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VEN. SECK JIT HENG
President of Malaysian Buddhist Association

Malaysia is widely known for its unique multiracial society with diff erent cul-
tures. Nevertheless, the people continue to live in this beautiful country while upholding
their cultures and languages as well as believing in their own faiths. For more than 60
years since independence, Malaysians have been living together with mutual love and
respect, celebrating the festivals of different races and religions together. Despite all the

challenges we face when defending and striving for the development of one’s religion,
we continue to cherish and maintain the bond of unity and love among ourselves. We
need to bear in mind that only by strengthening the fundamental foundation of “living
harmoniously”, can we continue to pen the chapter of unity, stability and harmony of
our country proudly.

Harmony advocated by Buddhism is not only limited to mankind but also ex-
tends to the animal world and our environment; this is clearly shown by the Buddhistic
spirit of protecting lives. Protecting lives means safeguarding lives and not harming
them, a showcase of Buddhist compassion. The “Jataka Tales” contained within the
Buddhist sutras describes the Buddha’s acts of protecting life while striving on the

Bodhisattva path, including cutting up his flesh to feed an eagle, giving up his body to
save a tiger, etc. These actions demonstrate that compassion taught in Buddhism em-
braces all sentient beings and is not confined only to human beings. Buddhism teaches

us about dependent origination that all dharma or phenomenon arises in dependence
upon other causes and conditions but it does not teach us to passively use this as an ex-
cuse to become negative and accept outcomes pessimistically. On the contrary, it gives
us the wisdom to perform wholesome karma and avoid unwholesome ones. We co-exist
and live symbiotically with other life forms on this planet. It is the responsibility of
every Buddhist to not squander Earth’s resources and to protect the environment. In
addition, the Six Harmonies and Reverence in Buddhism, namely, harmony in actions
when living together, harmony in speech without discord, harmony in resolve through
shared joy, harmony in views through common understanding, harmony in benefi ts
through equal sharing and harmony in precepts through common practice, are the best
medicines to live harmoniously. The Six Harmonies and Reverence emphasizes mutual
respect in getting along with each other, consulting one another when dealing with mat-

ters, aligning our interests towards a common benefit, sharing the fruits of one’s eff orts
with all, and abiding by the laws of the country and family rules.

Moreover, it is all of our responsibilities to benefit the society. In Buddhist teach-