The founder abbot of the Vihara is Venerable Dhammavuddho Thero, a Malaysian of Chinese descent. As a layman he graduated from the University Malaya in 1971, and worked as an Electrical Engineer with the Public Works Department for 12 years before renouncing the home life. His interest in religion led him to study the world's major religions for a few years before meeting the Buddha's teachings in 1976.
In 1983, he went forth into the homeless life in the Mahayana tradition. Three years later, he was reordained in the Theravada tradition in Thailand. Thereafter, he spent about 10 years living the solitary lifestyle in quiet places.
He has written numerous booklets on Buddhism, e.g. Return to the Original Buddha's Teachings, Message of the Buddha, Buddhist Monk's Precepts, Liberation: Relevance of Sutta-Vinaya, and Only We Can Help Ourselves.
In 1998, through donations collected by his supporters, a 15-acre piece of land outside Temoh, in Perak, was purchased to establish the Vihara Buddha Gotama.
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