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Dhamma
Aid Cambodia
February 2010 Update
Dear
friends of Dhamma Aid Cambodia,
A very Happy New Year! Dhamma Aid Cambodia is into its 4th year.
Amazing how time flies when you are having fun!
I just
reviewed our work since we started and noted that we have printed and
distributed 44,960
Khmer Dhamma books as at the end of last year. Add another
4,000 books we
printed in December 2009 and have begun to distribute since early this
year, brings the
total up to 48,960 books. That represents
about 0.44% of the literate population of Cambodia.
Or
on average, one in 220 Cambodians who can read, has a DAC Dhamma book!
First, some
housekeeping. The Bandar Utama Buddhist Society ("BUBS")
which sheltered DAC since its inception has advised that due to the
restrictions imposed by the Inland Revenue Board, it can no longer fund
us. So although DAC has not been reliant on BUBS for funding,
this
compels some thinking about the development of DAC. At the
moment, I
am uncertain which direction to take this project. However, I
expect to
have more time on my hands in a year or two and so will probably wait
for conditions to develop. I have begun to think about expanding
our services to make a greater impact, perhaps replicating our work for
Laos, Nepal and India. To accommodate this, we may need to
register as a society, or a company but it is also possible that we
remain as a private project. Each structure has its pros and cons
and if anyone can give me advice or ideas on this, please email me.
In the
meantime, little has changed and all remaining funds will be used for
DAC's stated objectives. However, if you wish
to donate towards DAC in the future, please contact me
directly at: pj.pilgrim gmail.com
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The
wonderful Gift of Dhamma - 4,000
copies of the Khmer edition of Good Question Good Answer
 With
the generous sponsorship of an old friend of DAC, Mr Teh Chi Chang,
we have
printed another 4,000
copies of the Khmer edition of Good Question Good Answer. Seeing
that it is such a popular
book, we have changed the cover so that future reprints will carry
this attractive design.
The
previous editions carried
a picture of a Cambodian style Buddha-rupa. At that time, we
wanted to encourage Cambodians to develop self confidence in their
heritage. But although the country remains one of the poorest, it
has
changed tremendously in the last few years and has strongly embraced
globalisation. So the new cover carries a colourful picture
of the
Mahabodhi stupa of Bodh Gaya, to
remind Cambodian Buddhists that they are an important part of the
global
Buddhist community.
Ven
Vandong has begun distributing this book in several places. At my
request, he
has arranged to send more than 1,000 books to Her
Excellency
Maha-Upasika Nhek
Buntha, President of the Buddhist Association of Cambodia and
Board member of the Association of Nuns and Lay-Women of Cambodia
("ANLWC"). The ANLWC includes in its membership about 5,000 Don
Chees
or
8 precept nuns who play an exceptional pastoral role in various
communities throughout the country. It is hoped that these
books will help them communicate the Dhamma during the
course of their work.
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Below are some photos of the recent book distribution by Ven. Vandong to the nuns and lay-women of
ANLWC.
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And
Ven. Vandong distributes Good Question Good
Answer to students at a local school.
 
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Gone
to Press - 4,000
copies of the Khmer edition of A Happy Married Life
 We
are currently printing 4,000 copies of this book. This is an
unusual Dhamma
book but was one of the more popular books
written by the late Ven K Sri Dhammananda. It has been translated
into
Khmer by Ven.
Sin Kong Nyanajoti, a young Cambodian monk who recently
completed his Masters degree in Sri Lanka. The Brickfields
Mahavihara
has kindly sponsored the printing of this book.
But why this
book? As Cambodian society grapples with poverty, a consumer
driven economy and modernisation, the resultant stress has created a
high level
of domestic violence.
One
source estimated that one in six women is a victim of violence
inflicted by her husband. Half of these women sustained injuries of
which more than 50% were head injuries. A study revealed that more than
10 per cent of Cambodian men reported
that they used violence on their wives.
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 Ven Sin Kong says "On
behalf of Cambodian people, may I be allowed to thank you for all your
kind attention that you and your project, Dhamma Aid Cambodia, printed
the book entitle "A Happy Married Life" in Khmer language for the
benefit to all Cambodian people who are in need the Dhamma to quench
the thirst for living a noble life in accordance with the Buddha's
teaching.
We
all realize that you and
your entire companion are trying your best to
help Cambodian in the name of mankind, and in order to
promote the sublime teaching of the Buddha, which is the message of
peace and happiness. We are grateful to you for your sympathy and
financial support for publishing this most useful book. I
hope that your works will be very helpful in delivering the
Enlightened One's words in many languages to all backgrounds of man as
well as the development of Buddhism in the World.
From the bottom of my
heart, I would like to thank you so much for all your help with the
Divine State of Mind (Brahmavihara). May
the Blessing of the Buddhist Triple Gem protect you. May you be
happy
and peaceful, and to get successful in your promote Dhamma projects in
Cambodia."
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Letters
of Gratitude from scholarship students
We
have also received a stack of letters written by the 6 monk students we
sponsored last year through KEAP. (
See KEAP's report here ). Generally, all are doing well. They
expressed relief that the worry of financial cost is removed from their
minds and they could better concentrate on their studies in
university. Thank
you and Anumodana to all the scholarship sponsors.
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Please remember
to check our website regularly for
updates.
With
peace in the
BuddhaDhamma,
Yu Ban
Feb 2010
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