A TRIBUTE TO VEN. DR. K SRI DHAMMANANDA

He is tall by Malaysian standard. He is fair as a Sri Lankan. He is always smiling yet dignified. He is surrounded by people everywhere he goes, asking for his advice on all things. He has brought the teaching of Buddha to numerous Malaysians who are English speaking. He is Ven. Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Maha Thera, popularly and fondly known as the "Chief". (Picture shows the President of Sri Lanka, Mrs. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, offering the Karanduwa, replica of the Buddhist Pagoda, to Ven. Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Maha Thera on 3rd February 1995 on the occasion when he was conferred the title of Wishwa Keerthi Sri Sasana Sobhana.)

My first contact with the real teaching of the Buddha began with his book, WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE, and there are hundreds of thousands of other people in Malaysia who share the same experience with me, an experience we all treasure.

Many Malaysians were born as Buddhists. But they knew next to nothing about Buddhism and, obviously, they did not practice it too. Yet nobody cared and Buddhism declined. Then came Ven. Dhammananda to Malaysia in 1952. It was he, together with Ven. Chuk Mor (a Chinese speaking monk from the Mahayana tradition who arrived two years later), who injected a new lease of life into Buddhism in Malaysia.

The contributions of Venerable Dhammananda are many: (1) He has developed the Brickfields Buddhist Vihara into a very important centre of Buddhist activities in Kuala Lumpur, the national capital. Talks, chanting sessions, sunday school, library and other Buddhist facilities are all available under the same roof, attracting thousands of devotees and visitors daily.

(2) He has founded the Buddhist Missionary Society to provide lay people with an opportunity to play a more active role in the propagation of the Dharma. The BMS has produced hundreds of thousands copies of booklets in simple English language to introduce Buddhism to beginners.

(3) He has started the magazine called VOICE OF BUDDHISM, which has grown into an internationally well known Buddhist publication today. Its success has inspired the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia to start its own BUDDHIST DIGEST English Series and Ven. Dhammananda has kindly consented to serve as its Editorial Advisor.

(4) He has encouraged the formation of the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia which becomes the most active and influential national Buddhist organization in the country with 165 Buddhist youth groups affiliated to t. Ven. Dhammananda has served as YBAM's Spiritual Advisor since its inception in 1970 and he has been directly involved in many of its activities.

(5) He has contributed towards the setting up of the Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikkhism in Malaysia. The Council aims to help maintain religious harmony in our multi-racial society.

(6) He has written so many books and articles to educate the Buddhist community. Besides WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE mentioned earlier, he is the author of several other best-sellers such as WHY RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE, WHY RELIGION, DO YOU BELIEVE IN REBIRTH, WHY WORRY, GREAT PERSONALITIES ON BUDDHISM, GEMS OF BUDDHIST WISDOM, HAPPY MARRIAGE LIFE, WHITHER MANKIND, etc.

(7) He serves as the Spiritual Director of the Singapore Buddhist Mission. The Mission has successfully organized talks, forums and seminars to stimulate interest in the serious studies and practice of Buddha Dharma in the island republic.

(8) He started the annual Buddhist Novitiate Program in 1976. The Program enables hundreds of Buddhist devotees to experience monastic living in Theravada tradition.

(9) He has successfully inspired many university & college students to study and practise Buddhism. His lectures are well received at the five university campuses in the country. He has never turned down an invitation to give talks to university students. Most of the active Buddhist youth workers in the country became interested in Buddhism only after attending his lectures.

To conclude, Venerable Dhammananda has undoubtedly done more for Buddhist missionary work in Malaysia than any other monk or organization, especially among the English-speaking community. It is undeniable that Venerable Dhammananda has contributed tremendously to a Buddhist revival in the country. We owe you too much, Chief.

(This article, coming from the heart of Leong Kok Hing, a prominent Buddhist worker in Malaysia in the eighties, was first published ten years ago in 1986 in the World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth Souvenir Magazine. It should be noted that during the last 10 years not covered by this article, the "Chief" has continued to work very hard for the benefit of Malaysian Buddhists, writing, lecturing and conducting courses, despite having gone through a by-pass operation. We really owe you to much, Chief!)

|| MAIN PAGE || HAPPENINGS || FOCUS || WHO'S WHO || ORGANIZATIONS || PROJECTS || LINKS ||
|| DHAMMA || BUDDHIST WORLD || CHINESE PAGES ||