These days, I happen to read articles of journals. In the articles, the writers made their opinions in a frank way. So, I thank them for their works that inspired me to write this article. In addressing any form of issues, there must be correct views, correct thoughts, correct actions and correct decisions. One will never get along with others so long as one does not have right views. One will have to exercise caution and broaden one’s horizons if one wants to have right views. Moreover, being Buddhists, the people have to believe in wholesome and unwholesome actions and good and evil results of actions.
Here, I do not mean a person has to give up his efforts just as fortune does not smile on him, but he has to do some activities that can help him have an element of luck in pursuing his goals. We the people were born of parents of various national races in Myanmar owing to the good deeds we did in our past lives. We should not put blame on our parents and the results of our past deeds for our being born in Myanmar. Instead, we should highlight the strong points of being born here in various spheres including religious, social, economic and health aspects. There are so many points reflecting that Myanmar, our country where Theravada Buddhism shines, is definitely worth living. In the hereafter, human beings will be born in celestial and higher celestial abodes or in the hell.
Myanmar is exactly the sole land where people can study and follow the Teachings of the Buddha to avert sufferings in the hell and to attain Nirvana. Recall the prayers and religious verses you learnt from your parents and grandparents in your youth, and you will all notice that the prayers and religious verses comprise many methods to lead a peaceful and healthy life, do business, and get along with family members and societies. If in doubt, say the prayers and verses of Buddhism, and then you will come to know well and believe that there are so many satisfactory things in life. In addition, the lifestyle of Myanmar people is endowed with a lot of worldly values. Traditional festivities and festivals are celebrated in each of the Myanmar months. We Myanmar people can easily enjoy the loving-kindness of our parents and grandparents, obey the sermons of venerable monks, and enjoy pervasive delight, ecstasy and insight at meditation centres. Surely, Myanmar people have the unique opportunity to visit and pay reverence to the Shwedagon Pagoda. There is no reason that those Myanmar citizens who are in foreign countries for various reasons can disregard and betray the motherland. I want every such citizen to come back to the mother country without fail after making further studies and profits. They all have the rights to return home. I wish all the Myanmar people would make provision in line with the Teachings of the Buddha for their hereafters, leading a peaceful life in the motherland till their last days. I have been to some foreign countries, embracing many kinds of opportunities, but I have no words to fully express the delights that came from the bottom of my heart when I arrived back at Yangon International Airport of the mother country. For me, Myanmar, the country where there are my residence and family, is exactly the land I love and cherish most.
Our country is not a developed one yet, so what should we do, then? We all have to work harder and harder till we achieve our goal. We have to strive for generating better opportunities for younger generations. Instead of speaking ill of Myanmar through anti-government foreign radio stations, some Myanmar people living abroad should send relief supplies to Nargis victims. Make self criticism if you have provided relief aid such as snacks, some money, medicines and household utensils. Myanmar youths living in foreign countries should provide relief for the victims, instead of giving just lip service. If they had donated US dollars, yuans, yens and pounds saving at the rate of one unit a week, they would have provided a lot of aid for the victims by now, a year after the cyclone. There are a large number of orphanages, homes for the aged and youths training centres in Myanmar to which they can make significant contributions. Edible oil cannot be produced by milling a sesame grain only, but they can serve the interests of the nation to some extent if they collaborate in that regard.
And there are many things they can learn to know how to serve the interests of their country. If they study thoroughly the historical background, religious faith, culture and historic events of Myanmar, then they will come to respect and admire the mother country and own race. In Myanmar, there are many things they can study in their spare time, and many centres they can extend a helping hand to. Therefore, I would like to make a positive suggestion that instead of having a go at the motherland, the expatriates read religious books and listen to religious sermons. They should count the beads just for one round, reciting the Buddha’s supreme attribute “Araham”, or say prayers for the wellbeing of others. Then, they will be able to lead a peaceful life and do well in working out their difficulties and in their businesses. I wish they would spare a specific period of time to do meritorious deeds. They will be able to enjoy the fruits in this very life in proportion to the good deeds they have done. Furthermore, their worries and anxieties will dwindle away and they will be able to start a new life and realize that Myanmar is a pleasant and lovely land. For me, I love the motherland beyond words. Besides, I wish they would understand that Myanmar is a land where they can seize golden opportunities such as they will come to be brave enough to cope with their deaths and ups and downs by making some religious provision; they can practise concentration and meditation and perform meritorious deeds to cease their sufferings in next existences, they can share joys and sorrows with their beloved spouses, children and grandchildren, and they can deal with true friends and relatives in peace. I wish,
- Myanmar expatriates would love the
motherland,
- those with painful experiences and negative
attitude would view the objective conditions as
they really are by following the Teachings of the
Buddha for some time,
- they would return to their motherland and
serve national interests,
- they would share the experiences and knowledge
they have gained in foreign countries,
- they would be able to demonstrate their
nationalistic spirit and skills in the international
community,
- they would enjoy the traditions and customs of
the nation,
- they would import good methods, concepts and
technical know-how of other countries,
- they would come to love and serve the interest
of the motherland with a prosperous future,
- they would be able to safeguard pleasant and
peaceful Myanmar,
- they would work hard joining hands to enable
the motherland to exist perpetually and stand
tall in the global community, and
- they would love the mother country with a
sense of serving the national interests and
adoration and reliance on the country.
Minister for Communications, Posts and Telegraphs Brig-Gen Thein Zaw gave instructions on better communications of trunk calls and exchange lines CPT Minister inspects communication tasks in Magway Division at GSM mobile station and Auto-Exchange in Chauk on 14 July.
