Photos

This page contains photos from Bhante Joe’s Instagram page. To go directly to his Instagram page… click here.

bhantejoeatulo

Fixing a new sign for the Canada Kuti. This was dr

Fixing a new sign for the Canada Kuti. This was drawn by a fellow Canadian monk living at the monastery. Well done (!)

After staying one night in Ahangama, headed down t

After staying one night in Ahangama, headed down to Colombo and stayed at Vajiraramaya for one night. Many renowned bhikkhus stayed at this monastery including Ven. Nyanawimala, Ven. Nyanadipa, Ven. Narada, etc.

With my Pali teacher, Bhante Ratanasiri. Headed ou

With my Pali teacher, Bhante Ratanasiri. Headed out from the Padanagala Kuti to pay respects to him in Ahangama. Bhante kindly taught me Pali almost every week for perhaps 1 1/2 years. A blessing to see him.

He recently constructed a new monks' residence, which is among the most beautiful that have ever seen. Wonderful to see the fruits of his labour.

The Padanagala Kuti. This kuti is located below th

The Padanagala Kuti. This kuti is located below the Gotabya Raja Maha Vihara. It is a mid kuti with no electricity. Monks are welcome to come here to meditate. One goes pindapata to the village outside the Temple. A wonderful opportunity.

What appears to be ancient Buddha images near the

What appears to be ancient Buddha images near the kuti.

An ancient sima or monastic boundary at the Temple

An ancient sima or monastic boundary at the Temple. This may be as much as 1500 years old. It is about 9 x 6 meters. Inspiring to think of all the acts of the Sangha that would have been carried out there.

At the Padalangala Kuti with kappiya karus. The Te

At the Padalangala Kuti with kappiya karus. The Temple above the kuti has three men living there full-time and many visitors. If one asks, one may hear inspiring stories of how the Temple has served as a place of refuge.

Homage and respect to Ven. Nyanaramita. Ven. Nyana

Homage and respect to Ven. Nyanaramita. Ven. Nyanaramita was one of the most senior Western monks living in Sri Lanka. He passed away on January 1st at Belihuloya monastery. He was a contemporary of Nyanawimala Bhante and Nyanadipa Bhante. Ajahn Nissarano written an article with recollections of Ven. Nyanaramita here...

https://nbm.org.au/ven-nyanaramita/

At the 'Padalangala Kuti'. This is a lovely kuti l

At the 'Padalangala Kuti'. This is a lovely kuti located below an ancient vihara in the village of Padanagala.

Heading out from the Udagoda Kuti.

Heading out from the Udagoda Kuti.

An Inspiring Encounter: After heading out from t

An Inspiring Encounter:

After heading out from the Udagoda Kuti, I missed a road and ended up passing the Temple where had hoped to stay for the night. Decided to continue on and had several encounters in the road. As night began to fall it began to rain heavily. I stopped at a Temple at an intersection and was immediately given shelter for the night.

The chief monk at the Temple trains the young novices to go on pindapata. He also doesn't allow them to have more than four robes. The following day, he invited me to go on pindapata with the group. He received everything offered into his bowl, even yogurt and bananas (I accepted them in a bag). He shared some good Dhamma insights (paraphrased):

Regarding only allowing four robes: 'When we have too many things, the mind is unhappy.'

'This (Temple) isn't mine. It belongs to the Sangha. Any monk can come and stay here. I only lock the door to my room when I go out. My mind is not worried about the Temple.'

🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

'Tuvala tel' or 'injury oil'. In Sri Lanka, foreig

'Tuvala tel' or 'injury oil'. In Sri Lanka, foreign monks often get infections on the side of their big toe. Sometimes these can last for weeks or even months and can make walking difficult. Got one of these infections at the Udagoda Kuti and tried to treat it with washing and hand sanitizer. However, the injury still remained after about a week. The villagers kindly gave me a small jar of 'tuvala tel'. After applying it, the infection cleared in about two days. It didn't even require a band aid (!) An amazing medicine and apparently readily available in Sri Lanka as well.

With Ishanka, the Udagoda Kuti kappiya Karu and fa

With Ishanka, the Udagoda Kuti kappiya Karu and family. In Sri Lanka in general, people are very kind and have inspiring standards of behavior. The villagers near the Udagoda Kuti had excellent and inspiring behavior. Before speaking to monks, they would put their hands in anjali. They would also put their hands in anjali when a monk walked by. Their demeanor was very humble and kind. Monks are trained to behave this way towards senior monks. A monk's ability to behave in this way is seen as a mark of the quality of his training. Impressive to see their training in etiquette.

Thilanka and friends stopped by for a visit at the

Thilanka and friends stopped by for a visit at the Udagoda Kuti near Bandokyaya. Thilanka and I had met several years ago in Canada at a Dana for the West End Temple. Nice to say hello on this side of the world.

On almsround. The closest house to a kuti tends to

On almsround. The closest house to a kuti tends to take a special role in caring for resident monks.

At a small shrine. One finds these in most village

At a small shrine. One finds these in most villages in Sri Lanka. Laypeople often meet at the shrine on moon days to undertake the right precepts, especially if there is no monk to officiate at a nearby Temple.

In Sri Lank, they have a method for lighting fires

In Sri Lank, they have a method for lighting fires for tea. One places three stones, perhaps 15cm or more high in a fan shape. One can then interlace short sticks inside or place long sticks and gradually feed them in as they burn. Tea seems to boil quite quickly with this method.

Wishing a happy new year. May the year bring much

Wishing a happy new year. May the year bring much peace, happiness and progress in the Dhamma.

Gathering water from the village well.

Gathering water from the village well.

A view around the 'Udagoda Kuti'. This kuti is on

A view around the 'Udagoda Kuti'. This kuti is on a hill near the village of Bandokyaya. It was built and is maintained by the villagers. Past the hill are farmers fields and houses. A few kilometers away, there is a partial ring of mountains. A wonderful opportunity.

Load More... Follow on Instagram