Most Venerable UdaEriyagama Dhammajīva Mahā Thero

Before entering monastic life, Venerable Dhammajīva pursued academic and professional success. He earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science from the University of Peradeniya and served as a Chief Executive Officer in the corporate sector. However, a pivotal experience during his university years—nursing his ailing father and confronting the profound reality of impermanence—sparked a deep spiritual inquiry and led him to renounce worldly life.

On 16 November 1988, he was ordained as a Buddhist monk, receiving the spiritual name “Dhammajīva.” In June 1990, he received higher ordination at the Sri Kalyāni Yogāshrama Samsthā. From 1988 to 1992, he trained under the close guidance of Most Venerable Mātara Sri Ñānārāma Mahā Thero, and was mentored by Venerable Katukurunde Ñāṇānanda Mahā Thero. In a profound period of mutual service, he attended to his teacher during the last years of the elder monk’s life—an experience that deeply shaped his monastic journey.

Following the passing of his teacher in 1993, Venerable Dhammajīva traveled to Myanmar to receive intensive Vipassanā training under Sayadaw U Panditābhivamsa at Panditārāma and Hse Main Gon monasteries. Between 1993 and 1996, he immersed himself in rigorous meditation practice and scriptural study, becoming proficient in Burmese and translating advanced meditation texts by Mahāsi Sayadaw and Pa-Auk Sayadaw. In 2005, he served as the official Sinhalese translator for Pa-Auk Sayadaw in Sri Lanka.

Upon his return to Sri Lanka, Venerable Dhammajīva rejoined Nissarana Vanaya and undertook ten years of solitary practice (1996–2006). During this period, he also pursued monastic studies in Pāli, Vinaya, and Abhidhamma, alongside self-guided study of the Sutta Piṭaka. His deep practice and study gave rise to over forty publications, including original works on Theravāda meditation and translations of rare Burmese meditation manuals into Sinhalese and English.

In 2016, Venerable Dhammajīva founded Sati Pasala – Mindful School, a pioneering movement to introduce secular mindfulness to children and adults alike. The Sati Pasala Foundation, under his spiritual leadership, promotes mindfulness as a universal practice to over 4.5 million schoolchildren in 10,000+ schools across Sri Lanka.

In addition, he conducts retreats and workshops internationally for foreign yogis and has led programs in countries including Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Croatia, and the Middle East.

Venerable Dhammajīva Mahā Thero exemplifies the balance of scholarship, meditative depth, and compassionate service. Through his leadership, teaching, and initiatives like Sati Pasala, he continues to inspire a new generation of seekers—both monastic and lay—to walk the noble path with mindfulness, wisdom, and clarity.