A month or so ago I found a website that contains talks on Buddhism by my first Buddhist teacher, Bhante Punnaji. We first met in 1992 when I took a class in Buddhism at The Catholic University of America. CUA requires all students to take courses in religion. I still find it ironic I entered CUA spiritually adrift, and left as a Buddhist. Probably not exactly what they had in mind. I digress. Back to the topic at hand.
Soon after we met Bhante Punnaji returned to Sri Lanka for his forest retreat; a time when Theravada monks live alone in deep contemplation. Although not in keeping with Dhamma, I found myself missing his thoughtful and gentle presence. Fortunately, the Sangha (monks) at the Washington DC Buddhist Vihara kept me on track, and gave me a place to seek refuge in the Sangha.
So, it was most gratifying to me to find evidence of Bhante Punnaji on the Internet, and I e-mailed him to express my best wishes and thanks. And soon after I tried to defuse the Hollywood Buddha debacle, Bhante Punnaji returned my e-mail. I love when kamma works quickly enough for my little brain to see it happening.
One of my first tasks when I moved to Portland was to try to find a Sri Lankan vihara with which to affiliate myself. While there are a host of Buddhist resources in Portland, I found no Theravada vihara. Well, Bhante Punnaji told me that recently three bhantes moved to Portland to start a vihara, and if I was interested, I could contact another student of his. I dialed the phone before Thunderbird could mark the message as read!
Today the gentleman to whom Bhante Punnaji referred, his partner and I went to see the monks. (Off topic, these two people are charming folks. My honor and privilege to meet them.) To see Sri Lankan bhantes, to perform puja (bringing and serving them food) and to pray and chant was bliss. Total, unabashed bliss. It was like a homecoming for mind, body and spirit. It is hard to describe the feeling to someone that is not spiritual (I hesitate to use the word “religious” with my practice). If you have never had a spiritual experience, I highly suggest that you consider that there is more to existence than what the five sense process, and start looking around with your heart. You may be missing a lot. Today I feel purged, renewed and strengthened. A feeling I wish I could share with everyone.
The bhantes have purchased a house in Hillsboro. Given their budget, it is far from palatial. We went to look at it along with some other lay Sri Lankans, and we all agreed to meet there on Saturday for a thorough cleaning of our new vihara. It’s tough to tell which will receive the better cleansing; the house or its cleaners.
Namo Sanghaya translates from Pali as “honor to the Sangha.” For those of you that know me well, it is a testament to the day’s experiences that English fails me.
Thank you, Bhante Punnaji. For everything.