Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery

The Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery (MBM) is an organization of Buddhist monasteries of Sri Lankan origin established under the teachings of Gautama Buddha.[1] Its main monastery is in Polgahawela, Sri Lanka.

Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery
Formation14 August 1999
TypeOrganization of Buddhist monasteries
PurposeSpiritual development
HeadquartersPolgahawela, Sri Lanka
Location
  • Sri Lanka (40 branches); Toronto, Canada; New Jersey, Washington DC, California, Florida, USA; Sydney, Melbourne, AU; London, UK; Offenbach, Germany; Dubai; South Korea; Italy; India; (List of Mahamevnawa branches)
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
Practicing Buddhists
Founder
Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero
Websitewww.mahamevnawa.lk

The MBM maintains over 40 branches in Sri Lanka and operates several overseas in Canada,[2] the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom,[3] Dubai, South Korea, India, Italy and Germany. The Mahamevnawa is home to more than 1000 Buddhist monks.[4]

The founder and chief Buddhist monk in charge of these monasteries is Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero, who is engaged in spreading Buddhism to both local and international communities, and in highlighting the aim of Buddhism: putting an end to Dukkha (suffering) or attaining Nibbana.

Mahamevnawa Anagarika Monastery

Mahamevnawa monastery for Buddhist Nuns is called Mahamevnawa Anagarika Monastery. Currently, there are 6 Anagarika Monasteries of Mahamevnawa. About 100 Buddhists Nuns reside and practice Dhamma there.

Practicing Dhamma
Mahamevnawa Monastery Polgahawela.
Mahasangha of Mahamevnawa

Mahamevnawa promotes the teaching, discussion, and practice of Dhamma in its unaltered form, and the first step the towards cessation of suffering is knowing Buddha's teaching. Mahamevnawa also facilitates the practice of meditation, for improving concentration and wisdom through cultivating mindfulness (Sathi) as a component of the path to Nibbāna. A key point that Mahmevnawa highlights are Dhamma not only says that life is suffering but shows a proven path to the cessation of suffering. Mahamevnawa has been criticized because none of it's monks have completed the required Pariven education in Sri Lanka. The founder has bypassed that established tradition to rapidly expand the monk capacity in the monastery.

Spreading Dhamma

Both lay and clergy associated with Mahamevnawa adhere to this. The way of preaching and teaching Dhamma adopted by the clergy at Mahamevnawa is what Buddha advocated.[5]

Mahamevnawa Sadaham Prakashana (Mahamevnawa Dhamma Publications)

Mahamevnawa makes available recorded sermons and Dhamma texts, based on the original teachings of Buddha, that reveal the truth in life and emphasize the urge of cession of suffering. Most of these publications are in Sinhalese, due to the initial Sri Lankan context, but English translations are also available.

To widen its Dhamma Service, Mahamevnawa monastery started a Buddhist television channel named Shraddha TV in 2012. Later Mahamevnawa started a radio channel named Shraddha Radio too. Founder also expelled 2nd in command Nawalapitiye Ariyawansa after realizing he had ambitions to become the abbot in the monastery several years ago.

References
  1. "Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery". Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery.
  2. Mahamevnawa Toronto Branch: First Overseas Centre
  3. Mahamevnawa International Meditation Center, archived from the original on 2014-10-18, retrieved 2014-10-18
  4. Mahamevnawa and Shraddha television, archived from the original on 2015-03-18, retrieved 2015-05-13
  5. "Create disciplined, morally rich society - President". Archived from the original on November 5, 2014.
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