[AxelSnaxel]

Hey, I was wondering if you guys know of any arya monasteries. I looked at Waharaka’s website and there are two that belongs to him in Sri Lanka. I was wondering if it’s possible to live and volunteer in those? And if there is any other arya monasteries in the rest of the world and Sri Lanka (I live in Norway)?
I can’t become a monk because my mom does not allow me and would be very afraid, but volunteering would be a nice compromise.

[Lal]

Hello AxelSnaxel,

I have sent you an email with contact information for one disciple of Waharaka Thero. I do not know them personally and have not visited the place. I live in the United States.

That is the only place that I know for sure that you can communicate with them in English. You can write to them and see.

[AxelSnaxel]

Thank you :)

[Johnny_Lim]

Hi,

You can write to [email protected]

Their website is https://www.dharmayaiobai.org

[AxelSnaxel]

Just a small update. I will be flying to Sri Lanka on the 18 of September to find myself a monastery to become anagagarika and then eventually a monk.
I have found the monasteries that follow real dhamma and i will check them out to see which ones suit me the most.
Those are:
Dharmayai Obai
https://maps.app.goo.gl/JbXzCs8RxPoTTRLbA
Waharaka Temple
https://maps.app.goo.gl/nh6QBbh8bMJanEDq6
Mnastery of Waharaka Temple in Anuradhapura
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2g8o7TkCCsu1UptF8
And then there is one in Gampola near Kandy that i don’t have the exact location for but have contacts to. And they have both a temple and monastery.

If anyone stumbles upon this post in the future and have similar plans you can contact me on what’sapp +47 94164658 :)

[Lal]

Thanks for letting us know, AxelSnaxel!

It would be nice to hear from you on any significant findings or the progress you make. Have a safe and successful trip!

[Lal]

AxelSnaxel had been unsuccessful in posting the details on his visit to Sri Lanka. I have mentioned this problem with the forum for the past week or so. My apologies again for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, I will leave tomorrow on a two-week trip and may not be able to do much about this issue until I get back.
– But I plan to post the weekly posts and keep up with monitoring emails and also forum issues.

The following is the message from AxelSnaxel. He is still in Sri Lanka on his visit, and my thanks to him for providing us with a detailed report.

Here’s an update after 2 months in Sri Lanka!

I have been incredibly blessed with my stay so far. I’ve been hosted by numerous Dhamma friends on the way and been taken good care of at every monastery i have visited. So far i practically haven’t spent any money, only on bus tickets and mobile data, which is ridiculously cheap. And i must say everyone I’ve met so far have been very nice and it’s a lovely culture.

And if anyone is interested in changeing ones livelihood towards Dhamma practice, I highly recommend coming to Sri Lanka and living as a lay person at a monastery. And there’s nothing binding, so you can do so for a few weeks during vacation or stay for how long you’d like, the head monks will happily help you get a residence visa. So if anyone is interested, again please contact me on whatsapp +4794164658, And i will help you out with finding a monastery and help you find accommodation with fellow Dhamma friends.

I’d like to make it very clear though, if you really want to become a monk. I advice to wind down a little bit, allow things to unfold naturally and begin with just being a lay person in a monastery. And then just see where that takes you. Because if you are coming into this with a lot of expectation on yourself, then you can make it something that’s easy and nice into something difficult. I certainly went in with a lot of determination and forcefulness with regards to: “I’m going to become a monk!” which made my have a lot of internal struggles with myself. It’s really important for this path to accept oneself fully, everything, and not but up any walls towards life.

So when it comes to my journey:
First i visited Dharmayai Obai and i stayed there for 11 days.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/JbXzCs8RxPoTTRLbA
Here’s a good video of the place, although a little idealized https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AKyKczBP6k
There’s about 40 monks there and 12 anigarikas. The place is still under construction and is a quite busy, with little time for meditation. Out of all the places, this one is the most “formal”/ritualistic. What’s very nice about the place is that there’s a very strong brotherhood among everyone there and everyone is always willing to help.
There’s about 4 Anagarikas and 5 monks that speak well English, so it’s easy to get around. Every Sunday there is held a english sermon by Amadassana Thero, which is very special to attend in person. This is definitely the highlight of being there. You can find the sermons here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV-UaXBFLCA&list=PLGrCtt8wuHbOz67iBmmtrI2rGfj-uoYfQ
you can definitely attain sotapanna by listening to those.
I was also very lucky to be able to talk to Amadassana Thero personally 4 times, which was very good.
During my stay i was provided a 2m x 1m metal shed kuti, which was actually quite nice.
Overall i had a nice stay, but the place was not for me due to the rigidity, busyness and lack of time for meditation. Still i would highly recommend visiting the place.

Secondly i took a half a day visit to the branch monastary of Waharaka Temple in Anarudhapura
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2g8o7TkCCsu1UptF8
Sadly when i visited there most the monks where away for a special event, and only 2 where left. None of which spoke English. It’s quite a small place, but quite peaceful and conducive to mediation.

Thirdly i visited a monastary called Kaludiya Pokuna for 2 days
https://goo.gl/maps/pjnC3hdiXpdSDgyx7
It’s located right next to a very old historical monastery where there used to be many Arahants. There i was provided with a kuti. Sadly the place is not an Ariya Monastery, but there were two monks who secretly practiced the real path to Nibbana and spoke decent English. The downside with this place is that there’s a lot of mosquitoes.

Then i stayed at Waharaka Temple for 12 days
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2g8o7TkCCsu1UptF8
The energy at that place was very special and i had some first jhana experiences due to it. there’s about 8 monks there. 2 of them speak good english and 3 of them speak it decently. I was given my own room and was given a lot of time for meditation and Dhamma study. However this place is not really for meditative practice, and the monks don’t meditate that much there. And since it is a Temple it is a little busy sometimes. Sadly the Monk who could speak the best english was very energy sensitive and for whatever reason my aura would make him trip and behave a little strangely, which made my stay quite confusing at times. Overall it’s a nice place to visit for some time, but since it is a temple it’s not optimal long term.

Then i went to Abhaya Theros mediation center for a retreat
https://g.page/nirapekshathwayemaga?share
I definitely recommend attending one of those, I have gone to one in Italy and one in the UK before this and it gives a very big boost to ones path. Generally Abhaya Thero is traveling around a lot so if your able to catch him near you i highly recommend going to such a retreat (given that you’re already sotapanna). He will be in Australia coming december and january, and will be holding several retreats there. Please message me if anyone is interested.
Anyways, this mediation center is also a place where you can stay whenever and as long as you’d like. There’s always a couple of monks there and the caretaker is very nice and speaks good English and knows some people that can explain dhamma well in English.

Lastly the place where I’m currently at and where i have stayed for 2 weeks now is this place
https://goo.gl/maps/Ajak1fWqghj9Xfcp6
It’s a small monastery with 4 monks. 2 of them speak very good english and the other 2 speak it decently. This place is the best i have found so far and is really the perfect place for practice. It’s calm and quiet, the climate is perfect for a European and there’s almost no mosquitoes. The monks here are incredibly kind and give me a lot of space for my own practice and help me practice my Sinhala. So i think i will settle down here. There’s also more rooms available if any of you wish to come to Sri Lanka one day :)

I will say that there are more Ariya monasteries that i have not visited. But one of the monks here visited most of them and found this place the best for personal practice and being duty free. Having said that here’s a quick list if anyone is interested:
https://goo.gl/maps/gQ36EdHwqMubQPfAA
https://goo.gl/maps/Tr56gvWsiCDwvpyXA
https://goo.gl/maps/iLxSGZgFPAnvfFxt5
https://goo.gl/maps/QRDTs5s5ffNNxAcK8
https://goo.gl/maps/adSeWXuHnYNVU1We6

And this one which i will visit shortly next week
https://goo.gl/maps/f14geEQfe1PAyfV4A

[AxelSnaxel]

Here’s a small update.
I am currently back in Norway and have been for the last 2 months. In my time in Sri Lanka I was lucky enough to speak with Vimuththa Therani, and will be arranging a retreat for her in Norway at the beginning or end of June. I will make am announcement post about it when everything gets sorted. She can see other’s past lives and recommend meditation methods based upon that, so that’s a great opportunity for anyone in Europe willing to attend.

Other than that, I will be back in Sri Lanka in November. This time to find myself a good forest monastery where the monks are serious about completing the path. Then my plan is to ordain after a few years as Anagarika. This time i will be joined by some Dhamma Friends from America as well. Last time around in Sri Lanka I was a little disappointed in the monasteries i visited. They where all directly connected to Waharaka Thero, but they where either too focused on sermons, or slack on vinaya, or too little seriousness about completing the path without delay. Luckily I have good contacts since my last visit so I will get a lot of help. If anyone is interested in joining the next journey, just get in touch with me :)

[Lal]

Thanks for the update, Axel!

You wrote: ” Luckily I have good contacts since my last visit so I will get a lot of help.”

I get requests for such information. It would be very helpful if you can provide more details here, if possible.
– If you think it is better not to publicize for some reason, please email me: [email protected]
– I will use that information as needed.

[AxelSnaxel]

Sure, most of them are friends, but i can send you those which would be most relevant.

[Aniduan]

Is Dharmayai Obai monastery associated with Waharaka Thero?

[AxelSnaxel]

Yes, it is my impression that a lot of what is said by the preachers at Dharmayai Obai, they get from listening to Waharaka sermons and then preaching it in their own way and adding their own insight.

[Lal]

Yes. That is my understanding.

[Lal]

The following post is from Aniduan:

I listened to portions of this meditation by Amadassana Thero (from
Dharmayai Obai Sermons): “2020-04-26 DOSE (Breathing Meditation)“.

He is teaching breath meditation. Based on what I read on this puredhamma website Buddha did not teach breath meditation. Waharaka Thero was Buddha’s lineage and if Amadassana Thero was Waharaka Thero’s student I wonder why he is teaching breath meditation.

[y not]

Hello Aniduan,

Kāyānupassanā is one of the foundations of mindfulness.

Listen again starting from 30’10”: ‘The reason we are doing this meditation is to discover where is the self; the self that we have so got used to’ (33’17”). During the course of that time he also makes it clear the aim of the meditation is with Nibbana as the goal, not merely as a means towards relaxation and a feeling of general well-being.

I have listened to quite a few of these sermons now several months. Not once did I find anything out of line with pure Dhamma.

[Aniduan]

Thanks y not. I listened again, it doesn’t seem like a traditional breath meditation taught by other Buddhist traditions. I stand corrected.

[Lal]

Yes. I listened to part of the desana starting at 30 minutes as y not suggested.

It has nothing to do with a traditional (and wrong) breath meditation. It is a good discourse.
– We should not make judgments based on just the title without listening first.

[Aniduan]

“We should not make judgments based on just the title without listening first.”

My apologies. I should have listened fully instead of portions and making judgements.

I actually started listening to all of his English Desanas on the YouTube channel. They are really good.

[y not]

They are a bit too long Aniduan.

4 hours or so. Only since there can be no attendance because of CV-19 has that come down to 2 hours or so. Even so he is too long-winded at times, giving more examples than would appear necessary to get a point across. But that may also be due to his concern and compassion for his listeners, live or online; he can possibly have only a very vague idea of the mental capacity of each, and none at all of any stage of magga phala attained, so he must assume that none has. Besides the diversions.

Still, they are the best I have come across.

I am glad that you have come to see that ‘they are really good’.

may you progress on the Path.

[Aniduan]

Hi y not,

How can I join the live session?

[Christian]

We have live sessions on our discordapp (google Original Buddha Dhamma discord) every week if you want to listen live Desana, your welcome as anybody :)

[y not]

I have no idea, Aniduan. There are no ‘live’ sessions now due to social-distancing.

The Thero just posts the sessions onto YouTube and one other site for people to listen when they please. I myself tried to look for a way to ask questions, but got nowhere.

If you yourself find out how to go about that, please let me know.

[Lal]

The following is from Hojan in reply to the request by Aniduan above.

Here’s live streaming from “Dharmayai Obai Jethavanarama Viharaya”

“Streamed LIVE from Jethavarama Viharaya Monastery, Ingiriya, Sri Lanka. To join future sermons live tune in to our LIVE YouTube stream every Sunday at 14:00 Colombo time.”

With Metta,
hojan

[Author]

Posts