Inspired by what he had heard from friends about Buddhism, Hermann
Acker from Oberndorf takes a leap of faith and gets ordained in Sri
Lanka after listening to and meeting the Chief Incumbent of the
Mihintale Raja Maha Viharaya at a function in Germany.
Far removed from his duties as the Mayor of the small German town of
Oberndorf, Hermann Acker decided to get ordained as a Buddhist monk at
the Mihintale Rajamaha Viharaya recently.
Mr. Acker (55), who has served as Mayor for over 14 years developed
an interest in Buddhism after he heard about the teachings of the Buddha
from two of his friends who were frequent visitors to Sri Lanka and
keen students of the teachings.
The turning point in Mr. Acker’s life came last August when he met
the Chief Incumbent of the Mihintale Raja Maha Viharaya Ven.
Walawahengunawewe Dharmaratna Thera, who was visiting Oberndorf to chant
“pirith” at the wedding ceremony of the daughter of a friend of the
Mayor
“He chanted the prayers in the church where the wedding was held and it
was soothing and I was instantly attracted to the sound,” Mr. Acker
whose ordained name is Ven. Germaniye Rathanasiri Thera, said.
The two had spoken about Buddhism at length and Mr. Acker had asked
Dharmaratna Thera if there was a possibility of him being ordained as a
monk in Sri Lanka.
“I was interested and wanted to experience life in a monastery as a
monk and I made a request to be ordained and was granted the privilege
of being accepted into the order,” he said.
In a ceremony this week, Mayor Acker went through the rituals
associated with an ordination having his hair shaved off and being
handed the garb worn by a Buddhist monk. Since then he has strictly
followed the monastic practices at the Raja Maha Viharaya.
In the lush green climes of the Mihintale Raja Maha Viharaya, Ratnasiri
Thera’s daily routine that begins in the early hours of the morning
includes meditation, chanting of gathas (stanzas) as well as reading and
discussing various aspects of Buddhism with fellow monks.
He has also visited religious sites around the country such as the Sri
Maha Bodhiya, the Ruwanweliseya and other places of worship in
Anuradhapura and the Dalada Maligawa in Kanday.
“It’s wonderful being in Sri Lanka and in particular in Mihintale. It
is beautiful and is an ideal place to practise Buddhism,” Ratnasiri
Thera said.
The Chief Incumbent of the Raja Maha Viharaya Dharmartna Thera said
he was impressed by the commitment shown by Mr. Acker, since his
ordaining.
“He is still undecided whether he wants to continue as Mayor once he
returns to Germany. However, he is keen to continue to enhance his
knowledge of Buddhism,” Dharmaratna Thera said.
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