Many people think that this is a century in which man has been more motivated to find inner peace and spiritual happiness. By now man is at a high level of scientific, technological and industrial development. To achieve and maintain this high level people work hard and can become tired, stressed, and restless. However, most people have not found the mental wellbeing and satisfaction which they have sought for many years. Consequently, a fast-growing trend is that people are motivated to become involved in meditation in order to find a way to overcome stress and mental suffering, for a temporary period or long term. Many people from different nationalities are attending centres where they find spiritual teachings; others are establishing new centres with similar aims.
It is obvious that Sri Lankan Buddhist temples have played a major role in rendering great service to the community throughout the long history of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Buddhist temples are greatly respected and honoured by people as centres where they can gain cultural values and cultivate spiritual practice as taught by the Lord Buddha.
Residents in the North of England have been hoping for many years to establish a Sri Lankan Buddhist temple. This would enable them to learn how to gain understanding, peace and happiness by learning and practicing Buddhism. It would also offer an ideal opportunity for relatives, friends, and anyone seeking to enhance mental well-being to learn and practise together the teaching of the Buddha.
Buddhist monks and lay people were delighted to inaugurate a Sri Lankan Buddhist temple in Leeds on 11th May 2017. This is a great achievement brought about through dedicated service, generosity, effort and hard work by monks and lay people. The temple is successfully offering all the services that a temple can offer to the community. This provides an opportunity for everyone to perform meritorious deeds, and to cultivate spiritual practices.
In contemporary society websites are a necessary source of information. Consequently, I would like to add my warm hearted congratulations on the launching of the Leeds Buddhist Vihara’s website.
Finally, I am very grateful to all the people who dedicated their valuable time and other resources to this meritorious endeavour, and continue to do so.
Venerable Galpottayaye Pemananda Thero
Deputy Head Monk of Leeds Buddhist Vihara