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SUNDAY BRUNCH: The eternal query

Published on Aug 7, 2005


Best-selling Buddhist author confronts the age-old questions of life while proving there is a market for this type of subject matter



Saran Maitreewech, known by his pen name, Dungtrin, has made a splash as an author who has taken Buddhist-based pocketbooks to best-seller lists and bookstores’ charts.

“Sia Dai – Khon Tai Mai Dai Arn” (“What a Pity – Dead People Can’t Read It”), one of his eight titles, has had 23 reprints for a total of more than 100,000 copies since it was launched last November. Not only is it easy to read, but it also tells the sort of story readers are searching for.

“Many people wonder about birth, living and life after death. They want to know why they were born like this, what would happen to them after they die and what they should do when they are alive,” said the 38-year-old.

He said the book is popular because it answers these questions and more, such as why some people are beautiful and others wealthy or smart.

“What I wrote is nothing new. Many people might think that there are no answers to these questions. Truth to tell, it’s all in the Buddha’s teachings, but no one had ever compiled these nuggets of wisdom in book form before I did,” he said.

Saran ascribes an individual’s traits and status to that person’s karma. If one wants a comfortable life, then one should be generous with donations and live honestly. Saran said that people who always do good things don’t have to wait until their next life to see the results. And by doing so, their minds will become pure, which in turn will make their bodies healthier.

“You can prove it by having yourself photographed before and after starting to live a morally unblemished life,” he said.

Saran said that “Sia Dai – Khon Tai Mai Dai Arn” was inspired by a friend who asked him to write a small book for a relative who was nearing his death. He said that the title attracted many young adults because it did not allude to any one religion. He does not aim at an exclusively Buddhist readership.

Saran has been seriously interested in Buddhism since he was 16 years old. At 20, he asked his parents to have him ordained in a temple. His first Buddhist-based writing began almost 15 years ago, when he wrote a short story in a religious magazine. Writing is his hobby. He has written articles about software programmes in computer magazines and a few software books. Saran received his bachelor’s degree in business computers from Assumption University and worked as a software programmer for a few

years before starting out as a Buddhist-based author.”

Understanding dhamma does not mean I don’t suffer from anything. I have an allergy, I’m sometimes worried that I can’t meet my publisher’s deadline, but I know how to cope with these situations,” he said.

Anyone interested in his books can visit www.dungtrin.com, which, with 10,000 hits a day, has proven as popular as his books. Teenagers have posted links to it on several Web boards.

A new edition of Saran’s book “Triam Sabiang Wai Liang Tua” (“Prepare a Supply for Yourself”) will be out this month. Some of his books have been translated into English.

“It doesn’t matter how many books I sell; what matters is the number of people who benefit from them,” he said.

Theeranuch Pusaksrikit




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