Our Meditation Center

MISSION

Our Center is a place for everyone who wishes to explore, learn or practice meditation and teachings of the Buddha in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.  We welcome all to our serene, relaxing, and friendly environment to find relief from the stress of everyday life and to be inspired to tread the path of enlightenment.  Our teacher, a Theravada Buddhist monk with years of training in meditation, provides a variety of programs to enrich us with Dharma knowledge as well as guides and inspires us to practice mindfulness and meditation.  It is by these practices that we find our lives becoming more peaceful and meaningful, and that we develop resilience, compassion, wisdom and other positive qualities that improve our personal, family and work life.

Our deepest purpose as an organization is to help support the well-being and spiritual growth of individuals by providing training in meditation, mindfulness, and practicing the Dharma, which has a healing and calming effect on our families and communities.

We serve a congregation that is diverse in age, background, and ethnicity, and united in its inspiration and enthusiasm to learn and practice the teachings of the Buddha.

Our Sangha

Bhante Siyambalanduwe Chandrawansa

Bhante Chandrawansa is the resident monk of the Pennsylvania Meditation Center also known as IBSP. Born in Sri Lanka, he entered monastic life at the age of twelve and received Higher Ordination in 2012. Over more than two decades, he has served temples and communities in Sri Lanka, Canada, and the United States, teaching mindfulness meditation and Buddhist philosophy.

Bhante Chandrawansa was invited to Canada in 2016 and again in 2023 by Ottawa Buddhist Vihara to lead mindfulness retreats and Dhamma programs. He has also served as a Dhamma School teacher, educating children and young adults in Buddhist ethics and the Theravada tradition.

Currently, Bhante Chandrawansa teaches mindfulness meditation, offers Dhamma talks, and provides spiritual guidance to members of the Pennsylvania Meditation Center. Through his teachings, he seeks to make the Buddha’s teachings accessible and relevant to contemporary life while fostering compassion, wisdom, and personal transformation.

Bhante Ariyawansa

Bhante Ariyawansa is a resident monk at the PA Meditation Center. Bhante Ariyawansa began training at the Sri Sudhammananda Samanera Bhikkhu Training Center in Hallaluwa, Kandy, Sri Lanka in 2003. Bhante Ariyawansa received higher ordination as a Bhuddist monk in 2014.

Bhante Ariyawansa was a resident monk at the Bhikkhu Training Center where Bhante Ariyawansa preached The Dhamma and taught devotees. In 2021, Bhante Ariyawansa came to the U.S. where he began teaching devotees at the PA Meditation Center in Crystal Spring, PA. Bhante Ariyawansa currently continues his teaching.

Bhante Ariyawansa delivers his messages and seminars in Sinhalese. He is currently studying English. He has also participated in several long-term meditation retreats for Bhuddist monks.

Bhante Ariyawansa looks forward to seeing you at the Meditation Center.

Our History

Our Center opened and was incorporated in 2004 as International Buddhist Society of Pennsylvania, in fulfillment of the vision of Mr. Asoka Ganhewa and his wife to provide a Buddhist temple suitable for weekend Dhamma retreats in a peaceful rural setting that is removed from the bustle of the city yet accessible to families and working individuals.  The generous support from the wider Sri Lankan American community, both monastic and laypersons, and the local community, made the vision a reality as Dhamma programs grew and flourished over the years.

Due to the inspiration of Ven. Dr. Mangala to serve the wider community and to expand our temple to become specialized in meditation, our chief monk, Bhante Chandrawansa, has carried out that vision, expanding our Center’s programs to include meditation retreats and group meditation not only at the Center but also at libraries, a local prison, and on Zoom.

Our Location

Pennsylvania Meditation Center is located in a beautiful valley in rural south central Pennsylvania, nestled in the scenic Appalachian Mountains. This tranquil atmosphere is ideal for meditative retreats for mindfulness training that result in inner peace. The Center is located within a two-hour drive of the DC Metro area, and easily accessible from Interstate 70 (Exit 151), Route 30, and the PA Turnpike (Exit 161).

We are able to accommodate a few overnight guests, but overnight lodging is available in the nearby town of Breezewood, PA.

Open Hours: 8:30am to 7:30pm

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