The Harmony of Buddhism

Buddhism has developed distinct Chinese characteristics in the course of 2,000 years of Chinese history.

A philosophy of Harmony and Peace based on dependent origination and the concept of equality. The nidanas, or conditioned causality, and dependent origination are the foundational doctrines of Buddhism. Dependent refers to that on which a result depends in order to arise. Origination refers to this arising. Dependent origination refers to the idea that all things arise for certain reasons and grow under certain conditions. A single cause cannot generate an effect. Everything in the world is closely linked in an interconnected chain of causality. That means that all creatures have their own unique and irreplaceable value and coexist within a harmonious whole. In the relationship between people, Buddhism advocates “self-discipline,” which is to observe the relationship between people and between people and society from the law of origin, and to believe that everyone’s survival depends on others and society. In terms of the relationship of one human to another, Buddhism espouses the idea that we are all part of the same consciousness. That is, each person’s origination is dependent on the relationship to others and to society. Humanity is an intimately interconnected, symbiotic whole. “All living beings may be considered as the self.”(2) “Unconditional love and empathetic compassion” – Buddhism regards all sentient beings as living parents, on which it bases its advocation of building an ideal and harmonious society, “building a realm of happiness and compassion on Earth” and “repaying your cosmic debt and living your destiny.” Buddhism’s notion of equality also rests on dependent origination, and it also forms the foundation of Buddhist philosophy of peace. Peace is established from equality, it arises from equality. “The Dharma does not know superior or inferior.”(3) Equality means mutual respect among the strong and the weak, the rich and the poor, the old and the young, the authorities and the subordinates, it means building mutual trust and cooperation. Equality transitions into harmony, and makes for mutual compassion, engendering an atmosphere of understanding, forgiveness, and tolerance, where warfare can be avoided in favor of the high road of diplomacy.

Advocating peaceful coexistence with one’s environment based on the oneness of self and the phenomenal world. The phenomenal world refers to the space inhabited by a sentient being, on which he is dependent. The oneness of self and world is important among Buddhism’s other doctrines of oneness. In simple terms, it refers to the close connection between a person and his environment, that they are indivisible. This is the basic position of Buddhism in dealing with the relationship between the subjective and objective worlds and between man and nature. This is the source of Buddhist concern for the environment they live in. Also, the idea that plants, as they have no sentiment, are one with the Buddha nature, and should be loved as much as sentient beings. Therefore, Chinese Buddhism has upheld the excellent tradition of planting the mountainsides and maintaining greenery. Even today the temple grounds are still verdant and pleasing to the eye.

A “mental ecology” based on the idea that the Buddha resides in a pure heart. Buddhism believes a serene exterior can only come from a mind at peace. Inner turmoil (disharmony) results in external unrest (not at peace). The one influences and abets the other in a vicious cycle, which is the cause of all forms of conflict, violence and war. Chinese Buddhism, i.e. Chan Buddhism, regards inner stillness as the source of outer stillness and internal peace as the source of external peace. Master Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chan, posed the question, “When wrongdoers from the East commit a sin, they hope to flee to the Western Paradise. So, where should wrongdoers from the West go when they have sinned? Where can they flee to?” This is his refutation of looking for stillness and peace outside oneself. He believed “the pure heart is the residence of the Buddha,”(4) so long as you have a pristine mind, you will find the Buddha in your heart. It was based on this that the Buddhist community began to advocate the conservation of human beings’ mental environment in parallel to conservation of our natural environment, saying that spreading true harmony and tranquility in the outside world must start with peace and stability in our own minds.

Regulation of monastic life based on the equal importance of doctrine and practice. The six provisions for conduct are: rightness of conduct, rightness of speech, consensus of aim, equality under the laws, consensus of mindset, and equal distribution of resources.

At the 2009 Cross-Straits Buddhist Roundtable in Sanya, Hainan Province, more than 200 high-ranking monks unanimously wished for “a harmonious and prosperous cross-Straits family” that could “unite in harmonious energy and refresh this uneasy world with the breeze of harmony.”

The improvement of the human spirit and the acceleration of social progress today also require six novel harmonies: a humane and harmonious heart, harmony in the homestead, interpersonal harmony, societal harmony, a harmonious environment, and world peace. We need to further explore the depth of harmony’s meaning in Buddhism, extol the idea of harmony, let harmonious energy emanate from here, and our breeze of harmony blow to the West.