..續本文上一頁 students and lecturers from Peking University, it may be difficult to immediately master the profound state of Dzogchen. However, even if you are not able to master it now, at least you should know that the most subtle and profound knowledge in this world is the doctrine of emptiness and Buddha nature, which are the ultimate meanings Buddha expounded during the second and third turnings of the wheel of Dharma. From the point of view of pith instructions, these two are articulated by Bodhisattva Manjushri and Bodhisattva Maitreya. Hence, if intellectuals want to learn and master Buddhism, it is necessary that they study and learn the many scriptures and treatises. However, it is not enough to learn and study them literally. You also need to put them into practice for them to be truly useful.
Some students and lecturers here may have previously studied Tibetan Buddhism, while others may have studied Han Chinese Buddhism. If you know about Tibetan Buddhism, then you will know that we have many treatises about the middle way and Buddha nature. I have also translated some of them into Chinese. In the future, when the opportunity arises, we can discuss and learn about these treatises together. During the course of the discussion and during your study, if you master and realize the wisdom of emptiness, then liberation is certainly within reach. In contrast, if emptiness is not realized, then it is impossible to reveal the nature of mind, or gain any fruit of enlightenment of the arahat, bodhisattva, etc. Hence, we can conclude that all other virtuous activities are only the indirect causes for liberation from the three realms; however, realizing emptiness is the direct cause.
VI. A Few Suggestions and Advice for Intellectuals
1. Cultivating an Altruistic Mind
Presently, many people are confused by the idea of inherent existence. Whether they are teachers, university students, or business people, they become entangled in the net of samsara. In order to counter this confusion, an understanding of the Buddhist philosophy of emptiness and dependent origination is especially needed. Only by gaining some understanding of emptiness at an experiential level can we weaken our attachment toward daily trivial matters. In this way, we will not blindly pursue things and recklessly act against the law of cause and effect.
Through my observations, I find that people living in big cities have many differences to practitioners living on the top of mountains. People in the city spend and waste their precious human rebirth in acquiring houses, money, romance, and families. In fact, if we live just for the sake of surviving, then our life is no different from that of an animal. Many people advocate mammonism, philistinism, and hedonism. They unscrupulously seek money. Not only do they neglect their next life, they have little knowledge about values in this life. So what are the important values in this life
They are to be satisfied and content with what we have, have fewer desires, respect our parents, and long for wisdom and other virtues. These are quite important for people living in this world.
Now, however, many students have no interest in these values. I”ve visited many universities, and I saw many students on the campus not doing very much work. They spend all day long surfing the Internet, looking, for example, at porn. What they are doing doesn”t bring any value to their present and future lives. This is completely unreasonable. In fact, as a university student, you have a responsibility to all mankind and the future of your entire community. In some foreign countries, they educate their children to believe that: “The hope for the future of humanity is in your hands,” to inspire children to act with discipline and morality. Similarly, for …
《Buddhist View on Emptiness》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…