What if I told you that there are Ugandan Buddhists and the first person to bring the faith here was actually a Ugandan? Amazing, right? A colleague was once talking about writing a story of things you don’t expect to find in Uganda and the Buddhists came up.
When I found out that there is actually a Buddhist temple in the country, I made it a point to visit the place; not even the heavy downpour that Sunday could make me change my mind, and it was worth the journey. About 38km away from Kampala, the Uganda Buddhist temple is found in Bulega, Garuga and it has been there since 2005.
Due to the heavy rains that morning, I reached when the Sunday service had ended, which would have been another experience of its own. I was led to the waiting area as I waited for the resident monk who was still having lunch. At the temple they have lunch at 11 am, which is quite unusual for us used to 1 pm or later.
At around 12:30 pm, the monk came and we went to the temple where we had a deep dive into the Buddhist faith.
SPOILER ALERT!
Buddha is not considered a god as many of us thought.
ORIGIN OF THE BUDDHIST FAITH
The history of Buddhism dates back 2,568 years, to India. According to Bhante Pandicca, a resident monk at the Uganda Buddhist Centre, a rich prince who was called Siddhartha Gautama is the founder of the Buddhist faith, after he embarked on a spiritual quest that led him into a forest where he meditated for six years.
This was after the prince had faced sickness, old age and death for the first time. Pandicca explained that initially, the prince did not know that he could die because he was exceedingly rich, but after he saw a dead body for the first time, Gautama felt so sad and emotional and realized that wealth did not guarantee happiness.
He set out to find “Dhamma” which means truth about the nature of existence. After six years of solitude and meditation through exploring different teachings and literature, Gautama obtained Buddhahood, which means to be awakened. He then dedicated the rest of his life to teaching the Dhamma he had experienced.
Pandicca told The Observer that Buddha is not a god but, rather, a human being who only achieved enlightenment and had a duty to guide others on the same path.
“He offered guidance on how individuals could achieve enlightenment through their own efforts” he said.
This was through observing the five major principles of Buddhism that include not killing a living thing even if it’s as small as a mosquito, not stealing, not indulging in any sexual misconduct, not telling lies and not using intoxicating drugs and alcohol.
“Buddha believed that human suffering is caused by our own actions or the actions of the neighbour; so, if all these principles were followed, humanity would attain peace and happiness,” said Pandicca.
Buddhism does not subscribe to the notion of a supreme creator. Instead, it focuses on individual enlightenment and self-reliance.
“Buddhism is based on self-dependence and understanding the true nature of existence,” Pandicca said.
He said Buddha, after attaining enlightenment, taught others the path to liberation from the cycle of life, death and rebirth (samsara). Through doing good deeds, one is freed from the cycle of samsara. After Buddha’s death, no one took over.
“We have teachers and monks, but there is no hierarchical structure like to the papacy in Catholicism or the imamate in Islam,” he said.
Buddhism has branches or sects of the Mahayana, Theravada and Vajrayana Buddhism. These three hardly have any difference except their lifestyles. Pandicca explained that while Mahayana practitioners may wear diverse clothes and even ride motorcycles, Theravada adherents maintain a simpler lifestyle, abstaining from such activities.
“For us, we don’t wear fancy clothes or ride motorbikes,” he said.
BUDDHISM IN UGANDA
Although Buddhism has existed in Africa since 1925, it only came to Uganda in 2005 through Steven Jemba Kaboggoza, who later took on the name Bhante Buddharakkhita after becoming a monk. Kaboggoza first encountered Buddhism while studying for a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Punjab in India in 1990.
It was during that time that he came across Thai Buddhist monks, who inspired him with their simple lifestyle, calmness, and spiritual demeanor. Pandicca explains that Kaboggoza started learning meditation, visiting Buddhist temples in India, and traveling to countries like Thailand, Tibet and Nepal for a deeper experience.
Kabogozza later moved to the United States and worked at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts before deciding to become a Buddhist monk. He was first ordained in 2001 as Buddharakkhita in California, and then his second full ordination came in 2002.
After he became a full Buddhist monk and attaining a new name, Kabogozza returned to Uganda in 2005 and acquired two acres of land in Bulega, Garuga where the first and only Buddhist temple in Uganda was constructed.
HOLY DAYS AND PRACTICES
Buddhists have special days they honour. Pandicca explained that the dates on which they are celebrated varies, depending on country and season. He said there is Vesak day, which is celebrated around May (on a full moon day) to commemorate Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death.
Kathina day falls after a three-month period of fasting and meditation for the monks and nuns. This festival involves offering new robes and other necessities to monks and nuns by the lay devotees. Buddhists also don’t have a single holy book; instead, they have a vast collection of Buddhist literature.
“These texts encompass the teachings of Buddha and are studied and revered by practitioners worldwide,” he said.
And much as the laymen in Buddhism are free to marry, those who have chosen to serve a monastic life – monks and nuns – practice celibacy.
BUDDHIST NUNNERY AND MONASTERY
When approaching the Uganda Buddhist Centre, I saw young girls clad in pink robes, whom I later found out were Buddhist nuns. Pandicca said the Buddhist centre has a nunnery dedicated to training and spiritual development of girls and women who aspire to follow the Buddhist path as nuns.
“We even have girls as young as seven years who decide to become nuns, whom we put under the guardianship of an adult until they become full nuns,” he said.
The nunnery was named after the mother of Bhante Buddharakkhita, the founder of Uganda Buddhist centre; she become the first African Buddhist to become a nun and took on the name Venerable Dhammakami after getting ordained in 2008.
The centre also has a monastery called Buddharama Buddhist Monastery, where they train novice monks also known as the Samaneras, and senior monks known as Bhikkhus.
“There are currently 19 novice monks at Buddharama Monastery. These young monks are in the early stages of their monastic journey, receiving training in the fundamentals of Buddhist practice, meditation, and the monastic code of conduct,” he said.
LASTING IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY
Since its establishment in 2005, the Uganda Buddhist Centre has initiated various projects that have impacted communities. Christopher Zziwa, who is in charge of media and content development at the Uganda Buddhist Centre, said they have drilled over 30 boreholes across the country.
Economically, the centre has empowered women and youths in surrounding communities, and through its Buddha Medical Centre, they have provided affordable access to medical care to the community. Furthermore, they established the Buddhist Peace School (BPS) to provide affordable primary education to the residents of Bulega Garuga and the surrounding areas.
“The centre believes that sustainable change can only be possible through educating the society”, Zziwa said.
The school’s approach to education is by training the heart, head and hands, and promoting health and happiness through its integrative curriculum that combines the Uganda national curriculum, Buddhist education system as well as the African education philosophy of Ubuntu.
WHAT BELIEVERS SAY
Muditha Nakiganda, a Buddhist for four years and a nun for one, said she always saw the temple but was never interested due to the negative stories said about the place; not until she chose one time to come and see for herself what happens.
“I was a Roman Catholic before but after visiting, I instantly loved the faith due to the teaching about humility, kindness, compassion and meditation. I have never looked back,” she said.
Asked about her family’s reaction, Nakiganda said they had no problem, since she was an adult. Nassif Ssegujja, a teacher at the Buddhist Peace School, said he came to know about Buddhism when he was offered a job at the school and has now been a follower for two years. He said Buddhism does not require one to change their religion; so, he is a Muslim and a Buddhism follower.
“One thing I loved about Buddhism is that there are no conditions to become a believer like you see some religions saying you have to be circumcised…” he said.
Ssegujja said the only challenge is that the community has not yet fully understood the faith; so, they usually call it a cult and other names and people who believe in it are sometimes castigated.
“My fellow teachers were born-again Christians, but after coming here, their churches shunned them and they were discouraged to go back,” he said.
Damali Bakanase is another local Buddhist believer and has been a nun for a year. She said she came to know about the faith through her sister who used to work at the centre.
“My sister was working here. We used to come together for prayers and I ended up loving the teachings,” she said.
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