German Dharmaduta Society

The German Dharmaduta Society is a Buddhist organisation founded in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 21 September 1952 by Asoka Weeraratna. Its original name was the Lanka Dhammaduta Society; it was later renamed the German Dharmaduta Society to reflect its principal mission of supporting the spread of Buddhism in Germany and the wider West. The organisation emerged from Weeraratna's experience during a 1951 business visit to West Germany. He observed a society recovering from the destruction of the Second World War and believed that there was significant interest in a moral and spiritual outlook centred on peace, non-violence, self-reliance and compassion. Weeraratna returned to Sri Lanka convinced that a sustained Buddhist mission to Germany required institutional support, trained personnel and permanent facilities. In 1953, while serving as the Society's honorary secretary, he returned to Germany to survey Buddhist activities and compiled his findings in a report entitled Buddhism in Germany. The report helped define the Society's early programme and provided an assessment of the opportunities and practical requirements for Buddhist teaching in the country. In 1954, the Society launched the Million Rupee Fund under the patronage of Dudley Senanayake. The fundraising campaign sought to finance the permanent establishment of Buddhist activities in Germany. It received support from donors in Sri Lanka and abroad and was recognised as an approved charity by the Sri Lankan government. A notable contribution came from Walther Schmits, a German Buddhist whose legacy of DM 550,000 substantially strengthened the Society's resources. In 1955, the Sri Lankan government granted the Society approximately one acre of crown land on a 99-year lease in Colombo. A headquarters and training centre was subsequently built at 417 Bullers Road, now Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7. The centre was formally opened in August 1956 and included accommodation, an assembly hall, offices and a library. The Society's most important early undertaking was the first Buddhist mission it sponsored to Germany. Three monks—Ven. Soma, Ven. Kheminda and Ven. Vinita—left Colombo aboard the SS Orantes on 15 June 1957. Weeraratna later joined them in Germany and negotiated the purchase of Das Buddhistische Haus in Berlin from the heirs of its founder, Dr. Paul Dahlke. Built in 1923, the site had already been associated with German Buddhism. After the purchase, it was developed as a Buddhist vihara and residence for Dharmaduta monks, principally from Sri Lanka. The Berlin Buddhist Vihara became the Society's central institutional presence in Germany. Since 1957, monks from Sri Lanka and other countries have served at the Berlin Vihara, teaching Buddhist doctrine, conducting meditation instruction and providing a place of practice for German and international visitors. Ven. Athurugiriye Nanavimala Mahathera served as vihara head from 1966 to 1981, a fifteen-year period that is particularly associated with the consolidation of the centre's activities. The Society's work has focused on religious education, monastic residence, meditation and the cultural transmission of Theravada Buddhism rather than on commercial products or services. The organisation marked its fiftieth anniversary in 2002, an occasion associated with renewed attention to the role of the Berlin Vihara in the growth of Theravada Buddhism in Europe. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, who visited the Vihara in May 2002, expressed support for the work of its resident monks and lay volunteers. The Society remains principally associated with the promotion of Buddhism in Germany, the operation and support of Buddhist institutions, and the connection between Sri Lankan Buddhist communities and practitioners in Europe.

The German Dharmaduta Society was founded in Colombo on 21 September 1952 by Asoka Weeraratna, initially under the name Lanka Dhammaduta Society. The organisation developed from Weeraratna's concern that post-war Germany might be receptive to a philosophy emphasising peace, non-violence and ethical self-discipline. He had formed this view during a business visit to West Germany in 1951, when he observed the country's material and social recovery after the Second World War. Weeraratna's second visit to Germany in 1953 gave the new organisation a more concrete basis for action. He surveyed Buddhist groups and activities in the country and published Buddhism in Germany, a report that examined the condition and prospects of Buddhism there. The Society concluded that a lasting presence would require more than occasional visits: it needed funds, trained monks, educational facilities and a permanent centre. To finance this programme, the Society launched the Million Rupee Fund in 1954 with the support of Dudley Senanayake. The fund was intended to establish Buddhist work in Germany on a durable basis. It became an approved charity under the Sri Lankan government and attracted support from a range of donors. Among the most significant benefactors was Walther Schmits, a German Buddhist who left the Society a legacy of DM 550,000. In 1955, the Sri Lankan government granted the organisation an acre of crown land on a 99-year lease in Colombo. The Society built a headquarters and training centre there, which Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike opened in August 1956. The facility contained a fourteen-room dormitory, an assembly hall, offices and a library and was intended to prepare monks and laypeople for Buddhist missionary work. The next major stage was the first Buddhist mission to Germany. Eight monks were associated with the Society's training centre, including the German scholar-monk Ven. Ñânatiloka Mahâthera, Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreyya, Ven. Ñânaponika Thera and other Sri Lankan and German monastics. A German teacher from Hamburg, Friedrich Möller, had arrived in Sri Lanka in 1953 for training and later entered the Buddhist order as Bhikkhu Ñânavimala. On 15 June 1957, Ven. Soma, Ven. Kheminda and Ven. Vinita departed Colombo aboard the SS Orantes. The mission established a direct monastic link between Sri Lanka and Germany. A few weeks later, Weeraratna travelled to Germany by air and joined the monks. He purchased Das Buddhistische Haus in Berlin from the heirs of Dr. Paul Dahlke, who had built the property in 1923. The building had an earlier history as a centre of German Buddhism and was converted under the Society's direction into a Buddhist vihara with residential accommodation for Dharmaduta monks. The Berlin Buddhist Vihara became the Society's principal base in Germany. Since 1957, monks from Sri Lanka and other countries have lived and taught there. Their activities have included public talks, Buddhist instruction, meditation guidance and pastoral or community support for people interested in Theravada Buddhism. The Vihara has served both German visitors and people from other nationalities, maintaining an international role while remaining closely linked to Sri Lankan Buddhist institutions. Ven. Athurugiriye Ñânavimala Mahâthera was vihara head from 1966 to 1981. His fifteen-year tenure formed part of the Vihara's long-term institutional development. Over subsequent decades, the Society continued to support the transmission of Buddhist teachings through resident monks, lay volunteers, study facilities and public programmes. The Society's fiftieth anniversary in 2002 brought renewed public recognition. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi visited the Berlin Vihara in May of that year and praised the dedication of its resident monks and lay supporters. Anniversary-related activities also highlighted the continuing growth of interest in Theravada Buddhism in the West. The Society's historical importance lies in creating a sustained organisational and monastic bridge between Sri Lanka and Germany, with Das Buddhistische Haus as its best-known institutional result.

• 2002

  Fiftieth anniversary commemorated

  [1]German Dharmaduta Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The Society celebrated fifty years of activity promoting Buddhism in Germany and the West.

• 1957

  First Buddhist mission sent to Germany

  [1]German Dharmaduta Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Three monks sponsored by the Society sailed from Colombo on 15 June aboard the SS Orantes.

• 1957

  Das Buddhistische Haus purchased

  [1]German Dharmaduta Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Asoka Weeraratna acquired the Berlin property from the heirs of Dr. Paul Dahlke and developed it as a Buddhist vihara.

• 1956

  Colombo headquarters and training centre opened

  [1]German Dharmaduta Societyen.wikipedia.org

  A headquarters and training centre at Bullers Road in Colombo was formally opened in August.

• 1955

  Colombo land grant received

  [1]German Dharmaduta Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The Sri Lankan government granted the Society approximately one acre of crown land on a 99-year lease.

• 1954

  Million Rupee Fund launched

  [1]German Dharmaduta Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The Society launched a fundraising programme for the permanent establishment of Buddhist work in Germany.

• 1953

  Survey of Buddhism in Germany published

  [1]German Dharmaduta Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Weeraratna surveyed Buddhist activity in Germany and issued a report titled Buddhism in Germany.

• 1952

  Lanka Dhammaduta Society established

  [1]German Dharmaduta Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Asoka Weeraratna founded the organisation in Colombo on 21 September. It was later renamed the German Dharmaduta Society.

• 1951

  Weeraratna develops the idea for a German Buddhist mission

  [1]German Dharmaduta Societyen.wikipedia.org

  During his first business visit to West Germany, Asoka Weeraratna conceived the idea of creating an organisation to promote Buddhism in Germany and other Western countries.

A Sri Lankan-founded Buddhist mission and support organisation focused on establishing and sustaining Theravada Buddhist teaching, monastic residence and meditation practice in Germany and other Western countries.

• Buddhist centre · 1957

  Berlin Buddhist Vihara at Das Buddhistische Haus

  The Society's principal institutional project is the Buddhist vihara established at Das Buddhistische Haus in Berlin after its acquisition in 1957. The historic property provides a setting for resident monks, Buddhist teaching, meditation instruction, religious gatherings and study. It connects the Society's Sri Lankan origins with Buddhist practitioners in Germany and other countries.

• Religious education · 1957

  Buddhist education and meditation instruction

  Resident monks and associated teachers provide instruction in Buddhist philosophy, the Buddha Dhamma and meditation. These activities are directed at Germans and international visitors seeking a practical and ethical Theravada Buddhist tradition based on self-reliance, non-violence and loving-kindness.

• Monastic services · 1956

  Monastic training and support

  The Society's Colombo facilities were created partly as a headquarters and training centre for Buddhist missionary work. Its broader institutional role includes supporting monks who teach and reside in Germany and maintaining the organisational links needed for Buddhist missions and long-term vihara activity.

• 1957First Buddhist Mission to Germany

  Germany · Sri Lanka

  The Society sent Ven. Soma, Ven. Kheminda and Ven. Vinita from Colombo to Germany aboard the SS Orantes. The mission was intended to establish a sustained Buddhist presence rather than a one-time speaking tour.

  Outcome. The mission was followed by the acquisition and conversion of Das Buddhistische Haus in Berlin into a Buddhist vihara, creating a permanent base for resident monks.

  Source
• 1954Million Rupee Fund

  Sri Lanka · Germany

  The Society organised a large fundraising campaign to create a permanent foundation for Buddhist teaching and monastic activity in Germany. The campaign operated with the patronage of Dudley Senanayake and received support from public and private benefactors.

  Outcome. The campaign helped finance the Society's institutional infrastructure and contributed to the establishment of its Colombo headquarters and subsequent German mission.

  Source

• 1957

  Acquire Das Buddhistische Haus in BerlinOther

  Background

  The first mission demonstrated the need for a permanent place where monks could live, teach and receive visitors.

  Action taken

  Asoka Weeraratna purchased the property from the heirs of Dr. Paul Dahlke and arranged for its use as a Buddhist vihara.

  Aftermath

  Das Buddhistische Haus became the Society's best-known centre in Germany and supported generations of resident monks.

  Source

• 1952

  Create a dedicated organisation for Buddhist propagation in GermanyStrategy

  Background

  Asoka Weeraratna believed that post-war Germany offered an opportunity for Buddhist teaching focused on peace, non-violence and ethical practice.

  Action taken

  He established the Lanka Dhammaduta Society in Colombo, later renamed the German Dharmaduta Society.

  Aftermath

  The organisation became the institutional vehicle for Sri Lankan-supported Buddhist missions and the development of the Berlin Buddhist Vihara.

  Source

1. 1German Dharmaduta Societyen.wikipedia.org