Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery
Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery is an organization of Buddhist monasteries of Sri Lankan origin established to benefit the spiritual development of human beings using the teachings of the Gautama Buddha. Its main monastery is in Polgahawela, Sri Lanka, and Sri Lanka is home to 40 branches of the organization. Overseas branches are in Canada, USA, Australia, UK, Dubai, South Korea, India, Italy, and Germany. And Mahamevnawa is home to more than 700 Buddhist monks.
The founder and the chief Buddhist monk in charge of these monasteries is Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero, who is engaged in spreading Buddhism to both local and international communities, and in highlighting the aim of Buddhism: putting an end to Dukkha (suffering) or attaining Nibbana.
Mahamevnawa Anagarika Monastery
Mahamevnawa monastery for Buddhist Nuns is called Mahamevnawa Anagarika Monastery. Currently there are 6 Anagarika Monasteries of Mahamevnawa. About 100 Buddhists Nuns resident and practice Dhamma there.
Vihara
Vihara (विहार, vihāra) is the Sanskrit and Pali term for a Buddhist monastery. It originally meant "a secluded place in which to walk", and referred to "dwellings" or "refuges" used by wandering monks during the rainy season.
The northern Indian state of Bihar derives its name from the word "vihara", due to the abundance of Buddhist monasteries in that area. The word "vihara" has also been borrowed in Malay where it is spelled "biara," and denotes a monastery or other non-Muslim place of worship. In Thailand and China (called jingshe; Chinese: 精舎), "vihara" has a narrower meaning, and designates a small shrine hall or retreat house. It is called a "Wihan" (วิหาร) in Thai, and a "Vihear" in Khmer. In Burmese, wihara (ဝိဟာရ, IPA: [wḭhəɹa̰]), means "monastery," but the native Burmese word kyaung (ကျောင်း, IPA: [tɕáʊɴ]) is preferred.
Origins
In the early decades of Buddhism the wandering monks of the Sangha, dedicated to asceticism and the monastic life, had no fixed abode. During the rainy season (cf. vassa) they stayed in temporary shelters. These dwellings were simple wooden constructions or thatched bamboo huts. However, as it was considered an act of merit not only to feed a monk but also to shelter him, sumptuous monasteries were created by rich lay devotees (Mitra 1971). They were located near settlements, close enough for begging alms from the population but with enough seclusion to not disturb meditation.
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