..续本文上一页aving 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

　　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 inpidual 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 long-term 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 inst…

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