KUALA LUMPUR – Making up the second largest religious segment of Malaysian society, Buddhist devotees have significantly contributed to nation-building, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said.
Touching on Buddhist principles and ideologies, the Seremban MP said the religion’s practice of balance and taking the middle path have resulted in devotees avoiding confrontation with practitioners of other faiths.
Speaking at the Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple in Brickfields today, Loke praised the 50,000 devotees in attendance for the float procession, acknowledging their good behaviour and adding that they made policing efforts easy as authorities only needed to manage vehicular traffic.
“Therefore, in these current times when so many negative actions are taking place, this year’s Wesak theme comes at the right time to indicate to us the age-old saying of the Buddha that the mind is the forerunner of all evil things and that if we cultivate our mind in doing good deeds with sincere intentions, then we all can live in a harmonious society.
“The Malaysian Buddhists have strong principles, with the middle path being their guiding ideology.
“With this principle, Buddhists have been able to avoid confrontation with other religious practices and ideologies,” Loke said.
Wesak Day, also known as Buddha Jayanthi, is one of the holiest days for Buddhists, celebrating the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death.
Wesak Day is traditionally observed by devotees in South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as in Tibet, Mongolia, and other countries in the far east.
The term Wesak is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit term “vaiśākha,” which denotes the lunar month in which Buddha is believed to have been born. – May 22, 2024