Chief Preceptor of SKYS Venerable Matara Sri Ñāṇārāma

Sri AggaDhammāLankāra Mahāthera

The Most Venerable Matara Sri Ñāṇārāma Mahāthēra

It was the Most Ven. Mātara Sri Ñāṇārāma Mahāthēra who became of great support for the Most Ven. Kadawedduwē Sri Jinawaṁsa Mahāthēra to initiate Sri Kalyāni Yōgāshrama Saṁsthā (The Association of Sri Kalyāni Hermitages). The Most Ven. Ñāṇārāma Mahāthēra pioneered with perseverance, exercising all of his hard-earned knowledge, will power, vigour,  powers of virtue and wisdom etc., in order to make the institution, ‘Sri Kalyāni Yōgāshrama Saṁsthā’ a strong fortress of virtuous bhikkhus which came to existence in winning combination with the Most Ven. Kadawedduwē Sri Jinawaṁsa Mahāthēra.

Ñāṇārāma Mahāthēra was born to the fortunate parents, Mr Don Bastian and Mrs Wattaggoda in the village Tikkānāgodagama which belonged to the sub-division of Gangabada in Matara district, on the 11th of December in 1901 being the 8th child of the family and was named, ‘Dedduwē Jayathuṅga Don Diyes Jayathuṅga. Even though the child had reached the school-age, he hadn’t been fortunate enough to have the formal school education but later was lucky enough to receive a primary education under several learned Mahāthēras while staying at their places helping and attending to them.

Most Ven. Ñāṇārāma Mahāthēra undertook his going forth by the Pali name, ‘(Matara) Ñāṇārāma’ in December of 1917 under the Preceptorship of Most Ven. Matalē Sri Aggadhammālankāra Mahāthēra who then held the post of ‘First Information Secretary’ to Sri Lanka Ramañña Mahā Nikāya. Mahāthēro carried on his Dhamma and Vinaya learning further to be able to be eligible enough for his Higher Ordination. Then he received his Higher Ordination on the 04th of July in 1922 at the Udakuḳḳhēpa Sīma Pavilion built on Kelani river at Totalanga under the Preceptorship of austere practitioner Most Ven. Shāsthravēlliyē Upasēna Mahāthēro. Ven. Mahāthēro worked hard for the proficiency in languages like Sinhalese, Pali and Sanskrit while working even harder to enjoy deep experiences in Samatha-Vipassana meditations too.

Pioneering to start Sri Kalyāni Yōgāshrama Saṁsthā in the year 1951, bhante strived round the clock with a view to creating a new generation of yogi bhikkhus by teaching them Samatha-Vipassana meditations which, by then, he had painstakingly mastered for a longer period of time. And not only that, engaging himself in austere practices (dhutānga) and understanding well their significance for ordained life, not once did he hesitate to employ his students in that grand training too. Bhante, who possessed a marvellously profound understanding along with “knowhow” in Dhamma and Vinaya while inherited a wonderful skill to teach in a way, others can absorb it well and clearly, led the last time of his unblemished bhikkhu life doing a great service to the Sāsana.