Visiting the assemblies and monasteries of other spiritual teachers and followers was a regular practice of the Buddha. He did so mostly in the morning before his routine trip for alms. He would spend some time with the people of different thoughts, listening to their views and elaborating on his own.

The Buddha’s trip to Wanderers’ Park in the city of Rajagaha was one of such visits. After leaving his monastery early in the morning, the Buddha thought, “It is still too early to go for alms; I will go to Wanderers’ Park and talk to [the teacher] Udayin.”

When the Buddha visited the Wanderers’ Park, Udayin welcomed the Buddha and said, “Sir, if you were not here, these wonderers would want me to talk to them about the Dhamma, but now that you are here, we do want you to talk about the Dhamma.”

“Then, Udayin, you may suggest something I should speak about,” the Buddha replied.

Udayin took for discussion the metaphysical subject of a person’s past and future lives. He stated that some teachers had proclaimed two kinds of supernatural powers: their ability to recollect the past lives of themselves and others and their skill in predicting about the existence in the future lives. Udayin wanted to know what knowledge the Buddha had developed in that regard.

The Buddha began his reply by clarifying that anybody would be able to satisfy the listener’s mind with whatever answer to a person’s past or future lives. What the Buddha meant was that there would be no way to verify the answers given to such questions.

“Therefore, Udayin,” the Buddha continued. “Leave aside the past existences, and leave aside the future existences. I will tell you the Dhamma, [the truth visible at present]. When ‘this’ exists, ‘that’ exists; When ‘this’ arises, that arises; When ‘this’ does not exist, ‘that’ does not exist; with the end of ‘this’, ‘that’ ends.”

Majjhima Nikaya: 79: Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, 654-662

Vihara resident monk Ven. Maithree, along with several other Samaneras of Attanangalla Rajamaha Viharaya, will obtain Higher Ordination on June 24^th at Malvatu Uposathagara, Mahanuwara. It is a day-long event beginning with the interviews and exams and traditional rituals. A few days after receiving Higher Ordination, He will return to HBV to observe the Vassa season.

The Vihara is planning several weekend summer workshops—one mega workshop for both children and adults and several writing workshops for children—between July 7 and August 5.

You are welcome to offer suggestions about the topics for the mega workshop.

During his current visit to Sri Lanka, Bhante Rahula participated in several TV programs and gave many TV Dhamma talks. One of the programs was ITN’s Doramadalawa, and another was Rupavahini’s Sanhida. Besides, he gave several Dhamma talks for Hiru channel’s Sadaham Ras. Some of the links are given below. The first four links are for the separate sections in Doramadalawa.  A few more of his Dhamma talks in Hiru Sadaham Ras will be telecast in near future.

• දොරමඬලාව – 2018-06-11 – ගැටළු විසඳීමේ ක්‍රම
• හිරු සදහම් රැස් -495 – 2018-06-14
• හිරු සදහම් රැස් -498 – 2018-06-17