Good Question, Good Answer

Introduction

First written in 1987 and now translated into over 14 languages, Good Question, Good Answer provides clear, thoughtful and lively answers to more than 130 commonly asked questions about Buddhism.

As Ven. S. Dhammika receives more questions, they may be added to this version of Good Question, Good Answer and thus it may differ somewhat from the printed version.

About the Author

Shravasti Dhammika was born in Australia in 1951 into a Christian family and converted to Buddhism at the age of eighteen. In 1973 he went to Thailand with the intention of becoming a monk but unimpressed by what he saw in monasteries there, he travelled on to Laos, Burma and India. For the next three years he traveled around India learning yoga and meditation and finally ordaining as a monk under Venerable Matiwella Sangharatna, the last disciple of Anagarika Dharmapala.

In 1976 he went to Sri Lanka where he studied Pali at Sri Lanka Vidyalaya and later became one of the co-founders and teacher at the Nilambe Meditation Centre in Kandy. Since then he has spent most of his time in Sri Lanka and Singapore. Bhante Dhammika, as he is known to his students and friends, has written over twenty five books and scores of articles on Buddhism and related subjects. He is also well-known for his public talks and represented Theravada Buddhism at the European Buddhist Millennium Conference in Berlin in 2000.

Apart from Buddhist philosophy and meditation Bhante Dhammika has a deep interest in the historical topography of Buddhism and the phenomenon of pilgrimage and has traveled widely in India and other Buddhist lands. His other interests include Indian history, art and botany.