Bhikkhuni Madulle Vijithananda

Sri Lanka

Bhikkhuni Madulle Vijithananda holds a B.A. and M.A. in Buddhist Studies from the Buddhist & Pali University and the University of Kelaniya respectively. She is currently the Abbess of the Sakyadhita Training and Meditation Center in Panadura, Sri Lanka, a post which she has nobly held since 2003.

As the Abbess she teaches Dhamma and meditation, counsels pregnant women, runs a Sunday Dhamma School, organizes monthly spiritual activities and annual Buddhist holidays, as well as offering homework help for youth-in-need. She offers Dhamma talks outside of the center, and she has even participated in inter-faith dialogue programs in Sri Lanka and overseas in Taiwan.

In addition, Bhikkhuni Madulle Vijithananda conducts social work programs of offering assistance to poor families, emergency disaster relief supplies, and school supplies to rural students via assistance from Fo Guang Shan Monastery, Taiwan.

She has ordained women since 2008, and she enjoys working on behalf of the Theravada Bhikkhuni Sangha. In order to upgrade and organize Bhikkhuni training, she travelled to Taiwan in 2005 to study at Fo Guang Shan Monastery for four months.

For her sincere and heartfelt work, Bhikkhuni Madulle Vijithananda was awarded, “The M.A. in Glorious Buddhist Doctrine and the Victorious Banner for Buddhist Dispensation.” She is the first to receive this honor, and Bhikkhuni Madulle Vijithananda is an inspiring example of how a Bhikkhuni may serve society.