Pure Inspiration

45
Spending Time with Venerable Ñāṇavimala
Ven. Hiriko
I believe it was 1997 when I went for the first time to the Island
Hermitage and met Venerable Ñāṇavimala. His attendant at the
time was a monk called Vappa, who was from the Netherlands, I
think Vappa was getting ready to leave the Island and move to
an Australian Vihara to continue his practice there. Soon after I
arrived at the Island, he took me to Venerable Ñāṇavimala’s kuṭi
(hut) where I paid my respects soon after I arrived at the Island.
I was quite impressed with the Venerable’s bearing and the quiet
holiness that was radiating from him. His room was almost empty – no
books, no extra clothes, not even a pair of sandals – he walked
barefoot. He was quite skinny and walked with some difficulty since
one of his hips wasn’t in very good shape. He rarely smiled.
As I introduced myself he expressed his surprise that even though I
had been in robes for some years I wasn’t ordained as a bhikkhu
(monk), but as a sāmaṇera (novice monk) and he encouraged me to
take bhikkhu or higher ordination soon. He gave some brief
instructions about the life of a monk: that one should cut one’s
connection with one’s family, lay-friends and one’s old country. Then
one should stay near one’s preceptor or teacher without going here
and there for the first five years at least, and even more, if one doesn’t
feel ready to live independently. Then one should study and memorise
the important passages from the Pāli suttas (discourses) and vinaya
(monastic discipline). He didn’t fully endorse the Abhidhamma books.