we reached the port of Constant, Romania. It was winter and our work was very difficult. We both witnessed a horrible accident on board the ship. one day when a man got his hand caught on a big hook which was being pulled by a crane. The man was in excruciating pain as my cousin and I rushed to help free him from the hook. His pain and suffering were almost unimaginable. Back in our cabin, I told my cousin how I longed to find a way to escape from all the suffering which fills the life of a man. We discussed the Buddha's teachings and my cousin said that he practiced a kind of meditation which he had learned at his village temple back in Sri Lanka. He demonstrated the little bit he knew and tried it too. I thought that perhaps this mindfulness is the way to control and gain mastery over the senses. At once I decided to leave the sea life and go back to Sri Lanka to find some kind of meditation practice to end suffering in this very life. Once back home, however, my mind had to turn to practical matters and material benefits, so I had to start turning my attention to business matters, but I began to think of renouncing my home life. Finally, with these thought of renunciation strong in my mind, I visited the Diyavannaoya temple and met the chief monk there. I asked his advice about meditation and asked what book was most important book for the monks. He suggested I get a copy of The Visuddhimagga (Path of Purification), and he encouraged me to find a suitable meditation center. So with The Visuddhimagga and many of the books of the Tripitaka (three baskets), I sat off to practice on . I read the books many times and practiced meditation using some of the breathing methods I had been taught. However, I began to realize that in order to make real progress, I needed guidance from a qualified teacher, if I was going to find the way to end suffering...the way to the unconditioned element The way to Nibbana. About this time,an aunt gave me a book by Ven. Rerukane Chandawimala Mahathero. It was a translation of a famous book called The Progress of Insight by the Burmese monk Ven .Mahasi Shayadaw. My aunt had been practicing according to the method taught by this monk, and even though she had fallen and badly broken her leg, when I visited her in hospital, she was very happy and peaceful. It was then she started to explain the benefits of the Buddha's teaching and how truly the Buddha had taught us this wonderful practice as the way leading to the ceassation of suffering. Later, I heard that as she was dying, she asked the nurses to sit her on the bed so she could meditate as she passed away. Now, I firmly resolved that this is the time to renounce the home life completely. Sometime later, my younger sister also died and this too disturbed me. As I removed myself from worldly matters, I lived alone on my little estate and spent most of the time practicing loving kindness meditation and began to visit a forest hermitage nearby. Eventually, I was directed to the Kanduboda International Meditation Center. There, I was given a small kuti (dwelling) and was given meditation instruction by Ven. k. Pemasiri Mahathero. I was asked to practice walking meditation (mindfully watching each and every step) and taught to be mindful of evry bodily movement. I was instructed to watch the arising and passing away of thoughts , sounds, sights, tastes, indeed all sense experience and mental objects. After a little while, the thought of leaving that center occurred to me because the practice was too ardous. But I firmly resolved that I would stay and continue the practice, no matter how difficult. Within a few days, I managed to develop concentration and wisdom to such a degree that I became a very different person. My douts about the triple gem vanished. A great faith rose in my heart towards the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. After later going on to the other meditation centers, I still would return to that center many times and discuss Dhamma with Ven. Pemasiri Thero, and he even kindly accepted my invitation to make a pilgrimage to India together. Lter, I joined that center and took ordination as a novice there. I was appointed as a translater for my teacher and learned a great deal as he was giving others instructions through me as a translater. After two years, he left to head the Colombo MaCarthy Meditation Center. I then went back to Thailand, where I had once before practised under various teachers. In Thailand I practised under Achaan Lee Dhmmardharo at Wat Sainam, Achaan Thong at Wat Tapotaram at Chaig-Mai and Achaan Passano at Wat Nana Chat in northeast Thailand. When I finally returned to Sri lanka, I was appointed meditation instructor at the MacCarthy Meditation Center by my teacher. After serving for simetime, I left for the forest in order to find an ancient and secluded cave on a little hill. This was a wild and elephant infested area. Here some village people helped me reconstruct the walls and door to the cave. Lay people would come from more that two miles away, making the very dangerous jorney through the wild, elephant infested jungle, so eager they were to hear the Buddha's teaching. They would come and practice meditation with me every eight days. Since there were five ancient and broken down pagodas in this hill area, I called that place the Pancha Stupa Forest Hermitage. After some time, I happened to have the opportunity to help a woman who was in deep sorrow after the loss of her husband. I taught her how to develop concentration and insight. after learning this meditation practice, her life changed. Her sorrow lifted, and she developed great faith in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. She wanted to visit the USA and to teach the Buddha's Dhamma there. she informed Ven. Dhammasiri Thero, the President of The Washington Vihara about me, because at that time he was in Sri Lanka interviewing for a meditation teacher to serve at the washington Buddhist Vihara. A lay devotee called Lakshmi arranged an appointment for me to meet him. Being satisfied after interviewing me, Ven Dhammasiri Thero invited me to serve at the Washington Buddhist Vihara. I accepted his kind invitation and I served in that capacity under Ven. Pannaloka Mahathero, the newly appointed president of this Vihara. At the Vihara, I taught regular meditation classes for all level of students, and we had once a month meditation retreats. There were many lay practioners who were very helpful to me in arranging these retreats and supplying food for the retreat participants.After serving at the Washington Vihara for while I moved down to a LA Buddhist Vihara in Los Angeles in California. Here I serve under the most Ven Ahangama Dhammarama Mahathero who is the Abbot of this monastery. I participate in many religious programmes at this Vihara. Those who are interested in joining meditation retreats could join me on every Saturday from 7 - 9 PM. Those who wish to get meditation instruction via internet could contact my e-mail addresses. So dear friends, I hope this story of my personal spiritual journey will give you some understanding of how this teaching of the Buddha, even after more than 2500 years,can and does continue to change the lives of human beings...Bringing happiness and bliss and wisdom into their hearts. May you all realize the unconditioned elements - Nibbana - in this very life.

You may contact Bhante Lakkana at the following: E-mail:   Hotmail     OR     CompuServe Tele:   323 463 8816

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