Laurence Carroll (1856-1884)
He was born in Dublin, Ireland.
He would work as a migrant worker throughout the Atlantic Ocean, including the United States. Dhammaloka eventually found his way to Burma, which was part of British India.
He studied Buddhism and was ordained as a monk in Rangoon.
U Dhammaloka (1884-1914)
When being introduced into Buddhism, he was given the name U Dhammaloka. Dhamma being the Pali word for \”teachings of the Buddha,\” and loka being the Pali word for \”world.\” This is important, since Pali is the liturgical language of Buddhism.
He spent time as a monk preaching against colonialism, founding a multiethnic school in Singapore, and a bilinugla school in Bangkok.
Dhammaloka was charged with sedition by the British government.
Sources
Fontoi
- လောက. Wiktionary.
- Dhammaloka Project.
- Dhamma. Wiktionary.
- Stargardt, Janice. Tracing Thoughts Through Things: The Oldest Pali Texts and the Early Buddhist Archaeology of India and Burma., Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2000, page 25.