NEW YEAR MESSAGE from Theravāda Buddhist Council of Malaysia Exco
Brothers and Sisters in the Dhamma,
Namo Buddhaya! Sukhi Hotu! Warmest Greetings to all of you.
How time flies and it is time to bid farewell to the year 2013. With much happiness and gratitude, we wish you Happy New Year and thank you for your friendship, co-operation and support to help establish the Theravāda Buddhist Council of Malaysia to unite the Theravāda Buddhists in Malaysia, acting in tandem with the other Buddhist federations in the country to protect the interests of Malaysian Buddhists, while maintaining harmony and unity with followers of other religions and Buddhist traditions.Over the last one year, TBCM has focused its efforts on a few functional areas:
TBCM has established its official Secretariat at Level 3, No. 123, Jalan Berhala, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. TBCM has appointed Bro Kung Kok Chye as its Regional Representative of the Northern Region (Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak) and Bro. Lim Boon Hang as its Regional Representative of the Central Region (Selangor, Negeri Sembilan).
TBCM has been actively expanding its membership base and currently has 38 Member Organisations, after about 1 year and 3 months in operations. Beginning 2014, TBCM will move to enhance liaison and networking amongst its Member Organisations.
TBCM has been actively promoting Dhamma Education via social media such as its Website and Facebook, linking to e-books, research findings, articles, and others. It has also created a Dhamma book exchange platform. (Further details are available on our Website www.tbcm.org.my )
TBCM is now in the process of drawing up Dhamma Sharing Programmes and a list of current Dhamma Speakers with their biodata and contact details for TBCM members’ information. This list’s availability will be publicised on TBCM’s Website and Facebook.
It is our long term plan to participate in the national Buddhist movement and be represented effectively to help safeguard the Buddhist interests in the country. In this respect, we have fast-tracked our plans after joining the Malaysian Buddhist Consultative Council and have been jointly resolving a number of issues that arose in the country.In coming years, TBCM will move on to implement progressively the other strategic plans in our Development Blueprint. We look forward to working together with you to achieve our mission to “Propagate the Buddha’s Teachings and Promote the Buddhist Way of Life”.
The world today is moving at a speed unknown before. New technology and ways of doing things efficiently and effectively hasten the decline or demise of many traditional systems. Hence, we have to be increasingly prepared to cope with change or else risk being left behind. We cannot assume that the way we have carried out Dhamma propagation work in the past will continue to be effective or even relevant today and in the future.Buddhist organisations need innovative and visionary plans, actions and codified systems to be more effective in propagating the Buddha Dhamma and the Buddhist Way of Life. We have to change or improve those structures and systems in Dhammaduta work that are no longer effective. We need to discover the various forces and factors at work in our Community in devising effective Dhammaduta strategies that galvanise Buddhists to work together. We need to be more creative to communicate to the hearts and minds of the young and youth to draw them to our Dhamma Centres. We need to have adequate influence in Government, the media and educational institutions to protect, propagate and prolong the Buddha Sāsana. We need to be macro in our views and be able to respond and direct our Dhammaduta efforts with more synergy so that an increasing Buddhist population in Malaysia (instead of declining) can learn and practise the Buddha’s Teaching of Dāna, Sila and Bhāvanā to develop Love, Compassion and Wisdom. Hence, we need your inputs, help and support, sharing with us your knowledge, experience and skills so that together we can progress and succeed together.Once again, thank you and Sadhu to you. May you be blessed by the Triple Gem and have a Healthy, Happy and Successful 2014!
With Metta,
TBCM Exco
1st January 2014