Founder of SKYS Venerable Kadaweddūwe Sri Jinavaṃsa

Sri AriyaVilāsaWaṁsāLankāra Rājakīya Paṇḍita Mahāthera

The Most Venerable Kadaweddūwe Sri Jinawaṃsa Mahāthero

The Mahāthero, in his quest for preserving and maintaining the supreme Buddha Sāsana for a very long period of time and also compelled by the great compassion to free worldly beings from the saṁsāric ocean, developed with immense strength the virtue, concentration and wisdom by fulfilling all the requirements known as “Pārami”. He had selected as one of his resting places on his saṁsāric journey, a place called “Kadaweddūwa” village, in Matara district of Ruhuna, and was born on the 01st of April in 1907 at 7.30 am becoming the fourth child of a well-disciplined family, being one of the sons of Mr. P. Don Punchiappuhāmi and Mr. Wickramaratne Dissanayake, by the name of “Don Dinesh”.

At the age of 5, he entered Yatiyana vernacular school and was educated skillfully for 5 years. When Dinesh was 10 years old, his father made arrangements for him to stay and attend upon Ven. Kadaweddūwe Siri Sugunathissa Mahāthēra—the chief incumbent of Yatawara Sri Wardhanārāmaya, the brother of Dinesh’s father.

There Dinesh commenced learning Pāli and Sanskrit from Ven. Siri Saddhammawaṁsha Mahāthēra, and was further educated in the shade of Ven. Pandit Sri Dhammawaṅsha Mahāthēra.

After acquitting brilliantly required Dhamma knowledge and accomplishing basic Dhamma practices, Dinesh was ordained at the age of 13, by the name “Kadaweddūwa Jinawaṁsha”, by Most Ven. Kōdāgoda Upasēna thēra, the Chief Disciplinarian of Ramañña sect, on the 21st of August in 1921 at Pūrwārāmaya-Horana under the Preceptorship of Most Ven. Sugunathissa Mahāthēra while Most Ven. Ariyavilasa Mahāthēra became the chief mentor.

Thereafter, he carried on his further studies at Dharmaguptha Pirivena in iPayāgala, as well as at Dharmōdaya Pirivena in Wellawaththa. After being 20 years old, he was higher ordained on the 03rd of July in 1927 at the ‘Udakukḳhēpa Sīma in Polwathumōdara-Mirissa, this time under the Preceptorship of Most Ven. Siri Saddhammāchārya Matara Sri Gñanindāsabha Mahāthēra.

1 ‘Pirivena’ is the Pāli term of ‘Parivēnaŋ’ which means ‘the school for monks’ normally held at a temple.

2 ‘Udakukḳhēpa Sīma’ is the Pāli term for the special pavilion built on water especially for giving Higher Ordination.

Ven. Jinawaṁsa Mahāthēra exhibited great skills in learning from very early stages of life and succeeded in completing the elementary level of Oriental examination in 1931, and started “Granthākara Pirivena” in 1932, with the intention of providing a great number of students to study Dhamma. The thēro further continued his learning and was able to successfully complete the secondary level of Oriental examination in 1940 as well as the final examination with flying colors. He thereby acquired the honorary title of “Rājakīya Panditha” with high achievements in 1945. In the year 1946, the thēro obtained the honourary membership of the Oriental Languages Society, the very same organization which conducted the series of Oriental Examinations. In the meantime, the thēro was able to complete successfully the Final Pirivena Examination with merits in 1934.

While continuing his exemplary religious life by acquiring Dhamma knowledge and enriching with Dhamma practice, he was obsessed with the idea, that the time was opportune for a re-awakening exercise with a cleansing process of the Order. Our thēra’s this great thought was supported and guided by the most Rev. Matara Sri Gnānārāma Mahāthēro who possessed abundant and very wide knowledge on Thipitaka Dhamma and languages. Having Rev. Sri Gnānārāma Mahāthēro in the forefront, Mahāthēra, with only the 3 robes, alms-bowl and palm leaf umbrella commenced his forest monastic life and ventured into establishing “Sri Kalyāni Yōgāshrama Saṁsthā”-The Association of Sri Kalyāni Hermitages, and became an excellent example for the others who followed the path of emancipation.

The Ven. Thēra was offered many important key positions and honorary titles such as “The Distinguished Great Preceptor of Sri Lanka Rāmñña Mahā Nikāya”, “Sri Ariyavilāsawaṁsālankāra”, “Saddharmavāgīshwarācariya”, “Patipattisōbhana”, “Gaṇapāmoḳḳhācariya”, “The Founder and Administrator of Sri Kalyāni Yōgāshrama Saṁsthā” (The Association of Sri Kalyāni Hermitages), and “Rājakīya Panditha”.

The Ven. Thēra acted like a golden lamp to illuminate the Sambuddha Sāsana to secure by opening the path for an authentic way of monastic Theravada tradition to other bhikkhus and provided with necessary guidance and leadership to the followers.

After living an exemplary religious life of 96 years, just 2 days prior to his demise, he summoned all the bhikkhus into his kuti and delivered an extremely eloquent sermon explaining his religious life and the services he rendered for the upliftment of the Buddha Sāsana.

In the gathering, The Ven. Thēra announced the listeners that his exit will take place after 2 days. Exhibiting the impermanence in everything as his final message, he passed away at 10 pm on Sunday, 13th of July in 2003, still maintaining the high level of mindfulness.