佛光世界

目標是一個事業組織的靈魂所在，做事沒有目標，就好像船隻沒有羅盤，在茫茫大海中到處飄泊，不知所止。有目標才有方向，有目標才有未來，佛光會如大海般容納百川，身為會員應該具有共同奮鬥的目標，才能團結一致，迅速達成佛光會崇高的宗旨。因此今天我們來談談佛光會的四個目標︰

(一) 提倡人間佛教︰隨著佛教日益興盛，佛教人口逐漸增加，這本來是一種可喜的現象，遺憾的是，部分佛教人士的行徑已偏離佛陀示教利喜的本懷，以致佛教無法發揮覺世濟民的功效，例如︰有些人重視佛學上的玄談，但忽略實際的修證；有些人只知道形式上的吃素拜拜，對於人格道德的增進及日常生活問題卻棄之不顧；有些人一信佛教，就忙著閉關自了，不問世事，失去對社會大眾的關懷；有些人迷信邪師異說，以變化神通為尚，結果學佛不成，反成弊害。其實佛陀所提倡的教義是現實重於玄談，大眾重於個人，社會重於山林，利他重於自利!的人間佛教，佛光會員應先認識人間佛教的本質，才能擔負起弘法利生的重責大任。什麼是人間佛教的實質內容呢？因緣果報是人間佛教，五戒十善是人間佛教，六度四攝是人間佛教，慈悲喜捨是人間佛教，五乘共法是人間佛教，乃至勤勞刻苦、尊重讚歎、包容異己、服務助人、造福社會、歡喜融和等等，都是人間佛教所提倡的內容。希望大家都能以身作則，以人間佛教思想作為行解修證的圭臬。

(二) 建設佛光淨土︰生活在這個世間上，黑暗的社會需要光明，動盪的時代需要安穩，苦難的人生需要喜悅，煩惱的身心需要解脫，淨土於是成為人人心神馳往的世界﹗然而極樂淨土與琉璃淨土需要持名念佛達到一心不亂才能往生，華藏淨土必須精進修持達到圓融無礙才能契入，兜率淨土雖說近易普及，但仍在三界之內。

《維摩詰經》云︰「隨其心淨則國土淨。」我們何必捨近求遠，只要大家努力，人間也可以成為淨土，宇宙間哪一方淨土不是諸佛菩薩以無比的願力莊嚴而成？佛光會員應當本著直下承擔、捨我其誰的精神，效法諸佛菩薩的慈心悲願，去除對三毒的怖畏，散播歡喜的種子，融和極樂淨土的環境清淨、天下一家；琉璃淨土的政治清明、民生豐富；華藏淨土的互助友愛、平等和諧；兜率淨土的善人聚會、法樂無窮，將我們的人間穢域建設成佛光淨土。

(三) 淨化世道人心︰隨著科技進步，物質日益豐盛，但是社會文化卻越見低落，精神生活也江河日下。但見毒品殃民、暴力充斥、娼妓泛濫、道德淪喪、爾虞我詐的歪風四處漫延，其原因固然與社會型態變遷有關，不過最主要的，還是一些像損人利己、幸災樂禍、同歸於盡、磨人為樂、信壞不信好、畏果不畏因、信假不信真等等病態心理為禍最深。經云︰「三界唯心，萬法唯識。」我們的心好像工廠，好的工廠不但生產優良產品，而且還將餘利回饋鄉梓；壞的工廠不但生產劣質產品，而且製造污染為害社會。心也是如此，擁有慈悲善良的心能利己利人，懷抱貪瞋愚癡的心則自惱惱他。

國父孫中山先生曾說︰「國者，人之積；人者，心之器。」我們想要國家富強、民生樂利，首先要匡正世道人心，除了自己必須有節制的感情態度、合理的經濟生活、正當的社會關係、德化的宗教觀念以外，更要以慈悲心、隨喜心、感恩心、慚愧心、包容心、菩提心來淨化自他，福利社會。

自佛光會成立以來，各地協、分會舉辦各類活動，喚醒人們迷失的心靈，已獲得當地民眾的肯定讚揚，其中中華佛光總會每年舉辦的「淨化人心系列活動」，不但規模擴及全國，而且最具成效。希望大家再接再勵，互相切磋，為我們的社會共創美好的明天。

(四) 實現世界和平︰由於長久以來的歷史因素、種族之間的互相歧視、宗教之間的意見不一、稱霸群雄的貪欲誘惑，國際之間難有寧日。加上近百年來科技發達，武器的功能日新月異，人類對戰爭的畏懼益深，渴望和平的呼聲也越來越高，因此有禁武、限核等高峰會議之舉行，然而這些外在的措施雖使和平的腳步邁開，卻無法完全杜絕戰爭的發生。因為解決紛爭之道，不但需要理事配合、行解並重，更要考量各方面的情況，非僅去除表面的亂相即可。在諸多學說之中，佛教的「六和主義」最能達成和平的效果，今將其意引申，供大家參考︰

見和同解，亦即思想的統一，大家必須在和平上，具有共識。
利和同均，亦即經濟的均衡，大家必須在經濟上，互相扶持。
戒合同解，亦即法制的平等，大家必須奉行法制，人人平等。
意和同悅，亦即心意的開展，大家必須開拓心胸，誠意溝通。
口和無諍，亦即語言的親切，大家必須出言委婉，話語懇切。
身和同住，亦即相處的和樂，大家必須彼此尊重，互相包容。

在詭譎多變的世局裡，我們佛光會員幸有佛法作為指南，因此未被利誘的濁浪所淹沒吞噬。在慶幸之餘，我們應該進一步團結起來，共同為提倡人間佛教、建設佛光淨土、淨化世道人心、實現世界和平而攜手合作，期使全球人類都能和合無諍，永享安樂。

The Aim of the BLIA

The aim of an organization is its very soul. An organization without an aim is like a boat without a compass. It may set out to cross the ocean, but it will soon become hopelessly lost. An aim gives us direction, and it gives us our future. All members of the BLIA should have as their aim a willingness to organize and work together so that we can actualize and completely fulfill all of the guiding principles of the BLIA. In the following four sections, I will discuss the four principal aims of the BLIA.

Advocate Humanistic Buddhism

In recent years, Buddhism has experienced a lot of growth. More and more people are becoming Buddhists. We all should be gladdened by this trend, and yet at the same time, we must recognize that some of the Buddhism spreading around the world has drifted quite far from the original teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha.

This kind of Buddhism will not succeed in giving people the means to fully escape the sufferings of this world. For example, some people spend a lot of time reading abstruse Buddhist treatises, while completely neglecting the much more important chore of actually practicing what they read. Other people adopt the outer forms of Buddhism – they become vegetarians and frequent temples – but beyond that, they do almost nothing to carry their beliefs into their daily lives where they can get real benefit from them. Others spend all their time shut away in long retreats without giving any consideration to the broader needs of society. Still others indulge themselves in the superstitions of false teachers. Instead of truly learning the truths of the Dharma, they waste all their time trying to develop psychic powers or the ability to remember their past lives.

The Buddha did not teach us to be like that. He taught a Human- istic Buddhism that is to be lived and practiced in our daily lives. The practical is more valuable than the arcane, the collective is more important than the individual, society is more important than the mountain retreat, and it is more important to help others than it is to help ourselves.

It is very important that members of the BLIA realize the central- ity and deep significance of what is meant by Humanistic Buddhism. Only when we have fully understood the importance of truly carrying Buddhism into every area of our lives will we be completely fit to shoulder the immense responsibility of spreading the Dharma for the good of all sentient beings.

What lies at the heart of Humanistic Buddhism?

Conditioned genesis and cause and effect lie at its heart. The five precepts and the ten wholesome acts lie at its heart. The six perfections and the four means of embracing (Catuh-samgraha-vastu) lie at its heart.

Compassion and equanimity are Humanistic Buddhism. The five vehicles and the Dharma are Humanistic Buddhism.

Work, tolerance, respect, praise for others, helping others and putting forth the effort to make this a better world all are Humanistic Buddhism. I hope all members of the BLIA will dedicate themselves to the vision, as well as to the real work, of Humanistic Buddhism by practicing the ideals of Buddhism in all areas of their lives.

Establish a Pure Land in this world

This world is full of darkness, so it needs the light of Buddhism. This world is full of turbulence, so it needs the peace of Buddhism. This world is full of suffering, so it needs the relief of Buddhism.

The Pure Land is something all of us desire to see.

To reach the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha we must contemplate his name with perfect concentration. To reach the Pure Land of the Flower Adornment we must perfect our practice. It is said to be easier to reach Tusita Heaven, but Tusita Heaven still lies within the Three Realms.

The Vimalakirti Sutra says, “Insofar as the heart is pure, there the Pure Land lies.”

There is no need for us to abandon this world in search of another one. If all of us would try together, we could make this earth as beautiful as a Pure Land. Think of it, in the entire universe, there is not one Pure Land that was not established on the strength of the vow of a great bodhisattva! If we in the BLIA really succeed in living and promoting the deep truths of Buddhism, we will succeed in making this world into a Pure Land.

Purify the minds of people in this world

The world has changed so rapidly in recent years, tradition- al moralities have been stood on their heads. People place their own benefit before others’, and they believe falsehoods and take pleasure in harming others. Many people actually desire destruc- tion and enjoy calamities. They use mind-altering drugs and give themselves over to the command of the senses. Perverse ideolo- gies surface daily in the news, and whole areas of the world lose themselves in destructive conflicts as they pursue unrelenting vengeance and hatred.

The Flower Adornment Sutra says, “The Three Realms are the mind, the myriad phenomena are our consciousness.”

Our minds are something like factories. If our factories are good, the products they produce also will be good, and their influence on society will be beneficial. If our factories are bad, the products they produce will not be good, and their influence on society will be terrible. The minds of human beings are just like this. If our minds are good, if they are filled with loving-kindness and compassion, then we will do good things and our influence other others will be beneficial. If our minds are filled with greed, anger and ignorance, however, then what we do will harm both ourselves and all others with whom we have contact. This is a basic law of life, and recognition of this law is the start of virtue.

Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) once said, “The nation is a collection of people. A person is a vessel of the mind.”

If we want to make our nations strong and our peoples happy, then we must purify our minds and uphold the morality of this world. We must have proper attitudes toward money, toward saving, and toward other people, and we must develop deep religious convictions. Beyond this, we must make a real effort to improve society with an attitude of compassion, tolerance, gratitude and kindness. This is the bodhi way, and this is the only way we can hope to have a lasting, positive influence on the history of the world.

Dedicate to world peace

The history of the world is characterized by its variety and its tendency to turn variety into conflict.

There are many races, religions and languages on this planet.

With the development of modern weapons, our capacity to enter into extremely destructive conflicts with each other has only increased. At the same time, our desires for peace have also grown.

Now we have peace movements, nuclear-weapons bans and other policies designed to lessen the chance of war.

These outer policies are important, but when all is said and done, they will not in themselves bring lasting peace into this world. The world’s conflicts are so complex and changeable, more than mere governmental policies will be needed to bring them to an end.

The very hearts and minds of people must be changed until they better accord with the Six points of reverent harmony. Only this will bring lasting peace to the world.

The six points of reverent harmony are:

The harmony in view through sharing the same understanding.
Moral harmony through sharing the same precepts. (3)Economic harmony through sharing things
Mental harmony through shared
Verbal harmony through avoiding
Physical harmony through living

In this turbulent and difficult world, we are fortunate to have Buddhism as our guide. Buddhism protects us from many troubles, and it gives us so much peace and joy. As we relish the good fortune of being Buddhists, let us also consider the importance of unity so that, together, we will be able to spread these benefits to even more people in the world.