Meditation gives brain a charge.
Brain research is beginning to produce concrete evidence for something that Buddhist practitioners of meditation have maintained for centuries: mental discipline and meditative practice can change the...
View ArticleVicissitudes of the Bhikkhuni Order.
Sri Lanka and China were the only two countries that received their order of Buddhist Nuns directly from India. The story of the introduction of the Bhikkhuni Order during the reign of Emperor Asoka of...
View ArticleUpasampada at Dambulla.(Cover Story)
The first batch of Sri lankan silmatas to receive full ordination was in the latter part of the previous millennium. There were 11 silmatas who went to attend the upasampada ceremony organized at Hsi...
View ArticleLetter from Bang Kwang prison.
Kyaw Zaw Win, a Burmese in prison in Thailand wrote to Ven. Dhammananda for spiritual guidance. After three months we are happy to share with you his progress, this is his reply. Aug. 7,2005 Dear...
View ArticleMeeting Sri Lankan Maha Nayakas.
Having been ordained into the Dambulla chapter, our group paid respect to two major Maha Nayakas on July 13. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I cut out the photo of Maha Nayaka of Malwatta chapter to acquaint...
View ArticleEurope's first Buddhist cemetery consecrated in Vienna.
Europe's first Buddhist cemetery was consecrated in Vienna recently. At the inauguration ceremony after two years of planning and building, the central stupa was inscribed with Buddhist texts by monks...
View ArticleBhikkhuni lineage from Sri Lanka to India.
There was a doubt whether the bhikkhuni lineage from India to Sri Lanka was correct. Some expressed a misunderstanding that may be Ven.Sanghamitta Theri went to Sri Lanka alone. This is not logical as...
View ArticleWomen were seen and heard .... for the first time.
At most of the international conferences particularly in religions, men always are the majority of the speakers on the panels. Partly because of the fact that religions have been the men's domain for a...
View ArticleWhy the bhikkhunis have more rules than the bhikkhus?
Actually it should not be of concern to laypeople, but nevertheless the question is often asked. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The fact that the bhikkhunis observe 311 precepts as against 227 of the bhikkhus...
View ArticleRediscovering bhikkhunis on the mural painting in Wat Bo.
During the three weeks of lecture which Ven.Dhammananda was giving to the National Museum Volunteers in Bangkok, it was brought to her attention that there are interesting stories of bhikkhunis on the...
View ArticleThe 4th Global conference on Buddhism.
Perth, Western Australia. June 10-11, 2006 The Conventional Centre in Downtown Perth suddenly became very alive with the warm color of the saffron robes of the Buddhist monks from Thailand, brownish...
View ArticleIn celebration: honoring Outstanding Women in Buddhism.
To celebrate International Women's Day on March 7, this year's Outstanding Women in Buddhism were honoured at the United Nations building. The honours this year go to 18 women who have won wide respect...
View ArticleEngaged Buddhist sangha building at Songdhammkalyani Temple.
Recently I had the opportunity to travel with Bhikkhunis, samaneris, maejis and also lay women from various countries--but mostly Thailand--on a study tour of temples after the International Women's...
View ArticleCelebrating the model monarch.(exhibitions)
June 10,2006 Somdet Pra Nyanasamvara Suvaddhana Maha Thera, Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, presided over the opening ceremony of an exhibition celebrating His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej as the...
View ArticleBhikkhunis in India.(Brief article)
Unlike Sri Lanka where there are chronicles recording the activities of both bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, it is more difficult to find references to bhikhunis in India. However the existing references to...
View ArticleWhy dual ordination?(ordination of women)
One of the obstacles that is often quoted for the reason against ordination of women in Theravada Buddhism is that as there is no more bhikkhuni sangha, hence proper ordination cannot be given. In...
View ArticleBreaking the jar.(mediation)
Last night I gave the teaching in 2 versions, the Thai version was not the translation of the English version and I thought there was something that was very good in the Thai version that I would like...
View ArticleTraining course at Songdhammakalyani Monastery.(Brief article)
This vassa (July 11-Oct.8) Songdhammakalyani Monastery, Nakhonpathom, Thailand is offering a training course for samaneris and upasikas. This vassa there are 3 bhikkhuni and samaneris, two mae jis and...
View ArticleBhikkhuni ordination in Tibetan tradition?(Brief article)
May 22-24,2006 the Department of Religion and Culture in Dharamsala organized a meeting of the senior vinaya masters to discussed about how to give ordination to Tibetan Samaneris. The Department has...
View ArticleWat Dhammarama Upali Maha Thera's residence.
In Sri Lanka there are three major sects namely Syamvamsa from Thailand, Amarapura from Burma and Ramanna from lower Burma. Among these three sects, Syamvamsa claimed to be the oldest, and they just...
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