The Venerable Narada Maha Thera born as Sumanapala Perera (July 14, 1898 – October 2, 1983) was a Buddhist monk and translator within the Theravāda tradition, and the head of the Vajirarama Temple in Colombo. He was popular in his home country of Sri Lanka, as well as abroad.
In 1929 he represented Sri Lanka in the opening ceremony for the new Mulgandhakuti Vihara Monastery in Sarnath, India, and in 1934 he visited Indonesia as the first Theravāda monk for 450 years. From then on he traveled to many different countries for missionary work, including Taiwan, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Nepal and Australia. In 1956 he visited Great Britain and the United States and addressed a large crowd at the Washington Monument. He contributed to the ban-style of Dhamma teachings in the 1960s and brought the Buddha’s teachings “to the daily lives of the Western middle class in Sri Lanka.”
Buddhism in a Nutshell
Narada Maha TheraThis work contains some of the most important and inspiring discourses of the Buddha such as the Kalama Sutta, and many discourses with practical advice for lay…
Parabhava Sutta: Downfall
Narada Maha TheraWhile the Mangala Sutta deals with the way of life conducive to progress and happiness, the Parabhava Sutta supplements it by pointing out the causes of…
Preface to the Manual of Abhidhamma
Narada Maha TheraAbhidhamma, as the term implies, is the Higher Teaching of the Buddha. It expounds the quintessence of His profound doctrine. The Dhamma, embodied in the Sutta…
The Buddha and His Teachings
Narada Maha TheraA clear, detailed introduction to the basic teachings of Buddhism available in English, this book explains concepts and doctrines which form the common bedrock…