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Speech Delivered by H.E. Mr. Zenji Kaminaga
Ambassador of Japan to Nepal
at the Opening of the Restored Mayadevi Temple in Lumbini
May 16, 2003
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Your Majesties,
Rt. Hon'ble Prime Minister,
Mr. Chairman Lumbini Development Trust,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I feel immensely honored to be able to address at this august grand inauguration ceremony on behalf of the diplomatic corps stationed in Nepal.
First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to His Majesty the King for opening the Mayadevi Temple to the public. I would like to extend my hearty congratulations to the Lumbini Development Trust in particular and all the peace loving people of Nepal for the successful restoration of this historic Mayadevi Temple.
With this official auspicious inauguration of the Mayadevi Temple, Lumbini is expected to shed new beams of enlightenment on other parts of Asia and on the world carrying benevolent and thoughtful message of peace of Lord Buddha and thus making Lumbini a real Foundation of World Peace. 2547 years have passed since the birth of Lord Buddha and yet the conviction of the peace on this Earth is more ardently desired than ever before.
It is good to know that this one of the world's most important UNESCO World Heritage is duly kept by the Development Committee with cooperation of His Majesty's Government of Nepal and international communities. It is our sincere wish and hope that this sacred site be further nurtured and developed in line with the Master Plan for Lumbini designed by architect Mr. Kenzo Tange.
I now recall how we are grateful to Lord Buddha who has been guiding and showing us, not only Nepalis but all Buddhists and followers of the world, the world to be harmoniously co-existed with peaceful minds. Lord Buddha aptly stated that the peaceful mind stems from the pursuit of goodness. And the goodness prevails when people have such a lovely feeling of goodness to be kind to other people, to conduct good things, and to make efforts to attain the knowledge of goodness. The very spirit of this is genuinely what is most needed in this contemporary world, I believe. Therefore, let us reconsider what we can do in this world by recalling the true thought of Lord Buddha.
Thank you all.
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