Kanthi remained still… ..her eyes following the young Bikkhuni moving on with the other bikkhunis in a single file to the daana hall.
'Come Akka .let s go offer some daane to the monks' the girl with the mother took Kanthi s hand.
'Yes duwa .come with us' mother too invited Kanthi
Like all mothers universally do, Senhelatha had sensed that Kanthi was in some kind of trouble. She had decided not to ask anything ..... for now.
Namali had taken an instant liking to Kanthi.
Namali guessed Kanthi was slightly older than her , about the same age as the sister she lost less than a year ago. Namali s sister- Nirosha - had fallen off a moving bus she was trying to hop on to and had been run over by another mini bus racing to jockey for customers on the same route. The girl succumbed to the severe head injuries shortly after. Ever since then, the grieving mother and daughter had been regularly visiting the forest monastery seeking refuge from the pain.
Kanthi followed Senhelatha and Namali to the Daana Hall.
They joined a line of people offering daana to the monks.
No one spoke.
They all seem to know the routine. Senhelatha motioned to Kanthi to follow her with a bowl of kiri hodi . Pittu, String hoppers, Mung Beans, curries filled the monks bowls. Monks seemed to be meditating all the while. Kanthi reached the last Bikkhuni with her bowl of kiri hodi. The same young Bikkhun,i who had fleetingly given Kanthi a look of compassion as she passed by. The young Bikkhuni looked up at Kanthi, smiled and put her hand over the bowl brimming full.
The rest of the monks rose .quietly returned to their kutis with the food bowls.
Young Bikkhuni remained seated. It was her turn to deliver the bana to the gathered crowd.
The crowd settled around her. Ven. Uppalawanna preached on the subject of impermanence.
'Feelings of love, hate, fear last only for so long to be followed by a different feeling. There is no use in clinging to that feeling expecting they will never end.'
'In this world there is nothing that is fixed and permanent. Everything is subject to change and alteration. Decay is inherent in all component things,'
'Existence is a flux, and a continuous becoming.'
'Life is comparable to a river. It is a progressive moment, a successive series of different moments, joining together to give the impression of one continuous flow. It moves from cause to cause, effect to effect, one point to another, one state of existence to another, giving an outward impression that it is one continuous and unified movement, whereas in reality it is not. The river of yesterday is not the same as the river of today. The river of this moment is not going to be the same as the river of the next moment. So does life. It changes continuously, becomes something or the other from moment to moment.'
'Impermanence and change are the undeniable truths of our existence. What is real is the existing moment, the present that is a product of the past, or a result of the previous causes and actions. Because of ignorance, an ordinary mind conceives them all to be part of one continuous reality. But in truth they are not.'
Ven. Upplawanna preached in her clear calm voice.
She connected with the hearts and minds of the gathered crowd in various ways.
To Senhelatha and Namali it was about the impermanence of life and sorrow .to Kanthi it was the comparison of life to a river.
After her preaching ended Uppalawanna rose with her bowl to return to her Kuti. She motioned Kanthi to walk along.
'Sister did you get something out of the bana' Ven. Upplawanna inquired.
'Yes '
'What '
'The river of yesterday is not as the same as the river of today'
' Good ….like so your troubled life of yesterday does not need to be your life today or tomorrow. Seize this moment.'
'.....' Kanthi contemplated.
'Sister ..now I must go ..may you see the light ..may you be free from what troubles your mind at present'
Kanthi bent down, worshipped the young Bikkhuni.
Ven. Upplawanna moved on.
Senehelatha and Namali joined Kanthi.
Kanthi watched the receding figure of the young bikkuhuni, disappearing into the forest. Tears were streaming down Kanthi s face.
'What s wrong duwa'
'........'no reply but more tears.
'Akka .... you can tell us later whatever it is troubling you. We live near -by. Why don t you come to our house and have some tea' Namali gently pulled Kanthi by hand.
Kanthi suddenly remembered her predicament. Where can she go from here? Vije will soon wake up and look for her. When he realises that she had left him he will set his dogs to look for her not just in Kolonnawe but in all other adjoining villages.
Kanthi followed the mother and daughter to their home.
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