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

“No,” said the lamb, “if the water is muddy of there, I cannot
be the cause of it, for it runs down from you to me.”
“Well, then,” said the wolf, “why did you call me bad names
this time last year?”
“That cannot be,” said the lamb, “I am only six months old.”
“I don’t care,” snarled the wolf, “if it was not you, it was your
father,” and with that he rushed upon the poor little lamb and
ate her all up.
Many current governments devote themselves to the endless
litigation of past perceived slights, instead of devoting themselves
to improving their countries by addressing their numerous problems.
The people who carry out these schemes are indeed sadists, and will
face something like the “10 states” as explained by the Buddha in the
Dhammapada, 137-140.
“He who inflicts punishment upon those who do not
deserve it, and hurts those who are harmless, such a
person will soon come to face one of these ten states:
he may soon come to terrible pain, great deprivations,
physical injury, deep-rooted ailment or mental disorder,
the wrath of the monarch or a dreadful accusation, loss
of relatives, the complete destruction of wealth, or a
sudden fire may break out and burn his houses. After
the dissolution of his physical body, he will surely be
born in hell.”
Revenge is a waste of time, energy and resources. It is
antagonistic to all our common goals of wanting better countries in
which to live, with stable, democratic governments that represent all
the people. I appeal to all governments to come to their senses and
serve their countries by doing the jobs for which they were elected.
20
Independence Day Speech – February 4, 2023
Good evening venerable members of the Maha Sangha, friends,
sons and daughters of Sri Lanka. We are here to celebrate the 75th
anniversary of our Motherland’s independence. We do this every year,
but this year represents a unique milestone. Not only have we reached
the three-quarter century mark as a nation – we have also endured one of
the most difficult years in our country’s history. This past year we have
endured Covid; we have endured a complete economic meltdown; we
have endured shortages of everything from petrol to food to medicine;
we have endured a political earthquake that included rioting in the
streets; and we have endured a year that was filled with global strife,
a disastrous war in Ukraine with a dramatic worldwide ripple effect,
increased global-economic inequality and inflation, and many other
woes. It will be long remembered for its many difficulties.
And yet somehow, after enduring all of this, we have survived.
The truth is, we are a very strong people, determined to survive
everything history throws at us – even against all odds. We survived
as a people through 400 years of colonial occupation. We survived
political assassinations. We survived a devastating tsunami. We have
survived 30-years of terrorist attacks. Incredibly, we have made it to
the 75 th anniversary as a nation – almost as old as I am. What will help
us survive another 75 years? This is the real question we should be
asking today.
When we really examine our lives – both individually and
collectively – the only thing we really have any control over is our
intentions. We have the ability to choose, to decide on our course of
action, to fuel our choice with mental energy, and to be persistent in
being steadfast about our choice. The Buddha himself demonstrated the
power of intention the night he sat under the Bodhi tree. He declared
that as the Earth was his witness, he would not get up from where he
sat until he had achieved complete enlightenment. The Buddha realized
his intention.
The Buddha named Right Intention as number two on his
Noble Eightfold Path, as part of the Panna, or wisdom category. He
stated that our Intention was an outcome of our View, so he placed
Right View as the first element in the Path. To survive and prosper as a
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