Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero lived a modest life and did a great service for the propagation of Buddhist philosophy. Sri Lankan Buddhists also considered Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero as a Bodhisattva, who will attain Buddhahood in a future life. He was highly respected by Sri Lankan Buddhists, who believed that he had achieved a higher level of spiritual development.
Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero (Sinhala: අග්ග මහා පණ්ඩිත බලංගොඩ ආනන්ද මෛත්රෙය මහා නා හිමි 23 August 1896 – 18 July 1998 commonly known in English as Ananda Maitreya ) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk who was one of the most distinguished scholars and expositors of Theravada Buddhism in the twentieth century.
