The Altruism of Buddhism
Lecture given at Shandong University
November 11 afternoon, 2011
Introduction by Professor Chen Jian:
Today we have invited Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche from the Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Academy to talk about teachings in Buddhism.
Khenpo Sodargye is from Ganzi of Sichuan. He attended Ganzi Normal School when he was young. After taking the monastic life, he specializes in Tibetan Buddhism. Khenpo Sodargye is also very versed in traditional Chinese culture such as Confucianism and Taoism. In recent years, he has traveled to prominent universities such as Beijing University, People’s University, Fudan University and Nanjing university. There he delivered many lectures which were very well received by the students
One of the academic work Khenpo Sodargye has been engaged in is to translate the large amount of treatises in Tibetan Buddhism into Chinese. From the perspective of Han Buddhism, we translated Buddhist Sutras in the Western Regions (西域) at the beginning, then from India. The next trend is possibly the translation of sutras and sastras from Tibet. This is an important way for us to understand Tibetan culture, and a major work of which Khenpo has been doing. His other endeavor is to propogate Confucianism. He has taught “Di Zi Gui (Standards for Being a Good Student and Child)”, which has contributed significantly in the Tibetan-Han exchange.
Today’s topic is “The Altruism of Buddhism”. Altruism is one of the fundamental characteristics of Mahayana Buddhism. Let us listen to Khenpo’s interpretation. Now, I will hand this over to Khenpo —-
Professor Chen has supervised many graduate and doctoral students in Buddhism over the years. He also has studied Ph.D. In Buddhism . I admire him very much. I visited Thailand in 1999. Many universities there have Ph.D. programs in Buddhism, and also many professors advising doctoral students in Buddhism. I was particularly envious with the thought that “how wonderful it would be if there is also this kind of advanced study of Buddhism in the Han academia”. There was such aspiration at that time.
And now, many universities have set up departments in religious studies; there are all kinds of study and research in Buddhism. I was told that in addition to Buddhism, Shandong university has also extended to the study of other religions such as Christianity and Taoism. This is excellent. We should respect any religion as long as it benefits sentient beings.
As for me, I am just an ordinary Buddhist monk. I am pretty interested in many philosophies such as Confucianism, but have not done further in-depth research. Shandong, the home of Confucius and Mencius, and the nation of rite and morality. This is the birthplace of Confucianism. The Five Wise Men[1] of this School such as Confucius, Yan Yuan and Mencius all came from here. There are quite a few commonalities between the “benevolence” advocated by Confucianism and the “altruism” in Mahayana Buddhism. As such, you should not be too unfamiliar with the “Altruism in Buddhism” which we will be discussing today.
I. The Buddha is different from Great Historic Figures
The graduate and doctoral students here should be pretty well versed in Buddhism. As for me, I have been studying Buddhism for years. What conclusions have I reached? The Buddha is not a legendary or mystical figure. He had actually existed in human history. This is not only believed by we Buddhists, but also recognized in the present academia.
As we all know, There was a grand ceremonial welcome when the tooth relic of the Buddha was recently enshrined and worshiped in Myanmar. More than two thousand people led by the vice president lined up at the airport, followed by six thousand governmental officials led by the president of Myanmar at the place where the tooth relic of the Buddha was enshrined. It is not hard to imagine how many people will go there and worship everyday. Prior to that, when the finger bone relic of the Buddha was welcome to Taiwan, there were more than one hundred thousand daily worshipers during the short period of eleven days. More than a million went to pay their tributes all together.
People have great discernment now that it is the 21st century. It is impossible for them to believe in something blindly. Then why a mere section of the finger bone relic of the Buddha is so highly respected by so many people? There must be a reason. Not long ago when I visited the Famen Temple in Xi’an, I also paid tribute to the finger bone relic of the Buddha enshrined there. I was told that the government has invested 1.2 billion yuan to construct the underground palace and palms together dagoba in order to protect the finger bone relic of the Buddha. My unsurpassed faith arose as I was prostrating at that time.
There have been many famous figures in human history, but has any of them been worshiped like this? We all know the answer. Take the example of Sir Isaac Newton: he was buried at the Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. Tomb stones of famous people such as Shakespeare, Darwin, and Churchill are also over there.
And there was also Einstein – he had instructed in his will not to build any burial site for him but just sprinkle his remains in an unknown place. But an American doctor Thomas Stoltz Harvey secretly removed his brain. For the sake of his research, Harvey dissected Einstein’s brain into 240 pieces* and meticulously preserved them in ten boxes and two large mason jars. When this incident was exposed, it did not bring Harvey any honor, instead he had been labeled as a “brain thief” and despised by many. As such he had no choice but to resign and disappeared for a while. Forty two years later, Harvey formally returned the brain to Princeton Hospital where Einstein passed away. Although some research studies have been done to examine this brain, it certainly does not seem to have the power of blessing like the bone relic of the Buddha in many people’s minds.
Perhaps because I am a Buddhist, I might be partial in my respect and admiration toward the Buddha. But objectively speaking, we must also ponder: Is this a superstition if it is worshiped by so many people in
the world? The Buddha has extensively demonstrated eighty-four thousand dharma methods for all sentient beings. In the Tibetan and Han regions as well, there are also so many Sūtras, Vinaya, Abhidharma Sastras in the “The Tripiṭaka” . Exactly what connotations are in these three divisions of the Buddhist canon?
I was told that many of the students here have also studied “The Diamond Sutra” and “Mahāyāna- śraddhotpāda-śāstra ”. You might have noticed during your process of study that there is a significant difference between Buddhist and worldly writings. We have all had some schooling, and know that we do not necessarily have to perpetually study or enshrine the textbooks studied at grade schools, middle schools, and colleges. But Buddhist Sutras are different. Whoever read the relatively short “Heart Sutra” will savor its endless aftertastes, and get unsurpassed blessing and benefits from it. This is the inconceivable power and benevolence of the Buddha. Anyone with wisdom cannot deny this, for it is a fact that cannot be refuted.
Therefore, we must understand first, what is the Buddha after all? There were many fabulous koans from his previous lives. But the more important implication is: What manifestation did he present to us human beings manifest in the life when he became Buddha? What role did he play?
There are many people here today. Some are not necessarily true believers of Buddhism, although some are. Nevertheless, we should try to understand and study it. Because Buddhism is not only just a belief, it is more of a wisdom and an education.
In addition to the trans-mundane teachings, Buddhism also covers worldly knowledge such as astronomy, geography, and humanities. If Buddhism is just about some backward dogmas, how could it have such transcendent wisdom? Take the example of some subject matters in astronomy, Buddha at the time thoroughly revealed the patter of how the cosmos worked without any instruments. This is indeed an inconceivable wisdom even generations later.
II. There is but one Essence in Buddhadharma: Altruism
As we all know very well that our traditional culture has suffered unprecedented setback due to some historical reasons. This has caused great harm to humankind. The generation today is undoubtedly the first victims to bear the brunt. Why? Because there is no moral ideologies in their life credo other than pursuing money, status and lust.
Of course I also agree that some unique ancient traditions are rather backward and incompatible with the present trend of internationalization. But we must not ditch humankind’s respect and emphasis on morality. Instead, we should revive it as soon as possible.
I am not very clear about your state of research on traditional cultures. In fact, although the education of ancient people did not have systematic theories as profound as Buddhism, there were very excellent teachings with respect to adequate worldly conduct, filial piety, benevolence, and etiquette .
Perhaps due to the environmental impact, many people today are incapable of differentiating between good and evil. Some even take delight in talking about “ Thick Black theory” which advocates one’s skin should be as thick as the wall and heart as dark as the coal in order to become an outstanding figure. They believe a person must be as evil as possible such that he will live better and better. Guided by this notion, they begin to harm other people for the sake of benefiting themselves recklessly. They can only accomplish the opposite. They do not wish to suffer, but suffering arrive one by one. They yearn for happiness, and yet happiness is wiped out like their enemies.
In fact, the answer has long been given to us in Buddhism if we would like to attain real happiness. It is stated in “Catuṣkanirhāra Sūtra” that those people with wisdom should vow to generate Bodhichitta to benefit others.
I don’t know if you are familiar with “Bodhichitta”. If you have a thorough understanding of Bodhichitta, you will not experience too much hardship in your future path of life. You will not be encircled by the notion of selfhood such that you cannot see the broader sky. It is of course justifiable to love oneself and one’s family as a worldly person. However, this kind of love is of little value if it is never extended to concerns for other people.
So what is Bodhichitta? In the ultimate sense, it is the vow for all sentient beings in the world to rid their sufferings, gain happiness, and attain perfect Buddhahood. This is the most elevated aspiration, but very difficult to achieve. Some who have studied Buddhist sutras and practiced Buddhist Dharma all their life, are only good at saying so. Not only will they not do anything to benefit a person not in good relationships with them, they cannot even arouse the thought to make him happy, let alone toward all the sentient beings.
If you could not remember the rest of our exchange today but “Bodhichitta”, then the time you are spending here is not in vain. “Bodhichitta” is a terminology in Buddhism, but if we do not understand this, we will not be able to study Mahayana Buddhism at all. I have met many scholars of Buddhism, they all talk about “Bodhichitta” all the time. But in reality, they cannot even define it in words, let alone put it in practice. Bodhichitta is the fundamental root of Mahayana. It would be a pity if we do not understand the profound meaning of Bodhichitta but only see it superficially and confuse it with compassion, kindness and benevolence.
There are two types of Bodhicitta: the intention and application aspects of Bodhicitta. The intention aspect of Bodhichitta is the vow to benefit all sentient beings in the world and help them attain Buddhahood; whereas the application aspect of Bodhicitta is to actually perform innumerable activities of the Six Transcendent Perfections based on such vows.
This kind of Bodhichitta needs to be carried out in real life after you have understood it theoretically. It must not be limited to just lip service without a single moment’s practice. If you have actually practiced Bodhichitta, it will not only be beneficial to the peace of the world and happiness of all sentient beings, but also to yourself physically and mentally in particular. As it is stated in the “Mahaparinirvana Sutra” : “Anyone who has meditated on Bodhichitta just momentarily, even the Buddha cannot measure all kinds of merits brought by such practice”, meaning that even the Buddha cannot measure the enormous merit of meditating on Bodhichitta just momentarily.
You may not be able to understand immediately, as this issue is too big. But you may start to practice compassion and loving-kindness even if you may not be able to generate Bodhichitta right away. Today, there are Zen societies at Harvard University, Princeton University, and the University of Cambridge have Zen societies to specialize in practicing compassion and loving-kindness. As I understand, foreign college professors, even grade school teachers, often teach their kids how to develop compassion and loving-kindness. Loving-kindness is the wish that all beings will attain happiness; whereas compassion is to wish that all beings will not suffer.
Some of our major universities could draw on the experiences of them while studying Buddhism. We must not limit ourselves to theories, for we would then become “wily Dharma birds” easily. Many doctoral and post-doctoral candidates of Buddhism nowadays are very eloquent in writing and speech, but are not connected with Mahayana Buddhism at all in their mind. Worse yet, the more study has more prejudiced them against the Buddha, Buddhist history, and the most profound Buddhist Doctrines. There are often slandering remarks in their work. This just doesn’t make sense at all.
III. The Altruism of Eminent Monks and Learned Dignitaries
1. The Enlightenment of Jowo Atisha
I am particularly fond of a story about altruism and would like to share it with you. It is about Jowo Atisha, the founder of the Kadampa school in Tibetan Buddhism.
Jowo Atisha was the greatest Pandita in the 11th century India. He was originally the prince of the Eastern Bangladesh empire and was expected to inherit the throne. Once Tara told him in his dream: “ You have been a Pandita for five hundred lives. It is your mission to help free sentient being from the ocean of samsaric suffering. You must not fall by the wayside.” After he woke up, Jowo Atisha recognized the power of vows from his past lives. He then left the palace and the world of mortals to become a monastic monk, and followed the teachings of the renowned Rahula Thera in India. Under the guidance of his Guru, he soon became well-versed in all the Tripitika and developed a photographic memory of many Buddhist classics.
One day when he was reading, all of a sudden a doubt came to his mind, “Which path is the quickest to direct enlightenment? If I follow the Mahayana path of Bodhisattva, I must liberate others for an incalculable number of kalpas in order to reach the other shore of nirvana . As such, Is it possible for me to attain enlightenment?”
He went to ask his Guru for this issue. Guru told him, “ You care too much about your own achievement. The only path to liberation is to foster the growth of Bodhichitta, forget your own benefit and pay more attention to the well-being of other people. Self-attachment is the root cause of affliction.”
Shortly after this, one day he was circulating around Bodhgaya, the place where Buddha attained enlightenment. He saw two very beautiful women conversing with each other. One asked:, “what is the best practice to attain enlightenment?” The other replied, “ The egoless Bodhichitta is the main path to Buddhahood”
The following day he went to circulate around the stupa and the bodhi tree next to it. He overheard an old lady beggar speaking to a leper, “Bodhichitta is the best way to transcend the ocean of suffering and attain enlightenment. One must give up selfishness and self-serving thoughts, and be more concerned about others by placing oneself in others’ position ”
Having heard this, he thought, “Everyone here, from the most graceful to the most lowly, seem to know the best way to enlightenment which is exactly the same as what my Guru told me. I am the only one who is still hanging in the wind.”
The third day he moved the mala beads while circulating the temple slowly. He saw a little bird resting on the knee of the statue of Avaloketesvara, the statue opened his mouth and spoke to the bird: “Upholding the Bodhichitta that gives oneself up to treasure others is the best way to attain perfect realization.” All his doubts vanished right at this moment.
After understanding the importance of Bodhichitta, he traveled to Indonesia and studied with Guru Suvarnadvipa for 12 years. The only thing he practiced was Bodhichitta and eventually attained enlightenment.
Later Buddhism in Tibet was destroyed due to the act of anti-Buddhist King Langdarma. The Tibetan king of that time, Lhalama Yeshe Ö sent representatives to invite Jowo Atisha many times in order to restore Buddhism. Jowo Atisha prayed to Tara and asked for guidance. Tara told him, “If you go to Tibet, you may benefit immeasurable number of beings, but your lifespan will be shortened by 20 years. Originally you should be able to live up to 92, but you will pass into nirvana at 72 if you go to Tibet. ” Jowo Atisha left for Tibet to propagate Buddhism without any hesitation for the sake of sentient beings. He founded the Kadampa school and produced the “ Lamp on the Path to Enlightenment” which, as we all known is the source of “Stages of the Path to Enlightenment”.
The practice method of Bodhichitta taught by Jowo Atisha has been perfectly preserved in the Tibetan region even until now. Not only all his lineage teachings and systematic order of studying and practicing can be seen everywhere at monasteries, but they are also very widespread elsewhere in the world. Personally I am relatively well informed in many Han and Tibetan cultural aspects. In comparison, Tibetan Buddhism indeed has extraordinary advantages in pith instructions for practicing Bodhichitta. Jowo Atisha’s contribution has been very instrumental in this regard.
Many domestic and foreign scholars are now very interested in the teachings of Bodhichitta. However, it is far less than sufficient to study only from the theoretical aspect in the process of research. For example, everybody can verbalize on the underlying theory of “all phenomena are impermanent “, but if you have never actually practiced, all lip services become useless when you are at the critical point of life and death. Therefore, many Buddhist Doctrines, altruism in particular, need to be practiced in reality. We must constantly think of others’ benefits in what we do all the time.
Many people nowadays only have eyes for money regardless of whatever job they do. They are only concerned about themselves 90% of the time in a day. They never deliberate on what they can do to improve the society, or do something meaningful to help people in the world. This is a very bad phenomena. Of course it is probably not realistic for ordinary person not to care about his own basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and means of transportation. However, the more you think of yourself, the less benefit you will end up with. Similarly, the more you have other people in your mind, the more likely you will be benefited unexpectedly.
2. Patrul Rinpoche and the Widow
Recently, there have been frequent media reporting on moral decline. It makes you feel people’s ethics has become much worse than the past. In our Tibetan region, if someone is hit by a car, I dare say that 99% of the Tibetans will stop their vehicles and go all the way out to rescue this person. People would try everything to help, or chant sutra for a life – even if it is just a yak, let alone human beings. It is impossible to turn a blind eye to the sufferings of other sentient beings.
In the 19th century, there was a widely known great siddha named Patrul Rinpoche. He once met a widow with her three children while he was on his way to Sershul on foot to hold a Dharma Festival. They too were also going to the Dharma festival. Rinpoche felt sorry for the orphans and their widowed mother, thus he carried the second child on his back and traveled with them. Sometimes Rinpoche would piggyback the child to beg for meals and shared with them all. Sometimes the woman held the little one and begged food for everyone. There were times the older child went to beg the meals for all. People thought they were a family of beggars. The woman did not know he was Patrul Rinpoche until after they arrived at the destination.
This was just a minor incident, but we could use it to introspect if we would lend a helping hand when we run into people in distress. Most people would definitely feel compelled to help their own relatives and good friends when they are in trouble. They would not, however, spare a glance for complete strangers who are encountering mishaps and suffering, or some animals being slaughtered. This is the manifestation of lacking altruistic mind.
A while ago, I was discussing issues related to the value of life with some intellectuals. At the beginning due to the impact of their education, they felt only the lives of human beings were meaningful; other beings not worthy of our love and care. But after a series of exchanges, discussion and debate, gradually they realized every life had similar feelings toward suffering and happiness. All beings wish to be happy, and do not want to suffer. This is not limited to human beings. It is the same for all other animals. Therefore, this topic deserves deep deliberation.
IV. An Altruistic Mind is very Beneficial for Us
In fact, the essence of Buddhism is to wish for all beings to be free from suffering and to be happy . This is not found in any other religions or doctrines. Some people might think: “ Since it is basically impossible, this mentality is not necessarily all that noble”. But in reality, regardless whether or not it is doable, the merit of arousing such Bodhichitta is enormous. As it is stipulated in the “Jewel Heap Sutra (Ratnakūṭa Sutra)”, if Bodhichitta has color and form, it cannot even be contained by the entire realm of space. Furthermore, “Vīradatta(gṛhapati)paripṛcchā (sūtra)” also states that with Bodhichitta, we will be able to cure all sentient beings’ psychological ailment and give them ultimate happiness.
I hope everyone of you examine and experience these words and phrases in the scriptures thoroughly. It is actually not that easy a task to study Buddhist scriptures. On the surface there may not seem to be so many words in the “Heart Sutra”, “Diamond Sura” and “Ksitigarbha Sutra” . But many have racked their brains through their entire lifetime, and yet still cannot grasp the profound implications of these scriptures.
Some might ask: “why so many people do not believe in Buddhism if it is really so good?” As a matter of fact, any kind of advanced knowledge , be it scientific or Buddhist, can only be accepted by a minority of people, not everyone can understand it. Just like only a handful of people know the value of precious gems; ordinary person can hardly tell the difference better real things and fakes. Nevertheless, the number of people believe in Buddhism is not that small nowadays. There are more than one hundred million Buddhists among China’s 1.3 billion population based on governmental statistics. The unofficial number should be even higher.
Understanding Buddhism is an imperative if you would like to study some ancient culture in the future as college students. Otherwise, your writing will lack substance. Buddhism touches upon various issues regarding the universe and life. Without this kind of wisdom of depth and expanse, your research on some subject matters will be very shallow and superficial.
In particular, everyone must face up to death, sickness, and all kinds of hardship in ones life. At such critical moments, if a person can grasp some ways of mind training in Mahayana Buddhism, there will be a very significant change in his attitude and thinking towards this life, not to mention the future lives. These practicing methods include considering others as equal to oneself, exchanging oneself and others, and taking others as more important than oneself . There are also teachings passed down by Jowo Atisha such as knowing the motherly beings, knowing how to be grateful and to repay the debt of gratitude.
Some people might have such concerns: “ Perhaps I should not get too deeply involved in this. Otherwise, is it possible that I will eventually go to a monastery deep in the mountain and become a monk? “ Such concerns are more common in the Han region, especially the families of some Buddhists. They worry studying Buddhism will destroy their loved one’s career and future. Such worries are completely groundless. Every individual’s conditions are different, and those who study Buddhism do not necessarily become monastic. From the Buddhist history, most of those studied Buddhism were lay people even during the time when Buddha Shakyamuni was still alive. Only a minority of people became monastic. As such, the amount of scriptures Buddha taught to the laymen is very abundant.
In the western countries, historians and religious scholars command the most respect, whereas economists and business researchers are not necessarily highly regarded. But it is just the opposite in China. In addition, some films made in the 80s and 90s have misguided people’s thinking towards Buddhism. Most people do not believe a normal person would become monastic, and that is the escape of those who are at the end of their ropes.
But in fact, a person should have at least one belief regardless whether he is monastic; or try to understand the doctrine of altruism even if he does not have any belief. This will be better for himself and the society. In today’s society, there is a serious lack of devotion to benefit others without any conditions attached. And such devotion is exactly the essence of Mahayana Buddhism.
Many people know the term “Pu Sa菩萨 “ in Buddhism. Actually the Sanskrit of “Pu Sa” is “Bodhisattva”, which means a brave heart. Why is Bodhisattva brave? Because he dares to give up all his belongings and commit himself to the cause of altruism without any fear. Most people cannot do this at all. Some people always think Bodhisattva is just a statue in the temple, but in fact this is not necessarily true. If a person could disregard himself in order to benefit others in daily life, then he is a real Bodhisattva alive.
If we have an altruistic mind, no matter what misunderstanding, insult, sarcasm and despise we encounter in our daily life, we will have a clear conscience. Every person should act in good conscience, this is more precious than owning any wealth. There is a monk in Qinghai, he is said to be a real Bodhisattva. Why? He leads an extremely simple life style and is willing to lend his help anytime. He does not mind even if he is wronged by others. He has been like this all his life. Our society is in particular need of such person. The education today always teaches us how to succeed and how to obtain status and wealth. Many school never teach altruism. If this goes on and on, how would the future of mankind become ? It is not that difficult to imagine.
Of course, the content of altruism is very very rich. It is rather difficult for all of us to fully understand its importance in such a short time today. But all in all, an altruistic mind is like a precious gem which can shine any time to eliminate the darkness of ignorance in the minds of self and others and guide us to the accurate direction in life. As such we cannot but value altruism highly.
* One source indicates there were 170 pieces http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Stoltz_Harvey
[1] The Five Wise Men of Confucianism: The founders of Confucian SchoolConfucius, Yan Yuan, Zeng Zi, Zisi, and Mencius, are regarded as founders of Confucian School
