Buddhism ⁽¹⁹⁾

Compassion is innate in everyone. The inherent goodness of human nature is the foundation on which the good side of society exists and thrives. But in Buddhism, doing good has become a means of accumulating merit to reap rewards. When Buddhists exhort the public, they…

I personally agree with and admire most of the philosophical views of Shakyamuni Buddha, but I strongly disagree with his teachings on reincarnation across three lifetimes and karmic retribution. Perhaps this sage of the ancient Indian forests was simply raised with such religious beliefs since…

On a sudden impulse, I casually wrote an essay called Studying the Buddha, One Must Know the Harmful Side of Buddhism and posted it on Toutiao. I did not expect it to become a hit; the readership instantly passed ten thousand and within a few…

When the Second Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, Huike, attained the Way, there is the following famous gong'an (encounter dialogue) about pacifying the mind: Huike asked Bodhidharma: "Can I hear the seal of the Buddha's dharma?" Bodhidharma replied: "The seal of the Buddhas' dharma is not…

Buddhism summarizes the sufferings of life as eight: birth, old age, illness, death, parting from what one loves, meeting what one hates, not obtaining what one seeks, and the flourishing of the five skandhas. The Six Paramitas (liu du) are six methods of Buddhist practice;…

A Buddhist believer's attitude toward this world, described in the fewest possible words, is "following conditions." When affinity arrives, go along with it; when it leaves, do not force it to stay. When affinity is insufficient, do not cling and reach for it, because clinging…

The day before yesterday, a liver cancer patient came to Beijing's 301 Hospital for treatment and, by the way, visited me, hoping I could give him some guidance. Honored by his regard, I ventured to speak plainly. I pointed out that his illness of the…

What does the Buddhist saying "not arguing over right and wrong is liberation" mean? There is an old anecdote behind it, involving the famously eminent Tang-dynasty Buddhist masters Hanshan and Shide. One day Hanshan asked Shide: "When the world reviles me, bullies me, insults me,…

One In recent years I have been using my whole life to realize the truths of Buddhism. The deaths of close relatives and of patients I have treated have all struck my heart deeply. Death has given me profound insight into Buddhist ideas such as…

Of power, wealth and worldly splendor, he who keeps aloof is pure; he who dwells among them yet is unstained is purest of all. Of cunning, trickery and scheming, he who knows them not is lofty; he who knows them yet does not use them…