EDUCATION
Good teachers are genuinely compassionate, kind, patient in teaching, dedicated, and try to protect their students from contamination of the mind. It is crucial for us to be close to a good teacher; however, being close does not mean being next to the teacher but rather to listen to and follow their teachings. It is usually very hard to find the right teacher and we only meet him or her after many lifetimes. Some people have said to me that I was most fortunate to have met good teachers, but where could they find one? This teacher is to be encountered rather than sought and the chance for this are rare indeed. It is a matter of affinity and the right conditions maturing. We need to nurture the good root and opportunities.
There is a passage in "Duke Wen of Teng, Part I" in Mencius: A human must behave like a human. If one is well fed and warmly clad and lives comfortably but does not receive moral education, then one is no different from an animal and tends to act on impulse.
The sages (the sages here refer to Kings Yao and Shun, who lived 4500 years ago) were worried about this. King Shun appointed Xie as Minister of Education to teach people "a natural love between parents and children, mutual obligations between leaders and their people, distinct responsibilities for husbands and wives, a natural order between the old and the young, and trust between friends." This passage explains how the educational system in China was formally established.
When the teacher thinks that we are good students, he will require us to follow three restrictions; first, he will cover our eyes and block our ears so that no worries will intrude. When we truly have abandoned all attachments and gained wisdom, we will be allowed to study other methods. Therefore, extensive learning is conducted in the second stage rather than at the beginning.
Difficulties can arise if we engage in extensive learning at the very beginning. It is similar to hearing instructions from one teacher and beginning to follow him or her and then hearing instructions from a second teacher and feeling as if we were facing two paths going in different directions. With three teachers, we will be caught at a three-way junction and with four; we are stuck at a crossroads not knowing which way to go.
Therefore, it is important to follow only one teacher at one time.
The Buddha taught us to believe in a good teacher. We must have confidence in this good teacher. If not, he cannot help us, no matter how great his wisdom or abilities are. Do we believe that the Buddha has ultimate perfect wisdom, virtues, and abilities? Those who believe and understand have numerous and deep good roots, which were planted in past lifetimes.
My confidence in Buddhism grew as I studied and practiced it. When I first started, I had many doubts but fortunately I had good teachers who patiently and skillfully taught me. Therefore, in teaching, the most crucial thing is the teacher's attitude.
Buddhist education is different from modern education in terms of concepts and methods; for instance, in a university we must be very careful and take our time choosing our major. Buddhism, however, is different because here we are expected to awaken to perfect, complete wisdom first and then in the future we will become knowledgeable in all other departments of the university. Where do we start? We start from the intensive study of a certain method; as is said: "awakening in one sutra means awakening in all sutras." What does awakening mean? Awakened means we have attained wisdom.
The innate nature of humanity is filled with purity and goodness. People seek eagerly to have a harmonious society and community. Most simply do not know the method to achieve this. Once a way is found, hope is within sight, most people are willing to do their best to see it realized. People can be easily taught. They can be taught to become better.
Modern education is similar to building a pyramid. We read extensively and then narrow the scope of learning to specialize in one subject to progress from extensive to intensive learning. But, no matter how tall the pyramid or how large its base; the pyramid has its zenith. Buddhism is different for it is like a tree with roots, trunk, branches, leaves, and finally fruits. An infinite process, it starts from one point, the root, and develops into the Great Perfection of the True Nature so that eventually we understand everything.
Worldly knowledge has its limitations after which there is no more to learn, but Buddhism is boundless. The wisdom of Buddhism is beyond the comprehension of average people. Buddhism may seem ordinary at the beginning, but the achievements we make later are inconceivable while worldly studies initially appear extensive and comprehensive but in the end, provide no last accomplishment.
The roots of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are Guidelines for Being a Good Person [Di Zi Gui], the Ten Virtuous Karmas Sutra, and the Accounts of Request and Response, respectively. I think the Ten Virtuous Karmas Sutra carries the same weight as the Buddhist Canon.
Why? Because the Ten Virtuous Karmas Sutra is the foundation of Sakyamuni Buddha's forty-nine years of learning, practicing, and teaching. It illustrates how the Buddhist canon is put into practice in daily life, at work, and in the interactions with people. Also, Guidelines for Being a Good Person should carry the same weight as the Confucian texts, and Accounts of Request and Response the same weight as the Taoist scriptures. We should value these three roots and respect them this way. We should diligently learn and practice these three roots and then propagate and enhance them.
The first eight sentences in the Three Character Classic are the upmost concepts in education passed on by our ancestors from thousands of years ago. "The nature of people at birth is innately good." This sentence gives human nature a positive description. Everyone is born with virtue. Sakyamuni Buddha said: "All sentient beings are originally Buddhas." So simple and direct! You are a Buddha! Why have we now become an imperfect, worldly person? In the Three Character Classic, there is a great explanation that explains: "Their natures are similar; their habits are vastly different."
Mr. Ouyang Jingwu said, "We should know that there are many expedient means in Buddhism. There is no set form." If positive teaching methods are beneficial, we use them. If negative teaching methods have advantages, we use them too. Therefore, teaching methods in Buddhism are many and varied. They can be positive or negative. Both favorable and adverse conditions can be used for teaching purposes. There is only one goal -- benefiting all sentient beings by helping them break through delusion and attain enlightenment, and to leave suffering behind and attain happiness.
The cultural teaching of the ancient sages can bring permanent stability and peace to the whole world. The most important thing is that the people themselves should truly understand traditional culture, ending their doubt and initiating belief. Traditional culture that came from the teachings of saints and sage actually flows from the true nature of all beings, transcending time and space. Such wisdom is never out of fashion. The key to successful learning is sincerity and respect. When one is neither sincere nor respectful towards the teaching of the ancient sages, even if one reads all the books, one will not obtain any true benefit. As Confucius said, "I narrate [what the ancients said] rather than write creatively. I believe in and enjoy the teachings of the ancients."
There is no difference between our original virtue and that of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas. Why are we now so different? It is because our acquired habits are different. We are polluted in our everyday lives, by our environment and by complicated affairs between people. When we are polluted, we acquire bad habits. One takes the behavior of one's company. If we stay close to saints and sages every day, we will become saints. if we stay close to immoral people all the time, we will take on their behavior and eventually become immoral people. Therefore, our ancestors realized the importance of education. So in the Three Character Classic, the following sentence states: "If there is no teaching, our nature will deteriorate."
Mr. Ouyang Jingwu was a great Buddhist scholar in his times. He founded China Inner Learning College in Nanjing, where many extraordinary Buddhist practitioners, both monastic and lay, were nurtured. In 1923, he gave a speech at Nanjing Normal University titled "The Buddha dharma is neither a Religion nor a Philosophy. It is a Modern-day Essential."
There are four main categories in education. These four categories cannot be separated. The first is ethical relations education. The second is moral principles education. The third is causality education, and the fourth is the education taught by the saints and sages, including religious education. if the four educations can be carried out completely, the world will be peaceful, society will be stable and secure, and people will be happy and fulfilled. If the four educations are ignored, not surprisingly, the world will be chaotic.
The propagation of the benevolence and compassion of the sages must rely on the learner himself to put these into practice through his speech, behavior, and thoughts when interacting with others and engaging in tasks. The sages' teachings teach us to begin with changing ourselves. {For example, Confucius taught the four abandonments: abandon wandering thoughts, abandon discriminations, abandon attachments, and abandon selfishness.) If one aspires to become a sage, one must begin with resolving--from one's heart--the confrontations and conflicts with others and the external environment. This way, one will be able to understand the true meaning of the Confucian saying "To learn, and to constantly practice what is learned [and derive benefit] is pure pleasure."
I established the Lujiang Center of Cultural Education in my hometown, the township of Tangchi, Lujiang County, Anhui Province, China. The core of the center's teaching is the Confucian teaching of Standards for Being a Good Person [Di Zi Gui]. The center helped the local government to propagate moral education to all people. The project started with thirty-seven teachers. They spent three months learning and practicing Di Zi Gui. Later on, they organized a teaching team and went into villages to to teach the villagers. The teachers practiced filial piety, fraternal love, kindness, and love. Within a short few months, the social atmosphere changed for the better, proving that "human nature is originally good" and "a person can be taught to be a better person."
Today, the world is in great turmoil and people yearn for wise leadership. In order to universally benefit the world, avert imminent disasters, and resolve immorality and the ensuing anger and conflicts, everyone must maintain a good heart, do good deeds, say good words, and be a good person. The only way to achieve this is to make every effort to promote the teaching of great awakening and to rely on the golden maxims and teachings of the sages throughout the history and around the world. It is hoped that accord can thus be reached.
An ideal modern cultivation center should be like a school. The school itself will be a city, like an American college town. Ten such cultivation centers, since Chinese Buddhism has ten schools, are enough for the nation. Each cultivation center should be divided into two divisions: a cultivation center, which is for practice, and a learning college, which is for teaching.
Take the Pure Land school for example. A Pure Land town could be established with a Pure Land Cultivation Center and a Pure Land Learning College.
The Pure Land Cultivation Center should focus on the practice of Buddha-name chanting. There should be many cultivation halls to accommodate practitioners practicing different forms of Buddha Remembrance, such as Buddha Remembrance by visualization, by contemplation of an image, and by Buddha-name chanting.
The Pure Land Learning College should focus on teaching the sutras and training teachers. There should be five to ten lecture halls for lecturing on the Five Pure Land sutras and one treatise. Everyone will be welcome to come listen to the lectures.
A method that has long been practiced in the Buddhist community to train lecturers of the sutras is to have students repeat their teachers' lectures. Those with good learning capabilities and good memories are chosen for training. Wisdom taught in Buddhism is different from worldly intelligence. True wisdom must be based on the foundation of precept observation and meditative concentration. Repeating the lectures of one's teacher is cultivating precepts, meditative concentration, and wisdom. The first person in Buddhist history to repeat his teacher's lectures was the Elder Ananda, who was a student and personal attendant of Sakyamuni Buddha for many years.
Buddhism is also based on the foundation of filial piety. Thus, the ritual of making offerings to ancestors and the establishment of ancestral memorial halls are highly regarded, as filial piety is the ultimate root and foundation of Chinese culture. If we are able to be filial towards parents and ancestors, able to remember our roots, then we will naturally be able to think and conduct ourselves properly and to refrain from wrongdoings.
Confucius said: "I feel delightful when I can constantly practice and realize what I have learned." This "delight" is not from the outside but from our innate virtue. It is so precious! If one can do so, this person will be healthy and long-lived, happy and satisfied. Chinese ancestors often said that it is pleasant to read and study. This happiness has nothing to do with our material life, our wealth, status, or power. This happiness is from learning and practicing the teachings of the ancient sages and saints. This is the true happiness. Therefore, Mahayana Buddhism often says "Bodhisattvas are always happy and experience joy in the Dharma."
In ancient China, those who taught young children placed great importance on basic education. They taught filial piety, respect, and sincerity, for these are the outlines of the teachings. Thus, the child is the father of the man, for the character nurtured in our childhood will become our nature when we are grown. This provides the foundation for the nurturing of sages and virtuous people who will provide for a moral society and a wisely governed country.
Since ancient times, this has been the Chinese social tradition. The Chinese say that education is essential in establishing a new government, training its leaders, and governing its people.
The teaching of all religions is essentially about the sacred teaching of loving-kindness and compassion. The word "religion," which is zongjiao in Mandarin Chinese, has inspiring implications. Zong means primary, important, and venerated. Jiao means education. Therefore, zongjiao means primary education, an important teaching that is worthy of our veneration.
Religious education includes the following five categories: morality, ethics, causality, philosophy, and science. If religious education can be restored and if all religions can cooperate and work together to promote the sacred teachings to the world, we can definitely achieve world peace. Then everybody will be good and everything will be good.
Education is the only way to reconcile disasters and conflicts. Education has been and is the fundamental approach to maintaining long-lasting social stability and peace in the past and present, in the East and the West.
Since ancient times, the Chinese way of thinking has been to accord with one's nature and innate virtues. The Chinese call it the teaching of daode lunli and the law of cause and effect. What is daode? In today's language, dao is the rules of nature, the order in which nature functions, and "nature is harmonious--supreme harmony." De is following the rules of nature.
For example, a year is divided into the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. This is a phenomenon of the rules of nature. This is dao. If one's life and thinking (thinking belongs to the mental world, and body to the physical world) accord with the seasonal rules of planting in spring, growing in summer, harvesting in autumn, and storing in winter, one will enjoy good physical and mental health. Therefore, following the rules of nature and according with harmony are de.
If one violates the rules of nature and breaches harmony, one will certainly suffer from bad health and be prone to illness. So we have the definition of daode.
People around the world would need to return to traditional values and strive to attain peace. How do we attain peace? Through education. The most important education is that of the family as it is the basis of all education. When a family loses its sense of unity, it affects the stability of society because families are the foundation of society. The core of a family is the husband wife, and when spouses do not get along, society will not be peaceful. This is why Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism emphasize family education.
All sages have their way of doing things and they are correct in doing things that way. We should clearly observe and consider all viewpoints. Then we will be able to uncover our wisdom and to truly learn the virtues and abilities that we should learn. It is inappropriate to say that Confucius was wrong to seek a position at the imperial court and that Sakyamuni was correct to renounce worldly attachments. Both of them were correct; they simply had different ways of doing things.
We must learn from different people to make our learning complete. If one has position or power, one should work conscientiously while maintaining a pure mind as Sakyamuni did. This way, one will achieve perfection in his undertakings.
In today's society, what is the driving force behind hard work? Wealth, fame, and prestige! Most people will do whatever is necessary to acquire these. If there were no wealth to gain, how many would be willing to work so hard? Very few! In the past, the driving force behind people's hard work was filial piety. In their mindfulness of ancestors and parents, they did their best to accumulate merits and virtues on their behalf, and to honor them. This driving force is much wealthier and nobler than that of wealth, fame, and prestige! This has been the tradition of Chinese culture and Confucian teaching for several thousand years.
Many practitioners have asked me, "Ms. Han Yin has passed away many years ago and yet you still miss her. Isn't this an attachment?" I replied that if my missing her is based on emotions, then it is an attachment, but if it is based on wisdom, then it is a teaching. I had a hall built in commemoration of Ms. Han. This is for educational purpose: teaching the public to keep in mind the favors others have done to them and to repay kindness. I always keep in mind all the favors Ms. Han had done for me and try to repay her kindness.
Education of children should start from pregnancy. Although many parents may not try to exert good influence on their children before birth, they know that after a baby is born it will be influenced by what it sees and hears. Regardless of whether a baby is able to understand, as soon as it opens its eyes it will see and hear; and it starts learning and imitating. Doing so is its nature, and nature is dao. At this time, the parents should exert positive influence on the baby, and this is teaching of de.
The ancient Chinese paid great attention to the teaching of the sages. The starting point of this teaching is first of the Five Cardinal Relationships: a natural love between parents and children. The love between parents and children comes from the nature, it is not taught or created by anyone. In Buddhism, it is called an innate virtue. Education teaches children to maintain this natural love throughout one's entire life. This is the basic goal of the teaching. The next step is to enhance this love.
First, parents love their children, and children are filial to their parents; elder siblings are friendly to younger siblings, and younger siblings respect elder siblings; husbands are responsible, and wives are attentive; and rulers are benevolent to their subjects. and the subjects are loyal to their rulers. Next, people should love their friends, their neighbors, their own communities and then society, their country, and the human race. "Human beings, regardless of any differences, should be loved equally."
Ancient Chinese sages were knowledgeable about science and technology, and yet they chose not to continue development of such knowledge. Why? They foresaw that in the end, technology would destroy our world. So, they chose instead to concentrate on the humanities, to help people develop wisdom, and to understand and practice morality, to help people fully understand the relationship between humans, among humans and spirits, and among humans and nature, and to become a person who is fearless and indomitable. Only in this way, will individuals experience true happiness and well being, and will citizens and countries have a genuine future. This is genuine education.
As to the importance of moral education, ancient Chinese sages particularly emphasized that for people to enjoy happiness, families to enjoy harmony, countries to enjoy stability, and the world to enjoy peace, self-cultivation is fundamental and education is essential. To achieve these four goals, we must start with cultivating ourselves and also propagate the teachings of the sages.
What Buddhas and sages realized and gained is love for self. What they taught is love for others. The teaching of all sages is the teaching of sincerity, love, and the standards of behavior in life as enunciated in Guidelines for Being a Good Person [Di Zi Gui] and in the Ten Virtuous Karmas. The teaching of all sages is the inheritance of human wisdom and experience as well as the heritage of world civilizations.
Since ancient times, Chinese emperors and governments in all dynasties regarded teaching as their first priority. Of all the measures adopted and implemented by the government, education was the most important. All other measures supported education.
If one wishes to have good siblings or children, family education must be taught in one's family. For a family to prosper, education is essential. When one enters society, whether one runs a business or engages in an occupation, if one wishes the business to prosper, the first priority is educating the employees.
Chinese education is a teaching of benevolence and justice, love, and supreme harmony. It does not teach one to compete for material gain. Therefore, children should be taught to give precedence to others at a young age.
In addition to learning to refrain from competing with others, they should also learn to sacrifice themselves. It is different from today's education, which starts teaching competition in kindergarten. Competition denotes selfishness. When children are taught to compete for recognition and material gain at a young age and are instilled with the concept of benefiting oneself at the expense of others, as grownups they will not realize that benefiting oneself at the expense of others is wrong.
Therefore, the teaching of love teaches people to love others as they love themselves, always thinking about making sacrifices and about serving others--society, the country, and all beings. When doing so they never consider their own interests. The teaching of the sages starts from here.
My teacher Prof. Fong Dongmei introduced Buddhism to me and said: "The Buddha is a great philosopher, a revered philosopher. Buddhism is the pinnacle of all philosophies in the world, and learning Buddhism is the greatest enjoyment of life."
With the scientific advancements in recent years, especially in the field of quantum physics, people are gradually seeing that what the Buddha said 2,500 years ago was indeed a true description of the reality of the universe. By continuous and profound study of the sutras, we believe that not only will Buddhism be "the pinnacle of all philosophies in the world,' it will also be recognized as the highest form of morality, virtue, causality, and science. In twenty to thirty years, Buddhism will be accepted as an advance science.
Parents and elders must set an example for the children. Babies see and hear upon their birth. They start to imitate others even before they can speak or walk. The speech and conduct of their elders must conform to moral principles and ethics so that what the babies see, hear, and come in contact with will influence them positively. The Chinese proverb "The behavior of a child three years old will reveal what this person will be like at the age of eighty. The behavior of a child of seven will reveal what this person will be like throughout his or her whole life" makes a lot of sense.
If we are truly awakened, we should remember the teaching of Great Master Yinguang: practice with a small number of practitioners at a small cultivation center; do not seek affinities; chant "Amituofo" single-mindedly and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land. If an opportunity arises for us to teach students, then do so to pass down the teachings of the sages. It does not matter how many students we have; it takes only one student to pass down the teachings.
Good advice is the teachings of the sages of this world and beyond. Later generations called these teachings sutras. The sutras speak of truths that do not change with time. The truth that surpasses time is the same now, as it was thousands of years ago; it never changes whether in the east or in the west.
The writings and teachings of sages did not come from their personal experiences and opinions, for if they did they would be biased or inappropriate. History is not made up of opinions but of accumulated experiences whereas sutras contain the truth that arises from the original true nature. Thus, the teachings in the sutras are the absolute truth that surpasses time and space.
We will benefit and improve if we believe in the teachings, but if we do not, we will miss these remarkable benefits. This is why we say that doubt is one of the six fundamental afflictions of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, doubt, and deviated views.
The first goal of ancient Chinese education was to ensure that the affection between parents and children would remain unchanged during their lifetimes. The second goal was to enhance this sincere love and to expand its scope to include the family, brothers and sisters, the community, society, the country, humankind, and even all beings. One should love not only humankind but also animals, trees, flowers, and grass. This was the concept, and it was the desired goal of Chinese education to expand the scope of this love.
The Ten Virtuous Karmas Sutra is the foundation for entering Buddhism. But before one enters Buddhism, one must have the foundation of learning Guidelines for Being a Good Person [Di Zi Gui] and Accounts of Request and Response. Guidelines for Being a Good Person is the foundation of Confucian moral education. It contains teachings for family education. Parents and elders teach a child filial piety and respect for teachers. Accounts of Request and Response is the foundation of Taoist teaching of the law of cause and effect.
When one learns the teaching of the law of cause and effect, one will not dare to commit evil deeds. When one receives moral education, one will feel ashamed to commit evil deeds. If one has such a foundation when one enters Buddhism, it will not be hard for one to learn the Five Precepts and the Ten Virtuous Karmas. When one truly practices the teachings in the Ten Virtuous Karmas Sutra, Guidelines for Being a Good Person [Di Zi Gui], and Accounts of Request and Response, one will truly break through suffering and attain happiness.
During his lifetime, Sakyamuni held more than 300 teaching assemblies. His teaching was very rich in content. He began teaching at the age of thirty and passed away at seventy-nine. He spent forty-nine years teaching without interruption. We know that Confucius taught for only five years, and Jesus taught for three years before he was killed. Prophet Muhammad taught for twenty-seven years. Among the ancient and contemporary sages of all ethnic groups, Sakyamuni indeed was the one who taught for the longest period of time, and the content of his teaching was the richest. Therefore, the results of his teaching are outstanding. His life provides a good example for us. Only through education can we really reconcile all conflicts that are complicated and complex.
Teaching and learning are the foundation that will lead to a harmonious world for all beings. Regardless of the time or place, the root of social stability and happiness is teaching and learning. They are the only way demonstrated by all the great saints and sages. Other approaches are not the correct paths.
The Chinese say that education is essential in establishing a new government, training its leaders, and governing its people. If the basic quality of education is not clearly recognized and implemented, incorrect views can be destroy the entire culture, country, and even its people!
All the government officials in ancient China studied the works of wise sages and virtuous people. Even if some had selfish intentions, their wrongdoings were probably limited. They would have only bent the rules only so much before they started feeling regretful.
Today, sexual misconduct, wrongdoings, even criminal acts are all viewed as matter of fact. We no longer have a shameful heart or feel remorseful. We have lost our sense of morality and our conscience. And this is deeply troubling because all that separates us from animals is a good heart.
What children see and hear during their first three years will leave a deep impression on them, and they will be able to tell right from wrong and good from evil at the age of three. These children will be immune to many harmful pollutants in the contemporary world. This immunity will be with them from birth.
When they start attending primary school at the age of six or seven, if teachers make sure that the children adhere to moral principles and ethics every day, it will enhance and extend the moral education that the children have been receiving since birth.
This will help them form a foundation for good character, which will ensure virtuous thoughts, speech, and conduct for the rest of their lives. The children will give priority to others, treat others with respect and humility, engage in tasks with caution, and get along harmoniously with others. Therefore, no dispute will arise. After they have formed a foundation for moral conduct, they should be taught the writings of the sages to receive the teaching of ethics, morality, the law of cause and effect, and wisdom.
If society is to remain stable, its members need to live in harmony. Only harmony can draw us together in terms of opinions, ideas, and or way of life. In other words, being harmonious can minimize the differences in human relations and improve equality. After that, peace and then finally, happiness can be achieved. To obtain happiness we must have a peaceful heart and body. Both Buddhist and worldly teachings emphasize the importance of harmony and respect.
We mutually respect, love, and cooperate with one another, setting ourselves as a model of peace and harmony to show the whole world that multi-racial, multicultural, and multi-faith harmony--and peace--is achievable.
The ideal of the human race becoming one family is attainable.
N a m o A m i t a b h a B u d d h a