Erika in search of wisdom
Jayanthi Liyanage
Title: Blossoms of Wisdom: On Peace and Environment
(Wisdom Gift Series)
Author: Erika Dias
Publisher: Sarvodaya Vishva Lekha Publishers, April 2005
Type: Hard cover Tea Table anthology of 123 poems: Rs.1,500.00
**********
 Be
a Tao
learn to flow with the tide
do not resist
if you resist, then it persists
move on in your canoe
the past with fear, anxiety, guilt
like the receding back-waters
you let go to in that motion
on its own accord
and so you joyously
move with the tide
with your mind light and buoyant
***********
This poem is one of the gems of wisdom Erika Dias gives in her book
Blossoms of Wisdom on Peace and Environment. She has written 18 books of
which seven are anthologies of poetry. “My foundation is Buddhism,”
Erika explains. “It is not Pali or Theravada. I try to open my mind out
to universal Buddhism, to broaden the mind out to universal thinking.”
She has practised meditation for nearly 41 years and says that the
contents of her books flowed into her in a burst through meditation.
Erika has been writing since 1986 and has two sons. “When my second
son was born in Panadura, I was so happy that near his cot, I started
meditating on a white araliya flower and poetry just flowed into me,”
says she, which led to her first book of poetry “poems - on thoughts, no
thoughts, experiences and reflections.”
Poetry of nature
Furnishing a foreword to Blossoms of Wisdom, Jayantha Dhanapala,
Secretary-General of the Secretariat for the Co-ordinating of the Peace
Process and Senior Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka writes, “Erika
Dias is not easily compartmentalised as a nature poet although she
writes on nature and environment. Nor is she a religious poet although
she writes on spiritual topics, on peace and on Buddist philosophy.
There is both a rejoicing in the many splendoured beauty of nature and a
mystical perception of the serene peace that pervades nature.
The words ‘stillness and silence’ recurs in more than one poem as if
the poet experiences a religious experience in her enjoyment of nature.”
The poems are adorned with photographs from Shekar Dattatri, the Indian
wildlife filmaker for channels such as National Geographic and
Discovery, wildlife lover Chandi Chanmugam, scuba diver Nishamani
Jinadasa and environmentalists Dr.Shyamajanaka Mahakalanda, Dr. Keith
Jayawickrama, the late Dudley Nimal Yasa Dissanayake, Agashan Dias
and Rohan Pethiyagoda.
Formerly on the lecturing staff in Sociology and Demography at the
University of Colombo, Erika moved to Thailand with her husband, Prof.
Hiran D. Dias, who was a Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology
in Bangkok and lived there for 18 years, functioning as a Consultant in
UN ESCAP in Bangkok.
Theravada ideals
Gandhi’s ideals and a Burmese Theravada Buddhist named Dr. Thynn
Thynn who lived close to Erika in Bangkok, had a profound influence on
her and the two initiated a group called the Dhamma Group. Erika
published five poetry books in Bangkok, two of which are “A Wisdom Gift”
and “Wisdom Gift on Oneness and Duality”, with paintings by a Swiss
painter named Pierre Wittmann.
The former has been translated into French and is selling In France.
The latter is about the “duality in human beings, “ say Erika. “They
have ideas but don’t practise them. So they live in duality. I was
inspired by Tao philosophy on duality.” She explains that Tao philosophy
began before Buddhism, 800 B.C. in China. “Taoists explain all human
behaviour and dualism from nature. The central theme and the goal there
is nature. It is close to Buddhism as the study is like a river. A river
is holisitic as it flows. If you put a stick in it at any point, it is
not the same. All the time, it is changing.”
When Erika was young, she was dissatisfied with life. “Sometimes, it
is not clean but rather muddy. To find the truth, I started reading
Buddhism, Hinduism, Krishnamoorthy and went from one to the other until
I realised that the truth is within you. You bring it out and there is
eternal peace.” She also says that when one’s mind, thoughts and body is
perfectly relaxed and limp, one can achieve eternal peace.
“Within you, there is a chatter all the time. Spirituality gives
clarity of mind and that is when through meditation, the sub vocal
chatter ceases. Then there is deep, tremendous peace within you.” She
says that all her books are about her experiences, adding that during
the war, many people in Colombo started searching for purity and
cleansing of energies which can be achieved only through meditation.
Poems for children
Some of her poems are meant for children. Says Erika, “I have given
out universal thinking without an iota of discrimination to any one and
children too can understand on their own the wisdom and depth in that.”
In her web site www.erikadias.com, other people’s thinking is also
given. Her future plans are to write for children and teenagers, based
on actual happenings. One she has already written is called “The Village
Romeo.”
When Erika returned to Sri Lanka in 1995, she commenced her group
called “The Enlightenment Seekers’ Study Circle”, with about 50 members.
Meeting monthly, it is circular and we do not have leaders, elaborates
Erika. “We try to get the spiritual experiences of each other, share
them and mature on them.” The Circle has Pranic Healers, Reiki Healing
Masters and those who are qualified in reflexology and homeopathy. Many
members have studied Pranic Healing and qualified themselves as Masters.
One member taught them Ian Gawler’s healing methods for cancer
patients. Erika has written about Chakra Healing and says, “We try to
find out how much healing energy one has within oneself and use that to
find out whether each one can heal oneself and the others.” A
sixteen-year old female who joined the Circle was called for a debate in
Washington while in the group and is now doing very well in London as a
lawyer, says Erica.
Other books
Erika’s other books are On Nature’s Divine Science, On Liberty,
Meditation:Many Methods through Watching the Mind (in Sinhala also),
Living Experiences of Enlightenment, Blissful Emptiness, Neutral Mind
and Its Cosmic Expansion, The Chakra Healing, Fully Awakened: or
Sleep-Walking?, Science of Enlightenment (in Sinhala also), Meditation
for All - The Source and Its Creations and Wisdom Sayings-Sayings of a
Wisdom Seeker. Her books are available at Barefoot and the Buddhist
Cultural Centre.
In 1991, Erica received a Honorary Doctorate in Literature form the
World Academy of Arts and Culture in California. In 2004 March, she won
the prestigious award of the “Outstanding Woman in Buddhism” from UN
ESCAP in Bangkok. Her poetry for children were used in an Environmental
Educational Calendar Book in 1991/92, produced by Worldview
International Foundation, with financial assistance from Norweigian
Agency for Development Co-operation (NORAD). It was distributed in Sri
Lankan schools free. “Doomed to Die”, one poem in it on elephants won an
award in Rockport, Massachusetts in 1997.
Her poetry has won more awards in Thailand, Australia and the United
States. Writing poetry for Queen Sirikit on her 60th birthday, she
received awards from the Thai royalty and the Thai University of
Assumption. Her poetry is in schools in the States with exercises for
children.
In the peaceful environs of her home in Colombo, Erica assists her
husband, Prof. Dias’s own small NGO, ISTHARAM, in its efforts to find
household work for the servant community and help some of them become
self-employed and build an abode for oneself. |
