So many young girls had many crushes with me -- Galagodawatte Gnasiri Thero

Yes .... I eat fish, meat
Alcohol, cigarettes .... never
from the age of 12, 13 I had affairs
In a boyish way I went behind girls
                     - Galagodawaththe Gnanasara Thero

Galagodawaththe Gnanasara Thero of Bodu Bala Sena Organisation revealed the he consumes certain types of meat; that he abstains from smoking and drinking and that he did have love affairs when he was a layman.

The thero has expressed these ideas by joining in with Aruni in a chat for the supplement Young in the Mawbima newspaper. The complete discussion can be seen below;

*Actually .... what is your identity? From where did your induction take place?
 A very good question. Though I am being talked about now .... it took about 20 years for that background to form. I was engaged in religious, national and social service for a long period of time ... and that was silently. I think this is the era where we should come forward. Today I have become a controversial character among everybody. It is not an accident.

*Though you were silent for sometime .... you are now very population this country. Were there any predictions made about this at your birth itself?
 I can remember, such things were told during my childhood, after looking at my horoscope. But there was nothing in it to the effect that I will enter monkhood. What the horoscope said was that I had the capability of going as far as becoming army commander. Whatever those things are, it may be that I was destined to do some service. There may be a Sansara motivation for it. That destiny of sansara could surface at any moment in our life.

*Is your objective .... political or religious?
 Both these .... none of us are detached from Politics. It is common to every human being. When we are born .... we are connected to some Politics. But we believe that what we are doing is a historical service. We have a history where when the king becomes irreligious, when the public becomes dejected, a good-natured child is accepted into the Sasana, temples are established and the robes are taken off when the child reaches the proper age. So what we do is that historical Politics .... the responsibility bestowed on us by the era. We function only in accordance to that. Beyond that we have no agenda. 

*Though you say that you are not political .... isn't there a strong unseen political hand behind you?
 I really reject that with aversion, because whatever one tries to do in this country, we are looked down upon. If we dress .... that's wrong. If we sit .... it's wrong. That's the nature of the people. But I say with responsibility that there's no political hand who directs me or Bodu Bala Senawa. Our leader is Lord Buddha. There are many organisations. They dance according to the tune of the leader of the organisation or some other. But we go on the way the Buddha has shown us. Our tune is Dhammapadaya and we dance according to that tune....

*Then the rumour that Bodu Bala Senawa is being directed by the government .... is it false?
 When we became successful .... we saw how the Opposition are making allegations against us. Some say that we are carrying out a contract of the government. Have you ever seen that we are given space or room from a government media or government newspaper? What can be said in brief is that there's no government or NGOs behind us.

*Before you joined the Bodu Bala Senawa, where did you reside?
 First of all I stayed in Waturuwila Aranya Senasanaya in Galle. That is my Guru Bima. After that our vidyodaya is the Gurukula. It was after doing further studies like that that I was operating as the Parivenadhipathi, and from the year 1998 I joined this national order fulltime. I retired even from these positions of Parivenadhipathi and joined in these matters on a full-scale.

*You are constantly confronted through the media as an aggressive monk. Why don't you preach the Dhamma more often?
 If you go through my diary right now you'll see that I give about 15 sermons for a month. Normally about 3,000 attend my Dhamma sermons. Though I don't mention names, in some radio channels in Sri Lanka it is my programmes that are mostly broadcast. I have a very fine spiritual voice which can quench the society. If I go to the Mandapaya, I can say pirith also. I can give Kamatahan for meditation by taking the Watapatha. I can say Bana and conduct Bodhi Pooja also. But it's after leaving aside all that that I have given prominence to this national responsibility. If I didn't participate in this Order I may have become the famous and most popular Dhamma speaker in this country today.

*Isn't it possible for you to say these things without being aggressive?
 I am aggressive .... though what is said is true .... the speech is not good. There is so much criticism against me saying 'that monk doesn't know how to talk'. When a child does something wrong, what the parents do is to advise with great affection. But if that same thing is done the second time too, what is then done is to scold in a harsh manner. If the wrong is done the third time, what is done is give punishment. We told these things very clearly to the leaders ....those responsible. We said it in a calm manner. We said so in a sharp manner .... don't seem to listen. Therefore we decided to address from the language that the Sinhalese would understand; that hit the mark. Where it's necessary to quench.... we can quench; if it's necessary to flare up.... for that also we are ready.

*At what age did you enter the Sasana?
 At 14 years

*Why did you think of becoming a monk?
 It was a thought that I had during my small days. I entered the Sasana against the wishes of my parents. It was my grandmother who helped me to enter the Sasana .... may have got some charitable thought. We are village folk. I am from Galle, Elpitiya. I entered the Sasana not with the worldly knowledge of the Sasana, Buddha Sasana. We had only the knowledge we gained at the daham pasela. I attained Buddhist priesthood in 1989. Now I am 39 years old. There were some monks living in a monastery in our village. A desire kindled within me about the way they lived and about their sermons. That is how I became ordained and not by being disappointed about life, sansara or by knowing about it.

*If you get a chance .... will you choose from the fortune of nirvana or the position of President?
 Nirvana should be attained by preparation. It can't be achieved that easily. Nirvana could be achieved after attaining Buddhahood, Pase Budhu and Maha Rahath states. Nirvana is the result of perfection that is counted by all Athmas. We should strive for it. Nirvana is the sole ultimate objective. But if the society who lives this side of that, falls into poverty; if we can rescue them from their suffering and we work according to Bodhisatva behaviour .... then that is our duty. But for that .... one should not necessarily be the President of this country.

*Are discussions on the Dhamma, listening to the Dhamma .... suitable for this country? 
 This society has become decayed. People don't have enough to eat .... broken families, subjected to perversion, vagrancy. How much Bana is being preached? Where is there a person who listens? A person who is consoled? First of all .... only in an environment where people live in happiness, in a healthy manner and live a fortunate life do they absorb and what is said goes into their memory. There is no point in the Bana preached to people who are in hunger. What we must first do is to appease the hunger.

*You who was ordained in your young life .... didn't you have any experiences about love?
 Definitely. I had such connections from my 12th and 13th years itself. Being boyish .... went behind girls. It was so pleasant. So we made gestures from our eyes. I also had a past like that. But as far as I can remember, such feelings began to develop for about 2 or 3 years. After I entered monkhood .... all that was washed away.

*Did you have a lover at that time?
 Not someone like that. Those days, whatever work I had in associations like Literature Society and the like, I was the one who was skillful in singing. So because of things like that, I got a lot of attention from girls. There were enough girls to give toffees, chocolates, tea. Didn't have a specific lover as such.

*Even Nanda Thero could not forget Janapada Kalyani to whom he gave his love in lay life. After you were ordained ....were you able to forget the lovers of ordinary life? 
 Not that such feelings didn't emerge. Though it happened because we are humans, we aren't those who have come to priesthood from lay life by subdueing all desires no. Feelings, desires, lust and such feelings that you feel, are open to me too. Not that it's special to me. 

 But when the mind is focused on a particular set of duties .... because of that discipline, those things submerge. In that environment there is no opportunity to get close to loving a woman .... all those feelings have died and gone. 

*When you saw a charming woman,hasn't your heart skipped a beat?
 It's like this .... when I see something beautiful .... i enjoy it as beautiful. That's human nature. But I see it .... I don't keep it on top of my head. At that moment I see that charm .... I think that it's a 'beautiful person'. That feeling .... that sentiment .... only that. Beyond that I don't keep it on top of my head.

*Have you had alcohol or smoked in your lay life?
 Never.

*Lord Buddha also had women who loved him. As a young monk .... haven't you had invitations of love?
 Such things have happened without limit. In such instances Buddha has taught us how to behave. Things like this happening, is quite normal.

 On several occasions I felt uncomfortable; I can remember ... when the Ama Wessa was being done, when help was being given, we were engaged in Teepadhabhadagna work; at that point a certain young girl whom I had never seen, kept looking at me .... would come to each and every place I go to. She came continuously like that. Wherever I go .... she keeps looking at me there. Later I told the elders there, about this. Only then I came to know that what an amount of mental suffering she was undergoing because that girl was in love with me. She wanted to see me. Though she had said that she couldn't wait without seeing me .... she had never spoken to me. Even if I stayed for one hour .... she would only stay looking there and just go off.

 The Buddha has preached to us that on such occasions to think that she is like 'my elder sister, younger sister, daughter,mother'. When that attitude comes to the mind, we never fall into temptation. But can't say that such things don't happen. It's so natural .... because we are normal human beings.

*Who is the Politician whom you like most and dislike most in the government?
 The political character whom I like most is Mr. Patali Champaka Ranawaka. The most disliked political character is Rajitha Senaratna, Vasudeva and Dilan Perera.

*Who is the most liked and most disliked character in the UNP?
 There is no such person to me. There's no issue about 'Panchaskanda'. The problem is with the ideology that emerges.

*Who is the most liked and most disliked person / persons in JVP?
 I like Anura Kumara Dissanaika. I am in favour of the system of the JVP. The problem is that I don't like their ideology. If the JVP accept that this is Sinhala, Buddhist country .... then on that day we will keep them on our shoulders.

*Identify the following in one sentence:
 Dilan Perera; Rajitha Senaratna; Mervyn Silva; S.B.Dissanayaka

Dilan Perera -- Cannot stick all nationalists; Rajitha Senaratna -- same; Mervyn Silva -- a 'depath naya'; S.B.Dissanaaka -- A fine loquacious character

*Do you watch tele-dramas, films? If yes .... what is the last creation that you watched?
 Yes .... I do. Didn't watch for quite some time. I watched Dandubasnamanaya. Recently of course I watched Mali .... because it portrayed mysterious things.

*Do you consume fish, meat ...?
 Mmmmmm .... now of course very little.

*That means you still do so?
 Yes ... not all. Though I eat fish, meat ... I follow the Middle Path.

*Is it alright for a Buddhist monk to consume fish, meat?
 What we expect is the Buddha's Bana .... and not Devadatta's Bana. What Devadatta told the Buddha was to refrain from meat right throughout life. He of course rejected that no. The Buddha has indicated in Jeewaka Sutta of Majjima Nikaya as to what meat should be eaten and what meat should not be eaten. 

*Do you use perfume?
 Yes .... I like that very much.

*Do you listen to songs?
 Yes .... I listen. I really like Mr. Sunil Edirisinghe's 'Me tharam siyumelida kalugal?' song.

*What is the love song you like best?
 Mr. Amarasiri Peris's 'Landune' song.

*If you get an opportunity to banish Ministers who are considered useless ... what Ministers would you banish?
 There's a lot of them. Out of the 225, 3 or 4 will be left out while the excess majority will be banished. They would be imprisoned in a far away island .... with all facilities.