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| The Late Ven Dr K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Nayaka Thero | |
Ven Dr K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Nayaka Thero (born Martin Gamage, 18 March 1919 – 31 August 2006) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and scholar. Born in the village of Kirinde in Matara, Sri Lanka, Dhammananda spent most of his life and career in Malaysia. He was ordained as a novice monk (samanera) at the age of 12 and was fully ordained in 1940. After arriving in Malaya, now part of Malaysia, in 1952, Dhammananda established himself as the foremost Theravada Buddhist monk in Malaysia and Singapore. Venerable Dhammananda was the First Buddhist Chief High Priest of Malaysia (1963-2006).
Venerable Dhammananda arrived in Malaya in 1952, first stopping in Penang before taking up residence at the Brickfields Temple, Kuala Lumpur. He came at the invitation of the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society (SAWS), which then catered mainly for the Sinhala Buddhist community. Working from this base, he energetically set about bringing Buddhism to Malaysians, mainly the English educated Chinese who began to visit the temple to hear him expound the Dharma. With his missionary zeal he realised that his ideals would be better achieved if he could set up a society to harness the energies of these newcomers to Buddhism.
Thus, in 1962 he established the Buddhist Missionary Society (BMS) at the Buddhist Temple. It is largely responsible for the propagation of Buddhism through publications and the sponsorship of Buddhist seminars, lectures and talks, as well as regular Dharma discussions, youth leadership training and welfare activities. Ven. Dhammananda wrote approximately 60 Buddhist works, ranging from small pamphlets to texts of over 700 pages.
Ven. Dr. Dhammananda died on 31 August 2006 at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre in Malaysia. It is claimed that there were auspicious signs including lights and auras around the funeral site. |
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| Issued Country | Malaysia |
| Issued Year | 2018 |
| Category | Maha Sangha Buddhist Personality |
| Type | Postage Stamps |