Thursday, March 17, 2022

First white Buddhist monk was IRISH (video)

Dhr. Seven, Pat Mac' (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; TheDharmaBum.eu, Dana.IO/thedharmabum


I think I'll be a Buddhist monk
The Dharma Bum is a feature-length, partially animated documentary film telling the tantalizing true story of Dubliner Laurence Carroll.
Carroll was born in Dublin in 1856 and spent his early life as an alcoholic hobo drifter bumming his way across the USA.
 
I'm glad I became a Burmese Buddhist monk.
This un-Catholic, un-Christian atheist activist worked the shipping route from San Francisco to Japan.

Then he found himself on the beach, hungover and homeless, after being kicked off the vessel for drunk and disorderly conduct.
 
He eventually made his way to Theravada Buddhist Burma, where he was helped by local Buddhist monks.

After five years as an apprentice, he became the first white man to ever don the saffron robes of a Buddhist monk.


Ven. U Dhammaloka: First Westerner to be ordained as a Buddhist monk
(Belfast Buddhist, 4/1/16) Venerable Dhammaloka was ordained in Theravada Buddhist Burma (Myanmar) prior to 1900, making him one of the very earliest attested Western Buddhist monks. He was a celebrity preacher, vigorous polemicist, free thinker, and prolific editor in Burma and Singapore between 1900 and his conviction for sedition and appeal in 1910–1911. Drawing on Western atheist writings, he publicly challenged the role of imperial Christian missionaries and by implication the British Empire. His Irish name was Laurence Carroll or Larry O'Rourke or Willam Colvin from Cork and Munster.

UK-occupied Northern Ireland
They gave him the new Buddhist name U Dhammaloka.* And that is just the beginning of the story!
  • [*In Burmese U (pronounced "oo") signifies "sir," Dhamma is the Pali spelling of "Dharma," loka means "world," and aloka means "light" or "bright whiteness" -- so maybe his name signifies or with a long a suggests "Light or White Dharma."]
U Dhammaloka was erased from history. His existence lay dormant for over 100 years. Why? The reasons are explored in the film.

Teach those Brits not to mess with the Celts
This man caused quite a stir in his life, as he singlehandedly took on the might of the Christian British Empire in colonial Burma.
In the film we discover why he was under constant police surveillance and ultimately faked his own death as he transformed himself from an alcoholic bum to the original Dharma Bum. More
COMMENT to the comments section: Sunny, what ChatGPT AI wrote this comment? Human don't speak this way. But have you heard of any Nepali Buddhas for sale in the Netherlands? When in Amsterdam, we like to visit nepal-tibet-buddhas.com.

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1 comment:

  1. SunnyMarch 25, 2024 at 4:55 AM

    Your blog post about "The Dharma Bum" documentary featuring Laurence Carroll, also known as Ven. U Dhammaloka, is truly captivating. It's remarkable how his life journey took him from being an alcoholic hobo drifting across the USA to becoming the first Westerner ordained as a Buddhist monk in Theravada Buddhist Burma.

    The parallels drawn with Lewis Carroll are intriguing, highlighting the Irish connection between Laurence Carroll and the famous author of "Alice in Wonderland," whose real name was Charles Dodgson. However, Laurence Carroll's path diverged dramatically, leading him to embrace a completely different lifestyle and spiritual journey.

    His transformation from a troubled individual struggling with alcoholism to a respected Buddhist monk is nothing short of inspiring. It's fascinating to learn about his activism against the British Empire and Christian missionaries in colonial Burma, shedding light on a lesser-known aspect of history.

    The fact that his existence was largely erased from history for over a century adds another layer of intrigue to his story. It's commendable that "The Dharma Bum" documentary aims to resurrect his legacy and explore the reasons behind his obscurity.

    Thank you for sharing this intriguing glimpse into the life of Ven. U Dhammaloka and the forthcoming documentary. It's a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of faith and activism. I look forward to learning more about his remarkable journey through the lens of this documentary.

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