Venerable Prajna Bangsha Mahathera was born in 1950 in Jobra, Habiganj. Although he has connections with Chittagong, his childhood education and upbringing were centered here. He earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees in Bengali literature and an M.A. in Pali language from the Universities of Chittagong and Dhaka. He received monastic training in the Theravāda Buddhist Tradition at the Maharagama Siribodhi Training Center in Kolkata, Sri Lanka.
He also served as a teacher, educating thousands of students in Bengali and Pali at Hamidia Degree Madrasa and the Pali College of Rajbana Vihara. Through these educational initiatives, he helped establish a foundational Buddhist education system for PBSB and Bangladesh. Moreover, he founded several institutions, including the Prajna-Jyoti Meditation Center, Amity Forest Primary School, and Lovel Academy, opening new horizons in both society and education.
Venerable Prajna Bangsha Mahathera has played a leading role in PBSB’s mission of mental insight and educational expansion, particularly advocating for the restoration of women’s religious rights—notably in the re-establishment of the Bhikkhuni (nuns) ordination process. His struggles and commitment have brought PBSB into a new era of prosperity, where the community is carving out its own identity and space.
