Aug 19th, 2009 - Today I explored the ancient city of Anuradhapura. It became the capital of Sri Lanka in 380 BC under the rule of King Pandukabhaya but reached its height under Devanampyia Tissa (247-207 BC). It was to serve as the capital of Sri Lanka for over 1000 years. I began at the Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba. What the hell is a dagoba? A dagoba is a dome-shaped memorial alleged to contain relics of Buddha or a Buddhist saint; also referred to as a stupa or chaitya. This one was built by Devanampyia and was his crowning achievement. It is an impressive sight and extremely sacred to Buddhist followers. People come to make offerings, pray, meditate, and the like. In fact most of the people there were pilgrims and worshipers, not tourists per se.
Much
of the sacred city is nestled in a light forest that simply emanates
serenity. As you make your way through a sense of calm and well being
slowly overtakes you. It is all you can do not to curl up on a patch
of grass near a ruin or under tree and drift off to sleep. Oh what a
sight this must have been in its heyday. I made stops at Elephant
Pond, the Moonstone, Samadhi
Buddha (statue), Twin
Ponds, and a host of other sites that formed part of the thriving
ancient city. Wowie.
I
ended my tour at the massive brick Jetavanarama Dagoba
built in the third century. It originally stood at a 100m but now
reaches only 70m. The area around this dagoba contains the ruins of a
monastery and, like other parts of the city, is situated in a
beautiful area of green patchwork interspersed between trees and the
remains of ancient structures.
 |
| Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba |
 |
| Sacred Bodhi Tree |
 |
| Elephant Pond |
 |
| Ancient shitter |
 |
| Samadhi Buddha |
 |
| Thuparamaya |
 |
| Jetavanarama Dagoba |
The conclusion of my day was undoubtedly the highlight although the circumstances were a bit strange. On my way into Anuradhapura I managed to lose the key to my motorcycle. It actually fell out of the ignition while I was driving. Fortunately, I had extras made (at the tall goofy white guy rate if one recalls).
This
was the main key and had the owner's phone number written on it.
Well, someone found it and called the owner who then called me and
told me to call the gentleman who found the key. I did so while at
the museum near the Jetavanarama Dagoba. It was not an easy
conversation as this person spoke very little English. Luckily for me
a gentleman that had been helping me remove some mud from my bike
took the phone and assisted with the translation.
Chandana
(his name) told me that the guy was not at home but would be there
around 5:30 pm. I was given the name of the street but nothing else
(like an address). Chandana offered to help me locate the place and
gave me his card with his number so I could give him a call when I
was ready to go. It turns out that he is a tour guide in
Anuradhapura. He claimed that he was not interested in money and that
he only wanted to help. As always I was a bit skeptical but since I
had no idea where the street was I figured I might as well give him a
call.
We
agreed to meet at the same spot from where we would head to the man’s
house to retrieve my key. He showed up in a tuk
tuk with
two of his friends, one of which was a rather large Sri Lankan
gentleman (the driver). At this point I was not sure what to make of
the situation but I pressed on. Chandana hopped on the back of my
bike and we drove off with the tuk tuk in tow. After about a two
minute drive we arrived at Chandana’s house where we parked my bike
so we could all pile into the tuk tuk and meet the keymaster. I was
not entirely comfortable about jumping into a vehicle with three
strangers and driving off but my instincts told me I would be
okay….probably. On the way I called the keyman once again and once
again understood very little. I handed the phone to Chandana only to
discover that the guy was not where he said he would be. Instead he
was outside of town. My choices were to drive to him or pick up the
key the following day. I decided to do neither. I have two spare keys
and so does the owner so I figured screw it. He can keep the key. I
phoned the motorcycle owner just to be safe. He was not concerned
about losing a key. My new friends made repeated offers to take me to
get the key but I explained that it was not worth my time. They also
wanted to make sure I understood that they wanted nothing in return
for their help.
Instead
of going back to my bike my pals treated me to some ginger tea at a
local roadside stand. Sri Lanka is famous for its tea and I have to
say it is delicious. It was at the tea stand that I began to realize
that these guys were sincere and just being extremely kind and
hospitable. We had an extremely interesting conversation on a variety
of topics. All spoke English well but Chari (another of my new
friends) stuck out as being quite educated (self-educated as it turns
out). He threw out words like ‘ascetic’ and ‘flabbergasted’.
We talked politics, family, religion, and philosophy among other
things. They really piqued my interest in Buddhism and I am
determined to read up on the subject.
We
discussed the security situation and I explained how the US State
Department has issued a travel warning for the country, more for the
possibility of random acts of violence then any kind of overt
conflict. They too reiterated what I’ve heard all along, that for
the most part the situation is relatively safe. They did concede the
‘shit happens’ possibility however. They laughed at my stories
surrounding the fleecings I'd received in Negombo and were adamant
that most Sri Lankans were not like that. I am starting to
understand.
Chari,
also a tour guide (according to Chandana the Anuradhapura
tour guide), shared his fascination with the ancient civilization
that thrived here and told me that if you dig deeper you will be
amazed. From the way he spoke I had a feeling he was on to something.
He spoke of Buddhism and how it is all about finding the path. You
have to free yourself and everything you need will come to you. He
spoke of rebirth (as opposed to reincarnation of which he does not
subscribe to) and the continuous yet ever changing status of the
universe. He mentioned Einstein
and his connection to Buddhist thought. Although I was unaware of the
association it does make perfect sense. Einstein’s work involved
unlocking the secrets of the universe, piercing the veil if you will,
which is exactly what Buddhism is all about. To quote:
“Buddhism
has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic
religion for the future: It transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas
and theology; it covers both the natural and the spiritual, and it is
based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all
things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity.”
and
“The
religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend
personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering both the natural
and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising
from the experience of all things natural and spiritual as a
meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any
religion that could cope with modern scientific needs it would be
Buddhism.”
It
appears Einstein was, more or less, a Buddhist. Funny how I had to
come to Sri Lanka to find that out.
Chari
seemed to think me an interesting fellow and told me I was not the
person he (or the other two) thought me to be. I was to learn that by
my appearance and demeanor they thought me to be hard man, perhaps
even a bit of a ruffian but were pleased to discover my kind nature
(according to them of course). Thankfully, I also have good Karma. I
wonder about this. It seems I have an unapproachable air about me.
This is not the first time the topic’s been addressed but their
impression seems to carry more weight for some reason. I guess it’s
time to soften that rough exterior. I need to trade Grrrrrrrrrr
for Purrrrrrrr.....or something along those lines.
Something
about standing next to a thousand year old ruin (our post tea time
lounging area) under cover of dark in the rain while discussing
philosophy in Sri Lanka that is really gratifying and almost, for
lack of a better word, spiritual. Buddhism is the path to
Enlightenment, the search for truth. Chari admired the idea that I
would come to the ancient city to learn more about the culture, the
people, and that I am willing to sit in the rain at night and allow
him to share his thoughts and is ideas. My own personal search for
truth I suppose. Perhaps, I am unwitting Buddhist myself. Chari
seemed to imply such.
Interestingly,
much of this conversation was had while two of my new friends passed
a joint between them. Notice how I said ‘them’ and not ‘us’.
Who needs drugs when you have Sri Lankan Buddhists to converse with?
Admittedly, the idea of Chari smoking Mary Jane does seem a bit
incongruous with the Buddhist aura but then again it appears to do
him no harm. In fact, he told me that he taught himself French under
the influence and is often called upon to guide those hailing from
the land of Napoleon. He is a highly (pardon the pun) intelligent
fellow and sophisticated enough to know what is and is not good for
him. I guess I emphasize this because more often than not people
use/abuse drugs as a form of escape or diversion. This is just as
true in the developed world as it is in Sri Lanka. Chari, at least at
a glance, seems to derive a genuine benefit from the practice and,
dare I say, it almost feels like it assists him in his quest for
self-actualization. If he keeps it up he might be e-mailing me in
German.
 |
| Chari |
So
after our sacred city ganja-laced pow-wow I was invited into
Chandana’s home for some tea and a monstrous portion of succulent
watermelon. I was honored to be a guest in his home where I met his
wife and his mother. More conversations ensued with everything from
Buddhism to Sri Lankan soap operas vying for our attention.
I
discovered that Chandana and his wife eloped without seeking
permission from her parents, a source of constant tension within the
family. In fact, her parents are refusing to speak to them (I guess
there is a bit of a class issue at work). As Chandana put it, “They
are not ready to speak to us yet.” As I searched their faces for
any signs of regret I found nothing but love and child-like glee in
their eyes. Her parents might as well get on board because these two
are planning to be together a long while.
 |
| Chandana and his wife |
It
is rare to be in the company of relative strangers and feel such a
profound sense of calm and tranquility. I consider these people my
friends and I hope to see them again soon. Part of me wants to spend
more time here and I have not ruled it out but there is so much to
see that I should probably move on. Decisions, decisions.
No comments:
Post a Comment
'Love me or hate me, but spare me your indifference.' -- Libbie Fudim