Bhante San was only five years old when he decided to become a monk.

In his native Sri Lanka, monks provide a wide range of services to their communities. In return, the community supports temples financially, helps with transportation, provides food and more. One of Bhante San’s early memories is of studying the towering ornamental arch that marked the boundary between the outside world and the sacred temple. It was dawn, and as he watched the monks sweeping with coconut fern rakes, breathing in the fragrance of incense and burning coconut oil, he turned to his father. “I don’t know where it came from,” he recalls, “but I told him I wanted to become a monk.”

Now, after immigrating to the United States in 2006, Bhante San, 44, born Sujeewa Bandara, continues what he fondly calls “monking.” (He once wrote a blog called “Monk on the Go,” in which he chronicled his road trips across the country, offering free meditation sessions and Dhamma teachings wherever he stopped.) He has since become the deputy abbot for Blue Lotus Buddhist Meditation Center in Venice, leading meditation classes throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties, participating in and helping organize peace walks inspired by the viral 2,300-mile “Walk for Peace” he attended last year, and more—while also working as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. We spoke with him about his journey. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What did your father say when you told him you wanted to become a monk?

“He said ‘absolutely not.’ I was the eldest son, and I had a lot of responsibilities, especially in our more patriarchal society. Three years later, my dad passed away—he committed suicide. We had to move in with my grandparents in a different village. Then, when I was 11, I went to a neighbor’s house and saw him memorizing something in Pali [an ancient Buddhist language], which wasn’t part of our school curriculum. When I asked him what he was doing, he explained he was preparing to become a monk. I went to my mom and told her what I had told my father so many years earlier. She said no, but I was persistent. I went to my grandfather, and he convinced her. I entered the monastery at 11.”

What was the transition into monastic life like?

“We woke at 4:30 in the morning, and would be in bed at 10 at night. You had your [religious] practice in the morning, school time and chores as well. It was like being in the army. But it wasn’t difficult—that’s the neat thing about going in as a child, because children have this amazing adaptability. I felt a little homesick for maybe a day—you know, my siblings weren’t there and there was no playing. But it was a very unique and pleasant experience.”

Your path eventually took you from a monastery in Sri Lanka to a career in mental health in the United States. How did that happen?

“I met Bhante Sujatha, the abbot of the Blue Lotus in Chicago, our mother temple. He was suffering from severe colitis and looking for someone to help him. At the time, I didn’t even know where the U.S. was on a map! But soon, I was living in Chicago, taking classes to learn English and trying to teach meditation. When I came here, people were talking about psychology and neuroscience, and I could see the connection to mindfulness training. Originally, I wanted to study neuropsychology, but it was a long and expensive path. I pursued nursing instead at St. Petersburg College. My first nursing instructor actually suggested I drop out—my English was still broken, medical terminology was a language in itself, and my math skills, at age 25, were at a third-grade level. But I had amazing and patient teachers, and within two years I had worked my way into pre-calculus. I completed nursing school, then graduate school, and became a psychiatric nurse practitioner.”

How do practicing mental health care and “monking”  influence each other?

“A lot of people [from my country] may not agree with my lifestyle, because monks are not supposed to work. But I find freedom in being able to support myself through working and therefore not having to put a price on my classes. As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I see mindfulness and the mental practices that I teach as a monk as the missing link in the community. I’ve served in many different roles within the field of mental health—I worked at a Baker Act facility, restabilizing individuals who were suffering severe breakdowns, and with the Department of Children and Families with children in foster care. Now, I work with ages 7 to 90. People don’t have the coping skills to manage the ups and downs of life—the World Health Organization estimates that by 2030, depression will be the single greatest contributor to the global burden of disease. The biggest issue in this country is our inability to accept who we are, and the feeling that we are never truly enough. What I’ve found is that if you can truly practice mindfulness and get in touch with your heart, you will find love and kindness within you.”

What does the future of the Blue Lotus Temple look like?

“Right now we offer meditation classes, book discussions, yoga, Reiki, and even silent sitting at our community house in Venice. We also work with yoga studios and the Unitarian Universalist churches to hold larger events and guided meditations. Our ultimate goal is to have a retreat center. We also did a peace walk in North Port and around 100 people attended, and we’re planning another that will be more visible in Venice. My goal is to create a sanctuary where people at the worst moment in their life can find peace.”

Off the Cuff with Monk San

What are you listening to right now? “I love music! My all-time favorite is The Beatles. I love John Lennon.“

What do people assume about you that’s not true? “People think I wear my robe 24/7 to work [as well as to] teach meditation, but I don’t!”

If you could have any superpower what would it be? “I would love to fly. I hate taking flights.”

What is your favorite indulgence?  “Chocolate.”

If someone wanted a moment of peace in Sarasota, where would you send them? “The beach to see the sunset—but leave the phones aside and be in the moment.”

To learn more about the Blue Lotus Buddhist Meditation Center, visit
blbmc.org.