In the footsteps of Lord Buddha; a day in the life of a Mehenin Wahanse
Business as usual, it is for the traders in the market in the heart of Kohuwela town each morning, except on Friday.
Eagerly awaiting the arrival of a special person, sometimes alone and at others accompanied by two or three more at around 7 a.m., sales are halted and chit-chat slows down to fill the bowl of the Mehenin Wahanse with fruit and provisions for her frugal livelihood and a little cash for medicines and utilities.
Having completed pindapatha (the alms round), Welimada Karuna Mehenin Wahanse wends her sedate way back to her aramaya off a by-road down Melder Place set amidst the hustle and bustle of Nugegoda junction.
Favourite spot: Under the pini-jambu tree with its carpet of bright magenta flowers. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
It is at her aramaya named ‘Haritha Guruwaraya’ (Green Teacher) that we meet her. In this humble and Spartan abode of wood, the ground floor is the ‘lunch room and kitchen’ with a few pots, pans, cups and plates stored neatly on a table; the first floor has Mehenin Wahanse’s table scattered with books, facing the serene Samadhi Buddha; and the second floor the basic sleeping quarters.
As the name signifies, the aramaya is set amidst a tangle of bushes, plants and large trees with a gentle breeze rustling through 40 perches of land boasting of a winding pond and a duck waddling here and there. The gates to the aramaya sport a spreading tree, while the inhabitants within have toiled to cultivate the land with – dambala, mae-karal, bandakka, thibbatu and manioc, for their sustenance when the rains hinder them from pindapatha and the devout are unable to come bearing daana (alms).
When her reading, meditation and chores for the day are done Mehenin Wahanse’s favourite spot is under the pini-jambu tree which has showered the ground with its bright magenta flowers.
For, this 64-year-old Mehenin Wahanse had been a rose-grower in her earlier life, along with her husband and son, in Keppetipola about 8kms from Welimada town. The rose growing had followed working as a voluntary teacher and later in an agency which was facilitating foreign jobs for local seekers.
Welimada Karuna Mehenin Wahanse: On pindapatha at the Kohuwela market
The whole family had decided to donate their land and vehicles to “nethi beri ayata” (have-nots) and follow selflessly in the footsteps of Lord Buddha four years ago, after hearing the Guru Hamuduruwo, Ven. Thiththagalle Anandasiri Himi’s sermons which were enlightening.
While she is part of the Yasodhara Sil Matha Aramaya in Galle, her husband and son are also in an aramaya close to it in Howpe Kande. (Yasodhara was the wife of Prince Siddhartha, who became Buddha, and mother of Rahula.)
The Mehenin Wahanse says that even before she donned the saffron robes, the dhamma was in her life. It was through the sermons that the realization dawned that every day, every minute and every moment “we are going towards death”. The past is over, the future is not known but the present is the time to “sihiyen jeevath wenna” (live mindfully), like Budu Rajano.
Her day starts at dawn, around 4, with Buddha wandanawa (devotions), pirith and bhavana (meditation)/Tripitaka study till 6 a.m. Around 6.30 she sets off on pindapatha in different directions each day. On her return, she has her breakfast, followed by tending the garden and at 11.30 a.m. she partakes of her lunch. Next household chores have to be attended to, with bhavana/Tripitaka study at 4 p.m. followed again by Buddha wandanawa, a daham-getalu discussion and by 9 p.m. to sleep. In the night, she has a cup of milk as she is a diabetic and has to take her medicines.
She does travel to Galle to listen to Ven. Anandasiri’s bana bhavana in person but otherwise makes do with YouTube.
When we spot the statues not only of Lord Buddha, but also of Christianity’s Jesus Christ and Hinduism’s Ganesh in the garden, she says that all of them were shasthruwaru (great teachers) with avabodhaya (understanding).
As we bid her goodbye, “Suwapath wewa” (May you heal), she says and walks us to the gate to close it after our departure, adding: “Den magey jeevithey barak nae, kala keerimak nae.” (Now I have no burdens nor worries).
Searching for an ideal partner? Find your soul mate on Hitad.lk, Sri Lanka's favourite marriage proposals page. With Hitad.lk matrimonial advertisements you have access to thousands of ads from potential suitors who are looking for someone just like you.