Of bull-eating Veddahs, curious bears and human mind that controls all

AUTHORED by Venerable Thambugala Anandasiri Thero in the Sinhala language, the English translation of the book 'Twenty Five Years of Life in the jungle' is by Kamala Rajapakse, printed and published by Dayawanse Jayakody and Company - Printers.

- BY SURYA VISHWA

The overall location we are in is the Kudumbigala forest hermitage (Aranya Senasana) located in the jungles around eight miles west to the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka where Panama is the closest town.We recommence from chapter 9 titled Grandpa Samithambi which is about a centenarian, and despite his name indicating otherwise, a Sinhalese, an exorcist and a physician, well known and feared in Panama and elsewhere for his skills which included the ability to use cosmic energy to end mortal lives. The story in this chapter resonates with the human spirit of evolving to its highest potential despite the murkiest of pasts and Grandpa Samithambi who had become a Buddhist monk had a past that could be compared with Angulimala who became a revered monk under the influence of the Buddha. This chapter deals with the astonishment of those who knew Grandpa Samithambi when they heard that he had become a Buddhist Monk and how they regale Ven. Thambugala Anandasiri Thero about his past deeds or rather misdeeds. One man in the outskirts of the jungle had quipped thus to the Venerable Thero: "Oh, Reverend Sir. For Quietening such a man as this, you would definitely attain a state no lesser than Buddhahood." When the Thero inquired whether he was such a cruel man, the reply had been that the murders done by him amount to the hairs on one's hand! How did he kill? Was it with clubs or guns? No. It was with the mystic and cosmic linked arts Grandpa Samithambi had learnt from his forefathers. The revelation of the Buddha that everything begins and end with the mind is explained best by the feared Grandpa Samithambi when the Venerable Thero had inquired how he had exactly 'mystically' killed people.