The Dhammadeepa Meditation Centre, located in Melbourne’s southeastern suburb of Dandenong, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. The center was established by the chief incumbent, Venerable Akaravita Sanghananda Thero, and the local Sri Lankan Buddhist community in late 1994, and moved to its current location in late 1995.
Dhammadeepa Meditation Centre. From dhammadeepa.org.au
The 20-year anniversary was officially commemorated on 8 November with an all-night Pirith chanting session of prayers, gathas (stanzas), and suttas, as well as a delicious food fair. The celebrations have continued into the New Year, with special Ata Wisi Buddha (28 Buddhas) pujas on the fourth Saturday of each month.
“The Ata Wisi Buddha Puja involves paying homage to the 28 Buddhas of the past that came before Gautama Buddha, firstly by offering such items as beautiful flowers, herbal drinks, and tea, and then by the venerable monks and lay devotees reciting stanzas mentioning the names of all 28 past Buddhas,” explained Dhammadeepa representative Gamini Fonseka.
The next Ata Wisi Buddha Puja, to be held on 28 February, coincides with the arrival of statues of the 28 Buddhas from Sri Lanka. These will be housed in Dhammadeepa’s new temple, which is currently under construction in Pakenham, 30 minutes east of Dandenong. Additional pujas will be held at Dhammadeepa Pakenham for five consecutive days in March, and then every weekend until Vesak.
All activities at Dhammadeepa are either conducted or overseen by Venerable Akaravita Sanghananda Thero, who was ordained in Sri Lanka in 1973. From 1982 to 1994, he was chief monk at the Maligatenna Rajamaha Viharaya in Gampaha, a cave temple and renowned heritage site built during the time of King Walagamba (r. 89–77 BCE) and home to the Buddha’s Sacred Tooth Relic before it was relocated to Kandy. Venerable Akaravita Sanghananda moved to Australia in 1994.
From dhammadeepa.org.au
“The unique identity of the Sinhalese is their virtuous behavior that is nurtured by the Buddhist culture through long civilization. It clearly shows us that the cultural disciplines and values have helped us to enlighten and brighten our lives, irrespective of the place we live in,” he said, adding, “especially in a multicultural country like Australia, exhibiting our cultural values will pave the way to disseminate the message of the pride of our heritage to the world.”
Regular activities at the Dhammadeepa Meditation Centre include daily Buddha Vendana (Homage to the Buddha), and Bodhi and Gillanpasa pujas, as well as a Saturday meditation class, a Sunday Dhamma school for children, and an Atasil program on the third Saturday of each month. The center also holds annual events for Vesak, Poson, and Kathina Pinkama, and a Sunday School concert.
Among the many programs initiated by the center, it is particularly proud of the children’s Dhamma school program, which was established with the primary objective of teaching the children to become good citizens, introducing them to the teachings of the Buddha, and encouraging them to implement them their daily lives. The Hela Jaya Cultural Youth Group was also set up to assist the younger generation to learn Buddhist culture, tradition, values, and practices.
In addition to its other activities, the Dhammadeepa Meditation Centre is actively involved in ongoing charitable services and services to the community in Australia, Sri Lanka, and throughout the world.