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.
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| Mayor of Oberndorf Hermann Acker |
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.
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| Ordination Ceremony |
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.
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.
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| Ven. Germaniye Rathanasiri Thera |
“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.
Mayor of Oberndorf Hermann Acker (above), and (right) after
ordination Ven. Germaniye Rathanasiri Thera at the Mihintale Raja Maha Viharaya,Sri Lanka.
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SOURCES : buddhistpage.com