When the doors were flung open this morning, the ship was enveloped in the musky smell of the ages. I've been here before, that is a very familiar aroma.
A dark malodorous fragrance that stole through the ship, filling her corners and companionways, her staterooms and her public spaces, our nostrils and our souls.
Welcome to Colombo. Ancient, mystical and alluringly.
A city of 20 million souls, 78% who speak Singhalese, 11% Tamil and 6% Muslim, the city and country in fact is 72% Buddhist and even the British who came and outstayed their welcome in 1815, were unable to shift the country's religion and so, as they say, if you can't fight it, join it.
Today, I am going to a temple called ‘Kelaniya’.
Ten kilometres northeast of the city, it is the most revered and historic Buddhist temple in the Orient with a history running back 2500 years. Highly venerated by the people of the city, Buddha himself visited Kelaniya numerous times during his lifetime.
I have a meditation and question and answer session with a monk. Some would say it was about time that I sought some sort of guidance.
I had been trying to get onto this small group tour for some time, but it was booked out and no matter how many drinks, morning coffee, cakes and bribes I had delivered to the travel office onboard over the past few weeks, the answer was always the same, “Sorry, completely booked.” But I thought it was worth a shot and I turned up at the bus in the morning just before its departure, and surprise — someone had slept in and not turned up.
It was meant to be and before you could say, “A Being who strives for Enlightenment,” I was firmly ensconced in the last seat on the bus.
Our monk started our session by discussing the philosophy of Buddhism (not helped by the two old people beside me crunching into their packets of crisps... really folks, you couldn’t wait till lunch?) and he discussed the concept of the present and that the ‘nano second’ that we are experiencing right now becomes our past and that the past must not hold us back.
I found the experience enlightening and the nano second of crunching bags of crisps was quickly forgotten.
He then led us in meditation and then a question and answer session before blessing us with long and happy lives and sending us back out into the temple grounds feeling lighter and, I have to admit, a little bit more composed.
Set amongst the grounds is a temple to the Lord Buddha with some of his actual bones sealed within the building. Flowers, gifts and venerations surround the building from the many worshippers who had come to see also the giant tree, which is known as the Bodhi tree, or Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi. At 2300 years old it is the oldest known tree in the world.
Buddha came to see the temple and sit below the tree three times during his lifetime.
Further within the grounds is the main temple for which we were given flower petals to present as an offering. Deep within the confines of the temple and amongst rooms of glorious decoration, was a grand reclining Buddha set behind a billowing veil.
This is not a ‘tourist’ temple, it is a living, breathing place of worship and I asked our guide how we tourists with our cameras, wide eyes and packets of crisps, were perceived by the worshippers. “Were we intrusive?”
"No,” he said, "as Buddhists, we are taught tolerance, you are tolerated and accepted with grace.”
This moment is the nano second, I thought to myself — do not be held back by your past because the present becomes the past and you will be trapped.
If I was to be trapped anywhere, I wish it to be here. (ROSS THORBY)
#ponsonbynews #iloveponsonby #loveponsonby #ponsonby #auckland #aucklandshippestrip #onlyponsonby #ponsonbyroad #Greylynn #freemansbay #westmere #ponsonby #hernebay #stmarysbay #archhill #coxsbay @followers #followers @everyone #everyone #waitematalocalboard @highlight
