K. Sri Dhammananda
| K. Sri Dhammananda | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Religion | Theravada |
| Personal | |
| Born | 18 March 1919 |
| Died | 31 August 2006 (aged 87) |
K. Sri Dhammananda (18 March 1919 – 31 August 2006) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and scholar.
Born Martin Gamage 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. His many books are widely read and have contributed greatly to introducing Buddhism to many English-speakers in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Venerable Dhammananda enrolled at the Sri Dhammarama Pirivena, Ratmalana in 1935, and then at the Vidyawardhana Buddhist Institute, Colombo, 1937 for a more detailed study of the Buddha's teaching. His mentor was Venerable Kotawila Deepananda Nayaka Thera. Upon completion of his studies in 1938, he entered Vidyalankara Pirivena, in Peliyadoga, Kelaniya, a prestigious Buddhist college that has since been upgraded into a university.
For the next seven years, Venerable Dhammananda attended a diploma programme at the Vidyalanka Pirivena where he studied Sanskrit, the Pali Tipitaka and Buddhist Philosophy, besides other secular subjects. His principal tutor at the Institute was Venerable Lunupokune Sri Dhammananda, an eminent scholar monk. At age 26 he successfully graduated with a diploma in Linguistics and Pali Tipitaka.
His seven years of intensive learning and training in monastic discipline from 1939 to 1945 at the Vidyalanka Pirivena provided him the relevant knowledge and skills in missionary techniques. He was able to use his training to assist the Buddhists in Ceylon, especially those who were English educated and had been prime targets of Christian proselytisation, in understanding the more intellectual aspects of the Buddha's teachings. In 1945 Venerable Dhammananda furthered his tertiary education at the Benares Hindu University in India where he was awarded a scholarship. At the university, he read Sanskrit, Hindi and Indian Philosophy.
His contemporaries at the University included Venerable P. Panananda Nayaka Thera of Colombo, Venerable Dr. H. Saddhatissa Maha Thera (who later became head of the London Buddhist Vihara), Venerable Dr. U. Dhammaratana and the late Venerable Dr. Amritananda Thera, former head of the Sangha of Nepal. Venerable Dhammananda studied four years at the university graduating with a Master of Arts degree in Indian Philosophy in 1949. Among the many well-known professors who taught him was the late Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, who later became President of the Republic of India. Having completed his studies, Venerable Dhammananda returned to Ceylon. In Kotawilla he established the Sudharma Buddhist Institute and tended to the educational, welfare and religious needs of the villagers. He also published a quarterly Buddhist journal "Sudharma" in Sinhalese. He gave regular teachings to the devotees to improve their knowledge and practice of Buddhism.
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