The Venerable Bhante Gnanaseeha Rakwane Thera, a Buddhist monk in the Theravada tradition and abbot of Chittaviveka Forest Monastery, took monastic precepts in 2003 in Sri Lanka at the age of 24 under the guidance of the Venerable Tripitaka Ācāriya Patekkada Sumanatissa Mahāthera from the lineage of Siam Nikaya Sri Rohana Parshavaya.
In 2008, with the support of the Venerable Sadhu Pallekande Ratnasara Mahāthera, Bhante went to study in Russia and enrolled at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia in Moscow, where he received a bachelor's degree in Russian Philology in 2013. Later, he continued his education at Kalmyk State University, where he completed his master's degree in the same field in 2015.
In 2018, Bhante founded the Chittaviveka Monastery. At the time of this book's publication, he had 12 disciple-monks under his guidance, including 9 Russian-speaking disciples. Since 2019, he has been conducting meditation retreats for Russian-speaking practitioners in Sri Lanka.
Bhante also regularly visits Russia and other countries, where he gives teachings, conducts retreats, and maintains communication with Buddhists and individuals interested in meditation and the Buddha's teachings. Many of his lectures can be found on YouTube and on the Internet.
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