佛教經典智慧與廿一世紀的人類文明 — 以《金剛般若波羅蜜經》為核心的展開=Buddhist Classic Wisdom and Human Civilization in the 21st Century ─ Development with the Diamond Sutra as Its Core
The objective of this paper is to incorporate the fundamental Buddhist principles taught in the Diamond Sutra for identifying how classic Buddhist wisdom may contribute towards mankind’s pursuit of peace in the 21st century. The “Three Teachings”, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, are first compared, with fundamental Buddhist principles highlighted. The notion of “pure thought” is focused on in Buddhism, which puts emphasis on self-cultivation through “being pure and untainted,” which could lead to a liberating realm of “the two emptiness, voids.” The dialogue between Paul Tillich and Hisamatsu Shinichi is also departed from to highlight the low-controlled system found in the cultural context of the East, and how Eastern religions are religions of buddhi, or “to know” or “to be awake.” Eastern religions put emphasis on returning to the origin of existence, while Western religions stress the importance of discourse. Moreover, “to be free from karmic suffering” is a critical pursuit taught in Buddhism. It is the belief of Buddhism that life is suffering, and all phenomena are empty. When a person acquires the wisdom to see emptiness, the person can then have bodhicitta, or “enlightened mind.” How can one detach from suffering, obtain joy, and enter into a realm of tranquility with complete cessation of thought? By developing “a mind which does not abide in anything”, it can lead to the relinquishment of the two attachments to self and phenomena. If one has attachments, he or she would be constricted. By holding on to such attachments in one’s heart, one would have pain and suffer. Only through the Essence of Mind, which is a state of “Absolute Void,” would a state of wondrous existence be realized. The following summarizes The Diamond Sutra in four parts: “Emptiness of existence, transparency of awareness, certainty of belief, and practice of discourses.” Lastly, the paper points out that an enlightened mind can be achieved through wisdom endowed with insight into emptiness. Through therapy based on Buddhist prajna, or “best knowledge,” one can detach from greed and desire via meditation and calm a heart filled with deluded attachments. If Buddhist scriptures can be revived in modern society, peace can then be achieved through civilized dialogues between people.
