Last June, I had the privilege of visiting Sri Lanka, a naturally peaceful and beautiful country in Southeast Asia where 71% of the population are followers of Buddha. I traveled the country with my wife and friends. I visited seven of their main cities, met some citizens, tried their local dishes, and saw a number of Sri Lankan traditions.
I felt deeply connected with one of their traditions as a human, which is “Poy day.” In Sri Lanka, or generally in Buddhism, Poy day is spiritually special. Poy day means full moon day. In a given year, they have 12 Poy days, one each month.
Of these 12 Poy days, May Poy Day and June Poy Day are more special. On May Poy Day, they celebrate the birth, enlightenment, and death of Buddha. On June Poy Day, they celebrate the entrance of Buddhism into Sri Lanka from India.
We were so fortunate to be in Sri Lanka during June Poy Day. On that specific day, we were making our road trip from Ella to Mirissa. Just a few minutes after our journey started, to our surprise, we saw a food booth right beside the road. They were distributing food that was totally free of cost. Our van driver and guide, Lucky, told us that this is a regular practice, mostly done in May and June. He also mentioned that this event is called “Donation.”
What an amazing event to teach generosity—silently but so profoundly! We saw food booths in almost every 10 kilometers, and they were donating ice cream (because it was a hot, sunny day), chickpeas, tea, and a buffet lunch. We paused multiple times during our trip on that day and became a spontaneous part of this culture. Lucky was saying they practice this to spread the teachings of Buddha.
We stopped multiple times and had our lunch in one place. It was a buffet with multiple items, and the food was really good. You can see the video of this post to have an idea! Deep inside, after seeing this show of generosity, we felt incredibly respectful of Buddhism.
I left Sri Lanka two months ago, but the impression I have of the country and Buddhism is something that will inspire me for my entire life.