Twenty five hundred years later,
it is still traditional for monks to wander and teach but there
is probably no other monk who has wandered as far as Bhante Yatirawana
Wimala, one of the most unusual Theravadha monks. Bhante Wimala
has been traveling full time for twelve years covering more than
100,000 miles by air and over 15,000 miles by car in the last
year alone. He teaches, lectures and organizes peace and healing
programs in many nations and on nearly every continent. In addition
to his travel and teaching schedule, he publishes a quarterly
newsletter, writes poetry and philosophical articles, distributes
a series of meditation cassettes, manages international pilgrimages
to sacred Buddhist sites and somehow finds time to visit hospitals,
help friends with their lives and keep on with his religious and
scholastic studies. And, instead of being exhausted by the pace
of his life, Bhante Wimala is known for his quick smile and easy
going manner. He never seems to be hurried, angry or depressed.
In fact, his close students say he is one of the most peaceful
people they have met and that somehow just meeting Bhante Wimala
is such a peaceful experience that they recall it to restore their
own inner peace at difficult moments of their lives.
I first met Bhante Wimala five years ago when
we shared a large house in Boston with nearly a dozen other
people. This was a cooperative community of mostly computer
professionals and Phd students of MIT. Bhante Wimala had been
a long term guest of the house for some time. Despite the enormous
cultural differences between a Sri Lankan monk and these assorted
American technophiles, Bhante Wimala made us feel relaxed and
peaceful for his presence. His advice was usually helpful regardless
of the situation, and he pitched in on the household chores
better than some of the people who weren't guests. Most of us
knew little about Buddhism before we met Bhante Wimala, but
we spent many nights talking about religion and philosophy over
cups of steaming tea, At least two of us are currently practicing
Buddhism today, and I personally learned much about meditation
from this charming philosopher.
Despite his many travels, sometimes for months
at a time, he was much a part of out household as any of us.
Eventually, I moved out of the house to begin my own full-time
travels but Bhante Wimala still seems a part of me. We somehow
manage to meet each other in various places across North America
several times a year to work together on writing projects or
to catch up on our friendship. Last summer we met in the Colorado
Rockies, the spring before we met in Washington, DC. This time,
we met in San Francisco to speak about the strange and wandering
life of this unusual monk.
AR: Tell me about your travels and what
you hope to accomplish with your wanderings.
BW: Unlike most monks who wander in their
homelands or live ascetically in monasteries, I spend my life
traveling over the world to teach and to heal and to bring peace
to the people of our planet. I have been traveling now for twelve
years and have forged friendships across the globe. I like to
think that there is a friend of mine who is just waking from
a good sleep at every hour of my day.
Many monks, who mostly limit themselves to their
local Buddhist temples and congregations, consider my international
work in the thoroughfares and living rooms of non-Buddhist lands
to be untraditional at best, and even extravagant or heretical.
still, the combined merits of exposing people to new and helpful
ideas while learning their traditions and beliefs has provided
an enormous benefit to everyone involved. My travels are spiritual
as well as physical and from the years and miles, I have seen
the world inside me and the world outside me grow more peaceful
and whole.
It is a peculiar life I have chose, by the judgment
of my Buddhist brothers and the judgment of the non-Buddhists
I have come to know. I am always a stranger in a strange land,
even when I visit my most trusted friends or return to my homeland.
Yet, for all the discomforts and unfamiliarities, this is a
life I deem necessary: for each time I cross a nation's borders
to share my thoughts with another group of strangers or to work
on a project to help those who unnecessarily suffer, I forge
a trail of peace and understanding and leave a path of open
minds and tolerance behind me for others to follow. It is said
that we live in and impossible world and so I have chosen to
do the impossible to live in it.
As I think about this life that I live, and
the string of circumstances that have led me to travel the world
as a holy man among secularists, I can't help but smile when
I remember that the name for my homeland , Sri Lanka, means
serendipity. Perhaps it all makes sense when you think of serendipity
as your starting point.
AR: Tell me about some of this serendipity.
Are their any stories that illustrate the magic of a world traveling
monk?
BW: There are many stories. I recently
returned from leading a meditation retreat for the staff at
the Findhorn spiritual community in Scotland. The night after
the retreat I felt energized and full, but also eager to be
alone. Findhorn is a lovely place with beautiful, well-tended
gardens but I wanted to walk to the ocean, to experience freer
side of Nature. But the beach was further than I thought and
it soon grew dark. I was half way to the beach and had started
to turn back when I met a young person who offered to walk with
me to the beach. Of course, we started to talk and soon I heard
about the painful friction present within the family. As we
spoke our hearts, tears spilled out over the feeling of lost
familiar love. We had a truly intense exchange of thoughts and
feelings by the crashing sea, much was shared and we walked
home in high spirits carrying new hope.
It is an interesting thing that during our time
together, my heart was so clear, healing and soothing, offering
comfort. Only afterwards did I realize what an amazing story
we were. Two strangers, born on opposite sides of a planet,
as different as two people can be, meet on a walk to the beach
and wind up speaking their most profound thoughts to each other
in a healing, caring, very intense conversation. Then, like
a thunderstorm, the moment is over, and the two strangers part
again, perhaps forever, having been dynamically changed by the
interaction.
There is a special poetry to life that comes
from allowing one's self to participate completely in whatever
adventure comes down the road. And I wonder how often brilliant
magic moments are lost to fear or ignorance. I hope that I always
have the wisdom to let my fear go and complete my walks in the
dark to beaches unknown looking for the good friend I haven't
met.
AR: Are all of your interactions so positive?
BW: Well, not every story is so splendid,
but they are mostly positive. Recently while waiting for a flight
in Texas, I noticed an older man staring at me through squinted
eyes. With my dark skin, shaved head and orange robes, I must
have seemed a bit conspicuous in an airport filled with business
suits. I smiled and nodded at him and, after a few minutes he
came over to me and said in a very loud voice, "You look
really strange." I smiled at him again, not quite knowing
what to say, Finally, I said, "Yes, I know" - "Well,
" he snorted, somehow satisfied with himself, "Why
don't you change?"
I smiled yet again and told him that I look
like I do because I am a Buddhist monk, a representative of
one of the world's major religious, and that many people accept
my appearance as that of a clergyman. He seemed pleased with
this explanation and we spoke for a few minutes, shook hands
and parted. It didn't occur to me for some time afterwards that
I never asked him why he wore such a big cowboy hat indoors
or why he had such a funny little string tie or why he needed
to wear steel-toed boots made from the skin of rattlesnakes
or why he spoke so loud through a mouthful of tobacco. I don't
know that he would have given me as adequate and explanation
for his appearance as I did for mine, But I smile yet again
and accept him.
I have noticed similar feelings when I speak
at elementary schools. The children are at first frightened
of my unfamiliar appearance. I can sense their nervousness as
the teacher turns the classroom over to me. I can feel their
small fears as they first hear my accent. But always it is the
same-after half an hour the children are lined up to talk with
me and touch me. They want to be friends.
Very often the teachers ask me before the class
what it is I want to teach. And always I tell them that I want
children to know that there are people like me- many people-who
have different color hair, different color skin, different clothing,
different beliefs, and a different religious philosophy. I want
them to see beyond my outward appearance and to see the teacher
and the friend I want to be for them.
As I travel around the worlds teaching and counseling,
it rarely occurs to me that one of my greatest services to the
planet and the people I meet is not only in my words but in
the fact that I am there to say them. By simply traveling I
am helping people to become less attached to appearance and
more aware of their own prejudices. I also understand more how
important it is that we smile at one another.
AR: These interactions sound so magical,
but I imagine that constantly breaching cultural prejudice might
become tiresome after a while.
BW: It ‘s true that there is a lot
of cultural prejudice in the world, but overcoming these prejudices
is a very satisfying process for me. Throughout history, there
have been rare individuals who have managed to reach very strong
and heartfelt cultural barriers through their clarity of vision
and the sincerity of their hearts. These rare, enlightened people
are my inspiration as I travel. I always imagine that through
their placid wisdom, they could see beyond cultural boundaries,
above the ignorance and fear that create dogmas of aggression
and isolation, and focus on the core issues of any situation,
with careful words, a gentle smile and a heartfelt gesture,
such persons are above judgment, beyond language, and perpetually
welcome. When such a person makes the kind of cultural error
that would be unforgivable for natives or other visitors-as
I sometimes do- most people just laugh softly to themselves,
blaming the rigidity of their own expectation, and consider
the traveler with even greater warmth. These are universal people
and their home is with everyone.
When I meet people, I am not meeting their religious,
racial or ethnic labels-often I won’t even know what they
are or what they mean. Instead, I am meeting a spiritual being
with consciousness, heart, intention, and important information
to share concerning universal concepts of living. When I travel
I see no Buddhist, Christians, Jews, or Jains or spiritualists;
no Germans, Saudis, English, Thais or Israelis. I see no colors,
genders or ages. I see eager, caring, conscious people who are
both struggling and playing with the same issues as I am. There
can be no place, in such a world view, for breaches of etiquette
or misplaced words. There are only smiles, nods, questions and
laughter.
Of course, it is not without effort that I continue
to travel among so many different people, and not every interaction
is as enlightened as I would hope. In Germany, I met a fine
family of Christians who pitied me since I must be lonely without
God because I do not believe in Jesus Christ. In America, I
know people who feel that since I am not married and have no
wife or children I must be devoid of live. I even meet Buddhists
who are not used to such a traveling monk and criticize my ways.
These people are sometimes quite aggressive in the presentation
of their views. And although I can occasionally feel uncomfortable,
I am also interested in these views--I am far from having learned
all that other people can teach me. I also return their energy
with respectful attention. I listen to them , ask questions,
offer exchange and quietly go about my own way. It is surprising
to me how a second visit to these people often shows that they
remember my respectful attention to them and not strength of
their disapproval of me.
AR: What is the stated goal of your travel?
Is it a missionary sort of work, to create new Buddhists in
the world?
BW: Not at all. Most of the time I travel
on invitations. My invitations come from universities, collages,
churches, or from certain individuals either to work on a project
to help needy or to give lectures, presentations or meditation
retreats. In fact, I often begin my presentations by reminding
people that we all come from different backgrounds with many
wonderful, varied belief systems. Each of us is equipped with
the truths of our people and the truths of own making. I have
only come to share my truths and learn from others. Now, while
it is certain that many of my truths derive from Buddhism and
the Sri Lankan culture, it does not necessarily mean the Sri
Lankan Buddhist culture is the one and only true and right way.
There are many different paths that have value,
truth and beauty. It is my stated goal to share the values,
truth and beauty of my path and learn something of value, truth
and beauty from other peoples. Beyond certain practices, like
yoga, meditation and creative acts, there is little that I can
offer in the way of absolute truth. Eventually we all need to
meet on the peak of universal truth where we all will be in
prefect harmony. Until then, I encourage tolerance for all peoples
and a spiritual path that does not concern itself so much with
assessing the truth of other peoples, but one which stresses
daily spiritual practice that will lead one to discover their
own best truths which is universal.
AR: This must create quite a shock in
the Western countries whose religious claim that the only truth
comes from one source and that personal investigation beyond
this source is a crime.
BW: there is something to this, some
Western are shocked at the possibility that they can achieve
spiritual greatness without death. but then again, a good half
of my lectures in the West are sponsored by the same churches
that once executed people who believed in truths that were different
than their holy books. These same institutions are the people
who most often ask me to come and visit. And I find my work
with them to be especially rewarding.
We live in times of great change. The only thing
we can be sure of at this time is that we can't be sure of anything.
This means great danger, as in the threat of terribly destructive
wars and environmentally damaging business practices. but this
also means great opportunities, such as can be found by a traveling
holy man. I see that there is an emerging sense of spiritual
desire all over the world. The planet seems filled with people
who are looking at their most basic beliefs through new eyes.
Part of this new spiritual interest is due to the intellectual
exchange caused by travelers like myself, but most of this urgency
arises because so much of the underpinnings for every society
have changed quite drastically in the last dozen decades. Few
of the ancient understandings will ever again be seen in the
same perspective and people are desperate to come to higher
understandings. Many people in western nations have turned to,
for them, the non-traditional path of Buddhism, for example,
although Buddhism practiced by most of these Westerners would
surprise the average Sri Lankan.
There is something very wholesome about the
emergence of these new spiritual hybrids. so much value comes
from the act of searching for better ways. Didn't Gothama find
enlightenment after trying many different paths? Weren't his
first disciples heretics in the eyes of older, more established
traditions? Today I know people who combine elements of ancient
European nature religions along with later American Indian traditions
and swirl this together with quotations from the Tao Te Ching,
martial arts exercises and Buddhist chanting. Perhaps it is
more than our privilege to have so many traditions at our disposal,
perhaps it is our responsibility to learn the many possible
paths to enlightenment. Although it could be confusing at time,
hopefully, eventually we will free ourselves from all beliefs
and religious concepts and open our hearts to know our own inner
truth. This is a grave difference between Buddhism and Western
religions: we are required to emulate the Gothama's quest for
truth and enlightenment, not sit idly by while others achieve
enlightenment for us.
Finally there is no way that I can create more
Buddhists in the world--although I certainly teach Buddhism
and I know many people who have become attracted to Buddhism
because of knowing me. first of all, being a Buddhist is a personal
choice for an individual, not a club one can join by paying
the entry fee. Secondly, the Buddhism I know is a mix of scripture
and culture which evolved on a small island near India. How
can someone from Sweden or Russia or Israel learn to be a Singhalese
Bhante like me? This is not an easy task. And the people from
other lands who call themselves Buddhist are very, very different
from what my teachers in Sri Lanka might expect. sometimes this
difference is small and may seem amusing to me, but I have been
shocked at times by what some Westerners consider Buddhism to
be, Even so, this must be the way since we are literally a half
a world apart. The best we can do is learn from each other and
find beauty and meaning in the harmony of our similarities and
differences.
AR: How is it that you manage to travel
full time. I think you are a mendicant and have no possessions.
BW: Actually, one time I was a real mendicant.
Things has changed a great deal since. Buddhist tradition allows
me a few possessions and teaches that I should accept what comes
to me. In my work, for example, I own some books and I recently
was given a computer which should help me to type stories for
the newsletter--a task that burdens others just now. You see,
I too live my life as a hybrid of my times, and I value the
experience of learning new ways. Adam, how many times have you
encouraged me to learn new computer programs telling me "When
ever you’re in the middle of a tsunami, it pays to know
how to surf."
My travel expenses are paid by the various institutions
and individuals who invite me to come and lead workshops or
meditations or to bless their homes or businesses. Mostly I
speak at churches and for small or large groups of religious
adventurers. I also work quite a bit with small children in
schools. I have lectured at universities throughout the world
and often speak at meetings of clergy or business leaders. A
fair bit of time is spent at holistic health centers like Findhorn
and the Omega Institute, where I counsel the staff and lead
workshops in meditation and yoga. I usually stay in the homes
of friends when I travel, although I have been made welcome
at various monasteries across the world. Usually my needs are
small and I find very often that my friends derive great pleasure
in hosting me and introducing me to still more friends.
As full as my schedule gets, though, it is always
possible to find the time I need for meditation and reflection,
to write, to practice yoga, to read, to study, and again to
meditate. I plan carefully to avoid the stresses that hurt other
travelers because I know that my greatest value to my friends
and students lies in my own peace, health and soundness of mind.
AR: How often do you get a chance to
return to Sri Lanka and what do you find when you go there?
BW: Actually, I am just returning to
Sri Lanka next month to remember my father on the anniversary
of his death and to lead a pilgrimage of my students from America
and Europe to various holy places in Sri Lanka and Thailand,
Later in Thailand I will participate in a leadership conference
with more of my students from Sweden and Russia.
There is always a blend of pleasure and pain
for me when I return to Sri Lanka and Kandy, in particular.
There is so much that is familiar to me--the sights, the smells,
the sounds, the faces of my friends and family, and a way of
life that is at once ancient and modern, practical and spiritual.
I am so very lucky to have been born and raised on this island.
And then, there is such pain for me to see the changes that
have come over time. I have lost both my parents in the last
few years and my village of Yatirawana continues to change so
quickly. and when I am only beginning to understated the changes
at home, I must again recognize the many changes in me. Sri
Lanka and I feel like fond strangers some times, always searching
to understand each other.
Eventually, I will hear an old chant or catch
sight of an old teacher and suddenly, I will remember why I
have come home. I come home to reconnect with the land and the
ideals of my childhood, to renew my respect for tradition, to
refound my love for our life here and to bind myself again to
my roots and beginnings. For a man who is never sure where he
will go next, it is so important to understand where I started
from.
Adam Rostoker
is a well known writer, musician and lecturer on issues
ranging from computer science and technology to philosophy and
economics. He travels full time in a specially equipped motor
home and is involved in the international peace movement.
* This interview was done in Feb/ 1996
