Buddhist Sages Must Be Confucian Gentlemen

Confucian culture is the foundation of Buddhist studies; it teaches the way of being a person, the conduct of a noble person (junzi), restraining body and mind, purifying body, speech, and mind, and subduing greed, anger, and delusion. It is precisely because of this Confucian cultural underpinning that the Buddha-dharma was transmitted from western India to China (Zhendan) and took root there, bringing blessings to the Chinese nation. Buddhist practice takes Confucianism as its foundation, and in terms of thought, character, and moral cultivation, it should be even loftier than Confucianism—purer and more exalted than Confucianism, emerging from the mud unstained.

Confucianism advocates the way of the noble person: one's word is one's bond, words and deeds are consistent, the exterior and interior are one and the same, one is open and upright, with the bearing of a great man. The noble person is the standard set up by Confucianism; the standard of Buddhism, then, should be the sage, transcending the noble person. Therefore, a noble person is not necessarily a sage of Buddhism, but a sage of Buddhism is certainly a Confucian noble person. One who is not a noble person is not a sage, nor a good spiritual friend (kalyāṇamitra). If someone claims to be a sage or a good spiritual friend, one must compare his bodily, verbal, and mental actions with the virtues of a noble person; if his conduct is not even up to that of a noble person, falling short of it, one must be vigilant to avoid being defiled and assimilated by him, which would cause one's mind to be covered in dust. To examine whether a person has attained realization, whether he has seen the mind and seen self-nature, one must first examine his character and moral cultivation; if this aspect of mind-nature fails to pass the test, then all the rest—theories and so on—are merely verbal gymnastics, without genuine realization. One who has genuine realization must have undergone a transformation in mind-nature; as the saying goes, all dharmas are created by the mind alone—a mind with obvious defilements cannot create a sage.

Every Buddhist practitioner should also learn much from the conduct of noble persons, and study more of the traditional classical learning of Confucianism and Daoism, gradually perfecting one's personal integrity. Once one possesses the moral cultivation required of a good human being, and one's mind-nature has matured and been perfected, then in the study and practice of the Buddha-dharma, effort will yield results as soon as it is applied. Only when theoretical skill (technique) advances in step with mind-nature, perfectly combined, is it possible to be reborn transformed—like the carp leaping over the dragon gate—becoming a true sage, becoming a model for sentient beings, and only then is one qualified to lead sentient beings onto the path of liberation.

Many people have studied Buddhism for many years but cannot make progress in their practice. What is the reason? It is because practice is not merely a matter of technical effort in pursuing the Path; more importantly, it is the tempering and cultivation of mind-nature and the perfecting of one's character. If one does not even qualify as a decent human being, no matter how hard one practices, one cannot break through the prison of one's own mind to become a sage. The moral conduct of many Buddhists is not even up to that of ordinary worldly people; the more they learn, the heavier their afflictions become, lacking nothing in greed, anger, and delusion, seeking much in worldly matters and painstakingly scheming for fame, praise, gain, and offerings. Yet it is precisely such people who proclaim at every turn that they have attained enlightenment and become sages, while those with better moral conduct are very careful and cautious, meticulously examining themselves, not daring to lightly place such a great label upon themselves.