世界上每一個人都有他的使命，軍人的使命是保衛社稷，教師的使命是作育英才，農夫的使命是增產報國，科學家的使命是造福人類。
一個富有使命感的人，能化理想為行動，縱使接到一份小小的任務，也能辦得轟轟烈烈；反之，一個沒有使命感的人，終日因循苟且，得過且過，所以雖然交給他一件很大的事業，到頭來還是做得無聲無息。
佛光會員具有什麼樣的使命
(一)以世界觀弘揚佛法：
過去的佛教因礙於語言隔閡、交通不便，所以只能侷限於亞洲一帶，無法廣為流傳。實際上，佛教具有普遍包容的特性，不受國家地域的限制，是屬於全世界、全人類的宗教。遙想佛陀當初憑著慈悲堅毅的精神，將佛法傳遍五印度，今天，遍及世界各地的佛光會不但擁有精通各國語言的人才，更吸收各行各業的精英熱忱參與，再加上迅速便利的交通工具、四通八達的網路連線，我們應該抱定共同的決心，為傳統佛教開創新紀元，把繁榮的亞洲佛教帶向全世界！我們應該發心立願在全球各地弘揚佛法，將菩提種子遍撒五大洲！
(二)以人間性落實生活：
《金剛經》云：「如來說一切法，皆是佛法。」《維摩經》說：「一切諸法皆是解脫相。」可見佛法不離世法，離開世間諸法，想要尋求解脫之道，無異緣木求魚。所謂：「平常一樣窗前月，才有梅花便不同。」佛法必須落實在生活上才能顯其功用，生活也必須與佛法相應才能幸福美滿。因此佛光會從創會以來，就以推行生活佛教、建立人間淨土為目標。佛光會員應念茲在茲、全力以赴，將佛法由寺院帶到社會，由僧眾帶到信眾，讓佛法走入生活，落實人間。
為了使佛法的資訊傳播更廣，我們要學習電腦、勤於寫作，甚至發行書刊；為了莊嚴道場、美化家庭，我們要學習插花、佈置，甚至建築設計；為了便利弘揚佛法，我們要學習駕駛、演說，甚至各種佈教方法；為了讓更多的人欣賞佛教藝術，我們要學習梵唄、繪畫，甚至到國家殿堂表演展出。這是一個有聲音、有色彩的世界，佛光會員要自許做一個喇叭，讓每一個人都知道佛法的好處；做一隻彩筆，將世間點染得多采多姿。我們要用我們的巧手慧思在人海中遍植淨蓮，用我們的笑顏善語在生活上製造喜樂。
(三)以慈悲心普利群生：
儒家講仁愛，但因為有親疏遠近之分，所以愛不能廣被；墨家講兼愛，但因為「蔽於用而不知文」，事理不能兼備，愛的運用會出偏差；法國大革命時，提出「自由、平等、博愛」的囗號，但往後多少年，還是無法解決民眾的苦難，此理無他，只因為世間上的愛都帶有染污性，一旦處理不當，就會變成痛苦的深淵、煩惱的來源。佛教所提倡的「慈悲」則是洞徹眾生與我本為一體，而發展出來一種無私無我的奉獻精神。由於慈悲是一種淨化的愛、昇華的愛，像天地一樣負載萬物，不以為功，所以能普利群生，綿延久遠。
經云：「菩薩因眾生而生大悲心，因大悲心而長養菩提，因菩提而成就佛道。」又說：「菩薩但從大悲生，不從餘善生。」還有像地藏王菩薩「地獄不空，誓不成佛」，許多菩薩甘為眾生承受一切苦難等都是很好的榜樣。佛光會員應效法諸佛菩薩「但願眾生得離苦，不為自己求安樂」的慈心悲願，從度化眾生中完成自己，不僅關懷貧弱老幼、體恤鰥寡孤獨，更要在各地積極弘揚佛法、舉行座談，從根本上解除眾生心靈上的苦惱；不僅設計各種活動，接引不同根器的人同入佛道，更要推廣佛教文化事業，普及佛教資訊的傳播，以期導正社會風氣，擴大教化的功能。希望各位會員們都能以自他互易的認知，循循善誘；以不望回報的器度，喜捨布施，因為以慈悲心普利眾生是我們責無旁貸的使命！
(四)以正覺智辨別邪正：
所謂「悲智雙運」，真正的慈悲必須要有正確的覺知來作前導，才能達到濟世利生的目的。像現代人溺愛子女、縱容惡作、不當放生、濫施金錢，乃至依止邪師、妄學神通、投皈邪教、害己害人等等，不但未能廣利有情，反而造成社會的亂源，令人痛心疾首，正知正見之可貴於此可見一般。
世間上的人依其迷悟不同，大致可分四類：凡夫背真逐妄，迷而不覺；外道雖有世間智慧，但覺而不正，是為邪覺；二乘人能修四諦法門、十二因緣，但只覺我空，未覺法空，於真理之覺悟未能普遍平等；菩薩雖覺二空真理，平等利他，但尚有根本無明，覺悟程度仍未圓滿；唯有佛陀自覺覺他，覺行圓滿，萬德具足，所以能示教利喜，普施法雨。我們佛光會員何其有幸，以宇宙間最偉大的覺者─佛陀，作為我們的導師。所以大家應該好好珍惜這無上的福報，除了努力研習佛法教義、請益名師大德之外，更要用心思惟，身體力行，以正確的知見、正確的修證來指點世人，破除迷信、打倒邪說，讓我們的社會走向富強康莊的大道，讓我們的同胞共享安和樂利的生活。
佛光會員具有下列的使命：
(一)以世界觀弘揚佛法，
(二)以人間性落實生活，
(三)以慈悲心普利群生，
(四)以正覺智辨別邪正。
希望大家能一起秉持共同的信念發揮所長，用歡喜、服務、奉獻、投入的精神來展現佛教的生命力！
The Duty of the BLIA
Everyone in the world has some duty. The duty of a soldier is to protect the nation, the duty of a teacher is to educate the young, the duty of a farmer is to grow food for others, and the duty of a scientist is to make discoveries that will enhance the well-being of others.
It is important for all of us to have a strong sense of duty. When we have this sense, we are able to exert ourselves to the fullest and consci- entiously perform even the smallest tasks that fall to us. If a person does not have a strong sense of duty, he will pass his days half-heart- edly doing one thing after another. Nothing ever gets finished, and even if you give him some important thing to do, he will neglect it and not bring it to a satisfactory completion.
What duties do members of the BLIA have? In the next four sections I will discuss the answer to this question in detail.
It is the duty of the BLIA to preach the Dharma to the whole world
In the past, due to language barriers and barriers in transportation, Buddhism was pretty much confined exclusively to East and Central Asia. In those days, there was little or no chance to bring Buddhism to other parts of the world. Those of us who are in the BLIA must recognize that the world has changed. The basic nature of Buddhism is tolerance and inclusiveness. No one should be left out, and no country anywhere should be ignored if we have the means to preach there. Buddhism properly belongs to the world and to all the world’s peoples.
When the Buddha was alive, he expended enormous energy to preach the Dharma all over northern India.
Today, the BLIA is fortunate to have members all over the world, and we are very fortunate to have members with many different kinds of skills and abilities. Many different languages are spoken by BLIA members. With modern communication and transportation devices, we are able to keep each other informed of events all over the world. This makes it possible for us to inaugurate a new age of Buddhism in which the Buddhism of traditional Asian societies can become part of the entire world’s inheritance. If we are firm in our vows, we will be successful in spreading the seeds of bodhi wisdom to every corner of the earth.
It is the duty of the BLIA to promote a humanism that is deeply involved in the everyday lives of ordinary people
The Diamond Sutra says, “The Tathagata says that all phenomena belong to the Dharma.”
The Vimalakirti Sutra says, “All Dharmas are designed to liberate us from form.”
Buddhism is a religion that must be lived and practiced in this world. To try to leave this world in order to be liberated from its delusions is impossible. To try to do that would be as foolish as looking for fish in a tree. Liberation does not happen somewhere else. It happens here.
There is a saying, “The moon in the window is always the same.
Then there is a plum flower, and the moon has changed.”
You can’t get any value from Buddhism if you don’t actively practice it in your daily life. At the same time, you won’t get any value from your life if you don’t actively live in accordance with the precepts of Buddhism. The two go hand in hand, and that is why the BLIA constantly stresses Humanistic Buddhism and the importance of practicing it daily, wherever you find yourself. Our highest ideal is to bring the Pure Land into this world, and we will do that only if we succeed in taking Buddhism out of its temples and disseminating it throughout the world.
To be effective in this effort, we need to use computers and electronic media. We need to write essays and publish magazines. We need to make our homes and our temples as beautiful and attractive as we can. We can accomplish this through large means, like architecture and engineering, or we can accomplish this in smaller ways, through flower arranging, decorating or painting.
Beyond these methods, we need to have BLIA members who are willing to preach the Dharma. These members must learn how to speak in public and present the ideas of Buddhism in a way that can be under- stood and accepted by people everywhere. We need members who will study Buddhist music and painting, so we can share these beautiful arts with others. We need to train performers who will be willing to travel around the world bringing the joy of Buddhism to all levels of society. This world is full of color and sound. BLIA members should conform with the ways of the world and transform themselves into instruments that can carry the magnificence of Buddhism everywhere.
It is the duty of the BLIA to benefit all sentient beings through our compassion
Confucianism stresses mercy and love, but since Confucianism
makes a distinction between one’s own family and other people, this kind of love is not sufficient to bring help to the whole world. The Chinese philosopher Mozi advocated a kind of “universal love,” but since his concepts were impractical, his “universal love” never succeeded in being much more than something on the pages of a book. The French Revolution advocated, “Liberty, equality, fraternity.” Within a few years of the revolution, however, it was more than clear that these ideals, too, were quite ineffective in actually improving anyone’s life.
The reason these movements in the past were not successful is human emotions are changeable and imperfect. One day, anything seems possible; the next, it all seems hopeless.
The compassion advocated by Buddhism is a different order of emotion.
Buddhist compassion brings the small self of the individual into an ongoing relationship with the larger self of the whole world. Buddhist compassion teaches us to think not of ourselves, but of the good of all sentient beings. Compassion can be thought of as a higher form of love or as a purified form of love. Compassion is like the sky. It takes the heavens as its perspective, while all things under it are the objects of its concern.
The Flower Adornment Sutra says, “The bodhisattva is compas- sionate because he sees the need for compassion among sentient beings. Once his mind has become compassionate, he begins to nurture his bodhi nature. Because he nurtures his nature, he moves closer to full Buddhahood.” In another place, this same sutra says, “A bodhisattva is born of compassion, and not of mere goodness.”
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has vowed, “I will not become Buddha until hell is empty.” This kind of compassionate vow is born only in the deepest realization of truth.
BLIA members all should emulate the great bodhisattvas who vow to “place the good of all sentient beings above their own happiness.”
This vow is especially important because, ultimately, we can only save ourselves through others.
When we practice compassion, it is not enough simply to feel pity for people, and it is not enough simply to experience compassion as a state of mind while we are alone. It is far more important that we act on our understanding.
We must actively reach out to others and actively do things that will make the truth of the Dharma available to even more people. We must establish social organizations and social activities that will disseminate the ideas of Buddhism so that even more people will have the chance to enter upon the bodhi way. We must take it as our mission to spread the ideas of Buddhism as far and as wide as we can. By doing this, we will set in motion a new social movement that will infuse the world’s culture with the wisdom and morality of the Buddha himself. I deeply hope that all members of the BLIA will elect to give of themselves in this way.
None of us should ask for rewards for what we do. Rather, we should look to serve all sentient beings with a compassion and generosity that completely transcends ourselves. This is our highest duty, and once we have seen it, we must never turn back from it again.
It is the duty of the BLIA to use right understanding to discriminate between right and wrong
There is a saying, “Compassion and wisdom grow together.” Deep compassion must be led by wisdom. Only when they are guided by wisdom can the energies of compassion meet with deep success.
Think of how many people today dote on their children and use this “love” as an excuse to do evil. Or they find other reasons to lose themselves in the acquisition of money, or in the indulgences of sensuali- ty. They seek out false teachers who support them in the erroneous ways, and in so doing, they harm both themselves and all others who come in contact with them. When many people act like this, societies begin to unravel at their very cores. It is painful to think of what is happening all around us. Isn’t it obvious how important it is that people develop right understanding before they make their major life commitments?
The errors of the world are of many kinds, but generally speaking they can be grouped into four basic types.
First, there is the error of turning your back on truth and under- standing nothing at all. Second, there is the error of seeing a bit of truth in some path or other, but not really understanding what it means. Third, there is the error of understanding the Four Noble Truths, but using that understanding only to arrive at a concept of self-emptiness. With this concept alone, one has a bit of the truth, but one has not yet comprehended the greater emptiness of all things. Without this deeper understanding, it will be impossible to comprehend the great equality that underlies everything. Fourth, one has understood the truth of emptiness and one comprehends the equality that underlies all things, one understands the need to help others, but still there are areas of one’s consciousness that remain unenlightened.
Only in the depths of our inherent Buddha natures can the ultimate truth be realized completely. Only there can we at last fully understand the meaning of universal compassion, all-embracing wisdom, and the joy of guiding others out of delusion.
All members of the BLIA are ultimately guided by none other than the Buddha himself. It is imperative that all of us make ourselves deeply aware of this truth.
We must constantly work at studying Buddhism if we want to be of real benefit to the peoples of this world. We must all read Buddhist texts, listen to Buddhist lectures, and discuss Buddhism among ourselves. Beyond this, it is even more important that all of us think deeply about the Dharma, because we will only be fit to guide others toward the truth insofar as we comprehend it ourselves. All of us must constantly check ourselves to be certain that our understand- ing of Buddhism is correct. If all of us do have right views and right understanding, then the BLIA truly will be able to guide others away from delusion.