{"id":5609,"date":"2025-11-10T13:04:32","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:04:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.paliverse.org\/team\/bhante-nyanadassana\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T12:35:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T10:35:17","slug":"bhante-nyanadassana","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.paliverse.org\/el\/team\/bhante-nyanadassana\/","title":{"rendered":"Bhante Nyanadassana"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The Greek-born Buddhist monk Ny\u0101nadassana or \u00d1\u0101\u1e47adassana (Ioannis Tselios) has been a monk in the ancient Buddhist Therav\u0101da tradition for over 40 years and lives mainly in Sri Lanka.<\/span><\/p>\n

Born in 1959 in Serres, Greece, he finished high school in Thessaloniki and studied sociology at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1981, at the age of 22, a trip to India became a turning point in his life when, looking at a tourist brochure, he read these memorable words of the Buddha:<\/p>\n

 “This is my last birth. I have crossed the ocean of existence.”<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

Reflecting deeply on these words and determined to learn more about the Buddha and his Teaching, he visited Kusin\u0101ra, the place where the Buddha attained his final rest in Nibb\u0101na (Parinibb\u0101na). Here, under the guidance of an Indian Buddhist elder monk, the director of the Kusin\u0101ra Museum, Ioannis Tselios, not only practised meditation but also studied Buddhism. With increased interest, he decided to seek the original and authentic teachings of Buddha, eventually arriving in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

In 1982, at the age of 23, he was ordained as a novice by his preceptor (upajjh\u0101ya), Venerable Ka\u1e0davedduve Shr\u012b Jinava\u1e43sa Mah\u0101thera, a state-recognised scholar (r\u0101jak\u012bya pa\u1e47\u1e0dita). He entered the monastic life for full-time study and practice. For four years, he trained under the guidance of Venerable M\u0101tara \u00d1\u0101\u1e47\u0101r\u0101ma Mah\u0101thera, a state-recognised scholar (r\u0101jak\u012bya pa\u1e47\u1e0dita) and renowned meditation teacher at the Nissara\u1e47a Vanaya Monastery in M\u012btirigala.<\/p>\n

In 1986, he received higher ordination (upasampad\u0101) from his preceptor, Venerable Ka\u1e0davedduve Shr\u012b Jinava\u1e43sa Mah\u0101thera. He then studied the ancient Indian language of P\u0101\u1e37i and the Buddhist Triple Canon (Tipi\u1e6daka), as well as its Commentaries and Subcommentaries, under three learned Elders (Mah\u0101thera) at the Gn\u0101n\u0101r\u0101ma Dharm\u0101yatanaya Monastery in M\u012btirigala, where he stayed for 16 years.<\/p>\n

In 1997, after written and oral examinations, he received the title of Vinay\u0101cariya (Teacher of Monastic Discipline). Inspired by his teacher, he began teaching the P\u0101\u1e37i language and the Tipi\u1e6daka for several years. From 2003 to 2007, he practised meditation in Myanmar (Burma), and then returned to Sri Lanka. He has been repeatedly invited by Buddhist centres in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan to deliver Dhamma talks and meditation classes. An experienced speaker, he has given numerous lectures in English, Sinhalese, and Greek.<\/p>\n

His Most Important Scholarly Work for the Monastic Community<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2002, Venerable \u00d1\u0101\u1e47adassana published When Is Dawn (aru\u1e47a)? When Is Dawnrise (aru\u1e47uggamana)?<\/em>, a groundbreaking research work that took more than five years to complete. The book was officially approved on 25th August 2002 by the Executive Sa\u1e45gha Committee of the Shri Kaly\u0101\u1e47\u012b Yog\u0101shrama Sansth\u0101va Forest Monks in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

This scholarly work addresses a critical issue in Vinaya practice: the precise determination of aru\u1e47uggamana<\/em> (dawnrise), which serves as the actual offence criterion (\u0101patti-a\u1e45ga<\/em>) for many monastic rules. The research clarifies a widespread confusion between aru\u1e47a<\/em> (dawn, when darkness still prevails) and aru\u1e47uggamana<\/em> (dawnrise, when natural light appears and the night becomes light). As Venerable Handurumulle Sirikusala Thero, a Vinaya Teacher of the Sri Lanka R\u0101ma\u00f1\u00f1a Mah\u0101nik\u0101ya, wrote: “The publication of this book is to be highly regarded as very timely on a matter that was incomprehensible to many knowledgeable laypeople and monks alike.”<\/p>\n

The research methodology combined the study of canonical and post-canonical P\u0101\u1e37i texts with empirical observation, including direct observation of the sky at multiple locations in Sri Lanka (the south-eastern coast, the high-altitude region of Adam’s Peak, and the north-eastern coast at Trincomalee). The empirical data were verified by scientists at the Department of Meteorology in Colombo, Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

The work establishes that dawnrise marks the end of the entire night (darkness) and the beginning of the day (light), occurring approximately 30 minutes before sunrise in Sri Lanka. At this moment, the four quarters become white (od\u0101ta-dis\u0101<\/em>), the night becomes light (ratti vibh\u0101yati<\/em>), and there is sufficient natural visibility for work and travel\u2014criteria essential for monks observing rules concerning proper eating times (k\u0101la-bhojana<\/em>), the three-robe requirement (tec\u012bvarika<\/em>), the rains-retreat (vassa<\/em>), and monastic probation procedures (pariv\u0101sa<\/em> and m\u0101natta<\/em>).<\/p>\n

The book includes photographs, scientific charts, and tables correlating the P\u0101\u1e37i textual criteria with modern astronomical definitions of civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight. Venerable Kum\u0101ra Bhikkhu of Malaysia noted that “Ven. \u00d1\u0101\u1e47adassana’s findings are the result of extensive and detailed study… firmly based on sound investigation.”<\/p>\n

The practical impact of this research has been significant: many forest monasteries in Sri Lanka and throughout the Therav\u0101da world now operate in accordance with the findings presented in this work, adjusting their daily schedules and Vinaya observances to align with the textually accurate and scientifically verified understanding of dawnrise.<\/p>\n

His Years in Greece<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2019, following an invitation from Michail Xynos, the founder and director of the Athens Theravada Centre, Venerable \u00d1\u0101\u1e47adassana arrived in Greece, where he resided for six years. During this period, he conducted meditation seminars, extensive courses in Buddhist philosophy and psychology, and produced thousands of hours of video teachings in Greek and English. His teachings covered a wide range of subjects, including \u0100n\u0101p\u0101nasati (mindfulness of breathing), Mett\u0101 (meditation on friendliness), Kasi\u1e47a meditation, the Four Elements, Vipassan\u0101 (insight meditation), the analysis of matter and mind as the root of our existence, and numerous Dhamma talks. His teachings attracted a following of more than 21,000 people in Greece.<\/p>\n

Literary Works from His Time in Greece<\/strong><\/p>\n

During his years in Greece, Venerable \u00d1\u0101\u1e47adassana authored and translated several important works:<\/p>\n