Issue

3rd Issue (April, 2007)

Editor's Preface
The enterprise of Confucian Classic of Great Learning expounds thus:

The enterprise of Great Learning is to
manifest the innate supreme virtue of Man.
大學之道，在明明德。

This enterprise of Great Learning, the quintessence of Chinese philosophy of self-improvement or personal development, is to awaken the individuals to be self-awakened to the truth that each and every individual is innately endowed with perfect or supreme virtue. Potentially, Man is supremely excellent ethically. The advocate of the intrinsic or inborn supremacy of Man differs not from the enterprise of Theravada or Mahayana Buddhism. In the Theravada tradition, the supremacy of man is revealed or manifest when one perceives or apprehends intuitively the insubstantiality or selflessness of the five aggregates(五蘊無我). In the Mahayana tradition, the innate supreme goodness of Man is brought forth when the emptiness of the five aggregates are discerned (五蘊皆空). In the Chan tradition, the innate supreme vitue of Man is unveiled when the Buddha-nature is perceived(明心見性). This evidences that Buddhist civilization or culture is deeply rooted in Chinese philosophy of Taoism and Confucianism in the current evolved form of Neo-confunianism. Therefore, the rekindled resurgence of interest in Chinese Buddhism is a natural phenomenon.

The Great Learning also expounds that in order to manifest the innate supreme virtue of Man, one has to penetrate into the true nature of all phenomena of the multiplicity of the cosmos in order to reveal the ultimate truth of all phenomena (格物致知).

Having penetrated and realized the knowledge of ultimate truth, the wise realizes the sincerity of heart in which there is unity between theory and practice. The external actions mirror the inner state of the mind; the inner state of the mind is reflected through the external conduct. The sincerity of heart rectifies the heart. The rectification of heart engenders self-cultivation. Self-cultivation harmonizes the family (or any other social institution or organization). A harmonious family or organization stabilizes the country. A stabilized country contributes to world peace.

In Taoism, the knowledge of ultimate truth is called Tao which is ineffable. It is expounded thus in Tao Te Ching :

The Path that can be expressed
is not the eternal Path.
道可道，非常道。

The Path refers to the knowledge of ultimate Truth (known as Emptiness in Buddhism; God in Christainity, Brahman in Hinduism and Allah in Islam). The ultimate Truth can not be expressed or designated. If an entity or phenomenon can be expressed or designated, it is merely an illusion and not the ultimate Truth.

Next, Tao Te Ching expounds the knowledge of conventional truth thus:

Any entity or phenomenon that can be named or
designated is  not a permanent entity or phenomenon.
名可名，非常名。

We perceive that the Taoist definition of conventional truth, which is false conceptualization, does not differ from that of Buddhist definition. This verifies the assertion of Śākyamuni Buddha that Truth is only one, it cannot be two.

Therefore, we comfortably derive a conclusion that there were many masters or saints communicating an identical message. The pursuit of wisdom and happiness, which is the termination of anguish or vexation, is the common endeavour of all human beings. Therefore, the resurgence or resurrection of interest in Chinese Buddhism is only a natural phenomenon when it is positively conditioned.  Chinese outstanding economic success is conditioned from the conglomeration of wholesome, conducive causes and conditions. Behind all forms of success or failure is the Truth of Emptiness. There is a Buddha-nature in everything. A serious contemplation on this proposition is inspirational, enlightening and revealing. We require both the rainfalls and sunshines to make the beautiful rainbow.

Buddhism is both an exoteric and esoteric religion which is the pursuit of wisdom to self-actualize   individual innate potentials so as to create individual harmony as well as societal harmony. An exoteric and esoteric religion, such as Buddhism does not collide with any other fields of human endeavours, such as politics, economy, science, technology, engineering and so forth. There is no collision between Buddhism and Chinese national agendas but in fact it activates   synergy to enhance and accelerate the crystallization of all worthy national agendas. The resurgence or resurrection of interest in Chinese Buddhism is merely a natural phenomenon as the Chinese authorities recognize that Buddhist ethics and wisdom are the human resources for harmony, stability, unity, peace, and prosperity. It is the innate nature in man to desire happiness and to eliminate suffering! No one can escape an outcome when it is completely conditioned to occur! Nāgārjuna in his celebrated work ‘Mūlamadhyamakakārikā’ both warns and reminds us that:

Because of Emptiness, any conditioned phenomenon
can be either constructed or deconstructed !

Such teaching provides all with a hope for self-improvement as fatalistic determinism is denied. We ourselves determine the outcome. The Exalted One expounds that one is ones’ own island. Take refuge in one’s own island. This is esotericism at work - One ought to edeem yourself and make a return journey to the Origin - your Buddha-nature or Emptiness! The Buddha-nature or Emptiness offers the emancipation to everyone who cares to learn, reflect, practise and realize.

The resurgence of Chinese Buddhism parallel with the resurrection of Taoism and Confucianism is a synergy to but not a collision against crystallizing the national ideologies or agendas of modern China. Development of Buddhism is the pursuit of wisdom. Wisdom is supreme in the sense that it only generates a positive outcome without any negative side-effect. The wise Chinese leadership of modern China is no longer doctrinaire communist. Modern China does not reject wisdom of Dharma.  In the ancient past, China had invented the gun-powder and developed maritime engineering before the west could. She could have colonized many continents. She did not. The Confucian’s wisdom had successfully restrained her from taking what was not given. The resurgence of interest in developing Buddhist wisdom which, in fact, invigorates her nationhood is certainly welcome by the Chinese authorities.

China is rediscovering the priceless treasure of Buddhism. The resurrection of Chinese Buddhism is a certainty not a doubt!. The future will witness that China will not only export economic commodities but also the Buddhist spiritual wisdom of Dharma.  The only challenge is how to communicate the abstruse ineffable true doctrine of Śākyamuni Buddha with an expedient device which transmits the knowledge of ultimate truth without denying the knowledge of the conventional truth. It is perceiving and interacting with the conventional world of signs or concepts through the wisdom of signlessness or emptiness! 

Editor

Go to top