Pure Inspiration

Ven. Pannipitiye Upasama and Nimal Sonnadara – 121
Once, whilst on alms round, Bhante noticed there was an unused home
with no occupants and an unkempt garden. On another day, the house
was not empty and he was invited for dāna (almsfood). He was treated
well and the place was very clean. But, to his surprise, in the coming
days this house was exactly the same as before with no trace of ever
being cleaned. Ven. Ñāṇavimala considered this event was organized,
not by humans, but by devas (celestial beings).
This is an incident related by Mr Asoka de Silva: on one occasion he
was having a Dhamma discussion with Ven. Ñāṇavimala in his room
at Vajirārāmaya. The discussion continued till dark and when it was
finished, he came out of the room and met people outside who had
seen coloured lights moving in and out of the room whilst the
Dhamma discussion was taking place. Mr de Silva believed these lights
were devas. On another occasion, my brother saw two large crimson
balls descending outside Bhante’s room at Island Hermitage making
the entire area bright. I thought they were perhaps devas.
Once I asked Ven. Ñāṇavimala, ‘Sir, have you crossed the river?’ (I
meant had he achieved an attainment and become an Ariya Puggala),
a Noble Person. He gave a sharp look and did not answer. I even
mentioned that when I was ten or eleven years old, after offering
flowers to Lord Buddha, I made a wish to meet monks who had
become Ariya Puggala. A day after Ven. Ñāṇavimala casually told me
only a Sammāsambuddha (Fully Awakened One) could accurately
make statements about their attainments, and others could easily make
misjudgements about themselves.
When Bhante Yogāvacāra Rāhula (an American monk) met with Ven.
Ñāṇavimala, I heard Ven. Ñāṇavimala asking him, ‘What were your