"The Dhammapada" by Ven. Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda, published by the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society in 1988, and distributed by the Buddhist Missionary Society Buddhist Maha Vihara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Note: It is my wish that after listening to these tracks, the listener becomes encouraged to obtain the hard copy of this wonderful book by this author (Ven. Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Mahathero).
A few words,
Over the past 30+ years, in my quest for understanding the Dhamma, i.e. the Teachings of Lord Buddha, I have dedicated countless hours studying the suttas found in the Pali Canon of the Theravada Tradition (Words of the Elders) as I sat at the feet of many a great teacher, trying to learn and grasp the meaning behind the words.
In these difficult times, however, where time itself has become truly constricted in its abundance, the curious and struggling mind of individuals do not necessarily have the same luxuries of sitting down and reading the Nikayas, let alone exploring their meaning, something that was enjoyed only a generation or two earlier.
Instead, one becomes hesitant to even pick up one of the Nikayas given their massive volume, therefore, the danger of their inaccessibility (by shying away from reading the Pali Nikayas) looms in the horizon; this, while considering that many newcomers to the Dhamma are often petrified to tackle the wonderful exploration that would otherwise be awaiting them in those voluminous pages.
Thus, as one of my own students expressed of her apprehension despite her love for the Dhamma, to pick up one these precious texts, I saw it necessary for posterity to go ahead and transfer these words onto audio. I realize the amount of work, time and energy this would take, but the necessity for making the Dhamma available in an age of scarcity of time where most of our time is spent driving, sitting long hours in commute, etc., becomes all the more relevant, if not imperative.
Being a Dhamma Teacher means nothing if there is no Dhamma available, which means that is available whether through being read, studied, and in this case, heard and listened to.
To this end, I am dedicating my time and energy to do my small part and record the precious words of Lord Buddha onto these audio files for posterity, hoping that listeners would become able to taste them and realize their fruits (through daily practice), by listening to and understanding the wonderful gems within the words of Lord Buddha that have survived the test of time during the last 2600 years.
Mettacittena,
"Candana" (Garbis J. Bartanian, Doctor of Buddhist Ministry (DBMin), LMFT).
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