Dear Victor,
I’m sorry for the delayed reply. As usual, procrastination, busyness, and spaced-outness have taken over my life.
I was very touched and appreciate your concerns about the recent happenings in the Buddhist world—particularly the scandals involving prominent monks in Thailand, and more recently, in China. And of course, all the fallouts and scandals within our own Vajrayana Buddhist circle as well.
But Victor, you should know that none of this is new. This kind of thing has happened many times, and as long as there is a human mind, it will continue to happen.
2,500 years ago, the Buddha himself said we should rely not on a person, but on the Dharma. As I often say, democracy is one thing, but democrats are another; socialism is one thing, but socialists are something else entirely. In the same way, the Dharma is perfect, but Dharma practitioners are not—which is why they are called practitioners. Real scandal would be if compounded things became permanent, or if a scientist suddenly discovered the existence of something completely perfect and happy, or if certain things truly existed independently and externally. That would indeed be a scandal.
Buddhists are human beings, and human beings are not perfect. As long as human greed for power, money, and influence exists, situations like these will inevitably arise. Perhaps the genuine Buddhadharma is waning—but in a world full of insecurity, especially mental insecurity, spiritual materialism is not waning. In fact, it may be thriving. We human beings have an uncanny ability to turn wholesome things into something corrupted and disruptive. Take science, for example. Many scientific discoveries were originally intended to improve humankind’s living standards, yet the results have often been the opposite. Some things should never be commercialized: the Dharma, of course, but also medicine, the military, and education. Unfortunately, that is never the case.
While I appreciate your concern for the image of the Buddhadharma in light of these events, I urge you not to focus too heavily on the negative. From a bird’s-eye view, Buddhism has done remarkably well. Never has a war been waged in the name of propagating the Buddhadharma—whether against other species or nations. While we wish for all beings to become a Buddha, we don’t pray for everyone to become Buddhists. Buddhism has always encouraged reasoning over faith, and the truth over conventional reality. It is one of the few paths that really emphazises what matters most: the mind and sanity. Buddhism will always prioritize wisdom over morality and ethics. Even the heritage of your own civilization—the Chinese—has been strongly shaped by Buddhism. And I believe Buddhism still has much to offer the modern world, especially the Chinese-speaking world.
Even those who have done scandalous things may have contributed a great deal of goodness to society. Many of them have given confidence and a sense of direction to countless individuals—especially young people—and that should not be forgotten. Sometimes, we tend to focus on a pimple on someone’s nose instead of looking at their face as a whole.
The human world is incredibly complex. If you want to achieve something not just for yourself, but for the greater good, you can’t simply lie low. You have to go out and engage with the world. And the world is not always smooth; often, it is hostile. We inevitably get involved in all kinds of situations, and unless we have reached a certain Bodhisattva stage, we are still vulnerable to those conditions and can easily be swept away by our own weaknesses.
I’m nowhere near that level of grand success. But even within my limited capacities in the world, I can sense it. My so-called admirers or friends often project an exaggerated and baseless image of me, which genuinely frightens me—not for my own sake, but for the sake of the Dharma. I’m not a disciplined person. I have many weaknesses, and while I try to work with them, I usually fail. More often than not, my old habits and tendencies take over. Sometimes I even deliberately act slightly out of the norm as a preemptive way to lower people’s expectations of me—expectations that are usually unreasonable.
However, instead of feeling depressed, disheartened, or discouraged, these incidents should give you even more courage and aspiration to work for the Buddhadharma. Yes, thousands may become disillusioned by the actions of a few, but there are millions out there waiting to be inspired and to have the seed of wisdom planted in their being.
As you know, the Chinese people have contributed immensely to the Buddhadharma. I think it is fair to say that, over the centuries, the species that has served the Buddhadharma the most is the Chinese. And by that, I don’t mean only those living in China, but people of Chinese descent around the globe—such as Australian Chinese like yourself. In fact, I believe Buddhism was introduced to Australia by the Chinese, and I have no doubt that whoever first brought the name of Guan Yin to the Land Down Under is an emanation of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva.
As Shantideva said, a bodhisattva should plunge into the hell realms just like a swan plunges into a lotus lake. In this case, the lotus lake represents all these seemingly fiery, disappointing, and disillusioning situations in the Buddhist world.
But there is a silver lining in all this: your concern—which I’m sure is shared by many others. That concern alone is a powerful means to accumulate merit. So, this I dedicate.
Related features from BDG
Buddhistdoor View: The Fall of Shaolin’s CEO-Monk and the Dharma-ending Age’s Temptations of Sex and Greed
Buddhistdoor View: From Scandal to Reform, When Buddhism Reaches a Turning Point
Related news from BDG
China’s Shaolin Temple Abbot Removed from Office Amid Embezzlement and Misconduct Allegations
Thai Authorities Arrest Woman Accused of Extorting Senior Monks in Widening Scandal
Thai Minister Proposes Creation of “Buddhist Bank” to Reform Temple Asset Management
