From a mud hut to international fame

by Soma KALUBOWILA

Ven. Kuppiyawatte Bodananda Thera is to celebrate his birthday on November 26. As usual the celebrations start in the evening on the 25th with a Bodhi Pooja and a Dharmadeshana and ends on the 26th with an almsgiving at Kanduboda Meditation Centre where he was ordained.

Who is Kuppiyawatte Bodananda Thera? Some might think he is a talented, erudite and eloquent Dharmadeshaka and a disciplined disciple of the Lord Buddha. Ven. Bodananda Thera is all that and much more. Although he is little known in Sri Lanka, Kuppiyawatte Bodananda Thera is well-known, respected loved and talked of almost all over three fourths of the globe.

Ven. Bodananda Thera fondly called Ven. Bodi by the International Community is the founder and the Director of the world famous Mithuru Mithuro Movement; an NGO for treating drug abusers. Ven. Bodananda Thera an illustrious son of Nalanda Vidyalaya, Colombo opted to enter the monastery rather than the University after his Advanced Level Examination although he had obtained good results. The young Bodananda Thera started his social service while he was a trainee at the Pathaka Buddhist Training Centre for Novice Monks.

According to his ideology 'Evil doers cannot be corrected by punishment' he proposed to the authorities that the convicted prisoners be sent to a religious environment where they could be guided spiritually, instead of keeping them in jail. As a result 106 convicted persons were handed over to be rehabilitated only six out of them had failed in the training. All the others passed out successfully as good citizens.

Encouraged by this success Ven. Bodananda Thera moved on to a small hillock called Rilhena in Palmadulla where a thicket of 10 x10 in extent had been donated to him by a philanthropist. It was here that the present giant Mithuru Mithuro Movement originated in a wattle and daub hut in 1987. Mithuru Mithuro is the only organisation in Sri Lanka that rehabilitates, better talk of as correct or heal the unfortunate youngsters suffering from various addictions, manias and all other kinds of trouble making mental disorders via Therapeutic Community System (TC).

Thanks to the Colombo Plan Secretariat Ven. Bodananda Thera was sent to the USA to undergo a comprehensive training in the novel approach TC for treating drug addicts; at the Day Top Headquarters in New York in 1996. On his return the enthusiastic Thera who is rich in revolutionary ideas adapted the TC concept to suit the ethnic, socio and religious environment in Sri Lanka. Using the teaching of Lord Buddha as the basis. Thus paved the way to the new concept of 'faith based' treatment of the drug abusers. This versatile Sri Lankan model of the TC is the first of its kind and now it has become the role model to 79 countries following the TC system.Ven. Bodananda's vision is a society where people disdain all that is harmful to others. A society where compassion, tolerance, gentleness, honesty, wisdom and equanimity thrive to the fullest a society where virtue reigns supreme. Hence Ven. Bodananda Thera's service is multi-faceted. Mithuru Mithuro Sevena in Rilhena; the haven for anybody who needs help is the hub of many activities, such as rehabilitating street children, and programs like Pre school vocational training, Community Water Project, Susaviya Savings, Community Environment Conservation Project, Mental Health Education, Infrastructure Facilities Development Program and Women's Skill Development Program.

Ven. Bodananda has not forgotten his duties as a Buddhist monk. He has established a Buddhist Hermitage with a view to promote meditational activities and to build up a religious minded society. Being a talented and a knowledgable preacher, he extends his services regularly teaching and preaching Dhamma both at home and abroad.To this date Ven. Bodananda Thera has won many international and national awards for his services untiring efforts and everlasting success of the MMM. The recent award was from his Alma Mater. International Conferences he had attended and addressed keeping the audiences spell bound are numerous and the knowledge, expertise and experience he has accumulated from his travels far and are wide unfathomable.

Long live Ven. Bodananda Thera to carry out his illustrious service for many more years.

(The writer is a member of Mithuru Mithuro Parent Support Group).