By Senaka Samarasinghe
Bhante Sugathasiri: Generosity is an investment / sermon conducted in English
September 27 was a special day for Manitoba Buddhist Vihara (MBV).
The chief incumbent of MBV, Ven. Balangoda Sugathasiri Thera, organized the Dhamma Sermon in English for the International Dhamma Programme (IDP) on Aug. 27,) 2026 from 7:30 to 8:30 am, followed by an 8:30 to 9:00 am (Winnipeg Time) question-and-answer session.
The topic of the Dhamma sermon: The Path of Generosity. How does generosity make the mind happy and beautiful? How does generosity purify the mind? How can it become a path toward liberation? Bhante used slides to explain the gray areas of the Dhamma sermon.
I will share the video recording soon.
Since 2020, I have introduced nearly twenty Buddhist monks to IDP from North America, Sri Lanka, and other countries. For the first time, a Monk in MBV obtained this opportunity because of Ven. Sugathasiri Thera. MBV was registered on March 7, 1999, as Manitoba Buddhist Vihara and Cultural Association (MBVCA).
Prof. Lakshman Watawala has coordinated this session from Sri Lanka since 2020 on each monthly full moon day from 6:00 to 7:00 pm (SL Time), followed by a Q&A session (in English). An average of 150 participants (around the world) attended via Zoom.
Lesson learned: family conducted fundraising project
Our family members visited Kamini and Roshan. They invited us to a fundraising occasion hosted by a family, namely Weranga, Kalpani, their (middle-child) daughter, and son.
They raised funds for Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation. It is an annual event. This year, they organized their fourth annual event on Aug. 23, 2026, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, at Bridgewater Park.
To find out more about the Sri Lankan senior community click here.