..续本文上一页ole and positive effects for humanity, especially regarding the United States and other Western countries. It is through the guidance of Christianity that many have been able to rid themselves of confusion and gain spiritual comfort. However, some religious doctrines only promote the welfare of human beings, but do not expand their scope to all sentient beings. From a broader perspective, these are still limited. Why, then, should we generate a compassionate heart for all sentient beings
The answer is that their life is no different from our human life. It is equally precious, and we equally have the innate desire for happiness and do not want to suffer. Although all of us have the innate desire for happiness, in reality, we have never achieved this in the way we want it. Just as it says in the Bodhicharyavatara, “Those desiring to escape from suffering hasten right toward suffering. With the very desire for happiness, out of delusion they destroy their own happiness as if it were an enemy.” Due to ignorance and lack of wisdom, although hoping to escape from suffering, we go on to create even more causes of suffering; although wanting happiness, we destroy the causes of our happiness, as if they were an enemy.
Today, many people behave in the same way. Influenced by their life experiences and education, they don”t know the true cause of happiness. Most of you here can be considered as having worldly success, because you have been able to stand out from numerous other students and be accepted by Peking University. After being admitted to this university, however, have you thought about this: The causes of happiness are virtuous activities, and eliminating the cause of suffering means avoiding non-virtuous activities. If you have no idea about this, and don”t even know the truth of karma—“Positive actions bring happiness, negative actions bring suffering”—then even though you may be envied by many people, in another sense, you can”t be called wise.
Of course, this law of causality that describes the causes and conditions for happiness and suffering should not be accepted simply because the Buddha said so. The teaching: “Committing evil acts will cause suffering; committing virtuous acts will certainly bring about happiness” is expounded this way because it is the truth of reality. It is not because Buddha is omnipotent and controls the suffering and happiness of people in this world. It is like after drinking poison, the body is harmed, while after consuming beneficial medicines, illness is cured.
2) The special features of wisdom in Buddhism
Besides the fact that the scope of compassion is infinite in Buddhism, wisdom in Buddhism also has a superior role compared to other religions. Whether it is expressing ultimate truth or conventional truth, it is flawless. Take conventional truth as an example. Regarding the world”s knowledge, such as astronomy, geography, physiology, physics, and chemistry, Shakyamuni Buddha described them in detail in the scriptures a long time ago. To illustrate this point, let”s take a simple example—Kalachakra. Using this, we can determine the timing of the yearly movement of the sun during three hundred and sixty days, including the specific solar and lunar eclipses, and time can be calculated within one hour of accuracy. In addition, it can also determine exactly the subtle relationship between the Milky Way and the sun. This is unprecedented in the history of astronomy, and has sparked widespread interest in scholars.
Also, Buddhist medicine is very advanced. All of the modern Western and Chinese medical discoveries mentioned in the Compendium of Materia Medica have long been recorded in the Tibetan Medical Tantras. After the literary master, Lu Xun, read the Sutra of the Wise and the Fool, Discou…
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