KANDUBODA VIPASSANA MEDITATION CENTRE – SRI LANKA – Creating a good Ground for Meditation – By Leelananda Ihalagamage in Melbourne
Meditation isn’t a one-way street – It’s not like you can just meditate and your life will automatically get better. You have to change the way you live to improve your meditation.
Often we like to think that simply by adding meditation to our daily schedule, the effects of the meditation will permeate our whole lives without having to do much of anything else. Simply add the meditation to the mix of your life and it will change all the other ingredients – that’s what we would like to think, but it doesn’t really work that way. You have to make your life a good place for the meditation to seep through, because some activities, some states of mind, are really resistant to receiving any influence from the meditation.
Kanduboda
The Siyane Vipassana Meditation Centre at Kanduboda came into being in 1956, when the Buddhist world was commemorating the 2500-year of the birth of the (Bodisathwa) Buddha into this world. The Center was opened shortly thereafter on January 8, 1956 under the sponsorship of the late Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw, a most venerable meditation master from Burma (Myanmar).
Inguruwatte piyananda thero ( Photo extracted from kanduboda siyane Meditation Centre website )
Most Venerable Aggamaha Panditha Inguruwatte Piyananda Thero is the Chief Incumbent (Maha Nayaka) of the Kanduboda Vipassana Meditation Centre while Ven. Akurumulle Sobitha Thero and others are supporting him with running the Centre and welcome citizens of the world to visit and discover the fountain of wisdom within themselves through vipassana (insight) and that without any changes whatsoever!
The Center offers Vipassana meditation instructions in the style of Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma. The meditation centre can accommodate up to 70 meditators at a time. Accommodation, meals and services are offered free of charge, as the centre being funded by donors. Started in 1956 the Programs are designed for meditators to stay for a number of weeks or months.
Meditators must be dressed in white throughout their stay (white clothing is available for foreigners as well). Meditators can stay for a number of weeks or months, and provides help on visa extensions. It is recommended that meditators undergo an initial training period of 3 weeks at the centre, after which they can meditate on their own for as long as they like. Tuition continues throughout the year, but as the Centre can be full at times (particularly around poya days), it is wise to have contacted themselves by telephone ahead of their arrival.
This is a major centre for meditation instructions in the style of the late Mahasi Sayadaw. The Centre is located 25 km east of Colombo in Delgoda-Pugoda bus route No.224 which starts from the Central Bus Stand in Colombo.
Meditation Instructions
The late Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw was a Burmese Meditation Master and the Founder of our lineage. His clear and thorough instructions are based on the Buddha’s teachings in the Maha Satipattana Sutta. The power and authenticity of the Mahasi method has been proven over the years by thousands of yogis who have successfully practiced meditation.
One should try to set aside a period of time every day for meditation, whether it’s a full hour or just a few minutes is not as important as being consistent and putting in sincere effort in keeping with a routine practice.
Our special thanks to Ven. Akurumulle Sobitha Thero for giving permission to photograph the meditation centre.
Contacts : Kanduboda Siyane International Insight Meditation Centre, Delgoda, Sri Lanka.
Tele: +94 11 2402306; +94 11 4931808
Fax : +94 11 2403510
Web: www.kandubodavipassana.lk
Pix : By Leelananda Ihalagamage
