Paramitta Swing-A-Round 2009 - A post-event writeup of Meditation Retreat & Tour to Holy Sites in Sri Lanka -- By Jeffrey Po

From 26th Nov to 4th Dec 2009, a team of 16 people made up of mainly the members of the Buddhist Library (Singapore) participated in a 9-day/8-night excursion which was physically, mentally and emotionally gratifying.

Meditation Retreat @ Kandy

After clearing both Sri Lankan immigration and customs at approximately 7.30 in the evening, we were whisked away by a 32-seater clean and comfortable air-conditioned coach that transported us to Paramitta Meditation Centre in Kadugannawa, Kandy. We arrived at about 11.30 pm (after a 30 minute dinner break) and were welcomed by Bhante B. Dhammaratana, the spiritual advisor of the Buddhist Library and the brain behind the conception and final construction of this meditation centre.

Paramitta, arising from a virgin slope of a hill and amidst endless expanse of luxurious greeneries, symmetrically arranged terraced paddy fields, deep, sprawling valleys and criss-crossed by silvery streams, provides an excellent place for solitude, reflection and spiritual explorations. Not only is the meditation hall spacious, its furnishings, washing facilities and cleanliness are also designed to meet the western (and Singaporean) basic requirements and standards. The meals (though basic vegetarian food) were to everyone's delight as they were home-cooked. Without exception, everyone appreciated the freshly panned hoppers (apom) and dosais.

Two full days of meditation and spiritual practices took place amidst the tranquillity of the environment. They included morning and evenings pujas, sitting and walking meditation instructions and practices (both samatha and vipassana techniques) and discussions on various Buddhist topics as well as the larger and deeper meanings of life. The sessions were conducted by Bhante Dhammaratana and the resident monk, Ven. Vannaratana. The highlight of our stay in Paramitta was the specially arranged visit to the Tooth Relic Temple, located in the city of Kandy – about 45-minutes' drive from Paramitta. The arrangements offered members the rare opportunity of viewing the Buddha's tooth relic in the Inner Sanctum of the relic's sanctuary.

The fourth day saw us bidding Paramitta farewell and we commenced our pilgrimage tour to various Buddhist holy sites.

Pilgrimage Tour@ Dambulla

Our first stop was in the city of Dambulla (four hours drive from Paramitta and 72 km north of Kandy). The Dambulla Cave Temple is a World Heritage site (1991) situated in the central part of Sri Lanka. Dambulla is the most impressive cave temple in Asia and consists of five caves under a vast overhanging rock, carved with a drip line to keep the interior dry. The complex dates back from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE and King Valagambhu is traditionally attributed to have converted it into a temple during the 1st century BCE. The first three caves are namely Cave of the Divine King (14-meter statue of the sleeping Buddha, with Ananda standing next to his feet and Vishnu next to his head); Cave of the Great Kings (the largest and houses 16 standing and 40 seated statues of the Buddha with the gods Saman and Vishnu; the Great Monastery (50 Buddha statues with adorned ceiling and wall paintings in the typical Kandy style) while the fourth and fifth caves are much smaller.

@ Aluvihara

Enroute to Dambulla we visited Aluvihara Temple aka Luminous Cave temple. It was at this very location that the Pali Tipitaka was documented on palm-leaves (ola leaves).Major Forbes in his work "Eleven Years in Ceylon" remarked, "…assembled the priest, who here compared the texts, which were then, or soon afterwards, committed to writing and form the Balaporta or Buddhist Bible. This took place about ninety-two years BC." A venerable graciously showed us the various places of interest and finally demonstrated how texts are imprinted onto the ola leaves themselves. It was impressive indeed.

We stayed in the Amaya Lake Hotel, an extremely comfortable place that suits western style and tastes, located just at the outskirt of Dambulla. We were all treated to a welcoming ceremony of lighting the oil lamps accompanied by beating of drums. The breakfast and dinner buffet spread was more than adequate.

Using Dambulla as a focal point, we proceeded to Anuraddhapura the following day.

@ Anuraddhapura

Anuraddhapura, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka that is famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lanka civilization and culture. The area is a vast complex of temples and dagabas (pagodas). An archaeologist accompanied us and provided well-informed running commentary of the various sites. We witnessed for ourselves the enormous stupa structures of Mahavihara, the Abhiyagiri and the Jetavanarama – that indicated Mahayanist and Tantric influences amidst Theravada environments. Anuraddhapura is known as the city of temples and religious artefacts.

@ Polonnaruwa

Our next visit was to the historic and ancient city of Polonnaruwa – the medieval capital of Sri Lanka. Here we were feasted with the heights of Sri Lankan history. It is said that the history of Sri Lanka was recorded by Buddhist monks – they had been chronicled in both the Mahavamsa (Great Chronicles) and the Culavamsa (the Lesser Chronicles). Polonnaruwa revealed the engineering and architectural geniuses of ancient Sri Lankans and visiting it was really educational and thought provoking.

Bidding Dambulla farewell we drove towards Trincomalee – a sea port located at the eastern end of Sri Lanka. Our main intention was to visit a temple purported to have been constructed in honour of Tapussa and Balikha – the two merchants from Orissa who became the first two lay followers of the Buddha by reciting the two-fold formula of seeking refugee in the Buddha and the Dhamma (the Sangha had not been formed yet). Unfortunately because of time constraint, we had to cancel the trip to Tirigiya where the temple is presently located. The 30 mile drive there and back to Trincomalee would have meant another half day. As such, we decided to depart for our extremely long journey back to Colombo.

@ Colombo

Our hotel in Colombo was the Cinnamon Lakeview, situated in the heart of the bustling city that truly provided us a 5-star facility. Sightseeing and shopping in their local shops saw many of us amazed at the number and varieties of sale items of commodities and cuisines. In the afternoon we paid a visit to the Buddhist store where many of us purchased books related to Buddhism. Prices are comparatively less expensive than Singapore. We then proceeded to Bellanwilla Temple whose incumbent chief abbot is the Ven. Dr. Wimala Dhammaratana, the brother of Bhante Dhammaratana of the Buddhist Library. After a short rest, the group, accompanied by Bhante, visited an orphanage where group members generously donated a large cache of "goodies", writing materials (books and pens) and clothing. The children staged simple but extremely emotionally moving renditions of Tamil and Sri Lankan songs. We were all touched by their genuineness and sincerity.

Returning to Bellanwilla temple, Bhante arranged for a special evening Bodhi Tree puja, involving seven of his Venerables. This programme was special because the Bodhi tree grown there is the sapling taken from the Bodhi plant in Anuraddhapura. Hence, that tree is the direct descendent of the original sapling brought by Bhikhuni Sangamitta (the daughter of Emperor Ashoka) to Sri Lanka. It was a wonderful experience and all members of the group participated in this emotionally enriching event. The day ended with many of us emotionally and psychologically satisfied.

Rising during the wee hours of the morning, the group then proceeded to the airport for our flight back to Singapore the next day.