BY Dr. Bokaoruwe Dewananda – Buddhist and Pali College of Hachioji in Japan

The first article in this series highlights the significant monastic service rendered by distinguished monks living abroad who have chosen to leave their native countries. This article focuses on the Most Venerable Thich Nhu Dien, who resides in Germany. Through his life and service, newly ordained novice monks in Sri Lanka can learn valuable lessons that will help them shoulder the future responsibilities of the Buddhist Order.

He was born on 28 June 1949 in Xuyên Mỹ Commune, Duy Xuyên District, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam. He is a prominent scholar with proficiency in several languages, including Japanese, Chinese, English and German. To date, he has authored 73 books in these languages, primarily on Buddhist subjects.

At present, he continues to make significant contributions to the growth of Buddhism abroad, particularly in Europe. He serves as the second president of the Executive Board of the Unified Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and as a Vice President of the World Buddhist Sangha Council (WBSC).

He began learning the customs, traditions, rites, rituals, discipline and conduct of monastic life in 1964. In 1967, he was ordained as a novice monk (Samanera) at Phước Lâm Temple in Hội An. Subsequently, he entered the College of Hoi An Dien Hong in Quảng Nam District to pursue his secondary education.

The Bodhi Hoi An College was established in 1965, and he demonstrated exceptional academic ability by obtaining high marks in every grade, particularly during his studies from 1965 to 1968. He completed his Second Grade education (equivalent to today’s Year 11) at Republic High School under Principal Phạm Văn Vận and successfully passed the Baccalaureate I examination in the same year.

From 1970 to 1971, he enrolled at the literature high school run by Professor Trần Bích Lan to complete the Year 12 curriculum. During this period, he passed the Baccalaureate II examination, equivalent to today’s higher diploma. In 1972, he travelled to Japan to continue his higher education, earning a degree in education from Tokyo University and a Master of Arts in Buddhism from Rissho University.

He initially entered Germany on a tourist visa, which was later converted into a refugee visa at his request. He spent one year at Kiel University learning German before moving to Hanover to pursue postgraduate studies in education. During this period, he began laying the groundwork for Buddhist propagation activities in Germany.

As his first step in propagating Buddhism abroad, he established a small temple on Kestnerstrasse after settling in Germany on 4 February 1978. In 1980, following his relocation to Eichelkam, he founded the Viên Giác newspaper. It has now been in continuous circulation for 46 years, with 266 issues published to date. Its uninterrupted publication has been made possible through his personal commitment and financial support provided by the German federal government.

In April 1978, he formally established the Viên Giác Buddhist Temple in Hanover, which has since served approximately 7,000 Vietnamese devotees, as well as hundreds of German followers who embraced Buddhism by taking refuge in the Triple Gem. He has ordained 45 disciples, many of whom hold academic qualifications such as Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees from internationally recognised universities in Europe, Asia and the United States. He also played a pivotal role in founding a unified Vietnamese Buddhist council in Germany.

From 1978 to 1979, he organised congregations for Vietnamese and international students in Germany to promote Buddhist teachings. He served as the General Secretary of the Unified Vietnamese Buddhist Council in Germany until 2023 and currently holds the position of General Secretary of the Unified Vietnam Buddhist Federation in Europe. In addition, he is a member of the Dharma Propagation Board of the World Buddhist Sangha Council, which comprises 36 member countries and is headquartered in Taiwan.

The Most Venerable Thich Nhu Dien was also officially provided with a residence by the Esschach District government in southern Germany, where he established a Buddhist Centre on Rebholzstrasse. This centre caters to the spiritual needs of the local Vietnamese community while promoting Buddhist practice and education.

He has frequently been invited by international organisations to participate in religious events and seminars as a keynote and guest speaker. He also organised annual Dhamma propagation delegations that attracted thousands of participants travelling to the United States. These events received coverage on local television and in various newspapers.

During a visit to Santa Ana, he addressed the Buddhist community on innovative methods of Buddhist propagation in Germany at a press conference conducted by journalist Kiều Mỹ Duyên of SBTN, together with a reporter from the Viễn Đông newspaper.

In recognition of his outstanding monastic service, he has received numerous honorary awards, titles and distinctions. In 1988, he was elevated to an honorary supreme position during a festival at the Pháp Hoa Temple in Marseille, France, held to ordain children from Buddhist families. Later, on 28 June 2008, he was conferred the title of Maha Thera, a distinguished senior monastic rank, at a grand ceremony held at the Viên Giác Temple in Hanover, where he also presided over ordinations.

On 8 July 2011, he was awarded an honorary title by the Ramanna Sect in Sri Lanka in recognition of his significant contributions to the Buddhist community. The ceremony was held in the presence of the Prime Minister at the time.

On 10 May 2021, the Most Venerable Thich Tue Sy issued a circular announcing the formation of a congregation of unified Vietnamese Buddhists in Germany to further promote Buddhism. He appointed himself as Executive Adviser, with Venerable Thich Nhu Dien serving as Chief Secretary and Venerable Thích Nguyên Siêu as Deputy Secretary.

The German government honoured him with the First Class Order of Merit in the fields of religion, culture and education on 20 August 2021. He was officially informed by the Office of the President of Niedersachsen that he had been selected for the award, which was signed by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The formal invitation letter was issued on 14 September 2021.

On 25 August 2022, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania State Premier Manuela Schwesig visited the Vietnamese Buddhist Temple in Rostock to pay tribute to its contributions in social welfare and education. During the visit, the German President also participated in a commemorative ceremony honouring victims of conflicts and unrest that occurred three decades earlier.

On 27 November 2021, Venerable Thich Nhu Dien temporarily served as Chief Secretary of the Provisional Tripitaka Translation Council during the first Congress of the Dharma Propagation Council. He was subsequently elected President of the Central Translation Council of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, a position he continues to hold.

I wish him a long and healthy life so that he may continue his invaluable service for the benefit of Buddhism.