Narada Maha Thera

Narada Maha Thera , born Sumanapala Perera (14 July 1898 – 2 October 1983 ) was a Theravada Buddhist monk, scholar, translator, educator and Buddhist missionary who was for many years the Superior of Vajiraramaya in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He was a popular figure in his native country, Sri Lanka, and beyond.

Biography He was born in Kotahena, Colombo to a middle class family, During this opportunity, he planted and blessed a Bodhi tree on the southeastern side of Borobudur on 10 March 1934, and some local laypeople were initiated as upāsakas and upāsikās. Later, during the Vesak celebration in 1959, he ordained several upāsakas as sāmaṇeras (novice monks). From that point on he travelled to many countries to conduct missionary work: Taiwan, Cambodia, Laos, South Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Nepal, and Australia. In 1956, he visited the United Kingdom and the United States, and addressed a huge crowd at the Washington Monument. On 2 November 1960, Narada Maha Thera brought a bodhi tree to the South Vietnamese temple Thích Ca Phật Đài, and made many visits to the country during the 1960s.

Along with others (such as Piyadassi Maha Thera) he contributed to the popularisation of the bana style Dhamma talk in the 1960s and brought the Buddhist teachings "to the day-to-day lives of the Westernized middle class in Sri Lanka".