Mysteries of the World According to Buddhism

Mysteries of the World
According to Buddhism
By Khenpo Sodargye
Translated by the Wisdom and Compassion Translation Center
Bodhi Institute of Compassion and Wisdom USA
Table of Contents
Love—The Lifeboat in the Ocean of Samsara
——Founding Speech for the Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Public Foundation.... 1
The Material World in the Eyes of Buddhism
——Lecture at Shanghai Fudan University.................................................................. 7
Question and Answer Session
at Shanghai Fudan University National Study Society ............................................... 27
Buddhist View of the Science of Life
——Nanjing University Doctoral Forum ................................................................... 41
Question and Answer Session
at Nanjing University Doctoral Forum ....................................................................... 55
Tibetan Buddhism and Our Daily Lives
——Speech at Renmin University of China ............................................................... 70
Question and Answer Session
at Renmin University of China ................................................................................... 81
Translators' Acknowledgments ......................................................................................... 85
About the Author .............................................................................................................. 86
Credit................................................................................................................................. 87
Copyright .......................................................................................................................... 88
About the Publisher........................................................................................................... 89
II
Love—The Lifeboat in the Ocean of Samsara
Founding Speech for the Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Public Foundation
(March 7, 2011, evening)
Speech from the host:
Good afternoon everyone. First of all, many thanks for attending this opening
ceremony and press conference for the Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Public
Foundation.
Yesterday, the weather in Shanghai was still misty and rainy, but today, as we
establish this charity, the sun is coming out from under the clouds, shining brilliantly and
spreading warmth. This omen seems to indicate that the causes we are creating here are
full of joy, charitable care, and love. We hope that this love spreads from here to every
corner of our society.
Today, we also have a special honorable guest: Khenpo Sodargye. Khenpo is the
Honorary Chairman of the Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Public Foundation, Dean of
the Sichuan Duo Mang Buddhist Institute, an internationally renowned theorist on charity,
activist, translator, and a Buddhist master known as the “Modern Xuanzang.” Together,
Khenpo and the Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Public Foundation have now cofounded the "Wisdom Compassion Fund", for the alleviation of poverty and creation of
employment projects in poverty-stricken areas. May we all please warmly welcome
Khenpo Sodargye.
1
Dear government officials, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and guests,
This afternoon, we are meeting together at this joyful occasion to celebrate the
establishment of the Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Public Foundation. This event not
only is great news for the needy, it is also a meaningful historic event for those loving
and caring people who love and support charitable causes. On behalf of all elderly,
disadvantaged, sick, and disabled people, may I give a warm welcome to everyone.
Likewise, I would like to take this opportunity to speak on behalf of this foundation and
express my heartfelt appreciation to the management department, the assisting units, the
media, and all the caring people who provide such tremendous support for our work.
In this society, there are many kind and caring people willing to do charitable work;
there are also many that need charitable help, such as the old, the weak, the sick, and the
disabled. However, between the two, a strong platform and bridge to link them together
has been lacking. Today, we have established the Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Public
Foundation, so that we can address this need. Meeting this need is indeed something I am
extremely happy about deep down in my heart. This joy is not because I can gain fame,
wealth, status, or benefit of any kind, but because the many needs of the disadvantaged
will be met, and that endeavor is a most constructive and valuable goal.
Here, today, I sincerely pray from my heart: May the virtue and meaning of charity
flourish for the longest time. Even though our lifespan is limited, let the life force of our
charity be infinite. Even on that day when we have to depart from this world, I pray that
the Kindness and Wisdom Public Foundation may continue to function for the benefit of
all those still in need.
If we look at history, we will find that charity already existed in China’s spring and
autumn periods, so we can, therefore, say that China was the first society in the world to
advocate charity. However, in recent decades, especially during the Cultural Revolution,
charitable causes suffered a painful blow, indeed, a setback which it was not possible to
recover from for a long time. Not until recently, after the new advocacy and promotion of
charitable causes by some wise people, has charity started to recover in China. It now
continues to develop.
Even so, while some entrepreneurs and philanthropists are eager to help, they cannot
find a good channel through which to do so. Similarly, while some needy people hope to
receive care and love from others, they can’t find those benefactors. Therefore, we
established this platform so that the needy can receive help, and benefactors can
contribute, each getting what they desire or need. There is an old saying, “If each of us
collects wood and puts it all together, and then lights the fire, it will create a roaring
flame.” When we combine the resources of all the benefactors, those who will contribute
money, those who can contribute hours of work, who will contribute their time, then each
of us can participate in our best way to help the disadvantaged. This joint effort will
certainly enhance our community's moral value as a whole.
Personally, there are two things I like to do the most—one is reading, whether it is
learning about a secular matter, a book from the present or ancient times, the words of a
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native writer, or an overseas writer. Once I start, I forget to eat or sleep and become
completely wrapped up in the book. The other thing I enjoy is to try my best to help
others as much as I can within my small capacity, when causes and conditions call me.
For attendees here today, when you have a need for clothing or food, you never lack
them or have any difficulties in obtaining them. However, you may not be aware that
there are places where people dress in rags and do not have sufficient food to eat, in their
everyday lives. Perhaps if you buy one less branded good, eat one less large and
expensive meal to save twenty to thirty thousand yuan, this amount could help maintain
some of these people for a few years, and even allow poor children to go to school. Your
awareness and contributions can change the fate of a whole life. Just as a flower in a
greenhouse is never shaken by the strong wind and rain outside, our leaders and
entrepreneurs must go outside, look around, and learn. We need to see how many really
needy people are all around us.
Certainly, in the process of helping people, private charities are playing an important
role. There was a statistic from the Ministry of Civil Affairs that showed that in 2006, the
total charitable contributions raised was ten billion yuan. Of that amount, only 3.5 billion
yuan was raised through government channels; the rest was collected from private
charitable organizations or individual contributions. Thus, we can see that nongovernmental social welfare organizations are actually playing a significant role, indeed,
are a great encouragement for our future charitable development here.
There is no doubt that when we help with charitable causes, we uphold the principle
of “equality.” As long as there are hardships, regardless of in which country, ethnicity,
religion, occupation, gender, and so on, we should offer our help. During this process, to
avoid someone exploiting charitable acts for his or her own personal welfare or benefits,
all charitable procedures should be professionally handled, be transparent to the public,
and should be operated with the highest level of ethics and efficiency. We can also learn
much from the concept of international charity.
Perhaps someone may argue: “Charity is only what the rich do; we ordinary people
may not necessarily have this responsibility.” This idea is wrong. True charity is not
about money; it is about the heart. We should not think that we have to be extremely rich
before we can carry out charitable activities. By contrast, everyone should have the
mindset to help others, and view charity as their path and aim in life. Only when we do
this can our aspiration to achieve a harmonious society be truly fulfilled.
In fact, life is very short, so we should make good use of the few decades we have
and do something truly constructive and meaningful. This is especially true for those
extremely wealthy people, who in their limited lifetime may not use their wealth properly
for meaningful causes. Once you depart from this world, you will have that regret. This
morning, when I spoke to an entrepreneur from Ningbo, he told me about an entrepreneur
who had a net worth of 7.4 billion yuan. Last year, that entrepreneur had a severe illness,
but he was still full of hope and never made any will or arrangements about his money
for after his death. One day, he suddenly died, and at that time, even the successor to his
enterprise had not been appointed. For those who have no idea about impermanence, and
who solely strive to earn money, this case undoubtedly raises an alarm. For this reason,
no matter how much money you possess, you should be prepared and arrange in advance
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what you want to do with your wealth. The best choice is to give some of your wealth to
charitable causes when you are gone.
Those who love to carry out charitable acts are extremely happy deep in their hearts.
When they see that due to their efforts a needy person is able to receive help, able to
emerge from hardship, and gain the hope to return to a good life, this feeling cannot be
expressed by words. It can only be described as “Just like when you drink water, whether
it is cold or warm, you feel it yourself.” Likewise, for the recipient of charity, it is hard to
express his or her gratitude in words when someone gives a helping hand at the time of
greatest adversity.
Unfortunately, in our present society, many people only care about themselves. They
want to obtain happiness, joy, and wealth for themselves, but they never think about how
to contribute to others and share that same happiness with others. This problem is closely
related to the education system. During childhood, many people do not receive any
education about charity; they don’t know how to devote themselves to charity and
contribute unselfishly. What they care about is blindly asking for something from others.
On account of this lack, when these young people grow up, whatever they do remains
completely selfish. A society, family, and organization made up of such people will not
have a good mindset and will not give service to the public.
While everyone longs for happiness, most people do not know that the true source of
happiness is helping others, and the source of suffering is selfishness and self-cherishing.
If you want to find happiness, carrying out charitable activities is the best way. In
Chinese, charity is called “Ci Shan.” “Ci” is about having compassion in our heart, and
“Shan” is about selflessly benefiting others. If you can truly achieve this sense of honor
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and commitment, whether you are a government official, the wealthiest person in the
world, or a beggar, your mind will always be enriched, and your future will be bright.
The concept of charity has a long history in the Han area. Confucianism talks about
“benevolence and love,” Buddhism advocates “compassion,” and Taoism speaks about
“accumulating virtues.” Although each religion expresses this idea differently, they all
believe in the concept of saving life, serving the community, and taking care of the
welfare of the people. However, in the 21st century, people are putting their full attention
on economic development. They have completely neglected spiritual development. In
fact, when moral and ethical values in a society are declining and going backward every
day, no matter how much material development progresses and advances, true serenity
and happiness will never be obtained. As such, what we need the most is the
improvement of the overall quality of life, not just more material development alone. We
all should learn altruism and contribute to others without asking for anything in return.
As an enterprise, a charity can actually become part of your corporate culture. Some
businesses sell their products solely to gain economic benefits. However, while ensuring
that you do make money, you can also actively participate in various charities for the
public welfare. Then, not only will you gain economic benefits, you also acquire clear
social benefits. For this reason, I hope that when premised on reasonable and lawful
conditions, you will participate in charity with an open and tolerant attitude. During that
process, whatever adversities you may face, as long as your motivation is to help others,
all seemingly unfavorable conditions will become insignificant.
Previously, in my home town, I had seen many children whose families were not
able to afford their school fees. When I visited their homes, finding out their living
conditions and annual income, I felt sad. In contrast, I found that the waste in many cities
is really outrageous. Just to mention one thing, if we could save money wasted on meals
alone and use that money to provide schooling for poor children, we would certainly
improve and change many lives.
For poor children who were not able to go to school, I negotiated with the
government many times, so that we could expand the existing school and provide free
admission for those poor children. At that time, after learning this news, an entrepreneur
immediately made a commitment to help build this school with me. He is also one of the
participants here today, but since he does not like to be famous, and only wants to help
others quietly, I will not mention his name.
In this world, countless people want to be rich. However, what do they do after they
become rich? Perhaps they buy a car and property. For their close friends and relatives,
the most they can do is provide a little help. As for strangers, even poor university
students or abandoned elderly people with long- term illnesses, they show no interest in
them and pay no attention at all. The altruist intention to benefit needy strangers does not
arise even for a single moment in their minds. Reversing this trend, you came here today
to participate in our charity event, and that is an extremely constructive choice to make
for the future of all charitable causes.
The starting point of charity in contemporary Chinese society is rather late, and there
are many areas that are still not mature. In the future, during the time we have available
to explore this need, we must ensure that all activities are reasonably and lawfully carried
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out. Only by doing so can the development of charity have a real and worthy future. We
also need monitoring by the public and everyone’s cooperation. It is said that “a long
distance tests a horse’s endurance, and time reveals a person’s real character,” so if we
always remain committed to our altruistic goal, in the end, we will gain the trust and
support of society and help many.
All in all, charity is very meaningful, doing charitable acts is the happiest choice, and
charity for public welfare is very helpful to all. Finally, I wish today that everyone here
has good health for a long time, and all your wishes in life come true. Thank you.
6
The Material World in the Eyes of Buddhism
Lecture at Shanghai Fudan University
(March 11, 2011, evening)
Speech from the host:
Many thanks to everyone for joining our wonderful event tonight: yet another
beneficial meeting of the Fudan Buddhist Study Forum, titled “The Material World in the
Eyes of Buddhism.”
For everyone in this world, there is not a single day that we do not interact with the
material world. However, have we truly understood this material world at all? How did
this material world come into being? Are our empirical experiences of this world real?
Today, we are extremely honored to have Khenpo Sodargye, the eminent master of
Tibetan Buddhism, here, to give a lecture on these issues.
Regarding Tibetan Buddhism, many people feel it is something very mystical and
very distant from us. Through the lecture today, I believe that we will have a truer and
deeper understanding of what Tibetan Buddhism really is.
Khenpo Sodargye was born in 1962 in Drakgo (Chinese: Luhuo) in Garze Tibetan
Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan province. He studied at the Garze Normal University.
In 1985, Khenpo gave up his worldly life, became a monk and went to Larung Gar
Serthar Buddhist Institute to rely on Kyabje Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche as his
root guru. Later, he became an eminent Khenpo at the Institute. In 1987, together with
more than ten thousands of monastics and laypeople, Khenpo followed His Holiness
Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche on a pilgrimage to the holy mountain Wu-Tai Shan. Since then,
7
Khenpo started to accept the four kinds of disciples from the Han region. Khenpo has
mastered and is skilled in the teachings of sutra and tantra. For the past twenty years, he
has been teaching the Dharma and translating Buddhist teachings day and night. His
works are amazing; he already has more than one hundred titles in print, and the number
is growing. Khenpo often teaches and urges each of his students: “If sentient beings can
be benefited, even if it is only one person, if we help them generate a kind heart, it is fine
for us to be their servant even for millions of eons.”
Today, Khenpo, in front of us here, came to the Han region with a great
compassionate heart to expound the truth of the Buddhadharma to us. May we with a
respectful and sincere heart, welcome Khenpo to give us his lecture.
Introduction
Homage to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha.
Good evening to all professors, teachers, and students. Today, I am very glad to be
here at Fudan University to share my talk with so many wonderful people. Fudan
University is the first institution of higher education founded entirely by the sole efforts
of the Chinese people. It has always had a strong multicultural atmosphere, as well as a
spirit of academic freedom and openness. This time, through the invitation from the
Religious and Cultural Department, National Studies Society, and Zen Society, I have
come here to discuss the topic “The Material World in the Eyes of Buddhism.” I hope
that through this discussion I can share this topic with everyone here, with my little
understanding and appreciation gained through my years of study of Buddhism.
Before we go into the main topic, it is important that we understand what Buddhism
is. As Buddha said in the Pratimoksha Sutra: “Not to commit any sin, to do good, and to
purify one’s mind, that is the teaching of (all) the Awakened Ones.” That is to say,
engaging in wholesome activities, refraining from all unwholesome activities, and taming
our mind—this is the true meaning of Buddhism. Owing to this, we can see that of the
varieties of different religious philosophies in this world, only one that is able to
completely and selflessly dedicate and give itself to the benefits of human civilization or
the whole of society can be considered as having a Buddhist spirit. It is exactly the
meaning of this spirituality that we are going to discuss today.
I. Superiority of Buddhism in the eyes of the famous Chinese scholar Liang Qi Chao
Faith in Buddhism is a rational faith, not a superstition; it is for the benefit of oneself
and others, not just the benefit of oneself; it is in harmony with secular society, not
constituting a permissive view of life; and it is immeasurable, not limited. These four
points are not the view or understanding of a monastic like myself, but came from a
recent, well-known politician, historian, and writer, Liang Qi Chao. He raised these
points in the article Discussion of the Relation of Buddhism with Society and Politics.
1. Faith in Buddhism is a rational faith, not a superstition
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Buddhism possesses supreme wisdom and unsurpassed great compassion. It is a faith
containing the union of wisdom and compassion. Although some Buddhists may have a
superficial faith, this is an individual mistake, not a fault of Buddhism. From the
beginning, when Buddha pledged his aspiration of bodhicitta, and during his
accumulations of merits, until the two kayas were attained, during this long process, his
single most important aim was to constantly transform delusion into wisdom.
Furthermore, Buddha also personally urged and earnestly cautioned his disciples: “If we
ourselves do not comprehend Buddhism and yet we claim to be believers in Buddhism,
this sin is even greater than that if one slanders Buddhism.” Thus, faith in Buddhism is
definitely not blind superstition.
2. Buddhism is for the benefit of oneself and others, not just the benefit of oneself
Buddhism is not, as some people think, just a superficial, simple ritual, such as
burning incense and making prostrations. In fact, the true meaning of Buddhism is about
liberating and taming the countless and boundless sentient beings by great compassion
and the great love of the mind of bodhicitta. This spirit and action are far beyond all other
charitable activities. Furthermore, the scope of the compassionate heart manifested from
Buddhism encompasses not only humankind, but all living beings. All living beings have
to be treated as if they are our parents. By comparing the spirit of bodhicitta with the
noble philosophies of other systems, be they religious or non-religious systems, the
greatness of this state of mind can be fully appreciated.
3. Buddhism is in harmony with secular society, not constituting a permissive view
of life
The reason why we have faith in Buddhism is not because we are frustrated due to
failures in life, are sick of secular life, and, through this despair, helplessly and
reluctantly follow Buddhist teachings or even become a monastic. There are many people
who think that studying Buddhism means hiding from this world, but this is a
misunderstanding. In Mahayana Buddhism, a practitioner is willing to give up his or her
precious life, or even enter hell to experience immeasurable suffering, for the sake of
saving one sentient being from suffering and giving that being happiness. Since this is so,
what more is there to say about minor sufferings in the secular world? They are definitely
not seen as unbearable, and studying Buddhism is not in order to hide from these.
4. Buddhism is immeasurable, not limited
Unlike the materialist view, Buddhism doesn’t believe that after humans die, they are
completely gone, like an extinguished fire or evaporated water. In fact, our minds will
continuously cycle in the boundless samsara. We should therefore think about our longterm happiness, and not indulge entirely in present temporary suffering and happiness. Of
course, in order to comprehend this principle, long-term study is needed. It is impossible
for you to fully understand it instantly from only a few of my words.
I came across this article by Liang Qi Chao a while back. Today, I cited it here, as
you all are intellectuals who possess a certain degree of knowledge, intelligence, and
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wisdom and can perform analysis. I therefore hope that through his profound words and
speech, some of you might reconsider the truth of Buddhism, after contemplating it.
As we all know, the founder of Buddhism was Shakyamuni Buddha. In 2002, I spent
five months in Xia Men translating from Tibetan to Chinese a text of more than three
hundred thousand words about Shakyamuni Buddha, titled White Lotus: The Legend of
Shakyamuni Buddha. This treatise recorded all the experiences and activities of Buddha,
who has been practicing the six perfections for the sake of sentient beings since countless
eons ago. During the process of my translation, I deeply felt that the reason Shakyamuni
Buddha gave up his head, eyes, flesh, and so on, again and again, for sentient beings, was
precisely for the sake of gaining the fruition of supreme wisdom, so that he could help us
to unlock our wisdom eyes. This appreciation has helped me to gain an irreversible faith
in Buddha deep down in my heart.
At present, some people assume that Shakyamuni Buddha is almost the same as
India’s Mahatma Gandhi. However, this only shows how they know nothing about the
life of Lord Buddha. In fact, many famous people acknowledge such a great sage like
Buddha is unparalleled or matchless. For example, the first Asian to be awarded the
Nobel Prize for Literature, Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, said, “I believe that
Shakyamuni Buddha is our world’s greatest sage!” A friend of Lu Xun, Xu Shoutang,
said in Memory and Impression of My Friend—Lu Xun: “ In 1914, after Lu Xun returned
to China from his studies in Japan, he started to read a large number of Buddhist books
and put great efforts into researching the Buddhadharma. That year, he bought seventy to
eighty books of the Buddhadharma. Included in his purchase were Life and
Enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha, the Diamond Sutra, The Awakening of Faith in
the Mahayana, Discourse on the Stages of Yogic Practice, The Great Tang Records on
the Western Regions, Life of Xuanzang, Memoirs of Eminent Monks, The Reformation to
Buddhist Bibliography of Zhixu's Yuezangzhijin, and so on. At one time, he sighed,
saying to Xu Shoutang: “What a great sage Shakyamuni Buddha was. I often had many
problems about life that are very difficult to solve. But he has given the solutions to most
of them long time ago. What a great sage!”
I had thought about Lu Xun’s words before. Although some people may not want to
listen to his words, words of truth must be accepted. Especially his predictions, comments,
and criticism of some phenomena of the present era of rapid material development are
indeed of profound significance. If thinkers and writers like Lu Xun praised the wisdom
and compassion of Buddha and all Buddha’s teachings to this extent, then what is the
reason for someone who only has a smattering of knowledge about Buddha to slander
Buddhism? If someone really wants to refute Buddhism, it is necessary to carry out study
and research on Buddhism first. Without a complete understanding of Buddhism, it is not
right to wantonly comment on it. Just as the world’s preeminent dramatist, Shakespeare,
advised in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “Do not criticize or comment on something
when you do not know the truth; otherwise, you might have to pay for your mistake with
your life.”
At the moment, there are many people in our society who repeatedly criticize and
refute Buddhism, even though they know nothing about Buddhism. However, the
profundity of Buddhist teachings is as deep as the ocean and as vast as empty space.
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Therefore, even if you are a teacher or student from a higher education institution, it is
impossible to use an ordinary presupposition to overturn Buddhist teachings. Since
ancient times, many philosophers, scientists, and logicians have praised the noble
qualities of Lord Buddha. Thus, it is evident that these qualities are not superficial, as
some may have imagined or presupposed.
A while back, when I was reading the Maharatnakuta Sutra, I came across a few
chapters that focus on expounding the inconceivable noble qualities of Buddha’s body,
speech, and wisdom. When I understood these noble qualities, a great feeling of joy arose
in me. Due to this, I feel it is a shame that many others have not heard about these
qualities. In In Praise of Dependent Arising, Je Tsongkhapa, by articulating the meaning
of emptiness through dependent arising, indirectly praised he who spoke of dependent
arising. Our guru Shakyamuni Buddha was the only one in this world able to elucidate
dependent arising; nobody else could.
Of course, those who do not understand about Buddhism may be doubtful about this.
They may think that Buddha is not necessarily so wonderful, and his teachings may not
necessarily be so profound and vast. However, whatever your position, I hope you first
focus your study and research on Buddhist truths. During this process, you will find your
own answer, and may even be amazed by its profundity. This was exactly the case for Dr.
Rhys Davids (1843-1922), the son of a well-known English clergyman, mentioned in a
book named Blueprint of Happiness, which I had previously read about. Dr. Davids’
original intention in studying Buddhism was to prove the superiority of Christianity over
Buddhism. In the end, he failed in his original task, but achieved a greater victory than he
expected—he became a Buddhist. Through a long-term, in-depth study, the truth of
Buddhism fully convinced him deep down in his heart. He then aspired to and
successfully translated the Pali Buddhist scriptures into English. This made it possible for
thousands of westerners to make their first contact with the precious Buddhadharma, an
act with everlasting benefits for sentient beings.
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At present, people similar to Dr. Davids exist, and there are not just a few of them.
For the sake of refuting or overturning Buddhism, they spent a long period of time
studying and researching Buddhism, but, in the end, they surrendered and bow to the
truth of Buddhism. What is the first thing we all should understand? It is the profundity
and vastness of Buddhism. It is not that we Buddhists are boasting and slandering others.
From a fair and objective position, we investigate and evaluate, and then come to a
conclusion grounded in valid reason.
II. Regarding the three turnings of the Dharma wheel
To summarize, Buddhist doctrines can be divided into the Hinayana and Mahayana.
These two are mainly distinguished by the type of aspiration that we make: If our
meditation and practice are solely for our own joy and happiness, and our own liberation,
even if we study the Mahayana, Pure Land Buddhism, or Vajrayana Buddhism, this can
only be called Hinayana Buddhism. If, however, the motivation for our study,
contemplation, and meditation are to benefit boundless and countless sentient beings so
that they can attain perfect buddhahood, this is called Mahayana Buddhism.
In the present world, there are many lineages of Buddhism; however, they can all be
traced back to the 84,000 Dharma doors that Buddha taught 2,500 years ago. These
84,000 Dharma doors can be summarized as the first turning of the wheel of Dharma, the
second turning of the wheel of Dharma, and the third turning of the wheel of Dharma.
1. The first turning of the wheel of Dharma
The first turning of the wheel of Dharma elucidated the Four Noble Truths. The main
contents of these teachings are the selflessness of a person, the existence of causes and
effects, the existence of samsara, and so forth.
2. The second turning of the wheel of Dharma
The second turning of the wheel of Dharma articulated the Prajñaparamita Dharma
doors, which ascertain that all phenomena are emptiness.
In fact, there are two types of emptiness: Mere emptiness or approximate ultimate
truth is taught to sentient beings who are clinging to reality. This emptiness temporarily
posits that all things and events don’t exist. When ascertaining the actual ultimate nature
of reality, all phenomena are neither posited as existent, non-existent, both, nor neither. It
is beyond the four conceptual extremes and eight extremes of conceptual elaboration.
This state is called great emptiness. It is the ultimate meaning ascertained in the second
turning of the wheel of Dharma.
Of course, to comprehend the concepts mentioned above, it is necessary to carry out
long-term study, contemplation, and meditation. At present, some people, after studying a
few sutras and treatises, assume that they have already mastered the meaning of Buddhist
doctrines and reasoning. They take the words too literally and then start to teach the
Buddadharma; this is quite unreasonable. If you want to truly understand the
Buddhadharma, it is necessary to study and contemplate the Buddhadharma progressively
and systematically.
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The second turning of the wheel of Dharma mainly revealed that, ultimately, all
things and events are great emptiness. This profound meaning is ascertained by the
Madhyamaka view. The founder of the Madhyamaka, Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, was born
after Shakyamuni Buddha entered parinirvana. Through composing The Fundamental
Wisdom of the Middle Way, he analyzed and clarified the ultimate meaning of Buddha’s
teachings in the second turning of the wheel of Dharma. After that, Buddhapalita
composed Buddhapalitavrtti, Bhavaviveka composed The Lamp of Wisdom
(Prajnapradipa), and Chandrakirti composed Introduction to the Middle Way and
Prasannapada. Each of them elucidated Nagarjuna’s treatise differently. These then
formed the two main Madhyamaka schools, namely, the Madhyamaka Prasangika and
Madhyamaka Svatantrika.
The Madhyamaka Prasangika is a school that directly ascertains all phenomena are
great emptiness but not mere emptiness. It targets those who have a sharp mental
disposition. It is similar to the Zen immediate path, which directly points out the original
nature of mind. For those who are equipped with a sharp mental disposition, due to the
maturity of their previous accumulated merit, the teachings from Madhyamaka
Prasangika are in accordance with their mental disposition; therefore, they can quickly
enter into this state of mind.
As for Madhyamaka Svatantrika, it posits that all phenomena exist at a relative level
but at the ultimate level they are mere emptiness. After that, it gradually moves forward
to another level, enters into great emptiness, which is beyond the four conceptual
extremes and eight extremes of conceptual elaboration, and finally meets and merges
with the Madhyamaka Prasangika view. This is similar to the Zen gradual path.
In the Han region, the main sutras that Zen Buddhism studies and practices are the
Mahaprajñaparamita Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, and The Platform Sutra of the Sixth
Patriarch. These are closer to the lineages of the second turning of the wheel of Dharma.
As for the Tibetan region, there are also lineages practicing doctrines from the second
turning of the wheel of Dharma, which include the Chöd lineage, Madhyamaka school,
and so on.
The differences between the Madhyamaka Svatantrika and Madhyamaka Prasangika
schools have been historically debated in large Tibetan Buddhist academies and
monasteries. In fact, these two distinct schools originated from Bhavaviveka and
Chandrakirti, respectively. However, whatever Madhyamaka philosophy is held, the
schools all originated from the world’s earliest Buddhist universities. Many scholars
acknowledged there were two Buddhist universities more than two thousand years ago.
One is Vikramasila University, located in South India. It no longer exists, but countless
eminent Buddhist masters emerged from there. The other one is Nalanda University. In
the past, the Tang Dynasty Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang studied there. Venerable Atisha
and Khenpo Bodhisattva (Shantarakshita) also studied there. The Madhyamaka
philosophies handed down from those two universities were not only passed down
unbroken, but also flourished in the Tibetan Buddhist lineages.
Sometimes, when I visited the debate halls in various monasteries in the Tibetan
region, I often felt that it would be nice if the higher education institutions in the Han
region, such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Fudan University, could also
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offer such Pramana and debate courses. Through debating the Buddhist doctrines and
reasoning, it can eliminate our doubts entirely, thus allowing us to gain a true
understanding of the profundity and subtlety of Buddhadharma. Otherwise, if we are only
able to say a few words about the Buddhadharma, but never gain conviction about them
through debate, then this understanding can never stay forever in our mental continuum,
is not firm, and is thus vulnerable to overturn.
At present, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and many other universities all
have established some Buddhist associations. However, it is important that this shouldn’t
be just at a superficial level. The truth of the Buddhadharma should be studied and
researched systematically. In fact, if Buddhists are able to study the Buddadharma, the
truth of Buddhism will never become just history; this can be entirely proven. Today,
western universities such as Yale University, Harvard University, the University of
Oxford, and the University of Cambridge have Zen societies or centers for studying
debate, and they also often invite Tibetan Buddhist masters to have discussions on
Pramana and Madhyamaka. As such, we should not view Buddhism solely in terms of the
concept of charity or basic activities only.
Of course, for those who are not highly educated but have a kind heart, there is
nothing wrong in putting the Buddhist teachings into practice in terms of charitable work,
and accumulating some merits. However, for people who are highly educated like you, it
is a must to gain conviction in the Buddhadharma through reasoning. As an ordinary
person, although it is very difficult to gain the inconceivable supreme transcendental state
of the arya bodhisattva, it shouldn’t be too hard to gain irreversible faith in and the
wisdom of the Buddhadharma.
In 1985, I embarked on Buddhist studies at Larung Buddhist Institute, an advanced
Buddhist University in the Tibetan region. Since then, twenty-five years have passed.
During those twenty-five years, while I was studying there, I also gave some teachings.
When I spoke to Professor Wang here, just now, I found out that, like me, he has spent
twenty-five years focusing on studying and researching the truth of religion, while also
guiding students in the Faculty of Religion at Fudan University. From one point of view,
we can say that twenty-five years is quite a long time, but from another it can seem quite
short. During that time, we have both felt deep down in our heart the profundity and
subtlety of Buddhism. We share a strong belief that studying Buddhism requires longterm research, and also strong determination is needed. Our faith in Buddhism shouldn’t
waver due to just a few adversities and frustrations.
At present, some Buddhists’ enthusiasm for studying Dharma is short-lived. At the
beginning, they are extremely ambitious, proudly proclaiming that they want to gain
confidence in the Dharma and compassion, and that they must renounce everything, then
they give up their families and careers. However, in a month or two, they go back to their
worldly life, and their passion for Buddhism vanishes without trace. This is not very good.
In fact, the Buddhadharma expounded by Shakyamuni Buddha has different expectations
for laypeople and monastics. For laypeople, it is not necessary to give up everything, like
Milarepa did.
Many people ask me this question: “Buddhism is beyond worldly matters. Since it is
so, shouldn’t I do what Milarepa did?” I reply to them: “The state that Milarepa
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possessed was the highest level among Buddhist practitioners. As for ordinary people,
there are not the same high requirements. Since you live in a city, while studying and
putting the Dharma into practice, you should also take responsibility for your family, and
do whatever you should do. In this way, your life and Dharma practice will not contradict
each other.”
In fact, in the history of Buddhism, there have been many eminent masters appearing
to be lay practitioners. I heard that Fudan is studying the Vimalakirti Sutra and the Sutra
on the Upasaka Precepts. These are the Buddha’s teachings specifically for lay
practitioners so that they can live their life while being able to practice the
Buddhadharma. Ultimately, laypeople can also attain enlightenment. If they don’t realize
this, they will feel that Buddhism is not compatible with ordinary life and will be in
conflict with themselves. Due to this, they will not make substantial strides in their
practice, will become a loser, and will end up with nothing.
3. The third turning of the wheel of Dharma
The focal point of the third turning of the wheel of Dharma is the elucidation of
Buddha nature (tathagatagarbha). Regarding this principle, Buddha articulated it in the
Lankavatara Sutra, and Bodhisattva Asvaghosa also described it in The Awakening of
Faith in the Mahayana. In fact, the doctrines of the third turning of the wheel of Dharma
are not contradictory to the doctrines of the second turning of the wheel of Dharma. To
grasp this principle, it is indispensable to study Sublime Continuum. After studying this,
you will understand that, conventionally, all sentient beings possess Buddha nature; this
is exactly what it says in the sutras: “All sentient beings possess the noble qualities of
Tathagata.”
We can also view the three turnings of the wheel of Dharma expounded by Lord
Buddha as the stages or steps we go through for attaining buddhahood. Doctrines from
the first turning of the wheel of Dharma are about eliminating the clinging to the nature
of phenomena as real; the second turning of the wheel of Dharma eradicates both clinging
to the nature of phenomena as real and grasping to mere emptiness; the third turning of
the wheel of Dharma clarifies that when all conceptual thoughts of “existence” and “nonexistence” have truly ceased, what is left is not like empty space, which contains nothing,
but that something transcendental and beyond the descriptions of words and thoughts
does exist; this is the ultimate nature of all phenomena: Buddha nature (tathagatagarbha).
Regarding this point, if you have practiced tantra or Zen meditation previously, when
you turn your mind inwardly, you will fully understand this. Whatever dualistic thoughts
arise, be they desire, hatred, or joy, if we don’t look at them, they will continue to arise
and cease one after another. However, the moment we look at them, just as the waves
merge into the ocean, they disappear instantly. The question is, after they disappear, do
they become something like empty space, empty, without anything at all? It is not like
that. A transcendental state of clarity and luminosity is still present. This state cannot be
expressed by words or thoughts. It is like when a mute person eats boiled glutinous rice
balls. He cannot express the taste, but he himself knows how it tastes. This is also the
highest state in Zen.
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Regarding the relationship between Buddha and sentient beings, as articulated in the
third turning of the wheel of Dharma, the Buddhist master Bodhidharma used an
extremely good metaphor to explain it: “The relationship between sentient beings and the
enlightened Buddha is like that of ice and water.” Ice and water are actually the same
thing. Without ice, there is no water. Likewise, without water, there is no ice. The only
difference is that, at different temperatures, we see the respective manifestations of water
and ice. In the same way, the innate nature of a Buddha and a sentient being is the
same—both are Buddha nature. However, due to the obscuration of ignorance, one is
identified as a deluded sentient being, and when the defilement of ignorance has gone,
that being is called Buddha.
While we are sentient beings, no matter how many deluded perceptions arise and
cease, our original nature has never been changed or stained. The aspect of how this
changeless nature does not exist is the focus of the Buddha’s second turning of the wheel
of Dharma, in which Buddha ascertained that all things and events are emptiness, in the
Maha Prajñaparamita Sutra. After that, in the third turning of the wheel of Dharma, as In
Praise of Dharmadhatu and the Tathagatagarbha Sutra revealed, this kind of emptiness
does not mean nothing exists, but that a clear light inseparable and in oneness with
emptiness does exist.
Of course, this kind of clear light (sometimes also called great bliss) is not like the
light of a lamp, nor a kind of bright substance. Similarly, great bliss doesn’t mean
immeasurable happiness and joy similar to when we feel great joy and happiness in our
life. If we take Buddhist terms too literally, and we are not proficient in Buddhism, it is
like taking business terms literally when we are not proficient in business, and then we
expose ourselves to ridicule. In fact, in order to learn Buddhism, we need a professionally
trained teacher to explain it to us. Otherwise, however acute our wisdom might be, solely
based on our presuppositions, imagination, and conjecture, we may not fully understand
the profound Buddhist teachings. Just as it says in the Flower Adornment Sutra, “If
Dharma is not expounded by someone, even a wise person cannot understand it.”
Therefore, to learn Buddhism, it is indispensable to rely on a qualified Dharma
teacher. As for the qualifications of the teacher, he or she must be someone who truly
puts the Dharma into practice. The best is if the teacher is already enlightened, but if he
or she does not have this attainment, the minimum is that the teacher is able to explain the
principles correctly, and at least has put the Buddhist doctrines into practice to a certain
extent. If you contemplate and study after being mentored by such a teacher, the result
will be completely different.
III. The responsibilities of intellectuals toward Buddhism
Many people consider themselves intellectuals. However, whether they truly are or
not, it is hard to say. I read a book named Public Intellectuals: A Study of Decline, which
says that the term “intellectual” has significantly different meanings in eastern and
western societies. According to the author, “intellectual” in the western context is about a
social group who use knowledge as a means to earn a living, whose profession primarily
involves intellectual activity, and who have a strong sense of responsibility to their
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community. In contrast, in China, our so-called intellectuals, such as teachers, doctors,
and government officials, use their intellectual ability as the main activity in their work,
but they do not necessarily have a sense of responsibility toward their community or all
humankind. Due to this, it is questionable whether they can fully grasp the truth of
Buddhism or accept Buddhism.
Currently, Buddhism is facing a very serious aging problem. For young Buddhists,
although they are able to say a little about Buddhism, they don’t have time for in-depth
study. On account of this, they may not even have completed proper study of one single
sutra. In fact, if we want to speak about and represent Buddhism, we need to at least have
systematically studied ten to twenty sutras or treatises. Otherwise, by listening to only a
word or two, it is very difficult to become a spokesperson for Buddhism.
I therefore appeal to everyone here today that, in the future, Buddhism should recruit
more young people, be professional, be organized, and be standardized. Only by doing
this can we hope to be successful in advocating for Buddhism in this world.
Fudan University has set up the National Studies Society and Zen Society. These
have made significant contributions to Buddhism. However, on this basis, you must move
further to gain a solid foundation; your self-cultivation and wisdom must be outstanding.
Only after you have done so, can you then guide others in understanding that Buddhism
is not only about visiting a temple, burning incense, or making prostrations to the Buddha
so that you are blessed to have a better career and fortune.
The other day, when I was at Longhua Temple, I saw a sea of people bustling around.
This thought instantly arose in my mind: “Among so many believers, how many of them
have truly mastered the Buddhadharma, act according to the Mahayana teachings in
making the aspiration to liberate all sentient beings, and make the aspiration to take
rebirth in the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha for the sake of sentient beings? If you come
here to make prostrations to Buddha only for your own sake, or only have a literal
understanding about emptiness and dependent origination, bodhicitta, the inconceivable
clear light Buddha nature, and so forth, without even having a single taste of the
Buddhadharma, this is only superficial Buddhism. How do I transmit my feeling and
understanding to those who have a karmic link with Buddhism?”
Of course, to uphold and promote Buddhism, solely relying on the monastic
community is not enough. In a large city in the Han region, there are several millions or
even several tens of millions of people, yet monastics are as rare as hen’s teeth. And even
if there are monastics in the area, some may not necessarily have studied and
contemplated Buddhism systematically, so they are not able to benefit sentient beings by
teaching the Dharma. Therefore, at present, it is imperative to nurture some young
intellectuals who have a proper understanding of Buddhism and a stronger sense of
responsibility. This measure is extremely important for the future propagation of
Buddhism.
IV. The Buddhist world view: Macro and micro world views
Someone may have doubts about the so-called truth in Buddhism. Can we test it
through reasoning? Will Buddha’s teaching become obsolete sooner or later?
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There shouldn’t be any worry about this. In the past two thousand five hundred years,
many scientists have emerged in this world, yet none of them has been able to overturn
even one single principle in Buddhism. Whether it is at the macro or micro level,
Buddhist truths have never been successfully disproved; they stand firmly.
Speaking from a macrocosmic or universal viewpoint, Buddhism has meticulously
articulated the evolution of a universe through four stages, respectively, emptiness,
formation, abiding, and destruction. In particular, the astronomical principles
demonstrated in the Kalachakra and Abhidharmakosha have been proven by
contemporary cosmology. Moreover, regarding some simple principles which Buddhism
discovered long ago, scientists have racked their brains and gone through a prolonged
period of research before they could make inferential conclusions about them. Take, for
example, the calculation of the astronomical calendar. Tibetan Buddhism has a very
simple formula. Two or three people can simply use a drawing board to make the
calculations for the whole calendar year, encompassing solar and lunar eclipses, and the
month, day, hour, and minute that they will take place. All of these can be drawn and
shown clearly, without any astronomical instrument. This kind of calculation in the
Kalachakra is not something new, but was introduced to the Tibetan area a long time ago.
It also describes geography extremely clearly.
Furthermore, from the microcosmic or subatomic perspective, Buddha elucidated
different levels of teachings according to the different mental dispositions of sentient
beings.
1) Vaibhashika school: The members of this school believe that all external
phenomena do not exist; instead, they are formed by an irreducible atom. In the final
analysis, this school holds the position that this indivisible atom must exist, and is the
basic unit that makes up coarser matter, similar to how the atom and quark are explained
in contemporary physics.
As for consciousness, the Vaibhashika asserts that coarser consciousness is
assembled by the smallest indivisible instance of consciousness. This kind of indivisible
instance cannot be divided further and exists objectively.
2) Sautrantika school: This school’s view on the microcosmic level is basically
identical to the Vaibhashika school’s．This school also thinks that coarser particles or
consciousness don’t exist independently, but are constituted of many indivisible particles
or indivisible instances of consciousness. In addition, the two smallest indivisible units
are posited to exist inherently.
3) Yogacara school: This school does not refute the indivisible instance of
consciousness that assembles consciousness, but refutes the existence of the basic
indivisible atom which forms the external material world. It asserts that the external
material world doesn’t exist, but is an imputed appearance of the mind.
4) Madhyamaka Prasangika or Madhyamaka Svatantrika: Not only do these schools
refute the existence of external objects, they also refute the self-knowing and self18
illuminating consciousness; the mind has no ontological status at all. External material
objects or subjective inner experiences, without exceptions, are all ascertained as
emptiness. However, although all things and events are emptiness, from emptiness,
everything can arise, too. Just as Chandrakirti said in Introduction to the Middle Way:
“Although things and events are empty, they can arise from emptiness.” This is the
highest principle of the Madhyamaka school. As we can see, the true reality of this world
is very intriguing. Bodhisattva Aryadeva also said in Four Hundred Verses: “Nothing
exists in this world that is not extremely intriguing.”
Through the development of science, humankind has gradually been able to
understand what we have talked about above. For example, Albert Einstein said: “Time,
space, and matter are all imputed by our false perception.” The renowned French
philosopher and physicist Rene Descartes likewise felt this deeply and said: “How do I
know that I am not dreaming now? How can I identify what is a dream and what is real?
Various different things in this world, although none of them can be established as real,
we can see with our eyes. Therefore, it is completely possible that there is a demon
deceiving us so that we cannot tell when things are real and when they are unreal.” The
conclusion that they drew took a major step forward toward understanding emptiness, as
compared to classical physics; they are even closer to the truth.
In the past, in the philosophy of classical physics, people believed that the smallest
unit of matter was a molecule. From that point, the atom, nucleus, proton, neutron, and
other concepts emerged. Then the scientist Gell-Man discovered the quark, and on
account of this won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1969. Only then did people become
aware that a smaller unit of particle actually existed. Many people feel he discovered a
fascinating truth, but they remain unaware that Buddha already illustrated this in many
sutras long ago.
When I meet and discuss with physicists, mathematicians, and other intellectuals at
home or from abroad, I often deeply feel that no matter which fields of knowledge are
being discussed, they all can be found in Buddhism; they are not too new to me. In the
same way, when I see some bestselling books in a bookshop, such as The Power of Now:
A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment and The Secret, once I start to read them, I find that
what they express never strays from the doctrines of Mahayana Buddhism. Of course,
this could be due to my being out of touch with the secular world. However, whatever
knowledge I have been exposed to so far I can categorize it as the philosophy of
Buddhism.
Some scientists make astounding discoveries, and everyone feels they are amazing.
For example, a few years ago, Dr. Stephen Hawking from the University of Cambridge
wrote a bestseller, A Brief History of Time, which stunned the world for a while. It
became a bestselling book on quantum physics and relativity. Dr. Stephen Hawking also
tells us in The Universe in a Nutshell that our naked eyes can only perceive the threedimensional material world; however, in actuality, there exist many more
multidimensional spaces, possibly even eleven dimensions. This shows that there are
many things our naked eye cannot see at all; what we can perceive today is extremely
limited. This truth coincides with what the Flower Adornment Sutra says: “A mustard
seed could hold the whole of Mount Sumeru, and a single thought pervades the three
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thousand universes,” and, “In each atom of the realms of the universe, there exist vast
oceans of world systems. In each of the universes, there exists the inconceivable
Buddha.”
In addition, when the microscope was invented in the 16th century, many people
were amazed to find that the water was crowded with so many bacteria. They felt that it
was quite remarkable. However, nobody was aware that long ago in the Agama Sutra,
Shakyamuni Buddha had already told his disciples: “In a bowl of water, there are 84,000
sentient beings. As these sentient beings are not visible to the naked eye, if we drink the
water, it is not considered as killing sentient beings intentionally.”
I hope that everyone can put some effort into exploring carefully many of these
Buddhist truths. I believe that during your investigation you will come to appreciate the
profundity and vastness of Buddhism.
Many works about these two dharmas are available in Buddhist sutras and treatises,
if you want to read about them. Regarding the profundity of Buddhism, it was articulated
by Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, Bodhisattva Chandrakirti, and later, Shantideva and others
composed works which meticulously elucidated it, too. As for the vastness of Buddhism,
the great epistemologist Vasubandhu and Bodhisattva Asanga unraveled it. These two
main Indian lineages were then perfectly transmitted to the Tibetan area and continue to
flourish up until today. Currently, many people, including western intellectuals, have a
strong inclination to study the vast and profound Dharma.
Sometimes, when I meet teachers and university students from overseas, I find that
they are quite profound in their state of calm abiding and the theoretical understanding of
Buddhadharma. I feel ashamed in front of them. All of you, too, are intellectuals;
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therefore, whether you are Buddhist or non-Buddhist, you should be fair and use your
wisdom objectively to investigate how exactly Buddhism views this world.
V. The current practical role of Buddhism
Someone may ask: “Buddhism asserts that all phenomena are emptiness. Since it is
so, what is the point of carrying out any activities or doing anything at all? ”
This is not necessary so. The emptiness of all phenomena posited by Buddhism
refers to the ultimate mode of being of phenomena. As for the conventional mode of
being of phenomena, they actually exist. This question stems from a lack of
understanding of the relationship between the two truths. Without comprehending the two
truths, either people think that since “everything is empty” nothing needs to be done, or,
otherwise, they assume that “everything exists” and therefore strongly attach to
everything. By contrast, if they studied treatises such as Distinction between the Two
Truths, The Sword of Wisdom for Thoroughly Ascertaining Reality, and so on, they would
apprehend in what situation Buddhism advocates emptiness, how to understand different
levels of emptiness, and why “not being empty” does not entail attachment to things.
Why is it necessary for us to realize emptiness? We may live a secular life, but
without comprehending and realizing emptiness, we will not be able to neatly resolve
problems associated with love and romance, family, and work. No matter how difficult
the issues are, we will not hold onto them as completely real. Otherwise, the greater our
attachments, the greater our mental afflictions and sufferings will be. Longchen
Rabjampa, the renowned Tibetan Buddhist master, said in many treatises that: “The
degree of your attachment toward something is relative to the sufferings that it will
bring.” Therefore, we should understand the teaching of emptiness. If we can do this, not
only can it solve many of our practical problems, it can also boost our tendency toward
practicing wholesome activities.
Presently, what becomes the daily routine of many city dwellers is to go to work in
the morning and return from work in the evening. They live aimlessly, just like an ant,
and they don’t know the purpose of life. I once read a book named Theory of True Nature
(pinyin: BenXingLun), which was a best seller in the 1970s. The book says: “Only when
people reach the age of 35 do they ask themselves: ‘What is the purpose of my life?’” At
present, many people do not know about the principle of past and future lives. As a result,
they are insatiably greedy for money, strive for their own benefit, and never consider
contributing to the society. These people may appear to be leading a happy life, but, in
fact, they are plagued with great mental and emotional suffering.
I heard that there was an elderly couple in the UK who owned a villa worth one
hundred million yuan. In addition to that, they also owned a manor in France, and its
yearly maintenance alone cost two million yuan. Even so, their life still lacked any joy
and happiness. Actually, two elderly people striving for this kind of life is quite
unnecessary and meaningless. Once we fall into this kind of situation, our vision of the
value of life is blocked by unreal phenomena, and often it is not easy to detect. Currently,
many people strive very hard to obtain money and a house. They are willing to do this
throughout their entire lifetime, enjoy doing it, and never get tired of it. In contrast, in
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ancient times, material conditions were not as luxurious as at present, and the living
environment was quiet and simple, but the joy and serenity people enjoyed were far more
than what many people enjoy at present. Therefore, it is truly worthwhile for everyone to
reflect on and reconsider their life-view.
In reconsidering and reflecting, I believe that the philosophy of Buddhism is very
suitable for everyone. Particularly, in present society, due to the fact that the mindset of
most people is extremely complex and chaotic, the nectar-like Buddhadharma is
undoubtedly able to provide a dose of cool nectar to eliminate mental afflictions. Modern
people tend to evaluate success by wealth. They think that those who are wealthy are the
most successful while those who have no money are absolutely without merit. However,
this kind of judgment is completely wrong. Many university teachers, for example, may
feel that drinking a cup of coffee, reading a book, and having a free and relaxing day is
something joyful and happy, which is beyond comparison to the excitement that money
can bring. Therefore, we should all reflect and think seriously about whether money is
truly the cause of happiness.
After we understand this principle, we should then look for the true source of
happiness. Buddha told us that recognizing past and future lives, refraining from
unwholesome activities, and performing wholesome activities are the true causes of
happiness. On the other hand, if we don’t know that there are future lives, we will
unscrupulously do anything for the benefit of this very short lifetime. This is exactly what
it says in the Nirvana Sutra: “Without knowing the existence of the next life, one will
commit any unwholesome activities.” Ultimately, this will take you into the abyss of
suffering.
I have studied many treatises and sutras, and have discussed whether past or future
lives exist with many intellectuals, including eminent scholars in the field of life sciences.
What I’ve found is that there is no single valid reason to prove that past and future lives
don’t exist. On the other hand, there are solid proofs to testify that they exist. Of course,
this kind of existence doesn’t necessarily mean you can see them in front of you now,
since even the existence of tomorrow or the day after tomorrow is not something we can
see easily. However, it is a shame that many people wantonly create extremely heavy
negative karma just because they cannot see the proof that future lives exist. The
consequences are very pitiful.
Many of you here are university students and your life in the university is quite
simple. Each of you may be full of ideas, looking forward to your future, and have many
wonderful plans. However, once you leave the gates of your school and truly step into
society, you will find that it is not as beautiful as you thought it would be. Instead, it is
full of complicated relationships, fierce competition, flooded with money, and its moral
and ethical values are declining every day. If your mind is not well prepared and you are
not self-controlled, I am afraid it will be difficult for you to withstand various ordeals.
Then, as a result, you will go with the flow and act immorally in order to achieve your
goal. Therefore, you should all be prepared in advance, “armed” first with Buddhist
philosophy.
VI. Treat our lives as impermanent
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Buddhist doctrines are vast and profound, so if you cannot enter into them straight
away, according to Buddhist point of view, it is very important to first comprehend the
principle of impermanence. This is particularly the case in Tibetan Buddhism, such as in
the Kadampa and Nyingmapa lineages. Of course, the purpose of meditating on
impermanence is not to make you a world-weary person, it is to help you understand your
life objectively so as not to attach too much to success and failure, sadness and happiness,
and coming together and separation in our life.
I once read a book called Mentality Curriculum of Harvard. This book mentions
Professor Jay, who had been teaching at Harvard Business School for nine years. When
Jay was about to leave the school, his students felt very sad and felt it was hard to part
from him. Then, Professor Jay told them this story:
“The President of IBM, Thomas Watson, initially suffered a serious heart disease. At
one time, he had a recurrence of the illness and his doctor requested him to immediately
go to hospital. The moment Watson heard about this, he firmly rejected it and told the
doctor: ‘How do I have time for this? IBM is not a small company! Every day, there are
so many things waiting for me to decide. If I am not in the office....’
“The doctor replied, ‘Let’s go for a ride,’ and took Watson for a ride in his car. Soon,
they arrived at a cemetery located on the outskirts of the town.
“The doctor pointed at the graves and then said: ‘Sooner or later, both of us have to
lie down here forever. Without you, there will be someone else to take over your work,
and the world will continue to turn. After your death, IBM will continue to operate. It
will not close down just because of this.’
“Watson was speechless after hearing what the doctor said. The next day, this
powerful US business president handed his resignation to the Board of Directors and
went to the hospital. After he was discharged, he traveled around the world. IBM didn’t
close down because of this; it continued to be a world-famous enterprise.”
After Professor Jay finished the story, all the students felt more at ease.
In fact, no one can escape the law that what has been gathered will be dispersed, be it
an organization or a family. In the end, impermanence is inevitable. Furthermore, at the
time of death, to our utter dismay, we have to leave behind even our most cherished body
and depart alone to our next life, following our karma. The reason why people holding a
materialist view reject this is because they are hiding from facing the truth. They are not
willing to accept it or think about it.
These kinds of people think that studying Buddhism is about hiding from reality, but
I disagree with them. In contrast, I think denying the existence of future lives and not
having any preparation for the next life is definitely a pessimistic way of hiding from
reality. This single lifetime only has a short life span of several decades, but the
happiness or suffering of many millions of years to come and of lives after your death is
based upon karma that you create in this life. Should you easily overlook such an
important matter? Therefore, in Buddhism, the most important thing is caring about and
being prepared for the next life.
Nowadays, many people do not have any idea about this concept, including some
Buddhists. They see Buddhism as a shortcut, to bring happiness in this life, or as a way to
23
bring peace and joy for our mind. As for the most important thing, liberation, or the
happiness of many future lifetimes, they have never considered it before. Sometimes,
when I look at this world, I feel it is just like what Chandrakirti said in Commentary of
Four Hundred Verses: “When all the people in the whole country are already crazy, even
though the King is sane, when other people see him as different from them, they will
accuse him of being crazy. Finally, the king has no choice but to drink poison and
become truly crazy, along with the rest.”
For a wise person, studying Buddhism is not viewed as pessimistic or backward.
Whether you accept the existence of past and future lives or not, they truly exist. Since
they certainly exist, how can we not have a long-term plan for them? For the sake of their
life after retirement, many people buy medical insurance and pay into pensions. However,
have you bought your “insurance” for eternal happiness after death? Of course, for those
without faith, it is understandable for them not to consider this. However, for those who
proclaim to have already taken refuge for many years and to be Mahayana practitioners,
if you do not even think about this at all, it becomes an extremely serious issue.
Nowadays, when we talk about “death,” many Western Buddhists try to avoid this
subject. If you say there are future lives, samsara, hell, and so on, they immediately shut
their ears and say: “Don’t talk about this. That is scary; it is better to be happy. I am not
interested in this.” Such behavior is undoubtedly like burying their heads in the sand.
They are deceiving themselves and others. On account of this, we can see that if
Buddhism is to be deeply incorporated into everyone’s mind, there is still a gap to fill.
Epilogue
Today, I would not consider this talk a lecture. I am just chatting with everyone here
and sharing my views.
Finally, I would like to quote a statement from the academic Zhu Qingshi, the former
president of the University 0f Science and Technology of China, as the epilogue for
today’s talk. He wrote an article titled “Entering the State of Meditation from the
Viewpoint of Physics: Dependent Origination and Emptiness.” Although it is not a
particularly long article, its meaning is very profound. In it he talks about the greatest
mistake of the 20th century: the integration of the philosophy of materialism into the
world-view of many countries. This has misled many people into a single-minded pursuit
of material benefits and an entire neglect of spiritual happiness. Besides this, he also
analyzed the rationality of the Buddhist doctrines of dependent origination and emptiness
from the point of view of physics and concluded: “After enduring an arduous journey,
scientists finally reach the peak of the mountain, only to discover that the great Buddhist
masters have already arrived there a long time ago.”
I hope that everyone would give some serious thoughts to this statement. It is not
coming from the mouth of a monastic like me. They are words from an academic who
has made an excellent contribution to science. If you have time, you could read his article
to understand better what he means.
In short, the principles I am sharing today are not considered very profound nor can
they be considered very vast. Buddhist doctrines and principles are as vast as the sea and
24
as unfathomable. What I have just mentioned is not even comparable to a drop of water
from the sea. If you are interested in it and have faith in Buddhism, it is better that you
delve deeper into it by undertaking systematic study. Only by doing this can you truly
uncover the vastness and profundity of Buddhism. Many thanks.
Epilogue from the Host
Many thanks for Khenpo’s brilliant teaching.
For those present today, whether you are a Buddhist or non-Buddhist, whether you
have an understanding of Buddhism or not, it doesn’t matter; what matters is Khenpo has
shared with us a new perspective with which to see and evaluate the world, with an open
mind. We are really extremely grateful for Khenpo’s talk today, and may I thank Khenpo
again.
Next, may I invite the Head of the Fudan Department of Religion and President of
the Fudan Zen Society, Professor Wang Leiquan, to give a token of his appreciation.
Venerable Khenpo:
Twenty years ago, when China’s religion started to recover from a state of ruin, two
books were very well received. One was Buddhism and Science, written by the
mathematician Wang Xiao Xu. The other is A Scientist's Report on Study of Buddhist
Scriptures by professor You Zhibiao. These two books drew significant attention from
intellectual circles after the end of the Cultural Revolution, when Chinese Buddhism was
starting to recover. This is because these books are the product of science. As we all
know, along with the development of natural sciences in the 20th century, people
advocate science and material development extremely highly. In order to validate
whether a religious tradition is reasonably grounded, it is therefore indispensable that it is
accepted by science.
Today, in Khenpo’s speech, he quoted a head of a university, Zhu Qingshi: “After
enduring an arduous journey, scientists finally reach the peak of the mountain, only to
discover that the great Buddhist masters have already arrived there a long time ago.”
What kind of state have they arrived at? It is a vision. Today’s topic is called “The
Material World in the Eyes of Buddhism.” In fact, we could also say “The Intellectual
World in the Eyes of Buddhism,” or “Everyday Life in the Eyes of Buddhism,” and so on.
The most important thing is we must have a correct vision.
There is a famous poem by Wang An Shi:
As if thousands of pagodas on Mt. Feilai
Sunrise can be seen as the rooster cries
Unworried about the floating clouds blocking the gazing eyes
Since one is on the very top of the mountain
In the same way, in the eyes of ordinary people, we cannot see the true nature of
reality. We think that this world is broken, and everyone is trying to cheat each other. We
hold such views mainly because of our inferior vision.
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In Buddhism, there is a saying about the five eyes: “The world that the naked eye
perceives is broken, full of sufferings and cheats but this is only vision from a vulgar,
materialistic perspective.” Another kind of vision, which is full of the scent of mysticism
and magic, is then sought. Yet these two levels of vision are only the mental projections
from ordinary people. What we therefore should long for is “the wisdom eye” so that we
can unwrap and discover the true nature of this world and see the emptiness of this world.
However, emptiness doesn’t mean nothingness. It is not about fleeing or abandoning our
responsibility to society. As such, we should move forward to achieve the “Dharma Eye”
of the bodhisattva, and even the highest, most perfect, purest, most thorough “Buddha
Eye.”
Today, it is exactly these levels that Khenpo is trying to tell us about. When we reach
the peak of what we can achieve in this world, Buddha is already smiling and looking out
from the top. Therefore, together, let’s seek the wisdom eye, the Dharma eye, and the
Buddha eye.
Coincidentally, our Zen Society Magazine is called “Buddha-Eye.” Let us use a
higher vision to illuminate ourselves, our society, and the whole world. Only if we can
use this vision and mind to observe everything can we truly build a harmonious world.
Inevitably, expounding the truth and the correct Dharma greatly promotes social
harmony and the positive development of humanity. I therefore hope that we can
continue to hold such talks and have such great masters give lectures to us in the future to
further promote academic prosperity and the development and harmony of China’s
society.
May I once again thank Khenpo for giving us such an excellent lecture.
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Appendix:
Question and Answer Session at Shanghai Fudan University National
Study Society
(March 11, 2011)
Speech from Professor Wang Leiquan:
We are very honored and pleased to have invited Khenpo Sodargye from Larung Gar
Serthar Buddhist Institute.
Larung Gar has been very famous during the revival and development of Buddhism
in China in the past thirty years. Everything about Larung Gar that I know I actually
know from our students. During the nineties, they were already going there to study; it
was a revolutionary movement by these young people.
Within the pioneers of our Buddhist community, Khenpo Sodargye has a very high
reputation in the eyes of intellectuals and those working in the field of natural science.
Especially in recent years, Khenpo has been working tirelessly teaching the Dharma
across the country. Khenpo has vowed to make his best efforts and dedicate his whole life
to transmitting Buddhist philosophy and truth to society. In addition, Khenpo has also
opened dialogues with intellectuals at various higher learning institutions. Since
Buddhism is articulating the truth, Buddhism is not afraid of debate or any refutations.
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Today, we are very pleased to have invited Khenpo here. This is a very precious
moment for us because, even though Fudan University has established professional
religious studies for fifty-one years, we have been weak in research and education in
Tibetan Buddhism. Today, we have the opportunity to meet Khenpo here, and we will
treasure every moment of receiving teachings from Khenpo. If anyone has any questions,
please do not hesitate to ask Khenpo. Now, let us welcome Khenpo.
Dear Honorable Professor Wang Leiquan, other professors, eminent masters, and
students:
This afternoon, we have the opportunity and time here to share our views and discuss
them together. Therefore, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to bring them
up for discussion.
I am not very knowledgeable, let alone have any profound and subtle realizations.
However, I truly like sharing my views with everyone. For me, by sharing with academic
circles, religious bodies, or science enthusiasts, I also enhance my personal knowledge.
Personally, after years of study and investigation, I have come to appreciate that
Buddhist doctrines and principles are wonderful and profound. Owing to this, I have
gained an irreversible and firm faith in them. This kind of confidence cannot be destroyed
by any external thing. I very much hope that you too are able to grasp this appreciation
and experience that I have gained through study and practice, and that you can make
efforts throughout your life to seek the truth of reality, study it, and put it into practice.
Because only by doing so can your life have far-reaching meaning and value. Otherwise,
in this materialistic era of mammonism, our mentality and behavior can be contaminated
easily. On account of this, we can fall into the abyss of wrong views.
When you are seeking the truth of reality, if you explore Tibetan Buddhism, you will
see it has a very complete, systematic way of studying and practicing, such as the
Pramana and Madhyamaka debate traditions, which are more than enough to eliminate
wrong views and doubts. If intellectuals from higher learning institutions are able to
regularly communicate with Tibetan Buddhist institutes and monasteries, they will be
able to reveal the mysteries of some profound areas and truly master the transcendent
state, which is beyond the grasp of our mind and speech.
Instead of saying that I am answering your questions, let us say we are learning from
each other. For some of your doubts or confusions, I will try to share my views, and then
we can discuss them together with the experienced professors, teachers, and students.
(1) Question: Buddha said that by breaking certain precepts you will be punished for
a number of eons. May I know how we can comprehend this?
Answer: The reason why Buddhism established precepts is not because it wants to
punish anyone. On the surface, it seems like a constraint, but, in fact, this provides a
skillful means for one to enter the path of liberation.
Just like the traffic lights on the road, drivers may not feel so comfortable with them,
but they assure our safety and protect our life. In the same way, through some rules, like
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the precepts in Buddhism, though we have constraints to avoid unwholesome activities
and carry out wholesome activities, these help us gain liberation or reach the other shore
smoothly.
(2) Question: I was a research student at Fudan University and am now a teacher. I
know that you have taught Standards for Being a Good Student and Child (Di Zi Gui),
but some people believe that this is unnecessary for someone studying the Buddhadharma,
since life is impermanent and we don’t have much time. May I know what you think
about this view?
Answer: As someone studying the Buddhadharma, although we meditate on
selflessness and impermanence, it is still indispensable for us to learn the conventional
code of conduct. I personally feel that Standards for Being a Good Student and Child (A
Chinese Heritage) is excellent. Why? Because it will greatly help us to understand the
basic human dignity with which to interact with others and our communities. At present,
many textbooks from institutions of higher education are lacking moral education.
Standards for Being a Good Student and Child can precisely close this gap.
Some people keep saying that all things and events are emptiness and everything is
impermanent, yet they waste most of their time on something that only brings distraction
to the mind and is meaningless. So, I think claiming that there is no time to study
Standards for Being a Good Student and Child is just an excuse.
I feel it is such an excellent text that not only have I taught it to many people who
have a karmic link with it, but I have also translated it into Tibetan. Many Tibetan
teachers and students feel they have benefited greatly from it.
Question: Are there any differences between the pure land in Tibetan Buddhism and
rebirth in the western pure land of Sukhāvatī advocated by Chinese Buddhism, through
reciting Amitabha Buddha’s name?
Answer: The ultimate goal in pure land practice in Tibetan Buddhism and Chinese
Buddhism is the same, just like all roads lead to Rome.
Tibetan Buddhism focuses on bodhicitta, reciting Buddha’s name, and accumulating
merits. Through these, we are ultimately able to gain rebirth in the pure land of Sukhāvatī,
and the most important cause to gain rebirth in the pure land is Amitabha’s forty-eight
vows. By relying on self-power (self-effort) and other-power (Amitabha Buddha) we can
attain rebirth in the pure land. The Chinese Pure Land School also advocates it in the
same way. The only difference is individual lineage masters may have a different focus.
Question: While studying Buddhism, should we focus on and delve deeply into one
method, or should we read enormous numbers of books? Which way is better?
Answer: There is no general answer for this question. For people who have few
dualistic thoughts and are endowed with strong faith, even if they are not able to read
voluminous sutras and treatises, as long as they wholeheartedly recite Amitabha
Buddha’s name, by relying on their self aspiration and the blessing of Buddha, they could
gain rebirth in the pure land ultimately.
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However, can everyone do the same? No. Some people have doubts about Buddhism,
they even often have an incorrect view, so it is necessary for these kinds of people to be
well-read. Only through learning many sutras and treatises can they eliminate their
obstacles to gain rebirth in the pure land.
I find that for the sake of certain sentient beings, in accordance with sentient beings’
mental dispositions, many senior Pure Land Buddhist masters emphasize “Focusing on
one method.” On the other hand, sometimes they also expound many sutras and treatises
to certain sentient beings with certain mental dispositions.
In this case, it should be analyzed on a case by case basis. If we could treat different
matters in the same way, then there would have been no need for Lord Buddha to preach
84,000 dharmas; he would only have taught us to recite Amitabha’s name, and that would
have been enough. In reality it is not so. Buddha preached many dharmas because each
sentient being has a unique mental disposition.
(3) Question: I am a member of the Zen Society and I work for a local company
within Yum! Brands Inc. I am very glad to have the opportunity to meet you today. I
have a question: I was studying psychology, which emphasizes maximizing and realizing
the potential of the self. However, in Buddhism, we hear about dependent origination and
emptiness, and it seems that the self is merely the mental fabrication of the combination
of the five aggregates. Going from the concept of self in psychology to no-self in
Buddhism is a remarkable breakthrough for me.
Recently, I read some of your articles, then I realized that in Buddhism there is a
concept called “tathagatagarbha.” May I know what is the self from the viewpoint of
tathagatagarbha?
Answer: In Buddhism, when speaking on the conventional level, we recognize the
existence of self. For the sake of the liberation of this self, we then need to accumulate
merits; and for the sake of gaining enlightenment for oneself and others, we make a great
aspiration, generating the aspiration of bodhicitta. As for the illusionary self that doesn’t
exist, as you mentioned just now, it is evaluated by using ultimate reasoning. On that
level, whether it is self, others, or any worldly or sacred things and events in this universe,
they do not exist.
"Do not exist" is not something we merely talk about, not just something written
down. Once we have comprehended the teachings on emptiness, we will be able to
experience deep down in our heart that the self we cling to is only a mental projection.
Even if we truly try to find this self, check our body or consciousness bit by bit, we will
not find it. This is the emptiness that Buddha ascertained.
Even though we cannot find the self on the ultimate level, yet on the conventional
level we should still accumulate merits and purify obstacles for this self, carry out our
daily activities, make money, or do something. These two are not contradicting each
other. Currently, many people are often confused about selflessness on the ultimate level
and the self on the conventional level; they have jumbled them together.
As for tathagatagarbha, it is impossible for me to articulate it in just a few words;
systematic study is needed to comprehend it. In a nutshell, there are two meanings of
tathagatagarbha: One is our Buddha nature. On a relative level, all sentient beings possess
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Buddha nature; the alaya that can become Buddha is called tathagatagarbha. The other
meaning is the ultimate, original nature of reality. This original nature is not mere
emptiness, nor something not empty; this state is inconceivable, beyond expression by
words. In the third turning of the wheel of Dharma, Shakyamuni Buddha called it
tathagatagarbha. The Tathagatagarbha Sutra has more details and an explanation about
tathagatagarbha.
In general, we must know how to distinguish the ultimate and relative truth. On the
ultimate level, all things and events are emptiness, but this doesn’t mean that things and
events don’t exist on the relative level. Therefore, whatever we should do on the relative
level, we must still do it. Of course, we mustn’t commit unwholesome activities. Even
though the relative itself is considered illusory, committing illusory unwholesome
activities will bring immeasurable pain in an illusory way. This is something that we
must all be aware of.
(4) Question: In the news, it said that about one hour ago, an 8.8 magnitude
earthquake occurred in Japan and triggered a tsunami. There are so many disasters these
days. As a Buddhist, how should we deal with them?
Answer: OM MANI PADME HUM, OM MANI PADME HUM…. Guru
Padmasambhava gave a teaching saying that if people frequently commit negative
activities, disasters from the four elements will occur frequently.
Although the occurrence of an earthquake has extremely complex reasons behind it,
and we cannot be sure whether it is due to the ripening of negative karma, yet, compared
to the last few centuries, we can see that human beings are committing far more serious
unwholesome activities than before. I therefore think that these disasters must have
something to do with the negative karma human beings have created. However, as an
ordinary human being, I do not dare to speculate what exactly the causes are that
triggered it. The law of causation is very subtle and unpredictable. Only the omniscient
Buddha is able to master it.
In short, any disaster or tragedy is linked to the common karma shared by sentient
beings and is closely related to the specific karma shared by the victims. Besides that, it
certainly also involves temporary causes and conditions. Some people have the heretical
belief that everything is already pre-determined by karma. However, Buddhism doesn’t
believe this; it believes that everything is the product of causes and conditions that come
together.
(5) Question: I am a student in the Department of Philosophy at Fudan University. In
Buddhism, the Madhyamaka philosophy is generally accepted as the ultimate view. Yet,
Tibetan Buddhism has many debates about the topic of emptiness, such as the emptiness
of self and emptiness of other. May I know what is the main position regarding the
emptiness of self and emptiness of other (Shentong) respectively? What are the
differences between them and the focus of the debate?
Answer: In Tibetan Buddhism, the Jonang school belongs to the school of the
emptiness of other, and the Nyingma, Gelugpa, and some other great masters are
considered as from the emptiness of self school.
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Khenpo Kunzang, a Nyingma disciple of omniscient Mipham Rinpoche, says in
Commentary on the Beacon of Certainty that, in the past, people endlessly debated about
the emptiness of self and the emptiness of other; however, ultimately, these two views are
actually the same.
Why? Because the so-called emptiness of self is about positing all forms, and even
the omniscient wisdom of Buddha, as emptiness. In other words, their essence is empty.
As for the emptiness of other, although the essence of the tathagatagarbha is not empty,
its true existence is a kind of inconceivable existence. It is beyond the four conceptual
extremes and eight extremes of conceptual elaboration, not perceivable by our dualistic
mind. In fact, the idea articulated in the emptiness of self and emptiness of other only has
differences from the distinguishing aspect of viewpoint, but their essences are the same.
To put it another way, the emptiness of self ascertains the type of emptiness
elucidated in the second turning of the wheel of Dharma, in which all things and events
are posited as emptiness. They have no essence at all. As for the emptiness of other, it
ascertains the tathagatagarbha, the clear light. Whether we recognize the nature of our
mind or not, or the nature of whatever external phenomena, the clear light is always nondual and indivisible oneness with emptiness; this state is also called the union of
emptiness and appearances. As such, the ultimate meaning of these two are not
contradictory; the only difference is what is emphasized more.
(6) Question: I am a student at Fudan University; I come from Thailand. Nowadays,
various disasters occur frequently, and we often say that they happen due to the common
karma shared by sentient beings. It is quite common to see the manifestation of shared
common negative karma. What about positive karma, and does shared common positive
karma exist?
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Answer: Are you a Thai monk studying at Fudan University? Are you studying a
PhD? I went to Thailand in 1999; it was only for a week, though. When I came back from
Thailand, I wrote a book called Touring Thailand. I think Thailand is very devoted to
Buddhism. During my visit, I spoke with some Buddhists who had studied PhDs,
including a dialogue with the Deputy Supreme Patriarch of Thailand (Sangharaja). It is
my pleasure to meet a Dharma master from the Southern Buddhist lineage at Fudan
University. I think your robes are very nice. I hope we will see Dharma masters from
Tibetan Buddhism and Northern Buddhism studying at Fudan University too; this would
be very harmonious.
Regarding the question asked by this Dharma teacher on the common karma shared
by sentient beings, from the viewpoint of negative karma, this often manifests as disaster
in the form of the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. As for positive karma, for
example, it can manifest as a beautiful and pleasant environment surrounding the place
where sentient beings live. One of the monastics from our institute went to Hangzhou in
spring a few years ago. At that time, the Tibetan area was so cold, and when he arrived at
Hangzhou he called me and told me: “This place is so beautiful. Everywhere you can see
flowers blooming. The people living here enjoy such a beautiful environment. This must
be the result of their past shared common virtues.” Thus, we can say that when we see a
group of beings enjoying happiness, this can be understood as that they are sharing and
experiencing the result of their good fortune together, after their previous wholesome
activities ripened.
(7) Question: I am a physics student at Fudan University. The Diamond Sutra says
that we should generate the mind without abiding when practicing generosity; it says that
we should not dwell in the two extremes of existence or non-existence, or good or bad.
Since it is so, why are we still being urged to practice virtue?
Answer: As I said just now, we must distinguish between ultimate and conventional
truth. According to conventional truth, we should practice generosity. At this level, the
giver, that which is given, and the recipient are all present; however, at the highest level
of truth, these three things are all emptiness, called the emptiness of the three circles. This
is not only stated in the Diamond Sutra. When Chandrakirti talks about the first ground of
the bodhisattva perfecting the paramita of generosity in Entering the Middle Way, he
mentions this, too. Only when the highest level of the perfection of generosity is attained
can it be called the emptiness of the three circles. However, before we reach this state, we
still have to perform generosity at the conventional level. Such a high level of realization
is not required at this stage.
The Diamond Sutra is all about prajñaparamita or emptiness. We must therefore
understand that its contents are based on the perspective of ascertaining emptiness as the
ultimate truth; it is not about positing conventional truth. By contrast, when ascertaining
conventional truth, if we practice those virtues, we will gain the corresponding merits.
We must distinguish this properly; otherwise it will be confusing and contradictory.
(8) Question: In Buddhism, there are many mantras, such as the six syllable mantra,
the hundred syllable mantra of Vajrasattva, and Casket Seal Dharani from the Secret
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Whole Bodies Relics of all Buddhas Hearts. Buddha said that each of them has
tremendous merits, and that we should recite them many thousands of times, respectively.
Since there are so many of them, how should I decide which one is best for my practice?
Answer: I have had very strong faith in the mantra since my childhood, though I
don’t spend much time reciting it now due to being busy. In Tibetan, we have an old
saying: “When toddlers are able to pronounce the word ‘mother’, they already know how
to recite the Cherenzig mantra—Om Mani Padme Hum.” Basically, every Tibetan child
is like that. However, due to the influence of economic development, many young
Tibetan people have left their home towns to study or work in other cities, and some of
them are now behaving in disappointing ways.
The benefit or merits of the mantra are articulated by Buddha in various sutras and
also tantras. As for which mantra you should choose, we can look at it from two
situations: 1) You can choose a mantra with which you have a close connection, through
your lineage gurus and certain empowerments or practices, and you can make a
commitment and aspire to recite it. 2) Based on your situation. For example, if you have
created many negative karmas, then you can recite Vajrasattva’s hundred syllable mantra
or the short Vajrasattva mantra; If you want to open up the gate to wisdom so that you are
endowed with wisdom in your present life and all future lives, to benefit sentient beings,
then you can recite the Manjushri mantra; If you want to eliminate all unfavorable
conditions, as well as obstacles caused by the maras, you can recite Guru Rinpoche’s
mantra, and so on. Whatever mantra you think is important to you, you can recite that
mantra.
In the Tibetan area, there are many practitioners who are quite unique. A while back,
for example, an old monk at our institute passed away. Throughout his life, he had recited
six hundred million mantras. As for my guru, H.H. Jigme Phuntsok, before he passed into
nirvana he consolidated all the mantras he had recited, from short one-word mantras such
as “AH” and “HUM,” and mantras of over two words. After adding up them all, they
totaled about nine hundred million. My guru entered into parinirvana aged seventy-two
years old. Throughout his whole life he always had prayer beads in his hand, reciting
mantras continuously.
Usually, practitioners from the Tibetan area always carry prayer beads with them
everywhere. Whether they are traveling in a vehicle, herding yaks, or working at a farm,
they have the prayer beads with them. Some Tibetan intellectuals and cadres even bring
prayer beads to the office. If their boss sees them, sometimes they are scolded. However,
nowadays the situation is better, and they can use a counting device to count the mantras,
which is not obvious to their boss. In fact, the benefit of reciting mantras is enormous.
Not only does it bring long-term benefit and merits, it can even temporarily diminish
dualistic thoughts, mental agitation, and sufferings, and settle the mind in a pure and calm
state. Therefore, mantras are very constructive and useful.
(9) Question: Arhats attain liberation through hearing the Buddha’s teachings and
will teach Dharma to sentient beings. However, the Pratyekabuddhas are quite strange.
They attain liberation by themselves without listening to teachings, and they do not teach
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the Dharma to others. Why do they not teach the Dharma? Is it because their abilities are
slightly different to an arhat’s?
Answer: Pratyekabuddhas appear in the world during the time after the previous
Buddha’s teachings have become extinct and before the next Buddha has started to teach.
Although they do not preach the Dharma through words, through emitting light from their
body and demonstrating various miraculous powers, they enable sentient beings to gain
faith and believe in Buddhism, and, ultimately, attain nirvana. This is also a way of
teaching Dharma—“preaching Dharma through the body.”
Buddha said in the Karma Xia Gatha that ordinary people easily gain confidence in
miraculous powers. They feel it is more important than the ability to teach Dharma. Thus,
the Pratyekabuddha manifests miraculous powers to show to beings. This is also a kind of
skilful means. Otherwise, even if we earnestly speak to ordinary beings, they may not
necessary accept what we say, and some may even create a deviant view of Buddhism.
When a Pratyekabuddha flies in the sky, they gain faith and are lost in admiration,
starting to prostrate on the ground.
Question: In the Han area, we believe that even if beings realize the nature of mind
in this life, they still need to practice for three great eons to eliminate all ignorance before
they can gain perfect buddhahood. However, in Tibetan Buddhism, it is said that we can
achieve enlightenment in a single lifetime. I have always doubted the relationship
between enlightenment in a single lifetime and perfect buddhahood.
Answer: Regarding attaining buddhahood in three great eons, there is no difference
between Tibetan Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism. Chinese Buddhism also emphasizes
the sudden path of revealing the luminous nature of the mind, or swiftly achieving
enlightenment by revealing the nature of reality. Including “Fayuan ZhuLin” and the
commentaries on the Lotus Sutra in Chinese Buddhism, some eminent masters also
explain about enlightenment within a single lifetime; this view is in concordance with
Tibetan Buddhism.
Regarding the three great eons, omniscient Longchenpa said in his teachings that this
should be understood or established in accordance with the mental disposition and efforts
of sentient beings. Someone who possesses extraordinary effort and sharp mental
faculties can accumulate several eons of merits in a single instant. For that reason, this
type of person doesn’t need the timeframe of three great eons. For example, two great
eons are needed from the first ground of the bodhisattva until buddhahood, yet it says in
the Prajñaparamita Sutra that once the first ground of the bodhisattva is attained, you
can attain buddhahood in seven days if you wish.
In this matter, Tibetan Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism are not contradictory. Many
Han Buddhist masters also believe that the three great eons are established based on the
total number of dualistic thoughts of a sentient being. Otherwise, it is impossible to
explain how the daughter of the dragon king attains buddhahood in an instant, as it
mentions in the Lotus Sutra.
Question: If someone attains buddhahood in a single lifetime, what kind of
buddhahood will this be? Can he or she eliminate all obstacles or ignorance, gaining
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knowledge of all things (omniscience)? For example, if he worked in the computing
software industry, he would need to surpass what Bill Gates can do; if he built a
monastery, he would need to know how to construct it, budget, and so on.
Answer: Je Tsongkhapa and some Buddhist masters hold that enlightenment in a
single lifetime is about truly attaining complete buddhahood. However, the appearance of
this kind of buddha may not necessarily be like Amitabha Buddha or Maitreya Buddha,
who have a solemn appearance and are endowed with all the noble marks. In this world,
there are many people who realize their Buddha nature and become a Buddha, and then
tame immeasurable sentient beings in incalculable Buddha fields. There are many of
them; therefore, we shouldn’t deny this.
There is another view saying that the word “Buddha” in Sanskrit means
enlightenment. Since this enlightenment refers to the fruition above the first ground of the
bodhisattva, thus the Pratyekabuddha is also called a “intermediate buddha.”
In fact, neither does Chinese Buddhism have a clear explanation of this question. For
example, when we talk about “revealing the nature of mind and seeing the nature of
reality” in Zen, does it mean the complete enlightenment of buddhahood or the
enlightenment of a bodhisattva? If it is the realization of a bodhisattva, then which
ground of a bodhisattva: the first, second, or tenth ground? Is it possible that it is before
the first ground of the bodhisattva? If so, without attaining even the first ground, on
which path is he or she: the path of accumulation or the path of joining? No clear
explanation regarding this can be found in Chinese Buddhism either.
(10) Question: I remember when I read the Surangama Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha
asks King Prasenajit a question: The four great elements are always in the cycle of
formation, abiding, destruction, and being empty. They are created, abide, and then cease.
What is the thing that is unborn and unceasing? The answer is: Buddha nature. Then
when I studied the Vijñapti-mātratā-siddhi Sutra, it says that everything, including the
eight consciousnesses, arises from the dependent nature (paratantra). We shouldn’t grasp
on the eight consciousnesses because everything vanishes without trace in ultimate reality.
The only thing that truly exists is the appearance that arises due to emptiness. In this
regard, I believe that it is just like the Diamond Sutra says: “As a star, a visual aberration,
a lamp, an illusion, dew, a bubble, a dream, lightning, and a cloud—view all compounded
phenomena like that.” That is to say, ultimately, only Tathātā, the opposite of the false
appearance, exists.
This is how I understand Tathātā or suchness, literally, though I haven’t gained
experiential understanding of it. I very much hope that lama can shed light on this for me.
I know that the eighth ground bodhisattva has already reached the irreversible stage, and
you have already reached this level. I therefore hope you can compassionately enlighten
me and guide me so that I can likewise gain the irreversible stage in my practice.
Answer: Nowadays, many people feel that it is such a privileged and great thing
when others treat them as a tulku. Since I arrived at Fudan today, not only have I been
identified as a sage, I have also been identified as an eighth ground bodhisattva. However,
this remark is truly an exaggeration, and more than I can handle, ha ha!
36
Whether it is the Surangama Sutra or the Vijñapti-mātratā-siddhi Sutra, also those
treatises like The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, they all say that the pure
dependent nature is actually the definitive meaning of the ālaya vijñāna, and this ālaya
vijñāna in question actually refers to tathagatagarbha. Of course, if we try to figure out
this level of tathagatagarbha with our dualistic mind, thinking it is a kind of energy or
matter, this is definitely like a blind man trying to size up an elephant—taking a part for
the whole.
When Buddha posits that all things and events are emptiness, does that mean
everything doesn’t exist? It is not so; the clear light nature does exist. Ultimately, the
subtle relationship between the clear light and emptiness is still something inconceivable;
this ultimate state, which is transcendental, is to what the definitive meaning of
tathagatagarbha refers.
This kind of definitive meaning of tathagatagarbha is only within reach by first
ground bodhisattvas or higher. Not to mention the eighth ground bodhisattva, I haven’t
even entered the path of accumulation. So, as an ordinary person, appearance is not
emptiness, and emptiness is not appearance; appearance is contradicted by emptiness.
Only by integrating the clear light posited in the third turning of the wheel of Dharma and
the emptiness ascertained in the second turning of the wheel of Dharma can we master its
original nature. This therefore requires genuine study and practice before we can attain it.
(11) Question: In the Han area, there are many bhikkhunis. In contrast, there are not
many female monastics in Tibetan Buddhism, and, furthermore, women’s rights in the
Tibetan area seem very neglected. May I know how Tibetan Buddhism views women’s
rights?
Answer: There are actually quite a lot of female monastics in the Tibetan area. In our
Buddhist institute, there are about two to three thousand male monastics, but there are
five to six thousand female monastics.
Regarding the bhikkhuni transmissions, Tibetan Buddhism has never had one.
Around the end of the twentieth century, some prominent Tibetan masters both in the
East and abroad were thinking about importing the bhikkhuni transmissions into the
Tibetan area. However, due to lacking various causes and conditions, they temporarily
have given up this mission. This doesn’t mean that Tibetan Buddhism discriminates
against women; it is only because it lacks the lineage transmissions.
This situation has not only happened in Tibetan Buddhism, it has also happened in
Thailand. When I went there, I found out that men are allowed to join the program to be a
monk for a short time, but the most women can temporarily do is observe the eight
precepts. The “inequality” is even worse there.
However, as long as women practice with commitment and effort, they can attain
enlightenment. There are many eminent great masters in the history of Tibetan Buddhism
who are female, such as Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal and Dakini Machik Labdrön. According
to The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, Its Fundamentals and History, another
dakini named Jomo Menmo, after she performed tsok offering with her two female
disciples, they flew just like an eagle to a pure land directly without leaving their body
behind.
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Besides that, women’s rights in the Tibetan area are not exactly as others think they
are. Only with certain traditional things are the abilities of women usually not on a par
with men’s and we see the differences. Apart from that, their status and rights are not
affected.
(12) Question: My father doesn’t have sound bodily health; he often has headaches.
Every morning, my mother offers a glass of water in front of the Buddha statue and then
recites Casket Seal Dharani from the Secret Whole Bodies Relics of all Buddhas Hearts a
few times before giving the water to my father. After my father drinks it, he immediately
feels that his headache has been eased. However, I wonder if without an empowerment
we can recite the mantra? Is my mother doing the right thing?
Answer: For any mantra, it is better to receive the relevant empowerment before
reciting it. However, even if we have no chance of receiving the transmission or
permission, the mantra’s effect is still there, and reciting it doesn’t commit a significant
fault.
At present, whether it is in the Tibetan or Han area, there are many people reciting
mantras without having received the transmission; however, after they recite them, they
still give rise to some effects and blessings.
(13) Question: I have been consistently doing my practice and also offer a lot to
charity. However, my physical health continues to be poor. How do you view this
situation?
Answer: It is impossible that completing your practice, such as reciting scriptures
and practicing virtue, makes you ill. Neither does your study. We should see it just like
what it says in the Diamond Sutra: it is due to past heavy negative karmas that we have to
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experience great, serious pain or suffer. It may be that heavy punishments have ripened in
a small way.
Question: If someone advises me not to pay too much heed to things and be more
relaxed and casual, how do I deal with it?
Answer: No matter what others say, the most important thing for us is to follow a
true path to liberation; therefore, we must preserve our motivation. With this as our basis,
we can then do things according to other’s wishes.
(14) Question: I came across the answers you gave to the nineteen questions asked
by Master Jiqun. I felt so touched after reading them, that your answers resonated with
my thinking, and that all lineages of the Buddhadharma are in harmony and oneness.
However, looking at history and the reality, I always see the conflicts between different
lineages, including some lay groups. They argue and fight endlessly. I feel so sad and
anguished by this. What is your view on this?
Answer: Today, not only Mahayana Buddhist practitioners like us, but also many
countries across the world are moving in a harmonious direction. Their relationship is no
longer the same as the mutually exclusive relationship between certain countries in the
past. Since these countries that haven’t been educated in the Mahayana teachings also can
use “harmony” as their basis, then as Buddhists, regardless of whether we follow Chinese
Buddhism or Tibetan Buddhism, there is no reason why we can’t live in harmony with
each other.
In fact, in the Buddhist doctrine itself, there is no fighting or conflict. This didn’t
exist in the past and of course does not exist today. It is only that some Buddhist
individuals haven’t comprehended our goal of “love and compassion,” and, due to this,
they create conflicts and incite various fights and arguments. If we want to transform
these situations, it is impossible to rely on one or two laypeople or monastics; it is a
matter that all Buddhists must care about. We must pull together, united and in harmony
with each other. Only through the power of this unity can we promote the Buddhadharma
and benefit many people around us.
Of course, if you emphasize your own lineage, this is understandable. However, with
this as your basis, you still need to be in harmony with other lineages, and all other
religions in the world. This kind of tolerance is quite common overseas; they have been
doing very well in this regard. Also, in recent years, between Chinese Buddhism and
Tibetan Buddhism, as well as between various major lineages in Chinese Buddhism, they
have been doing relatively well, too. Although some individuals may have conflicts,
these are conflicts at an individual level. In the broader trend, things are still gradually
moving in a positive direction.
(15) Question: Milarepa’s guru was quite strict with him and constantly gave him a
hard time in order to purify his negative karma. How about you? If you meet someone
with great potential in the Buddhist institute, how do you tame his or her mind or guide
the person?
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Answer: Neither do I possess the realization or supreme qualities of Milarepa’s guru,
nor have I met any ascetic similar to Milarepa. Milarepa’s guru, Marpa, said to Milarepa:
“I am a unique realized master; you are a disciple with extraordinary faith and
perseverance. I could therefore employ this method to tame your mind and guide you.
However, in the future, when you accept and guide your students, this harsh method
mustn’t be used any more.”
Of course, according to Tibetan Buddhism, there are still some differences between a
master and disciple. It is not like what some individual scholars believe, who think that
master and disciple should be equal. I think this argument is extreme democracy.
Although from the perspective that “sentient beings all possess Buddha nature” master
and disciple are equal, from another angle there still exists the differences in their status.
This difference is also a way for the disciple to show respect to the master and the
teachings during the time the master expounds the Buddhadharma, and vice versa.
In fact, the tradition in our Buddhist institute is quite similar to the monasteries in the
Han area. Each class has a Dharma teacher expounding the Dharma. After this, selected
Dharma tutors with good moral discipline give tutorials to students. During this process,
everyone listens to the Dharma with full respect. If students have some reasonable doubts,
they can openly discuss their questions with the tutor. Everyone has freedom of speech—
that is how disciples are being tamed and guided.
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Buddhist View of the Science of Life
Nanjing University Doctoral Forum
(March 14, 2011 evening)
Speech from the host:
Today, we are extremely honored to have Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche from Serthar
Buddhist Institute (Larong Gar) here at the Doctoral Forum of the Department of
Philosophy and Religious Studies of Nanjing University. Rinpoche will give a lecture
called the “Buddhist View of the Science of Life.” Before we start, please allow me to
introduce Rinpoche to you.
When Rinpoche was young, he studied at a teaching college. After this, he renounced
secular life to follow a monastic life. He followed His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok as his
root guru, in order to put the Buddhadharma into practice. Rinpoche studied many sutras
deeply, mastering both the profound and vast Buddhadharma. Due to his great
compassion, various of his projects to benefit sentient beings have spanned continents,
here and overseas. This can not only be seen in his published works, but also in the way
he advocates for various charitable causes and, more importantly, earnestly practices
what he advocates.
To have someone with such realization and great compassion to expound the Dharma
to us is not only what Nanjing University aspires for, but also the supreme honor of
Nanjing University. Nanjing University has always had the tradition “to seek truth from
facts and then put them into practical use.” As well as the philosophy of “perfecting
oneself practically,” we believe that the ultimate meaning of all knowledge is to help
enhance our wisdom and life. Nanjing University not only has a physical building named
“ZhiXingLou” (Building of knowledge and practice), but also seeks the tradition of the
unity of knowledge and practice. As such, may we listen to the nectar of the
Buddhadharma with an open mind and sound spirit. May we use our body and mind to
truly experience the practical aspect of knowledge, not just book learning, and may it
give rise to wisdom.
Now, may we welcome Khenpo with warm applause.
Good evening to my fellow teachers and students. I am very pleased to be here to
share with the students and teachers from the Doctoral Forum of the Department of
Philosophy and Religious Studies of Nanjing University.
I came to Nanjing in 1994. When I was a student, my textbook mentioned the
Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge. Therefore, when I came to Nanjing during that time, I
went especially to see that bridge. Since then, I haven’t been here. Coming here this time,
I have found that there have been a lot of changes in Nanjing. Externally, I found that
there has been rapid development in terms of material development and architecture. I
hope that the people in Nanjing have had similar advancement spiritually, such as in
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kindness, tolerance, and moral values. Today, I have been invited to talk about the
“Buddhist View of the Science of Life,” so now let us explore this topic together.
I. What Is the Buddhist View of the Science of Life?
Regarding the Buddhist view of the science of life, Lord Buddha said that no matter
what kind of life we have, there are infinite and boundless past and future lives. Before
buddhahood is attained and samsara is ended, cycling in the six realms will continue.
In order to comprehend this profound truth, we must undertake long-term study,
contemplation, and establish it through reasoning. Since you all are intellectuals, I believe
you are equipped with a broad vision and the analytical ability to carry out in-depth and
detailed analysis. Therefore, first, let us investigate whether humans have past and future
lives or not.
This is an extremely important issue for everyone. If we don’t have past and future
lives, it is fine to live our life just as we like. On the other hand, if there are future lives,
and we do not prepare for them now, it is certain that we will strongly regret our choices
later.
Do past and future lives exist? Through long-term detailed study, we found that they
do indeed exist. Unfortunately, many people are absolutely ignorant of this. Of course,
for those who have little exposure to knowledge, it is understandable that they may not
comprehend this, but some intellectuals think they are wise and learned, yet they don’t
recognize the existence of past and future lives. This is indeed sad for humankind.
Historically, since ancient times, the concept of past and future lives has always been
present in society. Both Roman and ancient Greek philosophers believed in the existence
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of past and future lives. For example, Plato believed that after death, humans’ souls were
reincarnated as humans or other sentient beings based on the wholesome and
unwholesome actions they had performed when they were alive. As for ancient Chinese
culture, Confucian philosophy also does not deny the reasonableness of past and future
lives. Someone asked Confucius: “What happens to humans after death?” Confucius
replied: “What is the point of studying life after death while we do not even fully
understand our present life?” Confucius highly advocated secular, worldly matters, and
so he chose to avoid talking about future lives, but he did not confirm or reject future
lives. As for other religions, most of them directly acknowledge the existence of past and
future lives. For example, in Taoism there is a longing for immortality, and Christians
and Catholics believe that after humans die, those who have done wholesome deeds will
be reborn in heaven, and, in contrast, those who have done unwholesome deeds will fall
into the hell realms, and so on.
As we can see, believing in past and future lives is not a unique feature of Buddhism.
Coverage of this concept is extremely broad, spanning many world religions. If you
haven’t thought about this before, you may want to read some books about ancient
cultures to find out how other religions and philosophers viewed this concept.
II. Close Bond between Scientists and Religion
Not only sages and scholars of the past acknowledge past and future lives. A
majority of many recent prominent scientists, who have made a significant contribution
to humankind and who give impetus to the development of human history, also have
religious faith, as well as recognize this view. For example, Mr Gallup from the USA
investigated the faith and religion of three hundred famous scientists in the past three
hundred years. He found that 242 of them had religious faith, 20 of them didn’t have any
faith, and for 38, their attitude to religion could not be determined. In other words, 92%
of scientists have religious faith. In particular, within Nobel Laureates, those who had
religious faith accounted for 93.27%.
Nowadays, many intellectuals believe that among human beings, scientists are the
most rational people, and it is therefore impossible for scientists to recognize any religion.
This presupposition can easily be disproved by the statistics above. Whether it is Albert
Einstein, Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, or Thomas Edison, by looking at their
biographies we can see that not only did they believe in religion, they also had a great
enthusiastic passion for it. Even though Buddhism had not spread into western countries
at that time and the main religion was Christianity, the concept of past and future lives
was still widely accepted by these scientists.
In fact, if we do not acknowledge the existence of past and future lives, we feel that
life consists of only a few decades, and therefore it is better to enjoy it while we can;
there is no need to worry about what happens in future lives. Guided by this world-view
and life-view, our behavior will have no constraints. For the sake of benefits in this life,
we will unscrupulously do what we wish. This is exactly as it is described in one of the
Agama Sutras: “Without fearing future lives, we unscrupulously commit all evils.”
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Conversely, many people in western countries, due to their belief in religion and their
code of ethics, are significantly different to the above. In the ceremony to inaugurate a
new US president, the president puts his hand on the Bible and makes an oath before God.
Perhaps such conduct is viewed as superstitious and seems unnecessary to those who
have no religious faith, but we do need this kind of ethical and moral constraint.
Will religion become an obstacle to the advancement of humanity and development
of society? Absolutely not, because the two are not contradictory. Thomas Edison, from
the USA, was a great inventor, yet he had strong faith. He had a stone tablet placed in his
laboratory with the inscription: “I believe in the existence of a Supreme Intelligence
pervading the Universe.” Throughout his life, he made over two thousand discoveries, yet
his faith did not hinder him. He believed that whenever he faced difficult questions,
praying to God was the source for gaining strength and inspiration to resolve them.
If people research and read sutras in their workplace or school, others may criticize
them, saying that they are “addicted” or “brainwashed.” In fact, there is nothing wrong in
being “brainwashed,” anyway, because it seems some great scientists have been
“brainwashed” even more thoroughly than others, and their intelligence became even
sharper as a result.
To a certain extent, the reason why many people have misunderstood about religion
is related to Darwin’s evolutionary theory. Darwin’s evolutionary theory completely
denies the law of causation and the existence of past and future lives. It blindly advocates
the idea of natural selection—that the strong survive and the weak die off. He believed
that the production of things is accidental. This theory has overwhelmed the world, and
owing to this Darwin became very famous. According to some information, he suffered
years of illness during his old age. He eventually turned to theology and wrote some
articles expressing his remorse to God. Before he passed away at age 73, he said: "When
I observe this world, particularly the material objects, I disagree that 'The world is
supported by random forces,' this is an arbitrary conclusion. I believe that there is
definitely a rule that is omnipresent, very subtle and complex, and all-pervasive,
governing the good and bad in this world."
The astronomer Galileo was the same. He had always believed that religious beliefs
were not contradicting with science. After he discovered sunspots, Jupiter’s satellites, and
mountains on the moon through a telescope, he ecstatically wrote the following: “I
render infinite thanks to God, for being so kind as to make me alone the first observer of
marvels kept hidden in obscurity for all previous centuries.”
Since such scientists who made significant contributions to humankind strongly
believed that religion and science were not contradictory, then it is unnecessary for us,
who only have a smattering of knowledge in this area, to blindly refute this.
When people have no faith, they lose moral restraint. On account of this, their
behavior is dreadful; conversely, with faith, should an evil thought arise, we will try to
tame it. This not only helps us to gain temporary happiness and joy in this lifetime, it also
is of great significance in assisting our liberation from samsara.
Therefore, we ought to observe properly what are the most valuable doctrines in this
world. If you want to comprehend the mysteries of mind and the truth of the universe, it
is necessary to draw support from religion, especially the wisdom in Buddhism.
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Otherwise, solely based on your presuppositions, I am afraid that even after years of
research, your puzzles will remain unsolved. When I was at another university a few days
ago, I cited a quotation from Zhu Qingshi, the former president of the University of
Science and Technology of China (USTC). What he said is this: “After enduring an
arduous journey, scientists finally reach the peak of the mountain, only to discover that
the great Buddhist masters have already arrived there a long time ago.” The meaning of
this statement is very profound. As a believer of science, you ought to think deeply about
it.
Although I am not a scientist, I have spent a lot of time reading many books from
ancient and modern times, from China and from other countries. As for Buddhism, I have
also read many sutras and treatises. During the process of comparing Buddhist books
with other books, I was deeply impressed by the wisdom of the Buddha. On account of
this, my confidence became firmer and unwavering. There are many people in this world
who claim “Buddhism is superstition” merely after reading one Buddhist book. However,
they are not aware that the real superstition is simply making assertions and comments
like that. Historically, there are so many scientists and wise people who respected and did
not show contempt for Buddhism, so what are the grounds for talking so irresponsibly
about these profound teachings?
Actually, the science of psychology revealed by Buddhism is viewed highly in
western countries. Many psychologists still acknowledge today the psychologist Carl
Jung, who is as influential as Freud. Many psychologists see him as unparalleled or
matchless. What attitude did Jung have toward Buddhism? For decades, he always
carried the Tibetan Book of the Dead with him everywhere he went; it was his permanent
partner. He attributed many of his inspiring ideas and discoveries to this Buddhist
scripture, and he had enthusiastically recommended this book to Sigmund Freud, Albert
Einstein, and other prominent academic figures.
A while back, when I met a friend from the University of Cambridge, he told me that
before Jung passed away, he earnestly urged his daughter: “Please do not publish those
articles that I wrote describing and discussing the Tibetan Book of the Dead, including
those descriptions of various principles of dreams, until fifty years have passed, because
people may not be able to accept them now.” His decision was indeed very far-sighted,
because at that time, European society was not as tolerant, free, and open as today. He
was also very clear that later, this eastern religion would flourish in every corner of
western countries. When this time came, his research on the Tibetan Book of the Dead,
his own experience of clear light dreams and near-death experiences, would be revealed.
In the Tibetan area, the Tibetan Book of the Dead is widely known to every
household. It is not only Buddhist thought, but has already been integrated into our daily
lives. However, many intellectuals now have a rather strange attitude toward it; they
think it is a complete superstition. This behavior is quite arrogant. A world of difference
exists between this attitude and the attitude of the wise people from the past. This is
worth reconsidering by everyone.
III. In Search of the Past Life Footprint
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For every sentient being, life has always continued unbroken. When humans die, life
definitely does not disappear similar to when a fire is put out. Within the division of body
and consciousness, the body has coarse and subtle levels, and, likewise, the
consciousness also has a coarse consciousness and subtle consciousness.
The coarse level of the body is constituted of the four elements, namely, earth, water,
fire, and air. Initially, people did not believe this, but in the 15th century, through
chemical analysis, it was found that the human body is indeed composed of various
chemical elements. After a human dies, this coarser body, which is formed by the four
elements, totally ceases. What will happen to it after that? It is transformed into a subtle
level of the body, which Buddhism calls the illusory body. It is similar to the body we
have during dreams. It is able to float around and arrive at its desired destination quickly.
It has many differences to our present body.
The coarse level of consciousness includes the eye consciousness, ear consciousness,
nose consciousness, and so on. These consciousnesses will gradually merge into the alaya
consciousness, which is the subtle level of consciousness, which continues to revolve in
samsara. The continuity of this subtle level of consciousness, how in this life we are a
human being and in the next life we could be a yak, and so on, is meticulously explained
in the Kalachakra in Tibetan Buddhism.
Of course, our eyes or ears may not necessarily be able to perceive the existence of
past and future lives. If it were so simple, then we would not say that this is the mysteries
of mind. If you want to apprehend this, it can be done either by using logical reasoning to
prove it, or revealed through knowing people who are able to recall their past lives or
near-death phenomena.
1. Using Pramana reasoning to prove the existence of past and future lives
If we want to use logical reasoning to prove the tenability of the theory of past and
future lives, it is indispensable to draw support from the Pramana knowledge, especially
from Dharmakirti’s Pramānavārttikakārika. This treatise says that whether we are a
human being or another kind of sentient being, we all have a luminous consciousness.
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The reason why this consciousness continues unbroken is because it is endowed with the
“cause”—the clear light continuum will not cease to exist.
Of course, when you just start to learn this, it is quite difficult to comprehend, but it
is a very complete, logical reasoning. Especially for those that are equipped with a strong
ability in metaphysics, it is best if you can read the Pramānavārttikakārika, Treasury of
Logic on Valid Cognition, and some Madhyamaka treatises. Through this method to
ascertain reincarnation, you will completely apprehend that the consciousness of sentient
beings does not cease to exist. This is because it is not the same as external matter, such
as a light bulb, which, when it is destroyed, nothing is left. In contrast, consciousness is
entirely different.
Pramana is rich in this irrefutable logical reasoning. Despite that, it is not easy to
learn. If you aspire to research it thoroughly, it is necessary to begin from this complex
aspect. Conversely, simply reading one or two books and then drawing a conclusion
literally that the Buddhist theory of reincarnation cannot be proved is not enough. I am
afraid it is not that simple. You won’t have the confidence to defend your thesis if you
conduct a Pramana debate with a Buddhist master on this issue. As such, for someone
who wants to refute this, or someone who wants to understand past and future lives with
logical reasoning, it is a must to delve deeper into the Pramana and Madhyamaka. Only
by doing this can you draw a valid conclusion.
2. The true stories of people remembering their past lives
Putting theories aside, we can find many examples of people who are able to recall
their past lives. This is also a very strong basis to support this view. We should not
simply dismiss this, since these people recall their lives themselves; nobody tells them
about them. For example, if I tell people about the events that happened to me yesterday,
they will not simply dismiss it and say that I am talking nonsense. If they don’t believe it,
it is up to them, but I have truly, personally experienced it.
In the Ten Stages Sutra, Lord Buddha explicitly mentioned that some sentient beings
can recall some of their past lives. Some can even recall events that happened countless
eons ago. Certainly, not everyone possesses this ability. For most people, after entering
the womb, obscurations cause them to forget everything in their past life. Only a small
number of people, due to their meditative power or other special causes and conditions,
retain some of their memories.
Of course, those able to remember their past life may not necessarily have studied
Buddhism before. In the past, Dr. Ian Stevenson (1918-2007) from the University of
Virginia devoted himself to more than forty years of research, collecting over two
thousand true cases from different countries to prove the existence of past and future lives.
Later, he selected twenty of the most convincing cases and put them together to compose
Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation. In each of the cases in that book, the time, the
people, and the place involved are clearly indicated. Thus, if someone were to try to
refute them one by one, it would take many hours of work.
In the Tibetan area, there are also some eminent monks that are able to remember
their past life. For example, my guru His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok used to recall the
experiences of his past life during the time of Padmasambhava, when he was born as
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Nanam Dorje Dudjom. I remember one time when His Holiness was in a place at Dawu
expounding on the six bardos (a section of the Tibetan Book of the Dead), during that
teaching, he suddenly became very sad, and explained that he had just recalled how in
Padmasambhava’s time this scripture had been expounded and who were
Padmasambhava’s disciples, but now, as time has passed, everything has changed and
become what we are today. While speaking about this, tears fell from his eyes.
On another occasion, His Holiness was invited to the first Tibetan monastery—
Samye Ling. When His Holiness was expounding Dharma to the monks there, he
remembered vividly scenes when Padmasambhava was transmitting Vajrayana teachings
in the past; they reappeared as if they had just happened yesterday. While His Holiness
described the scenes, he couldn’t hold back his tears and seemed very sad. I personally
witnessed this myself. For someone like His Holiness, who has made such great
contributions to Buddhist causes, there is no need for him to simply lie to others.
Besides these renowned masters, there are also some ordinary people who naturally
possess the ability to remember their past life. For example, near our Buddhist institute,
there is a little girl, who before she was five or six years old was able to remember many
things in her past life vividly. Initially, it was hard for her family to believe how it was
possible for her to know these past life events, but later they were able to verify the girl’s
accounts entirely matched with reality. In the face of these truths, no matter how much
her parents were not willing to believe that past and future lives existed, they had to
recognize their existence.
Also, the famous English novelist and writer Charles Dickens recounted how once
when he was walking in the outskirts of an area, he found that the scenery around him
was very familiar, and he felt extremely emotional about it, and started to recall that this
was the place where he had been murdered in his previous life.
Another similar case was with a prominent literary figure. He was also able to
remember that he had lived in this world for many lifetimes. During his previous lives, he
had been a prince, slave, woman, and so on. In the future, of course, he will continue to
reincarnate again and again in the human realms.
Likewise, Su Dongpo was able to remember that he was a monk in his previous life,
named Monk Jie. Emperor Shunzhi also said in How I Became a Monk: “I was previously
a monk in the western land (India). I wonder what went wrong that made me reincarnate
in this royal family?” In addition to this, the movie series National Master Yulin,
although it includes some fictional stories, was adapted from a true story.
We should therefore never deny the existence of past and future lives without a valid
reason. If you have some doubts about this, then I would recommend you read some
books about this topic. For example, Khenpo Tsultrim Lodoe purposely composed a text
called: Treatise of Past and Future Lives. He established the existence of past and future
lives through an extremely persuasive analysis, both from scientific and Buddhist
perspectives. After I read it, I found that it was really beneficial to others. I then spent
about two months translating it from Tibetan to Chinese and then taught it to our Dharma
brothers and sisters in Serthar Buddhist Institute.
After I finished the lecture, I asked the intellectuals attending the lecture: “Do you
still have any reasons to deny the existence of past and future lives? Please stand up if
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you do. To ascertain a truth, we need to convince others by reasoning. We don’t accept
something because Buddha said so or our guru said so, when clearly we don’t understand
or believe it ourselves. A truth must be able to stand any tests and inquiries. This is the
custom that Buddha always adhered to.” In the end, after the debates, many people truly
gained conviction that previous and future lives do exist. As such, if any one of you has
similar doubts, it is best if you can systematically study this text.
In addition to that, it is also worth reading The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. I
met Sogyal Rinpoche when I visited France in 1993. At that time, The Tibetan Book of
Living and Dying had been published in English and he was preparing to translate it into
Chinese. Initially, he asked if I could help to translate it, but I replied that on the one hand,
my language skills were not sufficient to translate it, and on the other hand, my schedule
was also too tight, and I was afraid I couldn’t do it. Also, it was better to find someone
more well known to translate it. In the end, he sought Taiwan’s Professor Zheng
Zhenhuang to translate it into Chinese, and for the Tibetan translation he requested a
Khenpo from Sikkim to help. However, up until now, I haven’t seen the Tibetan edition
yet, and I’m not sure how it is progressing. At that time, half of the text had already been
translated into Tibetan. Eighteen years have now passed, since 1993. Perhaps the
translation has still not yet been completed. An American friend of mine said eight years
ago that he was composing two books, and a few days ago when I met him again, he said
he is still composing those two books. Perhaps some people like the style of “slow work
produces fine products.”
At that time, the English edition of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying had been
well received. Sogyal Rinpoche then had it translated into German and printed a number
of copies. Coincidentally, His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok arrived at Sogyal Rinpoche’s
Dharma center the same day the book was printed. Rinpoche observed the dependent
origination and found it to be excellent, so he gave one copy of the German edition to His
Holiness and another copy to me. However, since I don’t understand German, the only
thing I could do was to place it on top my head to receive some blessing.
Sogyal Rinpoche said at that time that although many westerners believe in karma,
they are still quite limited in their concepts of the existence of previous and future lives
and how to face death. He therefore composed this book hoping that it could help to
improve their view on living and dying. What happened through this book is quite
evident to everyone. Guided by this book, many westerners indeed gained a new
understanding about living and dying.
For that reason, we must take heed of such vital issues as living and dying. If future
lives don’t exist, it is fine to let things drift in this lifetime, and it is fine to waste time.
Conversely, if they do exist, then not accumulating merits in this life is obviously quite
foolish. That would be like someone who sleeps all day, commits evil actions, and has no
plan for the future because he thinks that tomorrow doesn’t exist or will not come; this is
completely idiotic.
3. The recognition of past and future lives is not unique to Buddhism
In fact, the existence of previous and future lives is not unique to Buddhism. By
looking at history, even in places where Buddhism was not present, we can see this
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concept was there and continued to be there, without fail. For example, around the time
of the spring and autumn periods of the western Han Dynasty, before Buddhism had
spread in China, there were many records about classic cases of past and future lives. In
Chronicle of Zuo, there is a case about Ji Peng Sheng, who after he died became a wild
boar in order to take revenge. Likewise, in Book of Han, it mentions how Ruyi, Emperor
of Zhao, was killed by Empress Lu, and after his death he reincarnated as a dog to hunt
her. Furthermore, in Book of Jin, there is a story about how the mother of Song Shizong
became a turtle.
Since these kinds of cases can even be found in official historical records, when we
hear about the existence of past and future lives we should not simply assume that
Buddhists are superstitious. In contrast, we should take an objective and fair position to
analyze this principle carefully.
IV. Present Confusions about This Principle
In fact, the Buddhist view of life and death is quite profound. Dr. von Neumann said,
in a philosophical section on quantum theory, that: “Humans possess consciousness that
is non-material; it can affect and change a material thing.” After this theory was
announced, it stunned the scientific world and sparked widespread interest. Before that,
people assumed that “physical matter is the only or fundamental reality.” They thought
that all things were composed of materials and had not discovered the truth expounded by
Buddhism: “Everything is the imputation of mind.” This resonates with the true nature of
reality.
Besides our physical body, we actually possess a subtle consciousness which arises
and ceases continuously, and can generate an incredible power. Even contemporary
scientists are not able to touch upon this power for now, because their research in this
area remains unfruitful. At present, scientific research is predominantly on material
objects, which also largely depends on advanced equipment. Although scientists have
made substantial contributions to humankind in the material aspect, the subject of
consciousness remains a blind spot. In fact, if they spent some time researching Buddhist
texts such as the Vijñāptimātratāsiddhi, Abhidharmakosha, Abhidharma, Flower
Adornment Sutra, and Lotus Sutra, the mystery of mind or consciousness could easily be
unraveled.
When I was studying psychology at school, I was always plagued by many questions,
some of which were truly perplexing. Sometimes when I went to ask my teachers about
these questions, and we had a debate, it displeased my teachers and caused them to think
that I was deliberately trying to make things complicated. (I heard that even today some
of my psychology teachers continue to have objections about me.) Eventually, I
encountered the Mahayana teachings. After studying Mahayana sutras and treatises,
including Vajrayana’s Great Perfection, I personally felt a sudden enlightening about the
questions that I had been asking, and to which I had been searching for answers. I thought,
“Oh, it is like that. Without the guidance of Buddhism, no matter how we explain those
theories, it is just like a blind man trying to learn about an elephant by touching the
elephant with his hands. In the end, he cannot get a clear picture.”
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The physicist Brian David Josephson, who was one of the winners of the Nobel Prize
in Physics in 1973, meditated in his daily life so as enter into the objective state of the
inner clarity of mind. Through this kind of meditation, he discovered the power of the
mind, and then put together his discoveries to compose a text. Because of this, he won
numerous awards. I strongly believe the experiences that he wrote about are true, because
if we realize the nature of our mind through meditation, we are able to have perfect
command over everything, whether it is dealing with the material world or researching
academic knowledge; we are more than equal to handling it. Conversely, without
mastering this key point, however you try to speak about it, it only becomes
extravagantly colorful descriptions; the fundamental basis has never been touched upon.
We should therefore try to observe our mind on a daily basis, and use some Buddhist
pith instructions and teachings to counter our mental afflictions. If you can do this, your
mental states will improve greatly in this lifetime, when you are confronted with various
work and life-related stress, not to mention the benefits this can bring in your future lives.
The behavior of some intellectuals is tragic, because of adversities in romance, work,
or family, due to which they think about committing suicide. Fortunately, through
studying Buddhism, some have been able to completely change their life, as if they have
been reborn, giving them an entirely new outlook. During my visit this time, I have met
four people who had prepared to commit suicide before they encountered Buddhism. One
of them has a son who is in a vegetative state due to a car accident he had while he was
studying in Australia. She has to take care of him alone and as such endures many
hardships in her life. Another person is facing a crisis in his marriage. The third person
isn’t able to cope with his work and other complex problems in life. I need to keep the
problem of the last person secret. These four people initially no longer had the desire to
live. Luckily, after they encountered the Buddhadharma, their mentality was transformed
fundamentally. Although externally their problems seemingly remain, due to the change
in their mentality, they no longer complain or blame anyone else; they understand that
these things are all due to karma.
In fact, this world is just like what it says in the Four Hundred Verses: “In the ocean
of samsara which is boundless, why would foolishly sinking inside this not be
intimidating?” Why would an ordinary being not be intimidated by indulging in the ocean
of samsara, with its abyss of suffering? Those who do not believe in the existence of past
and future lives may temporarily think that life is so beautiful and enjoyable. However,
when the scenes of samsara appear in front of them, one by one, I am afraid that they may
no longer be able to enjoy it.
Buddha also said in the Buddha-dhyana-samadhi-sagara-sutra that: “Sentient beings
in the three realms or the six domains of cyclic existence are like a spinning wheel of
fire.” From this teaching, it implies that while revolving in the six domains of cyclic
existence, sentient beings have not the slightest joy. In this life we reincarnated as a
human being, but in the next life we could reincarnate as an animal. Such impermanent
scenes and constant flux of changes continuously appear like a movie.
Not long ago, I read a case mentioned in the Madhyama Agama Sutra, and it helped
me to generate great renunciation of samsara. The story goes like this: One day, when
Todeyaputta was out, coincidentally, Buddha went to his house begging for alms. In
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Todeyaputta’s house, there was a white dog lying on top of a bed decorated with gems.
The dog was eating some delicious food from a plate made of gold. When the dog saw
Buddha, it jumped off the bed and barked loudly. With compassion, Buddha said to the
dog: “Due to your previous unwholesome activities, you were born as animal. Why are
you still not aware of your mistake?” After hearing Buddha’s words, the white dog
became very sad, stopped eating and sleeping, and just curled up in a ball.
When Todeyaputta came back, he was surprised to see his dog’s behavior. He asked
his family members: “Why is my dog behaving strangely today?” His family replied:
“Buddha came here just now.” Todeyaputta’s dog was the apple of his eye. After he
heard about the reasons for his dog’s behavior, he was burning with rage, and
immediately went to question Buddha, saying: “Why have you caused my dog to behave
strangely?” Buddha told him: “Please do not misunderstand me. Your dog is actually the
reincarnation of your father, Todeya. If you don’t believe me, please go back to ask the
dog where his treasure from his past life is buried.”
Surprised and bewildered, Todeyaputta went home, and asked the dog if he was his
father’s reincarnation, and if he was, to please show him the place where he had buried
his treasure. The white dog immediately walked to the place where the father lived in his
past life, then used his claws to scratch the ground and barked continuously. Right away,
Todeyaputta started digging on that spot and found the treasure.
For this reason, Todeyaputta generated peerless faith in Buddha, then went on to
request teachings from Buddha. Buddha then expounded the law of karma to him, saying:
“Those who take away the life of living beings will have a short present lifespan; those
who liberated animals in their past life will have a long present lifespan; those who
practiced generosity in their past life will be rich in this life; those who were very stingy
in their past life will be very poor in this life; those who created wholesome activities in
their past life will find kindness easily; those who created unwholesome activities in their
past life will have negative thoughts endlessly; and so on.” (Some people always
complain that evil thoughts come one after another in their mind, and that their mind is
very negative. I think this certainly has to do with their behavior in their past life.) After
Buddha expounded this Dharma, Todeyaputta gained tremendous joy in the Dharma,
took refuge in front of Buddha to become a lay practitioner, and eventually gained
liberation.
Those who have no faith in Buddha may consider this story to be a myth. However,
it is not so; it is a fact. If you don’t understand it, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. An
American wrote a book called Talking to Heaven, in which he wrote about many cases
where he had summoned souls of the dead from the hell realms or other world systems so
that they could meet with their relatives who were still alive. Initially, many people did
not believe him, so he revealed some secrets that were only known to the dead person, so
that the relatives would believe the soul of the dead person had truly come. Then they
started to communicate. This book created a great sensation in the west, and I suggest
you read it if you have time.
I also came across a case during the 1930s in Shanghai. There was a Frenchman who
was also able to summon souls from the hell realms, and without needing to enter into the
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body of a medium, the soul could speak directly in the room. The souls’ voices were
completely identical to those of the dead people’s.
Including within Tibet, there are countless soul summoners. Sometimes they depart
from their body for a week and look as if they have died, but actually they have gone to
the bardo realm to bring back some messages from the dead souls to their relatives who
are still alive. No doubt we can find some fake cases, some people may not really have
this ability, and pretend to receive messages from the dead souls for their own benefit.
However, there are also many real cases. We can find countless examples from ancient to
modern times.
V. University Students Should Be Equipped with Correct Faith
As a university student, many of you probably have full confidence in your future.
You think that after your graduation you will immediately work toward your aspirations
and gain many accomplishments within society. However, in reality, society is not as
beautiful as you might think it is. When you truly experience the complexity of the
relationships between various people, from high to low, only then will you understand
that the relaxation, freedom, and simplicity of student life is so precious. Therefore, you
should be mentally well prepared in advance. Otherwise, when small adversities occur
after you enter the world of society and work, you might be at a loss, as if the heavens are
falling and the earth is breaking, and everything is in darkness, just like the scenes in the
movie 2012.
What mindset should you have to be prepared? At least, you must have correct
faith—something upon which you can rely. Without this, even if you are very successful
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in society, in your old age you may feel very lonely and miserable. We therefore should
not be shortsighted and only care about our present. Instead, we should stand on a higher
vantage point so we can see further. We should use the wisdom of the Buddhadharma to
observe our life, the material world, and ethical and moral principles. If you can do this,
you will discover that setting off all other fields of knowledge against Buddha’s wisdom
makes those other fields seem so insignificant.
At present, there are many famous bestselling books. Whenever I hear about them, I
am always interested to read about them. However, after I read about them, to be honest,
I am quite disappointed, because the concepts or contents presented have already been
articulated in Buddhist scriptures; nothing is new for me. Regarding this point, I am not
fooling myself, boasting, or denying the truth. As a Buddhist, whether principles are
derived from Buddhism, from other religions, or non-religions, as long as nobody can
overturn them, we will recognize and accept them. However, after comparing various
types of knowledge, my conviction in Buddha is even stronger than before. All of you,
regardless of whether you believe or don’t believe, should still use wisdom to analyze.
This is basically what I wanted to share with everyone today. I hope that through this
you understand the most important concept in our life—the existence of past and future
lives. For the sake of your happiness in many future lives, accumulate merits and
eventually enter the gate of liberation or enlightenment.
As we are all aware, recently there have been serious natural and manmade disasters
in Japan, such as a ninth grade earthquake, a tsunami, a volcanic eruption, nuclear leaks,
and so on. After watching these scenes on TV, I felt so sad about it. For historical reasons,
the people of Nanjing hated the Japanese. However, as most of us are Mahayana
practitioners, if we exchange our self with others, imagine if we had been swept away by
waves and terrified by earthquakes. How unbearable it would be. Furthermore, some
people may have created heavy negative karma during their past life and are now in the
bardo state and don’t have a chance to purify their negativity through confession. Owing
to this, they will fall into an abyss of suffering in their next life. If we reflect on this, we
will realize that they are so miserable.
For this reason, I hope that we can recite together one hundred times the mantra of
Avalokiteshvara and dedicate it to the victims in Japan, wish the dead can have a
fortunate rebirth, and that those still alive are able to dispel their sufferings. OM MANI
PADME HUM, OM MANI PADME HUM.… Thank you.
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Appendix:
Question and Answer Session at Nanjing University Doctoral Forum
(March 14, 2011 evening)
(1) Question: I am a student at an ordinary college in northern Liaoning. My major
studies are in the principles of Marxism. I would like to ask you a question: In
contemporary society, in which a multitude of philosophies has caused conflicting views,
how can we maintain a calm and peaceful state of mind with which to face life?
Answer: At present, we can indeed see some conflicting ideas in different cultures.
In order to obtain a calm and peaceful state of mind, I have always thought that the best
way is to study Buddhism.
This is because Buddhism advocates giving up ourselves and helping others. This
mindset for interacting with others and living our life is certain to bring about harmony,
joy, and happiness. This idea is also supported by many scholars. They say that we
should start with the spirit of the Mahayana, exchanging self with others, if we want to
have the most peaceful and harmonious world.
(2) Question: I am a PhD student at Nanjing University Business School, and
graduated in 2010 in accounting. May I ask: After the Wen Chuan earthquake, Faye
Wong sang a song called “Heart Sutra.” What is the essence of this song? What is the
benefit of it for sentient beings, when it is sung?
Answer: I have come across the “Heart Sutra” song by Faye Wong and suggested
that we should all widely promote it. The Heart Sutra says that the eye, ear, nose, tongue,
and body are empty, and form, sound, smell, taste, and touch are all empty. There are
many struggles and sufferings that we have to endure in this society; there is also a
multitude of things and events. However, if we trace and investigate their origin, we find
that they are all actually emptiness. Thus, the core meaning of the Heart Sutra is to let us
cut the clinging to all things and events; this is a supreme and inconceivable state.
Precisely, during the second turning of the wheel of Dharma, Shakyamuni Buddha
expounded the prajnaparamita, which is emptiness. Just as within the human body, our
heart is most important, in the same way, within the teachings of wisdom on emptiness,
the most fundamental sutra is the Heart Sutra.
If you can recite the Heart Sutra and sing the “Heart Sutra” song, it will lessen the
various troubled, dualistic thoughts in your mind. A teacher I know said that when she
feels very agitated, if she reads the Heart Sutra once, her mind settles down. If she then
sits for a while, the previous discomfort will disappear entirely.
Question: Just now, you asked us to make a dedication for the victims of the disaster
in Japan by reciting “Om Mani Padme Hum.” Some great masters say that “Om Mani
Padme Hum” symbolizes a kind of supreme wisdom. May I know what exactly these few
words mean?
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Answer: The merits of “Om Mani Padme Hum” are extremely great; this is
mentioned in several sutras. If we chant “Om Mani Padme Hum” for those who have
already passed away, even if originally they had to experience suffering, through the
unsurpassed power of this sound it is possible that they can gain happiness immediately.
Especially at present, when disasters are occurring so frequently, if we pray to
Avalokiteshvara or recite his mantra, through this kind of power we can clear up disasters
to the greatest extent. There are many scriptures and reasonings that can clarify this point.
In summary, it is not only unsurpassed wisdom, but also an extremely powerful
invisible force.
(3) Question: I am a PhD student of School of Liberal Arts. I don’t believe in
Buddhism, nor do I believe in Christianity. I do not have a faith. I believe that my
situation represents the majority of people. Despite the fact that I do not have a faith, if
we are talking about the promotion of Buddhism and Christianity, in my home village, I
find that many Christian churches have been built and many people, especially women
villagers, are visiting and worshipping in these churches very early in the morning during
the weekends. Do you ever wonder how to promote Buddhism so that those who have no
faith believe in Buddha?
Answer: This question from a faithless PhD student is very good! No matter where I
go, I always hope to meet and exchange views with not only Buddhists but also people of
other faiths or religions. This is because everyone has different philosophical and cultural
background; there doesn’t need to be a stereotype.
Currently, indeed, we can see many people have no faith or religion, especially in
countries like China and the former Soviet Union; these people can be found everywhere.
In contrast, 95% of Americans are Christian. The President of the USA also mentioned
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this in a speech that he delivered during his visit to Tsinghua University. This
phenomenon is related to the mainstream culture of a country. For example, before the
Qing Dynasty in China, such as in the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, many
people believed in Buddhism, but due to the karma shared by sentient beings and
transitions in history, fewer and fewer people believed in Buddhism.
In fact, what you said is correct. Christianity is promoted widely now, not only in
rural areas but also in cities. We even see many universities have dedicated staff
recruiting people into Christianity using various methods. They even force people. Just
now, someone told me on the phone that she had been asked to join that religion
involuntarily; she is not sure what to do.
In contrast, Buddhism does not force anyone to believe in it. Instead, we follow the
causes and conditions for everything. Should we attempt to influence people to believe in
Buddhism, we do this just for the sake of their happiness. We hope that after they
understand the existence of past and future lives, they will no longer only cling to
material wellbeing, but seek for spiritual happiness, too. In view of this, when the
opportunity arises, we convey some Buddhist teachings to people, especially those who
have no faith or religion.
As Buddhists, if we want to promote the teachings of Buddha in the secular world on
the same scale as Christians are promoting their religion, we should be well organized,
recruit more young people, employ centralized management, and also use various
methods. Otherwise, I am afraid that it is not possible to be accepted by people on a
larger scale. This is especially true in some universities; setting up organizations for
researching Buddhism and Zen societies is necessary. Harvard University and Yale
University have Buddhist research institutions, and Peking University and Fudan
University have Zen societies. Furthermore, we can see that some of the students there
not only have faith in Buddhism, but their understanding is also considerably profound.
As such, it is an important and necessary thing for us to promote Buddhism through these
methods. I hope we all can keep this in mind.
Then for those secular people who have no faith or religion, when causes and
conditions have matured, we should give advice appropriate to the situation to guide them
in studying Buddhism and practicing virtue. However, if the opportunity is not there,
there is no need to do it grudgingly. Even when Lord Buddha was still alive, the people
who didn’t believe in Buddhism represented the majority of the city’s population where
Buddha dwelt. This is just the result of sentient beings’ karma. We therefore should not
force others to study Buddhism. Promoting Buddhism should be done in a way where we
seize an opportunity when it arises and teach according to the opportunity.
(4) Question: I am a PhD student in the Business School. I don’t know much about
Buddhism. May I ask: What is the viewpoint of Buddhism regarding group and
individual goals? Has Buddhism ever mentioned this? How can we achieve these goals in
a more joyful way?
Answer: Speaking about goals, Lord Buddha mentioned this in both the Agama Sutra
and Vinaya Sutra. Individual goals can be divided into temporary and long-term goals.
As for the ultimate goal, it is not just about this life, it is about the attainment of fruition
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after countless lifetimes. Many people do not even dare think about this. As for group
goals, it is about the interests of monastics, the benefits of group practice for lay people,
and so on. As we can see, individual and group goals were mentioned in Buddhism a long
time ago.
How can individuals achieve their goals in a more joyful way? First, we must learn
how to live and adapt according to causes and conditions. “Sui Yuan” is often mentioned
in Zen. It means that while we are working for our goals, we should care more about how
to make our efforts and contributions and not worry too much about what we hope to gain.
As long as we work hard, there are no regrets, even if during the process we have to
endure various difficulties or are not able to get what we want. There is no need to be
agitated by this. We should learn how to adapt to changing circumstances. With this kind
of mentality, we will be very joyful and happy.
In addition, whatever we do, we must have a proper and clear plan. If, without a goal,
no specific arrangements are made, it is impossible to achieve our ultimate goal.
In short, whether in our work or daily life, whatever unfavorable conditions confront
us, we shouldn’t strongly grasp. The more we cling to something, the less chance we
have to achieve it; on the contrary, the less we cling to something, the more easily it will
come.
(5) Question: Buddhism believes in karma: a positive thought will bring happiness
and a negative thought will bring suffering. Is this concept of “wholesome activities bring
happiness, unwholesome activities bring suffering” considered as a belief or a truth? If it
is a truth, can we use logic or experiment to prove it?
Answer: The law of karma, “wholesome activities bring happiness, unwholesome
activities bring sufferings” is actually an objective truth. This verse not only appears
everywhere in Buddhist sutras, but we can also find it in other places, including Marshal
Chen Yi from China. He also said: “wholesome activities bring happiness, unwholesome
activities bring suffering. When you can’t see the result, it is not because that there is no
result, it is just because the time hasn’t arrived for it to ripen; when the time of maturity is
reached, all results will ripen.”
It should also be possible to prove it by experiment. For example, if you are a good
and kind person in this life, you will gain only benefit and not harm. Even if you can’t see
your future life now, when you experience the results, every cause will produce its result
accordingly and perfectly. This is the only way you can prove it by experiment.
On the other hand, by way of logical proof, we must first establish Buddha as a
means of valid cognition and then have faith in his words. Through this, then we can
believe that whatever Buddha said is true and not false. For example, Buddha said in the
Karma Xia Gatha that: “Whatever karma sentient beings created will remain even after a
hundred eons. When causes and conditions are there, their results will ripen.”
As such, the corresponding happiness and sufferings from the wholesome and
unwholesome activities we have committed will be experienced in the end. This is like if
you plant a seed of a medicinal plant, then the result is a medicinal plant that we can use.
If you plant a seed of a poisonous tree, the result is a poisonous tree that causes harm.
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(6) Question: I was previously studying National Studies and then entered Nanjing
University’s Chinese Department as a PhD student in 2010. Many of my friends are
studying Tibetan Buddhism. During my summer holiday last year, I went with them to
visit Tar Monastery, Xiaqiong Monastery, and Labrang Monastery. I met many Tibetan
Buddhist masters during that trip. May I ask: Currently, what is the situation with the
exchanges between Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism? Are they learning from each other or
is there a certain degree of conflict?
Answer: Currently, we can say that Tibetan Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism are
learning from each other and have a mutual understanding. There are many things in
Chinese Buddhism from which Tibetan Buddhism can learn. For example, since Emperor
Wu’s time, Han monastics have been vegetarian; this will directly protect the life of
sentient beings. Also, the Zen lineage in Chinese Buddhism has many excellent and
wonderful teachings and stories, and Chinese Pure Land Buddhism also has a very
dedicated practice of chanting Buddha’s names. On top of that, I personally have often
made contact with eminent Chinese Buddhist masters, as well as learning their spirit of
promoting Buddhism and so on.
There are also many Chinese Buddhist masters visiting the Tibetan area,
systematically studying Pramana debate, meditation in the Madhyamaka, and even
studying sadhanas and pith instructions of the Vajrayana, and so on. At present, there are
many monastics and laypeople from the Han region enduring many hardships in order to
study and meditate in various monasteries in the Tibetan area, which have a solid practice
tradition. We hear many stories that are very touching and worthy of praise in this area.
I think these exchanges between Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism are very good. As of
now, I haven’t heard of any situations involving rejection, conflict, or insult between the
two. Even if there may be some dispute between certain individuals regarding specific
philosophies, in the broader picture, there needn’t be any concern about this.
Question: Is it possible for you to share with us how you practice in your daily life?
Answer: Personally, I have strong faith in Buddhist practice. The first ten years after
I was ordained as a monk, whether it was memorization, debate, or giving teachings, I
was quite zealous. There was nothing else in my mind except the Buddhadharma. I also
slept sitting up, in the meditation position, and never lay down.
However, my practice became more loose later, mainly because there was a lot of
administrative work to help practitioners from the Han region and I also needed to
translate for them. Without translation, they cannot understand the teachings, as they
don’t know Tibetan. Translating had a certain impact on my meditation.
Question: Throughout your practice, have you ever been skeptical or wavering about
the Buddhadharma? How did you overcome this? Do you have any experience of
enlightenment?
Answer: I am indeed an ordinary man, but I do have sincere faith in Shakyamuni
Buddha and an irreversible conviction in the existence of past and future lives. If
someone says that past and future lives don’t exist, I will never believe that person or be
skeptical about my conviction. Furthermore, I have millions of reasons to refute their
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view. If someone says that Buddhism is not good, he or she is free to say this, but I will
not be shaken for a moment because the faith I have in Buddha is in my marrow; this will
never change in my life. This is not just simply trust, but it is something that has arisen
through twenty years of listening, contemplating, and meditating on the Buddhadharma.
After accumulating faith bit by bit, it finally became something very “solid.” It is in my
blood, and it is impossible for this “solid matter” to dissolve easily.
However, as an ordinary person, when I see delicious food, if I am hungry, my mind
will be wavered by it. When this happens, I also feel very ashamed, because I often give
teachings on emptiness, but my actions seem not to tally with what I preach.
As such, if we talk about realizations, I myself cannot be considered to have any
realizations, not to mention enlightenment. But I do have solid faith in Buddhism.
(7) Question: I am from the School of Humanity. Master, I feel that you have
tremendous wisdom. Do you like to read poetry? Do you read foreign poetry?
Answer: I think I am not very good at composing poetry, but I do like to read it,
especially poetry by Tagore and Shakespeare. I think they are quite good.
(8) Question: I am from the School of Humanity. I would like to ask a question
about how much you sleep and the time you usually go to bed. As I understand, you seem
to wake up at half past five in the morning and go to bed very late. According to the
viewpoint of Chinese medicine, we should have a regular sleeping pattern; however,
some renowned masters don't sleep at all. I rejoice very much in those who don't need to
sleep at all, but I could never do that. My question is, should we follow advice from the
viewpoint of Chinese medicine, which promotes a regular sleeping pattern?
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Answer: A long time ago, I was able to be disciplined regarding the time I rested and
worked, and I woke up and went to bed in a regular routine. However, at some point, I
started to get busier, with more things to do. Sometimes I was busy the whole day, and in
the evening I hadn't even completed my daily chanting. This extended my bedtime
further and sometimes I had to go to bed very late.
Perhaps my physical body is slightly different compared to others. The amount of
sleep I need is less compared to others, since my childhood. When I was at the Normal
School, when others had already gone to bed, I was still reading a book. When others
hadn't woken up yet, I had already started to do some exercise and begun reading books
again. This caused my roommates to doubt if I had slept at all, and many people admired
me because of this. As such, my body seems to not cling to sleep very much. Previously,
four hours of sleep a day was enough for me, and now that I am getting older, I try to
have five to six hours of sleep a day.
However, for most people, it is better to follow the suggestions of Chinese medicine,
especially as it says in the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, to reserve the time between
11pm to 3am for sleeping, because this is when our body generates new blood and
removes toxins from the body. Regarding Buddhism, the Vinaya Sutra says that
practitioners should practice the Buddhadharma during evening (6-10p.m.) and postmidnight (2-6a.m.), but sleep during the middle of the night (10p.m.-2a.m.). I think this is
very good.
Due to individual habits, everyone may have slightly different sleeping patterns.
Balzac only slept for four hours a day. He slept from 8pm to 12am, then woke up at 12am,
drank some coffee, and made full use of the quiet nighttime, working very hard on his
writing. Owing to this, he was able to produce over ninety works, which have won
universal acclaim. For him, the nighttime was the best and most joyful time to work, so
when and how long to sleep varies for each individual.
Question: For us, before our enlightenment, worldly matters and non-worldly
matters are equally important, thus we have to learn both worldly and non-worldly
knowledge. However, this precious human rebirth which endows us with freedom and
leisure is so difficult to obtain, and we only have limited time, so what are the areas in
which we should put most of our energy and efforts?
Answer: As a layperson, before enlightenment, it is necessary for you to find a
balance between your worldly and non-worldly matters. You should not be over diligent
at the beginning, giving up all worldly matters at this stage. By doing so, later, when you
are confronted with various adversities, you may return to your worldly life again and
give up the Buddhadharma. This behavior is quite extreme. Buddha also says in the Sutra
on the Upasaka Precepts that lay practitioners should follow an ordinary life but try to
remove and avoid various activities that cause distraction, and squeeze in some time to
practice the Buddhadharma.
In fact, the problem for lay practitioners is not that they have no time to practice, it is
because they carelessly spend most of their time on things that distract their concentration,
sleeping, and chatting, so that they are not able to practice. If they can, they should make
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full use of this wasted time for the Buddhadharma, reserving a day or half a day for the
Buddhadharma. This kind of persistent attitude to studying Buddhism is necessary.
When I am at the Buddhist institute, although there are many things that distract me,
I will turn off my mobile phone and all other similar devices in the afternoon. I will try
my best to reserve three to four hours to calm my mind and then read some books,
making it something mandatory in my daily life, for my study and practice. As for lay
practitioners, it may be not realistic to do this. However, waking up earlier and going to
bed a bit later every day, or otherwise finding half a day or even one to two hours to
practice a week should be possible. By persistently doing this in the long term, your
practice will not be delayed, and whatever you need to do in your life can also be done.
(9) Question: I graduated with a master’s degree from Nanjing Normal University.
During the school holidays, I went home. My mum then killed a chicken and fish to
prepare my meal. Although she killed living beings, her motivation was for my benefit.
By doing so, will she create serious negative karma?
Answer: Generally speaking, “Good intentions bring joyful results; evil intentions
bring suffering.” As long as your intention is good, the karma you create will be good.
However, for activities that directly harm or threaten the life of sentient beings, such as
killing, in this circumstance the Vinaya says the intention is not as important, and the
object is more important. So, what is the object in this case? It is the life of sentient
beings, which you are terminating.
As such, even though she really cares about you, by taking away the life of other
sentient beings, this action not only has no merits, but also causes great harm to her. For
example, if due to your kind heart and good intention you stick a knife in someone’s
stomach, if he dies, you will be punished by the law.
(10) Question: I am a PhD student from the School of Liberal Arts. I found listening
to today’s lecture very beneficial. Reincarnation, samsara, or past and future lives were
the main topics you talked about. Regarding these topics, I would like to ask: During
your practice, have you ever learned about your past life? If you have, would you share it
with us?
Answer: Do I know about my past life? I truly don’t know. However, there is one
thing that I haven’t shared with anyone before; I will not mention the practitioner’s name
for now. There was a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner who lived about one thousand years
ago. Whenever I read about his deeds, which describe the cave in which he lived and how
he passed away, I am in tears. This has happened many times. I am also puzzled as to
why. Maybe I was a bug living near him, or something else? Apart from this, as I said
just now, I don’t know anything about my past life.
However, through years of study and experiences, I am convinced that past lives
certainly exist, and that my past life must have been as someone studying and practicing
the Buddhadharma. Why? Because since my childhood, whenever I see a Buddhist
scripture, statue, or monastic, I feel very joyful and delighted. On the contrary, I feel
disgust at killing bugs or committing unwholesome activities. I lived in a very remote
rural area in my childhood, and the conditions were very harsh. To live our daily lives,
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my family and neighbors would slaughter some small cows or sheep. If I found the
animals before they did, I would desperately try to protect these animals and beg my
family or neighbors not to kill them. I have had this kind of “gene” since my childhood. I
therefore believe that I was probably a monastic in my past life or otherwise someone
that practiced the Buddhadharma and thus has slightly stronger habitual tendencies in this
particular area in this life.
Question: Is it possible for ordinary people like us to know our past lives, such as
with the use of hypnosis, and so on?
Answer: Many hypnosis techniques are now quite popular in western countries.
However, there are also some elements in this area that are untrue. Previously, there were
quite a number of books about this area in China; however, some of the contents are
untrue.
In Buddhism, there are some meditation practices that are similar to western
hypnosis. For example, Karma Chagme Rinpoche recorded in his practice diary a method
which allows us to enter into a certain sleeping state. In this subconscious state, you can
recall your past life. Although there are many such cases, not everyone can recall their
past life.
Question: Since reincarnation exists, can I say that the original self, the core of the
soul that dwells in us, will continue without end? Will my personality from my past life
pass on to my present life?
Answer: During the process of rebirth, our soul continues unbroken, and our
personality from our past life will continue to our present life. Regarding this process,
there is an abundance of logical reasoning and references in Buddhist scriptures to which
we can refer. For example, practicing virtue or developing wisdom is very easy for some
people, but other people, especially those who were born as animals in their past life,
such as a cow or horse, are dull in terms of reasoning and analysis in this life. From a
physiological viewpoint, it is believed that the root causes of these differences are due to
genetics. However, in Buddhism, we believe this is due to previous virtuous or nonvirtuous habitual tendencies accumulated in our alaya.
Of course, these habits can be changed or enhanced. Through making efforts in one,
two, or countless lifetimes, eventually all negative habits can be purified, and the fruition
of the bodhisattva or Buddha can be attained. Each sentient being has the same
opportunity to make progress.
(11) Question: I am from the Department of Astronomy, Nanjing University. I know
that Buddhism emphasizes logic; however, it stresses even more a non-logical and
highest level of realization. May I know more about this non-logical method?
Answer: Indeed, Buddhism does discuss logic, and this kind of logic is extremely
meticulous. In Buddhism, there are two types of logic: one is logical reasoning and the
other is scriptural reasoning. For logical reasoning, the main reasoning uses the Pramana
three modes of analysis; this is quite similar to the use of major and minor premises to
infer a conclusion in the western philosophical system.
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As for scriptural reasoning, we first establish that Shakyamuni Buddha is someone
that speaks the truth. Two thousand five hundred years have passed since Shakyamuni
Buddha’s teachings appeared, and not a single scientist can overturn his teachings. Thus,
we can establish that the many subtle and profound, mysterious phenomena explained in
Buddhism are certainly true and without fault, because they have been revealed by
Buddha himself. Through this method, we can validate those slightly unclear and hidden,
unknown phenomena by relying on the words of Buddha.
You believe that Buddhism has a non-logical approach. Actually, it is not necessarily
non-logical; it can also be established via logic. We can either use the proof of valid
direct perception or otherwise the valid inferential perception to reason it. Through these
two methods, we can establish phenomena.
Question: I would like to ask another question about inevitability and coincidental
events in this world. For example, regarding the earthquake in Japan, if I lived there, and
then an idea to go to the beach arose in me that day, I would have been swept into the sea.
It is also possible that I wouldn’t have that thought, and I would stay at home, thus
avoiding the disaster. In this case, is this considered to be something that has happened
by chance?
Answer: For a person to be swept away by the waves out to sea, on a surface level,
seems to be an accidental phenomenon; however, a kind of law of certainty does exist.
If you murder someone, the evil cause has already been committed. Later, you will
be arrested by the police, whether at that time you are eating at a restaurant, at the seaside,
or at home. On the surface level, it seems that the police caught you at a certain place by
chance. However, no matter where you are, due to the fact that you have committed a
crime, the police will certainly come for you. In the same way, once a sentient being has
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committed unwholesome activities, suffering results will definitely be experienced later.
Although you have not committed evil actions toward the waves, the waves will still
sweep you into the sea. If we investigate the root causes of this, we will find that it has a
close relationship with the negative activities you committed in this life or your past life.
From the environmental point of view, it is possible that there is an element of
coincidence, but from our personal viewpoint, this is a kind of law of certainty.
(12) Question: I just graduated from Nanjing Jinling Institute of Technology. Last
year, I had an opportunity to stay at Serthar Buddhist Institute, listened to your teachings,
and now I am studying the Bodhicharyavatara. During this process, I deeply felt that
your words, actions, or movements are all for the benefit of sentient beings. I would like
to ask: how can we gain this kind of great bodhicitta to benefit sentient beings and to
diminish our clinging to the self?
Answer: You mentioned that all my words and actions are always for the benefit of
sentient beings; actually, this is not true. Just now, I drank some water, and that is for my
own interest, not to benefit sentient beings (laughs). Whoever we are, whatever our status,
it is important that we at least cultivate a little bit of the altruistic mind. This is especially
true for contemporary society, where everyone is trying to cheat each other, and most
people are self-centered, doing things only out of their own interest. It is therefore
important for us to brighten others with an altruistic mind. If you can do this, whether you
are civil servants, teachers, or intellectuals, your contributions to society will be far
beyond the value of material things.
At present, many people in the cities only seek money and wealth. Actually, this has
no significant meaning. Only by having a strong and kind heart and continuously helping
others can we truly gain the most benefit. Even if you don’t have the causes and
conditions to help others in this life, the brilliance of the kind heart will continue to shine
forever.
Question: Just now you mentioned that you only sleep five to six hours a day. How
are you still able to put such great effort into reading so many books, translating so many
treatises, and also teaching and promoting the Buddhadharma?
Answer: I didn’t deliberately try to reduce my sleep. It seems that, naturally, my
body just doesn’t like sleeping very much.
Typically, I like to spend my time reading books. If I find some excellent treatises, I
would like very much for more people to learn about the principles in these treatises, so
that they may gain some benefit. Because of this motivation, if there are no Chinese
versions of these treatises, I start to translate them. Some of the works I have completed
are not translations, but are the lectures I have delivered, then compiled and edited. They
are collected in the Treasury of Wisdom Compassion. As for other works, compared to
the past renowned masters or the present philanthropists, they are like a drop of water
compared to a sea, so they are not worth mentioning. What causes and conditions I may
have in the future, I cannot determine. Anyway, I will just let things flow gradually.
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(13) Question: I am a PhD student from the School of Liberal Arts. I would like to
ask one question, the simplest question: What is right; what is wrong?
Answer: This question can be answered from two perspectives: Firstly, we can
investigate it from an individual viewpoint – if a thing is harmonious with our mind, it is
right; if it is not harmonious with our mind, then it is wrong.
If we investigate it from an objective point of view, then if a thing is in agreement
with the truth, is irrefutable, and is able to stand scrutiny, we say it is right. For example,
the nature of fire is to emit heat, the nature of water is wet, and what is opposite to that is
what we would consider wrong.
Question: You mentioned that you read Tagore’s and Shakespeare’s poetry. Do you
also read Tsangyang Gyatso’s poetry? What do you think of his poetry?
Answer: I quite like Tsangyang Gyatso’s poetry. When reading his poems, I have
two feelings: Firstly, Tsangyang Gyatso is one of the great poets. He uses simple, very
accessible terms, and the romance that people cling to most as the starting point, to
gradually guide us to renounce and let go, thus gaining a state of freedom and comfort.
Secondly, from Tsangyang Gyatso’s secret biography, we can see that in such a
historical background and living in such an environment, he was still able to face reality
with a free and easy attitude. When enduring various adversities, he not only didn’t blame
anyone nor was defeated by the suffering, but he was also able to write poems which
described his subtle state of mind; such noble sentiments are truly worthy of praise.
Actually, Tsangyang Gyatso’s love songs have three levels of meaning: outer, inner,
and secret meanings. Ordinary people mostly know about the outer meaning, and feel this
is quite suitable for the desires of men and women and their minds. But they don’t go
beyond that to comprehend the spiritual teachings or practices in these love songs.
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(14) Question: I am a lecturer from the Department of Information and
Communication Engineering in Hohai University. I came here to listen to your teachings.
Something has been puzzling me for a while: After many years of economic development
in this country, our present living standard is getting better and better. However, many
people, including myself, can feel that, on the contrary, people’s hearts seem to be even
more tormented. Why is that?
Answer: This is not a problem for one or two countries; this is happening to the
whole world. Living standards are better and better these days, but the happiness index is
lower and lower. For 2010, the statistics for the happiness index in the USA show that
compared to a decade ago, unhappiness in Americans has increased twofold. Thus, when
people view money or material goods as the symbol of success, a decline of moral values
will be inevitable; the more inflamed the desires, the more agitated the mind becomes.
As such, I very much like living in the Tibetan area. Although some places are
remote and the material conditions are very poor, inwardly people’s hearts are free and
very relaxed. As I said at the beginning of the lecture, although the buildings here are so
much higher compared to a decade ago, and there have been so many developments and
changes, I am not sure if moral values have improved at all. This indirectly implies that
some people may be even more miserable than a decade ago.
The reason why people are so tormented is mainly due to lacking a moral and
religious education. If we possess these two things, while developing material wellbeing,
we will also have a sense of satisfaction and contentment. We know when to stop and not
go too far; we adapt according to the situation, and do not continuously strive to fulfill
desires. If we want to eliminate our present confusion, I personally feel that the ethics and
moral values stated in Confucianism, and the faith that can enhance our wisdom, as
articulated in Buddhism, are both essential.
(15) Question: I am a PhD student in Sociology. Buddhism has a concept called
emptiness. However, compared to ancient times, huge changes have taken place in the
present era. In such an era, how do we cultivate the view of emptiness properly?
Answer: No matter which era it is, the Buddhist view of emptiness will not be
affected.
If you truly want to cultivate the Buddhist view of emptiness, I suggest you learn and
study Nagarjuna’s Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, Chandrakirti’s Entering the
Middle Way, and Aryadeva’s Four Hundred Verses. After studying these three treatises,
you will gain a certain understanding that things and events are all empty. With this
understanding or view as your basis, it will be very helpful for facing daily life.
I often think that in such a busy life, if people are able to gain some understanding of
the Buddhist view of emptiness, then they would not need to endure various adversities
or suffering that they are currently facing or with which they are struggling. I therefore
very much hope that while you are living your daily life, you also learn some teachings
on emptiness, which carry a very powerful blessing.
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(16) Question: I am a PhD student from the Department of Philosophy at Nanjing
University. When I face problems in my life, I often end up by accepting and tolerating
people who cause me difficulties. However, often, people don’t understand me, and think
I am stupid. This makes me feel very sad. How do I strike a balance so that I can accept
and tolerate others, yet still be happy?
Answer: This situation is quite common nowadays. It includes some people who
have studied Confucianism. Due to their politeness, some teachers and students take
advantage and bully them. Many people in contemporary society do not show respect for
kind and honest people. As such, some individuals who carry out wholesome activities
and are tolerant with others may not necessarily be well accepted by others. However,
even so, we should not give up our kindness and tolerance.
Tibetans have a great Buddhist master: Mipham Rinpoche. He said: “Even if the
earth is filled with wicked people who commit evil, my noble deeds will not be affected. I
should be like a lotus growing out of the mud, pure and clean.” In this way, even if others
think you are silly or foolish, you will still have a clear conscience. Only by doing this,
can we have some hope for individuals and for society.
(17) Question: I am a student from Jinling Institute of Technology. In Lord
Buddha’s time, he preached the Buddhadharma to sentient beings in accordance with
their mental dispositions. However, ordinary people like us do not have the privilege to
meet a lama personally or to be close to a lama to study and practice the Dharma. The
only thing we can do is listen to the teachings the lama has taught to the general public.
In this case, how can we choose the right Dharma practice which is suitable for us
personally?
Answer: The most important thing is to find out in which practice you have
confidence, faith, and interest. If you have strong faith in the Diamond Sutra, Lotus Sutra,
or Zen, this shows you have an exceptional past connection with these, and you can then
choose them as your main study and practice.
Question: Sometimes, when I try to put the lama’s teachings into practice, I feel that
even though I have the motivation to do it, I am lacking energy. How do I remedy this?
Answer: In the process of studying and practicing the Buddhadharma, quite often we
may feel that we are lacking vitality, even if we truly want to do something from our
heart. To remedy this, we should be mentally prepared in advance by knowing that
studying and practicing the Dharma is not an easy task.
At the same time, we should always pray to and request the blessing of the guru and
the triple gem. To have a successful Dharma practice, we actually also need certain
merits. If we do not have merits, whether it is for expounding the Dharma, benefiting
sentient beings, or in personal practice, various obstacles will emerge, and even cause us
to give up half way. We should therefore always pray to and request the blessing of the
buddhas and bodhisattvas, especially during times when obstacles occur.
In addition to that, we should also have a firm aspiration or commitment that
whatever adversities or unfavorable situations we encounter, we will remain firm and
committed. Only by having such a strong motivation can we counter the unfavorable
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situations, be protected from the maras, and block all their opportunities. Because of that,
when we practice virtue, we should all make an enormous, great aspiration and
commitment and uphold it with a firm and unshakable motivation. This is extremely
important.
Epilogue from the Host
Many thanks for Rinpoche’s teachings out of his wisdom and compassion. I am also
very pleased to see the students’ enthusiasm in asking so many questions.
Today, on this evening, when causes and conditions have gathered together, we have
had the privilege to listen to a topic of ancient wisdom: the “Buddhist View of the
Science of Life.” Furthermore, Rinpoche also shared his personal experiences in order to
enlighten us. I believe that each of us has gained some benefits, and our hearts have been
moistened by the nectar of the Buddhadharma. In the longer term, this has tremendous
benefit for the harmony of our body, mind, and the enhancement of our life. At the same
time, this harmony of body and mind in an individual can then spread to a family and
society. In this way, it is very beneficial for the construction of a harmonious society and
world peace. Thus, let us once again thank Rinpoche with warm applause, and we look
forward to Rinpoche’s next visit in the near future.
Also, thanks to the teachers and students from Nanjing University, as well as the teachers
and students from other schools, and all the other attendees. Because of this wonderful
gathering, this aggregation of causes and conditions, we have successfully completed an
extremely meaningful evening. May I hope that such an evening is able to open the
gateway to the path of the Buddhadharma, the journey of wisdom, the passage of
compassion, and the road to ultimate wellbeing. Thank you.
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Tibetan Buddhism and Our Daily Lives
Speech at Renmin University of China
(March 17, 2011, evening)
Good evening to all teachers and students.
I am very pleased to be here today to discuss “Tibetan Buddhism and Our Daily
Lives,” together with teachers and students from the Department of Religion at Renmin
University of China.
I. Outlook on Life in Tibetan Buddhism
So-called Tibetan Buddhism is a Buddhist lineage formed in the Land of Snows after
Shakyamuni Buddha’s Buddhadharma was transmitted to the Tibetan area. In the entire
Tibetan area, Tibetan Buddhism is the mainstream thinking of Tibetan culture. It has
been integrated into the philosophy, sociology, anthropology, ethics, religion, medicine,
life sciences, and every other field in the Tibetan area. Like the important role of
Confucian ideology for the people living between the Western Han Dynasty and Qing
Dynasty; in the same manner, Tibetan Buddhism has become inseparable from the lives
of Tibetans.
Some time ago, I attended a Buddhist seminar with more than 350 students and
numerous teachers from various famous universities in Tibetan area and other nearby
areas. Those universities included Southwest University for Nationalities, Northwest
University for Nationalities, Qinghai Normal University, Sichuan Normal University, and
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Sichuan University for Nationalities. We spent seven days discussing in detail the
philosophy of Buddhism and the most important contemporary issues. During this
process, I was gratified to learn that despite the widespread materialistic and moneyworshipping phenomena in today’s society, many Tibetan university students still uphold
a decent philosophy of life and values.
Regarding their philosophy of life, 99% of Tibetan university students maintain the
concept that “wholesome activities bring happiness, unwholesome activities bring
sufferings.” They pray to Chenrezig and understand some Buddhist principles from their
childhood on. Having grown up, they attend various institutions of higher learning to
study, and they continue to maintain their good values. In their daily lives, they naturally
show their compassion, even at the sight of a little ant, and they strive to protect its life.
Regarding the philosophy of values, the purpose of life for these university students
is not about pursuing money. As we all know, many university students from the Han
area begin to plan their life during their freshman year: “After I graduate, how can I get a
house? How can I get a car? What do I want my family and career to be?” and so on.
They equate success with money, believing that with wealth, life will be splendid, and
conversely, that without wealth, they are useless. They have a particularly strong craving
for money.
On the other hand, even though, due to the influence of recent economic
developments, many Tibetan students have also undergone some changes, what they
desire most is certainly not money and external material wellbeing. What do they long for
then? They want to inherit and promote their valuable Tibetan culture. At the same time,
they also attach great importance to their own inner values of compassion, wisdom,
contentment, and a culture of less desire.
As such, from the Tibetan intellectuals I have met, I have found that they do not
completely entrust their happiness to material wellbeing. A considerable number of them
believe that happiness should be sought within the mind. Tibetan Buddhism has played
an essential role in this regard.
II. The Benefits that Tibetan Buddhism can Bring to Humankind
1. Sophisticated Internal Science
What is the fundamental basis of the philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism, that is, the
doctrine that Shakyamuni Buddha advocates? It is: “Not to commit any sin, to do good,
and to purify one's mind, that is the teaching of (all) the Awakened Ones.” We should not
underestimate the effects of this philosophy for humankind. Especially regarding internal
science, Tibetan Buddhism has made significant contributions, which have been highly
acknowledged by Western developed countries. Dr. Herbert Benson from Harvard
University in the US said: “Tibet has the most excellent civilization of internal science,
which is Tibetan Buddhism. The West is so far behind Tibet’s understanding of the
effects of the mind on the body.” Because of this, many foreigners give up their jobs,
their successful careers, and go to the Land of Snows to study Tibetan Buddhism
intensively.
Similarly, in the Han region today, monasteries in the Han lineage and Buddhist
practitioners all have a high regard for Tibetan Buddhism. According to my
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understanding, countless intellectuals from the Han region have flocked to the Tibetan
area to seek Dharma teachings. I previously composed a text entitled, “In Search of
Buddhism by Intellectuals.” This text describes the journey and experiences of 125
intellectuals studying Buddhism. These include professors and students from Tsinghua
University, Peking University, and other institutions of higher learning. Through their
experiences, we can see that there are quite a number of people who really have strong
faith in Tibetan Buddhism.
In our modern society, more and more insightful people from the West and East are
already tired of the abnormal material development and gradually turn their attention to
Tibetan Buddhism. Dr. Robert A. F. Thurman from Columbia University said: “The
greatest gift Tibetans give to today’s world is their unparalleled knowledge of internal
science and the complete set of methods to transform the human mind and wisdom,
which stems from this knowledge.”
For example, in the 1970s, the famous Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche brought Tibetan
Buddhism to the US and became the first person to promote Tibetan Buddhism in the US
and Europe. He founded Naropa Institute (later Naropa University), which helped
Tibetan Buddhism spread quickly in the local area. Later, with this institute as the base,
he set up more than 100 meditation centers in the US, Canada, and Europe. In 1993, I
visited Naropa University and saw many foreigners studying and researching the
Buddhadharma there. At these centers, the way of life and practices were very different.
People from all walks of life, from more mature elitists to free-spirited young people, flock to
these centers to receive the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. Later, the sixteenth Karmapa
also accepted an invitation from Trungpa Rinpoche to expound Dharma in the West.
Therefore, from a fair and objective perspective, Tibetan Buddhism truly can act as a
supreme medicine, which helps us to maintain a healthy, happy, and joyful mind. At a
secular level, this is considered as the most advanced psychology. The renowned
American psychologist Dr Daniel Goleman also said: “There is a panoply of inner
sciences in Tibetan Buddhism.…. I strongly believe that within Eastern psychologies,
Tibetan Buddhism is the most excellent system.”
When I was in school, I was already very interested in psychology. Even after I had
read many books, however, I had not found satisfying answers to resolve my doubts. Due
to this, I specifically bought a book called Science of Life, which Guo Moruo spent 15
years translating. It consists of three thick volumes on biology, psychology, botany, and
other subjects. There was no doubt my thinking wasn’t mature at that time, and so, my
view on many things was oversimplified. Later, when I encountered Buddhism, through
comparing worldly and non-worldly principles, I found that the psychology revealed by
Tibetan Buddhism is the most comprehensive and profound. I strongly believe that
Tibetan Buddhism can provide proper guidance and will certainly bring about genuine
benefits to human beings. For example, we can see that some Buddhists, including those
intellectuals who conduct research on Buddhism, through their critical scrutiny,
meditation, and practice, are able to comprehend the profound meaning of the
Buddhadharma and gain inner happiness and serenity that are far more valuable than
what the external material wellbeing can bring.
2. Miraculous Rainbow Body Achievements
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Of course, there are many other profound and mystical areas in Tibetan Buddhism. If
you have the opportunity to visit the Tibetan area to study the generation stage and
completion stage or practice the ngöndro, the benefits it will bring you are beyond what
words can express. Not only will these practices resolve various stresses in your life, they
will even help you to achieve the supreme “rainbow body” when you leave this world.
Some of you may not have heard about the rainbow body. This mystical
phenomenon has stunned many researchers from the East and West. For example, in
1955, there was an old man from Derge in Ganzi Prefecture who devoted himself entirely
to the Triple Gem. He was very poor and barely made his living from carving Cherenzig
mantras. He worked hard during the day, but at night, he never stopped practicing
meditation and only slept two to three hours each day. When he passed away at
ManiGangGuo (pinyin), his family was shocked to discover that seven days later his
body had transformed into rainbow light and had vanished, leaving only his nails and hair
behind. Many local people witnessed this incident personally.
There was also another case of the rainbow body in 1958, during the liberation
period, when the Tibetan area underwent enormous changes. At that time, there was a
Buddhist master called Tsewang Rigdzin, who was locked up in prison. One day, he was
escorted by five soldiers to the venue for interrogation and criticism. As his legs were not
in a good state, he wasn’t able to walk, so he rode on a yak. As they were getting close to
the venue, a sudden gust of gale arose, which made it difficult for the soldiers to keep
their eyes open. After the wind had passed, the soldiers opened their eyes only to find that
the Buddhist master was no longer on the yak. They saw him surrounded by colorful
clouds, rising into the sky. Then they heard him chanting the Guru Rinpoche mantra. His
chanting was getting farther and farther and his image gradually rising higher and higher
until he completely disappeared into the sky. Later, when the soldiers arrived at the venue,
they were afraid to reveal the truth. Instead, they lied and claimed that the Buddhist
master had died during the journey and they had buried him.
Some of the soldiers who witnessed the incident are still alive today. Khenpo
Tsultrim Lodoe from our monastery purposely traveled from Sichuan to Qinghai to
interview them, one by one. These people were all stunned by the phenomenon, but as the
circumstances at that time didn’t allow them to talk about it, it is only today that they can
honestly tell the truth.
Also, in 1998, there was a Khenpo in Nyarong called Achö, who achieved the
complete rainbow body. When he passed away, nothing was left behind, not even a trace
of hair. Some of the Dharma teachers from our monastery went there personally to
interview each and everyone who witnessed the phenomenon and confirmed this was a
true case.
Such phenomenon is quite common in the Tibetan area. Many Tibetans believe that
as long as we wholeheartedly devote ourselves to upholding and practicing the Buddhist
doctrines, there is no doubt that various auspicious and wondrous signs of enlightenment
will manifest. As many cases of the rainbow body can be found in the Tibetan area, many
people have already become accustomed to this. In contrast, in the Han region, cases such
as Monk JiGong are quite rare. People are quite inquisitive about the legend, therefore,
there has not been general consent on the story.
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However, we do not rule out that there are some people who obviously don’t have
this kind of profound realization, yet act as if they do. For the sake of gaining fame and
wealth, they carry out various activities that are not in accord with the principles of the
Buddhadharma. Even so, this is a problem with the individual, not one with Buddhism.
Indeed, there are no drawbacks with genuine Tibetan Buddhism.
Today, many senior monks from Han monasteries recognize that Tibetan Buddhism
has an extremely profound and supreme oral, written, and debate system and a listening,
contemplative, and meditation culture. This provides a systematic way for us to study
Buddhism. This Buddhist lineage, with its complete transmission and long history, has
been perfectly preserved, up until today, in the Land of Snows. Due to this, it has
attracted many Dharma practitioners. Take, for example, our monastery. Whenever we
have a Dharma festival, many intellectuals from the Han area come to participate. Due to
the number of people taking part in the festival, sometimes it is difficult to manage.
However, as intellectuals, their goal is different to that of the general or non-religious
population. Firstly, they have stronger powers of reasoning, and secondly, they do not
simply believe in the facts they gather. Only if there are valid supporting reasons to back
them up do they accept them and then put them into practice.
Therefore, the reason why many professors and students from various universities
and colleges place their attention on the mystical, pure, and ancient land of Tibetan
Plateau is not just a whim, but because Tibetan Buddhism is truly very appealing. What
makes it so appealing? Tibetan Buddhism not only has unparalleled wisdom, it also has
compassion—the great love without discrimination, irrespective of boundaries, ethnicity,
or status, rich or poor. Unfortunately, due to the lack of positive merits, faith and so on,
some people may not be willing to accept it.
III. Everyone Should Have a Right View
For everyone here today, whether you truly study and practice Tibetan Buddhism or
only research it at a literal level, you must still establish a right view. The
Mahāparinirvāna Sutra says, “Faith without understanding will increase ignorance;
understanding without faith will increase wrong views.” Faith without wisdom is
superstition; it will only increase our ignorance. Similarly, without faith, wisdom alone is
food for arrogance; it will eventually increase wrong views. Therefore, only with both
faith and wisdom will we have the foundation for all noble activities.
At the moment, many young people only possess mere wisdom without the support
of faith. Due to a lack of ethical constraints, premised under the law of karma, I heard
that students commit suicide frequently and some even unscrupulously go for personal
gains after graduation. Not only do they make no positive contributions to our society,
but they even cause harm to many people, and in the end, spend their whole life in prison.
Even if these kinds of people have the most excellent skills or the finest talents, without
believing in the workings of karma, whatever they study only becomes evil wisdom.
There is another kind of person who has full confidence in general but doesn’t have
the wisdom to distinguish right or wrong; this kind of faith is only superstition. This
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superstition not only happens regarding faith in Buddhism, but also often happens in
terms of attitudes toward science.
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There is a Professor named Tian Song from Beijing Normal University who wrote an
article called “The Superstition in Science.” The article is not long, but it describes the
principle using solid reasoning. In the article it says: “Although many superstitions are
related to religious matters, religion itself is not the same as superstition. Conversely,
many religions are against superstitions. For that reason, whether burning incense,
chanting, and conducting other religious activities should be considered as superstition is
not something for which we can give a general answer; they should be evaluated case by
case. In fact, putting a high value on something that we don’t understand is true
superstition. You may not want to accept this, but some present attitudes toward science
are precisely a kind of superstition. For example, in an attempt to promote fertilizers,
some government officials would say with complete confidence: “This is scientific!”
Even if they do not understand the details of the chemical composition of the fertilizers,
they still speak with full confidence. This is actually a kind of “superstition of science.”
We can find this kind of superstition in every part of our life. We should abandon this
kind of blind ignorance and establish an irrefutable right view.
The revered Buddhist master Aryadeva stressed in Four Hundred Verses that: “We
should strive to protect our right view, even at the expense of breaking our precepts.”
That is to say, if we have to choose between giving up our precepts or losing our right
view, then even if we have to break our precepts, we should not lose our right view. Why?
If you have the right view, after your precepts are broken, they can be restored by
confession; however, if you lose your right view, it cannot be recovered. For that reason,
our views should never go wrong. If our mind is filled with wrong views, we will not
believe in future lives, will not fear for negative karma, and will commit all kinds of evil
deeds.
We should therefore establish a genuine right view. In the Kushalamula
Samparigraha Sutra, it also says that: “When right view grows, it will lessen ignorance.”
When your right view grows, mental afflictions such as desire, hatred, arrogance,
jealousy, anxiety, and so on will gradually diminish; just like when the sun rises, it
dispels the darkness. Undoubtedly, to establish this kind of right view, on the one hand
we need the guidance of a precious guru. On the other hand, it is also very important for
us to put the instructions into practice.
I remember, in one sutra, there is a story about someone eliminating his wrong views
by relying on a Buddha statue. Eons ago, there was another Shakyamuni Buddha. After
this Shakyamuni Buddha had entered into parinirvana, there was a very arrogant prince
named JinZhuang (pinyin). He didn’t have faith in the Buddhadharma and had a wrong
view. One day, a bhikshu called DingZiZai (pinyin) suggested to him: “Inside this stupa,
there is a Buddha statue adorned with jewels. You might want to visit and worship it.”
After hearing the bhikshu’s suggestion, the prince went to the stupa to worship the
Buddha statue.
At seeing the solemn Buddha statue, the prince felt extremely joyous and said to
DingZiZai: “If just a statue of Buddha looks so perfect and beautiful, imagine how the
true body of Buddha would look.” DingZiZai replied: “My prince, even if you cannot
make prostrations in front of the Buddha statue, you should still fold your hands and
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recite Namo Buddhaya.” The prince took his advice, folded his hands and recited “Namo
Buddhaya.”
After the prince returned to his palace, the solemn Buddha statue continued to appear
in his mind, and he had a dream about that statue at night. When he woke up from the
dream, he felt very joyous, and his previous arrogance was completely eliminated. From
then on, he abandoned his wrong view and took refuge in the Triple Gem. Through these
causes and conditions, he never again generated a wrong view and never fell into the
unfortunate realms for many eons of his future lives.
As we can see, even an occasional cause and condition may fundamentally change
the destiny of certain people. For example, you may meet a lama and then receive an
excellent teaching; or you may meet an excellent teacher and receive some good
education from that teacher. All of these things may become a turning point in your life.
It is very important for us to have a right view. A few days ago, when I was at Fudan
University, I met some students from Africa and the US. They told me that the reason
they came to China was not for knowledge that they can gain elsewhere, but for the
religion of Eastern cultures, especially the philosophy of Zen Buddhism. I felt that their
view resonated with mine. If they could establish a right view in their life, it would lay a
good foundation for all their future lives.
In the Tibetan area, eminent Buddhist masters and scholars often cite a verse by the
renowned Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna: “Whoever possesses the right view of this
world will not fall into the unfortunate realms for thousands of eons.” This verse
illustrates the importance of having the right view. Today, due to the influence of the
theory of evolution, many people do not have the principles of karma in their minds.
They think that they came to this world by chance, without a cause, and that whatever
activities they conduct, whether wholesome or unwholesome, there are no corresponding
consequences or results. As such, they carry out various evil and terrible activities, which
in the end will only lead to self-destruction and the destruction of other human beings.
Conversely, if we are equipped with a genuine right view, then we will not fall into the
unfortunate realms such as the hell, preta, or animal realms for millions of eons. For this
reason, I very much hope that everyone puts effort into studying Buddhism thoroughly to
establish a right view.
IV. The Buddhist View can Stand Scrutiny
Perhaps someone may wonder: Can the Buddhist view withstand scientific tests?
Actually, the majority of conclusions drawn from scientific results are obtained with the
help of instruments. If we rely too heavily on the instruments, however, without
considering the inner aspect of our mind, this may not bring positive benefits to
humankind, and it may not necessarily reveal the greatness of Buddhism either.
What is the greatness of Buddhism? One aspect is compassion; the other is wisdom.
These two truly have unique superiority.
Regarding the aspect of compassion, Buddhism advocates great compassion, not
only for all humankind, but also to extend such compassion to all living beings. Buddha
told us that, just as we treasure and protect our lives, all living beings treasure their lives
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as well. We thus have no right to take away their lives. It is difficult to find the scope of
such great compassion in other religions or philosophies. Perhaps some people may feel
uncomfortable when they first hear about this, but if you truly delve deeper into
Buddhism, you will comprehend its profound meaning.
Secondly, what makes its wisdom so special? It is in its absence of any attachments.
All sufferings of human beings fundamentally stem from the attachment of our mind
toward things and events. Buddhism can help us to get rid of these attachments. In
particular, what Buddhism emphasizes the most are the three principal aspects of the path:
first is renunciation; second is bodhicitta; and third is the wisdom of selflessness.
“Renunciation” is about realizing the meaninglessness of all phenomena that appear in
samsara and any clinging to them will only bring immense sufferings. We should
therefore long to escape from samsara. Furthermore, we shouldn’t selfishly long for our
own liberation without thinking about other sentient beings. In fact, sufferings we
experience all stem from our selfish attitude. On the other hand, if we do not cling to this
“self” and generate complete universal love toward others, then there won’t be any
mental afflictions. This is what we call “bodhicitta.” In our care and love for all sentient
beings, we carry out activities without attachment to all phenomena; this is called the
“wisdom of selflessness.” If we can realize these three states, in Buddhist terms, we can
say that we have already realized the nature of mind; in secular terms, we can say that we
have already achieved the highest state of freedom.
Of course, it is impossible for us to measure or validate this state by using
instruments. Only through our own efforts to put the Dharma into practice can we prove
its validity. Once we have realized this state, it is just like seeing all the hills from the top
of a mountain. All other knowledge, such as science, is just like the small hills. The
renowned Tibetan scholar, Gendun Chophel, also said: “Whether it is about finding the
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origin of things and events, the path of practice, or the noble qualities of fruition,
Buddhism will not be embarrassed by science; instead, it can serve as a solid foundation
for science.”
The famous German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche also said: “Historically,
Buddhism is the only religion that can truly prove its validity by realization.”
Likewise, the modern scientist Dr Shen Jiazhen said: “I am a scientist. Just as I am
very interested in science, Buddhism is also a subject in which I am very interested. I
personally think that Buddhism and science are two sides of the same coin.”
Thus, we can see that Buddhism does not conflict with science. Many truths revealed
by Buddhism have not been completely proven by science in the past, but with
continuous advances in science, it will prove their validity in the end.
Currently, some people reject and despise Buddhism. Actually, this is only a
manifestation of their ignorance. Whether you choose to have a faith or not, it is your free
choice. If you don’t desire to believe in Buddhism, even Lord Buddha will not force you
to do so. However, if you think that the Buddhist view is unreasonable, we always
welcome you to debate with us, however intense it may be. Especially, Tibetan Buddhism
has many debate halls; through discussions with others, many doubts and questions can
be resolved immediately. For this reason, I often think it would be better if universities in
the Han area adopted the Tibetan method of debate. Through this method, many issues
and questions could be debated frankly and openly. Ultimately, many people would
certainly generate the very pure wisdom.
Epilogue
Recently, many disasters have happened in the world, particularly the earthquake in
Japan. As intellectuals, how should we deal with disasters? I think that each of us should
be mentally prepared to face them.
Of course, I do not mean to scare you by indicating that humankind will be facing
devastating disasters soon; this kind of intimidation is not something Buddhism
advocates. It is because from the viewpoint of the Buddhist law of causation, we believe
that the increasing negative activities of humankind will significantly increase the chance
of various natural and man-made disasters.
When a disaster occurs, it can also serve as a touchstone to test the morality and
standards of how a nation deals with disasters. During the recent Japanese earthquake, the
Japanese people’s calm reaction to the earthquake is worthy of admiration. This is closely
related to their education system and training. Another incident was the Yushu
earthquake. After it occurred, I went to provide disaster relief and found that because the
local people understood the law of karma, impermanence, and the pervasive sufferings of
samsara from their childhood on, they were very strong in facing the disaster. Nobody
committed suicide; nobody was overwhelmed by grief. Even if they had lost their
families, they had the courage to continue their lives. Many psychologists and experts
from different countries were stunned by what they saw. This is exactly the result of
those people’s faith in Tibetan Buddhism as well as their systematic study and practice of
the way of living and dying based on Tibetan Buddhism.
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Though the fictional scenes of doomsday shown in the movie 2012 may not
necessarily happen to humankind, the fact that the screenwriter chose the QinghaiTibetan plateau as the place to build the Noah’s Ark perhaps indicates that the
indestructible spirit of Noah’s Ark is hidden in this mystical land. With the increasing
confusion of the human mind and the rising frequencies of serious natural disasters in the
world, the wise should start to reflect, ponder, and slowly turn their attention to Tibetan
Buddhism to find an answer. I believe that the wisdom and altruistic philosophy of
Tibetan Buddhism will shine brilliantly in glory.
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Appendix:
Question and Answer Session at Renmin University of China
(March 17, 2011, evening)
(1) Question: I am training to be a teacher in the School of Journalism. Last year,
there was a controversial incident: After obtaining a full scholarship to go to MIT
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Liu Zhiyu from Peking University decided to
become a monk at Longquan Temple. This matter drew the attention of our community.
It was considered a tremendous waste of social resources that such a talented and lucky
person would reject a promising and bright future to become a monk and that his action
was extremely irresponsible toward his parents and teachers. However, some people felt
that becoming a Dharma teacher was also a valid career choice. Since you have been a
monastic for over twenty years, I would like to ask, what exactly is this career? What are
your personal feelings about it?
Answer: I don't think it is a big deal for a talented Beijing University student to
become a monk at Longquan Temple. Before Shakyamuni Buddha became a monastic,
he was a prince. In Chinese history, Shunzhi Emperor also chose to become a monk. If
we compare a talented student to the prince and emperor, then it is not something
particularly surprising or significant for a talented student to become a monk. Becoming a
monastic is a personal choice. When someone has studied and learned about Buddhism to
a certain level, it is quite common for him or her to seek a new way of life.
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Of course, it is normal for some people to think that his choice was a mistake. This
also includes my own case. When I became a monk, many of my classmates felt that I
was the most unsuccessful person. Some even cried for me in sympathy. However, when
we met up together again twenty years later, those who had chosen to be laypeople had
each gone through ups and downs of life. On the contrary, my monastic life has so much
freedom and joy, very little desire, and is very content. Consequently, a number of them
started to admire me.
As such, from the secular point of view, it is difficult for people to accept the choice
to become a monastic, but from the Buddhist perspective, this is very normal. Atisha, for
example, was Prince of Bangladesh. It says in the history books that his country had one
hundred thousand village households and many people lived there. However, triggered by
virtues in his previous life, he eventually gave up his throne and followed a monastic life.
Often, many university students and teachers come to our Buddhist institute to
become a monastic. However, before anyone becomes a monk or nun, I always ask them
to observe the monastic life properly first. Otherwise, it is not very good to become a
monastic and then regret it.
Question: You have talked about many issues regarding cause and effect today.
However, as ordinary people, we are not able to see our past and future life, nor can we
see hell or heaven. Since it is so, how can we know that they truly exist? How can we
establish a genuine faith in cause and effect?
Answer: It is not easy to establish this kind of understanding or view. Not only
things like heaven and hell, but the solar system, the Milky Way, black holes, and other
profound astrological fields are also beyond what our naked eye can perceive. However,
just as those hidden phenomena or mysteries of the universe that are invisible to our
naked eye can be revealed through astronomical discoveries and theories, in the same
way, the truths in Buddhism are supported by the teachings of Buddha. We need this kind
of proof or support since the ability of our naked eye is very limited.
A while back, when Stephen Hawking came to Beijing to give his lecture, due to the
profundity and complexity of his theories, many students from TsingHua University and
Peking University were not able to grasp his ideas, and some even left the lecture early.
In his discoveries, the universe is not merely three-dimensional space, there exist many
more multidimensional spaces, and it can even expand to eleven dimensions. This shows
that there exist many hidden phenomena or mysterious that are beyond the reach of our
naked eye.
Thomas Edison, Galileo Galilei, Sir Isaac Newton, and other prominent scientists
also recognize the existence of heaven and hell. We can see this from their biographies.
Therefore, like it says in the Buddhist Pramana treatise, the Pramānavārttikakārika,
what our naked eye fails to perceive does not necessarily lack existence. This is
particularly true in the case of some subtle and profound areas where even though our
naked eye cannot perceive them, we can still establish their existence through inferential
conclusions.
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(2) Question: I am a first year student in the Department of Finance. Buddhism
emphasizes “renunciation,” but when Shakyamuni Buddha became a monk, he was
already over thirty years old. By that time, he had already gone through many things in
life, and was therefore able to gain renunciation. As for you, you became a monk when
you were still very young. May I ask what was the basis for your decision to follow a
monastic life?
Answer: Shakyamuni Buddha, on the surface, did initially enjoy life in the palace.
Then, when he encountered the old, sick, and dead while traveling outside the palace, he
eventually generated the mind of renunciation, became a monk, and ultimately gained
enlightenment – becoming a Buddha.
This is the explanation based on the common Sutrayana view. As for the uncommon
Mahayana and Vajrayana explanation, it is said that while Shakyamuni Buddha was on
the bodhisattva path, he had been a monastic and had practiced Dharma for countless
times and billions of eons. His last reincarnation was just his manifestation to show
sentient beings how to become a Buddha.
Regarding the biography of Shakyamuni Buddha, the Vaibhashika and Sautrantika
schools in the Hinayana, and the Yogacara, Madhyamaka, and Vajrayana schools in the
Mahayana all have their distinct views. Regarding this particular area, I have recently
been translating a text on the history of Tibetan Buddhism and, at the beginning of this
text, the whole process and experiences of Buddha’s enlightenment, from the time of his
becoming a monk to his enlightenment, are described there. When this translation is
complete, if you are interested, you can read about it.
As for my personal reason for becoming a monk, at that time it was because I was
very interested in dialectical thinking and psychology, and I also yearned to understand
the truth of reality. I felt that if I had to follow a life such as going to work in the morning
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and coming home in the evening, getting married and having children, then when I was
over fifty years old, whatever I had done would have become the past, and would be gone,
just like that. In contrast, in choosing to become a monk, although my life would not be
exciting, there would be plenty of opportunities to study, and there would not be much
stress.
My initial state of mind when I first became a monk was just that simple. After I had
some understanding about Buddhism, I began to realize that being a monastic shouldn’t
only be for the sake of our own joy and happiness, it should be about benefiting sentient
beings and taking the responsibility to promote the Buddhadharma.
(3) Question: I am a visiting scholar at Renmin University. I am quite interested in
religious study and have read some books about religions. I would like to ask: Do you
treat Buddhism as intellectual enquiry and philosophical research only, or do you treat it
the traditional way, with taming the mind as essential?
Answer: Good question. Buddhism is not just about intellectual enquiry. What is
more important is putting it into practice – to truly tame the mind. If you have
transformed your mind to a certain level, whether you are a monastic or a layperson, you
will experience something transcendental; this will definitely happen.
For so many years, not only have I enjoyed reading books and studying Dharma,
but I also very much aspire putting them into practice, so as to truly realize their meaning.
Whether it is about bodhicitta, renunciation, or the wisdom of selflessness, I have had
systematic study and practice experiences. Albeit my practice is not good, I truly have
made some effort. Otherwise, having a mere literal understanding without any realization
would only result in rhetorical, bubble-like speeches. For that reason, putting Dharma
into practice and gaining experiential understanding is vital.
This is not just relevant for Dharma teachers; it applies to all Dharma students, too.
As the Flower Adornment Sutra says, just as a thirsty man near a river who, due to his
fear of drowning, chooses not to drink the water and so dies of thirst. In the same way, a
person who has listened to the Dharma but doesn’t practice it will not gain any benefit
from it.
(4) Question: I have read some Buddhist scriptures; however, my contact with
Buddhism is only at the literal level. May I know how to put them into practice?
Answer: The practice of meditation can be divided into analytical meditation (Tib.
chegom) and settling meditation (Tib. jokgom). Analytical meditation refers to gradually
integrating the teachings we have received into our daily activities through investigating
and familiarizing ourselves with the meaning of the teachings. For example, after we
understand that all things and events are impermanent, we can then put this into practice
and let it penetrate into our daily activities. As for settling meditation, it refers to having a
quiet and peaceful environment, eliminating all dualistic thoughts, and then settling the
mind in the meaning of the teachings.
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Translators' Acknowledgments
Most members of the Wisdom and Compassion Translation Center are disciples of
Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche. We would like to thank our master Khenpo Sodargye
Rinpoche and all the teachers of the lineage for their teachings. Only with these
teachings, were we able to gain understanding in the profound meanings of Shantideva's
treatise which serves the ground of our translation task.
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About the Author
Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche was born in Drakgo in Kham Tibet in 1962. He was
ordained as a monk in 1985 and relies on H.H. Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche of Larung Gar
Five Sciences Buddhist Academy, Sichuan Province, China, as his root guru.
Kheno Rinpoche was entrusted by Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche to take lead responsibility
for teaching the Dharma to Han Chinese disciples. Endeavoring day and night over the
past quarter century, he has been translating volumes of sacred Tibetan texts into Chinese
and expounding their meanings through numerous teachings, including teaching the
Middle Way in 100 lectures and The Way of the Bodhisattva in 200 plus classes. He also
has transmitted his mastery and realization in the Great Perfection, the Great Illusory Net
and Trilogy of Finding Comfort and Ease, etc., benefiting countless sentient beings and
producing many highly qualified Buddhist teachers. The quintessence of Rinpoche’s
teaching to his students is that, with the bodhichitta mind of Mahayana as the foundation,
one should apply equal importance to the listening, contemplation and meditation of the
Dharma, and try to benefit sentient beings as much as possible.
As early as the ’90s, Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche accompanied H.H. Jigme Phuntsok
Rinpoche to give Dharma teachings in more than a dozen countries throughout Europe,
America, and Southeast Asia. In recent years, he has been invited to many universities—
Tsinghua University, Peking University, The Hong Kong University of Science and
Technology, University of Hong Kong, etc.—to speak with scores of intellectuals.
Recently, he has been invited to give talks at George Washington University,
Georgetown University, Max Planck Institute, Harvard University, Columbia University,
University of Colorado, and so on, in his oversea teaching tour.
Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche also initiated a movement called “Promoting a Loving
Heart,” encouraging Buddhist practitioners to cultivate loving-kindness and compassion
in daily life and to stop ignoring the needy. While encouraging people to manifest our
innate kindness in different ways, he stresses that compassion is not to be limited to
humans only, but rather encompasses all other sentient beings such as animals.
Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche often advises his students: “As long as we can benefit
sentient beings, even if only one person generates one virtuous thought through our
efforts, we should be willing to serve that person for millions and millions of eons.” And:
“I don't know how long I’ll live, but as long as I have breath in me, even if there were
only one listener, I would try my best to benefit that person with the sacred Dharma.”
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Credit
Cover Design: Yuan Yang
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Copyright
Mysteries of the World According to Buddhism. Copyright © 2013 by the Wisdom and
Compassion Translation Center. All rights reserved under International and PanAmerican Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been
granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded,
decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage
and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical,
now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the Bodhi
Institute of Compassion and Wisdom USA.
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About the Publisher
Bodhi Institute of Compassion and Wisdom USA (BICW USA)
Website: http://www.buddhistweb.org/index.php/bodhi-institute/bodhi-institute-ofcompassion-and-wisdom-usa
E-mail: publishing.bicwusa@gmail.com
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