Buddhangala Rajamaha Viharaya

Buddhangala Hermitage is a slightly remote monastery in eastern Sri Lanka. I met an interesting monk there, a retired Sri Lankan Army Major General. After he lost his wife, raised two daughters alone and finished his Army career, he returned to a calling from earlier in life. Swapping his Army uniform for monk's robes and contributing his own money to Buddhangala, building the reclining Buddha statue and improving the monastery buildings, Ven. Buddhangala Ananda Thera moved in.

The modern reclining Buddha statue.

The old stupa.

I was fortunate to spend some time with Ananda Thera. You can still see the confidence of a General, but it is wrapped in a distinct calm. He asked me why I came to Sri Lanka, helped me see some truth around that, and then gave me a very nice Dhamma lesson before I left. Such a treat.

View from the stupa.