WHAT IS VIPASSANA?  |  ABOUT RETREATS  |  TEACHERS  |  CENTERS & SITTING GROUPS  |  SCRIPTURES |  CONTACT US
Teachers

Venerable Bodhidhamma

Contact:  Ven. Bodhidhamma
Website:  www.satipanya.org.uk
Calendar:  www.satipanya.org.uk/calendar.htm

Bodhidhamma started meditation in the late 1970s in Birmingham, England where has was employed as a teacher. First in Zen, then with Ven. Dr. Rewata Dhamma at the Birmingham Buddhist Vihara. He then spent six months in Burma studying under Sayadaw U Janaka.

In 1986, he was ordained at the Birmingham Vihara by the late Ven. Saddhatissa, chief monk of the London Buddhist Vihara and author, who was my ordinand and Ven. Rewata Dhamma was my acarya (teacher).

After two years in Birmingham, he studied with the U Ba Khin tradition, popularized by Goenkaji. Spending three months at the Main Centre in Mumbai. A year later he was invited to join U Pandita in Burma to study the Mahasi tradition. The political disturbances of the time prevented him from going to Yangon.

Bhante then spent ten months back in England at the Amaravati centre just North of London. He then studied under U Pandita in the US for two months, still trying to obtain a visa for Burma, but unsuccessfully because of the local consitions.

He then spent a rainy season in North Thailand for an intense retreat.

After this he spent eight years at Kanduboda monestary near Colombo, Sri Lanka, the premier meditation centre in the country and devoted to the Mahasi tradition. He studied under Upali Thera, the Chief Monk.

He then returned to England to to recover from an illness. He first stayed at the London Buddhist Vihara in Chiswick, London where he began his teaching.

In 2001, he ws invited to join Gaia House(in Devon, South West England) as the resident teacher, staying for four years.

During his stay at Gaia, and more so since leaving, the opportunity to teach has led him to travel across England and Ireland. To date he has also had the joy of teaching vipassana in Geneva, Belgium, Czech Republic and USA and will soon be teaching in Italy and France. In Autumn 2005, he was asked to teach two months at the one of the foremost meditation centers in the USA, the Forest Refuge in Barre, Massachutes(USA) created Joseph Goldstein.

The Satipanya Buddhist Trust

Whilst at Gaia House, the aspiration arose again to establish a center devoted to the Mahasi Tradition. With the strong support of friends, the Satipanya Buddhist Trust was created and became a registered charity. We purchased a new center in 2007 where up to eight meditators can stay at one time for short retreats up to extended retreats.

His website is www.satipanya.org.uk where further information (including his teaching schedule) is available