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NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION

FOR THE NEW MALAYSIA

It’s been more than six months since May 9, 2018 when Secondly, while we are being bombarded with fake
Malaysians voted to change the Government that had news almost daily, as Buddhists we should resolve
ruled the country for the past 60 years. This change was to promote the value of speaking and upholding the
done peacefully, in a transparent, and almost incident- truth. This is an important and powerful resolution on
free manner. It is the hope of every Malaysian to live in right speech. In the Vācā Sutta, AN 5.198, the Buddha
peace and harmony without suspicion of one another tells us that Right Speech has five characteristics: “It
as fellow citizens under the new government helmed by is spoken at the right time. It is spoken in truth. It is
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed. spoken affectionately. It is spoken beneficially. It is
spoken with a mind of good-will.” Likewise, in the well-
As we usher in 2019, all Buddhists should play their known teaching, the Kālāma Sutta, AN 3.65, the Buddha
role as responsible citizens of a civil society endowed tells the Kālāmas to check everything out for ourselves
with civic consciousness to ensure peace and harmony (including his own teaching), whether what they hear is
in the country. We can do this if we make a firm true or fake, and whether by undertaking it, will benefit
resolution to practice what the Buddha taught us. all beings. In our modern context, it means that before
Therefore, in our quest for personal transformation in we speak, we should reflect whether what we are about
the months to come, we must approach our New Year’s to say is true, kind, and helpful – whether it leads to
resolutions mindfully as Malaysian citizens and Dharma harmony in society or causes disunity and chaos. In
practitioners. this way too, as Dharma practitioners, we develop and
cultivate our mind.
The first resolution we should make as a Dharma
practitioner is not to engage in any hate speech Neuroscientists today often refer to the brain’s
with those who do not share the same political or plasticity. This is the same thing
religious beliefs as us. Our New Year resolution will the Buddha meant by “soft and plaint.” Because the
be strengthened if we remember and practice what mind is so amazingly pliant, we must learn to disengage
the Buddha taught in the Dhammapada, that “Hatred from negative thoughts and emotions so that they
never ceases through hatred; hatred ceases through don’t grow strong and turn into speech or action that
non-hatred”. This is an ancient truth that is extremely might harm ourselves or others. Instead, we can learn
important for the success of the New Malaysia. Let to cultivate gentle and healing thoughts and emotions,
us remember Nelson Mandela who spent 27 years in such as compassion and kindness. If we make these
prison and emerged, not bitter or angry, but with an resolutions for the New Year, we can all be rest assured
open heart that allowed him to do so much to heal the that the New Malaysia that so many people voted for on
wounds in South Africa and to inspire people around May 9, 2018 will be a united, prosperous and thriving
the world to pursue a path of peace. So let us all make nation. So let us be resolute and unwavering, and, as
the same resolution like Mandela to promote thoughts Malaysian Buddhists, play our civic role as citizens of
of loving kindness and compassion instead of ill-will this wonderful country.
and anger towards our fellow Malaysians, irrespective
of race, religion, or political beliefs. January 1, 2019