What the world needs today is unconditional love, which heals divides that are based on the color of our skin, the languages we speak, and the religions we profess. This pure, unconditional love may be found in the essence of all religions.
~ Sister Loh Pai Ling, President of the Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia
Muhammad Shamsuri bin Ghazali with his Malaysian compatriot Sister Loh Pai Ling
Remarks by Muhammad Shamsuri bin Ghazali, First Secretary of Religious Affairs, Malaysian Embassy, Jakarta
Greetings of prosperity. Greetings of peace. Praise and thanks be to God, and may peace be upon the Messenger of God.
To the honorable leadership of Nahdlatul Ulama, religious leaders from many nations, blessed ladies and gentlemen: it is a privilege to address you here today.
Malaysia is a Southeast Asian nation inhabited by 33.4 million people, which — compared to Indonesia’s 270 million inhabitants — is a very small number. I believe that Jakarta alone has a population equal to that of Malaysia. Nevertheless, praise be to God, Malaysia has long been populated by diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural communities.
According to Department of Statistics Malaysia, our population is 61.32 percent Muslim, 19.84 percent Buddhist, 9.24 percent Christian, 6.27 percent Hindu, and 1.26 percent Taoist, among other religious groups. As in Indonesia, tolerance of diversity is instilled in all age groups, nurtured by civic leaders, and practiced by young and old alike.
Praise be to God, the 31st of August 2023 will mark 66 years of Malaysian independence. Our enthusiasm for living together remains vigorous, and Malaysians cherish our harmonious coexistence. Nevertheless — as with all nations — the sky is not always bright, our hair is not always a lustrous black, and our hearts are not aways healthy.
It turns out that establishing religious harmony is fairly straightforward, but maintaining it is full of trials and tribulations.
This is why — just like Indonesia — Malaysia also has Pancasila, or five principles. In Indonesia these five principles are:
- [Belief in] the Divinity Who is the Great “One”;
- A just and civilized humanity;
- The unity of Indonesia;
- Society led by the wisdom that arises from deliberations among and between the people’s representatives; and
- Social justice for all the people of Indonesia.
In Malaysia, we also know that ensuring harmony within a nation that has many ethnicities, religions, and cultures requires shared principles, and so our state is also supported by five National Principles:
- Belief in God;
- Loyalty to king and country;
- The supremacy of the constitution;
- Rule of law; and
- Courtesy and morality.
Praise be to God, after 66 years of independence, our Kingdom has now introduced Madani Malaysia (“Civil Malaysia”) in order to strengthen the five National Principles and secure the endeavors of previous leaders, who ensured harmony in Malaysia’s national life.
It is our sincere hope that — through Madani Malaysia — we may continue to live in eternal peace and harmony with the other nations of ASEAN.
Blessed ladies and gentlemen, I was extremely impressed by President Joko Widodo and KH. Yahya Cholil Staquf’s remarks at the beginning of this conference.
The ASEAN Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Conference (ASEAN IIDC) is an extremely big idea, a hope that needs to be championed — especially by those of us here today — and translated into concrete action by governments, so that ASEAN may become an epicentrum of prosperity and peace.
Finally — in the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful — let us work together to maintain this precious ark of religious tolerance, and navigate it until we arrive at a world that is wide open and replete with opportunity.
Let us not allow anyone — be they individuals, organizations, or religious communities — to attempt to tear up or challenge the precious harmony that we have already achieved throughout ASEAN.
I believe that, God Willing, the ASEAN IIDC will prove to be a blessing: a forum that enables us to nourish and restore the spirit of religious tolerance throughout ASEAN.
God knows all things. May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.
Temple of Chinese sea goddess Tian Hou, Kuala Lumpur. Photo credit: Shesmax
Remarks by Sister Loh Pai Ling, President of the Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia
Delivered to the inaugural ASEAN Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Conference
Jakarta, 7 August 2023
Honorable dignitaries, organizers, venerable leaders of various religions, distinguished speakers, delegates and participants, ladies and gentlemen: I bring you greetings of peace from Malaysia.
It is indeed an honor to be here with my fellow Malaysian delegates, to represent our nation at this conference.
Firstly, I would like to convey an apology from my teacher, the Venerable Mahindra Mahathera, who is unable to be here in person due to last minute circumstances beyond our control. He is the senior-most spiritual advisor to the Buddhist Missionary Society in Malaysia, a leading Buddhist organization that was established 61 years ago. In lieu of his presence, I have written down and will share with you some of his thoughts regarding religious harmony, from the perspective of Buddhism.
Due to time constraints, I will not be able to share his thoughts in full. Therefore, please permit me to read aloud several excerpts that I feel may not only represent a meaningful contribution to the deliberations of this conference, but also provide better insight into the role of Buddhism in interreligious and intercultural dialogue, leading to the desired goals of establishing peace and harmony.
Religious and spiritual traditions have a key role to play in promoting global peace, harmony, and stability. What the world needs today is unconditional love, which heals divides that are based on the color of our skin, the languages we speak, and the religions we profess. This pure, unconditional love may be found in the essence of all religions.
From the Buddhist perspective, loving kindness helps generate acceptance of others and the good will required to transmute negative perceptions that we have towards other religions, due to past experiences. Loving kindness and mindfulness, as taught by the Buddha, are also effective means through which we may transform ourselves and help to transform others.
We are unable to control what is happening in the world at large, but we can train and cultivate our own minds to develop the strength, courage, and wisdom to face the challenges that exist today. These practices are not dependent on religious belief, but can be universally applied irrespective of a person’s faith and culture.
In this context, I would like to emphasize the importance of education. Education plays a vital role in developing individual behavioral patterns. Education has the power to divide and breed hatred. It also has the power to unite and inspire loving kindness. Only then will it be worthy of the original meaning of the Latin term educare: “to train, mold, lead out.” To lead young minds from darkness to light.
Ladies and gentlemen, the teachings of the Buddha aim at cultivating the mind to understand the true nature of our self and the world around us, by developing wisdom and compassion. As we attain greater understanding, wisdom, and compassion, we will naturally become more open and respectful towards other religions and spiritual traditions. Although the degree of openness will depend on our individual level of development, in general we can say that a Buddhist attitude towards other religions is one of respect and open mindedness.
As time is short, I would like to conclude here and thank you all — on behalf of the Venerable Mahindra Mahathera — for this opportunity to convey our thoughts on how to forge interreligious and intercultural peace and harmony.
Salam and terimakasih from Malaysia.
A tea plantation in the Cameron Highlands, Pahang