(This teaching was spoken to disciples at the Wan Shan Temple on 14 th Jun 2005)
What is the true spirit of Buddhism? It is a question that must be radically made clear to Buddhist and Buddhism learner. Firstly, I will introduce in brief about Buddhism, Buddhism study, Buddhadharma and learning from Buddha.

As Buddhists and believers of Buddhism, we take every word and behavior of Buddha as the teaching material for teaching all flesh, as enlightenment and as example, dharma and instruction. Therefore, the education, teaching, dogmata and dharma are called as Buddhism. However, people usually take Buddhism as only an appellation of the organization and system structure of Buddhists.

All kinds of academically learning about Buddhism are called as Buddhism studies. Its category includes studies on diversified fields of Buddhism e.g. dogmata thoughts, communion distributions, organization structures, history evolvements, linguistics and phonics, as well as art heritages, such etc. But the exoteric meaning of Buddhism studies is simply the dogmata thoughts of Buddhism. Studies of Buddhism are not that of Confucianism, Taoism or Divinity, but the knowledge of expatiating upon truths of universe and life.

All of the ideas and measures, principles and therapies indicated by Buddha are to help all beings to be away from suffering of Klesha and in joy of Mukti, so they are called Buddhadharma. However, the common meaning of Buddhadharma is the names and appearances in classical books of Buddhism, which is only an appellation, or also generally refers to all the experiences and external worlds perceived by Buddhists. E.g., “Not a single dharma in the eyes of Buddha is not Buddhadharma”; another, “Either yellow flower or green bamboo, either lake view or mountain scene, they are no more than the broad and long tongue of Buddha’s preaching.”

The Buddhist’s learning to keep away from suffering and pain and attain joy of liberation, through believing in Buddhadharma then comprehending and practicing it, is called learning from Buddha. Mahayana’s aim of learning from Buddha is to be Buddha. Therefore, Buddhism extremely regards the four courses of learning form Buddha: believing, comprehending, practicing and attaining. If we can persevere in taking Buddha’s words, behaviors and mind-nature as owns model and apotheosis, encouraging ourselves and continually progressing in self-cultivation, then we can be called learners of Buddha.

We just talked about some basic concepts and statuses of Buddhism, Buddhism study, Buddhadharma and learning from Buddha, well then what is the character of Buddhism study?

Now we talk about Buddhism study only according to the dogmata thoughts of Buddhism. Sakyamuni awakened to the truth and became a Buddha, then expounded teachings and saved beings, as well as established communion. The Buddha’s thoughts is characteristic, because he proven and realized the truth that whatever is created by causal conditions. Before and after the Buddha, many religionists and philosophers’ viewpoints on the origin of universe and life exceed no further than naturism, monotheism, twaintheism, pantheism and antitheism. Sakyamuni had the viewpoints of Karma or Pratitya-samutpada, as he realized and proven that all things are phenomena arise in dependence upon conditions and also consequentially interact, change and decay. There are no material or immaterial things that arise or decay independently or permanently. The mutual relationship of dependence is called Hetu-pratyaya.

What is the character of our Chinese Buddhism studies? What are called Chinese Buddhism studies are to study Buddhism in Chinese ways, that is, according to concrete situations and historical sources, as well as Chinese cultures, to adapt Buddhism to Chinese Buddhism, the character of which is being seasoned with the thoughts of Chinese. Many Buddhism learners once introduced Buddhism with the languages of Confucianism or Taoism, which is called Ge-yi Buddhism. Especially from the sutras, commentaries and opinions explaining Tathagata-garbha, the Hua-yen school’s theory of ‘interdependence of all things’ thus appeared and developed. The Chan school colligates some of the above, and deems that one is all and all is one, and that the interdependences of big and small, before and after, internal and external, just like the bead web in Braham of which each bead mutually dependences and blends, bring endless and numerous big uses. It is because of that Chinese people are not satisfied with empty state and the display usage of empty state. Such dissertations are mentioned at many places in the philosophical history of China.

Referring to our Chinese Buddhism, so far have formed two different concepts: one is people learning from Buddha, the other is people undertaking Buddhism studies. As to people learning from Buddha and people undertaking Buddhism studies, right here, I’d like to talk it as a keystone question for discussion, because, it is in connection with the problem that if our Buddhism will blossom or wane in the future. Well then what are the relationships and dissimilarities between them?

The so-called dissimilarities are at which places they are different, not coexistent, not unanimous, not analogous, not mutual-recognized and not practicing-together? According to and pursuing the teachings of Buddha, Buddhists take the education, apocalypse and dharma of Buddha as owns fundamental tenet of learning from Buddha. We digest the education and dharma of Buddha into self-cultivation, let Buddha and Buddhadharma soak into owns thoughts and behaviors, as well as persevere, then achieve the goal of being Buddha. Cleaning-out the power of karma and bad habit by using Buddha’s enlightening and methods, we purify and clean the body and soul, eradicate vexations and pains, clearly understand the nature of heart, hold our owns sail of becoming aware with the clear light of Buddhata, thus attain Buddhahood of perfect enlightenment and accomplishment. That is the true spirit and soul of Buddhism! The true spirit and soul of Buddhism, is to require us to practice according to and pursuing the teachings of Buddha, and let our behavior be in harmony with the enlightening of Buddha. The true spirit of Buddhism, is to require us to do unanimously with the teachings of Buddha and use this method to clean-out our bad habit, then we can be released from vexations and pains, clearly understand the nature of our hearts as well as attain samadhi and wisdom. Holding rightly the interest goal of our own, we lift the life up to the highest state of our wishes, which is being Buddha.

Buddhism study is a study on Buddhism, which is a truth-and-form doctrine of the academia’s understanding about Buddhism. The real Buddhism and Buddhist are to explain temporal knowledge with Buddha’s enlightening and apocalypse, rather than to expatiate Buddhism with temporal knowledge. That is a very pivotal question. Especially nowadays, there are many intellectuals explaining Buddhism with temporal science and intuitionistic knowledge, who cannot get true benefit. If temporal knowledge could clearly explain the teachings of Buddhism, then Sakyamuni who had wide learning and was accomplished with all temporal knowledge would have no need to become a monk for awakening to the truth. People understand Buddhism through learning will be clear about this argument, after having read books about Sakyamuni’s biographies and stories.

At that time, as the prince of Kapilavastu, Sakyamuni were very outstanding both in the status and learning; he was learned and versatile. There was no temporal knowledge, which he was not accomplished in. He also excelled in the feats of arms. Then what extent had he achieved in the feats of arms? With only one arrow, could he perforate seven-layered leathern drums. At that time, such leathern drums were made from tightly stretched ox leather. You can imagine how great his strength was, for he could perforate seven layers with only one arrow. But all the temporal knowledge cannot solve the problems he was looking for. For example, the temporal knowledge cannot explain the phenomena or solve the problem of rebirth, decrepitude, disease and death. And Sakyamuni even at that time had already been well up in the Pancha vidya. He knew every aspects of the so-called Pancha vidya, that are handicrafts, logic, medicine, linguistics, and inner learning, which is the knowledge of inner world. If that so-called temporal knowledge can make clear of the things in the world, for what did he enter into religion? He did that because there was no other way to clearly explain. Up to the present, having achieved so modernized and advanced scientific level, yet we cannot make clear of all the facts of the world, universe and life, but only understand, check out and practice a few of them. However, when we turn over the pages of the history, we find out that many things confirmed today were already known by the Buddha two thousand years ago. If the temporal knowledge could make clear of things expatiated by the principles of Buddhism, then it would be impossible for Buddhism to have been existed in the world for more than two thousand years. Up till now, it is well founded that there is no one can exceed the Buddha’s thoughts. Therefore, the principles of Buddhism cannot be spelled out by the temporal knowledge. Yet with the wisdom of the Buddha and the truths evidenced by the Buddha, we can spell out many phenomena and matters existing in the temporal world. So we must be clear about this concept.

From now on, we must talk, in the whole realm of Buddhism, on the issue of learning from Buddha and Buddhism studies. Because the disastrous history of Indian Buddhism tells us, when Sakyamuni Buddha was alive and afterwards the period of true dharma, the Buddhism, influenced by Indian Hinduism and Brahmanism of that time, began to expatiate and study Buddhism with some of the temporal exoteric and methods. While the Buddhism at that time, in the need of extensively facing the society and adapting to the karma of the society at then, also blend with the thoughts of Hinduism; thus, the true spirit and soul of the whole Buddhism was thrown away. From then on, the Indian Buddhism was destroyed. So the extinction of Indian Buddhism began from then. In order to reveal the truth of the universe and life, thus the Buddha became a monk and cultivated himself to look for the truth, and that he had already proven that truth. We do not have further need to explain Buddhism with the temporal knowledge and views.

As an Buddhist, we must pursue the Buddhadharma, do as what is taught by Buddha, achieve the greatest happiness and freedom, go to the state of awakening, completely get rid of bothers and pains, know clearly about causes and results, break away from samsara, and attain Buddhahood. The other way is to know and understand Buddhism with the temporal thoughts and expatiate Buddhism with philosophic thoughts, which are irrelevant to one’s own actually practice. That is the dissimilarity between learning from Buddha and Buddhism study. Once come into the temporal academic thinking and argument, even many Buddhists, who have already attained certain fruits of practice by pursuing Buddha’s teaching and progressing in it, would like to cognize Buddhism with temporal concept and learning then fall into corrupt views and biases during the course of learning from Buddha. Besides due to the disturbance by their own bad karmas and habits, they suffer a disastrous decline and cannot extricate themselves. Many people learning from Buddha thus go wrong like that, which is a very painful lesson of all ages. As what I’ve just told you, especially in India, Buddhism lost its true spirit and soul for being expatiated by the temporal academe, resulting in the extinction of Buddhism. That is to say, if Buddhism does not follow the teachings, dharmas and tenets of the Buddha, on the contrary being expatiated by the temporal academic thinking and argument, then Buddhism will lose its fundamental tenet and true spirit. The fact, that the penetrating of the temporal academic thinking and argument is the beginning of the soul’s losing and extinction of Buddhism, has already been proven before. How dangerous a situation it is!