Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Bhante Henepola Gunaratana is a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka and the author of Mindfulness in Plain English. He is president of the Bhavana Society in High View, West Virginia, an organization that promotes meditation and monastic life.

Featured Articles

Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Buddhism lessons for Beginners; mahayana/vajrayana practice and right speech

Magazine Buddhism for Beginners

What Exactly Is Vipassana Meditation?

Vipassana or insight meditation is a clear awareness of exactly what is happening as it happens.

By Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Magazine Meditation & Practice

Breathing

Bhante Henepola Gunaratana on mindfulness of breathing.

By Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Spring 1995

Image of meditators. Practices to change your mind

Magazine Meditation & Practice

Five Practices to Change Your Mind

Basic Buddhist meditation practices can transform the way you think and the way you view the world. Here, five teachers offer introductory methods for changing your mind—and your life.

By Barry Magid, Gil Fronsdal, Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, Peter Doobinin, Judith Simmer-Brown, and Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Summer 2005

Latest Articles

close-up photo of a buddha statue's face for story on loving friendliness meditation

Trike Daily Meditation & Practice

11 Benefits of Loving-Friendliness Meditation

Theravadan Buddhist monk Bhante Gunaratana outlines the ways meditation can benefit our mind and our body—and even our complexion.

By Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Mar 30, 2019

Magazine

Overcoming Ill Will

How to change the way we interact with those who anger us

By Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Spring 2017

Magazine

The Seal of Sila

The Pali word sila (“discipline, restraint”) recalls the word “sealant” in English. When you want to close a crack, you use a sealant and seal it off. You lay the foundation for a house and cover all the cracks, so no water will seep in, no insects will enter, and the foundation won’t collapse. As […]

By Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Spring 2015

Magazine

Like a Mirage

Distorted perceptions are like a mirage. Deceived by a mirage, a deer runs quickly toward what it perceives as water. As he runs, he sees that the water-like mirage is still far ahead of him. So he keeps running toward it to drink. When he is even more tired and thirsty, he stops and looks […]

By Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Summer 2014