Buddhists From China

"[Chan masters] were not only highly accomplished practitioners, they were also well versed in literature, history, and Buddhist scholarship."

"In life, most people are unable to let go of this and that; specifically, they cannot put down their money, their wealth, fame, and social status. In death, even though they should be able to put down everything, many still cannot. Because they cannot relinquish their “smelly skin bag” (chou pinang 臭皮囊), they’re propelled to buy a piece of land to house it. These are the foolish things that people do."

"Only Chan Buddhism as a school (zong 宗) retains the spirit of Chinese civilization; only the Chan school can unify and absorb the essential teachings of all the various Mahāyāna Buddhist traditions without ever falling into deterioration."

"Silent illumination is actually the most direct method, because Chan is not something that you can use your mind to think about. It’s not something that you can use any words or form of language to describe. The method is simply to do away with any method of practice. Use no method as the method itself. … The silent illumination method is to not have any thoughts. At that moment you just put down everything, and that is the state of Chan itself. Silent doesn’t mean falling asleep. That’s why we have to follow the word “silent” with the word “illumination,” that is, your mind must be very clear."

"All things return to emptiness (guiyu kong 歸於空)—that is, there is no-self (wuwo 無我), no beings (wuren 無人), no living (wushou 無壽), no life (wuming 無命), no great being (wushi 無士), no ordinary being (wufu 無夫), no form (wuxing 無形), no appearances (wuxiang 無像), no men (wunan 無男), and no women (wunü 無女). Why? Because characteristics of a self are no characteristics; characteristics of a person, sentient beings, and lifespan are all free from characteristics."

"Chinese Buddhism is indeed in a state of crisis, facing great challenges. The fact that many Chinese Buddhists subscribe to a bleak view of the future of Chinese Buddhism is something lamentable. Many of them feel that they are better off practicing Tibetan or Theravāda Buddhism. Some are even ordained into the Tibetan or Theravāda traditions. There would not be any future for Chinese Buddhism if all Chinese Buddhists held such attitudes. In the past I have said that the different forms of Buddhism are the same, whether it is Theravāda or Tibetan Buddhism. As long as either one of them exists, even if Chinese Buddhism is extinguished, Buddhism will still remain in the world. However, I said those words with great pain."

"The supreme realization is seeing the original nature of mind. It neither affirms nor negates any conceptual point of view; hence it does not need language for expression. One can exhaust the resources of language and still not express ultimate Chan. This is because Chan transcends knowledge, symbols—the entire apparatus of language. You may call Chan “emptiness,” but it is not emptiness in the nihilistic sense, of “there is nothing there.” You may call it “existence,” but it is not existence in the common sense, of “I see it, so it must be there.” It is existence that transcends the fiction of our sense impressions of the world: of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and form. Yet this Chan is never apart from, is all of a piece with, our everyday world. It is indwelling in all beings, everywhere, at all times."

"Material forms, visual consciousness, visual contact, the feelings unpleasant or pleasant or neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant that arise conditioned by visual contact are empty, empty of eternal and unchanging nature, empty of anything belonging to self. Why is this so? This is nature as it is. Ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are also thus."

"The śūnyatā or emptiness in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras refers to the emptiness of the self-nature of all dharmas. It doesn’t mean nothingness. Rather it refers to the fact that all dharmas, whether worldly or world transcending, are devoid of fundamental nature. This nature would include the conceptual, the corporeal, the abstract, or anything physical. The nature of every dharma or phenomenal existence is impermanence. If any view posits something as permanent, then such a view cannot point to the ultimate [nature of reality]."

"I have a deep conviction that the future of global Buddhism must rest on the inclusive (baorong xing 包容性) and syncretic nature (xiaorong xing 消融性) of the Han transmission of Chinese Buddhism as its main feature in order to take varying sectarian postures and viewpoints and return them to the original intent of the Buddha, so that a new form of Buddhism can emerge that is needed by all people."

"The supreme realization of the original nature of mind neither affirms nor negates any conceptual point of view; hence it does not need language for expression. One can exhaust the resources of language and still would not express ultimate Chan. This is because Chan transcends knowledge, symbols—the entire apparatus of language. You may call Chan “emptiness,” but it is not emptiness in the nihilistic sense, of “there is nothing there.” You may call it “existence,” but it is not existence in the common sense, of “I see it, so it must be there.” It is existence which transcends the fiction of our sensory world of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and form. Yet, Chan is never apart from them, and is one with our everyday world. It is innate to all beings, everywhere, at all times."

"All afflictions are based on selfishness. That is why we have so much anger and so many troubles. (p. 33)"

"Education is without beginning or end. There is not a single location that is not a place of learning, and there is not a single moment that is not a time for learning. (DRBU website)"

"If you want to understand, All Buddhas of all times, Observe the nature of the Dharma Realm: Tathagatas are made only from the mind. (p. 1)"

"Don’t get scared when you hear me call television, radios, and computers “man-eating goblins.” No need to be afraid. My hope is that you will clearly recognize these things for what they are. Once you recognize them, those electric gadgets lose their power to confuse you. But if you’re confused by them, then they can gobble you down. (p. 67)"

"If we understand the Precepts, we will be able to enter deeply the entirety of the Buddhadharma. If we do not understand the Precepts, then we will drift like clouds in the sky, devoid of any foundation. (p. xvii)"

"...most people find it harder to give money than to slice off a piece of their flesh. (p. xvii)"

"When you reach the end of the mountains and rivers, You are free to roam throughout the Dharma Realm. (p. 86)"

"When silence reaches an ultimate point, the light penetrates everywhere. (p. 26)"

"When a proper person practices deviant dharma, even the deviant dharma becomes proper. When a deviant person practices proper dharma, even the proper dharma becomes deviant. (p. 5)"

"“The spirits and immortals of old had no special tricks; they were simply happy as could be, and they never worried.” This should be the motto of all cultivators. (p. 29)"

"In the Buddhadharma, equality is found even in the realm of the Buddhas. All Buddhas are equal. It is not that some Buddhas are bigger than others, some taller and some shorter, some better and some worse, some lighter and some darker. All Buddhas are in accord and they have no mutual obstruction. (p. 133)"

"Huiyin, a student of mine, brought her to the Hui Ri Lecture Hall, where I lived, to purchase The Complete Teachings of Master Taixu. Huiyin told me that the woman had been rejected from the novitiate because she had shaved her own head and her teacher was a layman. Someone said she could have just asked any of the monks or nuns present to accept her as a disciple, but she claimed that she needed to seek her master carefully. After she bought the book, there was a heavy rain shower and she couldn't leave. She then begged Huiyin to tell me that she wished to become my disciple. She had no idea that I rarely accept disciples. As if the heavens had heard her wish, I happened to walk out of my room just then. Huiyin came toward me and told me what was going on. I couldn't figure out why she chose me as her master, but I consented."

"Living in one and the same global village, humanity is evolving into an interlinked community with a shared future. Women have the power to promote the development of human civilization and create a better future for mankind. Education for girls and women can awaken, enhance and fully unleash this wonderful power."

"Through education, we can teach future generations to appreciate the diversity of civilizations."

"I believe the education of the future should focus on helping people to improve their abilities in three key areas. First, the ability to live in harmony with nature – humans and nature constitute the community of life. In the face of challenges like climate change and the deterioration of the environment, education is essential to enable us to understand and respect nature, so that production models and lifestyles that are conducive to sustainable development can be fostered."

"When education is used to empower women and greater progress is made to promote it, we will be able to work at full throttle to build community with a shared future for mankind."

"We need to explore innovation, use new methods and adopt new technologies to address new problems – so that high-quality educational resources can be offered to more girls, and they can continue their education in flexible and diverse ways."

"People will then take the initiative to adapt themselves to protect nature and look after the Earth, the only home shared by all mankind. Second, the education of the future must focus on the ability to live in harmony with people from different countries and cultures. Different histories, national conditions, ethnic groups, and customs have given birth to many different civilizations and created a world rich in diversity. Through education, we can teach future generations about the cultures of other countries and nations, so that they appreciate the diversity of civilizations, and respect other people’s choices of development paths and lifestyles, while upholding their own cultural traditions and coexisting in harmony."

"Third, the education of the future should impart the ability to learn, innovate, and apply new technologies. Given the explosion of knowledge and technologies, future education should encourage people to think innovatively and pursue lifelong learning. Digital education should be boosted, and people trained to use the internet, big data, artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies to deal better with the changes in our world. I'm convinced that together, we will make tomorrow’s world a better place through education."

"While Covid-19 continues to spread across the world, it is our shared wish that no girl is left behind because of the pandemic."

"China considers the education of girls and women from poor families a top priority, and seeks to safeguard girls’ right to education with a host of measures. These include building schools, exempting girls from tuition and miscellaneous fees, and offering them grants and nutritious meals. In addition, we have introduced various skills training programmes for women – which take regional characteristics and the local needs of women into account and help them increase their income."

"Education is essential to enable us to understand and respect nature."

"The eradication of poverty and the realization of gender equality are ideals shared by all mankind, and an aspiration shared by women all over the world. The access to equitable and quality education ensures that women are able to draw the power of self-reliance from knowledge and skills. This will help them to lift themselves out of poverty and to embrace a happy life. In addition, they would be in a position to utilize this power to make contributions to society, and to pass it on to empower future generations – thus stopping the intergenerational transmission of poverty."

"As long as we stand in solidarity and work, together, every problem is surmountable."

"As UNESCO Special Envoy for the Advancement of Girls’ and Women’s Education, I am ready to further fulfil my responsibility and join hands with every one of you to make sure that more girls and women are loved, confident, and empowered."

"A child’s first teacher is its mother. Making sure that mothers are educated means we can lift more people out of poverty and build a more inclusive and sustainable society."

"Young people need good education because it is not only about giving them knowledge and skills but also helping them become responsible citizens."

"I have visited many countries and talked to people from all walks of life. I have observed many women lift themselves out of poverty and change their fate through education. I would like to share with you some of China’s experiences and practices in this regard. Through continuous endeavour, China has achieved the goal of eliminating absolute poverty. We have always stressed that for poverty alleviation, we must first provide knowledge and skills. The development of education is a very important measure to achieve this."

"In contrast to the past, Peng Liyuan pays more attention to public exchange and communication, so that people of other countries may know more about China and our national image can be enhanced. Peng Liyuan’s diplomacy is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Besides the historical inevitability, it also has the following reasons: on one hand her dignified and generous appearance is in line with Chinese expectations on traditional women."

"The first Patriarch in China came from the west to the eastern lands at the instruction of the Venerable Prajñātara. For the three years of frosts and springs during that ocean voyage, how could the wind and snow have been the only miseries? Through how many formations of cloud and sea-mist might the steep waves have surged? He was going to an unknown country: ordinary beings who value their body and life could never conceive [of such a journey]. This must have been maintenance of the practice realized solely from the great benevolent will to transmit the Dharma and save deluded emotional beings. It was so because the transmission of Dharma is [Bodhidharma] himself; it was so because the transmission of Dharma is the entire Universe; it was so because the whole Universe in ten directions is the real state of truth; it was so because the whole Universe in ten directions is [Bodhidharma] himself; and it was so because the whole Universe in ten directions is the whole Universe in ten directions."

"舉梁武帝問達摩大師：「如何是聖諦第一義？」 摩雲：「廓然無聖！」 帝曰：「對朕者誰？」 摩雲：「不識。」 帝不契，達摩遂渡江至魏。"

"To find a buddha, you have to see your nature. Whoever sees his nature is a buddha. If you don't see your nature, invoking buddhas, reciting sutras, making offerings, and keeping precepts are all useless. Invoking buddha's results in good karma, reciting sutras results in a good memory; keeping precepts results in a good rebirth, and making offerings results in future blessings–but no buddha."

"Trying to find a buddha or enlightenment is like trying to grab space. Space has a name but no form. It's not something you can pick up or put down. And you certainly can't grab it. Beyond this mind you'll never see a buddha. The buddha is a product of your mind. Why look for a buddha beyond this mind?"

"Unless they see their nature, how can people call themselves buddhas? They're liars who deceive others into entering the realm of devils. Unless they see their nature, their preaching of the Twelve-fold Canon is nothing but the preaching of devils. Their allegiance is to Mara, not to the Buddha. Unable to distinguish white from black, how can they escape birth and death?"

"Many roads lead to the Path, but basically there are only two: reason and practice."

"Neither gods nor men can forsee when an evil deed will bear its fruit."

"The essence of the Way is detachment. And the goal of those who practice is freedom from appearances."

"Seeing through the mundane and witnessing the sublime is less than an eye-blink away. Realization is now. Why worry about gray hair?"

"達磨面壁。二祖立雪斷臂云。弟子心未安。乞師安心。 磨云。將心來。與汝安。 祖云。覓心了不可得。 磨云。為汝安心竟。"