Paramitha Buddhist Vihara
Paramitha Buddhist Vihara | |
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Paramitha Buddhist Vihara | |
Information | |
Tradition/Linage | Sri Lanka |
Main School | Theravada |
People | |
Teacher(s) | BUORG-Names::Names::Ven Pallawela Dewarakkitha Thera |
Contact Infotmation | |
Address | 181 Paynes Road Rockbank Victoria 3335 Australia |
Country | Australia |
Coordinates | service=google }} {{#geocode:181Paynes RoadRockbankVictoriaAustralia|format=float|service=google}} service=google }}The "_geo" type of this property is invalid |
Map | {{#display_map:{{#geocode:181Paynes RoadRockbankVictoriaAustralia}}|height=250px|width=250px|zoom=18}} |
Phone | Phone::(03) 9747 1902 |
Website | Website::http://www.paramithavihara.org.au/ "Website" has not been listed as valid URI scheme. |
Email::paramithatemple@hotmail.comURIs of the form "Email::paramithatemple@hotmail.com" are not allowed. | |
Paramitha Buddhist Vihara
The “Paramitha” Buddhist Vihara (formerly known as St. Albans Temple) was established in 1999 by the Western Victoria Sri Lankan Buddhist Association Inc. (WVSLBA). The temple, now located in Rockbank, (Melbourne, Australia) offers a wide range of services to the Buddhist community to learn, observe and practise Buddhist teachings. WVSLBA also runs a Language Education and Sunday School to teach Sinhala language as well as Sri Lankan culture, values and heritage.
Annual Katina Ceremony
The Katina festival is a major observance of Theravada Buddhism. It is a time for laypeople to offer cloth for robes and other necessities to the monastic Sangha. Katina takes place every year in the four weeks following the end of Vassa, the rains retreat. Paramitha Vihara patrons have organised the annual Katina Ceremony to be held on the 21st November from 8.30am to 2.00pm at St. Bernadette Community Centre in Sunshine North.
Ven Pallawela Devarakkita Thero - Chief Resident Monk
Ordained as a monk on 11th April 1968, Pallewela Dewarakkitha Thero obtained his preliminary education at Sri Subhadrarama Piriwena in Nugegoda. He graduated with a Batcher of Arts (BA Special) degree from Peradeniya University and subsequently completed his Master of Arts (MA) degree at University of Kelaniya. Furthermore Dewarakkitha Thero obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Rights from Colombo University as well as the Bachelor of Law degree from Sri Lanka Law College.
Pallewela Dewarakkitha Thero served as a lecturer, administrator and a director at Sri Subhadrarama Piriwena for about 20 years providing a great service to Buddhist education in Sri Lanka before he moved to Australia. Since 2001, the Thero has been serving the Sri Lankan Buddhist community in Melbourne in his capacity as the Chief Resident Monk at the Paramitha Buddhist Vihara.
Sinhala Language / Sunday School
Our Aim
The Sinhala Language School helps our children become aware of our language, also to become in touch with our Sri Lankan culture, arts and our heritage. This would allow the continuation of our culture with traditions still intact even though there are many miles separating our homeland, Sri Lanka, and our home today, Australia.
The Sinhala Language School teaches the Sinhala language and ethics from a Preparatory to the Secondary level, with a high standard and allowing for the opportunity for VCE exams. We are not only teaching the language skills to our children, but also encouraging them to adapt to the Australian Society with values such as respect, tolerance, peace and love with self-confidence.
School Profile
St. Albans Sinhala Language School was established in February 1st 1998, with only nineteen children and four teachers that had recently migrated to Australia from Sri Lanka. The Sinhalese people who have just recently migrated have given their heritage, culture values and traditions to their children, however it is not an easy task while our children are continually in contact with the Australian culture. The formation of this Sinhala Language School was the most effective way to teach our children Sinhala Language, as well as our culture values and traditions, for our children to be the Sri Lankan Australians of the future. These young people will have to adapt to the Australian society with dignity, confidence and discipline. We aim to show our children that it is also important to show respect for others’ beliefs and other ethnic cultures when living in such a multicultural society.
Now, we conduct classes from Prep to year Seven. We teach the Sinhala Language, which is writing and language skills, as well as the culture, and history of our motherland. As part of our Sinhala Language School, annually we organise a concert, where the children get a chance to show their hidden talents, which relate to our culture and the arts. This gives an opportunity for the parents to reflect on what our children have been learning throughout the school year. This school is supported and run by all volunteer teachers and managed by the Western Victoria Sri Lankan Buddhist Association.
School Curriculum
The School’s curriculum is structured accordingly to the Curriculum and Standards Framework to develop skills in teaching the Sinhala Language, in areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. In addition, we aim to teach the Sri Lankan culture, arts and heritage.