The passing away of Luang Por Dhammavuddho greatly saddens me and the Sangha of Samanadipa Hermitage in Slovenia (Europe). Luang Por was a great Dhamma warrior who not only talked about the Truth, but also had the courage to stand at the ‘front of the line’, facing all opposition, fully proclaiming the word of the Buddha with great confidence and compassion. Moreover, he passionately encouraged everyone to join him in following the lead of the Buddha—and to do so without retreating! He was true to his words, living only for the Dhamma, which he did in the spirit of the Buddha himself: “Death in battle would be better for me than that I, defeated, survive.” (Sn 3:2)
Luang Por and I shared a common view of Dhamma. He once wrote to me telling me how glad he was to know me as a “Sutta man,” and we discussed our concerns about some corrupted ideas within the Buddhist World. He was brave in talking about it, and did so tirelessly, because he knew too well how cancerous ideas can infect the whole Body of the Dhamma. Malaysian Buddhists should be more than grateful that they had such a Dhamma Doctor in their midst, a ‘doctor’ who changed many people’s practices from mystical ideologies to the actual development of the mind as taught by the Buddha.
Luang Por was our good Dhamma friend who gave me and the Sangha lots of moral support and encouragement. He also cared that we were well supported, and through Vihara Buddha Gotama supported us financially as well. We hear praises from many about how dedicated Luang Por was in helping to spread the Dhamma in Malaysia, and how he helped Chinese communities there, but perhaps not everybody is aware that his kindness and compassion extended even to Europe. One might wonder why he would support something so far from Malaysia. It was because he knew that Dhamma doesn’t recognize any boundaries, and support should not be limited to any specific place. Samanas such as Luang Por support anything that is good, wholesome and that is dedicated to the true Dhamma. And it is a great honour that his attention came to us, and we are more than grateful for that.
Luang Por once wrote to me: “We are pleased to see that you have the courage to embark on a lifelong mission to turn the Dhamma wheel for the sake of the manyfolk of Slovenia.” He understood how hard it is to take on such a mission. He has gone through that too and now we can see the fruits of his great work! “Yes, doing Dhammaduta work in a non-Buddhist country is not so easy,” he wrote, “but we do what we can for the good of the manyfolk in the few short years we have left.”
“In the few short years we have left…” Yes. One never knows for certain when the end will come, but it certainly will come. And now Luang Por has tasted that Truth too, and shown us that all made-up phenomena have the nature to cease—while the Truth remains. We will continue Luang Por’s mission; we will be warriors, as he was, till our own time comes, as it must, to lay down the body.
Ajahn Hiriko
Samanadipa Forest Hermitage,
Slovenia, EU
24th December 2019
