News about Us
Panduwasnuwara Retreat CentreAn
Over the last few weeks, Bhanté has been working tirelessly on the architectural drawings for the Panduwasnuwara Retreat Centre, and we are very happy to share with you that the design has now been completed.
As Bhanté has mentioned to us on many occasions, designing a meditation centre is quite different from designing an ordinary building. It requires not only an understanding of architecture and space, but also the insight that comes from years of meditation practice and the experience of attending and conducting many retreats. There are certain aspects of a meditation centre that are difficult to convey simply as architectural requirements; they are better understood through having lived, practised, and taught in such environments.
For this reason, Bhanté has undertaken the entire design himself, developing the drawings from the very beginning and spending many long hours—often late into the night—considering every aspect with great care and attention to detail.
Installation of Buddha statue NM
The Buddha statue and shrine room offered by Mr. Abeyratne Jayasundara will be installed in the coming weeks. The statue made of pink stone has been imported from India and is in the likeness of the Buddha statue at the museum in Saranath.
Please check back for updates.
Particular thought has been given to the comfort and practical needs of the yogis: the distances between the accommodation, dining area, and meditation hall; the natural flow from one part of the retreat centre to another; spaces for walking and quiet reflection; privacy and safety; and the overall simplicity and beauty of the surroundings.
The design has benefited greatly from Bhanté’s decades of experience, both as a meditation teacher and as a yogi himself, having lived, practised, and taught at many retreats in different parts of the world. This experience has helped shape a centre in which practical considerations and the needs of meditation practice come together naturally and harmoniously.
The images give a glimpse of this vision. Each element has been considered carefully, with the intention of creating a place that is quietly elegant and comfortable without being excessive, and, above all, peaceful and tranquil—an environment truly conducive to the practice of meditation.
Dānà Offering : Poya DaysNM
Every Poya Day, you can participate in dana in two ways. These two ways have been carefully designed so the teacher and monastics can focus on the importance of the Poya Day program, with emphasis on the benefit for yogis.
Breakfast Honouring your mother: Many have taken this opportunity to sponsor breakfast in honour of your mother, offering dana for the Sangha and all yogis. The monastics prepare this dana at pre-dawn so that it will be ready for all by breakfast time.
Poya Day One-dish offering: This is an opportunity for yogis to prepare a single dish that contributes to the offering of a complete mid-day meal dana to the Sangha and any yogis who may be practising from dawn to dusk at the temple on that Poya day.
To help as many people as possible participate in the Poya mid-day dana offering, please bring one dish of your choice to be offered for dana. When you sign up for this one-dish offering, if a particular dish is duplicated, then you will be informed to select an alternate choice. If you are bringing the dish before the program begins, you may place it in the fridge until dana-readying time. As always, simple, healthy (less oil and spice) food is more agreeable for the well-being of the monastics.
Please use the app if you would like to join in the meal offering for the upcoming Poya day.
Microwave Oven Offered for the Temple Kitchen SkT
The microwave will be particularly helpful during full-day meditation programmes, when meals prepared earlier may occasionally need to be reheated. Until now, this has been somewhat difficult, especially when food needs to be warmed for the monks outside the normal meal-preparation period.
This thoughtful offering will make the kitchen more practical and convenient, particularly on busy practice days when many yogis are at the temple. It is a simple but valuable addition that will help those preparing and serving meals to attend to the needs of the Sangha and practitioners more easily.
We gratefully acknowledge Professor Aloka Pathirana and Dr. Renuka Pathirana for their generosity and thoughtfulness in supporting the temple and its meditation activities.
Professor Aloka Pathirana and Dr. Renuka Pathirana recently offered a new microwave oven for the temple kitchen, providing a useful addition to the facilities available for both the Sangha and visiting yogis.
Rains Retreat 2026 An
Bhanté commenced the observance of Vassā on the Esala Full Moon Poya Day at the main temple, Samadhikusala Buddhist Centre, Dehiwela.
During the Rains Retreat (vassāna kāla), higher-ordained monks traditionally devote themselves to a period of deeper spiritual practice. During this time, all monks and serious lay practitioners are also encouraged to deepen their practice through the cultivation of sīla, samādhi and paññā—virtue, concentration and wisdom.
All Nirodha yogis are encouraged to use this period as an opportunity to renew and deepen their own practice—to make it ‘a moment for a new beginning’ on the journey towards the total cessation of suffering.
Installation of Buddha statue NM
The Buddha statue and shrine room offered by Mr. Abeyratne Jayasundara will be installed in the coming weeks. The statue made of pink stone has been imported from India and is in the likeness of the Buddha statue at the museum in Saranath.
Please check back for updates.