Sumanananda Premseri

The Buddhist Maha Vihara Brickfields is pleased to launch its first ever Dhamma publication in Luganda, the language of the people of Uganda, in Africa. This is the 16th language undertaken by the ViharaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s FREE PUBLICATIONS PROGRAM.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The book is a translation of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-How to Practise Buddhism? authored by Ven Dr K Sri Dhammananda. The book was translated by Nicholas K. Ssewanyana and Tom Kyembe and edited by Bhante U. Buddharakkhita, currently the only native African Theravada Buddhist monk. Ven Buddharakkhita has also authored another popular book, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Planting the Seeds of DhammaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚- the Emergence of Buddhism in Africa. BhanteƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s book was also published by our Vihara in English and Mandarin.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Bhante also set up the Uganda Buddhist Center in Kampala, the first ever Buddhist center in Africa set up by a native African Buddhist monk. The VenerableƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s mother has ordained to become the first Theravada native African Buddhist nun. The Uganda centre and its Buddhist population is growing slowly with the support of Buddhists overseas and the small expatriate Chinese, Thai, Burmese and Sri Lankan communities.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Annually, the Vihara publishes about 200,000 to 300,000 Buddhist books in several languages, and also CDs, VCDs and MP3s for free distribution. The ViharaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s free publications are available in English, Mandarin, Bahasa Malaysia, Tamil, Sinhalese, Vietnamese, Burmese, Thai, Brazilian Portugese, Spanish, Hindi, Kannada, Telegu, Kishwahili and Chichewa. The Vihara also teaches the Dhamma to the Deaf using sign language, the only such Buddhist class in Malaysia.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The ViharaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Free Publications program is supported by the Buddhist Translation Exchange (BTE) which coordinates the translation of Buddhist books authored by Ven Dr K Sri Dhammananda into various languages in various parts of the world. These books are then published in those respective countries, some sponsored by the Buddhist Maha Vihara. To date translations into 25 languages have been completed. Among the languages are Mandarin, Russian, Swedish, Marathi, Japanese, Korean, Khemer, Indonesian, Persian, Arabic, Nepalese, Dutch, Bahasa Malaysia, Tamil, Sinhalese, Vietnamese, Burmese, Thai, Brazilian Portugese, Spanish, Hindi, Kannada, Telegu, Kishwahili and Chichewa.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-O Bhikkhus, I allow you to teach in the language of the peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ (Arana Vibhanga Sutta)

– the BuddhaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s reply to monks who complained that certain monks at the Western frontier are not teaching the Dhamma in the language spoken by the Buddha