A tribute by long-time friend Kath Holton
Rev Dipaloko came to Healesville 20 years ago as a refugee and became a loved and respected part of community life. He valued the freedom of expression that Australia offered, and the community that Healesville offered, and became an Australian Citizen on Australia Day in 1999.
Following is a tribute by friend Kath Holton.
Rev ‘William’ Dipaloko was born in the small village of Kyoak, Myanmar on 1 March, 1942.
Sometime later, the village was burnt down by communist insurgents, and then his mother died; by the age of six he was an orphan. His grandfather placed him in a Buddhist Monastery where Rev grew up with the Monks and the daily chores and rituals of a Monastic life.
He told the story that the Monks used to call him “Little Monkey,” as he was always getting into trouble, always on the go, running around doing things he was not supposed to. Years later, he came to believe he had ADD (attention deficit disorder) as no matter what punishment he received or how often he was reprimanded he would always be naughty again.
He learnt Buddhism; he studied the teachings and mantras of The Buddha, learnt to meditate and eventually ordained as a Monk himself. But life in the Monastery was sheltered and he had little knowledge of the wider world so at the age of 19, without telling anyone, he disrobed and “ran away” to experience life in the outside world. Embracing his new-found freedom, he returned to his love of learning, he went back to school and matriculated, before enrolling in the Institute of Medicine in Rangoon. He studied there for seven years, graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery and spent the next seven years practicing as a Doctor. During these years he married and had a family. However, life was not settled, in 1980 he divorced and in 1983, after much contemplation he returned to the life of a Buddhist Monk. He became a highly respected member of the Buddhist order, in 1992 in honour of his skills and work in Buddhist Literature, the Government offered him the title “The Greatest Buddhist Teacher” but he was affectionally known as “Doctor Monk.”
In 1993 at the request of the Burmese foundation of Western Australia, the Burmese Government and the Buddhist Council of Burma, he was sponsored to go to Perth to teach Buddhism in a Burmese Temple.
But things did not turn out as planned, in Burma the new democratically elected President, Aung San Soo Kyi was put under house arrest, (where she remained for 17 years) and the military junta seized power. It was no longer safe for Rev to return home, he had lost the support of the Government and the Buddhist community.
Finally, in 1997 he was granted political asylum and made his way to Victoria. He enrolled in Holmesglen TAFE and gained his Certificate in English & Vocational Studies, then taught Buddhism there.
He could not continue to live as a Monk, he had to make his own way in the world, so he made the difficult decision to disrobe and become a Lay Buddhist. He had been known as U Dipawaka, meaning Venerable One, now he needed a new name. One of his friends meditated on this and told him he had dreamed his name would be William, so that was the name he took.
He moved to Healesville in 1998 where people began to call him Rev, so he officially changed his name to Rev Dipaloko. He quickly immersed himself in the life of our community. He taught Buddhism and computers at the U3A, became an Australian Citizen on Australia Day in 1999, and attended every ANZAC and Remembrance Day ceremony.
He was well known as a kind, generous, thoughtful soul who never passed up an opportunity to help others, never judged others and treated all he met with respect and compassion. He had a wonderful sense of humour, on one occasion he found a “Sold” sign so he put it outside the unit of his friend and Mentor, ‘Young Harry,” Harry was outraged that his home had been sold without his knowledge until he noticed Rev, hiding in the bushes, laughing.
Black Saturday, was a huge turning point for Rev. Until then he had always dreamed in his native tongue, Burmese, but after the fires he began to dream in English. On a deeply subconscious level, he had come to understand that Healesville was his home and where he wanted to remain.
In 2016, Rev was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. His life took on a renewed purpose; he said he thanked his cancer for reminding him that he was going to die and that Buddhism was his purpose in life. He returned to the practices of a Monk. He gave up all worldly pursuits, stopped using the computer, stopped going out, no longer went to the library, he put a table cloth over the TV and concentrated all his efforts on meditation. He pursued the Vipassana – to end the cycle of old age, sickness, death and rebirth, Rev said he wanted this life to be his last.
He underwent chemo therapy, but he hated it, it clouded his brain, he was unable to concentrate, most importantly he couldn’t mediate. So, he stopped having treatment, saying he was not afraid to die. For two years his Buddhist practices sustained him, until October this year, when he caught a cold. He was taken to in Maroondah Hospital where he passed away peacefully on the 18th of July, 2018.
Rev’s ashes have been scattered in the sea; he said: “It doesn’t matter if it’s in the bay, the sea, the ocean, or a river, it is all joined up, all is one.”
