Ven. Dr. Seck Kong Hian — World Peace Awards 2019
Stockholm City Hall, Sweden (30 June–3 July 2019)
Very good evening to all the venerable ones and the distinguished guests… and of course [greetings to the organisers]. Thank you, thank you all for having me here to give this address.
I am from a country that is very small — Singapore — with about five to six million people. I have been given only five minutes, so I will try to make the best of this speech as I can.
Of course there is love and excitement waiting for you all here. Those of you I have had the pleasure to meet… I am called the Venerable [Seck] Kong Hian…
From the outset, our mission is to bring forth a sustainable emotional Buddhism, building cultural relations and goodwill among people. We endeavour to build greater understanding, cooperation and goodwill between Buddhists and non-Buddhists, promoting tolerance and learning so that we may embrace each other with love and compassion.
As a reflection on the world today, I am constantly saddened to find that it is marked by division, violence, greed, and most of all by fear.
I realise that I am fortunate to live in a country that is rich in racial and religious diversity but which still has a fair and just government. I humbly suggest that we take Singapore as a good example of what a peaceful world could be.
In my country, people are the natural resource — the source of our strength. Through our ongoing commitment to peace we have managed to create a world-class city-state known for incredibly low crime, a booming industry and modern infrastructure — a much more prosperous nation.
But I have not come here to boast about my nation and its achievements. Singapore is not special or unique, nor different from others. Rather, all our achievements can be attributed to our conscious commitment to peace.
It is my firm belief that globally, each individual must take action to work towards inner peace. Then, and only then, can he or she take action to diffuse that peace outward.
Self-acceptance and [overcoming] enmity are prerequisites… and it is upon that foundation that we can decide on a proper course of action to remedy the world’s problems.
Too often I see the desire for justice turned into a space where we are quick to judge… It is not a schoolyard game of life. It is not a zero-sum game with winners created or destroyed.
The desire for this kind of “justice,” though [appearing] in a court of righteousness, is rooted in greed, triple ego… The reality is that lasting peace is a choice — and one that [must be made] with every decision we make.
The problems we face… there are many challenges that threaten the very existence of most species. I do not intend to make light of them or minimise their magnitude.
However, I do humbly suggest that the best way to change the world for the better is by changing oneself for the better.
Editorial note: This transcript was supplied from an available transcription of the recording. Bracketed or unusual wording—including “sustainable emotional Buddhism” and “triple ego”—is retained rather than silently corrected and should be checked against the original audio before being treated as a verbatim quotation.
