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Buddhist teachings mainly target to change people’s intension. It always tries to find the cause for any result. After finding the cause it teaches ways to destroy it, otherwise there is no success. Its teachings must be activating in body, speech and mind. Its main concept is to change and develop mental activities, for MIND is the first runner for all the things. After creating from mind, body and speech, then follow that target, for this it is very important to develop and change the mind. Lord Buddha explained about this in the first two stanzas in the Dhammapada:

“ Mano pubbangama dhamma, mano settha manomaya,
manasa ce padutthena, bhasati va karoti va,
tatonan dukkha manveti, cakkhan va vahato padan.”
Mind is the forerunner of (all evil) states, mind is chief; mind made are they. If one speaks or acts with wicked mind, because of that, suffering follows one, even as the wheel follows the hoof of the draught – ox.

“ Mano pubbangama dhamma, mano settha manomaya,
manasa ce pasannena, bhasati va karoti va,
tatonan sukha manveti, caya va anapayini.”
Mind is the forerunner of all (good) states, mind is the chief, mind made are: If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, HAPPINESS follows, just like one’s shadow that never leaves.

Before control or development of the mind, two things have to be controlled. Body and speech. If one fails to control these two items, then it is not easy to control the mind. Therefore before controlling the mind which is difficult, we have to control these items which are easier. If we can catch mind, clean, control, purify and develop, it, then we can solve many mankind problems.
After starting this Buddhist teaching in Africa, we find ourselves facing many difficulties. The people have lots of physical needs to fulfill before developing their mental status. Without fulfilling their basic needs, it is not easy to work with minds. There are therefore many challenges for those who try to promote Buddhist teachings in Africa.

Poverty – food and security before teaching dharma

This part is about level of poverty in Africa. There is detailed information I have given about Tanzania. It is the same to most African countries.
“The prevalence of income poverty is still high in Tanzania. According to the Household Budget Survey of 2000/01 the proportion of the population below the national food poverty line is 18.7 % and that below the national basic needs poverty line is 35.7 %. There is also a big disparity between urban and rural poverty for both food and basic needs. Poverty remains overwhelmingly in rural areas where 87 % of the poor population live, and is highest among households who depend on agriculture. Comparing these results with those of the Household Budget Survey of 1991/92 there has been a small decline in the proportion of the population below poverty lines. As the population is growing, the absolute number of the poor raises concern.”
“An area of policy concern is that of rising unemployment. However, the measurement of unemployment in Tanzania is not a simple one. There are limited economic opportunities in rural areas. This is reflected rather as underemployment than unemployment. Estimates show that unemployment stands at 2.3 million people (1.3 million women and 1.0 million men) equivalent to 12.9 percent of the labor forces (ILFS 2000/01). The employment to population ratio (the proportion of the target population that is employed) is 76 percent nationally. This ratio is lower in urban areas (58 percent) than in rural areas (81 percent). Unemployment is worse among the youth, including the educated youth. Employment opportunities for people with disabilities are limited, and for specific support for them in the work place is frequently lacking.
According to the Integrated Labor Force Survey (2001/02) the total labor force (age 15 years and above) has increased from 11.2 million in 1990/91 to 17.8 million in 2001. This implies that 650,000 new people have been entering the labor market every year.”
In most of African countries people are living with very poor conditions, no food, no place to sleep and no income. They just survive with lack of living conditions. They do not have the faintest idea where tomorrow’s food will come from. If it comes they will eat, otherwise, they will make do without. They will live in sorrow all the time, with no food and drinking water. No development of the mind but only thoughts of living without dying. Their minds are always concentrating on their materials needs of day to day life. People always concentrate on their lives and the mind lives with that. It is difficult to separate the two.
Here in Africa lots of people experience this poverty and can only think of survival of materialistic needs and not of mental development or concentration. They need shelter, food, water, clothing, money, medicine and etc.. If anybody offers these they will automatically follow the religion of the provides. So materialistic needs overtakes religion.
Buddhist missionaries no suppose to make any material support to their followers as their principle. Instead followers have to donate to the missionaries, thus people are not going to follow these missionaries who have only mental happiness to offer instead of their daily needs for survival.

Low Education and illiteracy

In this explanation I have given some statistics from Tanzania. This is because, I know many details information about this country. It is where I am residing since 1998. I think on this explanation any body can imagine about other parts on many African countries.
“ The pace of transition to secondary schools is low, despite the growth of private secondary schools. There are also large gender disparities in enrolment at secondary and tertiary levels. The vulnerability of girls to cultural belief and customs, early pregnancies and sexual abuse remain challenges to enrolment and completion of schooling. Illiteracy remains high. About 28.6 % of Tanzanians cannot read and write in any language. There is more illiteracy among women (36 %) than men (20.4 %).” Most of African countries still do not have enough free education system. From beginning up to graduate they have to pay their own expenses for study. Because of that most of the children do not go to school. And some of them study just only few years until their parents can longer afford to pay school fees. Whenever they fail to pay school fee that is the day of termination of his or her education. I understood such situation when I introduced and taught Buddhism in some schools and people in Botswana, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, South Africa and Kenya. I also found this information from different young male Africans who came to study at African Buddhist seminary in South Africa. I met others who are from Mozambique, Swaziland, Madagascar, Uganda and Congo. Many of them gave me the same information about such situations in their countries.This situation causes many unfortunate situations. Education is the way to upgrade ones’ life. Literacy guides one to maintain their life in a useful way. Educated ones know how to find money, a necessity in life. One of the reason for increase in orphans and HIV Aids every where, is lack of education. Due to lack of education the Buddhist teachings and philosophies are very difficult for them to understand. One of the reasons Buddhism is fast spreading in Westerns countries is that they are able to understand the concepts. This word has also been mentioned in the thesis of Dr M. Clasquin when he talked about Class, caste, race and Buddhism 6.1 as “ though Asian monks and lay people have provided encouragement and some material assistant, the growth of Theravada Buddhism in Britain has been instigated and fostered by mostly white, middle class and well educated people.” He further mentioned about South African situation “ The general pattern would appear to be the same: non – Asian South African Buddhists too are white, middle-class, and highly educated.”
If somebody has good education, it is very easy to understand this Buddhism. This is because it has very deep philosophical and psychological teachings.

Conceptions of God

The African community are very faithful in their belief in God and his creations. Should anything take place, it is always referred to as God’s willing and so it is very difficult for them to revert their beliefs that God is not the creation. Therefore it is quite a task to convince that Buddha a human being not a God, that things happen naturally not because God wanted it to happen.
If somebody teaches anything based on God, quickly they accept and follow. It is like their part of life. Always anything happened they think, it is the power of the God. In Buddhism we can not find creator God, no final judgment, no repentance or forgiveness for your evil actions, no eternal life and ultimate God. Everything depends on you and your actions. You are the judge, creator, and everything. According to your action will get the result.
Majority of the African communities already have strictly touched with this God conception. They are ready to devote their life in the name of Allah or Jesus Christ. If somebody talks or teaches something against their faith, it will be a beginning of a conflict among them. It is because those religions came to Africa long time ago. Buddhism is very new to them. Because of this God concept it is very difficult to convince and change people’s minds to believe that there is no God concept in Buddhism.
Even though some religious teachings came to Africa recently like Bahai, Hinduism and Sai baba, they are growing among Africans a bit faster than Buddhism. This is because they have this God conception. But Buddhism is growing very slow.

Material support from other religions

Basically there is no materialistic support from Buddhism. The monk and the monastery can give a lot of development in generosity and give talks on how to reduce sorrow. Like the Buddha who gave up all his materialistic pleasures to preach Buddhism, thus Temple and the monks can only preach to one. Like the Buddha has followers who followed him and believed in him, thus the monks practiced the same hoping to bring peace, love and harmony to the people.
Buddhism helps to purify and control the mind thus bringing along happiness. Because other religions give material support, which Buddhism does not, this is a challenge to the Buddhist monk. Thus the slow speed of preaching Buddhism in Africa.
Other religions donate food aid, building materials and money for their followers. They have also started many charity activities like building hospitals and schools. They propagate their religious concepts through these services. To continue these services main donations come from their head quarters all the time.
But there are no such activities on the Buddhist side in Africa. Only Nan hua Taiwanese temple in South Africa have little access with material support to communities. But still that challenge is there.

Difficult living conditions: i.e. illnesses, infrastructure, food accessibility

To attain success in life, one must be you have a good health. Sickness does not permit you an education or work. To develop Buddha’s way of life, it is very important to have a good health and a sound mind to enable you to succeed in life.
Especially in Africa there is a serious epidemic HIV/AIDS. Which is spreading rapidly and this prevents on going life. People are unable to think of life, family generation or self development and just await death. This again is another challenge to spread Buddhism.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the region of the world that is most affected by HIV/AIDS. An estimated 26.6 million people are living with HIV/AIDS and approximately 3.2 million new infections occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2003. In just the past year, the epidemic has claimed the lives of an estimated 2.3 million Africans. Ten million young people (aged 15-24) and almost 3 million children under 15 are living with HIV. An estimated eleven million children have been orphaned by AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The figures in the following table are, however, figures from at the end of 2001. A new updated figure for individual African countries will be published in July 2004 by UNAIDS.
These figures are estimates at the end of 2001, published by UNAIDS in the 'Report on the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic, July 2002'. These estimates include all people with HIV infection, whether or not they have developed symptoms of AIDS, alive at the end of 2001. For each of these countries, the 1999 prevalence rate published by UNAIDS was applied to the country's 2001 adult population to produce estimates given in the table. The estimates are given in rounded numbers. However, un rounded numbers were used in the calculation of rates and regional totals, so there may be minor discrepancies between the regional/global totals and the sum of country figures.
“From the most recent UNAIDS Statistics (UNAIDS, 2004) estimates for the period as at the end of 2003 on the HIV/AIDS Situation in Eastern Africa show that countries here experience prevalence rates above 2% with exception of Somalia where no data was available. Experts say that these prevalence rates become significant in as far as impact on the economies is concerned at this point. The lowest rates are reflected in the Sudan (2.3%), Eritrea (2.7%) and Uganda (4.1%), climbing to higher rates in the Democratic Republic of Congo (4.2%), Ethiopia (4.4%), Rwanda (5.1%), Burundi (6.0%), Kenya (6.7%), with the highest recorded rates being in Tanzania (8.8%). In some of the countries, the difference between UNAIDS estimates and official Government rates are big, but it suffices to note that in both cases, there is great need to respond firmly and strategically.
In the majority of the cases, HIV/AIDS is spread through heterosexual sex and to a certain extent (for infants) from parent to child. Numbers even give a more sobering picture with adult s living with HIV/AIDS (ages 15 to 49 years) ranging from 55,000 (in Burundi) to 1,500,000 (in Tanzania).
The Burden of orphans is still great with five of the ten countries having numbers above 600,000 (the lowest in this range being Kenya with 650,000 orphans as a result of HIV/AIDS and the highest is Tanzania with an estimate of 980,000 orphans).
It is essential to say that the epidemic exhibits diverse trends from country to country, with women and children most affected and urban areas worse hit than rural areas. Contextually, other factors such as poverty, conflict, gender, harmful traditional practices, stigma, shame, denial and discrimination as well as impact of the epidemic among young people are important.” “In recent times, the food security situation has been threatened by famine as a result of drought and floods. Survival tactics for some individuals may mean adopting risky behavior that may escalate the spread of HIV/AIDS. Harmful traditional practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) are still prominent in certain parts of the region, while at the same time there are examples of how FGM is being overcome in various parts of the region. This also applies to stigma, denial and discrimination that vary in magnitude and form from country to country. Stigma in this case also includes self-stigma. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) such as churches and mosques have been found to exert strong influence in the majority of the communities in the region, sometimes culprits in spreading attitudes and practices that would only worsen the spread and the impact of HIV/AIDS.”

Because of this epidemic they do not have a good family structure and good life. Then do not access to follow or practice good morality. They just survive. Children take to street, they do not have a family, and they do anything to find money to eat and sleep any where. These orphans increase day by day; this is another challenge of spreading Buddhism in Africa.

Loss of African culture and traditions

Human beings in Africa have a very long history. They had some good practices among them. recently new religions came to them like Islam and Christianity. With the coming in of different religions African lost a lot of their own customs and good behaviour. They lost valuable lifestyles and traditional cultural values. Previous to this, they cared for family life, family structure, sexual behaviors and a lot of ethics. After discussing with elders in the society and after finding out their activities in the past through books and other ways we can understand how they had developed their own practice and how they have got some benefits for their lives through those practices. Here below you can see how Rev. Peter E. Adotey Addo have seen it. He has explained on his research “The Loss Of African Traditional Religion In Contemporary Africa” as follows:
“The desecration of Africa in the past by the Western European powers seriously and adversely affected the traditional cultures of the indigenous African people to the extent that many traditional beliefs, social values, customs, and rituals were either totally destroyed or ignored. In most cases they were considered to be nothing more than pagan values and superstitions that played no part in traditional African culture. Culture after all is the way of life developed by people as they cope with survival. True culture then must include the traditional beliefs and spiritualism. The introduction of European Christianity and values separated the indigenous Africans from their traditional ancient spiritual roots as well as their traditional identity as a spiritual people.
Traditional African religion is centered on the existence of one Supreme High God. However, the Europeans who spread Christianity in Africa never understood or properly appreciated the African's own conception of the Great Creator. They saw no similarity between the God they preached and the African's own belief in the One Supreme God and creator who was, king, Omnipotent, Omniscient, the Great Judge, Compassionate, Holy and Invisible, Immortal and Transcendent.
In the private and public life of the African religious rites, beliefs, and rituals are considered an integral part of life. Life then is never complete unless it is seen always in its entirety. Religious beliefs are found in everyday life and no distinction is made between the sacred and the secular. The sacred and the secular are merged in the total persona of the individual African. Life is not divided into compartments or divisions. Thus there are no special times for worship, for everyday and every hour is worship time. There are no creeds written down because through the traditions of the Elders all creeds and functions are carried in the individual's heart. Each individual by his very nature and life style is a living creed from the time one rises until one retires at night. An understanding of the basic nature of the African religious tradition surely illuminates the meaning of spirituality in contemporary Africa.”
During my discussions with them it is accessible to realize that they feel that now most of them are devoid of all the good values of the past and have taken up a western attitude which has resulted in things like HIV – AIDS and other diseases. This again is another challenge in Buddhist teaching. Should they have remained with their cultural ethics it would have been feasible, like in Sri Lanka where it was easy to develop the traditional values even after Buddhism arrived in 247 BC. Once a society loses its traditional values, it is very difficult to implement new philosophies. It can do, but getting a long time. Because their mind and activities have changed to another way and generation to generation their old practice disappears. After foreign teachings (Christianity and Islam) come to Africa people started follow them with many reasons. Some one does it because they can get some material support from them. Some one by force. After practice those new teachings within 15- 20 generations, new generations completely do not have any signs about previous practice. They are completely new people with new practice. But those old practice has more good values within them. Those practices have gone. New conception running within them. It is not easy to come out from their new practices because they are more attached to them. If they had remained with their previous practices, it would be easy to connect to Buddhist practices as I mentioned about Sri Lanka.
“Christianity and Islam are clearly the two dominant faiths in Africa today, while the law of diminishing returns have befallen the indigenous religions. A vast majority of former members of the traditional religions have abandoned the ancestral rituals and symbols to embrace Christianity, or Islam or some religious systems. The statistics of the current religious affiliation in an African country like Nigeria provides an interesting example. Out of an estimated total population of about a hundred million, some forty-eight per cent (48%) or forty-seven million people are professing Christians. Some forty-seven (47%) or forty-five million are Muslims, and a little over six million or five per cent (5%) are traditional religionists (25).”
Here you can understand how fast these religions grew up within these communities. Only 5% remain as traditional practitioner. They can understand Buddhism faster than others because they still have some traditional values and practice.

Lack of Buddhist materials in local languages

In Africa different countries has different tribes and languages. English, French and Portuguese is not a main language for all African countries. Those with higher education can use fluent English, but others not. Most of the people who are educated now have high knowledge of the English language.
If really want to deliver the Buddha’s message to other local communities in Africa to be translate into local languages. There are not enough books with local African languages. there is a need to translate many books for free distribution which is again another challenge.

Lack of Dharma Teachers

Africa continent is very big area with very few temples and less than 50 Dharma teachers working there. It is not easy to find a monk or other dharma teachers to work in Africa due to lack of income and lots of disease. Most of the monks and others prefer to do their services in Western and European countries. We need many qualified teachers who know well about dharma to pass this message on, but unfortunately they never come to help this vast continent to develop the understanding of Buddhist way.
In Tanzania we have a temple with two monks for 33 million people. In Kenya there is a temple and one monk. Botswana has a temple but no monk. South Africa has few temples and few monks. Other few countries like I mentioned in the second chapter you can find some dharma centers and teachers, but it is not enough to pass the message we need many dharma teachers and we have to encourage local monks to deliver this message of Buddhism unless if we don’t have local monks it is will not grow fast.

No habit of giving (Dana)

Buddhists monk and temple always depend on devotees’ hand out to survive. Monk’s duty is to preach dharma to followers. Devotees have to offer needy things to the monks. Buddhist countries know the principles of the Monk and the Temple, but other communities do not understand that they are expected to give. Many a time people come to the Temple and the Monk asking donations and help, expecting like other worship places they would receive something. They expect the Monk and the Temple to make their lives better by giving them.
After comparing other Buddhist countries and African situation, still in Africa there is little practice of giving. They do not have enough things to donate to others. They are still struggling to keep their life. While they are suffering with lack of income and facilities it is not easy to help others by giving donations. They do not have that habit and facilities together. This is another challenge facing Buddhist missionaries in Africa. Therefore if any monk comes to do some service in Africa, after few months go away to another countries where he can survive without more suffering.

Easy access to drugs and alcohol

Drugs and alcohol are very dangerous things to one’s mind and body. The younger generation like to imitate elders and then get into the habit of using them. We should try and keep these harmful things away from youths and children. An easy accesses to these things take away all the good values in people and replaces them with bad habits. So, as much as possible every effort should be used to refrain people from using them.
In many developed countries there are restrictions on their availability and this assists in their usage. It is sad that when traveling in Africa, I noted that the stuff are easily available. This again is a challenge to preaching and teaching.
In Buddhism fifth precept in the five precepts is abstaining from intoxicants, drugs and alcohol. But if we go to teach it most of the people are not ready to follow our guide lines. Many times the whole do it together, thus there is neither fear nor discipline.

Families slaughter their own poultry and animals

In most of the African countries, they follow many different religious beliefs where they kill animals, for food and think nothing about it. Most of the people have their own animals at home, which are to be slaughtered for food, with no thought of the bad results of killing.
Some Buddhist countries also eat meat. But they are not killing animals. They are very afraid of killing. It is not the main foods for them. Very rarely they have it. Some countries like Tibet have mixed their cultural activities to practice Buddhism. That is why those countries some time eat meat. But, there and here situation is different. Most Africans have no idea like killing animals is an evil. They think animals for food. But Buddhist conception is different. Buddhists have similar respect for all beings. Destroying any being is bad and evil thing.
To change this conception to kind heart and develop similarity among all beings will take a very long time which again is a challenge to give this Buddhist message to the people in Africa.

Economically tied to animal slaughter

Some countries already tied their life and economy system with animal slaughter. They can not go away from that system or they can not change that habit. It is tied with their personal life as well as government income. One example of this is Botswana. That country is supplying number one cow meat to European market. They have a big factory complex for slaughtering and exporting more or less 1000 cows daily.
“A slaughterhouse, opened at Lobatse in 1954, helped to modernize Botswana’s livestock industry. In 2000 the number of cattle was 2.4 million; goats, 1.8 million; and sheep, 250,000.”
This is one of the government main incomes. How can we change this situation? It is not easy to do so. According to Buddhist teachings we have to abstain from five main things. Abstain from killing, abstain from stealing, abstain from lying, abstain from sexual misconduct and abstain from liquor. These five precepts is the foundation of Buddhist community. Without followers and practitioners with these five precepts there is no Buddhist way. If we want to start a Buddhist community first they have to understand the five precepts well and practice them then they can get the good result from Buddha’s teaching. Without they never get good result from that teaching.
Although the first precept is abstain from killing. In these countries it is impossible to implement this and thus the challenge of trying to spread Buddhism in Africa.