Monk hopes to expand celebration

A monk hopes to see other monks, members of their sects and non-Buddhists help celebrate Buddha's birthday.

By EILEEN SCHULTE

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 26, 2001

CLEARWATER -- Life was so much simpler for Bhante Dhammawansha when he lived in Sri Lanka. He became a monk at 13 and a teacher and counselor at 16. Members of the community, including doctors and lawyers, paid his and his fellow monks' living expenses.

After doing missionary work in Scandinavia and Australia, he came to the United States in 1996. Since then, things have been a bit more "challenging," he said.

"It's easier to be a monk in India," he said.

In this country, there is little sense of community for a Buddhist monk.

Dhammawansha would like to change that, to bring the Buddhist community together at least once a year, at Vesak time.

Vesak is the name of the celebration of Buddha's birthday. This year marks his 2,545th birthday, a celebration on the same level as Christmas in the Christian world.

So Dhammawansha has organized the second annual Vesak celebration at 5:30 p.m. today at Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater, and has invited monks from various local sects to participate.

Typically, sects have about 100 members each and celebrate Vesak among themselves.

But Dhammawansha wanted to bring all the monks -- Vietnamese, Thai, Laotian, Cambodian, Burmese and Tibetan -- and their followers together to celebrate this important day.

"We are all friends," Dhammawansha said.

Dhammawansha, the director of the Dhammawheel Meditation Center, lives in a one-bedroom, second-floor condo in Clearwater, where he teaches meditation.

There is no furniture in the living room, just pillows and a large shrine with a huge white fiberglass statue of Buddha (his name means enlightened one), where the monk holds meditation sessions.

The shades are drawn, and the feeling is intimate.

Dhammawansha is 42, but his face is open and unlined and looks at least 10 years younger. He wears red robes at all times.

Last year, the concept of getting together for Vesak was new, so only 87 people showed up, but having contacted his Buddhist friends, he expects many more to attend this year.

The event is not limited to monks and members of their sects. People of every faith are welcome to attend.

Unitarian Universalists want to make it multicultural, Dhammawansha said. "I was happy because we are brothers and sisters, and we have to work together as human beings."

No one will be pressured to convert to Buddhism.

"Buddhists say come and see, not come and believe," Dhammawansha said. "We're not going to grab people."

He said people are curious about Buddhism, and he tells them it's an innocent religion, non-violent, "never bloodshed."

"You can hear, you can listen, but think for yourself," Dhammawansha said. "If you have peace, happiness, security, then follow it. If not, give it up."

George Patides, an acupuncturist who studies with Dhammawansha, put it this way: "It's not magical or mystical. I get peace of mind."

The evening program will include Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese and Tibetan Buddhist chanting, singing and meditation. Bhante Upananda, a resident monk at Maithree Vihara Buddhist Meditation Center in Los Angeles, will attend.

They will honor Siddhartha Gautama, who was born about 400 B.C. near the Nepal-India border into a life of luxury and power, a prince who abandoned servants and other royal trappings at about age 29 in favor of a life of wandering, poverty and enlightenment.

What prompted him to leave his insolated life in his father's palace was a series of four visions: during the first he saw an old man, during the second, a sick man, during the third, a corpse and during the final one, a holy man. He realized then that he must seek religious enlightenment because it would free him from suffering.

He learned that by achieving a sense of nirvana (complete happiness and peace), people must turn their backs on all desires and worldly goods.

Siddhartha organized his followers into a community of monks, nuns and laity, creating one of the world's greatest religions. He died at about age 80, and his bones became sacred religious relics.

If you go

A Vesak celebration honoring Buddha's 2,545th birthday will begin at 5:30 p.m. today at Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater, 2470 Nursery Road. There will be chanting, singing, talks and blessings. You do not need to be a follower of Buddhism to attend. For information, call (727) 536-9241.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright