..續本文上一頁rge 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.

　　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…

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