Piyadassi Maha Thera

Piyadassi Maha Thera
පියදස්සි මහා ස්ථවිරයන් වහන්සේ
Title	Chief incumbent of the Vajiraramaya Temple Bambalapitiya
Personal life
Born	(1914-07-08)8 July 1914 Kotahena, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Died	18 August 1998(1998-08-18) (aged 84)
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Education	Nalanda College University of Sri Lanka Harvard University
Religious life
Religion	Buddhism
School	Theravāda
Lineage	Amarapura Nikaya
Senior posting
Teacher	Päläne Vajirañāna Thero

Piyadassi Maha Thera (Sinhala: පියදස්සි මහා ස්ථවිරයන් වහන්සේ, 8 July 1914 – 18 August 1998) was a Theravādin Buddhist monk and preacher of the Dharma, both in Sinhalese and in English. He was born on 8 July 1914 at Kotahena in Colombo, Sri Lanka and was educated at Nalanda College, Colombo, thereafter at the University of Sri Lanka and the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University as a research student.

At the age of twenty, he entered the Buddhist monastic order under Pelene Siri Vajiragnana Nayaka Thera, founder of the Vajirarama Bambalapitiya. Later, he received his higher ordination under the tutorship of Vajiranna, founding superior of the Vajirarama Colombo.^[citation needed]

Piyadassi Maha Thera was the Sinhala editor at the Buddhist Publication Society until his death.[1] Along with Nyanaponika Thera, he was one of the chief kalyāṇamitta of American Buddhist scholar and monk Bhikkhu Bodhi.[2]

Venerable Piyadassi Maha Thera lived to the age of 84 years and died on 18 August 1998.^[citation needed]

Literature

• Piyadassi Thera - The Buddha's Ancient Path
• Piyadassi Thera - The Book of Protection - Paritta
• Piyadassi Thera - Buddhism: a Living Message
• A Felicitation Volume presented to THE VEN. NĀRADA MAHATHERA. 1979. Edited by Piyadassi Thera

Wheel Publications (BPS)

• The Seven Factors Of Enlightenment: Satta Bojjhanga (WH001)
• Buddha—His Life and Teaching (WH005)
• Dependent Origination: Paticca-samuppada (WH015)
• Lamp of the Law (WH038) (co-authored with Soma Thera)
• Psychological Aspect of Buddhism (WH179)

Bodhi Leaf Publications (BPS)

• Four Sacred Shrines (BL08)
• Aspects of Buddhism (BL21)
• Buddhist Observances and Practices (BL48)
• The Story of Mahinda, Saṅghamittā and the Sri Mahā-Bodhi (BL57)
• The Elimination of Anger (BL68)
• Selections From the Dhammapada: Sayings of the Buddha
• The Threefold Division of the Noble Eightfold Path (BL32)

References

1. "Story of the Buddhist Publication Society" from "Buddhist Publication Society" at http://www.bps.lk/aboutus.asp.
2. In Bodhi (2000), The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, p. 5, Bodhi dedicates the volume to "the memory of my teacher Venerable Abhidhajamaharatthaguru Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Mahanayaka Thera (1896-1998) and to the memories of my chief kalyāṇamittas in my life as a Buddhist monk, Venerable Nyanaponika Mahathera (1901-1994) and Venerable Piyadassi Nayaka Thera (1914-1998)".

Further reading

• By A. G. S. Kariyawasam "Ven. Piyadassi the great communicator". Daily News - Lakehouse Newspapers. 18 August 2001. Archived from the original on 14 March 2008.

External links

• "Venerable Mahathera Piyadassi". buddhanet.net.