Here and Now – A spiritual journey

By Sarah Hannan

A collection of poems composed by Prof. Chamindi Dilrukshi Senaratne titled ‘Here and Now – a spiritual journey’ was launched at the University of Kelaniya English Language Teaching Unit on Thursday.  Prof. Senaratne had started writing these poems while she was reading for her PhD in the Netherlands.

“I drew inspiration to pen down these poems from the sermons I listened to and as a response to certain events I experienced in life. I believe that life at this very moment is caught between two breaths. Almost all of the time we lose sight of it, we do not realise that our thoughts are either dragging us to the past or to the future,” Prof. Senaratne stated.

Though Prof. Senaratne is an English academic, she is a part of a circle which converses about the Buddha’s teachings, experiences and the sutras. She got the opportunity to listen to the sermons conducted by Koswatte Ariyawimala Thero at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya. ‘The Word,’ which is the first poem in the book, was inspired by one of his sermons and conveys the message that Buddhism is so much about listening and listening intently.

The collection of poems was published by Godage Publishers and is available at leading book stores.

Pix by Lasantha Kumara