Youthful country with a shining future
To my dear friends in Malaysia
Malaysia, Oh Malaysia!
Country of unbounded future,
youthful land brimming
with the spirit of construction.
The sun with its rays
of courage, righteousness and hope
rises again today
over the rich verdancy of
your proud capital, Kuala Lumpur,
with its tall ranks of skyscrapers.
The air is so pure and refreshing
under the piercing rays of the sun—
land of endless summer,
each new day is filled
with energy and vitality.
Multihued flowers
sway in the breeze
against a sea of green,
exchanging gentle floral smiles
with the bunga raya,
noble queen of flowers,
shining in scarlet
majesty and splendor.
The tropical sun
instantly embraces
the thick green forests
harboring unknown vital depths.
The leaves of rubber trees rustle
as they produce their traditional bounty
and palm trees rise straight and proud
on shores lapped by silver waves.
Asia was long derided as a region
of chaos and stagnation,
but here in Malaysia one finds
the will, the passion and the energy
of nation-building—
the stir of Asia rising.
Looking back on history,
for centuries Malaysia was a place
where diverse peoples and civilizations
encountered and mingled.
With enterprising spirit
youths set out on the ocean’s vastness,
their boats laden with people,
laden with civilization.
Malaysia has been a bridge
transmitting the cultures of
continental Asia to the southern islands,
a maritime crossroads
linking East Asia, India and Europe.
Sadly, this strategic importance
of your sea lanes made you the target
of encroachments by the great powers.
In the fifteenth century,
the ancient capital of Malacca,
with its fine natural harbor,
was bustling with the ships of East–West trade,
reaching heights of prosperity.
Then the tentacles of
the imperial powers,
seeking control of Oriental trade,
reached out for this city.
At the beginning
of the sixteenth century, it fell,
changing hands again and again,
as fortunes twisted and shifted.
Foreign control extended to
the entire peninsula.
Monopolies of tin and rubber
based on the dominance of monoculture—
later this same colonial economy
would give rise
to a multiracial nation.
Freed finally from colonial control,
Malaysia took her fledgling steps
down the path of independence
three decades ago, in 1957.
A nation in the bloom of youth!
You kick the springboard with strength
as you leap toward the new century.
Abundant resources—
you boast the world’s top production of tin,
as well as plentiful resources
of rubber, petroleum and palm oil.
The richness of culture—
a swirling mix of cultures,
East and West, Chinese and Thai,
Indian and Arabic
—even distant Europe—
were gathered to you
by the maritime trade routes.
Diversity of peoples, resources and cultures—
diversity holds unlimited possibilities,
and foretells a great future of unfolding plenty.
The sinuous twisting
of the dense, layered forest—
here nature’s mysterious power
brings forth vegetative life
in hundreds, thousands of species.
Uncountable trees and flowers,
each in its own way
choosing its place, its time,
manifesting its unique self,
exchanging greetings,
together thriving and luxuriant.
Many diverse species,
coexisting, vying,
together form a wondrous organic whole.
The “harmony of diversity”—
this guideline of yours
is the source of creative energy,
whether in nature or in human society.
Imagine a child’s top with seven colors
—red, blue, yellow, green… even purple—
spinning faster and faster.
The colors blend and merge,
approaching one single
yet infinitely beautiful tone.
The colors of this spinning top
are the diversity of nature and society,
and the final single tint
is the mystic beauty
of harmonized diversity.
And the top’s rapid spin—
this, my dear Malaysian friends,
is your spirit of construction;
your resolve to win;
your unflagging, committed efforts,
continuous from yesterday to today,
from today toward tomorrow.
And now, throughout Kuala Lumpur,
the growling engines of cranes
and the song of hammers building
reverberate and echo.
So young and full of vigorous energy
is this rapidly transforming metropolis!
It is this that reminds me of a top that,
while throwing out its sharp whine,
stands firm and unmoving.
Malaysia, land of youth!
Malaysia, land of the future!
It is youth who will shoulder
your unbounded future;
more than anything,
their vigorous growth
contains the promise
of a flourishing tomorrow.
Youth, with little but its infinite promise,
is the earth in which lie hidden
unknowable prospects,
brilliant jewels of ability,
inexhaustible mines of golden creation,
and immeasurable sources of power.
It takes a hundred years to raise people;
indeed, my young friends,
a great tree does not become so overnight.
Extend your roots
deep into the unseen soil,
ceaselessly absorbing nutrients,
growing and learning without pause,
without giving up.
The long years of untiring effort
will shape you into a great tree
that soars into the sky,
stately and unmoving.
My young friends!
Advance with the sun in your hearts,
move forward with pride and dignity.
Young trees grow into great ones
when bathed in showers of sunlight.
The sun does not shine, though,
on those who resent their surroundings,
who are caught up in the past,
or who hide themselves in shades of sorrow.
Stride each day
down this broad and royal way,
smiling radiantly,
conversing with the sun.
The hardships of youth
are the nutrients of future growth;
no tree will grow to greatness
without adversity.
Hardships are another name
for training;
they are precious “treasures of the heart,”
as they make possible your future flight.
My young friends, be altruistic,
courageously taking on hardships,
sharing friends’ pains and sorrows,
serving people and society.
My dear Malaysian friends,
our faith finds expression in daily living;
it does not mean chasing after phantoms
removed from the realities of life.
Nor does it mean having to fit yourselves
into a special mold
that is different from other people.
The brilliant light revealed
as your true self shines naturally from within,
in the home, the community,
the workplace;
as you are genuinely admired and trusted;
as you contribute to the peace and welfare
of society.
This is the true meaning of faith;
this is the path
of “faith manifests itself in daily life.”
For this reason also
you should develop yourselves,
polishing your character
for the role you will play
in the twenty-first century—
the “rainbow century.”
A person of character
is a person of compassion.
Maintain, as the Daishonin says,
“a smiling countenance at all times.”
Real compassion does not depend
on the other person.
Just as the sun sheds its light
equally on all,
the compassionate person,
with a broad and open mind,
an unshakable state of life,
can love, comfort and embrace
any person.
Good character is an expression of good sense.
My mentor used to say,
“Be sincere and never use violent language;
always use reason in guiding people.”
The world of faith is the world of willing consent.
People are not convinced
by the force of authority, nor by rank.
The unparalleled persuasiveness
of Buddhism, made manifest in your life,
in sensible words and conduct,
has a power that will leave
no person unmoved or unconvinced.
Character is the product of perseverance.
When I met last fall in friendly talks
with Vice-Chancellor Royal Professor Ungku Aziz
of the University of Malaya,
he shared with me his desire that the young sapling
of Malaysian culture will grow into a great tree.
He also spoke of the importance
of patience and of never giving up,
of carrying through to the very end.
His sagacity reminded me
that a profound knowledge
of the world’s ways
is always consonant with Buddhism.
Never tiring, never fearing
persevering through all,
looking always for the light—
the true path of humanity
is also the true path of faith.
Ah, what mystic bonds we share!
What unfathomable mission
you possess!
My dear friends,
you have emerged in this land
of beautiful nature,
embracing in the depths of your lives
the mission to realize
its magnificent development.
On the magical island of Penang,
on Ipoh, land of tin,
on Kuantan, home of the green sea turtle,
in the state of Sabah, at the foot of Mount Kinabalu,
I see your smiling faces.
My friends,
true to your pledge
you have striven wholeheartedly
for the happiness of people,
for the peace of society,
for the sake of the country you love.
You gather joyfully
in the treasure castle
of a new culture
and proclaim your departure
on to the next stage.
Filled with emotion,
I offer my praise, my felicitations,
as you are about to embark—
May happiness, glory and victory
crown the future
of my courageous friends!
The mountains of the new century
are bathed in the radiant hues of dawn;
flowers tremble in the gentle breeze;
the roar of a silver waterfall
echoes through the trees,
announcing your departure.
Dear friends!
Baskets laden
with the fruit of happiness,
and a cheerful song of hope upon our lips,
let us commence our proud journey!
Unfold great wings of hope within your hearts
and soar into the future,
toward the new century,
like the beautiful bird of peace
crossing the boundless sky.
Like brightly colored butterflies
dancing gracefully through the air,
let us also dance in the floral pastures
of lives of good fortune,
creating an indestructible paradise of peace
here in Malaysia.
Across the blue ocean plains
resounds the crash of joyful waves,
playing a prelude
to Malaysia embarking.
Youthful country with a shining future,
Malaysia!
Land festooned with green,
paradise of culture,
beautiful Malaysia—
may eternal prosperity be yours!
Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
February 5, 1988
Presented to the members of the SGI in Malaysia on February 5, 1988, the day the author arrived on his first visit to the country.
bunga raya: hibiscus, the national flower of Malaysia.
“faith manifests itself in daily life” (Jpn shinjin soku seikatsu): a Buddhist principle emphasizing the importance of striving to manifest one’s faith by making a tangible difference in one’s daily life and community.
“a smiling countenance”: trans. from Nichiren, Nichiren Daishonin gosho zenshu, p. 1107.