Dr. Ven. Wewala Dhammaloka
Director, CQA / Senior Lecturer
Department of Social Sciences and Comparative Studies
Faculty of Languages and Cultural Studies · Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka
Biography
Ven. Dr. Wewala Dhammaloka is a Senior Lecturer (Grade I) in the Department of Social Sciences and Comparative Studies at the Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka and currently serves as Director of the Centre for Quality Assurance (CQA). He has also served as Head of the Department of Social Sciences and Comparative Studies and has contributed to a wide range of university committees and academic-development activities. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree and a Master of Social Sciences degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Kelaniya, where he also completed his PhD in 2024.
His academic and research interests are multidisciplinary, connecting Library and Information Science, knowledge management, knowledge organization, Buddhist studies, philosophical traditions and research philosophy. A significant strand of his scholarship examines the organization, classification, preservation and transmission of Buddhist knowledge, including Tripitaka classification, bibliographic control, cataloguing traditions, oral knowledge systems and Theravāda Buddhist textual heritage. He has presented and published research on these areas at national and international conferences and in academic journals. His university service has additionally included quality assurance, curriculum development, postgraduate-programme work, staff development, library-related committees, academic selection and promotion boards, conference organization and student-related committees.
Educational Qualifications
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2024
Master of Social Sciences (MSSc) in Library and Information Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2010
Bachelor of Arts Honours in Library and Information Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2002
Diploma in Computer Hardware Engineering with Networking, TURNKEY, Kurunegala, Sri Lanka, 2002
Academic Positions
Senior Lecturer (Grade I), Department of Social Sciences and Comparative Studies, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka
Instructor in Tamil Language, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka (2004)
Administrative Positions
Director, Centre for Quality Assurance (CQA), Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka
Former Head, Department of Social Sciences and Comparative Studies, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka
In-Charge, Department of Languages, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka, on several occasions
Member, Internal Quality Assurance Unit, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka (2015)
Coordinator, Staff Development Programme, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka (2009)
Member, Postgraduate Programme Committee, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka (2011, 2013)
Member, Academic Staff Selection and Promotion Boards, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka
Member, Technical Evaluation Committee, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka
Member, Academic Leave Committee, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka
Member, Syllabus Development Committee, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka (2013)
Member, Library Committee, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka (2010)
Advisory and Organizing Committee Member for national and international academic conferences, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka
Publications & Research
Journal Articles / Research Papers9
- Dhammaloka, W. (2014). Cataloguing Methods Used in the Tipitaka. Pravachana Reviewed Journal, 5(2), Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2015). Manasa Adahima (On Believing in Mind): Sinhala Translation of a Zen Verse. Pravachana Reviewed Journal, 6(1), Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2012). The Historical Mission of Theravāda Monks to Preserve the Pāli Tripitaka. Pravachana Reviewed Journal, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka, 1-41.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2012). A Study on the Tripitaka Classification System with Reference to Principles of Library Classification. Pravachana Reviewed Journal, 3(2), 70-101.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2007). Buddhism and the Origin of Buddhist Study in the West. Sambhasha, 15.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2007). An Account of Samādhi in Theravāda Buddhism. Pravachana Academic Journal, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2009/2010). Maha Sihanada Sutta: A Review of the Buddha’s Power of Wisdom and Self-Mortification. Pravachana Academic Journal, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2014). Classification Used to Organize Buddhism. In Kritavedi: Festschrift for Senior Professor Piyadasa Ranasinghe, 66-83.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2011). The Universal Symbol of Enlightenment: The Dharmachakra. Anudeepana, Maghadi.
Conference Papers8
- Dhammaloka, W. (2012). An Attestation on the Early Buddhist Records. International Buddhist Conference, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2012). Tripitaka Classification and S. R. Ranganathan’s Library Classification Principles. Research Conference, Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2013). A Study on Oral Tradition Used to Preserve the Pāli Tipitaka. National Conference, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2013). A Study on Organization and Management in Buddhist Verbal Knowledge Tradition. International Conference, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2014). Skills of Verbal Communication in the Tripitaka. National Conference, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2008). Bibliographic Control of Buddhist Literature in Sri Lanka. International Conference of Buddhist Studies, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka.
- Dhammaloka, W., & Ranasinghe, P. (2011). A Study on Knowledge Classification in the Tripitaka. LIS Research Symposium, University of Kelaniya.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2010). Knowledge Organization of Buddhist Oral Tradition. Sri Lanka International Buddhist Academy.
Book Chapters3
- Dhammaloka, W. (2015). Bhutatmayaka Samuganima: Sinhala Translation of Farewell to a Ghost by Manoj Das. Sastra Lochana, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka, 613-625.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2016). Religious and Political Background of Non-Violence. In Santhi, 62-77.
- Dhammaloka, W. (2005). The Rise of the Buddhist Monk Community of Polonnaruwa in the Modern Period. In Pulatisi Vansaya, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, 669-676.
Thesis / Dissertation2
- Dhammaloka, W. (2024). Knowledge Management Practices in Theravāda Buddhist Tradition: An Historical Study. PhD Dissertation, University of Kelaniya.
- Dhammaloka, W. Knowledge Organization in the Tripitaka. MSSc Dissertation, University of Kelaniya.
Editorial Work2
- Chief Editor, Pravachana Reviewed Journal, Vol. 5, No. 2, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka (2014)
- Editor, Pravachana Reviewed Journal, Vol. 3, No. 2, Bhiksu University of Sri Lanka (2012)
Awards & Distinctions
Mahapola Higher Education Scholarship, 1996/1997