Twenty-five years of life in the jungle: Part 1

From the book by Ven. Thambugala Anandasiri Thero; Traces the forest journey of the Most Venerable Thambugala Anandasiri Thero, who in 1954 retired to the Kutumbigala Sacred Grove

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THE English translation of the book is by Kamala Rajapakse, printed and published by Dayawanse Jayakody and Company Printers. As Kamala Rajapakse notes in the book, dated 26.02. 2001, the Kudumbigala forest hermitage (Aranya Senasana) located in the remote thick jungles around eight miles west to the eastern coast of Sri Lanka where Panama is the closest town, records the pious journey of the Ven. Thambugala Anandasiri Thero. The book provides rare insights into life in the wilderness with man eating animals and shows the power of loving kindness as practiced by forest dwelling Buddhist monks.

The bear brawl

The book begins with Chapter 1 titled The Bear Brawl describing the beginning of forest life after Ven. Thambugala Anandasiri Thero reaches the forest rock cave Sudarshana. When the Most Ven. Thero first arrived here the rock cave floor had been full of fleas, including the cruellest fleas of all; known as the bloodsucker described as being as big as a seed of bitter gourd. This book chapter tells of the isolation of the forest with no human habitation for miles except for the contact with Upasaka Maithri, a forest dwelling spiritual lay seeker. Conversations with him would come up in the ensuing chapters and his own life.

Ven. Thambugala Anandasiri Thero narrates how on the 15th day of being in the forest, the rock cave Sumana-Kuta was found which was cleaned up so the Ven. Thero could use it for his dwelling and meditation. The bear brawl mentioned in the title of this chapter is explained as watched from this cave. The bear was sighted sitting on his haunches like a tame dog, looking at the monk who was reciting Pali stanzas in the praise of the Lord Buddha.

The giant bear however soon started busying himself with picking fallen weera nuts and then receding into the jungle.