Bhante Gunaratana

Bhante Henepola Gunaratana aka Bhante “G” as he is fondly called by his students was born in Sri Lanka. He was a monk at age 12 and took full ordination at the age of 20 in 1947. He came to the United States in 1968 and became the founder and abbot of Bhavana Society in Washington DC. In 1996, Bhante received the title of Chief Sangha Nayaka Thera for North America, the highest- ranking monk of his sect in the US and Canada.

As a teacher, he is known for his emphasis both on Samadhi and on Metta (loving kindness) as part of spiritual training. In 2003, his autobiography “Journey to Mindfulness” was published.

He has written a number of books including “Mindfulness in Plain English” and its companion “Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness”. Bhante G is an internationally recognized author and meditation teacher and has strong scholarly background and livelong commitment to the Dhamma.