Dhamma Propagation –
Reaching out to unlikely places

Mr. Lim Chin Kah was the founder of an e-mail chain group – ‘Dhamma Friends’. The group grew over the years and has become a strong support base in many Dhamma propagation projects he undertook.

By Lim Chin Kah

Sometime back in 2004, while browsing through the internet, I chanced upon an e-group that provides dhamma support for prison inmates in the United States. I subscribed to it to learn how they supported the prisoners spiritually from the outside. Some weeks later, I read a posting asking for free dhamma books. I responded by sending four 20kg parcels of books to them, which took three months to reach. I did not realize then, that request would ignite my passion to propagate the Dhamma to less privileged people in unlikely places.

I started responding to the requests of several other Buddhist Societies in the US for free dhamma books for prisoners. I also sent books directly to a few prisoners there. One occasion that I remember fondly was an inmate’s request for Abhidhamma books!

Subsequently it dawned upon me that I should be doing something for the inmates in our local prisons. I approached the authorities at the Kajang Prison and sought their permission to send their inmates dhamma books. Thereafter, books were sent to all Buddhist prisoners on three occasions between 2004 and 2007.

With the help of friends, more than a hundred thousand dhamma books were also despatched to India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa and Kenya. I have also managed to get some societies in India to translate several of the late Venerable K Sri Dhammananda’s books into their local languages. We then sponsored the printing of these books in India using funds donated by Malaysian supporters.

I have also provided dhamma books to several local 5-star hotels to be distributed to their guests. One hotel in Sabah is strongly supporting this effort and has been distributing dhamma books to its guests for several years now.

Public libraries are my next target and I have donated dhamma books to several in the Klang Valley. It is my hope that dhamma books are made available at all public libraries in Malaysia. There is much more we can do to propagate the Dhamma to the less privileged. You too can play a part.