Cambodian officials, monks and followers on Wednesday regretted the death of top monk Maha Ghosananda.
The Cambodian government very much regretted for losing Ghosananda, who contributed too much to Cambodia in helping restore peace, develop Buddhism, and stop violence in the country, said Minister of Information Khieu Khanharith.
Ghosananda died on Monday at the age of 78 in hospital in Massachusetts, the United States. The cause of his death is unclear yet.
Kong Nam Many, chief monk at the Sampov Meas Pagoda in Phnom Penh, told Xinhua that Ghosananda, when in Cambodia, used to say that he wanted to die in his homeland.
"He usually stayed in a small room in our pagoda. He founded the Non-Violence Dharmayeatra Center for Peace and Humanity in our pagoda," he said.
In addition, Ghosananda wrote a book named Step by Step for Cambodian Buddhists to learn about the religion, he said.
Ta Ry, one of the monk's followers, told Xinhua that Ghosananda left Cambodia for the United States in the late 1980s to help the Cambodian communities there learn about Buddhism and build pagodas.
"He had no more chance to come back to Cambodia. He fell sick and bid farewell to us now," he added.
Another follower told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that Ghosananda's body is now put in glass coffin by his followers in the United States, who still await the decision from former King Norodom Sihanouk, current King Norodom Sihamoni, the Cambodian government, top monks and other followers on whether to bury or cremate the body.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and followers have established a committee ready to help handle the funeral for the monk, he added.
Ghosananda was born in Takeo province in 1929. He entered monkhood while he was 14 and in 1957 earned his Doctorate in Buddhism Philosophy from the Nalanda University of Bihar in India.
He lived in exile between 1975 and 1979 and later returned to Cambodia to restore the once-prohibited Buddhism.
He was elected Supreme Cambodian Buddhist Patriarch by fellow Buddhist monks in 1988 for developing Buddhism in the kingdom, and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for three times in the 1990s.
Source: Xinhua
The Cambodian government very much regretted for losing Ghosananda, who contributed too much to Cambodia in helping restore peace, develop Buddhism, and stop violence in the country, said Minister of Information Khieu Khanharith.
Ghosananda died on Monday at the age of 78 in hospital in Massachusetts, the United States. The cause of his death is unclear yet.
Kong Nam Many, chief monk at the Sampov Meas Pagoda in Phnom Penh, told Xinhua that Ghosananda, when in Cambodia, used to say that he wanted to die in his homeland.
"He usually stayed in a small room in our pagoda. He founded the Non-Violence Dharmayeatra Center for Peace and Humanity in our pagoda," he said.
In addition, Ghosananda wrote a book named Step by Step for Cambodian Buddhists to learn about the religion, he said.
Ta Ry, one of the monk's followers, told Xinhua that Ghosananda left Cambodia for the United States in the late 1980s to help the Cambodian communities there learn about Buddhism and build pagodas.
"He had no more chance to come back to Cambodia. He fell sick and bid farewell to us now," he added.
Another follower told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that Ghosananda's body is now put in glass coffin by his followers in the United States, who still await the decision from former King Norodom Sihanouk, current King Norodom Sihamoni, the Cambodian government, top monks and other followers on whether to bury or cremate the body.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and followers have established a committee ready to help handle the funeral for the monk, he added.
Ghosananda was born in Takeo province in 1929. He entered monkhood while he was 14 and in 1957 earned his Doctorate in Buddhism Philosophy from the Nalanda University of Bihar in India.
He lived in exile between 1975 and 1979 and later returned to Cambodia to restore the once-prohibited Buddhism.
He was elected Supreme Cambodian Buddhist Patriarch by fellow Buddhist monks in 1988 for developing Buddhism in the kingdom, and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for three times in the 1990s.
Source: Xinhua
3 comments:
May God Buddha bless you!!
We, Cambodian need more of this kind of monk who follow truely Buddha step. Ghosananda the great!
When Tep Vong, the Yuan/CPP's puppet dies, millions will say "Thanks GOD he dies. please burn him in hell."
A good person like this great Monk dies, people will always love and remember his goodness, and when a bad perosn like Tep Vong dies people will also remember his evilness and wish he is going straight to hell.
I am really regrete that our Vira Boros Monk passed away. But old aged is the reality like our Lord Buddha said. Birth, Old, Sick and Death are common for human beings. So life would live with heedfulness; and try to do good deed as the supply for our young generation and our own next life.
Maha Ghosananda has tremendously earned goodness for himself especially for the sake of Cambodia.
But unfortunately his Dhamma Yeatra March always bothered and distorted by government and the envy of Somdech Tep Vong because of his popular among Cambodian Buddhists.
We hope his body would be kept for the respect of Cambodian people in Cambodia or cremate and hold an honorary ceremony throughout the world by Cambodian communities.
May all of us, the Cambodian followers, pay gratitude, respect and follow his parth of step by step for the peace of Cambodia as well as the world.
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