tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53864294965519858472024-03-05T17:18:16.398-08:00Blue Lotus Buddhist FellowshipA Buddhist community in Sri Lanka consisting of Dutch and Sri Lankan monks. Here we report about our activities on the field of meditation and welfare work. Also you share in the daily affairs of their live.
We are partly sponsored by the Randolph fellowship NL.but need more sponsors urgentlyHolland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-33162872313251708742011-11-10T20:21:00.001-08:002011-11-10T20:24:52.042-08:00new blogsDear friends.<br />We are going to continue with the blogs but will start a new one for that purpose.<br />There are so many things that changed and happened that we think it is better to do so. also our other blogs will be renewed. Hope to have the new blogs on line soon!<br />greetings and Metta;<br />Devamitta Thera!Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-56417608517685120272010-04-21T07:35:00.000-07:002010-04-21T07:54:33.227-07:00pictures of the Akurala Woman group<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmJZb4sQ1nr_2GfT0zyOQdzT3Ztg3tpLtluf_BdRCAYuUbrY3PfiNl2pPScaL5Zo0QRb3OaRh0vwqtWQxqLPbqabeOI6ZNt-IGqRS4QBne452ymgy4BUiSCOjK2xG6xw5HhvTw0tPC_w/s1600/100_4222.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmJZb4sQ1nr_2GfT0zyOQdzT3Ztg3tpLtluf_BdRCAYuUbrY3PfiNl2pPScaL5Zo0QRb3OaRh0vwqtWQxqLPbqabeOI6ZNt-IGqRS4QBne452ymgy4BUiSCOjK2xG6xw5HhvTw0tPC_w/s200/100_4222.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462602280449212002" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHzl3kTxxvdbApM62PEl3bUB3sXsTwQw0Vp8AqgR7HRYewBWiufOdRG0uHJhxx1OJwduojbZWXICYBWe79SdV8nzGjkjhokzepUsS_aEAXLq4EHgzMJtUuzEFgvrSKugde0VvcjqlrRUw/s1600/100_4221.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHzl3kTxxvdbApM62PEl3bUB3sXsTwQw0Vp8AqgR7HRYewBWiufOdRG0uHJhxx1OJwduojbZWXICYBWe79SdV8nzGjkjhokzepUsS_aEAXLq4EHgzMJtUuzEFgvrSKugde0VvcjqlrRUw/s200/100_4221.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462602272952001906" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hURhrINidXOFvGQlYHkDKKp_yeJMZAxCgPya2rRSe_di80ZvUPYNj_zMBegc-FlnNKihGei3G3P2VQFY0mUpFuSEAKN1LN0mO0NNyaRN_glA1vPaCWtxZlaL_GLfChmYNsdZph9MrHU/s1600/100_4220.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hURhrINidXOFvGQlYHkDKKp_yeJMZAxCgPya2rRSe_di80ZvUPYNj_zMBegc-FlnNKihGei3G3P2VQFY0mUpFuSEAKN1LN0mO0NNyaRN_glA1vPaCWtxZlaL_GLfChmYNsdZph9MrHU/s200/100_4220.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462602271867193634" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJ3urDskYyE1y8ImCnbM81ftdYAtI5VVPKE8TQq4yb6EKB1eiYU1QQ-eYWgIg_Krth0s340nU802kf_NOJ66V19C_KjB3e6lsXVugcZju3XukbHx87JZmaJgfYW-d3u_jw73YiXRu7oY/s1600/100_4219.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJ3urDskYyE1y8ImCnbM81ftdYAtI5VVPKE8TQq4yb6EKB1eiYU1QQ-eYWgIg_Krth0s340nU802kf_NOJ66V19C_KjB3e6lsXVugcZju3XukbHx87JZmaJgfYW-d3u_jw73YiXRu7oY/s200/100_4219.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462602265365452882" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-0fJ0M3v4j3URW1DZnSBbRpFWMripXloGJtnUWsTA8KtbDbK5NixlOui_cGw25RMwjhylFJThyVz-h5D0olJD74BwnwlldpmwWkv4snzfdIok0yy18jIE7wwylXVSqa2rCeb0p23mIY/s1600/100_4217.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-0fJ0M3v4j3URW1DZnSBbRpFWMripXloGJtnUWsTA8KtbDbK5NixlOui_cGw25RMwjhylFJThyVz-h5D0olJD74BwnwlldpmwWkv4snzfdIok0yy18jIE7wwylXVSqa2rCeb0p23mIY/s200/100_4217.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462602261327732034" /></a><br /><br />The new batch of woman who are now able to work independent.<br />This makes a grant total of 84 !!!!<br /><br />Thanks Piet and Durna, and thanks to our secretary Mr. Silva who did a great job assisting them in this project!Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-87183943056104139042010-04-21T06:45:00.000-07:002010-04-21T07:32:34.489-07:00HAPPY NEW YEAR AGAIN!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4Xq_1pE44FFNLsY8zsiHjvUUk-g7kWWjsi5S5xdpWeBCKDh6dg-vvzNpuhyZhj74dwZ39QpAbwd2ez8sH_g5ENKhdEtXAnnI7IrTBXljRsFML9QP2OTPjEK8nilu818TA5IYQAbe_-o/s1600/100_3854.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4Xq_1pE44FFNLsY8zsiHjvUUk-g7kWWjsi5S5xdpWeBCKDh6dg-vvzNpuhyZhj74dwZ39QpAbwd2ez8sH_g5ENKhdEtXAnnI7IrTBXljRsFML9QP2OTPjEK8nilu818TA5IYQAbe_-o/s200/100_3854.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462596623826771090" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvva1Bu9OFoBKJF7udQSpYlLH5okiwcyv3PsdnHnrf3IbBv6ln4nqHbFUMKnIGYq60I1A_oVVHgZzr8N2f6oMSKbL1aVNqyjmF8o5AtFm0XTZ7QHj2FHWX3Eh0xJCUcMtFp4CMaYkmUI8/s1600/100_3852.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvva1Bu9OFoBKJF7udQSpYlLH5okiwcyv3PsdnHnrf3IbBv6ln4nqHbFUMKnIGYq60I1A_oVVHgZzr8N2f6oMSKbL1aVNqyjmF8o5AtFm0XTZ7QHj2FHWX3Eh0xJCUcMtFp4CMaYkmUI8/s200/100_3852.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462596617366767826" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHBbNd6ozRe7H2RhQFiK7lSeNs2P91iqjICQHrAt5iljP5f8a8Ld8UjhB-bQjmlisjzchzwzy7Srn8u52x6iBFE9z7TSI86RAsyr2UgHG7nEKN1yoJuGNN5fH9r5hsxZVjNqENKxC428/s1600/100_3848.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHBbNd6ozRe7H2RhQFiK7lSeNs2P91iqjICQHrAt5iljP5f8a8Ld8UjhB-bQjmlisjzchzwzy7Srn8u52x6iBFE9z7TSI86RAsyr2UgHG7nEKN1yoJuGNN5fH9r5hsxZVjNqENKxC428/s200/100_3848.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462596613256949362" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Cdk1TyG74rFSwYapsNA6mf8-j5RH6_DorGgpvAVk8m4RVKuoctWE_iSozNw_6EchgYS8m4sZ-UInKq_kG4VcWusj4Zl8D6EPWMfCCloRiIS0bntU8D9tauUgkpYuHkDdPv3thlvLaEM/s1600/100_3840.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Cdk1TyG74rFSwYapsNA6mf8-j5RH6_DorGgpvAVk8m4RVKuoctWE_iSozNw_6EchgYS8m4sZ-UInKq_kG4VcWusj4Zl8D6EPWMfCCloRiIS0bntU8D9tauUgkpYuHkDdPv3thlvLaEM/s200/100_3840.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462596609551504642" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuj_oo31Pl-Qz9YT9ifQX4iKEDyhnzC00y6a7sKXDhobrf2LqAKrUr88SwQZGHsnTq_LNcHnpwtd0l4dDyzarXeOpCRfpm5Xeb7EWR93R1zvHHpft8nOwd20C98qoBZU1szUu3oiOnBDQ/s1600/100_3829.JPG"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWfmR0qmoKEsboZFuOJQsW8BeRNbDSYjgQf0gaIw-IiMAYIwuAlSImunf_2vjTXkc3LeeIla1V3c2ukA5ULDLTCg9gNK3V8G24Cli546RKHuiEPhVWTGuPl1dYal0DsbXamhTaAM_llU/s320/100_3827.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462593937873560322" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLR_K5WKd-aXJzIWB1YqAEgWqKQGvT-2ttLP5snDk3Yhy1cP3l2g2sSYdnZHcKlSFx24s24ERFQCRo_PYhj_sxIm2I2IRRD8b_00mpXKze4YjsIYydBLCOJnOIY3soAk6ZB09rhkMFOE/s1600/100_3826.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLR_K5WKd-aXJzIWB1YqAEgWqKQGvT-2ttLP5snDk3Yhy1cP3l2g2sSYdnZHcKlSFx24s24ERFQCRo_PYhj_sxIm2I2IRRD8b_00mpXKze4YjsIYydBLCOJnOIY3soAk6ZB09rhkMFOE/s320/100_3826.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462592247582129202" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowR8ZkYXjhRyFD_qsA3-aHt7mXINoqMQRhyphenhyphenqPvH7Q9t4E-5JkI6jcu7LKCOAe1CXbHZytmuW-tuLh98LhsB0L01CZY2pLsr5z6qLKYPXshMoVhl4nHgNuEe1b7m4NVrphC5LmpbN2uC8/s1600/100_3824.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowR8ZkYXjhRyFD_qsA3-aHt7mXINoqMQRhyphenhyphenqPvH7Q9t4E-5JkI6jcu7LKCOAe1CXbHZytmuW-tuLh98LhsB0L01CZY2pLsr5z6qLKYPXshMoVhl4nHgNuEe1b7m4NVrphC5LmpbN2uC8/s320/100_3824.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462592247110052258" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_t7TI8x49YiW4XjeOhULGXLtiQsW5ejEoOoUqOWZb-TvbQUcw6FOH6NXDr9qjs3IDbwfORne6bfnWV4Nkn6CHerRWSHN0ccNbmjWnmYzikFYdGcj9fwWgokY52R-oAQfQckKTS-g-No0/s1600/newyear.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 185px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_t7TI8x49YiW4XjeOhULGXLtiQsW5ejEoOoUqOWZb-TvbQUcw6FOH6NXDr9qjs3IDbwfORne6bfnWV4Nkn6CHerRWSHN0ccNbmjWnmYzikFYdGcj9fwWgokY52R-oAQfQckKTS-g-No0/s320/newyear.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462589121908501570" /></a><br /> <br /> <br />SUBBA ALUTH AVURUDAK WEVA!!!<br />HAPPY SINGHALESE NEW YEAR !!!!!<br /><br />Dear friends,<br /><br />Yes we had a New Year celebration again!<br />No, don’t worry, we don’t celebrate New Year every 3 months lol! <br />Just twice a year; 1st of January and the 14th of April. <br /><br />We will take this opportunity to give you a list of the things we did during the past few months, and inform you about the status of the other projects.<br />You will find a list of needs for this year in an earlier post, some things are not needed anymore and some things will be new and they will be posted later.<br /><br />Our big project sponsored by The Randolph Fellowship from Holland is The Randolph College in Telwatta and this project is going on well, thanks to the people of the Randolph Fellowship. I would like to thank them for all their efforts and tell them that we admire them greatly! Visit their new website www.randolphfellowship.com for more info.<br /><br />In the mean time we did not do so badly ourselves neither lol!!!<br /><br />Miss Elles Mol who came to Lanka as a volunteer was, with the help of here friends, able to donate a great sum of SRS. 170.000. Yes, she donated another SRS 80.000 which here friends collected and send here; We are so grateful for these donations because it enabled us to help a lot of people as you will read:<br /><br />Some of here friends organized a small benefit concert, a great idea and we like to thank them for it again! You can read about it in an older blog entry but we would like to give you all the news about what we did with the money which was left; <br /><br />We where able to build a much needed bathroom for the young lady (the Montesory teacher, this case we described in our list of needs earlier). She can use the bathroom now independently because we made it big enough to entre with here wheelchair. It did cost quite a bit more but so be it. She a very happy young lady now, thanks to you all!!! <br /><br />A Tsunami village near Ambalangoda was in problems because their water pomp was broken down. The costs to repair the pomp where 31.000 SRS. From the money which was left from this donation we could pay the repair. <br /><br />The deaf and mute girl is going to the school right now because we where able to pay for here travel expenses for a year! Thanks to you, friends of Elles! We will post some pictures on this item later. <br /><br />Then the next item:<br />The 1st of January our dear friends Piet en Durna arrived from Holland again, and started of their 1st day of the year and the 1st day of their stay in a wonderful way!!!<br /><br />They enabled us to arrange a real party for 42 children from the villages of Telwatta, Kahawa and Akurala! They donated all of them with schoolbooks, pencil boxes, pastel colouring boxes and pens. All the kids got also a pair of new shoes which they needed to be able to go to school (slippers are not allowed).<br /><br />Thanks to a donation of around 800 ballpoints, 50 “passer boxes, and 20 “ruler sets (considered here as professional sets) we received from Mr. Bert van Malsem – Lifeoka Bv. of Den Haag in Holland, we where able to donated them all with those items to!!!<br /><br />(This whole lot was brought by Mr. Peter Sandkuyl, brother of Sander, who came to visit us with his family).<br /><br />Our friends Piet and Durna continued to support our project in Akurala where we during their 1st visit where able to get 24 woman to work independently producing coja ropes (read our earlier post). This time we succeeded to have another 60 woman to start and do the same!!!!<br /><br />Not only that they are independent and work to get the benefit of it themselves, they are also preparing and organizing themselves, with the help of our secretary Mr. De Silva, to form a collective or even a corporation and will save a few SRS a month so they will have some money. They want to save for special occasions and for example for when one of them is in trouble they can, without interest, borrow a small amount to help them out.<br /><br />In corporation with other groups Piet and Durna organized a number of other projects during their stay here. We want to compliment this wonderful couple of people who work so hard to collect funds for these projects. Projects which are all for the benefit of the poorest of the poor!<br /><br />Thank you Piet and Durna!!! We here at the Sri Metta Ashrama are Proud and Happy to call you our friends!!!!!<br /><br />We consider ourselves so Lucky! We found good friends in life; that’s Lucky!. We are meeting every time new friends and are not loosing old friends, that’s Lucky! We are able to help those in real need with the help of our friends; that’s Lucky! We experience Love, Kindness and Compassion; that’s Lucky!! We live being satisfied; that’s Lucky! We are Happy with our live; that’s Lucky! Thanks to you ! We are really Lucky!<br /><br /> Next to come:<br /><br />Intra-religious meeting; 1st of its kind meeting between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist under the motto of “Unity in Diversity!” a moderate meeting and a great success!<br /><br />House donated for one of the poorest family’s in our arrear!Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-46705690124952785142010-02-17T20:27:00.001-08:002010-02-17T20:48:59.052-08:00pictures of our ashram during the rainDear friends, here are some pictures which where long over due.They where mostly made during the heavy rains in October and November last year. We also started to post more pictures on Picasa, some are a bit older,and we think it will give you some idear about our daily live and works. Further more; it are realy very beautyfull pics so I'm quite sure that you will enjoy them! <br /><br />The Picasa adres is: http://picasaweb.google.com/h.s.devamitta <br /><br />please check out this site regurarely, we will update it nearly daily because Rev. Ariyadhamma is going to do this work. The remarks we had on some of this pictures on Facebook where so great that we decided to up load them, so you will be able to see more of us :-). I must say they are verry ilustrative. The pictures are made by Mr. George Höfer, Rev. Ariyadhamma, some by me (the lesser once's :-) ), and by some other people (their names might sometimes be given sometimes on request only because they want it so). So enjoy them.<br />Devamitta Thera.Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-5698253099547149822010-02-17T00:30:00.000-08:002010-02-17T00:31:57.398-08:00happy that it is dry again<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Wd78JsXrsLNG11Sk4wzDVP_U7NV0DZg0ttFn81xN1HoTqYQZ0JwvTVYI50G_kLe8fotjqLmuwWGzNWiFP6v4F-F9xLEyjRRXRaZKJ8rpaYPaSZgHW-LF7PrCBxXt8oVbrzuUanibAKw/s1600-h/PIC_0145.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Wd78JsXrsLNG11Sk4wzDVP_U7NV0DZg0ttFn81xN1HoTqYQZ0JwvTVYI50G_kLe8fotjqLmuwWGzNWiFP6v4F-F9xLEyjRRXRaZKJ8rpaYPaSZgHW-LF7PrCBxXt8oVbrzuUanibAKw/s320/PIC_0145.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-1856647905545999872010-02-17T00:25:00.000-08:002010-02-17T00:26:00.904-08:00kolibri nest on the lightswitch<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc5SLxGztoWyB6QjJ2OfXhHnb7RB9eEL9PV-wxLALnppe3wg6SzG88MmwoFsAp_DYXM26bcI10iIwmqVDuOBhjtXFDURPmH8Cnw2sEowBbX4n95Cc27bZfR-K4O5bFZyUA4ZSAMmqQus/s1600-h/PIC_0136.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc5SLxGztoWyB6QjJ2OfXhHnb7RB9eEL9PV-wxLALnppe3wg6SzG88MmwoFsAp_DYXM26bcI10iIwmqVDuOBhjtXFDURPmH8Cnw2sEowBbX4n95Cc27bZfR-K4O5bFZyUA4ZSAMmqQus/s320/PIC_0136.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-68751228909012587772010-02-17T00:08:00.003-08:002010-02-17T00:08:59.338-08:00between kitchen and bathroom young fish where swimming lol<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jT2H92rtFXtrSH4vIR6mv-o3PZR_mo3R1TbR7IaJJp-TOo9TpVdoFWyBxqF-LhrB-kLi2kyIUPyytDyfEVyfZ_IznKbIPEGKZlcrIRBXGeazsYlWkkokBYcLoE6EIG0d8QjpB60qBi0/s1600-h/PIC_0090.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jT2H92rtFXtrSH4vIR6mv-o3PZR_mo3R1TbR7IaJJp-TOo9TpVdoFWyBxqF-LhrB-kLi2kyIUPyytDyfEVyfZ_IznKbIPEGKZlcrIRBXGeazsYlWkkokBYcLoE6EIG0d8QjpB60qBi0/s320/PIC_0090.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-39967217256247570982010-02-17T00:01:00.000-08:002010-02-17T00:02:26.750-08:00rex even catched a fish on the "backland":-))<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_T0NDkpmVPA3tw11s0hev71_howZA_Jo48BqqnkLXOhtFndTA8gVYDkNgZVo9aJr3IH-WjH09vs3yz4_QOE5AE6NOJDbpVlSyu8N1e1a21fv2dYRZXom_5MD1CvwQv_jDEQIoloMP-zE/s1600-h/PIC_0078.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_T0NDkpmVPA3tw11s0hev71_howZA_Jo48BqqnkLXOhtFndTA8gVYDkNgZVo9aJr3IH-WjH09vs3yz4_QOE5AE6NOJDbpVlSyu8N1e1a21fv2dYRZXom_5MD1CvwQv_jDEQIoloMP-zE/s320/PIC_0078.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-25041599267632536842010-02-16T23:34:00.000-08:002010-02-16T23:37:22.488-08:00<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlFQ7naDDqGDS1Th8-ju4XPIuRod87IeoLipew_22PqHMvhHXmTZEsfvmWD1uzq3eIZjH7rJi7jDH06-oua6dbRtYbHOPRTbAHiH-oBXe7wXboUXkh1FrANdyXMjP-JJUhyphenhyphenBcovzON94/s1600-h/PIC_0060.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlFQ7naDDqGDS1Th8-ju4XPIuRod87IeoLipew_22PqHMvhHXmTZEsfvmWD1uzq3eIZjH7rJi7jDH06-oua6dbRtYbHOPRTbAHiH-oBXe7wXboUXkh1FrANdyXMjP-JJUhyphenhyphenBcovzON94/s320/PIC_0060.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-53952457078905450112010-02-16T23:31:00.000-08:002010-02-16T23:31:59.644-08:00<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BOMYH6ERltCiU2_q3oUdxPVxUe-qgC4R37-3_Q3w2zLX43Ri_hHTR8DW2L4iOswJHZ2rL7wpZOY9fhTAm4nNSBzz688gKV4R9Z0hRGijG9WslAX05za5ywV-ImPGoCWWQuFTn2gIjv4/s1600-h/PIC_0059.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BOMYH6ERltCiU2_q3oUdxPVxUe-qgC4R37-3_Q3w2zLX43Ri_hHTR8DW2L4iOswJHZ2rL7wpZOY9fhTAm4nNSBzz688gKV4R9Z0hRGijG9WslAX05za5ywV-ImPGoCWWQuFTn2gIjv4/s320/PIC_0059.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-24766101093326581402010-02-16T23:24:00.000-08:002010-02-16T23:25:15.198-08:00<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7u6xG0O_KMsLTQluOLJm5ZK0EhCWLKiz9AR-vu8LwBGc3O2jXm5HPnOhjenRov4VZOekNE3a_r1YVzHEZAcz8YikqS_2B-OarEY3q3rieGjIVieahUxWCx4ghHBBujp-r-EQN1bohPA/s1600-h/PIC_0057.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7u6xG0O_KMsLTQluOLJm5ZK0EhCWLKiz9AR-vu8LwBGc3O2jXm5HPnOhjenRov4VZOekNE3a_r1YVzHEZAcz8YikqS_2B-OarEY3q3rieGjIVieahUxWCx4ghHBBujp-r-EQN1bohPA/s320/PIC_0057.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-55660102283271846702010-02-16T23:20:00.000-08:002010-02-16T23:22:19.636-08:00<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiwsZBGc_40JmUETajm8zW37FIwqF-ugicPUCJbZZma4L4zNvoBZw7cVjs0Kd4yVnoFh8ro5zn3K3QNL2dMVT0Nka2DjV9vldl5UIRjTN3tRnSsKmbqC6PzGSiBYbG6y4NCi5Tnm-szk/s1600-h/PIC_0055.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiwsZBGc_40JmUETajm8zW37FIwqF-ugicPUCJbZZma4L4zNvoBZw7cVjs0Kd4yVnoFh8ro5zn3K3QNL2dMVT0Nka2DjV9vldl5UIRjTN3tRnSsKmbqC6PzGSiBYbG6y4NCi5Tnm-szk/s320/PIC_0055.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-75731013252334275802010-02-16T23:19:00.000-08:002010-02-16T23:20:07.397-08:00<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlM1J8NX0bWzVazJPcYwNV_i5prhwydRNglfxDV6CJkIZDH4pB8TbgiiFYkWUuFqkFppdUFguncmDpzliZ36IbjRZTID32_PJKDge1e7W21CFdgSnZ-wvDKjSXmSnyBi295JqsoPNK1Y/s1600-h/PIC_0054.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlM1J8NX0bWzVazJPcYwNV_i5prhwydRNglfxDV6CJkIZDH4pB8TbgiiFYkWUuFqkFppdUFguncmDpzliZ36IbjRZTID32_PJKDge1e7W21CFdgSnZ-wvDKjSXmSnyBi295JqsoPNK1Y/s320/PIC_0054.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-62816531604227079902010-02-16T23:11:00.000-08:002010-02-16T23:12:41.115-08:00<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKtIrE72M7MZLLw57coHshddMIoNvKVbDVAZCeawtbDceXEcLgOnVR1NUj7hbTmHid4rAdYtq0o-IOHZKwtFc8740Ipb3u_Lbngc8wPa5Yn5oyh9OH7rkCABIEHYCMGhroJtTmSMgPR4/s1600-h/PIC_0053.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKtIrE72M7MZLLw57coHshddMIoNvKVbDVAZCeawtbDceXEcLgOnVR1NUj7hbTmHid4rAdYtq0o-IOHZKwtFc8740Ipb3u_Lbngc8wPa5Yn5oyh9OH7rkCABIEHYCMGhroJtTmSMgPR4/s320/PIC_0053.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-59095613135903051972010-02-12T07:33:00.000-08:002010-02-12T07:42:16.420-08:00contactIf you are interested to get more information about how to help with our work true donations or volunteer work please contact us true devamitta@yahoo.com or h.s.devamitta@gmail.com (this mail is not used much thoug) and by telephone: 0094-91-4922772 or 0094-77-6958796.<br />with loving-kindness and friendly greetings<br />yours in the Dhamma<br />Devamitta Thera.Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-75797760843742448252010-02-07T00:33:00.000-08:002010-02-07T00:41:58.885-08:00short up dateDear friends<br /><br />Just a Short Update on the list of our proposed projects.<br /><br />Due to the donation of SRS. 90.000.= which we received true Miss. Elles Mol we where able to give the paralyzed carpenter his toilet chair and have we started building the bathroom for the young lady who lost here leg!!!!!<br /><br />Elles is not only a very hard working volunteer here in the arrear but also a very modest young lady, and she stressed many times that we should realize that the donations came from here friends and their friends and not from here. OK, we know that but she is here and I'm happy to thank here for collecting this funds! We would like to acknowledge that here and send our thanks to each and every one of you who has been donating for this purpose!!!!! Thank You All Very Much in deed!<br /><br />HARTELIJK DANK ALLEMAAL VOOR DE GEWELDIGE HULP DIE UW DONATIES ONS GEVEN. HIERDOOR KUNNEN WE DIE MENSEN HELPEN DIE DEZE HULP O ZO NODIG HEBBEN!<br /><br />Hier zeggen we; SADHU, SADHU, SAAAAA! Wat zoveel als “Heilig”of “Gezegend” wil zeggen. En gebruikt wordt als bevestiging van een uitzonderlijke daad. En het is uitzonderlijk als iemand een echte gift doet, zeker zonder er iets voor terug te kunnen verwachten of zelfs de ontvanger (s) te kennen! Dat is wat wij als Buddhisten zien als ware “Dana” – generositeit.<br /><br />Ik Dank U Allen uit de grond van mijn hart!<br /> <br />So dear friends for this purposes we don’t need donations any more, but the carpenter still needs a motor and there are many more programs and poor individuals who need help. There for take this great gift as an example and please help us to realise our other programs or help those poor individuals. <br /><br />Yours with loving-kindness, in the Dhamma!<br /><br />A Happy;<br /><br />Ven. Devamitta Maha Sthavira.<br />Telwatta – Sri Lanka.<br /><br /><br />PS. PLEASE LOOK AT THE SO CALLED OLDER POST WHICH IS ALSO FROM TODAY AND IS FOR US SOOOOOOO IMPORTANT!!!!!!!Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-3139403431614494922010-02-07T00:23:00.000-08:002010-02-07T00:45:17.012-08:00proposed programs for 2010Dear friends and supporters;<br /><br />With the beginning of this New Year we like to ask your attention for the projects which are proposed for 2010. We have great hopes that with your help; anyhow a part of them will be realized. We don’t ask you for help for ourselves even though we urgently need help to build some facilities at our place. In first instance we ask you here to help us realise this programs which are much needed for the poor in our society! <br /> <br /><br />PROJECTS PROPOSED FOR 2010 <br /><br />1. ACTION AND VOLONTEER HOUSE AKURALA.<br />2. Year of Awareness of the Blind.<br />3. Self employment from blind people.<br />4. English, English and Singhalese Braille for the blind.<br />5. Paralysed Carpenter from Mayuana.<br />6. Montesory School at Sinigama.<br />7. Deaf mute girl scholarship.<br />8. Amputee young woman needs a bathroom and artificial leg.<br /><br /><br />1. Here we hope to have a centre where volunteers can be lodged and where we can organize small group training and teaching programs.<br /><br />The house is quite big (4 rooms, a big “living room”, kitchen and a very big garden). We will be able to get the house on a 10 year lease contract for free, but there will have to be some repairs done; the roof is partially broken, the kitchen should be repaired and a bit modernized some plumbing has to be done, there is the need to build a small bathroom and the whole lot has to be painted. There is the need for furniture; beds, tables and some cupboards, cooking utensils, a gas cooker, plates and a fridge etc.<br /><br />The garden has to be cleaned and fenced so that we can use it and finally set up a good test garden here to introduce chemical free (carbonic or green) gardening, introduce different new crops and spices and start to have the training of local woman for this purpose there, this way they can earn some “needle money” to support themselves.<br /><br />Here we can also start training young people in different subjects as; Social skills (much needed), communication and a computer class. We have then also the possibility to finally start the Art collective and training.<br /><br />Here we can organize our small group children activities and continue our special woman and girl groups.<br /><br />We will share this accommodation with other small groups who are working for the benefit of the poor and handicapped in this arrear.<br /><br />A centre like this is very much needed because we have no place to do these activities now and the need for it is rising daily!<br /><br />There is a small room which we can use as an office and to receive people so that does not have to happen in our little residence anymore.<br /><br />The whole set up including furniture etc. will cost about €3000.-<br />For that price we have a free of rent place for 10 years!<br /><br />If we can get enough help we hope to build here a small shop where the products made by the blind and other handicapped people can be sold. (The cost for this will be about €1500. =).<br /><br />We do need your help for this much needed project.<br />We hope to start it as soon as possible.<br /><br />2. Together with the Galle district group of the National Assoc. For the Blind we are planning to have a Year for the Awareness of the Blind. The preparations of this program are being made and we will be able to inform you later about the details but there is a great need to make the general public aware of the problems of blind people like; education, employment and self employment problems, mobility problems, difficulty’s concerning legal matters, housing, communication, health, entry to public services and buildings etc. etc.<br /><br />All those things which are in the western society seen as normal facilities for the blind and are here lacking. We are forming a committee in which the members of the Ass. For the Blind are participating and among others a member of the Provincial Council, a Retired French Teacher from a school for the blind in Paris and one of the leading eye-specialist of the district and country.<br /><br />There are 150 blind people in our district who need white canes. The cost of this is SRS 52.500. =. We will be able to give them these canes already because Mrs. Helene van Beuzekom of Unawattuna has donated them. They will be handed out in February next during their Annual General Meeting. Thank you Helene! <br /><br />3. We have been asked (and we started to prepare) a program for self employment for the blind, the big problem is not only to help them to start some activities (a big number of them are trained already), but to sell their products.<br />So we need help to give them a start, and we need help to set up a system true which we can help them to sell their products. The help to start a self employment program is different for each individual because the cost involved are different we will later give a list on our weblog.<br /><br />4. We received an appeal for help from the National Assoc. For the Blind about a program for the blind in our district. This is a program for them to learn English and the Braille writing in English and Singhalese. See the letter at the end of this blog entry.<br /><br />5. This is a “small” project, but it’s surely not a small thing for the persons involved! It’s all about a carpenter who fell from the roof in 2004 and is now paralysed because of a broken spine. He’s a very brave person and never the less the handicap he has, he’s still working and taking care of the livelihood of his family! He has a multi functional machine and with this he is able to make wooden frames, frames which are used for making the hood of 3wheelers, small furniture items etc. and he’s producing sound boxes, TV antenna’s and some other items. The problem is that the motor from his machine is broken. He rents one now but that cost too much for it takes a big part of his earnings. He really needs a new motor for this machine and the costs for that are SRS 17.000. = (this is about €110.=)<br /><br />Further more he’s partly incontinent (loosing urine without knowing) but has to go to the toilet for the rest. That is a problem because the house has a traditional toilet with a squatting pan. It’s degrading for him to use that because he cant hold himself up and has to sit in his own excrement’s. To give him a chance to use the toilet with human dignity and hygiene he needs to be supplied with a “western style” Toilet seat made of stainless steal. The costs for this are about SRS.65000. =. That includes a small hand shower for washing after using the toilet.<br /><br />This is a one time investment which gives this 36 year old man a change to take care of his wife and 2 children, and use the bathroom in a way with human dignity! <br /><br />6. This small Montesory School (a pre-school or in Dutch a “kleuterschool”) is a school where the children of the poorest in that village are tending lessons.<br />The lady who teaches there is really doing a great job with the minimum of means! The 25 children who are in the school are well educated and happy to be there. The problem is that even tough they have chairs, they have no desks.<br />In fact what is needed are 25 small desks and 2 round tables on which they can do some work in groups.<br /><br />They even had no toys, but we where able to give them some toys (donated by the daughters of Jaap and Karla Plugge from their own toys, which is a great thing!) The play instruments in the little garden are broken and have to be repaired. The garden should be re-done. The whole place has a definite need for some painting. For this project in the Montesory we will need a total of about SRS 75.000. = (+/- €500. =).<br /><br />7. A deaf mute girl of 18 years old who is totally neglected by here family is still trying to learn as much as possible and we would like to find a sponsor who will supply the bus fair for here and a labouring woman to go once a week to a school for the deaf to learn sign langue and lip reading. The cost for this all will be about SRS 8000.= a year. ( €50.=).<br /><br />8. This is a very sad case; A young (26 years old) Montessori teacher from Baddegama, who was just married, had a motor bike accident with here husband. Because of this accident one of here legs had to be amputated at the thigh. To make things worst here sorry excuse of a man left here after 4 days!<br />Now she’s left an invalided young woman with here old parents at home. The story is about the same as that of the carpenter; it’s not humane to have here use the squatting pan as locally is the habit. In this case it’s even worst here elderly parents have to carry here quite a distance to the outdoor toilet, and there is no bathroom. She can’t take a bath at the well as before.<br /><br />For this poor, unlucky young woman we have to try and build a bathroom with “western style” toilet which should be attached to the house so she can use the toilet and take a bath in a decent way. The costs for this are estimated at about SRS 90.000.= (€600.=)<br /><br />Here leg is still abnormally swollen and we are seeking treatment for here, as soon as the swelling is gone she would need to appeal for an artificial leg.<br />If anyone is interested to help this poor young woman with this please contact us. If she will later on have a moveable artificial leg she would be able to start here work as a teacher again and take care of here own upkeep. The costs of this we will announce later.<br /><br /> There are some other programs which are in a different stage of development.<br />About these programs we will inform you as soon as possible they are; the continuing of our inter-religious dialogue program, the start of a dialogue between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist Schools, the continuing of our Telwatta Photo Kids program, and the information programs about food and diets and the danger of marriage within the family. We have a program proposal which is nearly finished to give free education to about 200 children who need this to prepare for a very important examination at the 5th grade. We hope to have the documentation of this other programs ready and will publish that on the blog soon.<br /><br />Any help with our work for the poorest of the poor is welcome!<br />We, and those who will benefit of it, are very grateful for your help to succeed in our aim to give them Care and Education!<br /><br />With loving kindness and friendly greeting;<br />Yours in the Dhamma,<br />Ven. Holland Sri Devamitta Maha Sthavira and<br />All the other young monks of;<br /><br />“Sri Metta-Ashrama”<br />Telwatta<br />Sri Lanka.<br /><br /><br />Here follows a copy of the request for support we recieved as mentioned before:<br /><br /><br /> Letter from the Association of the Visually Handicapped.<br /><br />29 December 2009<br /> <br />Dear Devamitta Thera,<br /> <br />PROJECT REPORT TO TEACH ENGLISH AND SINHALA BRAILLE FOR <br />VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSONS<br /><br /><br /> The Galle District Branch of the Sri Lanka Federation of the Visually Handicapped has 152 visually impaired members. Conducting the Annual General Meeting, celebrating the International White Cane Day, providing self employment assistance, annual outing, Sinhala New Year celebrations for the members, creating awareness programmes are some of the events organized by the Galle branch. <br /><br /> Apart from the above events we are planning to conduct a training programme to teach English and Sinhala Braille for 40 members of our organization. Therefore, I wish to forward the project report for the above course for your kind consideration.<br /><br /> Time duration – 6 months for each group<br />Total number of groups – 4<br />Total time duration 2 years<br /><br />Number of lessons – 24 for each group<br /> Number of students for a group – 10<br /> Number of resource persons – 2<br /><br /> Resource persons fee per lesson – Rs. 1000<br />Resource persons fee for 24 lessons – Rs. 24,000<br /><br /> Transport allowance for 10 students – Rs. 1000<br />Total transport allowance for 24 lessons – Rs. 24,000<br /><br /> Total cost for a course – Rs. 48,000<br /><br /> Total number of students – 40<br /> Therefore, total number of courses – 4<br /> Total cost for each group – Rs. 48,000<br /><br />Total cost for the 4 groups – Rs. 192,000<br /><br /><br /> Training materials such as Braille slates, stylus and Braille paper will be provided by the Galle Branch of the Sri Lanka Federation of the Visually Handicapped<br /><br /> Your kind assistance in this regard would be much appreciated.<br /> Thank you,<br /><br />Yours faithfully,<br />Mr. Saman Karunasiri<br />President<br />Galle Branch<br />Sri Lanka Federation of the Visually Handicapped<br /> Kalupe, Hikkaduwa.<br /><br /><br />*Note from Devamitta Thera;<br /><br />They hope to start the 1st group in June 2010 therefore they need the funds for the 1st bat of 10 students (SRS 48.000. =) in May next. If one of you (or some of you) can contribute to this program please contact us. After this 1st bat they will need the same amount every 6 months till all 4 groups have followed the training in 2 years time. I would like you to consider that this training means that the participants after finishing have a better chance on a job. They can be employed in call centres etc. already there a number of blind people doing this kind of jobs and companies are willing to except them for this kind of work.<br />SRS. 48.000. = is about €300.= to €320. = (differs with the exchange rate.)<br /><br />We hope they will be helped in this case because education is the key for this group of people just as for the poor youngsters we try to help.Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-34431891180829522812009-10-26T23:42:00.000-07:002009-10-27T19:03:58.542-07:00OF VISITORS, VISITS AND DAILY LIVE<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlzbNjHgXZrgJWesAyqzYH0eSQx2yHaMTdhyEEKDo3bTZ0RmjwHWAsRH5wvZIOQvLs1MddvUsJugt1Qcvr7NYjS6s8xMJdAFSS4ziGhOmr-OAeu0snFPG5fKTTcx7UmVXx3YmaNd8T5Q/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 100px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 124px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397168557566433474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlzbNjHgXZrgJWesAyqzYH0eSQx2yHaMTdhyEEKDo3bTZ0RmjwHWAsRH5wvZIOQvLs1MddvUsJugt1Qcvr7NYjS6s8xMJdAFSS4ziGhOmr-OAeu0snFPG5fKTTcx7UmVXx3YmaNd8T5Q/s320/images.jpg" /></a> K'UAN YIN BODHISATTA THE COMPASSIONED ONE.<br /><br /><br /><br />BLUE LOTUS BUDDHIST FELLOWSHIP LOGO.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FJoeC5M5XAGW4osOuvvgm656BB-_33rXUsDjQsSHoVV6tr0k3-S8igYNppixji97xM_xL18ZoutTjTF4vz9sy4OVBzFOLb-WoRi4aD-Mn7CoNr_K7b-w1edoaVhRK9-rsepWakgLvcU/s1600-h/blbs+logo.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 169px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 153px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397167093609404530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FJoeC5M5XAGW4osOuvvgm656BB-_33rXUsDjQsSHoVV6tr0k3-S8igYNppixji97xM_xL18ZoutTjTF4vz9sy4OVBzFOLb-WoRi4aD-Mn7CoNr_K7b-w1edoaVhRK9-rsepWakgLvcU/s320/blbs+logo.jpg" /></a><br /><div align="center">CARE & EDUCATION<br /></div><br /><br />OF VISITORS, VISITS AND DAILY LIVE;<br /><br />This update is long overdue but because our daily live has been so busy lately it is in this case: “better late then never”.<br /><br />1st of all we want to recall a few visitors from Holland who came here to do some volunteer work; Anne and Sophie a couple of young student girls who did a great job here. They came originally to stay and work for 2 weeks in the Lotus Home for handicapped boys in Baddegama. The thing was that because of the short period of their stay and the very capable staff there, they did not find it very easy to spend their time there in a positive way. In fact they where more or less like staying in a waiting room at the station there. On their request we found a more fulfilling way to spend there time. They asked if we could find a family who would be helped by painting there house in and out side. That was quickly done and they painted the inside of the house of a poor family at Mettiwella, and when they where finished they supplied them with enough paint to paint the outside themselves. I would like to mention that they paid for the paint from there holiday pocket money. This we find a wonderful thing for them to do!<br />When they left on a trip around the island so they would have also some real holiday, they where a bit skeptic about this family painting the house on the outside themselves…… but; surprise, surprise; when they came back they found that they not only painted their own house but also that of a brother of them who lives next door! We where all pleasantly surprised.<br /><br />This two who we consider to be friends of us all now also helped us here in our place when we where building our kitchen and our young monks, Aruna, Bandara en I myself where enjoying their stay very, very much!!! They made a great impression on our Justice of the Peace and his family where they stayed for a couple of days and on all the other people who met them here.<br />I must say that we would be very happy to have volunteers like this anytime!!!<br />THANKS GIRLS!!!!!! WE ALL HOPE TO SEE YOU BACK HERE SOON!!!!<br /><br />THE VISSIT<br /><br />Then came August and the time for me to visit Holland for nearly 3 weeks.<br />Together with Sander there where a number of programs and meetings planed of which some fortunately where canceled and others unfortunately where also canceled. I say fortunately because the whole trip turned out to be very exhausting for me. Unfortunately because I would have liked to meet some of the people I was supposed to meet, but … “Sabbe sankhara anicca’ti “, “All that is conditioned is subject to chance”. I also had to cut short a few other meetings which I had planned because of fatigue but it gave me a chance to do other things and dive a bit deeper in to things with the people around me and this was needed also.<br /><br />There was the much welcome visit of Anne and Sophie, “Mama” Ineke, came to visit and that was so nice to see here again after here last visit in Sri Lanka a few years ago. Some friends and neighbors came to visit and in general we had a nice time, I’m so sorry I could not visit some other friends but time was a limiting factor.<br /><br />During my stay Dharmapala (or better Kamal now), took nicely care of my daily needs, and my dear “brother” Ab was as always a great help in everything!<br />He drove me where I had to go, came daily to inquire if I needed anything and supported me in all the things I had to do and decide. His advice is always welcome and always a great help not in the least because it is given in a spirit of freedom to take it or leave it , but that is Ab.<br />(our brother Jiva Singha).<br /><br />Shortly after I arrived there was the interview with the Telegraaf newspaper, and it turned out to be a pleasant one. I don’t like al this publicity but for the sake of getting support for the Randolph House I did it, and as said it turned out to be not as bad as I expected J. After that we had a wonderful evening at Nicole and Remco’s place in Sassenheim where I got the “Boerenkool met worst” they promised to supply. Sander and Ardje, Ab and Kamal and me, we all enjoyed a great evening there with them.<br /><br />The meeting with the Rotary ladies in Rozendaal was a nice evening, and I got some donations in my bowl that night which I have used for a part to give a young man a chance to start a motor repair place. The rest will surf its purpose to pay for some small operations and supply some people with medicine. Also the donations which where placed in my bowl during the meeting with the people from the Randolph Fellowship in Breda will be used accordingly.<br />I must ad that the money collected is spend now on a eye operation of a young man and because of this donations we where able to pay for 1 eye, the costs for the other eye we still hope to collect.<br /><br />The evening in Breda was well organized ( but we can’t expect anything else from Sander and his friends cant we?). It was a good chance to meet some of the people I saw in Hikkaduwa at the Randolph commemoration ceremonies during the past years. It was nice meeting them again. Over all it was a great evening. The day before I left there was a surprise visit of a crew of “Hart van Holland” who produced a nice short item about the work for the Randolph House. It was broadcasted on the evening before I left and Sander and Ardje came to spend the evening with us and together we watched the program. This was a Very Touching and emotional part of the evening, not only for San and Ardje! Late at night I finally went to sleep and early morning we left for Schiphol. I must say that it was not unpleasant to be for 20 days back in Holland, but I was O, So Happy to leave again! My mind was flying in front of the plane on its way back to Lanka! The warm or better hot welcome at Katunayaka was overwhelming! Ariyadhamma, his family, the other pupils, Aruna, his son and Bandara made my arrival feel like a real homecoming.<br /><br />When I came in our place the dogs went mad, people from around came whole day till late at night to welcome me back, and even the next day some people from farter away came to visit. It feels great to be back home I can assure you!<br />I can assure you also that I’m not planning a next trip like this soon again .<br />I can only hope it served its purpose for the Randolph Fellowship.<br /><br />MORE VISITORS;<br /><br />A few days after I came back from Holland I received an email from our dear friend Scallet from Germany. She had hoped to come and visit me when I was in Breda, but unfortunately (or maybe fortunately as it turned out to be), she could not make it and she wrote that because of that SHE WAS ON HERE WAY TO LANKA! We all where so happy and excited to welcome here back here!<br />She’s one of those wonderful, beautiful people who we have got to know here in Sri Lanka! She came with two of here friends and we spend a few happy afternoons together with them. Its such a great thing to realize that there are so many wonderful young people who are so loving and caring for those people who are poor! They are nice young people who are compassioned, interested and respectful towards those who are less fortunate then themselves! We all where so happy to see here again and to make friends with the two friends she brought and we hope they will come back very soon for a longer period!<br /><br />There are plans to come back and do some volunteer work which would be so nice! And; so needed!!!! We need young professional people to come and share their knowledge with the youth here! Also Scallet started again to organize some help for our work ( I should say as usual ), and here father also is planning with friends to organize some things! Thanks to this wonderful compassioned family!!!!!<br /><br />At the same period Mr. Gras and Janette de Snoo a friend of his came again to Lanka and paid us a few welcome visits, they gave a personal donation which I am using to develop the land Mr. Gras gave us earlier this year.<br /><br />One afternoon there came a couple of unexpected visitors from Holland; Mr. Piet van Os and his wife Durna from the Priyanthi Foundation. They had already attempted to find us but failed that time. Now then they fortunately succeeded.<br /><br />They came to ask us to help them distribute some “fishing rods”. They had read the article in the Telegraaf in which Bhante stated that: “if people come to me to ask for a fish, I try to give them a fishing rod, that way they can help themselves and will be independent”. They wanted to give “fishing rods” to those in need!<br /><br />After a long talk about their wishes Bhante asked them one or two days time to look what kind of projects we could supply them with. We came up with the following;<br /><br />- In Akurala 24 woman where supplied with coja (coconut hair) so they could start to work on their own to make ropes. Mr. Da Silva our secretary is checking up on this project.<br /><br />- Also in Akurala a man of whom half his feet was amputated had his 3cycle repaired and was supplied with 200 coconuts and he is now able to make a living for himself and his family selling them to the shops in his arrear. Also this case will be checked by Mr. Da Silva.<br /><br />- In Gonapinnuwala a girl of 13 years old who is comatic ( half conscious) and who cant do anything at all and who was carried everywhere by here mother, has to be fed and is suffering from incontinence and used to sleep on a bed without proper bedding is supplied with a mattress, bed sheets, pillow and pillowcases, a wheelchair and a cupboard for the use of here and here sister. This very poor family also received some other help.<br /><br />- One young man (just married) from Telwatta, who is a painter but because of a problem with his hand has to give this up, and another young man from Baddegama where helped to start a brick and flower pot making workshop, so they can supply for their livelihood. Here we have to pay also a part of the investment because this is compared to the rest a quite expensive project.<br /><br />- We compiled on their request a list of 40 of the poorest children from the villages of Akurala, Kahawa and Telwatta who will be supplied with the necessary schoolbooks and maybe shoes for the next school year.<br /><br />For this great people of the Priyanthi Foundation we would like to give a: “Sadhu, Sadhu, Saaaaaa !!”, because they did all this work for our poor and needy people during about 10 days time they worked with us!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />Our thanks goes to them and their donators in Holland! Thank you very, very much for all this help!!!!!<br /><br />We are trying to develop some other programs with them together and as soon as it is clear what we are going to do you can read more about it!<br /><br />On top of this all they donated a gas cooker, an oven and some plates, spoons and forks for the Randolph House and they are planning also to donate a fridge.<br /></div><div align="center">This kind of people and organizations make our work lighter and surely more pleasant. Its so rewarding and encouraging to see that we can work together with such compassionated humanitarian people! They make it worthwhile to struggle sometimes for a period of time<br /><br />Daily live<br /><br />This month and the past where very busy and not only with the visitors;<br />We (and all the other monks) closed and are closing our “rains”, the yearly 3 monthly rain retreat.<br /><br />For the closing ceremony we need always a lot of monks and because we are not able to open up a tin , we have to participate in as much as possible places. </div><div align="center"><br />This so called Kathina Ceremony is a very important one for us monks because our seniority is counted by the Vas or rain retreats and the closure of the retreat is therefore one of the high points of the monastic life. We participated already in 11 such ceremonies and during the last stages of this lunar month there are still some to come. This is why we are a bit behind in our work so you have to excuse us if everything takes a bit longer.<br /><br />As soon as this season is finished and we are up to date with our work we decided that it is time for a short holiday; Bhante and the boys will go together with Dominique on a short trip to some remote villages and visit some of the Holy places. After a few years of hard work we hope to finally have a deserved short vacation and go on pilgrimage!<br /><br />Well my dear friends and well wishers that was it for this time!<br /><br />SOON TO COME: A LOST BUDDHA STATUE, MORE ABOUT THE PROJECTS AND PLANNED PROJECTS.<br /><br />We wish you all to be Happy, Healthy and Safe!<br /><br />Ven. H. Sri Devamitta Thera<br />Rev. B. Ariyadhamma Thero<br />Rev. R. Devarakkhita Thero<br />Rev. W. Narada Thero and<br />Rev. B. Tapassi Thero.<br /><br />Sri Metta-Ashrama<br />Telwatta – Sri Lanka.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-40885051541551887422009-06-14T05:55:00.000-07:002009-10-26T23:27:52.912-07:00board members<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoMeqKyK5QKSmeyuvV7dAyoLgjJbCqrPrh_FDGf3tb_v-ls16KfOW2cBQ45cnUSjt3RmZX_RhpqEoojpQQabjC9TKJWAjp19Sx-sCKaRf1781Cme9yS_tYwZaNJgtJC1LD7f8p34INWM/s1600-h/P6060005.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347168834188281522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoMeqKyK5QKSmeyuvV7dAyoLgjJbCqrPrh_FDGf3tb_v-ls16KfOW2cBQ45cnUSjt3RmZX_RhpqEoojpQQabjC9TKJWAjp19Sx-sCKaRf1781Cme9yS_tYwZaNJgtJC1LD7f8p34INWM/s200/P6060005.JPG" /></a><br /><div>from left - right;mrs.Shama Chandrika treasurer fellowship. Mrs. Malika Amaravithanage treasurer Sangha Sabhava.Mr. Chaminda Prasad youth activities. Mr. I.D. Lasantha Kumara (Bandara) and Mr. W.V. Karaunasena Justice o/t Peace, religious and welfare activities.</div><div></div><div>Below:</div><div>next pic: again mr.Chaminda and the treasurers</div><div></div><div>last pic: L-R:Mr. Da Silva secretary both foundations- Ven. Devamitta and in the background Mr. Da Silva our accountant, brother of the secretary, accountant Min. of Social Affairs - housing projects.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-4680854326244893732009-06-13T21:27:00.001-07:002009-06-13T22:23:21.775-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLmrWXEivDXEesLi7K7CVDt40RHA0EcdJOtS4Ik5Mrj5XowFpzryf2hrmPNe4S377IZ6xG-LVAsBLcOVAQ8bolH22CL5QLRKtY4PGfp56Xy_Hix2iMqEYpOE3q8hBHooYkpFoZ1OYTbE/s1600-h/P6060004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347044017389609938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLmrWXEivDXEesLi7K7CVDt40RHA0EcdJOtS4Ik5Mrj5XowFpzryf2hrmPNe4S377IZ6xG-LVAsBLcOVAQ8bolH22CL5QLRKtY4PGfp56Xy_Hix2iMqEYpOE3q8hBHooYkpFoZ1OYTbE/s200/P6060004.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyopg59k-UmVUM66caI-vpyyZ00PQcZzc4OORzU_rsETvl-vg2d0A464H32wS8ij8YZ5uuGn3tPckeQo1GaHngjFuSpi0jRef9aCk0WVqTm00XqsDtorwsmvdEL2yl7HxeEi3Kr_KRuj8/s1600-h/P6060001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347041419658945266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyopg59k-UmVUM66caI-vpyyZ00PQcZzc4OORzU_rsETvl-vg2d0A464H32wS8ij8YZ5uuGn3tPckeQo1GaHngjFuSpi0jRef9aCk0WVqTm00XqsDtorwsmvdEL2yl7HxeEi3Kr_KRuj8/s200/P6060001.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>“OF COBRA’S, OTHER SNAKES, CENTIPEDE’S, SPIDERS, FOUNDATION BOARDS AND OTHER POISONED CREATURES :-)”.<br /><br />Well, dear friends, as you might guess from the heading we had some visitors lately.<br />During the last month or so the weather has been hot and wet, and this brings out all kind of creatures. The first who came to visit us where a few spiders, though not deadly poisoned, they where poisoned enough!</div><div><br />In the middle of the night I woke up with a shock when I was bitten in my big toe (seams funny, but it was not!), and the feeling as if the bones in my feet where burning; the pain was incredible and the bones of that feet still hurt! About 3 nights later I woke up in the night because the Rev. Ariyadhamma jumped out of his bed while screaming and started rolling on the floor with pain. He was bitten in his under belly by a spider which he saw just jumping away, he was in severe pain for a few hours before it diminished and it took about a week before the pain was gone. There was a bad swelling and it oozed water from the bite mark and he had quite a fever for a few days. Next was Rev. Tapassi; early morning he screamed and when we ran to the room where he was sleeping he was jumping up and down, he was bitten twice – once in his belly and once on his back! He also had a lot of pain and there where to bite marks and soon after these places developed swellings like with Rev. Ariyadhamma. This time Rev. Devarakkhita saw the spider and helped it to a new incarnation.<br /><br />The family of Rev. Narada phoned us to inform us that they where coming from Weherajaya (6+ hours by bus) to visit us but that they would be late because they 1st had to go to hospital to get the 2nd serial of injections for Rev. Narada’s little brother (he’s only 4 years old) who was bitten by a dog with rabies. When they arrived later that afternoon the little one and Rev. Narada‘s sister where near the ditch next to our house and saw there 2 poisoned water snakes. Together with the fact that we have a cobra living on the backland which we just got donated by the fam. Gras from the Netherlands made me have a urgent talk with everybody present that they should be very aware and careful for snakes!!! Not that that helped much, because the same evening when they got ready to go to the house of Aruna to sleep there, I heard quite a commotion outside and it turned out that a very poisoned snake sneaked between the legs of the little one and his father could just in time lift him up. There is no antidote for the poison of this snake and Anura helped this one to his next reincarnation.<br /><br />A week later we had 2 Patheya’s (poisoned centipede’s) making a house call, they where quite big; about 20-25 cm, and that sized ones will give serious problems if they bite you, they hopefully have a better next live now.</div><div><br />Because I had to register my last will and testament at the Ministry for Religious affairs so the different people and the foundation board in Holland of the Randolph Fellowship could be stopped worrying what would happen if I kick the bucket, I had to go to Colombo twice and when I returned the last time I was really dead tiered. I wanted to rest an hour and went to lie down on my bed. Being very tired I could not sleep and was looking at the wall, there I saw a movement and when I looked better I saw a snake of nearly 1 ½ meter on top of the wall. I called Sarath and Ariyadhamma to have a look and they said it was a hybrid kind; a mix of a Rat Snake and a Cobra and quite poisoned. (I don’t even know if such a combination is possible, but what the heck). They pushed the bastard outside and he disappeared to the next door land. The next day all the novices where gone to school and Sarath had his work in the rent house so I was alone at home. I was busy to send sms messages to Jaap (Plugge) and wanted to send him a email when I heard a noise in my bedroom, when I went to look I saw that the bastard of the day before has come back for a next visit! I locked the dogs in the other bedroom (don’t want them to be killed), and had a more then 10 minute fight with the serpent to finally work him out of the house, man that bastard was aggressive !!!!!! When I had him outside I gave him a farewell “soejang” (hit him nicely with the broom) and of he was!<br /><br />Day before yesterday we had the next episode; people catched a BIG White Cobra a few meters away of our house on the path, he was 1.80m. long and fat as an arm!!! Half the village came out because most of the people here never saw a white cobra or any cobra so big for that matter! Eventually they wanted to kill him and we where just able to stop them and we put the fellow in our laundry basket and called to the wild park. Some rangers came to fetch him but when they saw him they returned to their station to fetch a strong metal case because such a big snake was too much to transport in a rice bag (lol), they measured it later. So now we only hope that this was the end of our poisoned visitors and we have some rest of them!!!!<br /><br />As you might be aware of from the above I had to make my last will and testament, because of the worries about continuity etc. when I might kick the bucket. I appointed some people to take care of things if that happens and had my testament registered at the Ministry of Buddhist affairs. (Up till now the property is all privately bought – tough there is a loan which still stands open for a part of our house and land – we have been promised that for this and for the needed improvements there will be fund raising organized?). The other land is a donation I personally received from well wishers, and there is some land I bought more then 25 years ago and those lands will be inherited according to tradition by my pupils. The Blue Lotus Sangha Sabhava Foundation will manage them and has them under its control (in beheer), as entrusted property but according to law and tradition the “Paramparawa” the Linage of Monks owns them. That way nothing can ever be soled or disowned. Having said this I realize that;<br /><br />"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein.<br /><br />Anyhow, I made my testament, visited the Ministers of ; Health, Education and Social affairs to make sure that when the time is there the registration of the “Randolph House” as a Vocational Training and Rehabilitation Centre will be accepted and go smoothly. Also I made sure that they will corporate and they offered tax deduction and in some cases even freedom of tax.<br /><br />We now have to wait till funds are transferred from the Netherlands so we can buy land and buildings and start to build the “Randolph House” !!!.<br /><br />It means that we will have a lot of work coming but we are very eager to start!<br />Also we found according to our ideas the right person to run, together with me, the building process and later the House. Hopefully our Dutch friends of the “Randolph Foundation” who sponsor this project understand that I can’t do everything myself (especially if I have to go on with my work for a longer time and my expiring date should be a bit later lol), and that we need someone to work fulltime on it and that such a person should be on “the payroll”. I am sure that this will be a good investment because this way we will safe quite some money on the material needed and we can be sure that we have good quality material and work done.<br /><br />Our Sri Lankan Government has got the taste of things, and the MP’s have discovered that they are supposed to be lawmakers, so they make and chance laws on a nearly daily base now. Also the law on NGO’s and INGO’s has been changed again, sigh, and we had to change our board accordingly and where just in time to be within the deadline so we can be registered as a NGO.<br /><br />So now we finally thought we had the two boards for the two foundations ready; but …. One of the two secretary’s who we invited was absent without leave and will be absent during the 1st few working months of the foundations. It’s a good person, and we assured that later he will still join! What to do?<br /><br />“"Sometimes you just gotta let shit go and say to "hell with it" and move on"”<br /><br />And that’s what we do! During the 1st period we will have 1 secretary for the 2 foundations and later we will see if we can persuade the intended other secretary on his return to Lanka to take over the post of secretary of the Blue Lotus Buddhist Fellowship our “working foundation”.<br />So its time for me to introduce our boards to you:<br /><br />THE BLUE LOTUS SANGHA SABHAVA;<br /><br />This is the foundation that is running the affairs of the Sangha, controlling and managing property and in charge of the religious affairs and activities. In future the board should mainly be made up by Sangha members except the treasurer which should preferably be a layman/woman. (We prefer woman to handle the money, in Sri Lanka its better anyhow and they know it very well)<br /><br />President: Ven. H. Sri Devamitta Maha Thera.<br />Secretary: Mr. De Silva (Super intendent of a big rubber and thee estate and secretary of the Ruhuna Buddhist Council for Welfare and Social affairs.)<br />Treasurer: Mrs. M. Amaravithanage. (Housewife)<br />Gen. member: Mr. W.V. Karunasena Justice o/t Peace. Religious and welfare activities<br />Gen. member; Mr. I.D. Lasantha Udeya kumara De Silva (Bandara), youth activities and coordination projects.<br /><br />THE BLUE LOTUS BUDDHIST FELLOWSHIP;<br />This is the “working foundation” which will execute the projects and be in charge of running them on a daily base.<br /><br />President: Ven. H. Sri Devamitta Maha Thera.<br />Secretary: Mr. De Silva (see above).<br />Treasurer: Mrs. G. Shama Chandrika (Director Samurdi Bank Ambalangoda).<br />Gen. member: Mr. K.H. Chaminda Prasad (painter - contractor) Youth activities<br />Gen. member: Mrs. Karunasena (retired teacher) woman and children activities.<br />( I would like to put a face with the names and therefore you should have a look at the pics.)<br /><br />I’m quit sure we have a good team and hope and wish that we will be able to work hard together for the benefit of the poor and needy, and for our society in general!<br /><br />I like to wish all the members of our board good luck, and success in their work. I hope that they will find satisfaction in the work, and that the knowledge that they are working for the good, happiness and wellbeing of many will bring wellbeing and happiness to them to!!!!!!! Lastly I would like to thank them personally for their participation and their wish to help us do this often difficult work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />Ven. Holland Sri Devamitta Maha Thera.</div></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-87092028996413720602009-05-25T23:07:00.000-07:002009-06-13T21:27:25.648-07:00freedom of terrorism<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaXH3CkSE6IQfg7nm2Y7lXnUge8Nsz0fO_zbP3wR5AihrQUvoOscVbrj08q7oXTi2CKQjgux-4R0WspFcRzPof_dXi-fLm08km9qc8gTfZHsAgxcFA4ZzY-hS6omLtdDfyqWkNed7w9c/s1600-h/141tfki.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340011749008135858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 80px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaXH3CkSE6IQfg7nm2Y7lXnUge8Nsz0fO_zbP3wR5AihrQUvoOscVbrj08q7oXTi2CKQjgux-4R0WspFcRzPof_dXi-fLm08km9qc8gTfZHsAgxcFA4ZzY-hS6omLtdDfyqWkNed7w9c/s200/141tfki.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>FREEDOM OF TERRORISM, FINALLY !!!!!<br />SRI LANKA HOPEFULLY GAINED ITS FREEDOM OF TERRORISM<br /><br />Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. -Abraham Lincoln<br /><br />Dear Friends<br /><br />After more then 30 years of terrorist attacks by the LTTE this organization which has been internationally recognized as the most dangerous terrorist Group in the World has been defeated by the Sri Lankan armee.<br />War and armed action is a horror in the eyes of any normal person, but sometimes a government has to use armed action to protect its people, and a government is the only authority in a country who is allowed to use force for this purpose. We are not happy that the Sri Lankan government had to use full force, but in this case there was a need to do so. The LTTE has killed during the last 30 years more Tamil people then Singhalese, and we all know how many presidents, ministers and even the prime minister of India fall victim to this group. A number of young samanera’s (novices) and monks where slaughtered by them, innocent worshippers at the Maha Bodhi Temple (mainly woman and children)The Temple of the Tooth was bombed , hundreds of innocent Muslim worshippers at mosques where killed, market places, schools, trains, busses etc. etc. where bombed and innocent people slaughtered. Tamil parents who did not want to give their children to them as canon flodder where brutally murdered and so we can go on and on. Hopefully this is now all ended. We want peace and wellbeing for all, not only for a few.<br /><br />… For Cruelty has a Human Heart,<br />And Jealousy a Human Face,<br />Terror the Human Form Divine,<br />And Secrecy the Human Dress.<br />The Human Dress is forged Iron,<br />The Human Form a fiery Forge,<br />The Human Face a Furnace sealed,<br />The Human Heart its hungry Gorge.<br /><br />-WILLIAM BLAKE, Songs of Experience ( A Divine Image)<br /><br />To long we have been living whit this kind of humans, it should end now!<br /><br />This cruelty, jealousy and terror has to end!<br />It should be changed so we can live in peace together true unity, non discriminating, with mutual respect and with a feeling of belonging. That it is possible, we saw that during a number of inter – religious meetings we organized with the purpose to reconcile the different groups! When we started there was animosity, mistrust and fear. After a few day’s during which there was the possibility to confront each other and openly talk about the wrongs done, the situation changed quite quickly, and there where apologizes, expressions of regret, respect, care and love for each other and a feeling of belonging together! There we learned that:<br /><br />... For Mercy has a human heart,<br />Pity a human face, And Love, the human form divine,<br />And Peace, the human dress.<br /><br />-WILLIAM BLAKE, Songs of Innocence ( The Divine Image)<br /><br /><br />Unfortunately we had to stop these meetings: not because there was no interest (the people who participated had many ideas to expand the activities), but because of a lack of funds. We are so sorry for this because especially now we need this kind of activities mosth. We had hoped to be able to organize also a number of inter – religious activities for woman and children etc. but money is the problem! I want to stress that we need reconciliation and a dialogue and I want to appeal to anyone who can help us to reach our goal! If any of you can help us or knows a way to find funding please help us! Our Christian, Hindu and Muslim brothers AND SISTERS are most willing to meet again and work hard for this purpose!!!!!!<br /><br />THERE HAS TO BE DONE A LOT OF WORK IN THIS COUNTRY.<br /><br />Democracy on the basis of one person one vote has to become accepted true out the whole population, not one group might it be religious or racial can expect more then that. No more privileges like before, not to the Singhalese but also not to the Tamils; not to anyone!<br /><br />Corruption has to be routed out! Unity has to be established! Like President Mahinda Rajapakksha said: There will be only one majority; Those who love, and are working for de independence and unity of Mother Lanka! And there will be only one minority: Those who are against that!<br /><br />This all is a long proces and we hope and pray that it will be successful, it has to be if we want peace and prosperity in this country. It’s a hard and difficult process. This country needs all the help it can get, not the “help” like we had recently, we don’t need this NGO’s and INGO’s who 1st of all fill their own pockets, stay in the most luxurious hotels and have humble crab en lobster lunches!!!!! We don’t need those who work together with and support terrorist groups!!! We don’t need those who put their stickers on houses build be others to show their donators a lie, or those who announce great projects and stop them half way because “its so difficult to work here”. We don’t need those who come here and try to buy over people to become a member of their religious groups so they can collect more funds to convert more “poor heathens”! We surely don’t need more of this politicians who come here to have a nice trip and who look down on the “natives” and feel like the colonial masters they once where! They have the courage to judge the situation here while their own countries invade and slaughter millions in other country’s (based on lies and financial interests!!!!!). We don’t need more of this Sri Lanka “experts” who have been here a few weeks or even months staying in their luxury hotels or villa’s racing true the country to reach the nearest beach resort and the next luxury hotel to open another bottle of whiskey.<br /><br />Those things which are wrong here may be said, but they will have to learn to do that in a respectful and not in a patronizing way!!! That way anybody here will be willing to listen and agree!!!! We need those who really have the best interest for this country and its people in mind!!! We need those who are willing to help this country to do the work needed in constructing democracy, welfare, development, human rights etc. and who are doing that because they want to help fellow human beings in an independent, peaceful and united country.<br /><br />My mother used a saying which I want to share with you here: It’s so easy to push the crown of once head, but it’s very difficult to put it back on! Let’s together try to put the crown back on the head of this country!!!! </div><div><br />I know it’s a difficult job, but live has no easy ways if you want to do something positive.<br />I’ll end this piece by asking you to work together with us and pray for a peaceful and prosperous future for this beautiful and deserving country and its people. </div><div><br />With Love; Yours in The Dhamma:<br />Ven. Holland Sri Devamitta Maha Thera<br />Rev. Baddegama Ariyadhamma Thero<br />Rev. Rotumba Devarakkhita Thero<br />Rev. Weherajaya Narada Thero<br />Rev. Baddegama Tapassi Thero. </div><div><br />Metta –Ashrama<br />Singha Govi Mawatha/ Bandarawatta<br />Daluwatumulla. Telwatta.<br />Sri Lanka. </div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-35819386056798780692009-01-08T21:32:00.000-08:002009-01-08T21:48:08.489-08:00Old Year - New Year<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHw6aOp23gzFoi2WE0bmgREAveSkfoqMcVL2wOfybL5-ESvs-6davsE2dl1N87s8ek4MsZSSTmkBPYPdhyOuWdu14LUbCYm8m6Y9DDrqg5UmJSNZjuP0CJs0HX4-DJGDxvgLG07DNuVs/s1600-h/326_MOON300.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289166378541557122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 143px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHw6aOp23gzFoi2WE0bmgREAveSkfoqMcVL2wOfybL5-ESvs-6davsE2dl1N87s8ek4MsZSSTmkBPYPdhyOuWdu14LUbCYm8m6Y9DDrqg5UmJSNZjuP0CJs0HX4-DJGDxvgLG07DNuVs/s200/326_MOON300.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div>OLD YEAR – NEW YEAR<br /><br />Dear friends<br />The old year has passed and the New Year has started, we hope and whish that it will be a good year for all of you; and better year for all of us!<br /><br />The past year has not been an easy one, we changed place, we had losses and some of us had personal tragedies to cope with.<br />The Rev. Devarakkhita (Bhante’s second pupil) even lost his father on X-Mass day. Together with the Rev. B. Samitha Thero, Bhante took care of the funeral costs.<br /><br />Many more of our friends have passed away this past year and the war took its toll like some natural disasters did.<br />Even the Mafia killings in and around our village are regrettable.<br /><br />Some of you also had personal losses and even the economic crisis has left its mark on the world.<br /><br />Even tough all of this there are also good things which happened this past year: we changed place (tough not easy, it’s a good thing because all of us are happy in our new place), we could do a number of very good works for our society, we could help or support some individuals and make some people very, very happy! (If, for example, your eye site or hearing is restored it’s a great thing). Also the list of things we have done (which you will find in an earlier post), is impressive.<br /><br />Thanks to a donation of Mr. Jaap Plugge we even have a new fridge, a big one with a big deep freezer, and it’s our own one this time!<br /><br />We are renting a big house in the village now where we are trying out our ideas and some programs. Thanks to Mr. Georg Höfer who donated the rent for a period of 6 months (42.000 SRS). He came here to run a program with a number of kids from Telwatta and Galle called: Telwatta Photo Kids for which he collected the funds. This is a great success and the result is above expectations tough all what we hoped for up till now!!!!! Georg is not only a passionate professional photographer; he’s a great teacher who is able to inspire the kids in a big way, and we hope you will visit the weblog of this program where you can see the really beautiful results of this program in the form of the pics made by the kids. (See the link on this page)<br /><br />We are very grateful to Georg for this program which is great fun and a source of inspiration for all of us!!!!<br />He makes the kids, and us, very happy!!<br /><br />In the house we started among others to show a few films for children of the village and they enjoy it tremendously!!<br /><br />During the next few weeks we will have a few meetings with woman rights activists to which we will show a (bit of a controversial) Buddhist film, and which will be followed by a discussion.<br /><br />There will be inter – religious meetings and we will start in corporation with the Salvation Army a HIV/AIDS prevention campaign.<br /><br />We hope to get our woman and girls activities started (which is quite difficult to begin with).<br /><br />We have a lack of funds to do all the things we want to do and we hope that there will be found some generous people who would like to donate some funds for this purpose. (on the moment we have NO FUNDS AT ALL FOR THIS PROGRAMS AND AGAIN BHANTE HAS TO PAY MOST OF IT FROM HIS OWN POCKET, AND THE POCKET IS EMPTY AFTER ALL THE COSTS WE HAD TO COVER DURING THE LAST FEW MONTHS!!!).<br /><br />Talking about funds: the funds to pay for the OK KIDS English teaching program are all spend, we are even behind in payments!<br />We stopped intake for people with medical needs because there even are no funds for those we have already!<br />We had hoped to be able to help some of the neediest children in our society to get some extra food and sponsor their study:<br />but no funds!<br />We had hoped to improve our living quarters: but no funds!<br />We don’t like to go on with this list, but you will “get it” I think.<br />The bottom of our “money box” is totally cleaned out!<br />We would like to continue our work but need your help with it!!!<br />PLEASE HELP!!!!!<br /><br />We recently got the help from Lianne a Dutch volunteer, but although she has a lot of ideas and is more then willing to work hard to realize them; all kind of activities cost money and we have not got it!!!<br /><br />We hope that in this New Year we will be able to get some structural financial basis so we can continue our work with the poor people and youth from our area and elsewhere.<br /><br />Anyhow:<br />We like to thank all those who supported us during the past year, all those who showed interest in our work and life and we hope that you all may be; Healthy, Happy and Safe in this New Year !<br /><br />Bhante Devamitta Thera,<br />Rev. Ariyadhamma Thero,<br />Rev. Devarakkhita Thero, and<br />Rev. Narada Thero.<br />O, yes before I forget them :<br />Rex and Ariel.<br /><br /></div>Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-74818896762014263062008-08-12T02:22:00.001-07:002008-08-12T03:15:31.789-07:00Intro with the update of 12-08-08Dear friends<br />1st of all we would like to say that we are sorry that it took such a long time to update this blog. Due to sickness, an overload of work and the fact that we had to move to our new place of residence coursed the delay. We hope you understand this and will still enjoy this blog.<br /><br />We will update the other Blog also and will send you a message when that is done. If you know any one who would be interested to read our blog please give them the address.<br /><br />Our new residence is the Metta – Asrama ( Metta = Loving-kindness and belongs together with Karuna = Compassion, Mudita = Sympathic Joy and Upekkha = equanimity to the Four Brahma Vihara’s the Divine Abodes of Buddhism).<br /><br />Also this time we tried to make the whole thing more readable because there are more entries so you can read from the top down.<br /><br />We hope that you will enjoy reading this blog and as soon as the other postings are ready we will inform you!!!!<br /><br />Bhante Devamitta<br /><br />Comming soon; Medical cases –People; storys of people around us – Children who need care; stories of children around us – Try-cycles continued – Ward 6 continued- Buddhist Teachings Yes or No ?Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-39310874567568177492008-08-12T01:02:00.000-07:002008-08-12T01:06:16.936-07:00Singhapura part 1SINGHAPURA A VILAGE IN NEED! Part 1.<br /><br />Last month we where asked to come to Singhapura, a small and very poor village near the town of Polunaruwa in the Eastern-Middle Province of Sri Lanka. The request came from one of our friends who have been working there for the Red Cross. “They urgently need help, Bhante! For years no one has paid any attention to them!” He told us further that even tough the Red Cross started some work there, they would not be able to finish it and those who needed it most would not be profiting much of it. He then started to tell us all kind of things which made us curious and we decided to go and have a look.<br /><br />After a trip of more then 9 hours by car we finally arrived. Our friend Kapilla received us at the tank of Polunaruwa and guided us to the village. What we saw there exceeded the things we where told. About 60% of the population is living under such poor conditions as seldom seen, even in Sri Lanka. We where 1st brought to the address where we should spend the night. We received hospitality from a family who can be considered one of the “rich” families of the village. We where well received and after a wash up and thee, we where shown around the village. Here we will give you 1st a report about the good things which are happening there, and after that we will tell you about the other things we where confronted with.<br /><br />There are in a big part of the village nice channels with vast streaming water, they are a part of the new irrigation system which was much needed here because it’s extremely dry here for a big part of the year.<br /><br />Thanks to this system the farmers, that’s nearly everybody here, can now grow crops again like in ancient times. This ensures that the people here can earn a living, anyhow those who own land.<br /><br />Even paddy and coconuts are growing here now! Also most people use those streams to take their bath and do their laundry. It’s a great progress since I’ve been last in this arrear about 24 years ago.<br /><br />Unfortunately is the drinking water of such a bad quality that we can say that it is quite poisoned, and not suited for human consumption.<br /><br />Lately the Red Cross has built a water purification centre, which is a great blessing, or could be so. The problem is that if you want to be connected to the water system to receive the purified water you have to pay an entry fee of SRS 5000.=.<br /><br />There are 92 families who are so poor that it is impossible for them to pay that amount, so they will not be connected and have to do with the un purified water!!!!!!<br /><br />The water contains among others heavy metals like; Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic and Fluoride which causes chronic kidney diseases.<br /><br />This is a BIG PROBLEM and there is rice of 25 % of kidney failure, their teeth are rotting away, liver and milt are slowly giving up, and also intestinal problems are chronicle etc. etc.<br /><br />There where 140 families which had no toilet facilities, the Spanish Red Cross would supply them with a decent toilet. The problem is that after they supplied 55 houses with a toilet the money was finished (or stopped) so there are another 85 families who have to do with a whole in the ground!!! Not only uncomfortable but what is more important very unhygienic and a source of infections and eventually epidemics.<br /><br />Then we came to the “Mother and Child Healthcare Centre” if you might call the ruined building we saw there so! This 1st line health centre was not to be called a building even! Not even fitted for animals to be stalled in!!!!! Not surprising that during the last couple of years there has not been a midwife here and that even Dr. Indika who is in charge of it never went there anymore. He visited the place 3 years ago and never went back. I must say that this is really very understandable indeed! <br /><br />This Centre is one of the 1st urgent things which should be renovated so the 1st line health care for pregnant woman and woman with their baby’s should be started again!<br /><br />Then we went to the Montessori school where the smallest children of the village are supposed to start their education. Even tough the super structure of the building is not too bad and can be repaired quit easily the rest is in a terrible state. What we 1st thought to be a kind of stall for goats or so, turned out to be the place where the children supposed to take their meals. The playground is in fact dangerous for these small ones to play. The toilets are not worthy of the name the washing facility is a trough and the rest is in the same state. As said the walls and the roof can be repaired and should be newly plastered, but the rest …….? (see pictures at picasa)<br /><br />After we visited those places in Singhapura we had enough of it really!<br />That evening we talked with a number of people mostly young householders with children and some people in their twenty’s who formed a committee and who where not willing to lie down and accept the state in which their village is in! Admirable, but where to start and how to get things going? They did not have an answer to that!<br /><br />It was clear to them and us that they needed help urgently!<br /><br />The next morning we went to visit the school which was also in a bad state, but Bhante saw also that the teachers there where not really doing their thing. (This was confirmed by the English teacher there and he told that the discipline among the staff was the biggest problem of the school). There are 6 teachers and 12 children and the level is below 0 ! therefore we think this has on the moment a low priority and we will contact 1st the inspector for education and schools in the district before we look in to the possibilities. Even tough repairs are really needed, better work by the teachers is a 1st condition.<br /><br />We talked with a few villagers and asked what their big whish would be except from the things we mentioned, and we where highly surprised to hear that they wanted a good library with, if possible, 1 or 2 computers so the youth could read and study there! We where so surprised because people in Lanka are not exactly known to be readers, and in some place those who like to read books are made fun of!<br /><br />On that moment Bhante’s phone rung and we received message that due to the heavy rains the town where we used to live for some time, and which is in the vicinity of Telwatta, Baddegama was flooded by the heavy rainfall. There where a number of people who drowned and thousands of people fled their houses and where in need of help. We decided to start back to Telwatta and organize the needed help.<br /><br />We quickly said goodbye and started our return journey at once.<br />On the way back Bhante started to mobilize people so next day we would be able to start a help program for those in need. When we where near to Kalutara we where forced to go back and find another way because the water blocked the road. Finally late in the night we returned back to Telwatta and could get a few hours of sleep to start of next morning early hour to Baddegama. But that is another story which you will find elsewhere.Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386429496551985847.post-13449110742269539072008-08-12T00:58:00.000-07:002008-08-12T01:02:22.622-07:00BADDEGAMA FLOODED!<br /><br />While we where in Singhapura near Polunaruwa we got the message that Baddegama was flooded due to heavy rains, and we hurried back to organize some help for those affected. We arrived back in Telwatta late in the night and during the trip back Bhante started already to organize a few things needed.<br /><br />The next morning we called to a number of people in Baddegama and tried to make an inventory of what was needed. Fortunately a lot was done already by the army and some government agencies. Bhante had the day before, during our trip back, mobilized our good friend Mrs. Joy Butler Markham of the Manacare foundation and she had gone already to Baddegama and distributed food, medicine etc.<br /><br />That morning when we went to Baddegama and it turned out that the water was still very high but that the situation was quite under control, and that there was not much help needed anymore.<br /><br />We found out that in Neluwa near Deniyaya there was urgent need for medical help. The nurse of the Manacare centre who was standby was send there to distribute medicine and help with the needed care to be given to those in need there. This was an initiative from our BLBF.<br /><br />The next step was that on initiative of Bhante Devamitta there was a meeting held on the 6th of June at the house of Mrs. Joyce Butler Markham in Hikkaduwa. During that meeting the situation in Baddegama was evaluated and on initiative of Bhante Devamitta there was a Disaster Emergency Committee formed.<br /><br />Invited where:<br />Mrs. Joy Butler Markham of the Manacare Foundation.<br />The Ven. B. Samitha Thero vice pres. o/ t Baddegama Pradesia Sabhava. He excused himself and asked Bhante to represent him.<br />The Rev. Father Niroshan of Christ Church Parish (Church of Ceylon) in Baddegama and<br />The Ven. H. S. Devamitta Thero.<br /><br />A number of needs and wants and a work program where formulated.<br />We hope to have the second meeting soon.Holland Sri Devamitta Therahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14489703937213946670noreply@blogger.com1