Pure Inspiration

Ven. Bhikkhu Guttasīla – 61
Ñāṇamoli and some of the other very learned and inspiring monks
from the Vajirarama tradition. These included Ven. Soma, who was a
Tamil monk, and Ven. Kheminda who was a very close associate of
Ven. Ñāṇavimala. Ven. Kheminda was someone that Ven. Ñāṇavimala
looked up to and was very bright and healthy in those days at
Vajirarama. Ven. Ñāṇavimala therefore had the company of some of
these learned, very sincere, monks for ten years at Island Hermitage
before he started his wandering career. Occasionally, he would return
to Island Hermitage for visits.
I would have first met Ven. Ñāṇavimala when he called into
Vajirarama on his walking tours in 1981 or 1982. He struck one as
someone who was very self-contained. He had exceptional saṁvara
(restraint) and he was extremely serious. By being restrained, I mean
to say that he didn’t enter into conversation easily or readily with
those around him; the way he walked was very restrained – he wasn’t
looking here and there; he had very few possessions because he was
walking and carrying everything with him. He only had his bowl and a
carrying bag in which had his basic requisites – it was extremely light.
Every day he would go piṇḍapāta to the houses around Vajirarama in
Bambalapitiya. There was one particular room where he tended to
stay when he was at Vajirarama. It was quite a large room, selfcontained
with its own toilet and bathroom. When he entered the
room, you didn’t see much of him as he tended to stay inside his room.
But every day he would come out and he would have Dhamma
discussion with Ven. Kheminda, either inside Ven. Kheminda’s room
or on the walkway outside the room.