Australian Monk Bhante Dhammika in Sri Lanka

Well-known Australian monk, Bhante S. Dhammika, will be in Colombo for several weeks.

- Hasala Perera

Bhante Dhammika

Hasala - Welcome to Sri Lanka again, Bhante.

Thank you. Last year I came briefly after being away for nearly 20 years. Now I'm delighted to be back again.

Hasala - When did you first come to Sri Lanka?

I first visited your county when I was 14-years old when my parents took me to the UK. Our ship stopped in Colombo for a day. I remember travelling from Fort to the Mount Lavinia Hotel and seeing all the coconut trees on each side of the road. I notice that there are none there now. Then I came in 1976 as a monk and I ended up staying for 20 years. I became a monk in India but it was in Sri Lanka that I learned Buddhism at a deeper level.

Hasala - Over the last decades you have become quite well-known for your writings. How and why did you start writing?

I was a rather poor student; bad at spelling and grammar, so it's always been a surprise to me that I have written so much and that people appreciate what I write. As I learned the Dhamma, I often noticed how many books made claims about Buddhism that were not true or which failed to mention aspects of the Dhamma which I thought were important. It was to rectify such a problem that first prompted me to start writing; then I just improved my grammar and spelling as I went along. I don't think I'm a good writer but I'm good at explaining the Dhamma in a simple and understandable manner.

Hasala - Of all your books, which is your favourite?