2000 -- One Truth For All

Keynote Speech given at the 8th BLIA General Conference,
Taipei, Taiwan 2000

副總會長、各位理事、各位貴賓、各位協會會長、各位與會的佛光人代表等，大家吉祥如意！

佛教自東漢明帝永平年間傳來中國，今年屆逢二千年，又適值政府首次明定佛誕節為國定紀念日，在這個佛教徒同感殊榮的歷史時刻裏，今天能有來自世界五大洲的佛教菁英共聚在佛光山參加第八次的國際佛光會世界會員代表大會，誠乃「千載一時、一時千載」之盛舉，希望本屆的大會能為佛教再創一個發展的新契機。

已是新的世紀開始，無庸置疑的，將是一個科技更發達、經濟更繁榮的新世紀。然而，科技文明雖然豐富了物質生活，卻也改變了人類的價值取向，現代人的是非觀念混淆，造成整個世界的脫序亂象。因此，本次大會特以「公是公非」為主題，希望藉此呼籲舉世人類能共同再造一個公理正義的人間社會，希望人人都有「公是公非」的道德勇氣，人人都能樹立「公是公非」的社會形象。

所謂「公是公非」，也就是「大是大非」。西諺有云：「吾愛吾師，吾尤愛真理」，真理就是「公是公非」；佛說：「依法不依人」，依法就是「公是公非」。

「公是公非」是評論世間一切好壞、對錯、正謬、善惡的法則與智慧；有智慧才有「公是公非」。「公是公非」是檯面上的，不是私下的；是天下人的，不是個人的；是普遍法界的，不是片面的；是萬眾平等的，不是差別的；是凡事必然的，不是變異的；是亙古永恒的，不是一時的，因為「公是公非」就是般若真理，有般若真理才能證悟解脫。當初佛陀捨棄王位出家，正是感於生命的苦空無常、四姓階級的不平等，以及眾生的顛倒妄想，因此毅然割愛辭親，出家修道；佛陀的證悟真理，就是「公是公非」般若智慧的顯現。「公是公非」不是以自我為中心，而是以公理正義為依歸；「公是公非」不是以一家一國為對象，而是以全法界眾生的幸福安樂為訴求。所以，佛陀成道時即向普世宣告：「眾生皆有佛性，人人皆得成佛」，而這種「生佛一如」、「眾生平等」的真理，便是「公是公非」的極致發揮。

佛陀所證悟的真理──「緣起性空」，所謂「諸法因緣生，諸法因緣滅」，是在說明宇宙世間一切都是依因緣法則而運行，人有生老病死的因緣，世界有成住壞空的法則。因緣聚則生，因緣散則滅，生生滅滅，讓自然界有花開花謝、宇宙間有生住異滅、人世裏有貧富貴賤等「無常」變化，這不是神明創造，也不是威權左右，這就是「公是公非」。

佛教的「因果業報」講「種如是因，得如是果」，這就是非常公道的「公是公非」；無論達官貴人或販夫走卒，無一不是在「善有善報，惡有惡報」的因果定律下循環。「王子犯法，與庶民同罪」，如果真能做到，這就是「公是公非」。

古代的帝王貴族，總想把榮華富貴延續到來世，因此陪葬大量的金銀財寶，但是這並不合乎「因果業報」；所謂「萬般帶不去，唯有業隨身」，這才是「公是公非」。

「公是公非」是維繫社會秩序的公義紀律，也是修養個人品德的圭臬指南。一個人的身語言行、舉心動念，不要以為他人不知，所謂「天知、地知、你知、我知」，冥冥之中必然有「公是公非」的準則。

世間上有的人以利害為重，有的人以是非為重；以利害為重的人不講究是非，以是非為重的人不計較利害。古來多少聖賢為了發揚「公是公非」的精神，他們輕利害，甚至捐棄生命也在所不惜。宋朝理學家張載的「為天地立心，為生民立命，為往聖繼絕學，為萬世開太平。」此種「公是公非」的精神，即仁人君子所謂的生命中之生命也。莊子在《天道》中說：「是非已明，而賞罰次之」，又謂「天地與我共生，萬物與我同體」；義大利天文學家伽利略，為了堅持自己在天文及力學上所獲致的實驗結果，拼死不向神權低頭，這都是具有「公是公非」的大智、大勇的表現。

在一個講究倫理道德的社會裏，群眾都十分重視「有是有非、大是大非、真是真非、公是公非」的道理；反觀今日社會，是非觀念普遍淡泊，可以說在我們周遭的人，大都是「少是少非、無是無非、不是不非、混淆是非」。因為當今人類不肯服膺是非公理，「成者為王，敗者為寇」，造成強權代替「公是公非」、金錢左右「公是公非」，投機的投機，取巧的取巧；是非不彰，真理不明，怎有「天道良心」呢？

自由民主是現代人類引為最好的政治目標，但是用我的自由妨礙你的自由，用我的主張強要你奉行，而又美其名之曰「自由民主」；正如大魚吃小魚、貓跟老鼠講民主、民眾和獨裁者講民權，會有「公是公非」嗎？現在的社會動輒主張公投，公投很民主，也符合「公是公非」的精神，但是參與公投的人都懂得「公是公非」嗎？甚至決策者對整個事件都有「公是公非」的觀念嗎？五十一票對四十九票的民主，就是「公是公非」嗎？如果本身公私不分、是非不明，一旦認知有了問題，就沒有「公是公非」。故知「公是公非」要有大智慧、大勇氣，對公理正義要負有道德的責任，要講究公平、講究正直、講究無私、講究無我，若能如此，才是所謂「全民的希望」，能夠達到全民的要求，那才是有「公是公非」的自由民主。

「眾緣所成」、「同體共生」，甚至「公有共管」、「集體創作」都是「公是公非」的原則，如古代的佛教十方叢林「傳位傳賢」、唐堯禹舜的「禪讓天下」，甚至孫中山先生的「天下為公」，這都是「公是公非」。

在佛教史上，不少祖師大德對於毫無師承關係的學僧，只要能堪受大任，莫不欣然傳法授位，例如弘忍傳位於六祖惠能，獦獠也能得法作祖，此皆「公是公非」的行為。遺憾的是後世弟子對「公是公非」的認知不夠，例如有的人「依人不依法」，有的人「依神不依佛」，有的人「依師不依理」，有的人「依假不依真」，致使不能體會祖師的心意，所以禪門才因而日漸式微。

《金剛經》講的「布施無相」、「度眾無我」、「修行無住」、「證悟無得」，這就是「公是公非」。「無我相、無人相、無眾生相、無壽者相」而一切無所不相，如：「無我相」的人，必不自私執著；「無人相」的人，必能平等尊重；「無眾生相」的人，必不外相分別；「無壽者相」的人，則不會一成不變。泯滅四相，必有「公是公非」，凡事必能依法依理。所謂只問是非善惡，不計毀譽得失；「寧教老僧墮地獄，不拿佛法當人情」，都是發揚「公是公非」的真理大義。

所謂「公是公非」，要經得起時間的考驗，要經得起良知的認同，更要經得起歷史的評鑑。曹操當初挾天子以令諸侯，有人尊他為亂世英雄，有人譏他為竊世奸賊；武則天的評價，有人肯定她的天才治績，有人唾棄他的荒淫亂政，他們的功過，即使歷史也難以給予「公是公非」的評價。「周公輔佐成王日，王莽禮賢下士時；假使當時身先死，不知如何定忠奸？」此即所謂「公是公非」不易為人瞭解之處，若無大智大慧，何能有「公是公非」的認知？

世間上，有的人因緣際會，卻無實才；有的人懷才不遇，怨嘆時運不濟。其實，論三世的因果，此中必有「公是公非」。南非總統曼德拉，在被囚禁三十年之後能坐上總統寶座；中華民國的孫中山，歷經十次的革命終能締造民國，此乃必有「公是公非」的關鍵存在。即如今日工商企業界投資經營，賺取合理的利潤，本來無可厚非，但不可將社會的發展歸功於自己的貢獻，須知世間上凡一切成就，必有相關的因緣助成，所謂高樓大廈，需要多少的一磚一瓦，所謂開花結果，需要多少的地水火風，對於許多默默助成的因緣，我們若能懂得感恩報答，這才能還給世間一個「公是公非」的公道。

現代舉世提倡環保，重視生態保育，然而以少數的該存，多數的該死，此種不合公平的觀念，也有待重新研討。「公是公非」要放諸四海而皆準；「公是公非」是法界眾生賴以生存的規則。現在一般民間把「公是公非」寄望於包青天，然而我們身邊的包青天在那裏呢？「因緣果報」就是「公是公非」；「善惡業感」就是「公是公非」；「事理圓融」就是「公是公非」；「最後判決」就是「公是公非」。因此，希望今後凡我佛光人，都能以「公是公非」為立身處事的準則，人人都有「公是公非」的睿智，大家一起發願，共同來創造一個公平正直、法界圓融的祥和社會。

最後祈求佛光加被，祝福大家吉祥如意，大會圓滿成功！ 

Vice President, board members, honored guests, chapter leaders, and representatives of the BLIA, best wishes to all of you!

Buddhism first entered China almost 2,000 years ago, during the reign of Emperor Ming (58-75 CE) of the Han Dynasty. This year, for the first time, the birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha was celebrated as a national holiday in Taiwan. This recognition is something that should gratify all of us, as should the fact that today delegates have come to Fo Guang Shan from all over the world to participate in this Eighth International Conference of Buddha's Light International Association. As we reflect on the rarity of these conditions, I hope that we will all turn our minds toward the next millennium. Let us make this occasion today the start of a new and wonderful age of Buddhism.

Today, we live in a time when science and economics have produced so much wealth and so many marvelous inventions it is hard to imagine what will come next. As we enjoy the benefits of our age, however, we must wonder how these material achievements are affecting the moral behavior of the world's people. The world has become so complex, individuals are now more able than ever to select their own realities, and to make decisions based on personal feelings or personal assessments of what is true and false. When people choose for themselves what is right and what is wrong, they too often are led into making decisions that have harmful consequences for both their own lives annd the lives of others. In order to address this problem, I thought that I would use the occasion of this gathering to speak on the subject of "One Truth For All." I hope that my words will inspire others to find within themselves the courage to live in accordance with the truth, and to establish within society rational and objective standards that must form the basis of any healthy group activity.

Deep truths are universal and they transcend the individual. Rational minds find solace in the truth because human reason itself is a reflection of deep reality. The proverb, "I love my teacher, but I love the truth more," affirms that life has both a rational and a universal basis. There is but one truth and it applies equally to all of us. No one can stand above this truth, and no one can escape the consequences of turning away from it. Each one of us must discover this truth in our own way, but this does not mean that the truth can be changed or that we are free to reinterpret it as we like. When the Buddha said, "Follow the Dharma, not people," he was saying that we must learn to base our lives on the eternal truth and not on someone's momentary interpretation of it.

The modern world seduces people into believing that they have the competence to interpret truth in any way they like. People know more today than ever before, but what they know is usually little more than a collection of facts about one area of study or another. Each area of human endeavor is important to all others, but few areas of inquiry can really be said to have major bearing on our understanding of who we are as people, or what our place in the universe really is. When the Buddha first became enlightened, he entered into an awareness that reflected a truth that is deeper than any other. He said, "How wonderful! All sentient beings possess Buddha nature, and one day all of them will become Buddhas!" This is a universal truth. It is not a subjective truth or a convenient reworking of ideas to serve some selfish purpose. The Buddha's insight is as true today as it was 2,500 years ago. When we base our lives on his teachings, we begin to see that "all sentient beings are one" and that selfish desires always run counter to the truth.

The Buddha taught dependent origination to help us begin to understand universal truth. He said that all phenomena and all laws in the universe can be explained in terms of dependent origination. He said, "All phenomena arise due to causes, and all phenomena decline due to causes." There is nothing that is not caused, and thus there is nothing that is not dependent on something else for its origination. "Dependent origination" means that no phenomenon arises on its own, but that all phenomena arise from other phenomena. This truth clears the mind for it prevents us from becoming lost in the transient intensities of life. Dependent origination provides us with a basic standard that helps us see beyond the confusing delusion of individuality to the universal oneness of the Buddha nature which inheres in all things. Coupled with the Buddha's teachings on emptiness and impermanence, dependent origination helps us understand why we are born, why we grow old, and why we must eventually sicken and die. When we understand this process, we are no longer so frightened by it. Rather than cling to forms that must inevitably be extinguished, we learn to base ourselves on the much deeper truths of the Dharma that transcend all form, all loss, and all gain.

Universal truth is beyond duality, beyond pleasure and pain, beyond the selfish interests of the individual who sees only himself and no one else. The Buddha's teachings on cause and effect tell us that karma is a law that applies to the workings of all conscious minds. No one can escape this law. When we behave with bad intentions, we create conditions that we ourselves one day will have to endure. The selfish person thinks that no one is seeing him, or that no one knows his thoughts; this is the logic of subjective "truth." The Buddha taught that our thoughts are precisely what make us who we are. He taught that our thoughts are always producing the conditions that will come to prevail in our lives; this is the universal truth of the Dharma. This truth applies to all because it is an objective truth that cannot be changed by our subjective interpretations of it. Good intentions produce good effects, while bad intentions produce bad effects. This truth applies equally to all of us. "When a prince does wrong, his karma is no different from that of a commoner."

In ancient times, powerful people often had gold and jewels, and sometimes even slaves, buried in their tombs with them in the mistaken belief that these things would follow them into the next life to serve them there. Their thinking was based on the false notion that future conditions of their lives could be arranged in accordance with the transitory customs that happened to obtain at the times of their deaths. The simple obviousness of their grandiose misconceptions should serve as a reminder to all of us that the truth is not something that we can simply wish into existence. The future conditions of our lives are based on nothing other than the intentions we act upon today. The Vinaya says, "When the fruits of retribution have ripened, there is nowhere you can hide."

Though there are many people who understand that truth is universal, there are still far too many who do not. Vast numbers of people use force to get their way. They cheat, lie, and frighten others only to bring some low benefit to themselves, or to their mistaken notion of what the "self" is. A self based on greed and anger is a complete delusion. It is a self-generated parody that mocks its inventor at every turn. Contrast such unbridled selfishness to the enlightened awareness of Chang Tsai (1020-1077), who said, "Base your mind on heaven and earth. Base your life on the needs of the people. Study to attain deep wisdom. Bring peace to all things." This sensibility is the basis of a social ethic in which the one lives for the many and takes its sense of worth from the contributions it makes to others and not on the benefit it receives from them. Chuang Tze said, "The truth already is clear. Reward and retribution simply follow in accordance with it." He also said, "Heaven and earth were born with me. All things are one with me." When Galileo refused to repudiate what he knew to be true, he stood for the truth in the face of considerable danger.

In a perfect society, each citizen would understand the universality of truth and honor the rights and needs of others. A good society must be based on democratic principles, and yet when a democracy loses sight of the rights of its minority members and allows the wishes of the majority to control everything, there will always be problems. The rights of those who voted for the losing side of an election are fully as important as those who voted on the winning side. Objective standards of law and behavior must be respected at all times, and all members of any given society must be equal within those standards. When one group seizes power from another and flouts the basic rule of law, chaos inevitably follows. A good thing cannot come from a bad intention. Sun Yat-sen meant essentially this when he said, "We must all work for the good of this world."

In Buddhism, leadership within a lineage is passed on from one master to the next. This system has provided Buddhism with a rational and orderly way to preserve its traditions. If we were to ever lose respect for this tradition, Buddhism would quickly decline into a system wherein "people were respected, but not the Dharma," or wherein "masters were respected, but not the truth." When the Diamond Sutra speaks of "not clinging to any idea of a self," it is speaking of humbling ourselves before an objective standard of truth that is greater than any idea we can form about it. When we have truly abandoned all tendencies to act selfishly or to "cling to any idea of a self," we will have entered upon the deepest layers of truth taught by the Buddha, for transcendental truths can only become a living part of us when we have utterly abandoned all thought of clinging to any of them.

When we base our lives on universal truths, we learn to face life's problems with a more productive attitude. All things depend on both causes and conditions. If the cause is present, but conditions are not, then there cannot be a result. Some people have a lot of talent, but they never get the chance to use it. Other people have little or no talent, but since conditions have been right for them, they are given a chance to use their limited abilities to the fullest. Nelson Mandela spent thirty years languishing in jail until conditions were right for him to become president of South Africa. He had great talent, but he was not able to use it until conditions were right for it to flourish. Sun Yat-sen tried to overthrow the Ch'ing Dynasty many times before he at last succeeded. All human activities depend on both causes and conditions. This is a universal truth and it is a great help to recognize it as such. When we fully understand this truth, we will not feel so frustrated and we will not feel that there is something unfair about the way our lives have proceeded. Just as a flower requires sunlight, water, and good soil to bloom, so human talents require many external conditions before they can be fully expressed.

It is important to have a clear recognition of the rarity of all events. The environmental movement has made us all more aware of the preciousness of out natural surroundings, but I wonder sometimes if it has not also had the effect of making us think that human life should proceed in the same way as the lives of animals? I hope not, for in the animal realm, the strong rule the weak, and the ruthless prevail. It would be a tragedy to interpret life in the human realm in terms of the lives of animals. Our human realm is precious most of all because it provides us with the opportunity to study the Dharma and to practice compassion.

There is one truth for all of us, and this truth is the truth taught by Shakyamuni Buddha. The Dharma is true on every continent and in every realm of existence. As we move into the next millennium I hope that all of us will do our best to make this world a place wherein the deep moral principles of the Dharma become the one truth that governs us all. May the Buddha bless all of you and lead you toward those things that will be of the greatest benefit to you. I hope that this conference will be a great success for all of us!