..續本文上一頁azy, 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 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 yea…

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