After arriving in Malaya, now part of Malaysia, in 1952, Dhammananda established himself as the foremost Theravada Buddhist monk in Malaysia and Singapore.
Setelah kembali ke Malaysia—yang kemudian dikenal sebagai Malaya—pada 1952, Dhammananda membangun dirinya sebagai biksu Buddha Theravada paling terkenal di Malaysia dan Singapura.