
首先要衷心感恩諸山長老大德法師蒞臨应供,并为大众开示祈福。马来西亚佛教发展基金会与马佛青总会每一年所举办的“供佛斋僧大会”其目的是奉行佛陀遗教,护持出家僧众,让清净和合的出家僧团安心办道,延续佛陀的法身慧命。
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all distinguished Venerables for their attendance to the Dana ceremony and their preaches to the devotees. The annual Sanghikadana organised by YBAM and Yayasan Belia Buddhist Malaysia aims to practice the teaching of Buddha, which is to protect and uphold the Sangha, so that they are able to continue the preaching of Dhamma.
除了虔诚的四事供养以外,维护僧团的尊严以及更广大佛教社群的基本权益更是我们每一位在家信众的责任。提起佛教的基本权益,马佛青本着一贯的立场,希望政府遵守独立时的社会契约,即马来西亚是一个世俗国而非回教国,我们认为虽然回教是我国的官方宗教,但各宗教徒可以自由奉行各自的宗教信仰。对于国内不断发生侵蚀非回教徒权益的事件,作为佛教徒的我们也必须高度关注,并表达我们的反对声音。这其中也包括了先前国内发生了数起因为父母单一方决定让孩童改信宗教的法律纠纷问题。因此,我们也对最近马来统治者理事会展延通阁內閣在4月22日议决父母一方改信宗教,孩子必須遵从父母结婚時的宗教信仰的议决表示关注。根据内阁之前的议决,夫妻任何一方改信宗教,孩子必須根据兩人結婚時的共同信仰抚养。此外,夫妻任何一方改信其他宗教,必須按民事法辦妥离婚手续,此举是要一劳永逸的避免一些人藉改信宗教,逃避為人父母及丈夫或妻子的責任。我们因此希望马来统治者理事会能够以各族国民的利益为前提,尽早通过内阁对修正有关法案的议决。
Apart from the offerings of four daily necessities, it is also our responsibilities to protect the dignity of the Sangha and promote the basic rights and interests of the Buddhist community. Talking about the basic rights and interests, YBAM, based on its consistent stand, hope that the government will follow the social contract that has been set during the independence, that Malaysia is a multi-cultural and multi-religious nation, but not a Islamic nation, that is, we believe that Islam is the national religion of the country, but the citizens have the freedom to adopt any religions. In view of the increasing cases where the rights of non-Muslims are being eaten away, we, as Buddhist, need to show our serious concern and express our objection on this. This includes few cases where the parents decide to let the children to change their religion based on the single-sided decision. Therefore, we are also concern on the matter where the Council of Malay Rulers postponed passing of the resolution that proposed in the cabinet on 22nd April, that if any of the married couple changes the religion, the children should be brought up with the religion that both couple had during the marriage. In addition, if any party of the married couple wishes to change the religion, the divorce procedure should be based on the civil law, and this is a once-and-for-all solution to avoid some people who may take the advantage to change their religion as to avoid the responsibilities as parents or spouse. We hence hope that the Council of Malay Rulers will pass the motion of the resolution based on the benefits of the citizens from various races.
另一放面,对于从近几个月来发生的两起涉及佛教僧侣及佛教道场的事项中,我们必须做出检讨与反思,不难发觉其中关键在於长久以来潜伏在教界之内组织及制度的缺陷。对于事情的发生,整体佛教社群要勇敢的面对现实,正面从事件中去吸取教训,尤其对僧青年组织管理制度,以及系统化僧青年教育的重视。我们应当明白僧青年是佛教最珍贵的发展资产,要好好珍惜。因此僧团应该设立健全的组织以摄受僧青年,令僧青年安住;也需要整理及设计有系统的教育方法与内容,以辅导僧青年在佛法研修上的逐渐提升;并教导僧青年推动佛教事业及弘法工作,使僧青年能负起他们应负的责任。与此同时,在家信众及佛教组织亦必须承担起护持佛法,护持僧宝的责任,协助僧青年成长,促进良性的僧俗互动关系。在僧青年面对困境中,切勿增加其挫折感,更勿助其任何不如法行动,否则将成为佛教发展的绊脚石。
On the other hand, there is a need for us to review and reflect on ourselves on the two cases that happened back on these few months, which involve Sanghas and Buddhist monasteries. It is not hard to realise that the key to the problems lie on the defect that have long been existing in the Buddhist organisations and systems. To face the problem, the whole Society of Buddhists need to learn positively from the experiences, especially on the education and management system of the Youth Sangha. We need to realise that the youth Sanghas are the precious properties of the development of Budhism. Hence there is a need for the Sangha team to establish a better organisational structure to ensure proper development among the youth Sangha, and to develop a complete educational system to ensure the intellectual development among them, leading to the ability to bear the responsibility to propagate the Dhamma.
2009年3月底至5月中旬,墨西哥、美国等地接连暴发H1N1“甲型流感”病毒疫情。在短短几个月来,至今已经蔓延全球。根据世界卫生组织的数据,目前受感染的地区达到70多个国家,确认患者达到7万多人,死亡人数则达300多人。从佛教的角度来看,瘟疫灾难是自然界对人类业力的果报,是众生共业所感和因缘和合而产生的。因此,在面对自然灾害的同时,我们应该更深一层去体验一切生命同体共生的意义,避免对生命无端的残杀以及对大自然资源不断的榨取。佛教也有共业和不共业的说法,在瘟疫蔓延众生共业的情况下,每个人也会因为有不共业的原因而有不同的结果。我们也要学习在共业之中去创造“不共业”,平时就要奉行五戒十善,也要采取改变业缘的具体行动,那就是多注意个人卫生,洗手、戴口罩、量体温、减少出人人多的地方、睡眠充足、适当运动、戒除不良嗜好等等。当然,我们也希望佛教社群能给予受到H1N1“甲型流感”影响的患者精神上的援助,也祈望在座的诸山长老大德,继续给予他们宗教的心灵力量支援和祝福。
Between March and May 2009, Mexico, America and many places in the world are attacked by the A H1N1 Influenza. The virus has spread to majority of the nations in the word in a few month’s time. Up to date, there are more than 70 countries that are affected, more than 70 thousands of people are confirmed to be infected, and more than 300 death cases. Viewing from the Buddhism angle, this is karma on the human beings, and this is also the effect of the shared karma of the beings. Hence, during the time when we are fighting with the disasters, we need to introspect into the meaning of the parabiosis of all beings, refrain from killing and reduce the demand from the nature. In Buddhism, there is also a saying of shared karma and unshared karma. In the context of the spreading of the influenza, different individual will have the different effect due to their unshared karma. There is also a need for us to learn to create the unshared karma from the shared karma, where we need to observe the five precepts and ten good precepts, and to take action to change the cause and effect, that is, to pay extra care on the personal hygiene, including washing hands, wearing masks, checking body temperature, and reducing the chances to be in the crowded places, taking sufficient rests and exercises and to refrain from the bad habits. Of course, we also hoped that the Buddhist community will be able to provide the spiritual support to the patients of the A H1N1 influenza, and also hope that our distinguish Venerables will be able to keep providing spiritual supports to them.
最后,谨祝福大马佛教,法运昌隆,佛日增辉!也祝福大家福慧增上,法喜充满!
Finally yet importantly, I would like to wish the Malaysian Buddhism flourishes with time and may you all well and happy!