Founders

In the tradition of excellent Buddhist Meditation masters grows the revival of Concentration and Insight meditation.

Ven. Bhikkhu Thaton Mingun and Mahasi Sayadaw

In the 1960s, after the sixth Buddhist council had given Mahasi Sayadaw an eminent role in the revival of Buddhist meditation, he was invited by the Sri Lankan government to train, teach and help establish vipassana meditation centers in Sri Lanka.

At that time a group of already well known meditation monks received the opportunity to privately train and practice with Mahasi Sayadaw. Among those was the Venerable  Ñānārāma Mahathera.

Mahasi Sayadaw appointed him as the main vipassana teacher after his departure. At about the same time Venerable Matara Sri Ñāṇārāma Mahathera was invited to lead the training facility for meditation monks in a newly founded association of forest monasteries, the Nissarana Vanaya.

Ven. Bhikkhu Matara Ñānārāma and Ñānānanda

Over the following decades Matara Sri Ñāṇārāma Mahathera started to add valuable instructions to the Burmese system by modifying its reliance on “dry” insight and studying the jhāna as well as stages of vipassana progress in greater detail.

One of his fundamental additions is a greater emphasis on concentration as well as a carefully designed set of standardized instructions which help especially meditation beginners to methodically develop their concentration and insight faculties rapidly.

During this time the Venerable Ñānārāma Mahathera published two renowned books on insight meditation: “The seven stages of purification” and the “The seven contemplations”.

In the late 1980s, one of his foremost students, a former professor of Pali, the Venerable Bhikkhu Katukurunde Ñānananda held 33 discourses on the topic Nibbana which quickly became a meditative commentary on the Buddhist Tipitaka. He as well is known for his books “Concept and Reality” and “The magic of the mind”.

Many influential meditation teachers visited and studied under Ven. Ñānārama during that time (such as Ayya Khema, Maitri Wettimuny, Godwin Samaratne…)

The Nibbana Meditation System as presented on these pages is currently taught in monasteries and groups affiliated with Ven. Katukurunde Ñānananda and based on Ven. Ñānārāma’s latest revisions.

Today – An active community of dedicated students and teachers

Scattered throughout the globe you might find students and teachers in the tradition of Ven. Nyanarama’s meditation instructions. If you are truly interested in this particular meditation system feel free to send us an email. We currently offer meditation courses and instructions to sincere lay and ordained students of the Dhamma in the following countries: Sri Lanka, Austria, UK and the United States.