Features
For Devoted And Selfless Services To Vidyalankara Pirivena And The Nation
Felicitating Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Kusaladhamma Nayaka Thero on His 84th Birthday
by Lakshman Wickramasinghe,
Vice President of Vidyalankara Sabhawa
(Council)
December 26, 2004, cannot be easily erased from the memory of Sri Lankan people. It was the day when the Tsunami struck. The country was in mourning. The Government of Sri Lanka moved rapidly to provide assistance. The United Nations began to offer emergency aid.
Almost as quickly, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Kusala Dhamma Nayaka Thero, the Director and the Chief Monk of the Vidyalankara Pirivena called a meeting of teacher monks of the Pirivena, the lay devotees and the ‘Vidyalankara Sabhawa,’ the management support group of the Pirivena, established by Statute.
At the meeting the chief monk displaying a somber countenance explained that the Community Development Society of the Vidyalankara Pirivena should rapidly organize a programme to help the displaced and the affected families. The large congregation under the guidance of the Nayaka Thero exchanged ideas on types of assistance to be provided, logistics, coordination mechanisms, etc. When the topic of geographic areas that would be served by the Vidyalankara Pirivena was taken up for discussion, some in the congregation including the writer, perhaps moved by the traumatic television images of the havoc caused by the Tsunami around the Galle bus stand, proposed that we go South. Ven. Welamitiyawe Kusaladhamma Nayaka Thero’s response was prompt, firm and final. His interjection went along these lines- ‘Why only the South? Why not go to the East too, where we can help all communities and people of all religions. They too are affected ’.
Some days later Vidyalankara Pirivena Tsunami assistance reached identified areas both in the South and the East as promised by our Nayaka Thero. I was reminded of Lord Buddha’s words in the Karaniya Metta Sutta- ‘Sabbe Satta Bhavantu Sukhitatta’- May all Beings Be Happy. How true to those words were the Venerable Thero’s action.
The most venerable thero was also in the forefront of protecting rights of Sinhala Buddhists when these came under threat from time to time. As done by the monks of yore, our nayaka hamuduruwo supported the protection of territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and blessed State leaders who acted against such attempts. He also blessed village lads who enlisted in the armed forces to protect the country against such break-up. He not only advocated for the protection of Buddhist temples in the north and east when they came under threat but also provided material assistance to these temples as feasible. In summary, the Most Venerable nayaaka thero acted as a ‘Mura Devatawa’ ( closest being ‘guardian angel’ in English) of the Nation (along with other illustrious Buddhist monks ) during those dark days of trauma, public fear and destruction.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a message to ‘Saddha’- the Academic Felicitation Volume published to commemorate the thero’s services to mark his 73rd birthday, refers to the role that the Buddhist clergy performed in strengthening Sri Lanka’s President’s hands for the achievement of the historical duty that was cast upon him by the country and its constitution. Following is an English translation-‘While I acknowlege that my success therein was to a large extent due to the blessings I received from the Magha Sangha, I should also state that a substantial portion of that blessing also came from Ven. Welamitiyawe Kusaladhamma Thero’. It should be mentioned that Kusaladhamma Nayaka Thero earned the respect of all recent Heads of State.
I now wish to back-track 70 years into history to recount how Kusaladhamma Nayaka Thero had the samsaric predisposition and fortune to become a monk and to serve the Vidyalankara Pirivena. He hailed from a respected family in Welamitiyawa in the distirict of Kurunegala and was named Palihawadana Aratchchilage Tikiri Banda. He was the fourth in a family of seven. His father was Palihawadana Arachchilage John Singho and mother Ratnayaka Mudiyanselage Gunamal Ethana.The much venerated Nayaka Thero that we know today, had set foot at Vidyalankara Pirivena in 1950, as a mere 13-year-old. The boy had been identified as a suitable candidate for monkhood by the Most Venerable Yakkaduwe Sri Pragnnarama Nayka Thero, the scholar monk (who was later destined to become the fifth head of Vidyalankara Pirivena).
Tikiri Banda had spent four years in lay training in preparation to become a Buddhist monk at the Pirivena. In 1954, he was admitted as a ‘samanera’ (trainee monk) under the tutelage of the then Head of Vidyalankara Pirivena, the Most Venerable Kiriwaththuduwe Sri Pragnnasara Nayaka Thero. In May 1959 Kusaladhamma samanera received ‘Upasampada’ -higher ordination at the historic Malwatta Temple in Kandy.
The Nayaka Thero, the seventh head of the Vidyalankara Pirivena, has devoted his whole ilife in robes in one way or another to the upliftment of the Vidyalankara Pirivena, the Buddha Sasana, and the nation as a whole.
The thero’s loyalty to the cause of Vidyalankara Pirivena was well exhibited in the ‘Patisothagami’ model of decision making he used as a young monk( i.e. taking decisions that go against popular trends, which approach was also advocated by the Buddha). This can also be expressed as – ‘swimming against the tide’. In the mid-sixties he passed the BA degree with a class from the Kelaniya University. He was offered a lecturership at his university. The young thero declined the offer. Later, he was offered a scholarship to pursue higher studies overseas. He declined that offer too.
His inner feeling, it seems, was to serve Vidyalankara Pirivena directly. The Thero, was given a third option. That was to administer and develop the lesser-known Vidyalankara (Branch) Pirivena at Pannipitiya. The challenge was accepted. As the young monk rose through the ranks to become the Head of the Pannipitiya Vidyalankara Pirivena, it’s fame as a high quality educational institution, had also risen simultaneously.
In 1983 Kusaladhamma Thero was appointed as the Director of the main Vidyalankara Pirivena at Peliyagoda, Kelaniya and in 1989 it’s Principal. For the Thero, a life’s phase of total dedication to the Vidyalankara cause and tradition had begun.
While the he worked diligently to enhance the quality of training of future monks through the Pirivena, he also strived tirelessly to spread the dhamma and support religious activities of big and small temples in many parts of the Island. In this respect the Thero would have been guided by the famous words of Lord Buddha – ‘ Charatha Bhikkhawe Charikam, Bahu Jana Hithaya Bahu Jana Sukhaya’ – ‘Travel forth O monks for the welfare and happiness of the public.’
Ven. Kusaladhamma Thero travelled the length and breadth of the country to cater to the needs of brother monks, and dissemination of Dhamma among lay persons. The Thero attended both national level religious ceremonies as well as little pinkamas organized by villagers. His sermons were looked forward to by many Buddhists, both urban and rural. He accepted invitations from Heads of State, and Ministers as well as of ordinary folks. He went to prominent temples as well as to little known temples. Our Nayaka Thero’s active participation and wise counsel at meetings and pinkamas and thought–provoking sermons on how a person can become a better Buddhist and a human being, also helped to elevate the profile of the Vidyalankara Pirivena. He has also been invited to many overseas conferences, international Buddhist institutions and temples. Consciously and as a personal code of conduct, he has continued to hold high the noble traditions and wholesome practices of the Founder Heads of the Vidyalankara Pirivena and his teachers.
Our Nayaka Thero also started few innovative activities which now over time had begun to be considered as Vidyalankara traditions. One such is the holding of ‘Vidyalankara Day’ through which the founders, principals, teachers, scholar-monks attached to the Vidyalankara Pirivena and the lay leaders who had played key roles in setting up and developing the Pirivena would be remembered and merit offered. This has now become a key religious event in the Gampaha district.
Another group of activities he has enhanced and widened is providing assistance to the disadvantaged and the handicapped members of society. The main activity in this area is the distribution of artificial limbs to handicapped persons. This has become an important part of the agenda of the Vidyalankara Day. Helping students from low income families living in remote districts and assisting old person’s homes in and around Kelaniya are also part of the programme.
His dedicated and selfless services offered to Vidyalankara Pirivena according to the Dhamma and Vinaya (Doctrine and Disciplinary rules)set forth by the Buddha, should be a shining example for the young aspiring monks attached to Vidyalankara Pirivena as they look towards the future.
On his 84th birthday the entire Vidyalankara Community wish to offer blessings to our most respected Nayaka Thero thus :
” Sabbitiyo Vivajjantu- Sabba Rogo Vinassatu
Ma’te Bhavath Antarayo- Sukhi Dighayuko Bhava
May You Be Free From Distress-May All Sickness Be Healed
May There Be No Dangers-May You Be Happy; May You Live Long