Serenity

by Lakmal Welabada

Nisansala Karunaratne, final year Sri Lankan student in Photography, Graphic Designing and Fine Arts at the Sanjos Estate University of California was wondering as to how she was going to get some good pictures for her solo exhibition in photography which was a compulsory part of her five-year Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) finals.

"I wanted to do it as a documentary thesis, and was searching for a subject and location," she says. "I was passing through a difficult time, and could not concentrate or do anything. I didn't have a clear view of what I was doing.

But I had to submit my thesis before the dead line. I wanted to calm down. I wanted to gain my inner peace, that I was loosing. Suddenly, a thought came to me, 'a peaceful mind cannot harm anybody'. Miraculously there was a co-incident.

I heard from a friend about the Abhayagiri Theravada Buddhist Monastery at Tomki Road, Redwood Valley, California. When browsing www.abayagiri.org I found this place quite interesting. I got permission from the chief monk of the place Ajahn Pasanno to take my camera and lap top with me and I headed for Abhayagiri," she reminisces.

The 280 acre forest where the monastery is located was extremely silent. The little 'kuti' (hut) given to Nisansala in the area called 'Case Serina' where the females meditators were staying gave a wonderful vision of the endless forest where one can hear only the sound of wind blowing and birds singing.

The various shades of green and the many sites of the forest were enthralling. Immersing herself in the serenity that surrounded the place , Nisansala started clicking her camera, grabbing each and every corner of the tranquil view of the forest, the calm appearance and meditative gestures of Bhikkus, Bhikkunis, laymen and laywomen who had come down there from different states of America, Europe, Canada, Asia and Oceania looking for inner peace.

"Ajahn Pasanno, the chief monk told me that they got the name 'Abhayagiri' for the monastery from Sri Lanka," says Nisansala. Abhayagiri Theravada Buddhist Nikaya (sect) and it's monastery succeeded in Sri Lanka during the reign of King Walagamba.

"It was a place opened to many traditions of both monks and nuns, and laymen and laywomen without any demarcations. The Abhayagiri Monastery in California is also following the same practice," she continues.

Nisansala held her thesis photography exhibition at her university under the theme of 'Harmony - life without materialistic world' displaying the pictures caught by her camera-eye at the monastery, and was very successful.

Nisansala returned to Sri Lanka seven months ago. And now runs her own production and education centre called 'Third Eye Creative Centre'. "I want to impart my knowledge to our youth and children. Computer is just another tool that could be used for your creativity. It's simple and tranquil," she explains.

Studiotranqulity.com is the website Nisansala has opened up as a first step to share her knowledge with others.