Liang Qichao on Buddhism

Author: Liang Qichao and Zhang Yang (editors)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: Liang Qichao said: "The state of absolute coolness without heat and vexation, absolute freedom without bondage, absolute stability without destruction, and absolute equality without distinction is perhaps the true meaning of Nirvana. Compassion means sharing joy with others, and mercy means sharing sorrow with others. Towards all living beings, it is just like a compassionate mother towards her beloved child, or a lover towards their beloved. All joys and sorrows are experienced as if they were one's own. For fifty years, the Buddha taught, and in a word, it can be summarized as 'no self.' The Buddhist scriptures often use the words 'color' and 'name,' where 'color' refers to the aggregates of form, and 'name' refers to the aggregates of feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. Liang Qichao's life was inseparably linked with Buddhism. During the late Qing reforms, he called on people to study and believe in Buddhism, and in his later years, he became almost obsessed with it. In 1922, while teaching at Tsinghua University, Liang Qichao gave a comprehensive overview of Buddhist theory, proposing that 'what the Buddha taught is essentially psychology.' This was a profound modern interpretation of Buddhist scriptures. Regarding the mystical concepts in Buddhism such as 'karma and rebirth,' 'impermanence and no-self,' and 'liberation and Nirvana,' Liang Qichao explained them from a philosophical perspective, using some scientific knowledge from biology, physics, and chemistry. Liang Qichao's explanations were simple and easy to understand, touching on the essence of the Buddhist scriptures."