Promoting and Building a Pure Land on Earth
In China, for almost a century, people have had the impression that
Buddhism is just a religion of ghosts and deities devoted to asking
favors from gods, worshiping the Buddha, and praying for a better
rebirth of the dead. Buddhism has been confused with folk religions
and therefore criticized by intellectuals as a form of
superstition. What¡¦s more, many Buddhists have made seeking an
early rebirth in a Buddha-land elsewhere their sole goal in life,
thus making the general public regard Buddhism as a passive,
escapist religion.
For most of his life, Master Taixu (1889/1890-1947) promoted
"humanistic Buddhism" and "engaged Buddhism." My teacher Master
Dongchu inherited Master Taixu's goal in promoting engaged
Buddhism, and started Humanity Magazine; Master Yin-shun also
inherited Master Taixu's goal. I, too, inherited Master Taixu's
goal. So I have been promoting the vision of a "pure land on
earth," in the hope that people will practice Buddhist teaching in
their daily life, and thus turn our world into a pure land.
I will now quote one of Master Dongchu's articles, "The Essence of
Engaged Buddhism," to explain that concept:
1. Putting ethics into practice
According to The Sutra of Shingalaka's Homage to the Six
Directions, ethics means taking responsibility for one's
interactions with others. Those interactions include the
relationship between parents and children, teachers and students,
employers and employees, husband and wife, and friends. Each
individual plays multiple roles in these interactions, and must be
responsible for the roles they play.
2. Putting morals into practice
A Buddhist should keep the five precepts and uphold the ten
virtues. The five precepts are: not to kill, not to steal, not to
engage in sexual misconduct, not to speak falsehood, and not to
take intoxicants. The ten virtues include abstention from three
kinds of bodily evils, four kinds of inappropriate speech, and
three kinds of mental evils. Because the abstention from drinking
alcohol is included in the five precepts, many people choose only
to uphold the ten virtues. However, this is a misconception, since
the ten virtues are derived from the five precepts.
3.The practice of right awakening
Right awakening entails the practice of the eightfold noble path:
right view, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right
concentration. Right view refers to the Buddha's fundamental
teachings of the Four Noble Truths, eightfold noble path, twelve
links of dependent origination, etc., plus the four inducements and
six perfections of Mahayana. If we really see with our eyes and
hear with our ears, and apply the right Buddhist views to the
practice of morality in our daily lives, as well as mastering the
skills of concentration, we can attain liberation. Right aspiration
requires thorough understanding, and incorporation into one¡¦s very
being. Right view and right thought transcend the scope of ethics
and morality because right view is about seeing suffering,
emptiness and no-self in human existence; this alone constitutes an
awakened attitude toward life. Right speech, right action, right
livelihood, and right effort are consonant with ethics and
morality. Therefore, we have to practice and promote the four
inducements¡Xgiving, acting beneficially, intermingling, and
speaking kindly¡Xin order to benefit ourselves and others, win
people over to Buddhism, and bring about a pure land on
earth.
(A lecture given to a gathering of Dharma Drum upholders cherishing
common aspirations, at the Chan Meditation Center in New York on
November 13, 2004.)
