Bhikkhu, Saddhāloka
Bhikkhu, Saddhāloka on the DRL
| English Phonetics | Saddhāloka Bhikkhu |
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| Sort Name | Bhikkhu, Saddhāloka |
- Heinrich Knote
| Birth: | 1938 |
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| Death: | 2013 |
| Place of birth: | Germany |
Tibetan calendar dates
| Website: | https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/saddhaloka.pdf |
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- Religious Affiliation
- Theravāda
Biographical Information
Venerable Saddhāloka was born in Germany in 1938. His mother passed away at his age of two; he then grew up in the loves of his father and paternal grandparents. Since childhood, he already had the character of a nature lover; he honoured the life of every creature around such as leaves, grass, and small animals like birds, livestock, and poultry. Being studious, he read a lot of books at a young age, especially the books concerning the Buddha's teachings.
In 1964, he was officially ordained as a novice (sāmaṇera) of the Theravāda tradition in the United Kingdom. His preceptor (upajjhāya) was a Sri Lankan master, Venerable Saddhātissa. He studied Buddhism in England for two years, then continued his study at Buddhist Centre in Canada for one year. Later, he went to Thailand to acquire more knowledge of Buddhist doctrine and some languages, Thai, Pāli, and Sanskrit, in order to study Buddhism directly from authentic scriptures. He also had a chance to practice meditation. He was staying in Thailand for a couple of years and was fully ordained as a bhikkhu there in 1967 with Venerable Buddhadāsa as his preceptor.
In 1969, he made up his decision to go to China to continue his studies, however he was not granted an entry visa at that time, so that he kept staying in Hong Kong. While being in Hong Kong, he taught Buddhism and treated patients with Chinese herbal medicines.
During 1970s, Venerable Saddhāloka translated Buddhist texts from Chinese language into English for a Buddhist magazine, Visakhapūjā. Some of his works are known as: The Question of Deva, The Discourse on the Foundation of Mindfulness (Chu Ching Nien), The Twelve Kings of Birth and Death: A Dialogue Between And Ha-Shan Shih-te (B.E. 2509 - 2516), v.v...
From 1982 to 1997, Venerable Saddhāloka, having compassion for the Vietnamese boatpeople being desperate and hopeless in closed camps and detention centers, did not mind long roads going back and forth to the centers with heavy loads of foods, beverages, medicines, books, etc. Everyday he got up in the early morning at three o’ clock to prepare then bring the goods to the people in needs. With bare-feet and shaved-head, on sunny or raining days, he patiently kept his routine, visiting the suffering people. In hot afternoons in summer seasons, his brown robes got wet with sweats, but his gentle smiles were always blown on his lips. For 16 years long, he was not only taking his great care of material needs for the detained refugees but also concerning about their spiritual practice, helping them learning the Buddha’s teachings and preserving Vietnamese culture. Therefore, Vietnamese boatpeople in Hong Kong affectionately call him as "Thay Tay Duc." (Source Accessed Aug 10, 2021)
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