New Year Greetings from the German Dharmaduta Society
Posted on January 2nd, 2024
Senaka Weeraratna
On the occasion of the New Year (2024), the German Dharmaduta Society wishes to thank all its members, well-wishers, and supporters including the Dayakayas (Patrons) of Das Buddhistisches Haus ( Buddhist Vihara in Berlin – Frohnau) for their help in numerous ways in the past years and takes this opportunity to extend our heartfelt warm greetings and best wishes to you all for a Happy New Year.
May you be protected. May the Buddha Sasana be protected.
May all beings secure a noble and peaceful life, and the opportunity to act compassionately towards all beings.
For the Buddha, the key to liberation is mental purity and correct understanding, and for this reason, he rejects the notion that we can gain salvation by leaning on any external authority.”
― Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Buddha and His Dhamma
The Buddha was the first in the world 2, 600 years ago to create a perfect system of Ethics without reference to an external saviour.
Europe was disillusioned with its traditional beliefs after WW2 and began to look East for alternative religious inspiration. Sri Lanka played a big role in the dissemination of Buddhism in the West. Anagarika Dharmapala was the World’s Buddhist Missionary, followed by Ven. Narada and the Siri Vajiraramaya monks such as Ven. Madihe Pannasiha Nayake Thero, Ven.Soma, Ven.Keminda, and Ven. Vinitha Thero.
Asoka Weeraratna who founded the German Dharmaduta Society in 1952 after a heartbreaking journey to Germany in 1951 and seeing the effects of the tragedy of WW2 organized Buddhist Missionaries ( Dharmaduta monks) to visit Germany and other Western countries to spread Buddhism. Germany too on its own produced some outstanding Buddhist writers and philosophers such as Dr. Paul Dahlke, ( who founded Das Buddhistische Haus in 1924), Ven. Nyanatiloka Thero (first German Monk), Ven. Nyanaponika Thera, and Ven. Polgasduwe Nyanawimala (last disciple of Ven. Nyanatiloka) among others. Asoka Weeraratna made a huge breakthrough when he purchased the premises of Das Buddhistische Haus in 1957 from the relatives of Dr. Paul Dahlke and transformed the House into a Buddhist Vihara with resident monks under the watch of the German Dharmaduta Society.
The First Theravada Buddhist temple in Europe (Das Buddhistisches Haus also known as the Berlin Buddhist Vihara) which was founded by Dr.Paul Dahlke in 1924 will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of its founding at the Berlin Vihara in Berlin – Frohnau on August 3 – 4, 2024.
It will be a special event for the entire Buddhist world as it will be the celebration of the oldest Buddhist temple in Europe.
Plans are afoot for a fitting celebration. We will be seeking support from the Buddhist world and Governments of predominantly Buddhist countries, India, China, and Japan to ensure the success of this historical event.
All are welcome
With Metta
Senaka Weeraratna
Hony. Secretary
German Dharmaduta Society
14, Bethesda Place
Colombo 5
Sri Lanka