A Buddhist Wedding

Wah lang lai kiong hee sin neoh kar sin neoh koh.

Well, that was "lets us together congratulate the bride and the groom" in Hokkien. Last night I was asked to lead the toast during the wedding dinner of my juniors from UKM, Sim Keong and Phaik Loo. Since both the bride and groom families and many of their close friends speaks the Hokkien dialect, it will be more "culturally correct" to use Hokkien on top of English and Mandarin.

After been together for many years, Sim Keong and Phaik Loo decided to join the married club. Earlier in the morning they had a Buddhist wedding ceremony that was consecrated and blessed by the Chief Adhikarana Nayaka Maha Thera of Malaysia, Most Venerable B. Saranankara at the Chempaka Buddhist Lodge.

It was a very a meaningful and spiritually enveloped Buddhist wedding with the presence of the Maha Sangha, relatives and many kalyana mitras (spiritual friends), mostly from our former university. As a Buddhist couple, it is very encouraging indeed to have wedding vows in front of the Buddha and members of the Sangha to begin their new chapter of life.

For a married couple, the support for each other as the closest kalyana mitra in walking the path of the Buddha is a requisite in developing a Dhamma-based Buddhist family.

Both of them are indeed blessed to have so many family members and spiritual friends to rejoice, help and support them in planning and organising the Buddhist wedding and the dinner.

Anyway, other than those in the above thirties, I am not sure whether those younger ones understands those words I spoke in Hokkien. Are we gonna miss the dialect in 50 years time?

Hokkien lang teoh ai kong hokkien wah. Kiong hee kiong hee knor eh sin lang. Lu lang ai hor hor cho lang! (Hokkiens need to speaks Hokkien dialect. Congratulation to the newly wed. Both of you need to be/make good people!)

I will be awaiting for the next round of Buddhist wedding of my kalyana mitras who are still undecided. (Those who are reading this and knows I directed to you, if you act fast I will be your Hokkien toast master!)

Political Trappings and Idealism

Attended a lecture on "New Governance" and followed by discussion last night. The lecture was delivered by a newly minted deputy minister and first term MP. About 40 participants from a broad spectrum of background were there. These includes businessmen, professionals, academicians, social activists, student leaders, government servants and politicians.

The lecture topic is not something new so I will not elaborate further but what is interesting which I need to highlighted is the initiative to have this sort of session. This deputy minister is not the usual politician that we are exposed to, meaning those that are arrogant and too engrossed with power going into their pea brain and acting as seems they are holier or brainier than we the ordinary rakyat. He is down to earth and easily approachable from the many years I knew him.

I think he is trying to ensure his newly found "power" do not morphed him into a typical politician who lost their ideals and aspirations for the society once they are comfortable in their cushy armchair in the corridors of power. And those people at the lecture who are his circle of close networking friends are expected to keep on reminding him to keep track of his idealism and agenda for society.

We, which included his supportive wife, hopes that he will not fall into the political trappings which many politicians before him already did once they detached themselves from their self conscience and the ordinary folks. All the best to you brother!