Venerable Bhante Chandrawansa

Founder and President

Bhante Chandrawansa began his training as a monk in Sri Lanka in 2002 and received higher ordination in 2008. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka and served as a resident monk at the Bhikkhu Training Centre, teaching both novice monks and devotees.

In 2015, Bhante moved to the Ottawa Buddhist Vihara in Canada as an assistant clergy. Here, he conducted meditation and yoga classes, and taught Buddhist Philosophy to the lay community.

Since 2016, he has served as the resident monk at the Pennsylvania Meditation Center.

Bhante Chandrawansa teaches meditation, gives dhamma talks, oversees retreats, and supports the lay community at churches, senior centers, libraries, and various locations throughout the tri-state area.

Dr. Anh Pham

Vice President

Anh Pham is a devoted Buddhist who incorporates the teaching of compassion, good will, mindfulness and wisdom into his daily life practice as an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon. In 1989, he began practicing mindfulness meditation under the guidance of Vietnamese Zen Buddhist Monk Thích Nhat Hanh. Since then he has been studying Theravada Buddhism and practicing tranquility and insight meditation at the Vietnamese American Mahasi Meditation Center. Besides practicing oral surgery, Anh Pham also volunteers his time for community services. However, his compassion is in conducting meditation classes and sharing frequent Dhamma talks. Dr Anh Pham also enjoys translating Buddhist texts from English to Vietnamese.

He takes great pleasure and honor to work with Bhante Chandrawansa and Dhamma friends at the Pennsylvania Meditation Community to teach Buddhist meditation and provide training in mindfulnes.

Dr. Gayan Premaratne

Secretary

Dr. Gayan Premaratne is a scientist who brings his passion for Buddhist philosophy and compassionate leadership to our center. He has been closely working with the Pennsylvania Meditation Center since 2020, taking various leadership roles to organize events for the Buddhist community, together with Bhante Chandrawansa.

Gayan also has a passion for teaching, mentoring, and empowering youngsters with project management skills. He enjoys building collaborative environments through active listening and compassionate conversations. Gayan and his family strive to practice a path of mindful living, with the guidance of Buddhist philosophies. Their dedication towards Buddhism is reflected by volunteering and supporting others who are following Buddhist philosophy in their pursuit of finding inner peace.

Beth Kedra

Co-Secretary

Beth Kedra is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, teacher, and meditator. She has been learning, listening, reading, and studying about meditation and mindfulness since 2020. After living the positive effects of mindfulness in her own mind and life, she reached out to share this practice and create a community where it was lacking. She established a weekly meditation and discussion at her local library.

Beth brings mindfulness into her classroom as a Pre-K teacher, and continues to strive to be a patient, compassionate educator. Her hope is to bring balance into the classroom, where teachers and students exchange academic knowledge, as well as build the mental skills needed to navigate the world, their thoughts, and their emotions. She has worked closely with Bhante Chandrawansa and Maria Tese to write a book about the basics of meditation. Beth is an artist at heart, who loves to write, read, draw, and create poetry to express her spiritual journey.

Maria Tese

Treasurer

Maria has trained in mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhist studies under Venerable Bhante Chandrawansa at the Pennsylvania Meditation Center since 2019. Maria has assisted in organizing retreats, facilitated a weekly Vipassana Meditation class, contributed articles on mindfulness, and worked closely with teacher Bhante Chandrawansa & fellow dhamma sister Beth Kedra to create a beautiful book on the basics of meditation.

Maria studied Communications at Rutgers University and currently works in Business & Marketing Analysis. She is also a mother, learning coach, and prior military spouse. Meditation has been a transformative tool in Maria’s life, helping her manage stress, heal adrenal fatigue, and navigate life as a single mother. Meditation and Buddhist teachings have deepened her understanding of life’s impermanence, enhanced her compassion,

Anuradha Gamage

Co-Treasurer

Anuradha Gamage is a professional accountant and bookkeeper. She is a devout Buddhist practitioner and meditation enthusiast.

Lisa Buschman

Advisor

M. Lisa Buschmann has been a daily meditator for over 35 years. She began studying and practicing Theravada Buddhism in 1999, and soon afterward started a Dharma school for children at a local Buddhist temple. Since then, she has been teaching children’s Dharma classes at several Buddhist centers and on Zoom, and in the last few years, also led summer Dharma camps for kids.

Having adapted numerous stories of the Buddha and other Buddhist stories for children in her Dharma lesson plans, she published them into several books which are available in softcover and online at DharmaKids.org. In 2004, along with her husband, she founded and served on the board of International Buddhist Society of Pennsylvania, also known as Pennsylvania Meditation Center, in south central Pennsylvania. In the last several years, she began studying and practicing Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism as a student of H.E. Garchen Rinpoche. After retiring from her career as an administrative law judge at the U.S. EPA in 2018, she has devoted herself to meditation, Dharma study and practice, and editing Dharma books of teachings by Buddhist monks, in addition to her work with children.

Vidula Ederage

Developer

Vidula Ederage is the developer behind the MindfulPA website, taking care of everything from hosting to keeping things running smoothly. He’s also a devoted Buddhist practitioner and a passionate meditation enthusiast who believes in sharing mindfulness with the community.