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The Positive Impact of Buddhism on Political (Governmental) Systems (佛教对政治的促进作用)December 2,2011

 

 

The Significant role played by Buddhism in assisting goverance of country

- Part I The Positive Impact of Buddhism on Political (Governmental) Systems 

 

1. India

 

In about 304 BC, the second emperor of the Maurya Dynasty in ancient India had a son. This son turned out to be the famous Emperor Ashoka, whose effect on history ranks first among the ancient Indian emperors, just as his popularity did. The outstanding achievements in his lifetime can be divided into two parts. In the first half of his life, Emperor Ashoka displayed his extreme, brutal imperiousness by starting the suppression of rebellions in order to establish his power and by killing his brother to seize the throne. After he ascended the throne, he ruled his kingdom internally with cruel officials and the practice of atrocities, while externally he expanded his territory by the sanguinary conquest of other countries, resulting in the period called the “Black Ashoka Era” by posterity. Emperor Ashoka’s way of doing things at this time resembled that of the First Emperor of Qin in China, the difference between them being that Emperor Ashoka held the throne much longer than the whole Qin Dynasty existed. This difference was due to his tremendous changes and deeds carried out in the latter half of his life, called the “White Ashoka Era.”

 

After he launched the war with Kalinga, Emperor Ashoka was shocked when he saw the scene filled with piles of dead bodies and blood being shed like water, and he deeply lamented. His inherent conscience was awakened by that moment’s deep sense of compassion. Besides, because of his repression of the people and the war against other countries for years on end, the country’s economy and the rebellion of its civilians were going to jeopardize his rule. At that time, the monarchy also cried out for a consensus of faith and culture to govern the people and bring about peace and stability, not only to this country but also to its neighbors. It was because of his deliberateness and exploration of the long-term safety and peace of his monarchy that Emperor Ashoka avoided a fate similar to that of the Qin Dynasty in China, wherein after a very short period of ruling, this dynasty was subverted by the populace for the sake of “overthrowing tyranny.”

 

After the war against Kalinga, Emperor Ashoka many times invited the Venerable Upagupta, the fourth generation Buddhist descendant of Sakyamuni, to discuss the strategies of governing his monarchy. Moved and inspired by Venerable Upagupta, Emperor Ashoka felt deep regret and concern about the Kalingans’ suffering during the war he initiated. Later on, he declared to his people that “the sound of war drums” had fallen silent and “the sound of Buddha dharma” took their place. Diplomatically, he frequently sent eminent Buddhist monks and sutras, and promoted Buddhist culture to his neighboring countries. Before long, Buddhism had spread throughout Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Egypt, Syria, Burma, China and other parts of the world, which helped him achieve a high international reputation during his rule of over forty years.

 

Afterwards, Emperor Ashoka declared Buddhism as the state religion of India. He also had the imperial decree and essential Buddhist precepts engraved on the precipice, which has become the famous Ashoka Imperial Orders of Cliff Inscriptions and Stalagmite Inscriptions. He himself made the pilgrimage to the holy remains of Sakyamuni Buddha, built stupas and visited eminent Buddhist monks in various places. He engraved the teachings of Buddha on the cliffs of scenic spots, which still stand erect. In addition, he instituted regulations to tolerate other religions, offered Jainism and Brahmanism their proper places in society and forbade them to attack each other. All these not only reflected the basic essence of Buddhism, but also embodied the governing strategies of Emperor Ashoka. Thus he effectively avoided a lot of conflict and crisis by being broad-minded enough to tolerate other religions while establishing Buddhism as the state religion.

 

Buddhist culture played the most magnificent and positive role in assisting in the long-term safety and peace of his monarchy. With the help of Buddhist “benevolence and wisdom,” Emperor Ashoka transformed himself from a tyrant into a wise king.

 

2. Tang Dynasty in China

In the fifth century AD, Bodhidharma (the 28th descendant of Buddha) brought to China the original essence of Buddha dharma. After going through the process of communication, collision and integration with Chinese Confucianism and Taoism, Zen of Mahayana gradually came into being through the process of going into the secular world to indoctrinate people. Since then, Zen has been passed on from generation to generation and has become an indispensable and substantial part of Chinese culture.

 

During the Tang Dynasty, China benefited from good political administration, people enjoyed religious freedom, Buddhism was wide-spread, the common people lived in peace and safety all over the country, and the neighboring countries came to pay tribute to the Chinese imperial court. The early Tang history recorded that, “only 29 people were sentenced to the death penalty this year, for which reason the criminal penalty was almost left unused. From each to west of the country, people didn’t have to lock their doors at night and travelers didn’t have to prepare their own food when they travelled around.”

 

In the nineteenth year of the Zhenguan Era, when Master Xuan Zang arrived in Changan after completing his great pilgrimage to India for Buddhist sutras, many monks and laymen rushed about, and all the shops in Changan were closed to celebrate this unprecedentedly grand occasion. Emperor Taizong of Tang himself wrote the preface for the holy indoctrination of Tang Triptaka in which he highly praised Master Xuan Zang and Buddhism. Emperor Gaozong of Tang was extremely mournful; as a result, he could not go to his imperial court for three days, and the title of “Great Enlightened Sage (Da Bian Jue)” was bestowed upon Master Xuan Zang.

 

From the time of Empress Wu Zetian to the time of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the different Buddhist sects sprang up like mushrooms following the rain, although each complemented the other. Buddhist sutras were expounded upon everywhere in the country. This widespread movement of Buddhism was unrivalled. Zen Master Shenxiu, the leader of the Zen sect in northern China at that time, was invited by Empress Wu Zetian to be the teacher of the country. He was called “Dharma-lord in Changan and Luoyang, the teacher of three emperors.” Master Shenxiu was not only proficient in Buddha dharma, but also in many doctrines, such as metaphysics, the Book of Changes (Zhou Yi), Qimen, the Yi numbers (Yi-shu), Liu-want and Lao Tzu. During that period, the high regard and pursuit of Buddhism was so powerful that Li Shi, the scholar-bureaucrat of the Tang dynasty, was prompted to say, “Only when people worship Buddha reverently can a monarch gain the loyalty of his subjects, parents gain the filial piety of their children, a country be well administered and a family be at peace.” He thought that Buddhism had made remarkable contributions not only in preaching to people to do good deeds and helping them engage in purified thought, but also in safeguarding the safety, peace and prosperity of the society as a whole.

 

3. Song Dynasty Of China

During the period of the northern Song Dynasty and the southern Sung Dynasty, different sects of Buddhism, especially Zen, evolved further on a localized basis. It was widely propagated among civilians with the popularization and spread of typography. In the seventh year of Qingli, during the reign of Emperor Ren Zong of Song, Eunuch Liyong ning wrote a petition to the throne to have his own residence transformed into a Zen temple. Following Emperor Ren Zong’s intention to encourage the spread of Zen in northern China, he named the temple “Shifang Jingyin Temple.”

 

The imperial court attached much support to the translation of Buddhist sutras and gave positive support to Buddhism. It had become common practice for both court officials and the common people to respect, explore and believe in Buddhism. At that time, Zen Master Yongming Yanshou combined the core ideology of Zen, namely “by passing on the exact experience of their own minds by Zen masters to their disciples without the use of words. Thus they could achieve complete enlightenment and the comprehension of the true nature of his life, while comprehending the theories and practical methods of other sects which he quoted in detail in order to “be proficient in Zen practice and the indoctrination of Buddhism, rating them both of equal importance.” This had a profound influence on the officials. The successive prime ministers (in feudal China), the Military Affairs Commissioners and assistant administrators in the Song Dynasty such as Mengzheng, Fubi, Zhaott , Fanzhongyan, Wangsui, Zhangfanoping, Wanganshi, Ligang, Zhangiun and some crucial officials in the imperial court including Wangshu, Yangi, Sushi, Huangfinigian, Zhangiucheng, etc., all had a strong connection with Buddhism. Even lay Buddhists (Grha-pati) frequently benefited from monks’ inspiring words. Through good integration connecting Confucianism and Taoism, Buddhism had been commonly accepted by the upper-class people in society. Meanwhile, the discovery of science and technology in China reached its culmination: three of the four Inventions in ancient China were completed during this period, which was regarded as “the rejuvenation period of Chinese culture” by some Western historians because of its extreme prosperity in economy and culture.

 

Because in the Song Dynasty, the imperial court attached great importance to the development of commerce and handcrafts, and tolerated and supported multiple cultures, it has become an incomparable era in Chinese history during which prosperity flourished, the peoples were well-off, Buddhism thrived and science and technology were being advanced.

 

4. Taiwan

In contemporary Taiwan, the theory of “earthly Buddhism” has advanced to the level of showing loving care for society from the early stage of adapting to the needs of society. Buddhist groups in Taiwan were so well-organized and capable of launching different activities beneficial to society that it is incomparable to any other religions, including Christianity. Buddhist newspapers and periodicals, radio stations, TV programs and popularized speeches on Buddhism can be found everywhere. The social status and cultural quality of Buddhism has reached an unprecedented height in history. It has become commonplace for monks to teach in universities by virtue of their own academic capacities. A benign interaction between Buddhism and society has been formed by means of scholarships promoting Buddhist theses, Buddhist organizations, summer camps for students, etc., which not only promoted the levels of these Buddhist groups in relation to Buddhism’s beliefs, organization and cultural standards, but also gave impetus to the cultural accomplishments of the populace as well as the stability and prosperity of Taiwan.

 

When an earthquake happened in Taiwan in 1999, among the non-governmental organizations providing disaster relief for the earthquake victims, the Tzu Chi Foundation and other Buddhist groups were the most efficient ones, arrived the earliest and were generally more easily recognized by the earthquake victims and society in general. Furthermore, Buddhism in Taiwan plays a very important role in higher education in that region. So far, a lot of universities have been established, such as Nanhua University, Tzu Chi University, Xuanzang University and Huafan University among others, which have a positive impact on universal education and inculcates moral ideas to the juveniles in society.

 

                           佛教对政治的辅佐意义- 第一部分:佛教对政治的促进作用

 

印度

约在公元前304年,古印度孔雀王朝的第二代君主生下一子,此子就是后来著名的阿育王。他对历史的影响就如他的知名度一样,可居印度帝王之首。他一生的业绩可分成两个部分:在其前半生,阿育王从平叛立威、杀兄夺位开始,到登基后对内设酷吏暴行施政,对外血腥嗜杀扩张领土,显示了其极度凶残专横的作风,这一时期被后人称为“黑阿育王”时代。此时的作风与后来中国的秦始皇类似,但与秦朝不同的是,阿育王的统治时间远比整个秦朝长得多,这不得不归结为其后半生的巨大转变和作为。其后半生被后人称为“白阿育王”时代。

在其对羯陵伽国的战争后,阿育王被伏尸成山、血流成河的场面所震撼,深感痛悔,他本有的佛性,此刻终于被恻隐之心唤醒。同时,也因为连年的对外征战和对内残酷镇压,其国家的经济形式及人民内部矛盾已经上升到了一个非常危险的程度。此时的王朝也迫切需要一种大众共识的信仰及文化体系,以统摄人心、固国安邦。正是因为对长治久安的思考与探索,阿育王才避免了类似中国秦朝那样被民众以“推翻暴政”为由,在很短的时间内颠覆。

阿育王在羯陵伽的战役后,曾多次请释迦牟尼的第四代法脉传承弟子,即佛教四祖——优婆毱多(后人称优婆毱多尊者)共商治国之策。在其感召下,阿育王开始对羯陵伽人民在战争中所遭受的苦难“感到深切的忧虑和悔恨”。后来他向全国人民宣布:“战鼓的响声”沉寂了,代替它的将是“法的声音”。在外交上,他频频向邻国派遣高僧、送去佛典、弘扬佛教文化。佛教很快传遍了锡兰、埃及、叙利亚、缅甸、中国及世界各地,这使其在四十多年的统治生涯里,享有国际盛誉。

之后,阿育王宣布佛教为印度的国教,并将他的诏令和“正法”的精神刻在崖壁和石柱上,成为著名的阿育王摩崖法敕和阿育王石柱法敕。阿育王亲自到各地朝礼佛的圣迹、修建佛塔、访问大德高僧,又在名胜之地的大山崖上,刻上佛的教导。这些文物至今还在那里屹立不倒。同时,阿育王规定要对其他宗教宽容,给予耆那教、婆罗门教、阿耆昆伽教应有的地位,禁止不同教派之间相互攻击。这些“正法”体现了佛教的基本精神,也包含了阿育王本人的统治韬略。正是这种立国教而包容他教的心量,阿育王有效地化解了多方的危机与矛盾。

佛教文化对阿育王朝的长治久安起到了积极的辅佐作用,而阿育王本人,借助佛教的“慈悲与智慧”,也完成了由暴君到明君的华丽转身。

 

中国

- 唐朝

公元五世纪,佛教第二十八代祖师菩提达摩东渡,将佛法心宗传入东土,开始了与中国本土之儒道思想的沟通、碰撞、磨合,继而开创了具有入世大乘佛法精神的禅宗。禅宗代代相传,已构成了中国文化不可分割的重要部分。

唐朝,政治清明,宗教自由,佛教兴盛,四域平和,八方来朝。旧唐书说:“是岁,断死刑二十九人,几致刑措,东至于海,南至于岭,皆外户不闭,行旅不赉粮焉。”

贞观十九年,玄奘取经返抵长安时,道俗奔走,倾都罢市,盛况空前。太宗亲撰《大唐三藏圣教序》,盛赞玄奘,推崇佛教。玄奘大师圆寂后,高宗悲恸逾恒,为之罢朝三日,追谥“大遍觉”之号。

武则天至唐玄宗时期,佛教更是各派相争斗妍、相得益彰,遍呈“街东街西讲佛经”之象,佛教普及之广令人叹为观止。武则天邀请当时的禅师神秀(北宗领袖)入京担任国师,神秀不仅精通佛法,还精通玄学、周易、奇门、易数、六壬、老庄等学说,被称为“两京法主,三帝本师”。这个时期,朝廷对佛教的认可和推行,正如唐士大夫李师曾所说:“唯佛之为敬也,对臣以忠,对子以孝,对国以治,对家以和”,认为佛教劝善、感化思想,对社会的平安祥和、繁荣昌盛,功不可没。

- 宋朝

两宋时期,佛教各派,特别是禅宗有了更进一步的本土化发展。随着印刷术的推广和普及,在民间得到了较大的弘扬。宋仁宗庆历七年,太监李允宁奏请将自己在京城的宅第改建成禅寺,宋仁宗有意扶助禅宗在北方的传播,赐此寺名为“十方净因禅寺”。宋代朝廷重视译经,积极扶持佛教,朝野上下形成了尊重佛教、探究佛教、信奉佛教的风气。此时,永明延寿禅师以禅宗“教外别传,不立文字,直指人心,见性成佛”为宗旨,同时又详细引述其他各派的理论与修行方法,主张两者结合,做到“禅教会通,理事双修”。这对当时的士大夫影响颇深。宋朝历代宰相、枢密使、参知政事,如吕蒙正、富弼、赵忭、范仲淹、王随、张方平、王安石、李纲、张浚及朝廷重臣王曙、杨杰、苏轼、苏辙、黄庭坚、张九成等,都曾与佛教有密切关系,有的甚至就是居士,常受益于禅僧点化。释、道、儒三者高度融合而成为社会上层人士普遍接受的思想。其时,中国的科技发明达到了一个高潮:古代的四大发明,有三项是在此间完成,且因社会经济、文化的高度繁荣,被国外一些历史学家称为“中国文化的复兴”期。

宋代重视商业、手工业的发展,并对多元文化包容、扶持,而成为了中国历史上少有的国家富裕、百姓殷实、佛法兴盛、科技发达的时代。

- 中国台湾

当代,台湾“人间佛法”的理论从早期的社会适应层面,已经提升到了社会关怀的层面。佛教的社会活动和组织动员能力是包括基督教在内的任何一个教派都无法与之相比的,佛教报刊、电台、电视和通俗演讲会比比皆是,佛教的社会地位和文化品位达到历史上前所未有的高度。出家人以本身的学术实力进入大学任教也成为寻常之事。用佛学论文奖学金、学生佛学社团、佛学夏令营等方式形成了佛教与社会之间的良性互动,不仅提升了整个教团的信仰、组织和文化水准,也推动了本地区全体民众文化素养的提高和地区的繁荣稳定。

一九九九年,台湾大地震中,最先、最有效、最获灾民和社会肯定的救灾民间团体就包括台湾佛教界的慈济功德会等各类佛教团体。另外,台湾佛教在大学教育方面,也发挥着重要作用。目前佛教界已在台创办数所大学,如南华大学、慈济大学、玄奘大学和华梵大学等,对社会教育的推广与青少年道德观念培养起到了积极的培养作用。