Jinghui 02/ 1 1/4
The 20 years of reform and opening up are also 20-20 years to accelerate the construction of the legal system. After more than 20 years of hard work, the concept of "ruling the country according to law" has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. People's awareness of the legal system has increased. But at the same time, people have gradually discovered that the role of law is very important, but it is not omnipotent. Law can guarantee the superficial order of society by coercive means, but it cannot guarantee the internal order and cohesion of social people. For example, it can't solve the problem of moral decline, the problem of people's distraction, and the crisis of people's values and beliefs.
General Secretary Jiang's "ruling the country by virtue" just makes up for the deficiency of "ruling the country by law". The essence of morality is self-discipline. It is based on the individual's consciousness and recognition of a universal social behavior value concept that transcends his own interests, and takes it as the standard for regulating behavior. It regulates the relationship between justice and interests, part and whole, individual and country. It is not only the psychological measure of individual behavior, but also the goal of individual value pursuit. It not only has the function of preventing evil, but also has the function of guiding, stabilizing and rallying people's hearts. It can provide real and profound stability for society-the stability and cohesion of people's hearts.
After China's entry into the WTO, China's economy will be integrated into the world economic system in a wider and deeper scope. In this process, our political, economic and cultural life will inevitably be influenced by other countries, especially western developed countries, on a larger scale and in a deeper degree. In the process of world economic integration, how to ensure that China is not completely westernized in politics and culture, so as to safeguard the personality and dignity of the Chinese nation? This is a very serious problem. The idea of "ruling the country by virtue" was put forward to meet this challenge.
It seems that the policy of governing the country by virtue was put forward for the first time after liberation. It should be said that this formulation embodies the vision of the third generation. The ultimate goal of "ruling the country by virtue" is to make the people of all ethnic groups in the country "unite as one." Only with one heart and one mind can the society maintain long-term stability, the cohesion of the country be enhanced, and the safety factor against westernization be increased. In this sense, inheriting and developing China's excellent traditional culture with "Dehua" as the core is also an important part of improving China's comprehensive national strength.
When it comes to the competition of comprehensive national strength, people often only see the strength of economy, science and technology and national defense. In fact, excellent traditional culture is also a very important part of comprehensive national strength, which is embodied in internal cohesion, external acceptance, innovative creativity, indomitable willpower, optimistic spirit and self-improvement spirit. Therefore, the contest of comprehensive national strength is also a contest of national spiritual strength. The excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation not only has strong adaptability and self-renewal ability, but also embodies the general trend of the upward development of human civilization, which not only has strong internal cohesion, but also has strong external force. It is conceivable that once the highly developed economy, science and technology and national defense forces are combined with the traditional culture with this quality, the comprehensive strength they produce cannot be calculated by numbers.
Chinese civilization is the only uninterrupted ancient civilization in the history of world civilization; The reason why the Chinese nation has such a strong cohesion in history has a considerable relationship with our ancestors' creation of an excellent "moral" culture that is rare in other nationalities in the world. Therefore, one of the main contents of implementing the thought of "ruling the country by virtue" is to inherit and develop the excellent moral culture of the Chinese nation. If we truly inherit this cultural heritage, our nation will have a lasting spiritual advantage in the fierce global comprehensive national strength competition, without worrying about being "completely westernized".
Understanding the idea of "ruling the country by virtue" put forward by General Secretary Jiang from such a height, we will find that "ruling the country by virtue" has far-reaching strategic significance under the background of world economic integration.
"Governing the country by virtue" is by no means a temporary expedient measure, nor is it just a government act. It needs to mobilize the educational forces of the whole society, such as schools, media and cultural groups, to participate together. It is a lasting national education activity, and it can also be said to be a great rejuvenation movement of the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation (because the gap between us and the excellent traditional culture has been increasing since the May 4th Movement). Here, our religious groups should also consciously explore the moral education resources contained in the teachings, rules and rituals of this religion to serve this activity. This is not only the duty of religion, but also the concrete manifestation of the adaptation of religion to socialism.
Author: Brother Hewlett Packard replied to this remark on February 27, 2006 +09: 32.
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2. On the role of Buddhism in moral construction
I remember that in the spring of 1999, when I was interviewed by a reporter from the Voice of the Straits, I once put forward a viewpoint that "religion is the guarantee of human conscience". Later, on other occasions inside and outside the church, I repeated this view many times. This view has been recognized by many friends inside and outside the church. Religion has great potential to help the government implement moral education. Here, I would like to briefly talk about the role of Buddhism in the current moral construction.
Generally speaking, moral construction includes three aspects: first, to establish a solid moral foundation; Second, reveal the universal moral principles; The third is to raise the public's moral awareness. In these three aspects, Buddhism has its own perfect and unique solutions, which are very useful for our moral construction today.
There are many Buddhist classics, and the truth is profound, but from a big perspective, it is nothing more than teaching people to "believe in Buddhism as a monk (three treasures), practice diligently to guard against wisdom (three studies), stop greed and ignorance (three poisons), and purify the body, mouth and heart (three industries)", which comprehensively summarizes the basic ideas of Buddhism on life cultivation; Believing in Buddhism and Buddhism are the basic guarantee of moral cultivation, diligent practice and abstinence from wisdom are the basic methods of moral cultivation, eliminating greed and ignorance is the basic content of moral cultivation, and purifying body and mind is the basic goal of moral cultivation. It is not only rich in moral philosophy, but also very clear and specific moral cultivation methods, cultivation contents, cultivation goals and cultivation starting points, which is extremely operable and completely different from general moral preaching.
Below, I will explain the moral thought of Buddhism from three aspects accordingly.
First, the philosophical basis of morality
In moral construction, the most difficult thing is how to establish a solid moral value system. There are two difficulties in this:-What is the basis of morality? To answer this question, we should not only avoid falling into judgment, but also avoid falling into generality. Judgments deny the objectivity of moral foundation and often deny the freedom of will of moral subjects. Both will lead to the collapse of the moral value system. The second is how to unify the social moral requirements for individuals with the personal pursuit of happiness and freedom. To answer this question, we should not only pay attention to the moral requirements of society but also ignore the happiness and liberation of individuals, but also avoid unilaterally pursuing personal happiness and freedom regardless of social requirements. The former will lead to empty moral preaching and lack of attraction and affinity to the public, while the latter will lead to extreme individualism, which is despised by society. In other words, as the basis of morality, there must be sufficient reasons to interpret morality as both the external demand of society for individuals and the internal need of individuals to pursue freedom and happiness; It is not only an inevitable choice for individuals to gain benefits in this world, but also a necessary and sufficient condition for future generations to gain benefits. Only in this way can morality have lasting educational power. Otherwise, it is hard to bear people's increasing utilitarian thinking: "Why should I talk about morality?" "How much is morality worth?" "What good can morality bring me?"
So how did Buddhism solve this problem? The moral concept of Buddhism is enough to be based on the consciousness of the law of cause and effect of three. The law of cause and effect and awareness (Buddha nature) are the two cornerstones of morality. The law of cause and effect in the third world is the foundation of life in the universe, and all good and evil behaviors of human beings cannot escape cause and effect. From this point of view, everyone is good to himself, bad to himself, good to himself and bad to himself, and others can't replace him. This is one of them. On the other hand, no one likes troubles and pains, everyone wants to be happy and liberated, and everyone has the instinct of being tired of pain and seeking happiness and the ability to reflect on their behavior, which can be said to be the most primitive consciousness of human beings. Because of this awareness, people have bad mentality such as greed and ignorance, and because of this awareness, people have the possibility of liberation. It's one thing to be tired of suffering, and it's another thing to be happy from suffering. The key here is whether people can realize the fundamental law of cosmic life through their own reflection, that is, the three generations of causality. When a person has realized and accepted the causal law of "three", then he will fundamentally get rid of the shackles of judgment and secularity, and will no longer fall into the quagmire of nihilism and lust, and his boredom with pleasure will drive him towards real happiness and liberation. On the contrary, when a person doesn't understand the causal law of "Three" and acts in the opposite direction, then his pain-weariness and pleasure-seeking instinct will not only bring him happiness, but will make him sink deeper and deeper in pain. Buddhism believes that this is the best, truest and kindest growing point of morality.
When the Buddha was alive, he formulated many moral commandments (such as five precepts and ten good deeds) and specific cultivation methods (such as four boundless minds) for disciples at home and becoming monks. These moral precepts and self-cultivation methods were formulated by the Buddha in order to help his disciples get real happiness and liberation, based on his own understanding of the law of causality in the third century and his insight into human nature. The basis of these moral commandments has no metaphysical color; It does not need any external supernatural authoritative commands or assumptions, and it is rooted in the depths of each of our lives; Can be empirical. Although the form of moral existence is often manifested in the general requirements of society for individuals, the sufficient reason for its existence is not given by other societies, but entirely based on the individual's awareness of the law of cause and effect. The consciousness of causality makes people realize the fact that I must abide by moral norms because I want happiness and liberation; The reason why I want to abide by the moral code is precisely because I want to get real happiness and relief. Here, morality really realizes its self-discipline nature.
Author: Brother Hewlett Packard replied to this remark on February 27, 2006 +09: 32.
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3. On the role of Buddhism in moral construction
Because morality is no longer a purely external social requirement, it is also a conscious choice for individuals to obtain happiness and freedom. Therefore, when an individual acts according to morality, it is naturally voluntary without any external coercion. At this time, moral behavior itself is the progress of individuals towards happiness and freedom, and even now it is beneficial to life. Because of this, such morality is very convincing and easy to be accepted. It doesn't have any high-profile words, it fully understands the selfish nature of human beings, and it just uses this nature very wisely. There are many moral theories in the world, and there are many reasons why they can't play a role in people for a long time, but one of them is something we have to admit. That is, the moral theory itself is not solid and complete, and most of it still stays in the preaching of "what should you do". As for "why", it is rarely fully explained. Even if explained, it can't really convince people from the heart.
Second, the basic principles of morality
Although the moral theory of Buddhism is based on the consciousness of the law of cause and effect in the third world, when the Buddha educates the public, he not only preaches abstract cause and effect, but directly transforms cause and effect into moral precepts that can be operated in real life according to the living environment and habits of all beings. These moral commandments are by no means imaginary. They include the Buddha's thorough grasp of the causal laws of the third world, and at the same time, they are completely aimed at the troubles and habits of the public, with the ultimate goal of guiding the public to finally get rid of pain and enjoy it. If we understand the moral precepts in Buddhism from this angle, we will naturally come to the conclusion that the Buddhist precepts are to guide us to know the cause and effect, conform to the cause and effect, be the masters of the cause and effect, and move towards the perfection of life, instead of deliberately binding us.
There are many commandments in Buddhism, with different grades. But in general, it can be divided into two categories: "sexual precept" and "cover precept", or into three categories: obeying the law, obeying the law and being lenient. Sexual precepts, law precepts and love precepts all belong to moral cultivation, and some of them also belong to moral category. These contents have important reference significance for our moral construction today. Although Buddhist precepts can be divided into becoming a monk at home, they also have something in common-five precepts and ten good deeds. These five precepts and ten good deeds still have very important practical significance today, which basically covers all the contents of current world morality.
The content of the five commandments is not to kill, steal, commit adultery, talk nonsense and drink. The content of the Ten Kindnesses is based on the Five Commandments, and it combines no swearing, no bad mouth, no two tongues, no greed, no anger and no delusion. Not killing is respect and care for life. Not stealing means respecting the property ownership of others, including not being greedy for state property. No cheating, that is, no cheating or fake goods, no cheating. The original meaning of not drinking is not to drink anything that can anesthetize the nerves and make people lose their minds, including not taking drugs or selling drugs. Don't commit adultery means don't take a mistress, don't be a third party, and don't set foot in a promiscuous place. Each of these articles is in line with our reality and has a strong pertinence, which is also repeatedly promoted by our government. No nonsense means no nonsense, no boasting, no grandstanding. If you don't curse, you don't curse. Being bilingual means not creating discord, gossiping and undermining unity. These three principles are also recognized by our whole society. The three requirements of not being greedy, angry and crazy are higher, which are the purification of our spiritual world and the most critical and fundamental place for moral cultivation. No killing, no stealing, no prostitution and no drinking are the requirements of our cause. No nonsense, no nonsense, no bad mouth and no two words are the requirements of our dental industry. The last three are not greedy, angry or crazy, which are the requirements of our cause.
The ten principles of goodness formulated by the Buddha are very general and targeted, which include our body, mouth and mind. If everyone agrees with these ten virtues and does as much as possible, there will be fewer people who kill and steal goods, fewer people who treat mistresses as third parties, fewer people who take drugs and sell drugs, fewer people who quarrel and fight, fewer people who manufacture and sell fakes and fewer people who are corrupt. In this way, our social atmosphere will definitely improve fundamentally.
I don't think there are many religious people in China. Let's not talk about the general public, but educate our followers first. If all our religious people can practice ten good deeds, and then these religious people will influence our friends and colleagues around us, it is conceivable that its purifying power to society will be incredible. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, He Shangzhi once said a meaningful sentence: "In the hometown of a hundred schools, ten people hold the five precepts, then ten people are sincere." A city with thousands of rooms. A hundred people do ten good deeds, and a hundred people make peace. Spread the irony throughout the house. Make up a thousand households, and there will be millions of benevolent people. "
Author: Brother Hewlett Packard replied to this remark on February 27, 2006 +09: 32.
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4. On the role of Buddhism in moral construction
This passage is very instructive. On the occasion of the emergence of the excellent form of "ruling the country by virtue", our friends in religious circles should hold high the banner of patriotism and love for religion, enhance their sense of mission to the country and the nation, and build up their confidence. We should start from me, from now on, from the little things around us. As long as we persist, I can't think of a qualitative improvement in the social atmosphere of our country in ten years.
Third, the basic methods of moral cultivation
After establishing a complete moral theory and systematic moral precepts, it still needs a link to directly transform these theories and precepts into public moral behavior. That is the public's consciousness and self-discipline of morality. Moral consciousness is by no means an innate quality, it is gradually formed through acquired learning and training. It is unrealistic to think that once it is made public, the moral level of the public will be improved. In this regard, the practice of Buddhism is worth learning. Buddhism not only has perfect moral theory and systematic moral precepts, but also has a set of specific methods about moral cultivation. These specific methods are embodied in the "three studies".
The three kinds of knowledge are abstinence, determination and wisdom. The abstinence from learning here is what we call moral cultivation. The three studies are mutually inclusive, with one in three, one in three and one in four. Therefore, in Buddhism, they are called "three learning increases". Keeping precepts, of course, is inseparable from enlightenment, and enlightenment here belongs to wisdom; It is also inseparable from the choice and oneness of good law. The singleness here is fixed learning. People have many bad habits, which are difficult to reverse for a while, and it is not easy to keep the precepts. They must have the ability to overcome the temptation of good and evil from the outside and dominate their emotions and hearts from the inside. To do this, we must rely on the power of calmness and wisdom. From this perspective, the practice of meditation wisdom is also the practice of discipline. In addition, there are many specific views in wisdom, such as kindness, pessimism, happiness, abandonment, etc. These views are moral cultivation in themselves.
Buddhism is so rich in this respect that it can't be said for a lifetime. In short, Buddhism believes that keeping precepts is not only moral cultivation, but also wisdom and wisdom cultivation. The improvement of wisdom and determination is also the improvement of moral awareness and self-discipline. The essence of morality is not only a kind of discipline (staying away from evil laws and doing good deeds), but also a kind of stability (staying in good laws and keeping your heart unshakable), and it is also a kind of wisdom (carefully observing everywhere), which is the unity of caution and wisdom. Without the cultivation of calmness and wisdom, keeping precepts will become an empty talk. Many people in the world are not ignorant of morality, but when they meet the realm of good and evil, they often can't hold themselves because of lack of concentration and wisdom, and go with the flow, resulting in trampling on morality. Therefore, it is very necessary to practice moral cultivation and absorb the fixed learning and wisdom in Buddhism, so that morality can be guaranteed. In the past, moral propaganda was not lasting and the effect was not obvious. One of the reasons is that it is empty and cannot be implemented.
Above, I briefly constructed the moral system of Buddhism from three aspects, hoping to inspire the current moral construction.