Episode 191: Bhante Pema

Bhante Permaratana, also known as the Venerable Dr. Soorakkulame Pemarantana, leads the Pittsburgh Buddhist Center (PBC) in Allison Park, Pennsylvania. He was recently honored as the Chief Monk of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Monastic Order in the United States. As a child in Sri Lanka, he wanted to emulate his uncle who was a monk and decided at age 10 that he would become a monk, against his parents wishes. Lucky for him, his grandparents supported his decision and he completed his monastic training at age 20. He learned English in Ireland, where he received a master's degree in philosophy and eventually came to Pittsburgh in 2008 to enter the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pittsburgh to study the history of religion.