Ven Ajahn Brahmavamso visits Sri Lanka in May
With reverence and joy the Ajahn Brahm Society of Sri Lanka (ABS) announces the visit of Ven Ajahn Brahmavamso in May this year. All Buddhists in the country know him well as he has visited many times previously and held hugely attended meditation sessions at the BMICH. His last event in 2017 had 7000 persons attending.
These sessions are deep in significance and of immense benefit to us. However, their gravity is easily tempered by Ven Ajahn Brahmavamso’s informality and constantly smiling, benign face. One indication of his informality is his shortening his religious name to Ajahn Brahm.
Ven Ajahn Brahm will be engaged in three principal events during his stay here. A nine day meditation retreat will be conducted in Bandarawela from May 20 to 30 for bhikkhus, bhikkhunis and lay persons, totaling 150 participants. A singularly unique forum will be held exclusively for professionals and business persons at the Galle Face Hotel on May 29. The much looked forward to Dhamma talk and meditation instructions for the public will be at the BMICH from 7.00 to 11.00 am on May 30. Anticipatory of the large crowds that will flock to the BMICH on that day, the ABS has organised sessions with the venerable monk moving from the Main Hall to Halls A and B so all can see and hear him. He will speak in English, followed by summarizations in Sinhala.
The important question that follows this announcement is “How to gain entrance?” The AB Society gives clear answers. With reference to the meditation retreat in Bandarawela, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis wishing to participate can obtain registration forms by emailing ajahnbrahmsociety@gmail.com. For WhatsApp messages the number is 0720735837. The completed applications are to be submitted before 10th April 2023.
The sessions for the professional and business communities is by invitation, sent out well in time by ABS.
To participate in the session to be held at the BMICH on May 30, persons are invited by AB Society to collect their FREE passes from one of the venues named below:
- Sri Sambuddhathava Jayanthi Mandiraya, Thummulla, Colombo 5
- Buddhist Cultural Centre, 25 Anderson Rd, Nedimala, Dehiwala
- Samayawardhana Bookshop, Buddhist Congress 380, Bauddhaloka Mw. Colombo 7
- Sarasavi Bookshop, One Galle Face.
Passes will be available from March 15.
Brief Bio
It seems superfluous to give details, even brief facts on Ven Ajahn Brahmavamso, as he is well known in this country. However, it appears pertinent to mention facets of the life of this very blessed Bhikkhu.
He was born in London in 1951. Having read widely on Buddhism, at the tender age of 16, this promising student and keenly interested teenager considered himself a Buddhist by conviction. When in the University of Cambridge following his undergrad course in Theoretical Physics, his strong interest in Buddhism and gravitation to meditation proceeded alongside his studies. Subsequent to earning his degree, he taught for one year, He then decided to follow his greater interest in Buddhist philosophy and practice and so proceeded to Thailand. He practiced meditation under teachers and at the age of 23 was ordained by the Chief Incumbent of Wat Saket. He then opted for further training with the famous meditation teacher – Ajahn Chah, and spent nine years studying and training in the forest tradition. In 1983, invited to help establish a forest monastery near Perth, Western Australia, he left Thailand. Within a short period he became Abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery, the newly established place of retreat. He is also the Spiritual Director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia and Spiritual Patron to the Buddhist Fellowship in Singapore. These are but two of the responsibilities he undertakes. His pragmatic approach and his deep conviction in Dhamma have made him a much sought after Dhamma teacher throughout the world.
We Sri Lankans are truly blessed to have him visit our land and share his knowledge, his conviction in the Buddha Word and his encouragement to meditate. (Access https:/bswa.org/teachers/ajahn-brahm/ajahn-brahm-bio for more on this excellent Bhikkhu.)
