Minnesota Buddhist Vihara
Abigail Boyce
The Minnesota Buddhist Vihara was founded in 2004 by the Venerable Witiyala Seewalie Nayaka Thera, who saw a void in Minnesota that needed to be filled. Rev. Witiyala Seewalie was born in Sri Lanka and raised in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. At the age of 12, Rev. Witiyala Seewalie became a samanera, and at the age of 20 he moved up to be an upadampada. Before moving to the United States, Rev. Witiyala Seewalie earned multiple advanced degrees in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, Rev. Witiyala Seewalie was appointed the 27th principal of the premier center for monastic education in Sri Lanka, the Parama Dhamma Cetiya Pirivena. Once he moved to the United States, he founded the Minnesota Buddhist Vihara, a Theravada Buddhist temple, where he still serves as chief abbot today. As well as serving as chief abbot, Rev. Witiyala Seewanie serves as a volunteer chaplain to the Minneapolis Police Department and travels to prisons in both Minnesota and South Dakota to conduct talks and meditations.
The Minnesota Buddhist Vihara remains tied to its Sri Lankan origins, as most of the members of the community are of Sri Lankan decent. However, the temple is open to people of all traditions and cultures. The temple’s ties to Sri Lanka are reinforced by Rev. Witiyala Seewalie’s appointment as Deputy Monk of the Malwatta Chapter of Siam Sect, a monastic order based in Sri Lanka. The temple does, however, have relationships with other Buddhist temples in the Minneapolis area, including a Vietnamese temple. Furthermore, the two resident monks of the temple represent diverse Buddhist backgrounds. Bhikkhu Bisho Kirti Maharjan was born in Nepal where he was first ordained, and he then traveled to the United States. Bhikkhuni Satima, who passed away earlier this year, was born and raised in Sri Lanka and began her adult life in the United States as a Montessori teacher. It was not until 2000 that Bikkhuni Satima chose to be ordained, but she originally did so as part of the Zen tradition. In 2004, she returned to Sri Lanka to be ordained in the Theravada tradition. As a result, the Minnesota Buddhist Vihara has a number of ties to different elements of the greater Buddhist community.
The Minnesota Buddhist Vihara strives to create a peaceful and harmonious world while also providing spiritual, cultural, scientific, and educational activities to the community. The temple places a strong emphasis on science, education, and equality, taking the teachings of the Buddha further by applying them to important aspects of modern life. In one newsletter, they quote a saying by Albert Einstein that Buddhism most closely aligns with modern scientific thought. The Minnesota Buddhist Vihara uses Loving Kindness and Compassion, the pinnacle teachings of Buddhist ethics, to inform their views of the world. The teachings of the Buddha are extended to statements on anti-discrimination. The arguments that all human beings are born equal, and the Buddha believed this. Therefore, there should not be discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religious tradition, class, or anything else. The sangha extends the teachings of concern for human beings and animals to concern for the environment, advocating for climate action and awareness. The temple also emphasizes in its newsletters the importance of medical treatment for mental health. In one article, the sangha states that depression is a mental illness and must be treated with medication when needed, but that medication should be supplemented with meditation and the quest to achieve Nirvana. The views of this temple are that faith and science must coexist. Furthermore, the Rev. Witiyala Seewanie states that Buddhism is not a religion but a way of life. Buddhism must exist within all aspects of life. The Minnesota Buddhist Vihara works to extend the teachings of the Buddha into modern life and has very progressive views for how Buddhism applies to our society today. It is the perspective of the community that Buddhism is impermanent and therefore grows and adapts with time. The teachings of the Buddha can be applied to modern life because their interpretations can grow and evolve.
The Minnesota Buddhist Vihara is steeped in tradition and centers around communal religious practices. The practices of Theravada Buddhism are based on the Middle Way of Truth and Insights. The most important practice to the tradition is meditation. Other essential components of Theravada practice include the observance of the precepts and dhamma discussion. The temple holds weekly Sunday services which are comprised of worship, meditation, Sutta discussion, and chanting. Meditation is intended to reduce stress and eradicate negative thoughts. Furthermore, meditation will ultimately lead us to the discovery of the true nature of life. The true nature of life can be broken down into Anicca (impermanence), Dukka (unsatisfactoriness), and Anatta (nonself). The final goal of meditation is achieving Nirvana. The Sutta discussion is based on the Pali Canon and is intended to hear the dhamma and learn more about the Buddha. Learning the dhamma is the path to a happy life. Sunday services then end with chanting. Chanting has great significance in many religions and is an especially important component of Buddhism. In addition to chanting at Sunday services, on the first Wednesday of each month, the temple holds Pirith chanting. Pirith means protection and insinuates that protection is obtained through focus on the Suttas. The Pirith chanting is conducted to evoke blessings upon devotees, members, well-wishers, those recovering from sickness, and those celebrating important days. Chanting holds significance through unveiling the Power of Truth, the Power of Virtue, the Power of Loving Kindness, and the Power of Sound.
Beyond weekly and monthly services, the Minnesota Buddhist Vihara also has a number of other traditions and ways of engaging. One of these is the Dhamma School which is open to children and teaches ethics and meditation practices. The Dhamma School meets on Saturdays to hear stories and teachings from the Pali Canon and to learn the pillars of Buddhist teachings. For older members of the community, the temple holds a variety of retreats including the Uposatha Retreat and special meditation retreats. The Uposatha retreat is held monthly and participants practice meditation and Noble Silence while listening to dhamma discussions. Finally, the temple celebrates important holidays including the end of the rain retreat and the birth of the Buddha.
The Minnesota Buddhist Vihara provides an important gateway for the Buddhist community in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The temple has deep ties to Sri Lankan Buddhist lineages and keeps the culture alive through language training and cultural activities. The monks at the temple frequently engage in outreach to share the knowledge of their teachings and faith to the greater community. The Minnesota Buddhist Vihara even publishes a bi-annual newsletter for the midwestern Buddhist community. The community focuses on the Middle Way and Loving Kindness and extends its beliefs and practices into modern life. Rev. Witiyala Seewanie as well as the other monks at the temple see the importance of applying the Buddha’s teaching to an ever-changing world, as the truth of impermanence is itself a pillar of Theravada Buddhism.
Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaBuddhistVihara/
http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2011/06/malwatte-chapter-awards-ven-witiyala.html