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Jealousy, anger, hatred or taking revenge will bring bad karma not only to the person who harbours that ill will, but to others also.
Happiness is the greatest wealth. Without self-discipline, humility and well-considered thought, there cannot be happiness. For that happiness, good health must be the most valued asset. ‘Arogya Parama labha’ is what we should strive for. But health is a rare commodity these days. Progress, as we know it today, places enormous stress on us.

Stress sometimes makes us oblivious to our duties to our parents, our children and ourselves. The pressure and stress of life today cause us to neglect our parents and send them to homes for elders. We often neglect our physical and mental wellbeing, and do not give enough care to the younger generation. As a result, many children are disrespectful to their parents.

While in Australia, I saw how penguins would come ashore with their young each evening and then return to the sea. That instinctive closeness and togetherness is something we humans should emulate at a time when we seem to be distancing ourselves from one another.

I have been close to death on many occasions. I have been saved, sometimes by skill and knowledge of ancient curative procedures of native medicine, and at other times by the skill of our modern medical practitioners, including a Chinese doctor in Singapore.

When I was four years old, I was unconscious for many days after a snake bite, but recovered due to the care of a physician who adhered to the Sinhala proverb ‘Visen visa nasi’ — poison drives out poison. I remember being told at that time that snake venom improves one’s mental capabilities!

During the Vesak season, I would recommend that consuming meat be avoided. There is much concern today that formalin is injected into meat and fish to preserve them. It is said that we import large quantities of formalin. This is to sustain another strange custom. Bodies are embalmed and kept for many days, with funerals becoming social occasions and adding more mental and financial burdens on the families. Unfortunately this is largely a Sinhala Custom, while Muslims bury the dead within a day.
Speaking of native and herbal cures, cannabis is believed to have extraordinary powers as a remedy. Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne has mentioned its value on a number of occasions. Similarly Mahagony seed kernels are said to be a cure for diabetes. There have been occasions when we have been able to arrange discussions between doctors and those who are sick, as a prelude to deciding on a course of treatment.

I wished to make the Gangaramaya a place of healing for those afflicted by physical or mental ailments. This temple originated in a place and at a time, when and where people were killed and hung on trees and the area around the Beira Lake was the haunt of criminals.

With the help of donations from devotees and others, the Gangaramaya among its many activities, has introduced vocational training in the area, providing higher education for Buddhist monks and assistance for higher studies even for doctors and engineers. We print and distribute rare books. We also serve differently abled people.

We believe we have contributed to education from the kindergarten level. We have helped in agriculture also. In the health service, we obtained donations to help set up the heart surgery unit of the National Hospital. With donations from Finland, we helped to renovate the Emergency Service Units of the hospital. We are grateful for the generosity of the Moosajee family who helped in the construction of the Seemamalakaya on the Beira Lake and who donated a vehicle to be used to transport heart patients in rural areas for medical attention.

We also built a rest house for pilgrims to Kataragama and the Gangaramaya Navam Perahera is an important annual event in the Buddhist Calendar.

Today, the Gangaramaya is the centre of the Vesak Kalapaya, where people can gather in amity to participate in the religious observances and festivities. The Kalapaya has the patronage of Temple Trees and the Prime Minister’s Office. Visitors could spend time admiring the illumination, engage in religious observances at the temple, receive our blessings and visit the various shrines, including the Samadhi Statue made of white jade, and a replica of the famous Emerald Buddha Statue received from the Thai Royal Family. Caskets and antiques have been donated by the Moosajees, Wijewardene, Jayewardene, Pani Tennakoon, Bulankulama, Wanigatunga, Hema Wijeratne, Mudalige, Balasuriya, Dhammika Perera and U.K. Edmund families.

The main aim of our Vesak endeavours is to offer to our people the Buddha Rashmi Vesak Zone as an area for the peaceful celebration at this special time. It is not our intention to compete with the other celebrations. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the keyote speaker at this year’s Buddha Rashmi Vesak Kalapaya, has requested us to make this a celebration that would give blessing and good fortune to our people.

We expect many to visit us, irrespective of race, religion, caste or creed. We extend our gratitude to all those who have assisted us in maintaining the vicinity as an area of peace to organise our programmes and ‘Dansal’.
Write to us: Ven. Galboda Siri Gnanissara Thero, 61 Sri Jinarathana Road, Colombo 2.