New Head of the Brickfield Temple and the Sangha Nayaka of Malaysia

Compiled by Tipitaka Network newsdesk, Sunday, March 25, 2007

Ven. Rev. K. Sri Dhammaratana giving a Malaysian flag to President Rajapaksa at the Presidential Palace in a special endorsement audience in Colombo on March 12.

Sri Lanka has been, from ancient times, the repository of Buddhism. It has also contributed much to the spread of Buddhism. For both preservation and spread of Buddhism the bhikkhus of Sri Lanka have been serving tirelessly.

In recent times too Sri Lanka produced some outstanding missionary monks, and one amongst them was the late Ven. Dr. Kirinde Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Thera, the former Head of the Brickfield Temple in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

When he passed away recently, the Headship fell vacant and fortunately there happened to be an efficient successor.

He is none other than Ven. Kirinde Dammaratana, the protege of the great predecessor himself. Now he has taken over reins of the Brickfield Temple and is working dedicatedly to maintain the position of excellence it had gained.

Ven. Kirinde Dhammaratana was born on July 24, 1948 in the well known village of Kirinde in the southern tip of Sri Lanka. He had his early education at the Deyandara Central College. At 17, he was ordained a monk by the then Chief High Priest of Malaysia and Singapore Ven. Dr K. Sri Dhammananda Nyaka Thera.

Second of five siblings, he was the only one who entered the monkhood. Born into a traditional Buddhist family, his father was an ayurvedic doctor and his mother, a housewife. He was 16 when his father died.

When he was eight, his family took him on a pilgrimage to Buddhist holy sites in Sri Lanka. After the trip, he wanted to remain in the temple. His mother told him that he was too young to be a monk. A year later, his parents made a commitment to let him be a monk someday.

When he was 17, his uncle, Ven. Dhammananda, then chief abbot of the Buddhist Maha Vihara in Brickfields, visited his mother and asked for him. She knew it was time for her son to answer his calling. That year, he entered the Order under the tutelage of Ven. Dhammnanda and Ven. Kotawila Deepananda.

Shortly after Ven. Dhammaratana was ordained, the Chief Reverend returned to Malaysia while he went to Colombo to study at Vidyawardhana Pirivena (Dehiwala), Sunetira Devi Pirivena (Papiliyana), Sri Lanka Sangha Training Centre and later to Parama Buddhist International University where he graduated. He received his higher ordination from the Malwatu Chapter of the Syamopal Maha Nikaya.

In 1976, on a trip back to Sri Lanka, the Chief Reverend asked Ven. Dhammaratana whether he would like to go to Malaysia to be a monk and he agreed. On March 8, 1980, he was invited to the Brickfields temple as there was a shortage of monks.

It did not take time for him to adapt to the situation and take upon himself responsibilities at the Brickfields temple. Soon he became a well-known figure and worked hard to uplift the activities at the temple.

Taking up the principalship of the school he contributed to train the youth for leadership, and today most of the activities of Buddhist centers in Malaysia are managed by those who got their training at the Brickfields.

The spectacular grand procession held in Kuala Lumpur to celebrate the Vesak festival bear evidence to his capabilities as a methodical and meticulous organizer with a sharp religious aesthetic sense.

His deep keenness to come to the rescue of those who are in adverse situations become quite manifest through the relief activities he did to alleviate the suffering of the people in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Ven. Dhammaratana was installed as chief monk of the Maha Vihara in Brickfields on October 8, last year. He replaced Rev Dhammananda, who died on August 31 at the age of 87.

On March 12, Rev Dhammaratana was officially appointed as the Chief Sangha Nayaka (Chief High Priest of Malaysia). The same evening, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa endorsed him as "the Buddhist Ambassador of Malaysia".

In his new position, he is busier than ever. His day starts at 4.30am and ends at 10.30pm but these days, he calls it a day at 1am sometimes.

"I read Dhamma books and go for house blessing. Sometimes, I am called upon by devotees for favours such as recommending their children to certain schools or helping them in their low-cost housing application."

"I have strong faith and know the value of being a monk. I didn’t really understand much about life but now, I know the value of a monk's way of life. I put Buddha’s teachings into my daily life," he said.

He remembers 1984 as a "career milestone" for him when he was tasked to organise a children's party. He had invited about 4,000 children from various homes and schools but the committee did not have the money for the party.

When he called Chong, a devotee, for help, he was given a blank cheque. His confidence grew and from then on he began to get organisers and sponsors. When the party was over, he returned the cheque to its owner without cashing it.

When he felt the lack of dedication among the local Buddhist community in social welfare activities, he knew he had to act. Gathering a group of volunteers, he started his project, the Ti-Ratana Welfare Society on September 2, 1994. Today, he is the founder and spiritual adviser of the society.

In 1996, a three-storey building was acquired through the generosity of a donor and the Ti-Ratana Children's Home was set up. The orphanage started with 12 children and now it has 190. Ti-Ratana also runs free medical clinics, an old folks home and a shelter for abused and unwed mothers.

When Ven. Dhammaratana has time to spare, he likes to play with pets and his "children" in the orphanage. He has a big heart for animals too. He rescued more than 40 stray dogs and a monkey which were to be killed and housed them in the home's premises.

What's his philosophy in life?

"Be sincere. If you are not sincere, you can cheat yourself but you can't cheat the whole world. Also, if you have confidence, you will succeed."

source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/3/24/nation/17189457&sec=nation
source: http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/03/14/fea11.asp