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Amarapura Sri Dharmarakshita Maha Nikaya
New Mahanayake Thera with wisdom and vision
By Kesarralal Gunasekera
Today, devotees of the Ratmalana Mallikarama Temple will gather at the BMICH - along with many others – to pay homage to our "Loku Hamuduruwo" who is being officially appointed as the Mahanayake Thera of the Amarapura Sri Dharmarakshita Maha Nikaya.

Whatever titles are being conferred on him, and many such have indeed been conferred on him, he has remained and will continue to remain our "Loku Hamuduruwo".

In spite of his advancing age he still visits homes of the Dayakas for an alms giving or for chanting Pirith. On every full moon day, he delivers the last sermon. Despite his elevation to the high office, he has chosen to remain at the Mallikarama Temple, in the simple room he has occupied for more than four decades. He still remains easily accessible to all of us. We still see him seated in the same chair he has been accustomed to occupy for the past so many years awaiting his devotees on a Poya Day.

The Ven. Weligama Gnanaratana Thera was born in 1913 as Karolis Silva. His parents were Katukurunda Wellalage Odiris de Silva and Koggala Wellalage Babunhamy. The young Karolis Silva was ordained as Ven. Weligama Gnanaratana on November 30, 1925 at the Ahangama Bimbarama Maha Viharaya as a pupil of the late Ven. Ahangama Siri Wimalasara Thera. He has been a Buddhist monk for more than 78 years. At the age of 90, he remains an "ardent, alert and mindful" monk treading the path of emancipation he has chosen to tread.

To us, his devotees at the Ratmalana Mallikarama Temple, he created a place of worship for us, similar to the sacred places of the past that had contributed to the building up of a righteous nation. If in our early history the temple played a significant role in the lives of the community, the Mallikarama Temple, does that for us in this age of globalisation. In Ven. Gnanaratna Thera and his disciples, we see a group of monks who while striving for their own emancipation, are rendering a service to the community and the country.

True to his character as a well-known scholar monk, the temple he has created is not simply a place of worship. Religious observances associated with significant Buddhist events such as Vesak and the Katina Pinkama are not confined to the particular days on which the main observances are undertaken. Both are associated with well-planned programmes aimed at the laity. The Vesak Full Moon Day is preceded by a series of sermons, on a particular theme, for about a fortnight. The Ven. Thero designs these every year. A similar series of well-prepared sermons, delivered by him and some of the most erudite monks in Sri Lanka, take place for the Katina Pinkama. To us, Mallikarama is truly a place for the learning and the observance of the Dhamma.

It is well in keeping with his humility that little publicity has been given to the many official positions he has held and continues to hold; the many works of the Sutta Pitaka he has translated; and the many books he has written for the lay persons giving a lucid exposition of the Suttas. Many a newly-married couple would have received from him, his book on how to lead a happy married life. If one is going abroad he presents one with his own translation of the Dhammapada, printed as a pocket book. He has a gift of the Dhamma for everyone who visits him.

May he live long and may the power and influence of his new position give him the strength to create in this country what he has created at the Ratmalana Mallikaramaya.

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