First Official Buddhist Guest at a Royal Wedding

If you're one of the two billion people who will be watching the Royal Wedding tomorrow keep your eyes open for a Buddhist monk! The Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala, who is head priest at the London Buddhist Vihara in Chiswick, has been invited to join the 1,700-strong congregation at Westminster Abbey on April 29.

The London Buddhist Vihara was formed in 1926 by Anagarika Dharmapala and was the first Buddhist monastery to be set up outside of Asia. Prince Charles first visited the monastery in 2005 following the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.

Ven Bogoda Seelawimala Nayaka Thera, A Sri Lankan monk, hails from Malwatta Chapter of the Siam Nikaye. He is the first Buddhist monk to be invited for a Royal Wedding. He has advised Prince William and Kate Middleton to meditate daily for a happy marriage. He said: "Discuss your problems and meditate together each morning to empty the mind of all your problems."

Listen to some reactions to this by British Buddhists in this article by Devika Tandon - Buddhist Blessings for the Royal Couple