Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha
History
The (modern) history of arañña senasana or forest hermitages of Sri Lanka runs back to 1951, when Ven. Kadawedduwa Sri Jinavaṃsa (sometimes spelled Jinawansa) Thera, with the guidance of Matara Sri Ñāṇanārāma Mahathera, founded the Galduva Aranya, which was to become the centre point of the Kalyani Yogashrama Sansthava or the first Association of meditation monasteries in Sri Lanka.
Ven. Kadawedduwa Sri Jinawansa Thera himself was ordained at the age of 13, and founded the Thebuvana Granthakara Pirivena (monk school) when he was only 25 and served as head instructor for over 20 years. He started the Kalyani Yogashrama Sansthava at the age of 45, and enjoyed a long life of 98 years.
Following the way of the Buddha he strongly believed that all the riches of life meant nothing without vimukti (vimutti, "freedom" or "deliverance") which he understood was the goal of Buddhist meditation and the reason d'etre for Buddhist monks. Consequently he left all his students except for one, Ven.Gatamanne Vimalavamsa Thera, who accompanied him in his quest for a fitting dwelling for deep meditation. The support rendered by Ven. Gatamanne Vimalavamsa Thera and Matara Sri Ñāṇanārāma Mahathera in this quest, was immense.
Foundation
To commemorate the 2500th birthday of the Buddha Buddha Jayanti Ven. Kadawedduwe Sri Jinawansa Thera founded the Kalyani Yogashrama Sansthava on 18th June 1951. Nimalawa Aranya Senasanaya in Kirinda was selected as the first aranya or hermitage of a number of aranya senasana which were all connected into an association named Kalyani Yogashrama Sansthava. With the passage of time the fame of Kalyani Yogashrama grew. People in many walks of life flowed in to the Aranya in search of the authentic way of meditation.
But setting up the Kalyana Yogashrama Sanstha was no easy task. Although most ley persons were attracted to Ven. Kadawedduwe Sri Jinawansa Theras extremely eloquent sermons, there were people, the lay and monks alike who resented and envied his success.
But thanks to his conviction the Kalyana Yogashrama Sanstha now has over 150 Aranya with over 1500 monks.
Famous Monasteries
The Kalyana Yogashrama Sansthava has expanded to include forest hermitages like Kurunegala Ruwangiri, Meethirigala Nissarana Vanaya, Buttala Budu Gallena Aranya, Ampara Piyangala Aranya, Colombo Sri Kalyani Ashrama, Thalangama Sri Shanthi Yogashrama, Kurunegala Nathagana Aranya, Malsiripura Na Uyana Aranya, Padaviya Galpiyum Aranya, etc. However, Ambalangoda Galduva Aranya acts as the main centre and is currently under the guidance of Ven. Naauyane Ariyadhamma Thera.
Practice
All the monks in all the Aranya belonging to the Yogashrama Sansthava, work according to the same time table. They all worship three times a day. They start the day at four a.m. and meditate for an hour. Meditation, cleaning premises and study are integral parts of each forest hermitage. Unlike in temples of today the main focus of an Aranya is meditation.
This can be predominantly observed in Aranya such as in the Naauyana Aranya or Nissarana Vanaya, where the monks can be observed spending most of their time meditating in separate chambers in the surrounding forest. They meditate according to the "Visuddhimagga" where it leads from Samatha (concentration meditation) to Vidharshana (Vipassana or insight meditation) in the tradition of Nissarana Vanaya Meditation System or, more recently, contemporary Burmese meditation systems.
The monks of the Aranya tradition meditate in individual chambers set in the wilderness. Sri Gunawardhana Yogashramaya in Galdoowa, Ambalangoda - the main centre - is probably one of the most unique centres of the world.