Buddhism is spreading worldwide through a clear understanding among followers. People are not converted or forced to follow it. They follow it after understanding. If one follows and practices it, one can eliminate suffering and attain full liberation. The Buddha also followed and practised the same way and attained enlightenment about 2550 years ago.
At that time, there was only one Buddhist: the Buddha himself. But afterwards, he preached his understanding to the five laymen. Then it spread to many places in India. Under the principle of spreading the Dhamma without violence (Dhammawijaya), followed by Emperor Dhammasoka, many messengers were sent to nine countries in the world. One of them, named Arahath Maha Mahinda Thero, the son of the Emperor Dhammasok, was sent to Sri Lanka in 247AD.
After Buddhism was established in Sri Lanka in the 19th century, it started spreading to Europe, America, Australia and etc. Some monks from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Tibet and Thailand contributed their part in spreading the Dhamma in these continents.
In the 19th century, in Africa, especially in Tanzania, Sri Lankan people established a Buddhist temple after they came to work in Dar es Salaam around 1920. This is the oldest Buddhist temple in Africa. There were about 400-450 people. The first Buddhist person to come to Tanzania was Mr H. G.Gunapala with Ven. Lokanatha Thero in 1920. He is the person who established this temple in Tanzania.
They worked together and formed the “Singhalese Buddhist Association” and then bought a piece of land from the government of Tanzania. Then brought a seedling of the Bodhi tree (this was the tree under which the Buddha attained full enlightenment) from Sri Lanka and planted it in 1920. It has grown up now, covering about a quarter acre. The Buddhist Association hall was built in 1927. In those days, Tanzania was still under the British protectorate. The association was then registered as a society in 1945.
Not only the Sri Lankan Buddhists who supported the building and maintenance of the Association hall, but also the Sri Lankan Muslims, Christians, and Hindus who worked in Tanganyika at that time gave their support.
In the past, the association was called the “Sinhalese Buddhist Association”. But it did not include the Thai, Burmese, Chinese, African and other Buddhists, hence it was then changed and named as “Buddhist Association” so that all Buddhists and others could come and practice together. This happened on 09th July 1968. Since then, it has been open to the public to come and do their practice. Even former president Mwalimu Julius K Nyerere also offered Dana (food) for monks in the temple.
There were no Buddhist monks in Tanzania or in Zanzibar until the early 1960s. In 1962, Venerable Palane Narada Thero was the first Buddhist monk to go to Zanzibar for a short visit. In fact, he was the first Buddhist monk to come to Africa. From Zanzibar, he then visited this temple as well. After the Zanzibar Revolution in 1964, all the Buddhists in Zanzibar moved to the mainland (Tanzania). Since the establishment of this temple, there has been no resident monk until 1983
