He followed the five precepts to the best of his ability

I write this appreciation on the 125th birth anniversary of my father that fell on February 21. He passed away on October 11, 1994 at the ripe old age of 95. He had his early education at St John’s College Panadura and completed his studies at the Ceylon Law College. He was admitted as a Proctor of the Supreme Court on September 25, 1925.

He started practising in the District and Magistrates Courts of Kalutara attending the circuit courts in Panadura. When Panadura received permanent District Courts in1945 he confined himself to Panadura District Court where he enjoyed a lucrative civil practice. He was slow to ask for fees from his clients and accepted what they gave. Many poor clients received his services free. Many of the affluent in Panadura were his clients.

In 1975 the lawyers of Panadura felicitated his completing 50 years in active practice. He refused to attend the usual formal dinner that was accorded to such persons but agreed to attend a tea party in the court premises and the unveiling of his portrait in the Law Library. By that time, I had joined him in the practice.

He last attended Courts in June 1994. That was the 69th year since his admission as a Proctor. Since then, he stayed at home reading Buddhist Literature. He had a good library of Buddhist publications.

He married my mother Vivian Wickremasuriya known as Vita in the family circles and was blessed with three sons and a daughter. Thaththa was a devout Buddhist who followed the five Precepts to the best of his ability. He spent a considerable amount of time in the shrine room meditating.

He observed atasil on Poya days. Every evening he got the family together and recited Pirith.

When I entered Ananda College in 1960, I was in the boarding. Ananda Vihara wasn’t built at that time and the boarders did not have a shrine. Thaththa obtained permission from the Principal and converted a vacant area in the boarding into a shrine for the use of all boarders.

I have seen him purchase in bulk the book, Light of Asia by Sir Edwin Arnold that he used to gift to friends and foreign dignitaries (Buddhists and non-Buddhists) here and abroad. He used to say how some of the Buddhist literature authored by Dr Ambedkar was published in small booklet format for free distribution, the cost borne by him. YMBA, ACBC, WFB, German Dharmadutha Society, Panadura Bauddha Sangamaya are some of the organisations where he actively participated. He helped the Buddhist Publication Society in Kandy in many ways.

He had his regular evening exercise by digging a huge pit in a corner of the front lawn of his garden under the streetlight and filling it back. To dig daily the soil was soft and he completed his exercise without hurting himself. He never smoked or consumed alcohol. I could not keep pace when walking with him - that is how fit he was.

His final request was that his skeleton be donated to Meetirigala Aranya Senasanaya Nissarana Vanaya Meditation Monastery for meditation purposes. We buried his body and later sought court permission to remove his skeletal remains from the grave to fulfil his wish. We engaged a person from the Colombo Medical College to clean the skeletal remains and connect the pieces with wire.

His skeleton in a glass cabinet was offered to the Meetirigala Aranya Senasanaya. I make it a point to see his skeleton at the Meethirigala Aranya Pahala Pansala whenever I am in Colombo and I feel that he is still with us.

May he attain the Supreme Bliss of Nirvana.