Kathina Ceremony 2012

Kathina Ceremony at Scotland’s Buddhist Vihara

Pictures By Malitha Yatiwella

The devotees of Scotland’s Buddhist Vihara organised the annual Kathina Ceremony on 10^th of November under the guidance of the Venerable Kamburawala Sri Rewatha Nayaka Thero, the Chief Sangha Nayaka for Great Britain ( Kotte Chapter)

The ceremony, which was held in the Vihara, was well attended by the devotees of many parts of Scotland including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Stirling, Inverness, Dundee and Glasgow.

It was a remarkable day for devotees and friends of the Vihara as there were seven monks for the ceremony, 4 of whom had come all the way from London.

The  Kathinanisansa Sermon was delivered by Venereble Konvewe Ariyarathana Thero of London Buddhist Vihara.

Venerable Kahaththewela Chandajothi, Venerable Pulasthigama Dhammakusla, Venerable Karavila Kotuwe Dhammathilaka of Thames Vihara attended the ceremony with Mr Kotinkaduwa, a trustee of Thames Meditation Society.

Venerable Mathugama Palitha and Venerable Denagama  Dhammara, the resident monks of Scotland’s Buddhist Vihara successfully completed their three month’s retreat.

As a part of this annual ceremony Mr and Mrs Sarathchandra from Cambridge donated a Land Rover vehicle to the Vihara to aid it in continuing its Dhamma work with comfort and speed and to support Venerable Rewatha’s new project for teaching mindfulness in Scottish Schools.

                       
                        

Wesak Lantern Making Workshop and Bodhi Puja

Please kindly note that we had to revise the schedule for Saturday, the 28th to allow more time for the Wesak Lantern making workshop.

Saturday, the 28th of April, 2012: (Revised programme is as follows)

01:30 p.m. - 04:30 p.m. : Wesak Lantern making workshop

05:00 p.m. - 06:00 p.m. : Special Bodhi Puja to wish good health and Happy Birthday to Ven Rewatha Thero.

Please Note: All required materials and accessories will be provided to all participating children. Therefore, please confirm by responding to this email if you are bringing your children to the workshop, so we can supply required materials sufficiently.

On the same afternoon we have organised a Special Bodhi Puja to wish good health for our head monk, the Most Venerable Rewatha Nayaka Thero and also wishing him a Happy Birthday.

The "Bodhi Tree" will be bringing to the Vihara from the Botanic Garden for this special ceremony and also for the Wesak celebrations.

The Bodhi Puja will start at 05:00 p.m. and will be conducted by Venerable Kahaduwe Shanthideva Thero, the head monk of Sri Valukarama Purana Viharaya, Kamburawala, Baduraliya. Venerable Shanthideva is from our Nayaka Thero's Villege Temple and both have studied at the same Buddhist Monks training college (Bellana Pirivena).

Special Puja for Bhante Rewatha

30 years in the life of Bhante Rewatha: not an end in sight!

By Anthony Philip Narloch


The 3rd of December marks a very special milestone for us all: it is the 30th anniversary of Bhante Kamburala Rewatha Thero as a monk. Bhante Rewatha has flourished in his spiritual and pastoral career; from humble beginnings as a novice monk in 1981 at the tender of 10, he has attained the lofty title of Chief Sangha Nayake of Great Britain(Siyam Nikaya-Kotte Chapter).

Bhante first took his monastic vows when he was 10, enrolling at the Sri Dharmapala Pirivena under the guidance of Venerable Malewana Punnarathana Thero . His academic accomplishments and intellect was already readily apparent at such a young age, when he managed to achieve the Royal Pandith degree during his tenure as a trainee novice monk. This stalwart academic prowess was no mere run of good luck, as plainly evidenced by the fact that Bhante Rewatha managed to not only successfully pass his Advanced level examination but furthermore, acquired the highest mark within the entire island.

For some of us, higher education is an opportunity to test our intellect against the anvil of progress and have it sharpened. For Bhante Rewatha however, it seems that it was not just his mind, but his heart that was strengthened during his academic career. During his time at university, Bhante Rewatha found himself heavily involved in both extracurricular activities in addition to charitable functions and events. His experiences during this time obviously left a positive and significant mark upon him, as evidenced by virtue of the fact that he still continues these activities even to this day.

In 1999, he obtained his M.A. in Pali language and Buddhist philosophy from the University of Kelaniya, Colombo, after which he returned to Sri Dharmapala Pirivena as a teacher.
Bhante Rewatha arrived on UK soil in 2001, and has since then played a pivotal role in the promotion of Buddhist doctrine and the Sri Lankan culture. Opening the Scotland Buddhist Vihara in the Maryhill district of Glasgow, June of 2002, Bhante quickly made a favourable impression among the local population and further afield.

2001 was the year in which Bhante Rewatha first visited the United Kingdom, visiting London at the personal behest of Most Venerable Somaratha Thero, the Head Monk of Thames Buddhist Vihara.

2009 was an especially noteworthy chapter in the already distinguished and incredible rise to power for Bhante Rewatha, when he was awarded the honourable title of Chief Sangha Nayake of Great Britain. In a manner befitting such a remarkable accomplishment, Bhante given the great privilege of being personally welcomed by Mahinda Rajapaksa at the presidential reception held within Temple Trees.

Bhante is a registered secondary school teacher accredited and recognised by the General Teaching Council; thereby achieving another impressive milestone: the first Sri Lankan Buddhist monk in the whole of the UK to hold such qualifications.

In keeping with his commitment to and affinity with, teaching as a whole, Bhante has also been responsible for the founding of the Buddhist College UK. At present, Bhante spends his time divided between the provision of meditation classes and Puja at the Vihara, and the discharge of his pastoral and academic duties at the Glasgow of University where he serves in a dual-capacity as both lecturer and Buddhist Chaplain.

At present, Bhante is also involved in a post-graduate research project which seeks to measure the effect of mindfulness within the context of healthcare and education.

And yet, despite all of the accomplishments and deeds he has managed to fit into such a short space of time, does Bhante Rewatha have any intention of slowing down? Absolutely not.

The 3rd of December marks not only the 30th year of anniversary of Bhante Rewatha’s career, but furthermore, it also marks the official date upon which he will begin the process of writing and drafting his 4th(!) book which will outline his distinguished career far more than this brief and humble article ever could.

Secular Mindfulness Meditation at the University of Glasgow

Venerable Rewatha Thera, The Buddhist Chaplain to the University of Glasgow
will continue the Secular Mindfulness Meditation sessions on
3rd and 10th November 2010 at the Interfaith Room in University of Glasgow Chaplaincy.

The Secular Meditation sessions, which will focus mainly on breathing
techniques, will be from 10am - 11am.

All are welcome and no previous experience is necessary.

Venerable Rewatha Thera will conduct Buddhist Prayers from 9.15am to 9.45am, before beginning the Secular Meditation sessions, for all those who would like to participate.

The Inauguration Ceremony

THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY OF THE VENERABLE K. SRI REWATHA THERO AS CHIEF SANGHA NAYAKA FOR U.K. AUGUST 2009.


The Venerable K.Sri Rewatha Thero, ( “ Bhante” ) was appointed the honorary rank of Chief Sangha Nayaka for The U.K. at a fantastic ceremony in Kotte.

The title of “Saddharma Keethisri Sobhitha,Vishwasamaya Sabhagacari” which translated means “ The High Ambassador for World Inter-Faith Dialogue, Peace and Harmony” was given to him by The Sri Jayawardhanapura Kotte Maha Sangha Sabha ( The Supreme Council of Monks ) in association with its main Karaka Sangha Sabha ( The committee members ).

If this all seems like a mouthful to you then you should have been there to experience how it all came about for that in itself was an epic and well worth not just a blog but a book ( at this point its best not to mention the book! ).

The appointment was given to Bhante by The Chief Prelate ( Maha Nayaka Thera ) of The Sri Jayawardhanapura Kotte Maha Sangha Sabha, the most Venerable Dr. Bellana Gnanawimala Maha Thera in the presence of its’ supreme committee members and distinguished guests including Mrs Nicole Cox who travelled all the way from New York to attend the ceremony and The British High Commissioner for Sri Lanka.
In addition to this a special delegation travelled from Scotland including Ms. Anne McLaughlin MSP.

Six bus loads of special visitors made the long journey from Bhantes’ village of Belena to Kotte to show their devotion and gratitude for all he has done for them and the community over the years.

Having travelled the Belena- Kotte road several times I can safely say that these amazing people who all stepped off of the buses in their immaculate white finery were an amazing sight for very tired, sore eyes ( due to the book, yes I’ve mentioned it again…stay posted! ).
The atmosphere was one of happiness and joy and a sense of everyone present being a part of a very special event and one which marked the recognition of a very special man who has devoted his life to helping and serving others being awarded the title of Chief Sangha Nayaka, ( I’ve finally managed to spell it without pausing having only written it what seems like a million times since July 2009! ).

I will be posting more information and photos on the ceremony including the meeting with The President.

Wesak The closing ceremony

Images By Ian Paton,

Wesak the Closing Ceremony

Images By Ian Paton,Rory McCulloch,Chris Harley