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American Monk Named First US Representative to the World Buddhist Supreme
Council to Visit Seattle in January 2007
Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi
December 23, 2006 (Seattle, WA) --- American
Buddhist monk Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi Maha Thera accepts International
position for Buddhism.
Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi Maha Thera,
American Buddhist Monk, preferring to be known today as Venerable Bhante
Vimalaramsi, received word Friday, December 15th that he was officially
confirmed as the first Representative from the United States of America to the
Buddhist Summit, World Buddhist Supreme Council. As part of his new position,
he will coordinate U.S. representation at the 5th World Buddhist Summit
Conference to be held in Kobe, Japan in the Spring of 2007. The goal of the
Summit Conferences is to bring together the many traditions of Buddhism in the
world, and unify them to produce a united position dedicated to working towards
balance, harmony, and world peace. The Conferences occur every two years. Venerable Bhante
Vimalaramsi’s position on the World Buddhist
Council will allow him to represent U.S. Buddhist interests and discuss a common
point concerns of the various Buddhist traditions throughout the U.S. and the
world. There are representatives from over 50 different countries on the World
Buddhist Council. To be confirmed as a member, a monk representing each country
has to be nominated by other World Buddhist Summit Council members. For the U.S. to be
represented on the council, an American born monk with a sufficient sphere of
influence was needed. Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi is the first American born
monk to gain the attention of world Buddhist leaders.
This is an unprecedented honor for the
Venerable forest monk who lives in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and has
dedicated his life to researching, studying, teaching, and writing about
Buddhist Meditation for over 20 years. Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi became a
Buddhist monk in 1986 because of his keen interest in meditation. He went to
Burma in 1988 to practice intensive meditation at the famous meditation center,
Mahasi Yeiktha in Rangoon. There he practiced meditation for 20 to 22 hours a
day and completed their program. He remained in Asia as an active meditator for 12 years and was offered
several chances to remain there as an Abbott of a Monastery. During this time, he
was invited to live and teach at the largest Theravada monastery in Malaysia,
giving talks each week to up to 500 people. While in Asia, he wrote a book on
the Mindfulness of Breathing called “The Anapanasati Sutta-A Practical Guide to
Mindfulness of Breathing and Tranquil Wisdom meditation,” which has nearly
1,000,000 copies in print and , to date, has been distributed in five different languages
worldwide.
- MORE -
Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi is beginning the
process of listening to all concerns during his U.S. tour which includes a three-week stop in
Seattle in January of 2007. Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi is traveling with
Buddhist nun, Ven. Sister Khema, who will also be giving dhamma talks while in the
area in January. During their visit, they will be residing at the
Atammayatarama Buddhist Monastery in Woodinville, WA. They will be giving
dhamma talks on Loving Kindness-Vipassana or Tranquil Wisdom meditation at
Nalanda West and various venues throughout the Puget Sound area. Ven. Bhante
Vimalaramsi will also be offering a non-residential meditation retreat. For
detailed information on the schedule, please go to
www.dhammasukha.org/Seattle .
“The Northwest
Buddhist
community is very honoured that
Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi
is beginning his
journey of leadership and service with three weeks in the Northwest. We are
filled with gratitude that he wishes to spend much of his attention bringing
together the
Buddhist leadership in this area so that he can bring their messages back to the
Summit Conferences. Bhante is also very focused on reaching as many people as
possible to spread his messages of love, peace and happiness” according to Kathleen
Anderson, PhD, a member of the Seattle Buddhist Community who is providing
coordination of the visit, “This is really a special and joyous time for all of
us. Venerable Vimalaramsi is a most gifted and dynamic meditation teacher and a
beautiful and loving human being. We are prepared to host many additional
friends and visitors because he will reach far beyond our traditional community,
especially when it gets out that in his new position he is basically the Head of
Buddhism in our country now.”
On November 7-14 Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi
flew to Kobe, Japan to complete a nomination process for his seat as the first
U.S. representative for Buddhism to the World Buddhist Supreme Conference. He
toured a large portion of Southern Japan and discussed the state of Buddhism in
the World with other leaders. This nomination was offered by the Venerable Nandisena, the Representative from Mexico. There were several other members of
the Council who were supportive of this nomination including his late teacher
Sayadaw U Silinanda who encouraged him over the years. Venerable Bhante
Vimalaramsi’s position as a Representative for the World Buddhist Supreme
Conference representing the United States of America is a hallmark for Buddhism
in this country.
Additionally, the late Ven. K Sri Dhammananda
who was a close friend and supporter, and his friend and fellow monk the Ven.
Buddharakkhita the Representative for Uganda were instrumental.
Venerable Bhante Vimalaramsi is the Abbott of
the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center in Annapolis, MO. He is building a
Buddhist Forest Retreat Center, which will become the first "American Buddhist Forest
Tradition" meditation center on U.S. soil.
As the US representative, Venerable U
Vimalaramsi now joins other Nations in the task of re-examining the earliest
Buddhist texts and practices, and clearly identifying how they are still
relevant today and applicable in daily life.
The Buddhist faith is the sixth largest
religion in the world with over 375 million followers. In the United States,
the Buddhist faithful number over 6 million with over 500 temples of various
traditions across the
nation. Buddhism is ranked among the fastest growing religions in the world
with strongest growth occurring here and in Western Europe.
Community Contacts:
Mrs. Kelly Jansen (longtime student of Ven.Vimalaramsi's and NW Coordinator for
the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center)
Cellular Phone:
425-679-1466
For further
information contact
Ven. Sister Khema
or write a question directly to
Bhante Vimalaramsi
Link to Confirmation Letters
For More Information Contact:
Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center Nuns
RR1 Box 100, Annapolis, MO 63620
Tel: 573-546-1214
FAX:
Internet:
sisterkhema@dhammasukha.org
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