Most Venerable Bhante Walpola Piyananda's 80th Birthday Celebrating - Collected Essays

“I don’t believe it.”
“Yes Bhante, he does. He gives me the poems to correct, and
some of it is quite juicy!”
“Raj, it seems that you have had a hand in this. You are playing
with Mahen’s life. Please leave him alone and allow this innocent man
to concentrate on his studies. Don’t you dare try to match him with a
lady fifteen years his senior. And besides, I know that she already has
a boyfriend.”
“Bhante, age is no barrier when you’re in love,” Raj responded
rather playfully.
there.”
“Raj, is Thanom responding to his attention?” I asked.
“Bhante, I don’t know, but I feel there might be something
I couldn’t quite believe that Raj was being completely honest
with me. I had a feeling that there was more going on behind the scenes
in terms of Raj’s involvement in this ill-fated relationship. It also
concerned me that he might be planting unwanted seeds in an innocent
man’s mind.
A few months passed and Thanom came to visit me. She had
a bundle of unopened letters with her. “Bhante, I came here to tell you
that Mahen has become a complete nuisance. He visited me only once
when Bhante Vipassi came to pick up the Toyota I donated. Since
that day he’s been watching my every move, sending me letters that I
don’t open, and sometimes I see him parked near my house early in the
morning. This really bothers me, Bhante. I don’t want to report this to
the police because I don’t want to make a serious problem for the poor
young man. But, please, Bhante, I beg you to make him stop.”
She handed me the letters and said, “I talked with Tuk and
asked him to tell Mahen that I wasn’t interested in him in a romantic
way, and to please stop bothering me.”
“Did Tuk speak with him as you asked?”
“Yes Bhante, but Tuk told me that Mahen feels Tuk is only
jealous of him,” she replied.
I had the feeling that this unwanted situation had gone too far.
I decided to ask Mahen to come to the temple to talk with me. I called
him and made the appointment.
Later that day Mahen paid me a visit. I noticed that his
demeanor was a bit strange, and that he wasn’t dressed as neatly as he
usually was. I took him to my office, closed the doors and said, “Mahen,
I am going to ask you directly to tell me about your relationship with
Thanom.”
“Bhante, did Tuk put you up to this? He is a rumor monger
who is jealous of me,” he said angrily.
“No, Mahen, Thanom herself came here, handed me a bundle
of letters that you sent her, and asked me to help her get rid of you.
Why are you behaving this way?” I scolded.
“Show me the letters,” he demanded.
“I will not show you anything Mahen until you calm down
and listen to me. First of all, it isn’t wrong to love someone if it is
reciprocated. But in this case with Thanom it is not reciprocated, and
you have become an unwanted pest,” I exclaimed.
“But Bhante, I love her, and I know she loves me,” he said
vehemently. I could tell that the young man was somehow not thinking
straight.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“When I talk to her, she listens to me without saying a word.
She has never hung up on me when I call. That means she loves me.
Bhante, help me to get Thanom to marry me. I know Tuk moved in
here because of her. Tuk was always interested in her – from the very
beginning. This is all his fault. I know it!”
I laughed at his ridiculous assumption.
“You’re laughing at me, Bhante. I know you’ve always
preferred Tuk over me. In fact Raj told me you’re helping Tuk.”
“Yes, I’m helping him by letting him stay here at the temple
so he can finish his degree; but I’m certainly not helping him in any
romantic pursuit he may have going on. And I must say that I know
for sure that he doesn’t have any interest in Thanom. You’ve got to
believe me.”
“I don’t believe you, Bhante. I know you’re against me,” he
shouted.
“Calm down Mahen; you’re getting out of control. You must
learn to see things the way they really are. While you were a monk you
meditated and studied the Dhamma. You should be able to concentrate
your mind and see through your delusions to the real truth.”
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