| Written by Sophan Seng | |
| Wednesday, 22 April 2009 | |
From The Phnom Penh PostIn the past, our parochial and charismatic leaders or kings might have been important. But now, these charismatic and capable leaders will not be substantial because the belief in democracy and good governance requires the capability of the people in active bottom-line participation and the rule of law, not the rule of any individual leader. Dear Editor, I am surprisingly impressed by the different blessings during the Khmer New Year celebrations during the Year of the Ox, 2553 B.E. It is a very important opportunity for Cambodian people to give good wishes and blessings to each other. Political leaders have also used this day to deliver their blessing to their party members and supporters. The meaning of their blessings carries both good wishes and political messages. The blessing that impressed me the most was that of Prime Minister Hun Sen, about the Prohm Vihea Thir Boun, or Four Sublime States of the Mind, to the Cambodian people. This blessing is extraordinarily well-known for the good leadership of the Kings, called "Dhamma King" or "Dhammika". Dhamma Kings have to pursue the virtue of loving-kindness (Metta), compassion (Karuna), sympathetic joy (Mudita) and neutrality (Upeka). These four teachings are well-known among Cambodians. A good leader has to pursue this teaching, but to understand it clearly in both theory and practice is not well-conceptualised. Furthermore, the mechanism to bring this teaching to the leaders as well as the general public is important. How can Cambodian political leaders and people pursue this Dhamma teaching? By blessings, individual observation or enlightenment, or strengthening the rule of law to embed it in Cambodian society? It would be a question for all policymakers and political leaders to leave their legacy for this ideal blessing of our current challenging and transitional world. In the past, our parochial and charismatic leaders or kings might have been important. But now, these charismatic and capable leaders will not be substantial because the belief in democracy and good governance requires the capability of the people in active bottom-line participation and the rule of law, not the rule of any individual leader. I hope with great optimism that the blessing of Cambodia's prime minister this year will become a reality. Sophan Seng University of Hawaii at Manoa |
Sunday, April 26, 2009
May PM's New Year's blessing come to pass
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6 comments:
I just come back from Cambodia. The road from Poi Pet to Siem Reap is good now.
It's a big mistate for someone to wish Hun Sen the ill-bred have Prom Vihear Thor. Does any yougster know what Prom Vihear Thor is? If he/she does not know what it is, just observe how the compassionate treat their children. The reason why I mention the compassionate parents because in these days, some parents are not compassionate enough to be role models. Expecting a savage, vulgar, barbaric, cocky, ignorant, and ill-bred to have Prom Vihear Thor seemes like expecting a dog to talk like a human being. Hun Sen has been intoxicated with pride, power and money . . . run out of time.
correction: compassionate parents
Start to read Buddhist doctrine if you don't know what the Prom Vihear Thor is.
The concept of Buddhism is death long time ago under AH HUN SEN leadership and the new religion in Cambodia is the Vietcong high culture!
Who would have thought that even a monk such monk Tim Sakhorn can be persecuted under AH HUN SEN and the Vietcong high culture for stand up against the Vietcong oppression of his Khmer Krom people!
When a Khmer monk fight for freedom and can be persecuted under AH HUN SEN and his Vietcong high culture and this new years will only remind all Khmer people that the long difficult road to freedom is not over yet!
Here is the meaning of each of the four brahma viharas:
Metta or Loving-kindness is a soft, affection and care for others and yourself. It is not a hard, romantic type of love and not a love that includes extreme attachment or controlling feelings.
Karuna or Compassion is like an open heart that cares for everyone. It includes empathy, being able to see the other person’s position and caring for and about them.
Mudita or Joy with others, sometimes is called sympathetic joy or appreciative joy. It is the ability to be happy when you see others happy. Their joy becomes your joy as you welcome less suffering and happiness of others.
Upekkha or Equanimity is the balanced state of mind. It is the middle way state of mind that is neither clinging nor pushing away.
In Cambodia, the four brahma viharas are represented by the four faces of Brahma that form the top of the different towers of the Bayon temple.
The four faces at the top of the central tower of that temple have become delapidated, which is very much symbolic of the dereliction of the brahma viharas in Cambodia's rulers.
Maybe, these rulers won't embrace and practice these supreme virtues until those four faces at the top of the Boyon temple's central tower have been completely restored to their original shape and spender.
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
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