Wednesday, June 21, 2023

FATHER⏤YOU ARE ONE SUN IN MY HEART

Hello, Dear Parent Friends of the Web! 

Here is a touch of my wisdom... to make a difference in the tapestry of life. 


FATHER⏤YOU ARE ONE SUN IN MY HEART


Thirty-Seven years ago, on July 28,1986 
I was shattered beyond words
having learned about your demise, 
in a land far away
from where we, the family, did reside.

You were my very blessed father
whose desire was fulfilled
to pass away in your motherland
where much of your memories lived

Your disappearance, then, was our deep loss
In our inability to recognize 
that 'emptiness' permeates
the nature of 'being and becoming'

⏤the constant in LIFE 
subjected to the moral law of causality 
in operation, upon the field 
of interdependence and coexistence
in space and time

Today, I realize, 
after much reflection and insight
that you are present 
in every bout of my human experience
unobstructed by demarcations
and differentiations of material kind

My beloved father, 
each time I think, speak, and act
you are my conditioning spirit
beside my mother
traveling with me in space and time
while I am inseparably bound
and discretely fashioned
by the cumulative corporeal rhythms
of all beings of sentience
sharing the cosmic matrix
from beginning less time

I remember 
through my maturing phases
from childhood through adulthood 
that you held a special place in my heart
as the most commanding presence 
in my lifeunsurpassed by any other

with the exception of my wondrous mother

I was your one and only daughter
your faithful ambassador 
your ever-ready advocate 
and unexcelled admirer 
in all weather and through all strides


My father, your regal presence, then 

and the ever-lasting imprints 

of all your virtuous expressions

laid in my heart 

by way of body-speech-mind

will only grow the roots of virtue in me

through the eternity of time


I cherish my childhood memories

together with my two loving brothers

when you showered us 

with your unconditional affection

tempered with fatherly discipline and devotion

while you rose up to the occasion

to play the role of both father and mother

especially in the absence of my mother 

while she was away, overseas

in Englandin 1957 

and in USAin 1967

in pursuit of her dreams and ambitions

for the sole betterment of the family


I remember how you read books

every afternoon after the mid-day meal

engaging the attention and interest

of your three young children 

who sat beside you with childhood fervor 

and enthusiasm 


We were each just six, seven, 

and ten years of age, then 

in our childhood home in Polhengoda

a modest suburb of Colombo, Ceylon


I remember the wholesome lifestyle we led

imbued with simplicity and moderation

sitting together at the table with you, my father 

in the company of my mother and brothers 

for breakfast, lunch, and dinner


You cherished my mother’s gift

of loving and nurturing with warmth

being gracefully served with food 

in the order of seniority


I remember how you fed us each 

a spoonful of Cod Liver Oil

each night after dinner

while we were young and tender

silently assuring us the gift 

of health and vitality


I remember how you imparted 

your fatherly advice

to your three children with heartfelt emotion

the night before my day in matrimony


You  directed your special attention 

upon each of us

making your solemn plea 

that we sustain our loving,

giving, and caring for each other

⏤in all weather

through the entirety of our lives

while we played our sacred sibling roles 

as two brothers and a sister


Indeed, father, we are your faithful heirs

looking up at you and our mother 

with deep reverence


To this day, each of us three siblings 

live to protect each other

This great gift of caring 

held between siblings 

with unconditional love and respect 

has been passed on 

to our precious children


Father, you epitomized charity, morality, 

calm abiding and enduring wisdom

by your very demeanor, like no other


Your resolute quality of extending 

unwavering kindness and compassion

towards your fellow humans 

as well as all other beings of sentience 

fashioned our character surely, by example


We are who we are today, 

because of you⏤our beloved father 


You journeyed along the path of parenting 

along with our mother

with amazing grace and honor




Let me walk you along the path of peace and grace. 

Humanity cries out loud for help.

Sunday, May 10, 2020

A TRIBUTE TO MY MOTHER ON THIS MOTHER'S DAY

Hello, Dear Parent Friends of the Web! 

Here is a touch of my wisdom... to make a difference in the tapestry of life. 




TODAY, MOTHER'S DAY, SUNDAY MAY 10, 2020



IN REMEMBRANCE OF

 MY MOST BEAUTIFUL AND UNFORGETTABLE MOTHER

⏤MILDRED GUNAWARDENA⏤

AND HER TIMELESS AMAZING GRACE!






Photo with love and gratitude to Rekha Vasudeva



No words can ever match up to what I really wish to say...

Although my mother lives through me
 in umpteen subtle ways...

Yet, truth be told, she was unparalleled in demeanor, wisdom, and other-worldly grace!

A magnetizing spirit
 winning the affection and attention
 of countless souls of the human race...

Expanding her circle of LOVE
most naturally, and spontaneously... 

From the very nucleus of family, 
to the outermost peripheries of community, 
nationality, and universality...

My mother epitomized LOVE at its best⏤
being benevolently compassionate... 

Exuding selflessness through every breath
 and every step along the way!

Loving, giving, and receiving, 
responsibly and unconditionally… 
living her human purpose on EARTH
 with poise, placidity, zeal, and perseverance...

Yes, she emanated an aura of serenity
 beyond comparison⏤unruffled by worldly adventure...

Always remaining resolute and strong…
with tranquility, integrity, and equilibrium 

Having had a passion for learning
 ⏤from her very tender years to greater maturity⏤
through life’s perpetual turning to old age….

My mother was acutely intuitive
 to insightfully recognize
 that 'composites of knowledge' 
as ‘perspectives of knowledge’ 
converged provisionally, yet seemingly,
⏤fashioning the so called 'world'⏤
 pivoted upon the sole MORAL GROUND
 OF NATURE'S EQUALIZING COMPASSION, 
 SUBLIME, through eternal time! 
As a mentor to scores of children
 and parents of the world, 
my mother lived to perpetuate this TRUTH
 of PERENNIAL COMPASSION...as the edifice
 upon which all of knowledge must rest!

In her vision, knowledge in the absence
 of ALL-CENTERED COMPASSION…
is/was none else, but, a bottomless abyss, 
to solemnly restate!

UNCEASING GRATITUDE, indeed, is indebted to you
sweetest, dearest, MOTHER⏤GREAT!
for shaping the precious lives of your very own children, 
grandchildren, and children of humanity
with meaning and purpose
overriding conventional tides and trends!

This is a heartfelt tribute
to my wondrous mom
 who stood all tests of time
until the ripe age of eighty-five 
(at the dawn of the millennium)
 to share her heart of WISDOM and LOVE
through 'each present' 
along the spatiotemporal continuum⏤
called human experience!



Let me walk you along the path of peace and grace. Humanity cries out loud for help.

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY BELOVED DAD WHO LIVES THROUGH ME AND MY SIBLINGS

Hello, Dear Parent Friends of the Web! 

Here is a touch of my wisdom… to make a difference in the tapestry of life. 


Remembering My Dad, My Hero⏤Regal,
 Humble at Heart, and Lovingly Kind!


Thirty-three years ago
On this day of July 28, 1986
A Comfortless emptiness 
Pervaded my heart 
Seeing my precious and loving dad depart 
Waking me to the eerie knock on my soul, alas!

An unprecedented and uncanny darkness
Took over my mind
Never to be the same vivacious spirit
I have known of myself
Since the very inception of my life

A million tears shed
Mourning over my loss
Sobbing helplessly and hopelessly
Never brought solace, that lasts!

My life’s course changed forever
Aspiring to probe
Into the mystery of ‘being’ and ‘non-being’
So I may find the root of my soul

Through unfolding eternal time
Day after day
Vigor and valor held the rhythm 
Of my inner motivation
Propelled by intuition 
In search of TRUTH, the answer


Where is my dear one?
Seemingly gone, forever
Yet, there is a mystery
To be uncovered
Beyond mundane fervor

The river of my life
Courses through the space-time dimension
Surging across the bends, twists, bumps, and curves
Of many revelations

The river’s contents are replenished
From one moment, to the next
In accordance with the nature⏤of the perceiving mindset

From mental turbidity to clarity
The river brings the promise of crystallized TRUTH
My beloved father, I now know
Neither came, nor went! 

For I realize I have been caught, mistakenly
Between birth and death
Trapped in the illusion of ‘SELF’ 
And what belongs to SELF
Though the REALITY is far deeper 
Than the myth—called SELF

The TRUTH prevails, unfailingly
Since all beings are the modulations
Of ONE LOVE—unconditional
Devoid of attachmentto changing appearances!
Birth and death are just surreal manifestations
Until SELF is dispelled
With calm abiding and investigative attention

MIND—undifferentiated—the OCEAN
Of omniscience⏤infinite! 
Mind⏤differentiated⏤of manifest 
Multiplicity and Diversity
Of phenomenal revolutions
By sensory perception⏤finite

MIND—the OCEAN⏤the dancer,  
Ruffled and stirred
In response to the 'winds of KARMA'⏤or 'objectivity'
Spurred by sensory perception 
Of 'apprehender'⏤'apprehended' duality
Setting off waves of mentality
Upon the surface of the MIND OCEAN⏤of magnanimity!

Waves of multiplicity⏤
In diversity of appearance
Merging into one another
Across the causal field of relativity and mutuality
Interdependence⏤the precursor, of every phenomenon! 

All in the ONE, and ONE in the All
Is TRUTH and REVELATION 
From the purview of insightful intelligence!

My attachments—called by many names
Are the waves upon the MIND OCEAN—as processes of ‘being’
Evolving while conditions are present
By the power of attraction
And dissolving when conditions are absent
Until I wake up from the long night of SAMSARA

While it is more than three decades
Since my beloved dad’s passing,
And nearly two decades 
Since my wondrous mom’s passing
I no longer mourn, in vain
But celebrate their presence in me, and my siblings
Not forgetting, our off-spring!

This is where I am, today
Coursing through a higher level of vibration
Than what I have been, yesterday!
Attempting to soar higher⏤through contemplation
This is the only way to liberation!

For while I remain bobbing atop the OCEAN —in SAMSARA
My attachments are far from being dispelled 
Yet, I live in the light of TRUTH
That my parents never really went away!


Let me walk you along the path of peace and grace. 

Humanity cries out loud for help.

Monday, November 26, 2018

THANKSGIVING EVERYDAY!

Hello, Dear Parent Friends of the Web! 

Here is a touch of my wisdom... to make a difference in the tapestry of life. 




GIVING THANKS FOR ALL THAT IS…AND FOR ALL THAT WILL EVER BE..
GROUNDED IN LOVE!



Gratitude for LIFE!

I remain humbled today, and every day, that I am able to livebreathing, speaking, and loving life—while moving freely!

I marvel at the fact that I am able to stand, walk, bend, twist, skip, hop, bounce, or run as I wish—in my own capacity!

I cherish the moments when I can sit, stretch myself flat, or lie down to rest.


I am thankful to be bestowed, uniquely, with other natural gifts of life—to sing or dance in rhythmic momentum through time-sensitive opportunity.


I humbly accept whatever life presents through every passing moment—sublimely teaching me the lessons to be learned to my utmost perfection—testing my patience, tolerance, forgiveness, forbearance, and benevolent compassion.


Gratitude for the Unifying Principles of the Universe

I am filled with gratitude for being able to nourish my body with Mother Earth's supple and bountiful offerings of unconditional LOVEfor all of LIFE—by way of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and legumes, infused with rainbow energy!


It is my highest aspiration not to find self-gratification by causing ill-will upon other beings of sentience—for I have come to realize that other's happiness is my happiness and vice versa—in keeping with the inscrutable universal principle of 'equality and reciprocity' that prevails, infinitely.


I solemnly accept the peaceful presence of the four magnanimous wonders (of earth, water, fire, and air) when they interactively present each moment, as the UNIVERSE of experience—quite contrary to their wrathful manifestations when it is time to remind and heal us humanity of our ONENESS that transcends all mental constructs, by way of distinctions and differentiations!


I am mesmerized knowing that I am sustained in body and mind by these exalted energies—in the form of solidity, fluidity, motility and warmth—physically and physiologically, as well as mentally (by attitude), and psychologically, (by temperament).


Gratitude for Being 'Who I Am' in BODY, MIND, and SPIRIT!


I remain in mindfulness, always, with implicit respect for my sensory body, while guarding the windows of my mind—my sense-bases—from the bombardment of toxic external stimuli. I vow silently to be non-reactive, but rather, being responsive to all adversitiesenvironmentally, and all adversaries and negative influences—socially.

My heart is caressed, from one moment to the next, when I read, write, and reflect upon my purpose in lifein addition to nourishing and nurturing my intellect with peaceful mental stimulation to its ultimate potential.

I feel overjoyed when I consciously emulate an altruistic attitude in my thoughts, words, and deeds—aspiring to offer my best to fellow beings who may appreciate or seek my support.


I value my ability to express my thoughts meaningfullyas a help to lifewith my prehensile aptitudes and artistic talents!


I do my utmost never to take life for granted while am fully aware that I am an indispensable filament of vibration in the vast and inconceivable cosmic symphonic ballet—of interconnectedness, interdependence, and interpenetration. 


'How may I make a healthy difference in the Great Dance of LIFE?' is my voice, in silence and solitude, for I am fully aware that I am deeply responsible for the happiness of the 'WHOLE' of ONENESSof SELFLESSNESSas opposed to gratifying my selfish desires.


I dwell in contemplation and introspection through each infinite moment, realizing the precious nature of my very 'being and becoming' that intersects with all aspects of life—as they continually remain in mutual causality. As a mortal, I recognize that I must succumb to 'the forces of conditioning' brought to bear by the latent accumulations of thought, word, and deed—effected both individually and collectively.

Gratitude to My Family



I pay homage, day and night, to my dearly beloved parentsDionicious and Mildred Gunawardenawho lived their lifetimes epitomizing 'the wisdom of selflessness' and 'altruistic compassion'. Ialong with my siblings, spouse, and childrenfeel truly blessed to be their natural continuations aspiring to bring out the best of our cultural and spiritual heritage—by way of thought, word, and deed. I treasure these precious members of my family for their gentle dispositions, aptitudes, talents, and altruistically-oriented aspirations.


I am also grateful for other kindred beings who have intersected with my life—in one way or anotheras my extended family.

Gratitude to My Human Family


I remain in wonder and awe for my beautiful human family of kaleidoscopic diversity and multiplicityby way of appearancesupon the ground of UNITY, or ONE ESSENCE. 

Succinctly expressed, I have come to recognize that our human experiencesas joys and rejoices, trials and tribulations, successes and failuresare none other than being the consequences we perpetually bring to bear by the choices we make by our thoughts, words, and deeds, of limited, imprudent perception.

While I understand that the universe is 'whole and complete' in the momentuntainted by subjectivity and associated viewsit bears the potential to illumine LIFE with UNCONDITIONALITY and ALL-ENCOMPASSING EQUALITY.

To embrace my deep interconnectedness with all of humanity is my own personal awakening; it is my conviction that groping in the darkness of 'separateness' is to be blinded by fundamental ignorance that is self-affirming and self-depreciating. 

Gratitude to My Sentient Family


I extend my loving kindness and altruistic compassion to all beings of conditioned sentience that inhabit the cosmos—human or otherwise, large or small, powerful or weak, visible or invisible—each of which wields an oar in one way, or another, to live its sublime universal purpose being engaged collaboratively to steer the web of LIFE to infinity.

As a human, from a spiritual vantage point—surpassing the limits of my selfish intellect—I hold every precious sentient 'form' or 'pulsation' very dear to my heart knowing that we, together, are indispensably linked by the sole breath of LOVE.


It is my recognition that LOVE is SELFLESS, OMNISCIENT and ALL-TRANSCENDENT. LOVE veiled by subjective attitudes as diverse forms of selfish love—biological love, lustful love, instinctual love, and so on—inhibits dim-witted mortals from seeing ULTIMATE TRUTH and REALITY that transcends self-focused walls of mind.

Gratitude to the Environment 



I look upon the environment—as 'the here' and 'the now' within the global tapestry of LOVEas my extended sensory body of manifestation reflecting the aura of its partakers. As to how I am continually influenced by the environment rests upon the nature of my viewing apparatus, as well as the quality of attention I give to it, to the best of my human potentialwith deep reverence and responsibility.

In keeping with the ever-prevalent and reigning Moral Principle of the Universeof WISDOM AND COMPASSION—nature incessantly flexes its muscles of 'selfless magnanimity and wonder' awakening us with 'lessons of healing' when spiritual deterioration and degeneration persists. It is my passionate desire to cultivate my higher mindwith mindfulness—being benevolently charitable to my extended body, the environment, unadulterated by exploitative abuse of it.

 Serving My Human Purpose on Earth

It is my highest realization that my human time on Earth is just 'a speck' along the course towards infinity. The 'I' and 'mine' that I seemingly cherish as 'body and mind' withers away irrevocably through the unfolding phases—of material origination, evolution, decline, and dissolution. I may only aspire to be 'full' with cultivated virtuosity and 'useful' to all other fellow beings on Earth with my benevolent heart—shaping the course of my destinyharmonized by LOVE.

All the many roles I play as 'son or daughter', 'father or mother', 'brother or sister', 'friend or acquaintance', and all the many vestures I assume in lifeprofessionally or occupationally—are simply put, lessons of sublime healing to bring me home to my primordial nature of SELFLESSNESS. Be that as it may, I do my best to live my human purpose on EARTH with benevolent COMPASSION.

 Let me walk you along the path of peace and grace. Humanity cries out loud for help.

Blog Archive