Cave monk’s watercolour creations
An art exhibition of original paintings, film and installations on
the life work of Bhikkhu Sumedha will be held on Tuesday, August 21 at
6.00 p.m. at Sambodhi Vihara (Opp. Goethe Institute). The exhibition
will remain open until 21 September.
Malani Govinnage
 ART: He knew that he would not live to see his second art exhibition
though he made preparations for it. With much persuasion of his few
friends he had his first exhibition in Sri Lanka in 1995.
Having survived two cancers which weakened his body he overcame them
not so much with medications administered from out, but from healing
methods from within - constant meditation.
The only wish he had was to have a conscious mindful death. And his
one request - to remember him as a Sri Lankan bhikkhu. A bhikkhu; but
not a Sri Lankan. A Swizz-German.
After living 36 years of his life in a cave in Kandy, bhikkhu Sumedha
passed away at the age of 75 on December 21, last year.
An exhibition of bhikkhu Sumedha’s original paintings begins on
August 21, at Sambodhi Vihara, Colombo (Opposite Goethe Institute) A
film on the life of the late Ven. Thera directed by Richard Lang,
Director of Goethe Institute, and artist Cora de Lang will be screened
on the first day of the exhibition.
The film is based on the information collected, interviews made and
the photographs taken by the trio Richard Lang, Cora de Lang and Ven.
Mettavihari who associated with the late bhikkhu until his last days.
Mountain cave
The late bhikkhu Sumedha was a ‘cave’ monk - a hermit. For more than
three decades of his life until his last days he lived in a cave in
Kandy, Manapadassana Lena in Dulwala, Kandy, a mountain cave in the far
banks of the Mahaweli river. To reach the cave, one has go up in the
jungle and climb 99 stone steps leading to the entrance platform of the
cave. The pathway as well as the entrance is hidden by lush foliage.
This is a cave which has been used by Buddhist monks and nuns in
uninterrupted succession for more than 2,000 years. It is here that
bhikkhu Sumedha lived, meditated and painted his many images of the
Dhamma.
Bhikkhu Sumedha born in Switzerland to a Swiss father and a German
mother was known as Aja Iskander Schmidlin - at least the name in his
passport. He grew up and went to school in Switzerland, was educated as
an artist in Geneva and in Paris. Though a life lived in luxury, not
without many highs and lows his was not a life of a lotus eater.
He was a seeker - a seeker of himself. First through his art before
he came in close contact with Buddhism, which paved the way to delve
deep into his self.
First he lived in Zurich, later in Paris and in London, painting,
holding one-man and group exhibitions, and enjoying good life in rich
European cities. Married, fathered a child - a daughter the only vestige
of his lay life back in Europe.
Mendicant
When he came to Ceylon in 1970, first a mendicant searching for
Dhamma, perhaps like many German knowledge seekers of the day, wanted to
learn more of Buddhism. As Mr. Lang puts it travelling in all parts of
the island. When he wanted to be a monk, he found a saffron donned it.
Later visiting a Buddhist temple and talking to the incumbent monk when
he realised the gravity of his folly, he entered the Sasana in the
proper way.
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Rangamandala: Burlesque Hall |
Wanting to live the life of a hermit - he was first living in a cave
in the vicinity of Kataragama. Later, with the kind guidance of Ven.
Nayanaponika Maha Thera, who remained a good friend and an advisor, the
former’s demise Ven. Sumedha moved into Manapadassana Lena, where he
lived until the last days of his life.
(Ven. Nayanaponika Maha Thera is one of the founders of the Buddhist
Publication Society and was also the first Editor-in-Chief in the
Society).
In fact, Ven. Sumedha’s first ever exhibition in Sri Lanka in June
1995 was dedicated to Ven. Nayanaponika Maha Thera.
Almost all Ven. Sumedha’s works are in watercolour on paper.
When Ven. Sumedha had his one of the early exhibitions in Germany a
renowned German art critic Paul Nizon had this to say!
It was my nation that he was aiming at disguising and veiling, yet in
the final analysis, with the objective of letting something precious
sparkle. This was probably wrong: he was only engaged in unearthing his
own self.
I thought he was a dreamer like painter who transformed his visions
and favourite mental images into artistic themes, with a passion for far
off places. But not so, he had a passion for his own self, in the
meaning of search for his identity.”
When he had his first exhibition in 1995, it was after 20 long years
of silence, since he went to live in the cave. Painting for him was an
expression and consequence of his meditations; meditations based on
Satipattana - the four foundations of mindfulness namely: contemplations
of body, contemplations of feeling, contemplations of mind and
contemplations of mind objects.
The results of these meditations are what determined Ven. Sumedha’s
work as a painter and sustained them.
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