Sunday Times 2
Dr. Gamini Jayasinghe, a key figure in the dissemination of Buddhism across the US
View(s):By Aggamahapanditha Dr. Walpola Piyananda Thera
In the latter part of 1978, I managed to convince Ven. Pannila Ananda Thera to visit Los Angeles. This visit marked the establishment of the Los Angeles Buddhist temple on Beachwood Blvd., Hollywood, under the patronage of the Sri Lankan-American board of lay trustees (dhayaka sabha). However, the trustees preferred the management to be solely under their care in the same way that it was carried out at Lankarama Temple in Singapore.
The sangha were relegated to religious figureheads who guided them and made sure they wouldn’t stray from the path to nirvana.
The temple management dictated certain rules to be followed: women were prohibited from entering the temple premises after 6 p.m., non-Buddhists were prohibited from entering the temple, and the monks residing in the temple were prohibited from attending the trustee board meetings. The presiding chief monk had no authority to invite guest bhikkus to stay at the temple without permission from the board of lay trustees.
Dr. Gamini Jayasinghe with Ven. Aggamahapanditha Dr. Walpola Piyananda Thera
Disheartened by the whole situation, I told them that I was not their servant and that if I only wanted to serve Sri Lankans, I’d have remained in Sri Lanka without coming to the USA. This was taken out of context and viewed as a rebellion against them.
It was during this time that Dr. Gamini Jayasinghe and Mr. Victor Austin visited the temple. Dr. Jayasinghe was saddened to see the situation we were in and encouraged me and Ven. Pannila Ananda Thera to have faith in him, telling us that he would ensure our safety while we worked towards a brighter future for the temple.
In October 1979, I returned to Sri Lanka to accompany my parents on a pilgrimage to India. Meanwhile, Ven. Dr. Havanpola Rathanasara Thera, who was vacationing at the Washington temple, was invited to visit our Los Angeles temple.
While I was in Sri Lanka, I received a telegram from the secretary of the Sri Lanka Buddhist Society bearing an official message. It said that I should not return to Los Angeles as they had stripped me of my status as the abbot of the Los Angeles temple, and I was no longer welcome. Made aware of this, Dr. Jayasinghe contacted one of his relatives in Colombo and sent him to meet me. He asked me to ignore the telegram and return to Los Angeles.
I returned to the temple at Beachwood Blvd., Los Angeles, and this board of lay trustees, whom I trusted, wasted no time in handing me a restraining order with seven days to vacate the temple premises. An unpleasant incident followed, and it was Ven. Pannila Ananda Thera who came to my aid.
Dr. Jayasinghe and his colleagues urged us to leave the temple. They assured us that they’d bear the costs of our move. We left the temple the next day and stayed at a Vietnamese temple. Later, Dr. Jayasinge invited us to Dr. Nalin Nanayakkara’s residence, where they held a meeting with other members of the Sri Lankan community in Los Angeles, including Dr. S.K.P. Gunawardhane, Dr. Roland Dharmasuriya, Dr. Kauma De Silva, Dr. Hemasiri De Silva, Dr. Stanley Wijesuriya, Dr. Jay Ranjan, and Mr. Sidney Atigala.
After the meeting, they let us know that whether we decided to remain and continue our higher education or build a new temple, they would support us financially. Both I and Ven. Pannila Ananda Thera decided to go with the latter choice.
Dr. Jayasinghe utilised a by-law that allowed us to register Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara as a place of religious establishment in California under the federal government. A clause was included that the President of the Board must always be the temple’s chief abbot, and the secretary’s position must go to a resident monk. This opened a new chapter for the spreading of Buddhism in the US, enabling the establishment of hundreds of other Buddhist temples. The turbulent management issues at Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, and Bengali temples, which were under the power of their boards of lay trustees, were finally resolved after adopting similar constitutions.
The early days after the establishment of the Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara were wrought with many troubles. Serious accusations against the secretary monk were instigated by some lay trustee members.
We planned to establish the Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara on Crenshaw Blvd. and wanted to buy property for that purpose. The three people who originally pledged to provide financial aid for the endeavour were convinced to back out of the deal, but again, Dr. Jayasinghe and his brother, Dr. Asoka Jayasinghe, financially rescued the Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Viharaya.
Forty years later, the temple provides support to its community. Among many great Buddhist bhikkhus who dedicated themselves through the temple were, Most Ven. Balangoda Ananda Meithree Mahanayaka Maha Thera, Ven. Prof. Havanpola Rathanasarana Nayaka Thera, Ven. Dr. Bangalore Buddharakkitha Thera, Most Ven. Lenagala Sumedananda Mahanayaka Maha Thera, Most Ven. Dr. Mādanwala Punnaji Thera, Ven. Pallawela Rahula Thera, Ven. Maitipe Wimalasara Thera, Ven. Muruthamure Pannaloka Thera, Ven. Gajanayakagama Kassapa Thera, and Ven. Prof. Gonadeniye Pangnarathana Thera.
Many of these bhikkus who trained under our tutelage went on to establish Buddhist temples of their own within different states of the US.
In addition, monks such as Ven. Bambarawane Kalyanawansa Thera, Ven. Kalabululande Dhammajothi Thera, Ven. Wanduradeniye Somissara Thera, and Ven. Higgoda Sumangala Thera do an excellent job of serving their community. Dharma Vijaya Temple, as well as other temples established under our patronage, can attest to arming thousands of youths with the invaluable knowledge of dhamma through our dhamma schools’ education system. The meditation classes contributed to the spiritual and mental advancement of many.
Currently, there are over forty-five Bhikkhunis who received higher ordination from our Buddhist temple. Our temple also honoured its roots in Sri Lanka by providing support during the Tsunami disaster in 2004 by gathering the support of Hollywood actors and actresses to build 50 houses in the Galle district. Starting in 1988, each year, financial aid in the form of scholarships is provided to 25 medical students. All these commendable services to society were only possible thanks to the pioneer board of patrons of the Dharma Vijaya Buddhist temple, including Dr. Gamini Jayasinghe, who protected and stood by me and Ven. Pannila Ananda Thera that day in 1979. I sincerely hope that seeing the meritorious outcome of their decision to stand by us that day will fill their hearts with much peaceful enjoyment.
(The writer is the Abbot and
President of the Dharma Vijaya
Buddhist Vihara in Los Angeles and the Chief Sangha-Nayaka of America.)