Chief Reverend Venerable Dr K. Sri Dhammananda

March 18, 1919 -- Aug 31, 2006

The Star Online, September 6, 2006

What was Chief Reverend like? Here's what some people who have known him have to say:

Mother A. Mangalam, 80, president of the Pure Life Society in Puchong, Kuala Lumpur, said:

"Rev Dhammananda's death is a great loss to the Inter-Faith Spiritual Fellowship (INSF). He's a person who, though Buddhist by faith, rises above all religions and cuts across all barriers."

Rev Dhammananda also had "wit and humour and always has a smile, no matter what."

Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society of Buddhist Maha Vihara president S.W. Surendre said the vihara's chief monk was "a very dynamic and very compassionate person. He is an irreplaceable loss for a monk of his stature. When he came to reside at the Buddhist Maha Vihara, it was a stepping stone for this temple to go higher. Every Malaysian Buddhist considers the Buddhist Maha Vihara as the main centre of Buddhism in the country."

Ti-Ratana Welfare Society president Datuk Liu Thim Soon was touched and blessed by the Chief Reverend for the last 25 years. "Chief was full of energy whenever he preached and always had a set of jokes."

At the eulogy ceremony on Sunday, Ven Dr Kakapalliye Anuruddha, former Vice-Chancellor of Sri Lanka University, said: "It's a sad day for Sri Lankan monks because one of their illustrious Sri Lankan monks had passed away." The Chief Reverend or Nayaka Hamuduruwo (an equal meaning term used in Sri Lanka) did not just explain Buddha's teachings but practised what he told others.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, who represented the government, said that Chief Reverend was a very powerful voice in promoting inter-religious harmony in Malaysia.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, who read a message from the President of Sri Lanka, said: "Sri Lanka had lost a great monk. The Buddhist world had lost a great missionary."

The eulogy of Buddhist Summit president Most Venerable Dr Kyuse Enshinjoh was read by Buddhist Summit of Japan secretary-general Venerable Fujikura of Japan, who described Chief Reverend as "a great dhamma friend and a true Supreme Buddhist".