(49) A reliably factual representation of the history of Buddhism in China is apt to bring to light the fact that it was “the traditional etiquette-oriented culture” which originated in regions inhabited by the Han-nationality in China under the Qin Dynasty and the later dynasties that took the initiative in eagerly imbibing and assimilating Indian Buddhism and Indian Buddhist culture. It is precisely due to the traditional Chinese etiquette-oriented culture’s active assimilation of Indian Buddhist culture that Chinese Buddhism which is a hybrid of traditional Chinese culture and Indian Buddhist culture was created. Therefore the emergence and survival of Chinese Buddhism is an amplification and extension of traditional Chinese culture. Therefore it is only proper to aver that although embellished with quaint features of Indian Buddhist culture, the essence of Chinese Buddhism remains an enriched legitimate derivative from traditional Chinese etiquette-oriented culture which did flourish in China’s very ancient days. In most of the large monasteries and temples of Chinese Buddhism or Taoism in China proper is kept almost intact the quintessence of traditional Chinese etiquette-oriented culture. Votaries living in such monasteries or temples are inheritors of the quintessence. The everyday routine observed in and the way of life going on in such a monastery or temple embodies the quintessence. And the quintessence governs all sorts of interpersonal relationship in such a monastery or temple. Even the diet, cuisine, and apparel in any of such monasteries or temples are all under the jurisdiction of the quintessence, not to say the martial-arts training, everyday worshipping rites, etc. Thus the quintessence not only normalizes the behavior of any of such votaries but conditions their outlook. Such votaries are not only practitioners of self-cultivation but also inheritors of traditional Chinese etiquette-oriented culture. This differentiates Chinese Buddhism and Taoism from Islam and Christianity. As Chinese Buddhism is capable of functioning as an inheritor of traditional Chinese etiquette-oriented culture and also as a mollifier of civil unrest in China, it is not only possible but obligatory for Chinese Buddhism to play an important role in helping the Central Government with molding China into a socialist country thriving on its nationwide harmony.
(45) Buddhism is a religion, the formulation of whose core tenets is based on a philosophically conceptualized ideology. Since Buddhism upholds compassion, mercy, and self-respect, it can function in a superb and unique way not only to promote optimal development of personality, mood, and constitution of an individual but to considerably improve his or her morality and intellectuality. This is one of Buddhism’s characteristics, which is very instrumental in helping the government carry out its campaign to create a harmonious society in China. Such a characteristic of Buddhism can provide sustenance and shelter, material and spiritual, to an individual, while fortifying his or her equanimity and broadening his or her mental horizon. Moreover such a characteristic can work as an antidote against social evils to enhance social stability and equilibrium. Buddhism holds that aggressiveness, greediness, and irrationality are factors to corrupt an individual’s personality. The mode of personality acceptable to Mahayanistic faith can only be of the bodhisattva type which is characterized by sheer unselfishness and philanthropic love and generosity. As a matter of fact, traditional Chinese culture has already in a way embodied such a characteristic which is quite in agreement with the call by the government to create a harmonious society in China.(From My Heart My Buddha)
(39) I am of the opinion that atheism bespeaks a sublime ideological level and embodies supreme sagacity. Atheism is neither a faith nor a belief and should be recognized as an outlook. When an individual is willing to accept atheism or just imagines that he is already an atheist, that does not mean that he has already attained the sublime ideological level of a confirmed atheist. However I am of the opinion that the Chan axiom that “to seek enlightenment means to reclaim supramundane qualities, which are inherent in one’s psyche, by purging all the moral impurities” epitomizes atheism. It goes without saying that Marxist atheism represents a sublime ideological level. Although Marxist atheism was spawned by the philosophy formulated by Western philosophers who were ideologically grounded in Western culture, yet Marxist atheism stands as a peak in the mountain range of Western culture. But Chinese culture is diametrically different from Western culture. Take the people of the Han nationality in China as an example. Although most Han people embrace no religion, yet they are no atheists, because they are more often than not obsessed by superstition. And almost none of them is interested in atheism.
(37) Greed, fury, and befuddled attachment are regarded by Buddhism as the three pernicious vices. And Buddhism is really intended for turning the befuddlement in man into enlightenment. It is true that man is improving, that civilization keeps developing, and that the level of intellectuality and morality of all Buddhist followers is rising. As a result, piety towards Buddhism shown by Buddhist followers is enhancing, too, and this can be testified by the fact that the number of Buddhist followers going to Buddhist monasteries across China to burn incense before and kowtow to images of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas has been increasing drastically in recent years. But manifestation of profounder piety towards Gautama Buddha on the part of Buddhist followers can never serve as an accurate indication of the worth of Buddhism, The kernel worth of Buddhism consists in its central tenets including its sila and vinaya. Manifestation of profounder piety towards Gautama Buddha on the part of Buddhist followers can be rated as an indication of secondary or even tertiary importance in accounting for the worth of Buddhism. To rely on an indication of secondary importance for judging the true worth of Buddhism can be as unreliable as judging the true worth of an individual by the apparel he puts on. To make an objective survey of a religion needs to take into consideration the changes it has experienced and the impending changes it is going to experience.
(35) To enact a new and more appropriate state law on religion presupposes, I believe, a thorough and scientific investigation of all the religions in China. Here I use the adjective “scientific” which, as a qualifying word, some people may think rather out of context on things that are associated with religion. However being scientific in doing an investigation is actually being matter-of-fact in carrying out an investigation. Matter-of-factly speaking, science dwells in religions, too. And honestly speaking, trace of religion-based superstition lurks in sciences in the form of blind faith in authority. At the present stage, the understanding and appraisal on the part of the general public of the performance of a religion is usually confined to its external aspects or its outward manifestations and fails to fathom its ideological depth. Or rather the understanding and appraisal on the part of the general public of a religion is based on the political, economic, and social effects of the collective behavior of the body of followers of a religion. Little attempt has ever been made to probe for the cultural and philosophic kernel of a religion or to uncover its values. Consequently religions in China have been left only partly known to or just biasedly apprehended by our legislature. In such circumstances no perfect legislation with respect to religions in China is possible.
(33) The promulgation by the Central Government of the state law on religions is conducive to the development in China of legal religions. One of the important provisions in the state law on religions prescribes that the illegal cults must be strictly differentiated from the legal religions in China so that severe crackdown can be administered on the former, and that the latter can grow prosperously. In China the religious public as a whole is significantly lacking in insight in matters related to religious faith. As a result, cults are now more and more rampant in China, each of them pretending to be a truthful religious faith while acting outrageously deceitfully and profiteeringly. In case such evils be left to flourish freely, the truthful religions would have nowhere to turn and would be left to vanish sooner or later.
