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18     EASTERN HORIZON  |  FACE TO FACE







               on to this key point: be a person   training a new generation of local   from doing evils, practicing all the
               who is strongly determined to     Buddhist youths. They should      good deeds, and purifying one’s
               devoting oneself to Buddhism, be   create their own new programs and   mind.” This gāthā is a common
               a person who is willing to sacrifice   events; not simply be influenced by   saying in Buddhism, which
               your youth and devote yourself for   foreign Buddhist traditions such as   embodies a very profound meaning
               the Buddha.                       Theravāda, Tibetan, and Mahāyāna   and sequence of practice. We
                                                 Buddhism from Taiwan and China.   can comprehend and master the
               If someone falls under the        They should find a new way out to   overall guidance of practicing the
               influence of fake Buddhist        unite themselves like the Muslims   purification of our body, speech and
               teachers, how do we help this     do. New generations of Buddhist   mind through the meaning in it.
               person come back to the right     youths should develop their unique   This gāthā is my simple yet concise
               path of the true Dharma?          living space and mode of activities.   sharing with everyone.

                                                 This is the only way of leading
               My current thinking (after settling   Buddhism in Malaysia to a new   Any final advice for us to study
               down in the United States)        prospect. Buddhism in Malaysia    and practice the Dharma in our
               about Buddhism in Malaysia has    should not be affected by the foreign   daily life as lay Buddhists so that
               changed greatly compared to       Buddhist or non-Buddhist groups.   we can follow the true Dharma?
               the time before I left Penang in
               1989. From my current viewpoint,   Malaysian Buddhist youths who    My suggestion is, the gap between
               Buddhism in Malaysia is formed    wish to preserve the strength of   your professional work and
               by numerous foreign Buddhist      unity of Buddhism in Malaysia,    Buddhist practice in your daily life
               groups—which includes Theravāda   should develop new thinking, a new   should be narrowed down as much
               Buddhism, Mahāyāna Buddhism,      language of communication, new    as possible. How can we gradually
               Tibetan Buddhism, and even        space, and unique characteristics   fuse together our professional and
               some bogus Buddhist groups—       for their activities. This is the   Dharma cultivation? We can slowly
               their existence has brought in    only way of opening up a new      adjust our habitual patterns under
               influence to Malaysia. In addition,   domain for Malaysian Buddhists;   certain circumstances over a period
               Malaysia has her own challenge of   only with its own Buddhists will   of time toward reducing the gap
               racial issue. While all these have   Malaysia flourish. The youths must   between our spiritual belief and
               shaped a very complicated and     remember that: Tibetan Buddhism   professional job. Only if these two
               multifarious Buddhist environment   is a drifter, Taiwanese Buddhism is   aspects can support one another
               in Malaysia, there are actually more   facing the crisis of being united with   and merge together, can we then
               disadvantages than advantages.    a powerful China, and Theravada   apply the Dharma in our daily life
               From a different standpoint,      Buddhism is in developing         and take good care of our living.
               Malaysian Buddhists should take   countries. Buddhists in Malaysia   Finally, I want to encourage the
               the opportunity to correct and set   should look for new ideas for   Buddhist youths of the modern day
               things back to order.             themselves and develop their own   to have both virtue and talent; to be
                                                 political ambition.               talented mentally and physically.
               Those who want to lead Buddhism                                     EH
               should have the entrepreneurship   What qualities should we develop
               in localizing Buddhism in Malaysia.   so that we can always have the
               Localization of Buddhism in       good karmic opportunity to meet
               Malaysia means that Malaysian     with good dharma masters in our
               Buddhists should establish        Saṃsāric journey?
               themselves through the local
               language, creative leadership of   There is a widespread saying in
               the local people, and emphasis on   Buddhism, which is, “refraining
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