Bhante Dharmawara

Bhante Dharmawara
Born	Bellong Mahathera (1889-02-12)February 12, 1889 Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Died	June 26, 1999 (aged ) Stockton, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Natural causes
Citizenship	Cambodian, American
Occupation	Monk
Known for	First Cambodian American Buddhist monk

Samdach Vira Dharmawara Bellong Mahathera (February 12, 1889 – June 26, 1999), also known simply as Bhante Dharmawara, was a Cambodian-born Theravada monk and teacher who died at the age of 110.

Biography

Bellong Mahathera was born on February 12, 1889 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to a wealthy and illustrious family.

He was well educated and became a lawyer, judge and provincial governor before he began studying Buddhism and became a monk in his 30s. Bhante practised in the Forest Tradition in Thailand before travelling through Burma and India, where he spent much of his life. He studied natural healing and became well known for his healing abilities, in recognition of which he was given the land on which to found The Asoka Mission in New Delhi by Jawarharalal Nehru, first Prime Minister of Independent India.

He was fluent in many languages and travelled to teach meditation and healing to groups in many countries. He taught meditation, particularly on colour, every year to the students at John G. Bennett's Academy for Continuous Education in Sherborne, Gloucestershire.

Later, Bhante moved permanently to the United States and worked to help settle the thousands of refugees who fled there from the war in Cambodia. He founded the first Cambodian Buddhist temple in America in Washington, D.C. and later Wat Dharawararama in Stockton, California.

Death

He died on June 26, 1999, aged 110 and his ashes have been interred in a memorial at Asoka Mission in Delhi where a celebration of his life is held every year on his birthday, February 12.