Venerable Dr K. Sri Dhammananda Nayake
Venerable Dr K. Sri Dhammananda Nayake Maha Thera Website: http://www.ksridhammananda.com/ Chief Priest of Malaysia and Singapore Buddhist Maha Vihara, 123, Jalan Berhala 50470 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia |
Biography of late Venerable Dhammananda 1919 - 2006
Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda, was born in 1919 in a village called Kirinde in Southern Sri Lanka(Ceylon). He was ordained as a Samanera (novice) monk at the age of 12 and was given the name "Dhammananda" meaning "one who experiences happiness through Dharma". He became a fully ordained monk in 1940 and later received higher ordination at the age of 22. After doing his post graduate studies in India he spent 4 years there spreading the dhamma. In 1952, from about 400 monks, he was selected to go to Malaya (Malaysia) to administer the religious needs of the Sinhalese Buddhists in the country.
In more than forty two years as incumbent of the Buddhist Maha Vihara, our Most Venerable Chief has brought the Buddha world to countless numbers of devotees who otherwise would have had no access to the sublime message of the Supremely Enlightened One.
In more than forty two years as incumbent of the Buddhist Maha Vihara, our Most Venerable Chief has brought the Buddha world to countless numbers of devotees who otherwise would have had no access to the sublime message of the Supremely Enlightened One.
Besides his talks, the Venerable has been able to reach an even wider audience through his publications which range from the voluminous "Dhammapada" to little five page pamphlets. He has reached all levels of readers from erudite scholar monks to young school children. His whole approach to the exposition of the Dhamma is governed by his deep concern for giving the ancient teachings a contemporary relevance, to show that the Sublime Message is timeless and has meaning that cuts across the boundaries of time, space, race, culture and even religious beliefs.
Venerable Dhammananda's fame as a Dharma speaker has spread to USA, Australia, UK, Europe and the rest of Asia, where he is often invited to speak. He has published numerous books including: Why Worry?, What Buddhists Believe, The Dhammapada.
Some of the books written by Venerable Dhammananda available on-line are:-
A Happy Married Live
Buddhism and The Free Thinkers
Buddhism as a Religion
Dhammapada
What People Say about Buddhism
Great Virtues of the Buddha
Great Virtues of the Dhamma
What Buddhists Believe?
Problems & Responsibilities
Leading a Buddhist life
The Art of Living
Various other articles by Venerable Dhammananda can also be found here