Free food and compassion: Inside the Sri Lankan tradition of dansal

The Watercooler
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If you are living outside of Sri Lanka, your local temple may be holding a dansal you can help with.

You can also practice with this online game:

https://anushka-madushanka.itch.io/ape-dansala

Note: Just like in real life you can run in front of the vehicles to get them to stop.

Have you been to a dansal before? Or helped out at one?

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Is that dana sala in Sinhalese?

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Exactly. You might call it ā€œpure Sinhalaā€ or Elu/Hela. However it isnā€™t interchangeable. Dāna sāla would just be for monks. Or the more formal dāna shālāva. Dansal is, as far as I understand, only used for these stalls that mostly just feed lay people.

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Back when I was an anagarika the Sri Lankan temple in Perth (Kenwick), Western Australia put on a big event with all the food stalls outside and a big pandal which was all automated with fancy laser lights!

I still havenā€™t made it to Sri Lanka but I think Vesak is when I would want to visit, despite the heat.

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Iā€™ve seen them when traveling around Sri Lanka, itā€™s an amazing bit of culture. Folks get together to make food, and everyone just lines up and gathers together to partake. Icecream, tea, curry, whatever!

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