Champion of Communications and the Arts

by Ven. Walpola Piyananda

Los Angeles, CA

(December 22, California,Sri Lanka Guardian) On the 26th of December we will honor the ten year anniversary of the passing away of Ven. Dr. Mapalagama Wipulasara Maha Thera for his many contributions to Buddhism and the arts of Sri Lanka. Much will be said by others about his many honors, memberships in Buddhist organizations, his many leadership roles, and his accomplishments in education, the arts, and the sasana. In this article, however, I would like to instead focus on this great monk’s character, which still lives as an example for the many students whose lives he impacted.

The main thing I remember about this kind and generous monk is his unwavering positive attitude – about everything. He never said “no,” and he never used the word “can’t.” Not seeing the positive possibilities in everything he approached was simply not in his understanding, and was foreign to his thinking. His most famous phrase was “No Problem!” It was this positive attitude that encouraged the thousands of monks who received training in the pirivena system in Sri Lanka, which he re-developed and put into motion.

One of Ven. Wipulasara’s most notable achievements was his ordination of ten Sri Lankan women as bhikkhunis in 1996 in Saranath. This was the first such ordination of Theravada nuns in over 1200 years, and it demonstrated his commitment to the egalitarian principles of his faith.

I remember that Ven. Wipulasara literally lived in airplanes more than anywhere else most of his life. Whenever a problem arose anywhere in Sri Lankan Buddhist temples around the world he would call and say “I’m on my way.” He immediately got on the plane and transported his positivism to wherever it was needed, and he pioneered the way for the modern version of Dhammaduta that so many of us have since followed as we take the teachings of the Buddha from country to country.

His direct and indirect disciple monks have followed his example, and many of them are currently serving the Buddha sasana in a variety of foreign countries, including Ven. Maitipe Wimalasara and Ven. Muruthamure Pannaloka in Los Angeles; Ven. Assaji and Ven. Samita in Kusinara, India; and Ven. Sumana in Singapore.

In addition to teaching and inspiring young Sangha members Ven. Wipulasara expressed his generosity and liberal social views over the years by training many of Sri Lanka’s journalists, artists, and politicians – including H.H. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who sought his advice when he was a young man until the Venerable passed away this past October. We may note that Ven. Wipulasara also worked closely with Mrs. Bandaranayake, our first female president, on a variety of projects over the years.

His artistic achievements are many, but the one I’m sure he will be most remembered for is the famous statue of the Buddha that has been copied and replicated tens of thousands of times, and whose grace, elegance, and simplicity speak to the hearts of millions of Buddhists everywhere. This is the Buddha image in the shrine room of my temple in Los Angeles, and nearly every other temple in North America and throughout the world.

Thank you for joining me in honoring this great monk. His championship of Buddhism, the arts, artists, and free thinkers everywhere will be long remembered in Sri Lanka and everywhere else in the Buddhist world.