Mao Chi Channa Designs Temple-Website to Promote Buddhism

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA

One of The University of Cambodia’s scholarship students, Mao Chi Channa, 27, has provided an interview with The Southeast Asia Weekly on September 24, in which he describe his endeavors to spread knowledge about Buddhism trough internet.

Mao Chi Channa was born in 1983 in Kampong Tayorng village, Puok district, Siem Reap Province. He is the oldest in the family and he has two brothers and two sisters. His father’s name is Mao Chhan and he is a farmer, his mother is named Bun Theavy and is a housewife. They are all living in Siem Reap province.

Currently, Chi Channa is a Buddhist monk at Unnalom pagoda in Phnom Penh. He now is also in the fourth year of Information Technology (IT) at The University of Cambodia (UC) in Phnom Penh. He got a direct scholarship from the University of Cambodia via the UC’s President Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Phnom Penh in 2005.

“I am most grateful to Excellency Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, President of The University of Cambodia for giving me a 100 percent scholarship to attend the college of Sciences and Technology with UC,” he told The Southeast Asia Weekly. “I never thought that I have a chance to study at a high level university like this. I wish the UC all the success in its pursuit of knowledge and wisdom and building the tomorrow's leaders,” he said.

Chi Channa said he had known UC since 2004 when he was invited by UC’s staff to pray at the New Year Celebration during the Khmer New Year at the UC. Because of the good heart of Excellency Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Chi Channa and six other Buddhist monks were allowed to study with UC free of charge.

He had begun to study FasTrax English Courses with the Center for English Studies in The University of Cambodia (UC) in early 2005, he started Information and Technology (IT) with UC at the end of 2005. He chooses IT as his major because he loves it and aspirers to become a future IT designer. “When I was 16 years old, and in mu first year of monkhood, an older monk gave me a keyboard. I loved it, and I practiced every day so I could type. In 1999 I moved to Siem Reap province to continue my study at Wat Rajabo Buddhist high school. I spent all my spare time studying computer skills. When I just learned how to browse the internet I tried to find website about Khmer Buddhism. But despite there being many websites dedicated to other religions, I could not find any about Khmer Buddhism,” Chi Channa said.

“I choose to study IT because I want to promote the Buddha’s teaching trough the World Wide Web. Also if I ever decide to stop being a monk I will have to have some skills that will allow me to provide for myself. When I stay a monk I will try my hardest to spread information about Khmer Buddhism trough new technologies. I would love to be a teacher at a Buddhist high school our university, so I can spread Buddha’s teachings all over the world,” he added.

Chi Channa is currently completing his Bachelor Degree at University of Cambodia in college of Sciencs and Technology in field of Information System (IS) and he is also completing his study at the Royal School of Administration (ERA). He will be receiving his Bachelor Degree in IT from UC in the end of this year.
“I am happy now, because my dream became true and I am able to promote Khmer Buddhism. In the future I want to teach so I can help others accomplish their dreams. By teaching Information Technology I believe that I can help Cambodia’s development,” he concluded.






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