I would like to provide further comments on the letter by Onyos Felk. I am a gay Malaysian currently studying in England, practising in the Zen Buddhist tradition and in a homosexual relationship.

First off, I would like to point out that the three main Buddhist traditions - Mahayana, Theravada and Vajrayana - are generally (though not always) quite tolerant of homosexuality, particularly so here in the West.

To provide a sample viewpoint from a Theravada Buddhist in Malaysia, I quote from a letter written by Ven Dr K Sri Dhammananda in response to a gay Singaporean:

"The third of the five precepts we recite in daily Buddhist practice is: undertake the training rule to refrain from sexual misconduct. By misconduct, it is meant behaviour which harms the person who does the act or the other party

"This in a way means that if both parties are consenting adults, there is no harm done. In Buddhism we do not consider any action "sinful" in the sense that we transgress a divine commandment. We act wrongly because of ignorance and therefore we commit an Akusala Kamma (unskilful action) which delays or interferes with our spiritual progress.

"In this connection, Buddhism does not recognise that marriage is a divinely ordained institution which suddenly makes sex okay ... Sex is caused by a craving just like craving for food, liquor, drugs, wealth, power. Attachment to any of these constitutes Akusala Kamma. Buddhism does not see homosexuality as wrong and heterosexuality as right . Both are sexual activity using the body, both are strong expressions of lust which increase desire for life and therefore trap us longer in Samsara.

"We do not condemn homosexuality as wrong and sinful, but we do not condone it either, simply because it, like other forms of sex, delays our deliverance from Samsara.

(Dr K Sri Dhammananda is a very well known and respected Buddhist leader in the Malaysian Buddhist community and is the leader of the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana which manages the Buddhist Maha Vihara, founded by the Singhalese community in Malaysia. He is also the senior religious adviser to the World Buddhist Sangha Council, the president of the Malaysia Singapore Sri Lankan Sangha Council as well as religious adviser to over 50 different Malaysian Buddhist associations.)

Most Western Buddhist teachers who are dharma heirs (ie trained and qualified to pass on the teachings of the Buddha) of their Asian Buddhist teachers are accepting of homosexual relationships, as long as they are consensual, monogamous and based on compassion.

Therefore a man who has a family and children and indulges in an occasional fling or two without the knowledge of his wife (something that is perhaps accepted in some parts of Malaysian society) is considered in Buddhist terms to be less ethical than a man who stays committed to another man (or woman to another woman) in a life-long monogamous relationship.

From a Christian viewpoint, the debate on homosexuality is far more intense, particularly in the West, and has been on-going for over 20 years.

A very good example is the recent controversy in the Anglican Church (the Church of England) which has more than 70 million members worldwide, where the current Archbishop of Canterbury (the head of the Church) Dr Rowan Williams nominated an openly gay but celibate priest, Dr Jeffrey John to be the bishop of Reading, but later had to ask him to resign because of intense protests from conservative church branches, particularly in Africa.

Having being a Christian in Malaysia for many years, my experience is that the large majority of Christians in Malaysia are from the 'conservative' group which advocate a direct, literal reading of the bible where homosexuality is clearly prohibited.

This however is not the only viewpoint on the interpretation of the bible, and there are many 'liberal' scholars, bishops and clerics in the West that make an alternative interpretation which welcomes monogamous, loving homosexual relationships.

For example, in the US there is a large schism in the Presbyterian Church and the United Methodist Church regarding this issue and other issues like the ordination of women clergy.

I would like to stress that I am not advocating or promoting homosexuality, rather stating some facts on this issue from both the Buddhist and Christian viewpoint.

There is ample quality material available on the Internet that debates this issue from both supporting and dissenting views for all other religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Bahai. There are also religious groups that involve gay people from all faiths in the West, even including Islam. (For example, al-Fatiha )

Last but not least, it is interesting to note that the Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has admitted in an interview with Time magazine that Singapore has begun employing homosexuals within the government, in a reversal of its previous policy. However, they have still not considered decriminalising homosexuality due to pressure from religious groups.