Interview with a Buddhist monk

The 5th of March, year 2024.

Moon’s Rock Monastery, rural area of Solewewa, Anuradhapura district, North-West part of Sri Lanka. 

Interview with a Buddhist monk, Bhanthe Kirinde Chandaratana.

By Elisa Cornacchia.

Premise

Some months ago, I was deeply suffering, in pain for what I now know is a worldly attachment: a person that I loved broke my heart, tore it into pieces. So I asked the Universe for a sign, I asked it what to do, where to find an explanation and a cure to that dreadful pain that was taking life away from me. So, one night, I woke up trembling after a strange dream and I immediately knew what I had to do. Suddenly all of my sorrow disappeared, because I sensed deep down that what I was supposed to do at that precise moment of my life was to take a deep breath, look for a Buddhist monastery somewhere, anywhere, in Asia, buy a one-way plane ticket, pack my entire existence in a 15 kg backpack, say goodbye to everyone I loved in my country, Italy, and just… go. And I did it. I left everything and everyone behind me, all the weight I was carrying on my shoulders, the burden of the memories, the incredibly heavy and destructive past… I just… let it go, and start focusing instead on the only moment that really matters, the present, and the only person that can really give me happiness, myself. 

I have been interested in Buddhism since the first time I traveled to countries where this is one of the main religions, such as India, Cambodia, or Japan… I’ve read tons of books and manuals about Buddhism, but, even so -I was aware of it so well- I was truly the opposite of what a Buddhist person should be. Buddhism preaches not to have attachments to anything, not to let anything and anyone shake your inner peace, and not to cultivate fear, anger, resentment, jealousy, lust, and greed. And I have to admit it, I was the culprit of all of them. I was hanging on to the past being unable to accept the very nature of life: constant and unavoidable change, endings, and, eventually, death. 

I thereby understood that I needed to spend time with someone who was a real Buddhist, someone who could teach me the way of the Buddha not only with words but also by his/her example, by actions. Again, I scrolled down the Workaway webpage typing one single word in the research filter, “Buddhist monastery”, and I came across this one, where I am living right now, in a country that was not even in my thoughts until that very moment. So, yes, I ended up here in the Moon’s Rock Monastery, in the rural area of Solewewa, in the Anuradhapura district, in the North-West of the country. The opportunity offered is incredible: in the monastery, you have a chance to find out about the lifestyle of Buddhist monks, practice meditation in a unique spot with a view of rice fields, palm trees, and cows, walk around the village, and interact with locals, to enjoy delicious traditional meals and learn how to cook them, to see beautiful wildlife and precious sunsets, to bath in the nearby lakes, to read English Buddist books from the library, to play cricket with the children, to discuss with the monks about the Buddha’s teachings… so that’s all I did, and even more: I found some of the answers I was looking for and I created sincere and meaningful connections with all the amazing people I’ve met there. Indeed, these 2 weeks were so intense, memorable, and filled with emotions of joy, understanding, and gratitude that I will never thank enough everyone for this: from Chandu, our monk, to Nissala, our young monk, and then to all the kids of the village, in particular the generous Dimuthu, the jaunty Githmi and the sweet Maheshi, and to the other girls, Elena, Lulu, Ish, Laurie and Lauryn, like me wanderers from different and far away countries, young and so full of potential, to which I sincerely wish to find their way… 

So, here is my interview with a Buddhist monk. I hope his words can be as illuminating for you as they were for me. 

Ishtuti, thank you.

Good morning Chandu, thank you for accepting this interview. 

So, could you please share with us a quick presentation of who you are?

Ayubowan, hello. Thank you for coming all the way to Sri Lanka to join our community and learn about our life here. My full name is Bhanthe Kirinde Chandaratana, but everyone just calls me Chandu, and I am a Buddhist monk. I was born in 1988, so I am 36 years old now. I was born in the South of the country, in the small village of Kirinde, near Matara. Monks take the name of the place they are born in, so that’s why Kirinde is now in my name.

When did you become a monk and how?

I became a monk when I was only 11 years old, in 1999. Until I was 8 years old I lived with my mother, then she sent me to a monastery, where, after 3 years of learning and practice, I was ordained monk. Afterward, my chief monk sent me to Anuradhapura, where we are now. One day my master passed away, and, before leaving us, he had selected me among his 16 students to hand over the place. This happened in 2013. I was only 26 but I felt completely ready to assume such an important role and a huge responsibility. I have always been very interested in challenges, and automatically I accepted. Also, it happened in a very natural way. I wouldn’t have known what to do in my life otherwise, I have never thought about jobs. 

Do you enjoy being a monk?

Monks have to lead a responsible existence, and I enjoy my life. On one hand, I have to follow many rules of behavior and sometimes this is challenging. On the other hand, it is rewarding because people respect me. I get a chance to help many children, live in a very peaceful and mindful environment, and develop and maintain my inner peace. So, yes, I am a happy person and I enjoy being a monk.

Was it your choice to become a monk?

At the time I was ordained monk I didn’t know anything about what it meant and implied to be a monk because, of course, I was too young, just a child. So it was not my choice to become a monk… it was my family’s and masters’ choice. 

Have you ever thought of quitting being a monk?

Honestly, yes, many times. It’s not that easy to follow all the rules and be always beyond reproach: there is so much pressure on us, everyone expects Buddhist monks to be perfect, never to commit mistakes… but this is not possible, because we, as you Elisa and everyone else, are humans, and it is not in our human nature to be flawless. There are things that I enjoy but that are forbidden for Buddhist monks, and it is not easy to renounce. There are many rules in Buddhism for monks, 227 to be accurate. Some of them are common also to other religions, such as Christianity or Islam, for example, don’t say bad words, don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t kill… but there are also rules that maybe not everyone knows: as a monk, I can’t play games, I can’t sing, I can’t eat after 12.00, I can’t wear t-shirts, I can’t grow my hair or beard, I can’t play musical instruments… all things that I like, but I must refrain from doing them. So, yes, sometimes I’ve thought of quitting being a monk and changing my life. But there are mainly two remarkable reasons that refrain me from doing it.

What are the reasons that refrain you from quitting being a monk?

First of all, my students. Who would take care of them if I left? They count on me, and I do not intend to abandon them. I want all of them to finish school, go to university, become monks, and find their way. Maybe after seeing them settled, I could think about it… But then there would still be another big problem, that is the second reason, not less noteworthy: that I have no idea about how human relationships work outside of the monastery. I wouldn’t know how to earn myself a living, how to socialize with people, how to find and deal with a wife, how to run a family… I am already 36 and I have lived all my life like this. It’s too late for me to bid farewell to all I know and all I experienced to start a brand-new lifestyle in a world that doesn’t wait and doesn’t forgive anyone.

Passing to a topic that captured my attention arriving here, why can’t women sleep in a Buddhist monastery?

Because, as I said, men are not infallible and to put constant temptations under the eyes of a person cannot lead to anything good. We have five senses, sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell, and women can fulfill all those senses. A fundamental rule for Buddhist monks is that we cannot touch a woman, nor have any sexual encounter or romantic relationship with them. So, it is better not to challenge our right conduct.

How do you run the monastery? 

I need to give education to children, this is the absolute priority. The monastery is alive thanks to many people from innumerable countries who help us through donations, funds, and equipment such as books for the children. Also, the people who come here through Workaway are a great source of support: sometimes they also donate, but, most importantly, they spend time with the village kids and share their knowledge and culture with them. I am trying to do my best to help the students. This is a very rural and poor area and the government needs to help us. Here there is no proper teacher nor adequate instruments and material for the children. It is difficult to manage the day-to-day expenses. 

How many students do you have?

I have 11 students in total and only one lives here: Nissala. Nissala lost his mother, she abandoned him and his father, went to live abroad, and remarried. The poor boy and his father didn’t even have a pair of shoes, food, proper clothes,… they didn’t have money at all, their house was troubling and many wild elephants were putting them in danger by accessing their property. So I decided to take them both here. Nissala became a monk after 2 years of training, that is a few months ago, at 13 years old. His father instead helps me with the general maintenance of the monastery. Now Nissala leads a content life, he has a lot of friends, clothes, food, school books, a safe house… Not only a happy life but a very respectful one. Everyone stands up on the bus and the train and gives him a seat. I can say with certitude that now Nissala is happier. Now he has everything he needs, mentally and physically, and he has freedom. 

This is a Theravada Buddhist Monastery, could you please explain to me what it means and what are the differences with the other main school, the Mahayana?

Theravada is a school of Buddhism that follows the Pali Canon and is centered on the earliest Buddhist scriptures, emphasizing individual effort and monastic practice, and its beliefs center around personal liberation. Moreover, enlightenment in Theravada is seen as liberation from samsara, the cycle of continuous reincarnations. The Mahayana school instead follows also new texts and teachings, focuses on helping others, has a wider range of approaches to enlightenment, has its canon and additional Mahayana sutras, emphasizes the bodhisattva path (the path followed by anyone who tries to reach enlightenment) and, eventually, Mahayana views enlightenment as the act of becoming a Buddha.

Do you have dreams or goals? 

I am a Buddhist monk, so I do not think about the past or the future, and this means that I have no dreams and no goals. I live in the present, that is the only moment that counts, the only one on which we have power. Dreams and goals bring us expectations, and expectations often result in delusion and, therefore, suffering. People rush after worldly desires and lose their time, their serenity, and their focus on doing so. What is even worse is that they are never satisfied. One desire after the other, there will always be something more to reach, to obtain, to fight for. In this neverending research, people become restless and unhappy. But if we could only see how much energy we waste looking for things that are useless and unnecessary. If only we could understand that it is not on the outside that we have to put effort, but on the inside, not in having, but in being, not in becoming beautiful in how we look, but in our soul. Being beautiful in our soul means to be free from all negative, unwholesome thoughts, and to be free from them we need to be free from attachment, this way, we will be free also from suffering. So, don’t think about the past, nor the future, for the past is gone and the future is a mystery and the only moment we truly possess is the present.

What is meditation?

Meditation is always inhaling peace and exhaling distress, focusing on the present moment. Fully living in the present. Everything is meditation, any activity can be meditation if we do it in the right way. From silently calming down the mind, to cooking, gardening, tying one’s shoes or combing one’s hair, slowly eating, walking in a camp, massaging someone’s feet… If you can keep your mind pure and still, watching from a distance thoughts as they come and go and not letting any of them shake your inner peace, that is meditation. 

What do you think is the biggest problem of humanity and how to heal it? 

Attachment. The sadness, the pain, and the sorrow are all related to attachment. Greediness. Desire. Giving importance to other people’s opinions. Thinking other people can save us and give us the happiness we are longing for. I take praise and criticism in the same way, giving it the same importance, that is, very little. And do you know why? Because if you celebrate when people praise you, then you grow your ego and lose inner peace. And if you beat yourself down when people criticize you, then you lower your ego and lose inner peace as well. You only get free from attachment by understanding reality. In this world, nothing belongs to us. Everything is impermanent. Why are you and so many more heartbroken? Because of expectations and, again, attachment. We can’t find happiness in others. It is just so wrong to even think we can pass this responsibility on to someone else. Everyone must take charge of his own life and happiness. Everything is subject to change and we must accept it. Happiness needs to be found within ourselves.