Some Thought after Reading Master Hsing Yun’s Humanistic Buddhism : the Buddha’s Original Intention

Abstract

The title of Grant Master Hsing Yun's book Humanistic Buddhism: the Buddha’s Original Intention (《人間佛教佛陀本懷》Humanistic Buddhism: Holding True to the Original Intens of Buddha) has already clearly indicated the Grant Master's thought that humanistic Buddhism is what the Buddha actually taught in the world. That is why the Grant Master always says that Humanistic Buddhism is Buddhism. What is the Buddha's original intention? I personally think that the original intention of the Buddha has clearly revealed in his disclosures. The Buddha said in the Anuradhasutta of the Samyuttanikaya: ‘Formerly, Anuradha, and also now, I make known just suffering and the cessation of suffering.’In other words, the Buddha just wishes to eliminate human suffering through his teachings.

星雲大師所寫的《人間佛教佛陀本懷》一書，其書名已經很明確地說明了大師的用意：人間佛教本來就是佛陀在人間說法的本懷。也就是大師常常說的，人間佛教就是佛教。我們首先要明白什麼是佛陀的本懷。我個人認為，佛陀的本懷就是為了解脫人生的痛苦，也就是讓眾生離苦得樂。