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Article taken from The Star Online on 1st Sept 2006.

Buddhist chief monk K. Sri Dhammananda dies

Rev Dhammananda: A wise and caring man who related well to the young and the old.
PETALING JAYA: The Chief High Priest of Malaysia and Singapore, Venerable Dr K. Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Maha Thera, passed away peacefully at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre at 12.42pm yesterday. He was 87.

Those who wish to pay their last respects may do so at the Buddhist Maha Vihara in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, until 2pm on Sunday.

A eulogy ceremony will be held at 1pm on Sunday and the cortege will leave at 3pm for the Nirvana Memorial Park in Semenyih.

Devotees are advised to use public transport and also not to send wreaths during the funeral ceremony. They are also advised to wear white.

Rev Dhammananda was born on March 18, 1919, in southern Sri Lanka. He came to Malaya on Jan 2, 1952, to administer to the needs of the Buddhist community here.

Revered by both Buddhists and non-Buddhists throughout the world, Rev Dhammananda wrote more than 47 books on Buddhism which were distributed worldwide and translated into various languages.

For further information, the public may call 03-2274 1141/ 86, or contact Leslie Tilak at 012-212 0154.

Buddhist Maha Vihara president Sarath W. Surendre described Rev Dhammananda as a wise and caring man who related well to both the young and the old.

I went to the Brickfields Temple on Friday night (1st Sept 2006) with Ronnie to pay my last respect to him, and to help out where we can. He was a great man and have written many books on Buddhism, and in them, he also preached religious tolerance. He went around the country to give talks and I've been to a few of them when he came to the Seck Kia Eenh(SKE) Temple which I attended in my hometown of Malacca.

Here's another article from The Star Online.

Late Rev Dhammananda served all mankind, says Ong in eulogy

KUALA LUMPUR: The late Venerable Dr Rev K. Sri Dhammananda - Chief High Priest of Malaysia and Singapore - was a man who dedicated his life to promoting peace, understanding and harmony.

“Rev Dhammananda served not only the Buddhist community but also all mankind. It is for this reason that he won the respect of people of all races and religions,” said Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, who represented the Government at a eulogy ceremony at the Buddhist Maha Vihara here yesterday.

Ong said Rev Dhammananda, who founded the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia (BMSM) in 1962, had conveyed Buddha's message on peace to every corner of Malaysia as well as throughout the world.

Rev Dhammananda, he added, would always be remembered for his strong role in promoting inter-religious harmony in the country.

DEVOTEES’ SENDOFF: Thousands converged at the Buddhist Maha Vihara in Kuala Lumpur to bid farewell to Rev Dhammananda
“He was a firm believer that all religions have an important role to play in making human beings behave in a noble manner,” he said.

Through the BMSM, Rev Dhammananda published 70 books which were translated into more than 16 languages. Ong added that Rev Dhammananda never wanted any fame or glory and had lived the life of a simple monk.

Others who delivered eulogies included Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism deputy president Pradip Kumar, BMSM president Ang Choo Hong and Malaysian Buddhist Association president Venerable Sik Jit Heng.

The eulogy by Buddhist Summit president Most Venerable Dr Kyuse Enshinjoh, was read by Buddhist Summit of Japan secretary-general Venerable Fujikura.