Alms-Giving Ceremony for bhikkhuni

It has been another auspicious day at Manelwatta Temple.

Beginning at 10 am, there was a ceremony for the inauguration of an  Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva shrine. Although Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva was once popular in Sri Lanka, it was usually presented in a male image. The new Avalokiteshvara Boddhisattva shrine at Manelwatta Temple is presented in a Chinese, female image.

Around noon, an Alms-Giving Ceremony for Bhikkhunis, sponsored by Jiuhuashan Daxinshan Nunnery, took place. It is estimated that nearly 1,000 bhikkhunis attended the ceremony.

Following the Alms-Giving Ceremony for Bhikkhunis, a graduation ceremony for the second group of nun-students who had completed the training programme at Manelwatta Temple. Their dipomas were presented by the head bhikkhuni of Jiuhuashan Daxinshan Nunnery of Taiwan, who sponsored the training programme.

For more pictures, please click here.

Alms-Giving Ceremony for Ten-Precept nuns

Jiuhuashan Daxinshan Nunnery of Taiwan, in coorperation with Theravada Samadhi Education Association, commenced an Alms-Giving Ceremony for Dasa Sila nuns (ten-precept nuns) at Manelwatta Temple on 24 July 2012.

It is estimated that 1,400~ 1,600 ten-precept nuns attended the Ceremony. Ven. B. Chandima Mahathero and the tree head nuns of Daxinshan Nunnery presided over the event. For more picture, click here.

World Peace Blessing Ceremony

To celebrate the 2556th Buddha Jayanti, a special ceremony (World Peace Blessing Ceremony) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 7-11 May 2012.

 More than six hundred delegates from 24 countries attended the ceremony. It was the first time in the modern Sri lankan history that sangha members from all three major Buddhist traditions (Theravada, Mahayana and Vajayana) jointly hosted a blessing ceremony together. H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa also attended the ceremony and gave alms to the sangha.

Under the guidance of Ven. B. Chandima Mahathero, Theravada Samadhi Education Association assisted the organizing of the Ceremony.

For more photos, click here.

Ten-days Meditation Retreat

To promote Dhamma through spiritual practice, Theravada Samadhi Education Association invited the revered Ven. Polpitiye Kasapa Nayaka Thera to lead a ten-days meditation retreat in Taipei.

The retreated was well-received and appreciated by many who urgently need retreat in the busy modern life. It is expected more meditation retreats will be organized in the future.