Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Discussion of ordination, the Vinaya and monastic life. How and where to ordain? Bhikkhuni ordination etc.
Suranga
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Re: Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by Suranga »

Ofcourse you can wander arround the country. Na Uyana has lot of connections and has many affiliated monestries arround the country. But if you started wander arround with out the permision of the monestary then think about the result? Who is going to sponser you when you need to extend the visa? Thats why you need to built up the rapport with the monestry.Na Uyana has that. if you spend couple of years there and fed up ..then you might be able to get permision with the abbot and go to a affiliated monestary. The dhamma you see in the scriptures is one thing.what you see (after 2500 years passed buddhas period) in practice is different thing. I have seen two (very young-novices)monks fighting.literally fighting when they go to pindapath? can you imagine what will happen to my saddha? not only in Sri Lanka.But also in Myanmar. But that is not a fault about the monestary.its about the individual.there are bad seeds after all. it took many years to understand this. So keep an open mind about what you see. these are not enlightened monks. so things can happen.
may.all.bliss
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Re: Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by may.all.bliss »

Suranga wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:26 am Ofcourse you can wander arround the country. Na Uyana has lot of connections and has many affiliated monestries arround the country. But if you started wander arround with out the permision of the monestary then think about the result? Who is going to sponser you when you need to extend the visa? Thats why you need to built up the rapport with the monestry.Na Uyana has that. if you spend couple of years there and fed up ..then you might be able to get permision with the abbot and go to a affiliated monestary. The dhamma you see in the scriptures is one thing.what you see (after 2500 years passed buddhas period) in practice is different thing. I have seen two (very young-novices)monks fighting.literally fighting when they go to pindapath? can you imagine what will happen to my saddha? not only in Sri Lanka.But also in Myanmar. But that is not a fault about the monestary.its about the individual.there are bad seeds after all. it took many years to understand this. So keep an open mind about what you see. these are not enlightened monks. so things can happen.
Yes that what I've written also, I wouldn't walk out on day one, I'm sure some training will be of use to me also, and I imagine or hope if there is harmony with the abbot problems about the year periods may not be there hopefully.

I should just go and look if I want to see what it's like I suppose.
(still if anyone wants to share info, very welcome).

Also an interesting difference in Sri Lanka compared to Thailand is that in Sri Lanka they really value the commentaries on suttra's, whereas in other countries these are chucked out; heard from Bhikkhu Analāyo.

I also found this amazing document from an older thread.

Buddhist Forest Monasteries
and Meditation Centres
in Sri Lanka
A Guide for Foreign Buddhist Monastics and Lay Practitioners
Updated: April 2018
by
Bhikkhu Nyanatusita

http://www.bps.lk/olib/mi/mi008.pdf

And mentions:
“Best places” for newcomers
The places that most foreigners stay in when new to Sri Lanka are Na Uyana Aranya in Kurunegala
District, Nissarana Vanaya in Colombo District, and Sumanthipala & Kandubodha Siyane
International Meditation Centre in Colombo district. These places have teachers and are
experienced in dealing with obtaining residence visas, etc.
Suranga
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Re: Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by Suranga »

may.all.bliss wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 2:43 pm

And mentions:
“Best places” for newcomers
The places that most foreigners stay in when new to Sri Lanka are Na Uyana Aranya in Kurunegala
District, Nissarana Vanaya in Colombo District, and Sumanthipala & Kandubodha Siyane
International Meditation Centre in Colombo district. These places have teachers and are
experienced in dealing with obtaining residence visas, etc.
Yes Nissarana vanaya is also a good place,which teaches mahasi meditation method. But in past they didn't have a proper monk traning system in place unlike in Na Uyana.however it might have changed.May be you should visit both and decide your self. And on the down side its small. Nissarana vanaya is also affiliated to Na Uyana.

I dont know about Mahamewnawa and I am not much impresed about them. They also have forest monestries.


On the otherhand I will definetly not recomend sumathipaala or Kanduboda centers to any one. Due to the things I hear about them. And that Document written about the meditation centers in Sri Lanka is many years old.


P.S. I see that document by Bhikkhu nayanatusitha was updated in 2018
may.all.bliss
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Re: Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by may.all.bliss »

Suranga wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 3:19 pm On the otherhand I will definetly not recomend sumathipaala or Kanduboda centers to any one. Due to the things I hear about them. And that Document written about the meditation centers in Sri Lanka is many years old.

P.S. I see that document by Bhikkhu nayanatusitha was updated in 2018
Ok, perhaps you may elaborate on this?
Suranga
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Re: Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by Suranga »

may.all.bliss wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 5:55 pm
Suranga wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 3:19 pm On the otherhand I will definetly not recomend sumathipaala or Kanduboda centers to any one. Due to the things I hear about them. And that Document written about the meditation centers in Sri Lanka is many years old.

P.S. I see that document by Bhikkhu nayanatusitha was updated in 2018
Ok, perhaps you may elaborate on this?
I am hearing lot of the bad reviews about the places from the monks whom I know. But then again its up to you find out your self. There was one thread here in dhammawheel also which talked about the scandles in those places. I don't like to talk about them in public.
may.all.bliss
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Re: Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by may.all.bliss »

Suranga wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:24 am I am hearing lot of the bad reviews about the places from the monks whom I know. But then again its up to you find out your self. There was one thread here in dhammawheel also which talked about the scandles in those places. I don't like to talk about them in public.
Thanks, ok but talking in public could be good I think if it's serious enough, and it doesn't have to be personal per se, I wonder what the nature of the 'bad' is here, if it's serious enough, wouldn't you want other people to know?

-
I am wondering 'status' do monks have in Sri Lanka? Is it balanced or are they put on a great pedestal?
And how is this for other Buddhist countries?

I hope monks are just seen as normal people, to me spiritual realization doesn't grand any higher status than a lay or non-practitioner.
There may be more insight and freedom from reactivity, but in humanity we are surely just the same also,

The realized one knows himself to be unmanifest, in essence, and is therefor free from fear, and lust, but so what, it can still make human errors.
They are people too, and realizing samsara to be ultimately without ultimate right or wrong, or ultimate importance (not self), this doesn't necessarily create good morality per se.

A temple or a monastery especially should be a safe refuge.

If that is not the case, it can't be solved personally, it should be able to talked about publically by anyone for the greater good.
Suranga
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Re: Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by Suranga »

may.all.bliss wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:32 pm
Thanks, ok but talking in public could be good I think if it's serious enough, and it doesn't have to be personal per se, I wonder what the nature of the 'bad' is here, if it's serious enough, wouldn't you want other people to know?

-......
If that is not the case, it can't be solved personally, it should be able to talked about publically by anyone for the greater good.
It is already talked in here a lot. pls do a simple search.may be you will come across. I dont want to talk about them.

I hope I given you some pointers.


May you find what you seek.

With metta
may.all.bliss
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Re: Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by may.all.bliss »

Ok thanks, ye it was something I liked to say in general, metta
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StrivingforMonkhood
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Re: Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by StrivingforMonkhood »

may.all.bliss wrote: Fri Mar 19, 2021 8:54 pm Ok thanks, ye it was something I liked to say in general, metta
May you find monkhood, should it be your destiny in this life.

May you fulfill your deepest wish for happiness.

:anjali:
May we all fulfill our deepest wish for happiness

We are already Buddha
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salayatananirodha
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Re: Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by salayatananirodha »

contact ñāṇananda's monastery, i dont have the info but if you PM me i will find it
or look at one of the books on seeingthroughthenet.net and it should be listed
I host a sutta discussion via Zoom Sundays at 11AM Chicago time — message me if you are interested
Suranga
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Re: Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by Suranga »

salayatananirodha wrote: Fri Mar 26, 2021 3:52 am contact ñāṇananda's monastery, i dont have the info but if you PM me i will find it
or look at one of the books on seeingthroughthenet.net and it should be listed
Ven.knanananda passed away? is his monastery active?
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salayatananirodha
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Re: Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by salayatananirodha »

Suranga wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 11:38 pm
salayatananirodha wrote: Fri Mar 26, 2021 3:52 am contact ñāṇananda's monastery, i dont have the info but if you PM me i will find it
or look at one of the books on seeingthroughthenet.net and it should be listed
Ven.knanananda passed away? is his monastery active?
he passed away in late 2017 or early 2018. idk how active his monastery is but ive emailed with them recently. [email protected]
I host a sutta discussion via Zoom Sundays at 11AM Chicago time — message me if you are interested
GnosticMind
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Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by GnosticMind »

If Sri Lanka interests you, London Buddhist Vihara is a highly respected Sri-Lankan temple in London, founded by Anagarika Dhammapala, a century ago -- why not try there? It's surely closer to home if I assume rightly, you are a European or Western man? It's first class. I learned a lot there. I haven't been there in over 30 long years, but it certainly was a fine place, with good teachers and a good library and a good meditation space.

Venerable Saddhatissa , the monk who produced the groundbreaking translation of Sutta Nipata was abbot there. Long gone now...

The librarian too, was a well respected lay-meditation teacher also from Sri Lanka.

( I learned so much from these good men. As a young meditator and growing lad, I learned so much from the German recluses too, who moved to Sri Lanka -- I always had Nyanaponika's and Nyanatiloka's works with me.)

Check it out in London -- it will save you the journey of heading over here to Asia. Why not practice closer to home? The scenery outside may be different, but the inner scenery is the same everywhere once you close your eyes -- that's something I learned from a Burmese forest temple, 25 years ago -- I remember when we were meditating, the senior monk used to have a large curtain on trolley wheels, and he'd literally, pull the curtain over the shrine, since he considered the Rupas distracting and unimportant regarding insight practice! ( I didn't consider it so , and I still don't consider them a distraction -- I found the Rupas beautiful, and considered the teacher a spoilsport -- years later, I fully understand his reasoning!)

The following too, is an inspiring read from a fascinating life of a recluse in Sri Lanka --


THE ISLAND WITHIN – THE LIFE OF THE HERMIT MONK BHANTE ÑĀṆADĪPA

https://pathpress.org/wp-content/upload ... Within.pdf
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salayatananirodha
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Re: Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by salayatananirodha »

can you still do pindapata in london? that would be one of my biggest concerns about a western monastery
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GnosticMind
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Requesting Sri Lanka Ordination information

Post by GnosticMind »

Well, that's a very good question indeed -- I used to visit these beautiful Sri Lankan temples in London a long time ago ( 30 years ago ) and in those days it was a joy to see the Bhikkhus gracefully, mindfully, drifting across the heavily populated and hectic areas of London, calm and introspective -- they just looked otherworldly. It was a beautiful sign in the heart of materialism, in the heart of Babylon.

It was a very heavy sign, a beautiful symbol.

Nowadays, I don't know how safe it would be -- London is a city out of control. Very volatile and there's a lot of chaos and repressed anger, which is easy to come to the surface.
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