Acknowledgement & Our Gratitude
The story behind our Digital Chanting Book
The Khmer Buddhist Chanting Book presented on the Wat Buddharangsi Melbourne website is based upon the work of Mr. Yi In (លោក អ៊ិន យី), one of the respected elders of our community and the compiler of the original book.
This acknowledgement is offered not only to recognise Mr. Yi In’s work, but also to remember the monks, elders, family members and Buddhist devotees whose knowledge, faith, generosity and service helped make the original book possible.
Their story is closely connected with the story of Wat Buddharangsi itself.
“សិស្សតាខ្មៅ” — A Lifelong Student
At the conclusion of his introduction, Mr. Yi In signed his work:
សិស្សតាខ្មៅ (អ៊ិន យី)
For those unfamiliar with this expression, “តាខ្មៅ” should not simply be understood as the name of another person.
It reflects Mr. Yi In’s humble way of describing himself as a lifelong student — someone who continued to learn through the many books, Buddhist texts and pages of black writing that he spent countless hours reading and studying.
The expression speaks to something important about him. Despite the knowledge he had acquired and everything he contributed to the community, he continued to see himself simply as a student — someone who was always learning.
An Elder of Our Community
Mr. Yi In’s contribution to our community extended far beyond the compilation of this chanting book.
He was one of the elders who devoted considerable time, energy and effort to bringing the Khmer community together and helping establish the temple that would become Wat Buddharangsi.
Even the name of our temple carries part of his contribution.
When members of the committee gathered to choose a name for the new temple, Mr. Yi In proposed the name “Wat Buddharangsi.” The committee agreed with his nomination, and that became the name of the temple we know today.
For this reason, whenever we say Wat Buddharangsi, we are also carrying forward part of the vision of those early elders and community members who worked together to establish a spiritual home for Khmer Buddhists in Australia — a place to practise the Buddha’s teachings, preserve Khmer traditions and culture, and remain connected as a community.
The Making of the Chanting Book
In the introduction to his original book, dated 20 May 2001 in Greenvale, Mr. Yi In explained the motivation behind his work.
His inspiration came in part from studying Buddhist teachings concerning the ten bases of meritorious action, as well as teachings of the Buddha. He also had a practical and compassionate purpose: he wanted those who did not yet know the traditional prayers and chants to be able to learn them from a book.
With this motivation, he patiently collected, copied and compiled the material into a small book entitled:
«នមស្ការព្រះរតនត្រៃ-ប្រែ»
Mr. Yi In carefully acknowledged that the teachings in his book were drawn from earlier Buddhist sources. These included ភាណវារ, គិហិបដិបត្តិ, ប្រជុំពិធីបុណ្យរបស់ឧត្តមប្រីជា ចាប-ពិន, and ធម៌ថ្វាយបង្គំព្រះប្រែ របស់ភិក្ខុ មាស-គឹមអេង.
In doing so, he recognised that the teachings he was preserving belonged to a much longer tradition of Buddhist learning and transmission.
Those Who Helped Shape the Book
Mr. Yi In did not present the chanting book as his work alone.
In his original acknowledgement, he expressed his sincere gratitude to លោកព្រះគ្រូមហា ឃុន ប៊ី, a respected elder teacher, and លោកគ្រូអាចារ្យ ហឿង-ហុង គៀន, who assisted him in reviewing and checking the material.
Their contribution helped ensure that the teachings being collected and presented could be passed on with care and respect.
Mr. Yi In also gave special thanks to his second son, អ៊ិន ហេមារិន្ទ, who devoted his time to typing the Buddhist teachings into a computer.
Today, typing and publishing Khmer text digitally may seem ordinary. In 2001, however, preparing a substantial body of Khmer-language material on a computer required considerably more time and effort. His assistance therefore formed an important part of turning the collected material into a book that could be printed and shared.
A Gift of Dhamma
At the end of the original book, Mr. Yi In recorded the names of the Buddhist devotees who contributed funds towards its printing so that copies could be distributed freely as ធម្មទាន — a gift of Dhamma.
We reproduce those names here with deep gratitude and respect.
They are more than names on a list.
Behind these names were people and families who helped build and sustain a Khmer Buddhist community far from the homeland of their birth and heritage.
Their contributions helped place Buddhist teachings into the hands of others. More broadly, their faith, generosity, voluntary work and community spirit formed part of the heart and soul of Wat Buddharangsi.
By recording their names here, we hope that future generations will know something of the people whose quiet acts of generosity helped create the community they inherit.
Contributors to the Original Printing
- លោក អ៊ិន យី (សិស្សតាខ្មៅ) និងអ្នកស្រី ចឹង ហែម — $250
- លោក ឃុន ប៊ី និងអ្នកស្រី ចែត ម៉ៅ — $100
- លោកអាចារ្យ ឡើងហុងគាន និងអ្នកស្រី យួន សាត — $100
- លោក គង់ ផុន និងអ្នកស្រី សាង សាវ៉ាត — $150
- លោក ចាំ ហូ និងអ្នកស្រី ឈិន រាប — $100
- លោក វ៉ាន់ ឯម និងអ្នកស្រី ជុំ វឿន — $100
- អ្នកស្រី ជាផល្លា អាឡិន — $100
- លោក សំរិទ្ធិ សុទ្ធី និងអ្នកស្រី ចន្ទ ភី — $100
- លោក ជីម អឿន និងអ្នកស្រី អ៊ិត ម៉ម — $100
- លោក មៀច អឿន និងអ្នកស្រី ឈឹម រឿម — $100
- លោក ឆេង ចន្ទធាកា និងអ្នកស្រី ឆាយ ព្រីម — $100
- លោកយាយ យក់ កេង — $100
- លោក កុយ ធូរ និងអ្នកស្រី សាំង សារឿន — $100
- លោក ងួន សារិន និងអ្នកស្រី បួនវាសនា — $100
- លោក កែវ សុខន និងអ្នកស្រី ទូច ស្រុង — $100
- លោក នីម កុសល និងអ្នកស្រី យ័ន សុហន — $100
- លោក អន សារ៉ាត់ និងអ្នកស្រី តី សាវឿន — $100
- លោក ឡុង បៀន និងអ្នកស្រី សាំង សារុំ — $100
- លោក អ៊ឹង គឹមវែង និងអ្នកស្រី អ៊ឹង សុងហេង — $100
- លោក ឡាវ អេងស៊ុន និងអ្នកស្រី ឡាវ គិមអេង — $100
- លោក យ៉ុង គិមសាន និងអ្នកស្រី យ៉ុង មាលី — $50
- លោក រស សាវឿន និងអ្នកស្រី ឈឺន សាវិញ — $100
- លោក អ៊ិន ឆវីរក្ស និងអ្នកស្រី ទឹង ម៉ូនីកា — $100
- លោក អ៊ិន ហេមារិន្ទ និងអ្នកស្រី យី សុខហៀង — $100
- លោក ហួត អាង និងអ្នកស្រី រ៉យ សាមឿន — $100
- លោកតា កុយ ទី និងលោកយាយ ង៉ែត វ៉ាន់ — $50
- លោក អ៊ិត មាន និងអ្នកស្រី គឺ សរណាត — $200
To every person and family recorded above, we offer our sincere gratitude.
Their generosity helped ensure that the original book could be printed and freely shared as a gift of Dhamma.
From a Printed Book to a Digital Legacy
More than twenty-five years after the original book was compiled, the way we read, learn and share information has changed dramatically.
The purpose, however, remains remarkably similar.
In 2001, Mr. Yi In wanted to make these teachings accessible to people who wished to learn them. The community then came together to help turn that intention into a printed book that could be given freely to others.
Today, through the Wat Buddharangsi Digital Chanting Book, we hope to carry that same intention into another generation.
The printed page has become a digital page, but the spirit of ធម្មទាន continues.
This digital edition therefore belongs to a much longer story.
It begins with the Buddha’s teachings and the generations of monks, teachers and devotees who preserved them.
It continues through the Buddhist sources from which these chants were collected; through លោក អ៊ិន យី, who patiently brought the material together; through លោកព្រះគ្រូមហា ឃុន ប៊ី and លោកគ្រូអាចារ្យ ឡើង-ហុង គៀន, who helped review and check the work; through អ៊ិន ហេមារិន្ទ, who helped prepare the text on computer; and through every person and family whose generosity made the original printing and free distribution possible.
And now that story continues through this digital edition.
Remembering Those Who Came Before Us
The names recorded on this page are not simply a record of donations made many years ago.
They form part of the history of Wat Buddharangsi and of the Khmer Buddhist community in Australia.
Some helped through knowledge. Some through leadership. Some through their labour. Some through financial contributions. Many helped in more ways than could ever be recorded in a book.
Together, they helped create a temple and a community that future generations would inherit.
Wat Buddharangsi Melbourne gratefully acknowledges លោក អ៊ិន យី and his family, លោកព្រះគ្រូមហា ឃុន ប៊ី, លោកគ្រូអាចារ្យ ឡើង-ហុង គៀន, the monks and teachers who preserved the teachings, the contributors who supported the original printing, and all the elders, families and members of the community whose faith, generosity and service helped make this work — and our community — possible.
By preserving this chanting book digitally, we hope that what they gave so generously will not be forgotten, and that their gift will continue to serve our children, grandchildren and generations yet to come.
ចិរំ តិដ្ឋតុ ពុទ្ធសាសន៍
May the Buddha’s teachings endure and flourish for a long time.
With gratitude to those who came before us, and with the hope that their gift of Dhamma will continue for generations to come.