Gangaramaya 2019

Highly embellished,
in the heart of the capital,
crammed within its walls,
Gangaramaya Temple is infested with exhibits –
chandeliers, Buddha statues, sculptures, coins, carvings, collectibles…
High-end, ostentatious Buddhist culture
from around the world.
It looks grand, yet cosy
Different, yet beautiful.
A patch of cosy green
amidst the concrete rubble in the smoggy city.

The Bodhi soaked,
looked like a water plant.
A child, quite small, eyeing at the huge roots asks,
“Mommy, is it a washed-up whale from the ocean?
Why do people throw water at it? Is it to keep it breathing?”
The mother hushes the squeaky child.
Some throw, some sprinkle, some others pour water
over the tree right above their heads;
they bathe the Bodhi and pay homage.

“Of course, you have to pour a pot of water”, says another mom.
No-one gets away without treating the Bodhi with a pot of water.
I wonder if the Bodhi is cold, shivering, and screaming for a blanket.
Yet, it endures the unquestioned devotion of devotees.
The water washes away the carbon smoke from the roots and trunk.

Calm, gentle, serious or expressionless people
meditate before the Bodhi.
They cannot pause or stop,
for they have to cross the samsara.
9pm, when it is pitch-dark, Gangaramaya is still bright, adorned with fancy bulbs.
Banda, the helper or abittiya
will now roll the artificial grass carpets,
sweep underneath the carpets,
clean himself up, and go to bed.
Banda walks around in crutches
but the ones who meditate are so devout that
Banda’s four feet do not distract them.

Banda leans on his left crutch,
points out his right crutch and meddles with the carpet’s edge.
As one edge sticks out, he rolls the lawn carpet with his crutch.
He does not complain, for everyone is busy – they should cross samsara.
I walk up to Banda and help him roll the lawn carpets.
Banda sits on a step and stretches his arms and legs.
I rolled 15, and Banda 8
Until everyone else crossed the ocean of samsara.

……………..
Glossary and notes

Bodhi – Bodhi tree/Bo tree, the sacred tree of Buddhists
abittiya – attendant in a temple, usually male
Samsara – the cycle of birth, death and rebirth

• Crossing samsara is the ultimate goal of Buddhists. It means putting an end to the cycle of birth, death and rebirth by renouncing the world.
• Banda is a common Sinhala name. It’s a hackneyed term used by mainstream media to refer to abittiya.