Speech by Hon Michael Wood, Minister of Transport in 2021 Buddha's Birthday Multicultural Festival for World Peace

[Maori blessing]

Can I first acknowledge Abbess Manshin, the Venerables and fellow MPs who are here the Labour MPs Dr Anae Neru Leavasa, Naisi Chen and our National MPs who are here Christopher Luxon, our councillors Paul Young, our local board members, and our faith and our community members who are gathered here today.

Ladies and gentlemen at these kind of events, I am always struck by a sense on the universal and the unique and I felt this as we were all up here before bathing the Buddha and I reflected on what is universe about water across our cultures and our different faith traditions. I thought as we were bathing the Buddha about the way our Hindu communities place reverence on the water of the Ganges. I thought about the Bible and the Christian tradition where they use water to baptise ourselves. And here they use water to reflect on new life, new beginning and rebirth. So we see something universal across all of human kind but something that is unique and particularly beautiful here in the Buddhist Tradition as well and that is particularly special for me this morning.

Ladies and gentlemen one of my very favourite quotes is a quote by one of our Christian Saints, Saint Francis of Assisi. He once said, or is reputed to have said Preach the Gospel to all the world and use words if necessary. And I very much feel that when I come to the Temple here because I know that for those that come to the Temple for spiritual sustenance and for enlightenment. You are inspired by the teaching of the Buddha, but you just don’t talk about that to yourselves. Here, through the work of the Temple you live that out in the communities of that you are a part.

So today, I specially want to acknowledge the work of the Temple, of the Abbess, of the Venerables, of all the volunteers I acknowledge, Lintao Yu and all the executives here as well. For the work that you do in the community to spread those Buddhist teachings to the community. Those teachings of peace, of acceptance and on focusing on truth over and above all material things can become great distractions to us in our modern world. So today we celebrate the Buddha’s Birthday, we celebrate those teachings and we celebrate the way which we all come together as a community to live well together.

Ladies and gentlemen, be safe, be happy, keep scanning and enjoy a very happy Buddha’s Birthday today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znbHWdkWObc