Ven. Ahangama Rathanasiri, the Chief Monk of the Toronto Mahavihara Buddhist Centre. (Pictures by Mahesh Abeyewardene)
Ven. Ahangama Rathanasiri, the Chief Monk of the Toronto Mahavihara Buddhist Centre, marked 50 years as a Bhikkhu on October 26. I knew him from my Kelaniya university days (1976 batch) and used to see him very often in the company of W.M. Seneviratne, the first Consul General of Sri Lanka in Toronto and presently the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Nepal. Both studied German as their subsidiary subject. Ven. Rathanasiri was reading for his honors degree in Buddhist Philosophy.
One thing about the young monk that struck us batch mates was his simplicity and discipline that combined with an aloof friendship mindful of certain limitations imposed on him by the Buddhist way of life he was dedicated to.
Ven. Ahangama Rathanasiri was born in Goviyapana in Ahangama to devoted Buddhist parents and on October 26, 1963 he decided to be a monk at the age of 13, while studying in the eighth grade.
“At first my mother was reluctant to see me entering the priesthood as she wanted me to continue my studies but later she relented, not wanting to stop what I was passionate about choosing as my future. She did so with one condition,” said Ven. Rathanasiri in an exclusive interview with the Sri Lanka Reporter. “The condition was that I should never leave priesthood.”
In 2000 Ven. Rathanasiri was instrumental in moving the temple to the present spacious location along Kingston Road.
Five decades have gone since then and those who live in Ontario know his dedication to turn the Toronto Maha Vihara Buddhist Centre into a haven for spiritual sustenance. Its doors are not only open to Buddhists alone. Many from other faiths too visit the temple regularly.
After leaving the university he was trained to be a Pirivena teacher and was appointed as the Principal of Gampaha Veliweriya Sri Naga Pirivena. Ven. Rathanasiri says he was inspired by Buddhist scholars like Ven. Narada Thero and Ven. Madihe Pagnaseeha and was interested in Buddhist missionary work abroad.
His first attempt was to go to Berlin Buddhist Vihara since he was fluent in the language but the temple already had a high priest. Later he was requested to come to Toronto for a short time. Ven. Rathanasiri’s ambition was to do a PhD here since he already had an MA obtained from the Post-Graduate Institute of Buddhist Studies in Sri Lanka in 1983. He landed in Toronto in 1989 on what was supposed to be a brief assignment but things took a different turn and he was asked to stay permanently. The rest is history.
An eloquent preacher who embellishes his sermons by quoting freely from Buddhist scriptures
In 2000 he was instrumental in moving the temple to the present spacious location along Kingston Road and establishing many features like a Sunday Dhamma School to educate children, Pali and Sanskrit classes, meditation classes and retreats, freely open even to the followers of other religions.
“I frequently get invited to speak at Toronto schools on Buddhism. I just had a lecture at Pope John Paul High School in Scarborough and was surprised to know the hunger of young students who are from different religious backgrounds to learn about Buddhism,” he said.
The eloquent preacher who embellishes his sermons by quoting freely from Buddhist scriptures in simple language is not unhappy about not being able to complete his PhD in Toronto.
“At the moment I am focused on opening a meditation retreat in a secluded area somewhere towards the east of Toronto. The present location has become lot busier and too noisy to hold meditation classes and retreats. This is still a thought but I sincerely hope it will be a reality one day”, he said.
