Most Venerable Bhante Walpola Piyananda's 80th Birthday Celebrating - Collected Essays
Collected Essays of Bhante Walpola Piyananda Celebrating His 80th Birthday. Ven. Walpola Piyananda Nayake Maha Thera has chosen to dedicate his life to sharing the teaching of the Buddha in the Western World, knowing that it has so much wisdom to offer; not an easy task for someone coming from a foreign background. However these articles reflect his ability to make a great impact on the American Community. He has helped many people and monks new to this country in many ways throughout the years, He has helped these monks to establish Dharma Centers in various parts in this country. Venerable Walpola Piyananda is an extraordinary monk and dharma teacher who exemplifies wisdom, compassion and selflessness. He has made a profound impact on numberous individuals and communities worldwide through his teachings and service. On his auspicious 80th birthday, I express my deepest gratitude to Venerable Walpola Piyananda for his remarkable contributions and limitless love. Ven. Walpola Piyananda Maha Thero has been a pioneer in establishing Theravada Buddhism in America and developing knowledge of the Buddha Dhamma through radio and promoting education to uplift the children of his native Sri Lanka. As a Theravada monk, he has manifested a sense of caring with wisdom and compassion by providing hospitable spiritual and physical shelter at his Los Angeles monastery. Bhante, as he is affectionately known, is a teacher with a great breadth of interests spanning from the origins of Buddhism to how Western people could apply the teachings, Dhamma, into their daily life. I have known Bhante since we were students at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)…. This edition of his collected works is an important contribution for Western readers.
Collected Essays of Bhante Walpola Piyananda Celebrating His 80th Birthday. Ven. Walpola Piyananda Nayake Maha Thera has chosen to dedicate his life to sharing the teaching of the Buddha in the Western World, knowing that it has so much wisdom to offer; not an easy task for someone coming from a foreign background. However these articles reflect his ability to make a great impact on the American Community. He has helped many people and monks new to this country in many ways throughout the years, He has helped these monks to establish Dharma Centers in various parts in this country. Venerable Walpola Piyananda is an extraordinary monk and dharma teacher who exemplifies wisdom, compassion and selflessness. He has made a profound impact on numberous individuals and communities worldwide through his teachings and service. On his auspicious 80th birthday, I express my deepest gratitude to Venerable Walpola Piyananda for his remarkable contributions and limitless love. Ven. Walpola Piyananda Maha Thero has been a pioneer in establishing Theravada Buddhism in America and developing knowledge of the Buddha Dhamma through radio and promoting education to uplift the children of his native Sri Lanka. As a Theravada monk, he has manifested a sense of caring with wisdom and compassion by providing hospitable spiritual and physical shelter at his Los Angeles monastery. Bhante, as he is affectionately known, is a teacher with a great breadth of interests spanning from the origins of Buddhism to how Western people could apply the teachings, Dhamma, into their daily life. I have known Bhante since we were students at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)…. This edition of his collected works is an important contribution for Western readers.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
in L.A.: Tales of a Buddhist Monk and then published a sequel of
that work in 2008 titled The Bodhi Tree Grows in LA. In 2010 he
co-authored Thus We Heard: Recollections of the Life of the Buddha
with Dr. Stephen Long and in 2016 he published Away from LA:
Tales of a Buddhist Monk from Around the World. 2018 Sharing
Buddhism in the Western World
WORDS FROM FRIENDS
It is with great pleasure to participate in the celebration of the
80th birthday of Venerable Walpola Piyananda Nayake Maha Thera.
I have known him since childhood. I consider him one of my closest
friends, my colleague in spreading the Buddha Dhamma, and he is truly
like a big brother. He has developed into a distinguished Buddhist
scholar and Dhamma teacher. His patience and determination have
made it possible for the Buddha’s teachings to be available virtually
all over the world. In 1976 he arrived in the United States with little
more than total devotion to Buddhadhamma, and we began to establish
temples across the continent.
We congratulate him on his 80th birthday, and hope to enjoy
many more birthdays together. He is truly a unique figure in the growth
of Buddhism in the United States and beyond.
Ven. Mahopadhaya Dr. Pannila Ananda Nayake Maha Thera
Chief Abbot of Attanagalla Royal Temple, Sri Lanka
Bhante Walpola Piyananda Nayake Maha Thera offered me
a place in his monastery for many years to carry out the mission of
the Buddha dhamma beyond our native Sri Lanka. His generosity
to all people always impressed me. I have worked in India with
the communities of emerging Buddhists and followers of Dr. B.
R. Ambedkar and understand the profound achievements Bhante
Piyananda has made in Los Angeles for spreading Buddhism in the
West. He has helped fellow monks set up temples across America. This
publication of his collected essays and articles express the expansive
range and depth of his ability to convey the dhamma and its meaning
with a sense of ease to people of every walk of life.
Ven. Maitipe Wimalasara Maha Thero
Abbot of Parama Dhamma Cetiya Pirivena, Sri Lanka
The Most Venerable Walpola Piyananda Nayaka Maha Thera
stands out among the great people I have met. His religious service
is unparalleled. He is a genuinely qualified prelate with rare noble
qualities such as mercy and compassion. It is a unique fact that
Theravada Buddhism in America has reached a very high level due to
his noble religious mission. I wish him good health and long life on his
80th birthday.
Ven. Prof. Gonadeniye Pannarathana Ph.D.
Department of Pali, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka
I met him in 1979, after discovering there was a monk from
Sri Lanka teaching Theravada practice at the International Buddhism
Meditation Center of Los Angeles, California. While the other
attendees came and went, I felt I was in the right place. Bhante had
such a sweet disposition; kind-hearted and soft spoken; a true follower
of the Buddha’s teachings and a very learned scholar of Dhamma. I
started visiting his small temple in Hollywood and folllowed him to
what became Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara. Under his leadership,
guidance, and wisdom, Western and Asian students flocked to learn
Dhamma. His energy is legendary. His courage and determination in
the face of countless challenges and difficulties is a model of Dhammabased
behavior, and shows how wonderful it is to live by Dhamma; the
proof is in the results: everything he has determined to do, he has done.
He has helped countless Asian immigrants, whether or not they were
Buddhists. Bhante is a 24 hour a day Dhamma man -- living proof
of the blessedness of a life lived in the Dhamma. Happy Birthday
Bhante. I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you.
Stan Dharmajiva Levinson, Bodhicari
114 115
Change language