Venerable Visuddhi

Bhikkhunī Visuddhi is a fully ordained Buddhist nun (bhikkhunī)of theravāda tradition and Dhamma and meditation teacher from the Czech Republic. Her first teacher, Venerable Rewatadhamma Sayado, a prominent Theravāda Buddhist monk and noted Abhidhamma scholar from Myanmar, inspired bhikkhunī and brought her to the path of Buddha’s teaching. In 2003, after practicing Dhamma for many years as a lay practitioner in Buddhist monastery Dhammapala in Switzerland, venerable left to go to Sri Lanka and received ordination as a sāmaṇerī. She lived a simple life of seclusion in Srī Gothami ārāma in Olabudowa, a small poor village, among other nuns. Along with her teacher bhikkhunī Matale Vijitha and other nuns, she was focused on teaching the Dhamma, doing social work and caring for the poor and suffering. Bhikkhunī Visuddhi gave a special attention to poverty stricken children: She taught Sunday Dhamma school in Olabudowa and Sambodhi Vihāra in Colombo and founded Suriya Lamai project “Children of the Sun.” Its aim is to enable children from poor families to be educated and to be provided with basic needs.

In 2006, for 10 months she studied and trained in Fo Kuang Shan Temple near Kaohsiung district in Taiwan and ordained as a Dharmaguptaka bhikkhunī at Tzu Yun Temple in Nanzi Disctrict, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. In February 2007, Venerable returned to Sri Gothami ārāma in Sri Lanka and continued living in herbhikkhunī community there. For more than ten years, Venerable bhikkhunī Visuddhi also practiced as a student and later as an assistant teacher under Venerable Bhante Pemasiri, who is one of the most respected and skilled traditional meditation teachers in Sri Lanka.

In 2008, Venerable Visuddhi started regularly visiting monasteries in Europe, such as Aneñja Vihāra in Germany or Dhammapala in Switzerland. In 2012, she set up, along with her supporters, her own monastic dwelling, bhikkhunī ārāma, named Karuṇā Sevena (Abode of Compassion) in Prostejov, Czech Republic. In 2015 Venerable completed Daḷhīkamma vinaya procedure and acceptance in the Theravāda bhikkhu and bhikkhunī saṅgha in Sri Lanka.

In 2016, thanks to generous donations, the ārāma Karuṇā Sevena underwent a large reconstruction, that included building a new meditation hall. Meditators are now welcome to visit the dwelling ārāma and stay for a retreat seclusion under the guidance of Venerable bhikkhunī Visuddhi.Venerable is dedicating herself mainly to cultivation of ethics and good qualities and meditation practice satipaṭṭhāna and mettā, and at the same time, she is focusing on the study of Early Buddhist texts.