TheMahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery (MBM) is an organisation ofBuddhistmonasteries ofSri Lankan origin established under the teachings ofGautama Buddha.[1] Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery Network (MBM) is one of the largest Theravada Buddhist Organizations in the world. Its main monastery is inPolgahawela, Sri Lanka.
The MBM maintains nearly 130 branches in all over the world; over 80 branches in Sri Lanka and operates nearly 45 branches overseas in Canada,[2] the United States,[3] Australia, the United Kingdom,[4] Dubai, South Korea, India, Italy, Japan, Germany, and many others. MBM also maintained over 10 Branches of Mahamevnawa Anagarika Nuns Monastery (Headquarters in Dambadeniya, Muthugala Mahamevnawa Anagarika Nuns Monastery). The Mahamevnawa is home to over 1000 Buddhist monks & over 100 Buddhist Nuns.[5]
The founder and chief Buddhist monk in charge of these monasteries isKiribathgoda 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 monastery for Buddhist Nuns is called Mahamevnawa Anagarika Monastery. Currently, there are more than ten Anagarika Monasteries of Mahamevnawa. About 100 Buddhists Nuns reside and practice Dhamma there.
Branches of Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery Network
With the blessings of Venerable Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero,Mahamevnawa Buddhist College was started as a semi-government private school with the aim of giving a good child to the country and the world, amidst the advice and guidance of the Maha Sangha. Mahamevnawa Buddhist College is the first Buddhist school to be established in Sri Lanka after independence.
Mahamevnawa Monastery Polgahawela.Mahasangha of Mahamevnawa
Mahamevnawa claims to promote the teaching, discussion, and practice of Dhamma in its unaltered form, and that the first step towards the cessation of suffering is knowing the Buddha's teachings. Mahamevnawa also facilitates the practice of meditation for improving concentration and wisdom through cultivating mindfulness (Sati) as a component of the path to Nibbāna. A key point that Mahmevnawa highlights is that the 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 its 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.
Both lay and clergy associated with Mahamevnawa adhere to this. The way of preaching and teachingDhamma adopted by the clergy at Mahamevnawa is what Buddha advocated.[9]
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 namedShraddha TV in 2012. Later Mahamevnawa started a radio channel named Shraddha Radio too.
