LIFE

you end up liking the ocean
once you reach the shore
you start understanding the world
once your hair turns grey


yesterday's pleasure come together
to give a meaning for today
all of today's happiness will
give another meaning on some other day

to live my un-lived life
i keep trying to go upwards
to touch the ceaseless inner spring
i redeem myself rightaway
and I now, immerse in depths


i see myself like a stranger
in open minded way., natural way
like a light  or sunray., with full clarity
I live deep down in depths
and born like a mirror
and I become everything I see


life can be as blissful as
a cat which passes through the leg
one like feel the objects while passing
i will remain myself
live the day to the fullest
try to divert the boring life and routine
manage the life easily
and become pure as much as possible


like a hawk flies through the sky
not following any guided route
being in its own reality
beautifully... my present life is like that


like a rock goes inside depth of water
with a renouncing of sound
i immerse myself within the sight I get into


like a crow sits on a fighter bull
i live on the earth
i hold the hands of earth and walk along


some kind of ecstasy is flowing
give the depth of
this moment envelops like a mother

                Horton Plains

Horton Plains, the coldest and windiest location in Sri Lanka consists of ecosystems such as Montane evergreen forests, grasslands, marshy lands and aquatic ecosystem. At an altitude of 2,100 meters above sea level, Horton Plains spreads across over 3,169 hectares of the highest tableland of the island. In view of the large number of endemic flora and fauna species,Horton Plains was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 30th July 2010. The escarpment with a depth of 900 meters called World’s End and Baker’s Falls are the highlights of the Horton Plains.

Ecological importance of Horton Plains

Horton Plains, its surroundings, forests and the adjoining Peak Wilderness constitute Sri Lanka's most important catchment area of almost all major rivers. The plains are also of outstanding scenic beauty and conservation importance, containing most of the habitats and endemic plants and animals representative of the country's wet and Montane zones. The western slopes support the most extensive area of Montane cloud forest surviving in the island. Horton Plains is not merely a destination for nature tourists. Since the rich biodiversity of Horton Plains is still grossly underexplored, it affords invaluable opportunities to those engaged on educational and research activities. Protecting Horton Plains is a call of duty for all Sri Lankans.

Climate of Horton Plains

The Climate of Horton Plains is that of a wet Montane forest. The average annual temperature of 14-16⁰ Centigrade while the humidity is relatively low at 65%. Though annual rainfall of the highlands is about 2540mm, Horton Plains records over 5000 mm of rainfall annually. During the dry season, i.e. the months of January, February and March, temperature drops to around 5⁰ Centigrade in the day time. Swept with strong gale force winds at times, over-night frost is fairly common.

Terrain of Horton Plains

The gently rolling plateau of Horton Plains at the southern end of the central Montane massif of Sri Lanka is interspersed with net work of streams and channels. The Montane forest is also the source of three major rivers of Sri Lanka: River Mahaweli-the longest river of Sri Lanka, River Walave and River Kelani. Still more, Horton Plains is bounded by the country's second and third highest mountain peaks of Sri Lanka: Mount Kirigalpotta Kanda (2389 m) and Mount Thotupola Kanda (2357 m).

History of Horton Plains

The great plains of the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka was discovered by the planter Thomas Farr in the early 19th century. In 1834 it was named Horton Plains in honor of then Governor of Ceylon (1831-1837) Sir Robert Wilmot Horton. In the year 1969,Horton Plains was declared a nature reserve. In 1988, the reserve was elevated to the status of a National Park.

Location of Horton Plains

Horton Plains is spread over the southern ridge of the central highlands in between Nuwara Eliya and Haputale. The tourists approaching Horton Plains from Nuwara Eliya find an entrance point at Pattipola while those approaching from Haputale find an entrance point at Ohiya. Three kilometers drive from either entrance leads to the newly built visitors center. Visitors center exhibits interesting displays on the history of flora and fauna of Horton Plains.

Access to Horton Plains

Horton Plains can be reached by any of the follwing roads:
* Via Nuwara Eliya, Ambewela and Pattipola (32km)
* Via Haputale or Welimaa, Boralanda, Ohiya (38km)
* Via Nuwara Eliya, Hakgala, Rendapola, Ambewela, Pattipola (38 km)

Circular trek

The visitors center is significant in the sense, it has become the starting point for the 9km main trek of the Horton Plains. The main trek taking a circular route can be enjoyed within 3 hours. The trail opens up with an expansive view of flora: bare patina grassland here; densely wooded cloud forest over there. Once the grasslands are passed, the trek leads for about 2km through a fine expanse of cloud forest. Grown in the forest amidst nellu shrubs and keena trees are spices grown in the wild: pepper, cinnamon and cardamom. 

Also seen are rare Ayurvedic medicinal herbs. Two more kilometers into the wilderness takes the visitors to an escarpment called Small World's End (274 meters) that presents a fine viewpoint of the landscape ahead. 

Once the Small World’s End is passed, the Horton Plains brings into view numerous clumps of dwarf bamboo for another 1.5km along the trek. At the end of this trek is the famous escarpment called World’s End.

World's End

On the southern edge of the Horton Plains at an altitude of 2140m is famous World’s End, an escarpment that fall sheer 900 meters. The man-made modern irrigation reservoir contained within the national park of Udawalawe brings in a lovely view of the low lying plains of the southern Sri Lanka. On a clear morning the World’s End affords the view running to the southern coast of Sri Lanka. The panoramic and distant views are bound to get obscured by the mist from around 10am onwards. As such an early morning arrival at the escarpment would stand in good stead. Especially in the rainy months of May to July, the mist is particularly thick.

Circular trek past the World's End

At a distance of mere 200m beyond World's End, the trek turn off the ridge inland to another lovely attraction: Baker's Falls named after Samuel Baker. If the scramble down to the waterfall is easy though slippery and steep, scrambling up the waterfall back to the trek would find you short of breath in the high altitude.

Past Baker's Falls, the track runs through open patina grassland of which stillness is broken only by the resonant croaking of thousands of frogs in the trees and grasses.

Birdlife in Horton Plains

All of the Montane endemics of Sri Lanka are found in Horton Plains. Sri Lanka bush warbler, Dull-Blue flycatcher, Sri Lanka whistling thrush and the yellow-eared bulbul, Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Sri Lanka White-eye, Spot-winged Thrush, Dull-blue Flycatcher, Sri Lanka Bush Warbler, Scaly Thrush, Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush, Brown-capped Babbler, Sri Lanka Spur-fowl and Sri Lanka Jungle-fowl. Other highlights are the Himalayan migrants Pied Thrush, Kashmir Flycatcher & Indian Pitta. Black Bird, Mountain Hawk Eagle, Black Eagle, Jerdon’s Baza, Pied Bushchat, Hill Swallow and Hill Munia.

Mammals in Horton Plains

The most frequent site of wildlife at Horton Plains are herds of Sambar Deer. Among the other mammals in the park are Strip-necked Mongoose, Long-tailed Giant Squirrel Wild Boar, the endemic Bear Monkey and Toque Monkey, Fishing cat, Otter and 

Barking deers in Horton Plains

Now the Horton Plains has become a happy field of herds of Sambar Deer. However the growth population of Sambar Deer has resulted in the increase of number of Leopards. Wild Boar, the endemic Bear Monkey and Toque Monkey, Slender Loris, Fishing cat, Otter, Barking deer, Strip-necked Mongoose, Long-tailed Giant Squirrel are some of the other mammals found here.

Until a century ago, Horton Plains was rich with Elephants. Then the whole population was hunted down to extinction by the British colonialists in Sri Lanka then called Ceylon. Today Horton Plains is the only national park in Sri Lanka where elephants aren’t seen at all.

Horton Plains slender loris

Horton Plains slender loris was discovered in 1937. However since then there haven’t been recorded sightings at all in Horton Plains. The diminutive primate has been presumed extinct. In 2002 a fleeting nighttime sighting of something looking like the elusive tree-dweller, however, gave conservationists hope. Follow-up surveys led by the Zoological Society of London finally confirmed the lorises are alive-if not exactly well-in 2009, when two individuals were photographed and examined. The Horton Plains slender loris is generally classified as a subspecies of Sri Lanka's red slender loris. But, thanks in part to the first ever pictures, researchers now believe the Horton Plains slender loris could be a whole new species.

Ten Reasons Why Someone Will Never Be Rich

1. Overspending

If you have a ferocious appetite for spending beyond your means, you’re not alone. According to a survey, of the 52% of people who habitually overspend, many balance the shortfall by taking from their savings, and 22% rely on credit cards. Blowing all your money each month is not a realistic pathway to wealth. Start tracking where your money goes each month, check where you can cut back, and create a ‘realistic’ budget that allows you to pay your bills and invest in a retirement account or an emergency fund.

2. Not Saving Enough

Welcome to the club! The personal savings percentage in the US is a measly 4.9% of disposable income. Saving should become a priority if you want to accumulate wealth. Start with an emergency fund. Once your emergency fund is substantial, you can redirect small amounts toward other goals like purchasing a home or paying for college.

3. You Have Too Much Debt

Certain debts are a precursor to financial success, like purchasing real estate or starting a business; however, a high-interest credit card balance is not. Pay off credit cards with the highest rates first.

4. You Don’t Have a Plan

Without a definite, clearly defined plan, becoming rich will seem like an unbelievable dream. This alone will solidify your excuses for overspending and not saving. As the saying goes, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” Putting together a financial plan may seem tedious, but it doesn’t have to be, and you can get used to it.

5. You Don’t Have an Emergency Fund

Experts say you need at least six months of income saved in case of an emergency. Life is tricky, and not having some type of safety net can turn a comfortable situation into a disaster

6. You Started Late

Time is slipping by. Just like starting an exercise routine, the most difficult part about saving is getting started. Even if you have debt, a small income, or many expenses, you can save something, even if it’s only a small amount.

7. You Complain Rather Than Commit

“I don’t earn enough money”; “Life is too expensive”; “It’s hopeless, I’ll never get out of debt.” Have you uttered any of these statements before, or perhaps all of them? Old habits die hard; however, as long as you do nothing to change, nothing will change. Stop complaining and making excuses. Instead, take responsibility for your non-productive habits and concentrate on how to change them – and then do it!

8. You Live for Today, and Forget About Tomorrow

It’s no fun getting serious and thinking about retirement and all that stuff. Nonetheless, eventually it has to be done. The problem is that impulsive and unregulated spending leads to debt… period! Do yourself a big favor: Get rid of the ‘buy now, worry later’ attitude, and switch to a ‘save now, get rich later’ way of thinking.

9. Putting All Your Eggs in One Basket

You might get lucky by wagering all your money on one type of investment. Just like you might get lucky winning the lottery. But that’s not a strategy to live by, or for getting rich. Putting all your money in one place is not advised because it puts you at too much risk. Your investment portfolio should include multiple investments with varied levels of risk and ROI potential and liquidity.

10. You Just Don’t Get It!

You may be one of those people who believe that somehow something will come along and save you, so why bother with saving or trying to get out of debt? Maybe you will get lucky and land a fantastic job, receive a big pay raise, inherit money, hit the lottery, or whatever! But ‘whatever’ won’t cut it if you really want to become rich. Yes, life is uncertain. No one knows what will, or will not, actually happen; therefore, why not focus on what you can control today? Get it together now and save yourself, in case someone or something else won’t.

One thing you can be sure of: You are already rich. Think about it. If someone came to you and offered you a million dollars for your arm, would you give it up? Why not, you have two; you can surely spare one of them! Of course the answer would be no! Being rich is more than physical ownership; it’s a state of happiness and well-being, while wishing the same for others. So while you are working on getting rich materially, remember to be happy along the way!

පිරිත - Pirith Chantings

පිරිත යනු කුමක් ද? 

බුදුරජාණන් වහන්සේ විසින් දේශනා කරන ලද ත්‍රිපිටක ධර්මය තුල අන්තර්ගත වන ආරක්‍ෂක ධර්ම කොට්ඨාසය ‘පිරිත’ නම් වේ. මෙම පිරිත යන වචනයට අටුවා ධර්ම ග්‍රන්තයන්හිදී මෙසේ අර්ථකථන ලබා දී තිබේ. 

1.මහා තේජවන්තාය සමන්ත තෝ සත්තානං භයං උපද්දවං උපසග්ගං ච තායතී රක්ඛතීති = පරිත්තං 

තේජවන්ත බැවින් සත්ත්වයින්හට පැමිණෙන උවදුරු දුරුකරලන බැවින් ‘පරිත්ත’ නම් වේ. 

2.පරිසමන්තතෝ තායති රක්ඛතීති = පරිත්තං 

හාත්පසින් ආරක්‍ෂාව සලසන බැවින් ‘පරිත්ත’ නම් වේ. 

3.අන්තරායං පරිහරන්තං තායතීති = පරිත්තං 

අනතුරු වළක්වාලමින් ආරක්‍ෂාව ලබා දෙන බැවින් ‘පරිත්ත’ නම් වේ. 

4.පරිතෝවා සබ්බූපද්දවතෝ තායතීති = පරිත්තං 

හාත්පසින් සියලුම උපද්‍රවයන්ගෙන් ආරක්‍ෂාව ලබා දෙන බැවින් ‘පරිත්ත’ නම් වේ. ‘පරි පූර්ව ත්‍රා ධාතුවෙන්’ මෙම වචනය සෑදී ඇත. මෙහිදී පරිත්‍රාණ , පරිත්ත , පිරිත යන පද තුනම මේ සඳහා භාවිතා වේ. පරිත්‍රාණ යනු සංස්කෘත භාෂාවෙන් කරනු ලබන ව්‍යවාහාරය යි. පරිත්ත යනු පාළි භාෂාවෙන් කරනු ලබන ව්‍යවහාරය යි. පිරිත යනු සිංහල භාෂාවෙන් කරනු ලබන ව්‍යවහාරය යි. මේ වචන තුනම එකම අරමුණක් හැඳින්වීම සඳහා භාවිතා කරනු ලැබේ.

පිරිත යන්න පාලි භාෂාවේ “පරිත්ත” යන වචනයෙන් බිඳී ආ වචනයකි. එයම සංස්‌කෘතියේ “පරිත්‍ර” යෑයි සඳහන් වේ. පිරිත යන්නෙහි තේරුම හාත්පසින් ආරක්‍ෂාව සලසන්නේය යන්නයි. මෙම ආරක්‍ෂාව පිළිබඳව “මිලින්ද ප්‍රශ්නයේ” මෙසේ විස්‌තර කෙරේ. “මහරජාණෙනි පිරිත් ආරක්‍ෂාව ඇති පුරුෂයාට නාගයා දෂ්ට නොකරන්නේය. විවෘත කළ මුඛය පියා ගත්තේය. සොරුන් විසින් තළන්නට ඔසවාගත් මුගුර දමා ළඟට පැමිණ ප්‍රිය කෙරෙති. කුපිත වූ හස්‌ති තෙම ළඟට දිව අවුත් වළකින්නේය. දිලිසෙන මනා ගිනි කඳ පවා ළඟට පැමිණෙන විට නිමෙන්නේය” ආදී වශයෙනි.

පිරිත් පොත චතුභානවාරි පාලි යන නමින්ද හඳුන්වනු ලැබේ. එයට හේතුව පිරිත් පොතේ ඇති සූත්‍ර ලබාගෙන ඇත්තේ බුද්ධ දේශිත සූත්‍ර පිටකයෙන්ම වීමයි. මෙම පිරිත් පොතේ ඇති පිරිත් බණාවර හතරකට බෙදා දක්‌වා ඇත. පසුකාලීනව විවිධ අවශ්‍යතා සලකා ජය පිරිත, ගිනි පිරිත, ජවර පිරිත, ඇණවුම් පිරිත, සීවලී පිරිත, චක්‌ක පිරිත ආදී පිරිත් පොතේ අග පිටුවලට සක්‌වල කෝටි ඇතුළත් කර තිබේ. මේ බොහෝ පිරිත් සූත්‍ර පිටකයේ නොමැති අතර සිංහලට පරිවර්තනය කිරීමටද නොහැකිය. ජල නන්දන පිරිත ද එවැන්නකි.

පිරිත කියන විට එය සංගීතයේ ඇති සප්ත ස්‌වර අනුව ගායනා කළ හැකි නොවේ. සප්ත ස්‌වර වල ආරෝහණ, අවරෝහණ ක්‍රමයට පිරිත් කීම ගැළපිය නොහැකිය. එහෙත් එහි ස. රි. ග. ම. ප. යන ස්‌වර 5 පමණක්‌ ඇති බව පෙනේ.

පිරිත් කීම එක අතකින් සත්‍ය ක්‍රියාවකි. උදාහරණයක්‌ වශයෙන් රතන සූත්‍රයේ සෑම ගාථාවකම ගැඹුරු අර්ථයක්‌ තිබේ. එමෙන්ම “ඒතේන සච්ෙච්න සුවත්ථි හෝතු” යන ගාථා පාඨය අනුව ඒ සත්‍යානුභාවයෙන් සෙතක්‌ම වේවායි සත්‍ය ක්‍රියාවක්‌ද කෙරේ. අංගුලිමාල පිරිතේද මේ ලක්‍ෂණය තිබේ. අනෙක්‌ අතට පිරිත මනෝ විද්‍යාත්මක ප්‍රතිකාර ක්‍රමයකි.

බුද්ධ භාෂික පිරිත් භාවිතා කරන විට එහි පිහිට නොලැබෙන කරුණු තුනක්‌ තිබේ. පෙර අකුශල් හෙවත් කර්මාවරණ, රාගයෙන් සිත පෙළුම ආදී ක්‌ලේශාවරණ සහ අවිශන්සය හෙවත් නොඇදහීම යන කරුණු තුනයි. විශ්වාසයෙන් යුක්‌තව හා සීල සංවරය ඇතිව පිරිත් භාවිතා කරන්න. එය කිසි විටෙක නොවරිදන බෞද්ධ ශාන්ති කර්මයයි.

by Gayan Priyankara