..续本文上一页nd or not, or the nature of whatever external phenomena, the clear light is always non-dual and inpisible 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

　　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 pract…

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