Pure Inspiration

Ishanka – 81
This is the story of how his guidance changed her life and
brought her to the path.
* * *
I first met Ven. Ñāṇavimala as a young child. The first time I
saw him was when I accompanied my family on a visit to the
Island Hermitage at Dodanduwa on the south coast of Sri Lanka
to take dāna (meal offered to monks) for the resident monks,
one of whom was Ven. Ñāṇavimala.
My family took dāna to Island Hermitage from time to time. On one
such occasion, Perera, a supporter (dāyaka) following his dāna
presentation at Island Hermitage, continued on to Kataragama, where
a man dressed in white walked up to him and said, ‘What are you
doing here? You’ve just given a highly meritorious dāna,’ and
wandered off. Perera was puzzled by this encounter and searched for
this man shortly after, but never saw him again. The next day, Perera
went back to Island Hermitage to see Ven. Ñāṇavimala and told him
of his Kataragama encounter and asked Bhante if he was a sotāpanna,
a stream enterer. Ven. Ñāṇavimala did not respond to this question but,
instead, sat quietly with his eyes downcast. Perera concluded that Ven.
Ñāṇavimala was somehow special and that it was a deity who had
brought him this information at Kataragama.
I lived abroad for around ten years and completed my university
education and also holidayed in France and learned to speak French.
After this period I decided to return to Sri Lanka. When Ven.
Ñāṇavimala was in Colombo he would stay at the Vajirarama Temple
where my cousin visited him regularly.