Han Huanzhong
Chinese Buddhism uses the method of judging teaching to integrate various doctrines of Buddhist scriptures and forms two major doctrines, Tiantai and Huayan.Chinese Buddhism believes that all kinds of practice methods are just conveniences for peace of mind, enlightenment, and enlightenment, thus achieving the harmony of practice methods.Chinese Buddhism uses the methods of "special meaning", "comparison" and "integration" to integrate with the Confucian and Taoist schools, and gains a place in the Chinese cultural structure.From "disrespectful to the king" to "worshiping the king and the relatives", from "begging for food and guards" to "equal emphasis on agriculture and Zen", Buddhism has finally integrated into the secular social life of Middle-earth and achieved harmony between monks and laymen.A basic idea of the development of contemporary human Buddhism is to use harmonious wisdom to guide Buddhism to adapt to socialism, live in peace with other religions, and actively conform to the nature of contemporary sentient beings.
Keywords Modern significance of Chinese Buddhism's view of harmony
Author Han Huanzhong, born in 1970, PhD in philosophy, and a teacher in the Department of Philosophy of Soochow University.
Chinese Buddhism considers problems from a harmonious perspective and solves problems in a harmonious way, which is a kind of religion full of harmonious spirit.The round is perfect and complete, without any shortcomings.Chinese Buddhism believes that all sentient beings are roaming in the sea of suffering of life and death because of the obscurity of ignorance, but they all have their own perfect Buddha nature. Once the obscurity of ignorance is broken and consciousness becomes wisdom, they can become enlightened and become Buddhas.This is the Buddhist theory of Buddha nature in Chinese Buddhism.Those who are integrated, have no attachment to anything.Buddhism believes that everything is caused by various reasons (because )and conditions (edge )The combination of the combination of the body does not have an eternal and unchanging self-nature, and is empty in nature. Therefore, people should break their attachment to various things and regard them as convenience and means. They can be cleverly used to save the world and benefit sentient beings, but they cannot become attached to them.This is the Prajna of Chinese Buddhism (wisdom )View.The Perfect View is a Buddhist wisdom formed by perfectly combining the Buddha nature theory with the Prajna view.This wisdom is fully reflected in many aspects such as doctrine, practice, internal and external, monks and laymen, and can still have many inspirations for today.
1。Comprehensive teachings
Chinese Buddhism uses the method of judging teaching to integrate various doctrines of Buddhist scriptures.The first of the ten high monks who conducted the sanctions was Huiguan, Taochang Temple in the Liu Song Dynasty during the Southern Dynasties. By the Sui and Tang Dynasties, a two-dimensional sanctions system was formed.
Based on criticizing various judging teachings in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Master Zhizhe founded the Tiantai Sect's teaching theory based on the Lotus Sutra's ideas of "opening power and showing reality" and "comprehensive three to one" as the basis.The wise man's judgment includes the order, method, and content of the Buddha's teachings. Later generations generally summarize it as "Five Times and Eight Teaches".The "Five Times" refer to the Huayan period, the Luyuan period, the Fang period, the Prajna period, and the Nirvana period, which is the order of the Buddha's teachings and teachings.When the Buddha first attained enlightenment, he suddenly preached the "Avatamsaka Sutra" for the great Bodhisattvas. As the sun first came out, he shone the mountains first, and had a sharp root and wisdom. When he heard it, he was enlightened. The two vehicles were here, as if they were deaf and dumb.To transform the two vehicles, the Buddha hides the infinite divine virtues, appears in a kilogram, and goes to the deer garden to turn to the Four Truths *The wheel of the various sects can be contained, so that the two vehicles can temporarily rest on the dust and fatigue.The Buddha saw that the two vehicles had abandoned evil and returned to the right, and was afraid of being indulging in emptiness and silence. At the third time, he talked about the various "Fang and Geng" and refuted the shallowness and lamented that people praised the perfection, so that the two vehicles could return to their minds and abandon the small and enter the great.After the two vehicles were pierced and pierced, their minds were towards the Mahayana. The Buddha preached the various "Prajna" in the fourth season, integrating and eliminating them, and dispelling them from each other.The teachings of sentient beings have gone through the four seasons and are proficient in their ability. When they come to the Lotus Sutra Conference, the Buddha talked about his original intention, opened the teachings of the two vehicles, revealed the truth of the One Vehicle, and told them to be the true nature of all dharmas, and gave them a prediction to become a Buddha, just like harvesting in autumn and hiding in winter, and the personnel and affairs are about to be completed in one year;The Buddha preached the Nirvana Sutra one day and one night before his death, and promoted the eternal principles and preached the eternal existence of the Buddha nature, and all sentient beings had. They prepared the cause and condition for sentient beings who had not been saved at the Lotus Sutra meeting. They were like picking up the fallen leaves and returning to the warehouse.Sudden, gradual, uncertain, and secret, namely the four teachings of transformation and ritual, are the methods of teaching by the Buddha, such as prescriptions.The four teachings of sacrificial, distinction, and perfection are the contents of the Buddha's teachings, such as the taste of medicine.The Buddha prescribes medicine according to the prescriptions and teaches the five sutras of the times, and transforms and guides all living beings.In this way, the wise teacher took the Lotus Sutra as the center and integrated various Buddhist scriptures and theories, and organized them into an orderly system.
Master Xianshou combined various sanctions by the monks and great masters of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, created the "Five Teachings and Ten Sects" and established the Huayan Sect's sanctions system.The contents of the five teachings are: 1. Hinayana teachings, which tell the Four Noble Truths, the Twelve Relationships, etc. to Hinayana, namely "Agama", etc.2. The Mahayana teachings teach you the sutras such as "Prajna" and "Ten Secrets of Understanding" to those who have just entered the Mahayana.3. The end teaching of the human vehicle is to say that the true nature produces impurities and pure dharmas according to circumstances, and its essence is originally pure. Therefore, it is said that the two vehicles and all sentient beings should become Buddhas, as stated in the Sutras of "Lankavatara", "Sutra" and "Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana Sutra".4. The sudden teaching means not establishing words and sentences, but only distinguishing the true nature, and not setting a level to eliminate confusion and realize the truth. It is the teaching of sudden cultivation and enlightenment, as stated in the Vimalakirti Sutra.5. The perfect teaching is to teach the One Vehicle and complete teachings, the sea of nature is harmonious, and it arises according to the conditions to form an endless Dharma realm, without hindrance to each other, appearance is entering into each other, one is entering all positions, all positions are one, and ten faiths are full of minds and attain enlightenment, so it is called "perfect", as stated in the "Avatamsaka Sutra" and "Lotus Sutra".This doctrine is divided into the One Vehicle, the One Vehicle, the One Vehicle, the One Vehicle, the One Vehicle, the One Vehicle.
There are two sects of Chinese Buddhists: Tiantai and Huayan, such as the historians: Ban and Ma, Li and Du in the poetry world, and Su and Xin in the Ci Garden. The two peaks confront each other, which seem to be opposite and true, and each integrates Buddhist scriptures into a unified doctrinal and ideological system.The judgment of the two sects of Tiantai and Huayan can provide a general framework for people to understand Buddhism in general, and their meaning can provide people with a doctrine system background for understanding a certain classic. Later, it developed into a basic way for sectarian Buddhism to interpret scriptures and promote principles, and is a concentrated reflection of the harmonious doctrine of Chinese Buddhism.
2．Practice in harmony
Buddhism not only has rich and colorful classics and profound and extraordinary doctrines, but also has various methods of practice.To make the scriptures enter the mind and apply the doctrine, one must start practicing.For these various methods of practice, if you stick to one and give up many, it is natural and not others, it will inevitably lead to disputes.The ancient Chinese genius emphasized that the purpose of practice is to "be at ease in the mind", "understand the mind and nature", and "to enable sentient beings to enlighten the Buddha's knowledge and views". All kinds of practice methods are just a convenience for peace of mind, enlightenment, and enlightenment, thus achieving the harmony of practice methods.
Tiantai Sect advocates the dual cultivation of meditation and contemplation, and the simultaneous progress of understanding and practice.Master Zhizhe said that there are works that specialize in teaching practice methods such as "Explanation of the Stages of Zen Bharamāmā", "Six Wonderful Gates", "Essence of Meditation and Contemplation", "Maha Contemplation and Contemplation", and "Contemplation and Contemplation of the Mind".Master Zhizhe organized the Buddhist practice methods into a system with deep and orderly order and orderly sequence.In the eyes of wise men, all Buddhist practices can be summarized into the five elements such as "holy practice", "bracharya practice", "heaven practice", "baby practice", and "illness practice" mentioned in the "Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra".Among the "holy practices", they can be divided into "holy practices of precepts", "holy practices of concentration", and "holy practices of wisdom"."Preventions and practices" include the practice of various Buddhist precepts and the repentance and purity after violations;"Sacred Practice" includes "worldly meditations" such as "four meditations and eight concentrations", "worldly meditations" such as "four meditations and eight concentrations", "worldly meditations" such as "four mindfulness, eight mindfulness, eight reluctances, eight absolute places, ten all places, sixteen special virtues, observation, refinement, intoxication, and practice, and "worldly superior meditations" with the content of "nine great meditations";"Sacred Virtue" is the distinction and understanding of the Buddhist truth."Brahmacharya" is a pure and free from desires, "Heavenly move" is a practice that conforms to the truth, "Baby move" is a way to look down on the opportunity, and "Disease move" is to enter into danger.The wise emphasizes that "one action has five elements" and "the five elements have one mind."The wise man later talked about the "Maha Samaya Contemplation", which sang "the realm of observation", "the mind of enlightenment", "cleverness of cessation", "breaking the law of the law", "knowing the obstacles", "helping the way to cure", "adjust the Tao", "adjust the Tao", "adjust the second level", "being able to be patient", "not being able to love", and other "ten methods of practice" were integrated into various Buddhist practice methods in the way of "talking about the methods in one's mind", and tearing the scholars' "contemplation" method also found a foundation for Buddhist practice, and forging the great wisdom of Tiantai Sect's "one thought of ignorance of the Dharma nature mind possesses three thousand worlds, emptiness, falseness and middle".
Compared with the Tiantai Sect's emphasis on dual cultivation of meditation and insight, Huayan Sect seems to emphasize the wisdom of observation.According to legend, the "Five Teachings of the Avatamsaka Sutra" written by Du Shun, the first ancestor of Huayan, points out: "Practitioners practice Taoism, simplify evil and enter the right path, there are five methods of cessation and contemplation: 1. The Dharma has self but no door, 2. The door of birth is no door, 3. The door of the perfection of matters and principles, 4. The door of both speech and contemplation, 5. The door of Huayan Samadhi."These five gates of meditation can actually summarize all the practice methods of Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism, while the expanded discussions below each gate express the characteristics of the rational thinking.This feature was inherited by the later Huayan family.There is a passage in the "Avatamsaka Sutra" of the Huayan Dharmazang, the actual founder of Huayan Sect. Chengguan is considered to be Du Shun's "Avatamsaka Dharma Realm View", which proposes three methods of "The View of True Vacuum", "The View of Unobstructed Affairs", and "The View of Pervasive Conformity", which has become the general outline of the practice of the Huayan Sect's view of Dharma.Starting from the perspectives of "imitation of appearance", "internal entry", "compatibility" and "equality", the Huayan School vigorously promotes the contemplation of the "Avatamsaka Samadhi Gate", advocates "Samāvatamsaka practice", and promotes "one-action, all-action" and "one-practice, all-practice". That is, practicing any method is to practice all Buddhist methods, which can achieve the merits of achieving all Buddhist methods, just like "taste a drop of sea water and know the taste of hundreds of rivers."In this way, the numerous Buddhist practice methods no longer have the meaning of opposition or contradictory, but have become the support for the ten great masters to invite travel to the sea of nature in the Dharma Realm.
The sects that have the greatest influence on Chinese Buddhism are Zen and the Ten Pure Land Sects.Zen Buddhism claims to be "secreting the heart with the heart" and "transmitting other than the teachings".At first glance, it seems that it is advocating the opposition between religion and religion, but in fact it is to reverse the formal and external tendency in the study of scriptures and meditation practice, so that it can be implemented in the hearts of practitioners.Therefore, when Zen Buddhism was extremely prosperous, some Zen masters also sang, "Zen is the heart of the Buddha, the sutras are the words of the Buddha, and the hearts and mouths of all Buddhas will not be contrary to each other." (Secret Words of Guifeng Sect )，Use the sect to match the teachings and use the sect to promote the harmony between the sect and the sect.Although there are also oppositions between gradual and sudden changes within Zen Buddhism, it also emphasizes that "the Dharma does not have sudden gradual changes, and there are slowness and speed", "the Dharma does not have north and south, and its roots are sharp and dull", and ultimately, the sudden and gradual integration is integrated. "Understanding requires sudden enlightenment, and practice is gradual cultivation", and "Sudden enlightenment does not hinder gradual cultivation, and gradual cultivation does not hinder sudden enlightenment" have become common views in the Buddhist community.Pure Land Buddhism regards "reciting Buddha's name and being reborn" as the "easy way to practice" of "relying on the power of Buddha's vows", and other practices are "unreliable way to practice" that rely entirely on one's own strength. Although there is suspicion of self-praise, it does not deny that other practices are also the teachings of the Buddha.Since the Five Dynasties entered the Song Dynasty, Yongming prolonged his life and advocated that "all good things will return together."This means that whether it is studying the scriptures, chanting Buddha's name and meditation, or even cultivating blessings and virtues, rejoicing and praising, all good deeds of great and small, "all towards Bodhi" are Buddhist practices towards purity and liberation.Various methods of practice are so perfect that they become unobstructed.
3．Inside and outside
Buddhism calls itself "internal scriptures" or "internal learning", and calls religions or doctrines outside Buddhism "heterodians", "external learning" or "world-study".In India, Buddhism is one of the so-called "ninety-six Paths", which means that Buddhism must compete with the ninety-five "heterods" at the same time.After Buddhism was introduced to China, the cultural situation faced by people changed significantly. Ninety-five "heterodians" did not come with it. The two schools of Confucianism and Taoism were mainly engaged in negotiations with Buddhism.When Buddhism was introduced, both Confucian and Taoist cultures were already very developed and mature. Buddhism could neither overestimate the main people nor replace them.If Buddhism wants to take root in China, it must give full play to the spirit of "not destroying worldly laws and telling the truth of all laws" and be harmonious with the Confucian and Taoist schools in order to gain a place in the Chinese cultural structure.
Buddhism integrates into the central ten societies with the two schools of Confucianism and Taoism as the mainstream ideas."Geyi" means using the concepts of Confucianism and Taoism to explain the difficult names and forms in Buddhist scriptures, so that people can understand and understand Buddhist teachings, and thus create beliefs, such as using Taoist "nothing" to explain Buddhism's "emptiness" and using Taoist "inaction" to understand Buddhism's "non-action".The rich meanings of Buddhism are expressed by rich names and names, and there is no such thing as the world. These names and names do not have appropriate corresponding words in the Middle Earth language. The early monks and masters of Chinese Buddhism had to use the more familiar Laozi and Zhuangzi thoughts or Confucian views to understand and preach Buddhist theories, which laid the basic characteristics of Chinese Buddhism and formed the earliest batch of works of Chinese Buddhism.Reading the works of Daoan, Huiyuan, Sengzhao and others, you can experience the rich taste of Laozi and Zhuangzi's metaphysics.In other words, the works of these founders of Chinese Buddhist theory are actually ideological achievements formed by taking Buddhism as the main body and absorbing and integrating Confucianism and Taoism."Compare" means comparing Buddhist views with the Confucian and Taoism and matching their meanings. The most typical example is that it compares the "Five Constant Virtues" of Buddhism with the "Five Precepts" of Confucianism.The "Five Precepts" in Buddhism refer to the five precepts of "not killing, not stealing, not committing adultery, not lying, and not drinking alcohol". The "Five Constant Virtues" in Confucian refer to the five ethical virtues of "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, and trustworthiness".Many eminent monks since the Southern and Northern Dynasties believed that "not killing" means "benevolence:", "not stealing" means "righteousness", "not committing adultery" means "ritual", "not lying" means "faith", and "not drinking alcohol" means "wisdom".The comparison of the "Five Precepts" with the "Five Constant Virtues" shows that Buddhism can "assist the teachings and transformations" and "major merits in governance."Through "Grade and Meaning" and "Comparison", Buddhism integrates many ideological factors of Confucianism and Taoism into its own teachings, enhancing its affinity for the people of Central China.
If "子中" and "子中" are mostly limited to the integration of the concepts of names and appearances, then "歐中" means that Buddhism integrates the entire ideological system of Confucianism and Taoism into its own doctrine.Buddhism has the so-called "Human Mahayana" and "Human and Heavenly Teachings", that is, practicing the "Five Precepts and Ten Virtues" can bring blessings to continue to be a human or ascend to heaven in the next life. This is Buddhism's tolerance and acceptance of worldly laws, and it is the most recent teaching method in Buddhism.Confucianism attaches great importance to filial piety. Rulers of all dynasties often claim to "govern the country with filial piety", and in terms of employment, it is also "seeking loyal ministers to filial sons."In order to avoid the criticism of "donating the king and his parents, being unfaithful and unfilial", Buddhism also includes classics that promote filial piety, such as the "Ullam Bon Sutra" and "Parents' Gratitude Difficult to Repay", and the saying "One person becomes a monk, nine tribes ascend to heaven", which incorporates Confucianism, the most grassroots ethical concept, into its own doctrine system.During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, a "Pure Practice Sutra" was also circulated, saying that the Buddha sent three great disciples, including Mahaka, Confucian Bodhisattva, and Guangtao Tongzi, to Zhendan, and Yingsheng implemented the teaching of inaction and the transformation of rituals and music for the three sages, Lao Tzu, Confucius, and Yan Hui, to lay the foundation for the Eastern spread of Buddhism.Many eminent monks in Middle-earth believe that Confucianism advocates ethical morality, and Taoism and Taoism advocate purity of mind and few desires, which can be absorbed into the "human and heavenly religion" of Buddhism and regarded it as a convenient means to benefit sentient beings in Buddhism.
Through "meaning", "comparison" and "integration", Buddhism has achieved a harmonious and mutual understanding with the Confucian and Taoist schools, and can even integrate the Confucian and Taoist schools into their own sacrificial system.But there is one thing that Buddhism cannot be changed no matter what, that is, Confucianism’s mainstream status in Middle-earth culture and the local advantages of Taoism.Confucianism focuses on the world, rituals and music education, and advocates loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness. It is a political theory and thought that has been regarded as the basis for government orders and education by rulers of all dynasties;Taoism and Taoism attach great importance to tranquility and inaction, and practice health preservation. ／A broad social impact.During the long-term ideological negotiation process of the three schools, Buddhism also highlighted the advantages of theoretical thinking and the function of spiritual comfort, thus the sayings of "governing the world with Confucianism, governing the body with Tao, governing the heart with Buddhism" and "learning Confucianism for thirty, studying Taoism forty, and studying Buddhism forty" were introduced. Buddhism was integrated into the Chinese cultural structure by demarcating boundaries for the three schools: different fields of action are interconnected and inseparable, and it is a development sequence from the outside to the inside, from one to the other, which ensures the ideological advantages of Buddhism over the two schools of Confucianism and Taoism.
4．The integration of monks and lay people
In ancient India, people who became monks and studied Taoism regarded them as gods and rushed to offer them.Even if you are as noble as a monarch or minister, and as close as parents or brothers, you must be close to monks and be promising to the bottom of your head and face. Therefore, the authority of religion is always above the secular regime and family affection.There was no custom of becoming a monk in China in ancient times, and he always despised the behavior of begging for food. The whole society was the most important, and it was noble with its relatives.After Buddhism was introduced to China, the differences between monk organizations and secular life were obvious.However, after hundreds of years of integration, to the founding of the Chinese Buddhist sect, especially when Zen was founded, Buddhism finally integrated into the secular social life of Middle-earth, achieving harmony between monks and laymen.
From "disrespectful to the king" to "worshiping the king and relatives", Chinese Buddhism has achieved a harmony with secular politics and blood relatives.Buddhism involved in Middle-earth life on a large scale after the Eastern Jin Dynasty.At that time, the Jin Dynasty was in a corner, and the "Five Barbarians" were varied in the Central Plains.Empress monks such as Zhu Fotucheng, Dao'an, and Kumarajiva were supported and respected by regimes such as the Later Zhao, Former Qin, and Later Qin, respectively. Huiyuan was able to linger in the mountains and forests with high ebb and shadows. Buddhism seemed to preserve the old custom of "resisting the kings and princes".But this is just a reflection of the weak and powerless minorities who have just entered the Central Plains are eager to seek spiritual support and the weak and weak regime of the regime.Once a powerful figure comes to power, he will inevitably sacrifice the flag of "the wind and tracks all over the world, the rope is named Tian-Bu" and ask Buddhist monks to pay tribute to the rulers: when the Buddhist power is too strong and can control the current situation, the rulers will even create "difficult to the Dharma" and adopt the extreme policy of "destroying Buddha".Since the Later Qin Dynasty, the central and local governments have established complete and systematic monks' institutions, and have incorporated the management of monks into the track of national political life.On the one hand, in order to ensure the source of corvee service, military service and taxation, the rulers also frequently "sand out of the monks and nuns" and repeatedly asked monks and nuns to pay tribute to the emperor in the form of state edicts.On the other hand, in order to win the hearts of the people, the rulers will also pay attention and support to this religion with many believers.Faced with the surging political pressure, although eminent monks and great masters have emerged to protect the Dharma in all dynasties, they finally surrendered to the secular royal power and family affection, and became a monk and did not forget their loyalty and filial piety, which became the result of the harmony between Buddhism and worldly Dharma.Many monks also gradually realized that "if you do not rely on the king, it will be difficult to establish a ritual." (Daoan )，Therefore, when preaching the scriptures and preaching, or when dying, they often express their intentions to the high-ranking officials and nobles.
From "begging for food and guards" to "equal emphasis on agriculture and Zen", Chinese Buddhism has achieved a harmony with Middle-earth economy and people's customs;Indian Buddhism accepts the offerings of believers and transforms the world in the form of "begging for food and defending", while China takes thrift and self-sufficiency as its virtue.In the early Buddhist scriptures, in addition to questioning Buddhism for being "unfaithful and unfilial";He also attacked the monks to "play with food".Probably since Hongren in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, Chinese Buddhist monks began to rely on their own strength to build temples, erect Buddha statues, cultivate land and farm, and eat by themselves.This opened up the fine tradition of "supporting agriculture and Zen" in Chinese Buddhism, and solved the contradiction between "promoting Taoism" and "seeking food".Baizhang Huaihai insists on "not doing one day, not eating one day" (A hundred feet of water )，Make "out of the slope" a regular Zen lesson.Later, the temple economy became a form of landlord economy and achieved a perfect combination with the feudal system.
5．The modern value of the view of Chinese Buddhism
After long-term friction and integration, Chinese Buddhism has formed a rich tradition of harmonious wisdom and harmoniousness, and has finally been integrated into Chinese traditional culture from an alien religion, spread throughout Tongdu Dayu, famous mountains and rivers, and even remote areas.As the stars change, the historical forms of ancient and modern times have undergone earth-shaking changes.The view of Chinese Buddhism in harmony, "all sentient beings have Buddha nature", "no attachment to reality, equality and sameness", can still inspire many aspects to the mainstream of thought in the Buddhist world today - human Buddhism - today.
First, guide Buddhism to adapt to socialism with harmonious wisdom.In contemporary China, socialism is both a mainstream ideology and a current social system.Buddhism can regard "serving the people" as a modern expression of "saving all living beings", regard "public ownership" as the economic basis of "profit and equality", regard "distribution according to work" as the institutional guarantee of "not doing one day, not eating one day", and regards MZD Thoughts, Deng Xiaoping Theory and Scientific Outlook on Development are regarded as theories of "governing the world", and Buddhism is regarded as the spiritual home for individuals to settle their souls;Actively participate in the National People's Congress and the CPPCC, use the form of democracy and the legal system to express one's own voice, and safeguard one's own interests: participate in various social undertakings to "grave the country and benefit sentient beings."Only by integrating socialism into its own ideological system can Buddhism find a place in contemporary China.The theoretical creation in this aspect requires contemporary monks to make in-depth and systematic research on Buddhism and socialism, and to integrate the two with a high level of wisdom. This aspect requires the joint efforts of the entire Buddhist community.
Second, guide Buddhism to live in peace with other religions with harmonious wisdom.In contemporary China, in addition to Buddhism, there are also religions such as Taoism, Christianity, Catholicism, and Islam.After all, there is no fault in the praise of each religion, but if it is self-righteous rather than him, it violates the policy of freedom of religious belief.Only when all religions share "freedom of belief" can Buddhism "freedom of belief".In other words, the enjoyment of freedom of belief in other religions is the guarantee of freedom of belief in Buddhism, and it is impossible to have freedom of belief that belongs only to Buddhism.The harmony and harmony between Buddhism and various religions is not only a need for harmony in the entire society, but also a need for Buddhism's own interests.
Third, guide Buddhism to be in line with the nature of contemporary sentient beings with harmonious wisdom.Since modern times, science and technology have developed rapidly, philosophy and social sciences have flourished, various theories have deepened human cognition, the rationality of the subject's self has been promoted, and irrationality has also been deeply understood;Social life has also undergone tremendous changes, and concepts such as equality, democracy, and the rule of law have been deeply rooted in people's hearts.From a Buddhist standpoint, these achievements of human civilization have two effects on the nature of sentient beings: on the one hand, they make people very smart and easily accept those views that conform to their cognitive tendencies.For example, those who are obsessed with existentialism have a deep understanding of the "troublesomeness", "worry", and "expanding to death" in life, so they are very likely to have the same feeling as Buddhism says, "life is suffering" and "hard to obtain a human body";Those who have studied postmodernism usually use anti-essence, anti-foundation, anti-rationality, anti-subject and eliminate centralization to observe things. They deeply agree with the views of Buddhism such as "emptiness", "formless", "no body", and "no thought".On the other hand, it makes sentient beings prosper, their arrogance increase, and their evil views become extremely difficult to control.For example, the irrationalism's purpose of desire, the analytical school's rejection of "private language" and metaphysics, etc., are inevitably confronting many Buddhist views.If Buddhism wants to play a role in modern humans, it must give full play to its inherent harmonious wisdom.
Excerpted from: "World Religion Research" Issue 04, 2006
