Ven. Seewalie, fondly known as Bhante Seewalie, is the founder and current chief monk of Minnesota Buddhist Vihara. He is originally from Sri Lanka. After ordaining at age 12, he received his primary monastic education at Migadaya Ratanapala Pirivena, Matara and went to Vidyalankara Pirivena, Peliyagoda for a higher monastic education where he completed his Royal Pundit Degree. At age of 20, he recieved higher ordination “upasampada” at Malwatta Chapter in Siam sect, Kandy.
With the completion of basic monastic training, he pursued his higher education from modern universities and earned following degrees:-
- Bachelor of Arts with honors in Buddhist culture and Philosophy, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
- Master of Arts in Buddhist studies, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka.
- Doctor of Literature in Sinhala, Pali, Sanskrit and Buddhism & Culture, Vidyalankara Pirivena, Sri Lanka.
- Royal Pundit in Sinhala, Pali and Sanskrit, Oriental Studies Society of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka.
Before moving to United States, he served as a principal monk of monastic school, Parama Dhamma Cetiya Pirivena, which was the premier center of Buddhist monastic education in modern Sri Lanka.
Despite the cold weather, he called Minnesota as his home state since 2004 and founded this temple under the name “Minnesota Buddhist Vihara” and serving the community with kind-heart to all seekers of the Buddha Dhamma. Being felt the need of spiritual guidance, he joined Chaplain for the Minneapolis Police Department and served as a volunteer for many years. To provide his service more effectively, he completed following courses:
- Basic Emergency Service Chaplaincy Diploma, 2009. Minnesota Emergency Service Chaplain Association, MN.
- Chaplain Internship, 2012. Allina Clinical Pastoral Education Center, MN.
- Chaplain Residency, 2014. Allina Clinical Pastoral Education Center, MN.
In addition, he is serving as a Notary Public Commissioner to the state of Minnesota since 2006 and a Licensed Minister since 2007.
With the invitation to share the teachings in prison, he started to travel outside of the state to extend spiritual guidance. He visits the following prisons along with resident monks:
- South Dakota State Penitentiary, Sioux Falls. (2010-present)
- Minnesota Correctional Facility, Lino Lakes. (2015-present)
To appreciate his invaluable service, the Malwatta Chapter of Siam Sect appointed him as the Deputy Chief monk (Sangha Nayaka) of North America with the honorary title “Dharmakeerthi Sri Pragnarama”. Mahinda Rajapakse, president of Sri Lanka, invited him to president’s official residence “Temple Trees” to congratulate his new position.