Gong Xi Fa Cai To All Malaysians
My message wishing all Malaysians a Happy Chinese New Year. Click to enlarge.
Many years ago during a pilgrimage to Bodhgaya, I met a Malaysian Chinese monk, Reverend Khoon, who subsequently invited me to visit Malaysia. Not only was he one of my first Malaysian friends, but he also kindly and generously made all the arrangements for my first visit to Malaysia in 1992. Since then, I made many more trips to this beautiful country before I decided to settle here on a longer-term basis and establish the Kechara Buddhist organisation.
Having lived here for many years now, one of the things I love most about Malaysia is her people, which consists of Malays, Chinese, Indians and various other indigenous groups. What also touches me about the beautiful Malaysian people is their kindness and generosity towards all things spiritual, which I have personally experienced during my stay in Malaysia, especially from the Chinese who are predominantly Buddhists.
Chinese New Year is probably the most important celebration for the Chinese in Malaysia (and all over the world!) On New Year’s Eve, many Chinese return home to their parents’ or grandparents’ homes for the reunion dinner, one of the highlights of the festivities. This is a very important tradition with tremendous significance — in the olden days, the Chinese who were mostly farmers worked very hard all year round and it was only once a year during Chinese New Year that they would take a break to celebrate the end of the harvest and catch up with their family and friends. It was also the only time of the year when these poor farmers would partake of chicken, pork and seafood.
These days, many Chinese Buddhists choose to have vegetarian reunion dinners instead and also opt for vegetarian options on the first day of Chinese New Year. This simple act of compassion is highly auspicious as the merits generated from not killing animals for our meals can be dedicated to our loved ones, families and friends for their good health and longevity.
For Chinese New Year 2018, I was given the opportunity to share on the essence of prosperity and spirituality with The Star, a major Malaysian national newspaper. Many people believe that wealth and spirituality are at odds. However, this is not necessarily the case.
When we practise spirituality through generosity, we create the causes to receive outer wealth such as money, success in business and other forms of material wealth. Being generous encourages us to focus out, to be aware of what others need, and to give unselfishly for their benefit. In turn, our practice of generosity (inner wealth) creates the causes for us to have more outer wealth, according to the principles of karma or ’cause and effect’. Therefore, with more wealth and material resources, we are able to do even more for our fellow sentient beings. Instead of indulging in the latest gadgets, cars, fashion or investments, we can use our wealth to be of benefit to society — by feeding the poor, building shelters for animals, and by constructing hospitals and schools.
One of the reasons I shared on this topic is because I wanted to give back to all Malaysians who have been so supportive of my community-based work. Without their support, I would not have been able to successfully establish Kechara Soup Kitchen and Kechara Forest Retreat. I hope that by sharing these tips on prosperity, the people of Malaysia will grow not just materially but spiritually as well.
Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year. May the Year of the Dog bring you abundance, prosperity and happiness.
Best wishes,
Tsem Rinpoche
Published in The Star on Friday, 16 February 2018, wishing all Malaysians a Happy Chinese New Year. Click to enlarge.
The online version of the article. Click to enlarge.
For more interesting information:
- Chinese New Year
- Chinese in Malaysia
- Kaum Cina di Malaysia
- The Malaysia category on my blog
- Selamat Hari Raya to all Malaysians
- Hari Raya Aidilfitri (English)
- Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Malay)
- Deepavali: The Festival of Lights
- Indians in Malaysia
- Kaum India di Malaysia
- மலேசியாவில் இந்தியர்கள
- 马来西亚的印度人
- Gawai Dayak – The Celebration of Bountiful Harvest
- Perayaan Gawai Dayak
- காவாய் டாயாக் – அறுவடை திருநாள் கொண்டாட்டம்
- Rinpoche on National TV2’s Wesak Day Special!
- Wesak Day In Malaysia
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Chinese New Year is one of Malaysia’s biggest and most important annual festival for the Chinese which is celebrated worldwide. Though the date changes each year, the way the festival is celebrated remains the same. The event is celebrated on the first day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Each year is named after one of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. This year is year of Ox. Prior to celebrations, homes are cleaned and decorated by members of the family, while offerings and prayers are made. Also, plenty of food is prepared and new clothes are purchased. Like any other event, family members from out of town and far away will come home for the gathering.
Back in 2018, our Lama Tsem Rinpoche was featured in The Star, a Malaysian national newspaper wishing all Malaysian a prosperous New Year filled with abundance, prosperity and happiness.
Even though its an old post yet I am glad I found it wondering what will be this year celebration like during this time around with the pandemic. What ever it goes I wish for everyone stay safe , celebrate it moderately and hopefully obstacles clear for the swift return of Tsem Rinpoche . May all Dharma projects at kechara Forest Retreat be successful and of greatest benefit to all sentient beings.
It’s always a great joy to see Rinpoche appearing on local newspapers to share Dharma more often now. May Rinpoche live long and healthy always to share more Dharma over all social media and news media ?