Research On Tsong-Kha-Pa's Religious Ethical Thoughts

â… . Significance of This SubjectFacing mankind's civilization crisis in 21^st century, eastern and western thinkers begin to turn over to think modern civilization, aiming to find out a way to rescue such crisis. Such crisis embodies in three aspects: 1) the relationship between mankind and the nature has been damaged seriously and the mankind is suffering from continuous retaliation from the nature; 2) people's spirit is deserted and maladjusted, they lose their moral; 3) various civilizations impact each other and therefore cause wars and fights. Eastern and western thinkers begin to focus their attention to oriental civilization. Following their attention track, we find that Tsong-Kha-Pa's religious ethical thoughts play an important role in rescuing mankind civilization crisis. The systematic research on his thoughts has significant theoretical and realistic meanings.â…¡. This thesis has three innovative points:1. Discuss Tsong-Kha-Pa's religious ethical thoughts on a background of global ethic;2. Probe into and evaluate Tsong-Kha-Pa's religious ethical thoughts systematically and supply a gap for researches in this field; 3. Attempt to establish Tsong-Kha-Pa's religious ethical thought system.â…¢. The Basis of Buddhist ethic becoming global ethicIn 1993, the 2^nd Parliament of the World's Religions issued the Declaration Toward a Global Ethic. The Declaration pointed out that "no new global ethic, no new global order". Based on this recognition, the Parliament attempted to establish a basic common understanding regarding some restrain promissory values, necessary standards, and fundamental moral attitudes.Marxist thinks that moral is decided by social economic basis and there is no such a moral that is applicable to all times and classes. Therefore, it is impossible for ethics to find minimum global ethic that can solve all kinds of dispute and tribulation.Religious ethic has its own conducting spirit, transcendent beyond common customs. It performs superorganic survey on tribulation and conflict of the world. Its ethics is more universal, abstractive and comprehensive than other mundane ethics. Though the ultimate concerns of people under different culture and religious backgrounds are different, their humanity is the same, namely, mankind needs an ultimate ideal to sacrifice for and strive for, different from animal.Tsong-Kha-Pa's religious ethic is the embodiment of human ultimate concern. Histhinking character of cosmic integration advocates using softhearted wisdom to observe everything in the universe and abandoning selfishness. It offers a strong theoretical evidence for "egalitarian". Its scope and depth are far beyond other religions. Moreover, the tolerance and equality in his thoughts are helpful for realizing the utmost target of ultimate concern. Especially, his "Sanshidao" self-cultivation theories set up a harmonious ethical realm with three different levels according different characters of people. They are of vital importance for the establishment of global ethic.IV. Tsong-Kha-Pa's Religious ReformTsong-Kha-Pa (1357-1419) is the founder of Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. He has made a reform guideline: the first step is conduct correction. His reform core and contribution is using religious discipline to standardize follower's behaviors; the second step is theory correction. He advocates listening, thinking and cultivation. Followers should learn creeds first, then think about its meaning, and finally start to cultivate themselves. The third step is sect establishment. Tsong-Kha-Pa learned from Khadampa Sect and then established Gelug Sect with the initiation of "Great Praying Gathering" in Dazhao Temple, Lhasa in 1409 as a symbol, making Buddhism prosperous in the Snow-capped Plateau.V. Three Major Creeds, the Theoretical Basis of Tsong-Kha-Pa's Religious Ethical ThoughtsTsong-Kha-Pa regards "truth of heart", "Bodhi heart", and "being softhearted and just" as three major creeds of Buddhism and the theoretical basis of religious ethics. Among them, truth of heart is the theoretical precondition of religious ethics; Bodhi heart is the tenet of religious ethics; and "being softhearted and just" is the theoretical basis of the whole religious ethics system.Tsong-Kha-Pa thinks that everything in the universe is born for karma. It exists in mundane concepts but there is no such thing in true meaning. All material phenomenon and spirit exist for reason of naming. Naming genesis is based on three conditions: recognition heart, named subject, and naming. Any absence does not comply with naming standards.Tsong-kha-pa commented on non-self-production by a metaphor of snake and rope. It was clear that regarding a rope as a snake was a subjective imagination based on human mind. Even if there was a real snake, its existence depended. He considered "non-existence" and "existence" dialectically, unifying them organically. He believed "non-existence" was within "existence", and "existence" also belonged to "non-existence". He acknowledged that matter was produced for its cause, so matter was non-self-produced. On the other hand, acknowledgement of non-self-production was to believe that matter was produced for its cause. Tsong-kha-pa was distinctive in commenting on non-self-production. He negated "existence" by "existence", and negated "non-existence" by "non-existence". His emphasis was to obviate "absolutenon-existence". Because "existence" was aroused from some cause, "two no-selves" could be derived, the "no-self of Mortal" and the "no-self of Dharma". Here "no-self cannot be regarded as something absolute. For example, the "self aroused from human idea couldn't be negated. Further more, it was the base of all effects, or it would be nihilism.VI. Religious ethic ideas of Tsong-kha-paTsong-kha-pa had very abundant religious ethic ideas. Following was the main aspects:1. Life was bitter. Tsong-kha-pa had two main opinions on this aspect. One was to regard life's bitterness as the logic starting point of ethics, the other was to consider all kinds of feeling as bitter.2. Kindness must be paid to all flesh. Tsong-kha-pa considered human life as a bitter process. In realistic life, all flesh suffered from various kinds of catastrophe, which includes exploitation, enslavement and oppression brought by social system. And the bitterness wouldn't end in one lifetime, but recycled reincarnation after reincarnation endlessly. So one should consider all flesh as amiable parents. To liberate all flesh from bitterness was one's obligatory responsibility.3. All flesh was equal."Existence is aroused from some cause" was the philosophic basis of Tsong-kha-pa's idea of all flesh's equality. All kinds of dharma were aroused from causes, they were not self-produced, and no-existence was the essence of themselves. Thus all kinds of dharma were equal. Deriving from this, all human beings in society and all lives in the universe were equal without any difference in superiority or nobleness.4. Kindness must be promoted while wickedness must be avoided.What was kindness? According to Tsong-kha-pa's religious ethics, kindness was obviation of the mistakes and annoyances led by immoral actions, and it was purity. Specifically, kindness meant the mind and action, coinciding with Buddhism, favorable to oneself and others in present or future lifetime.What was wickedness? According to Tsong-kha-pa, the genuine essence of human being and all things in the universe was non-existence and purity. Selfishness and holding to things as realities deviated from the no-self theory of Buddhism, so the essence of things was distorted, and thus wickedness was brought. So wickedness was violation of things' essence, and it was some action that would do harm to oneself and others.5. Ecological ethicsTsong-kha-pa's religious ethics regarded life as a paramount matter, and oneshould kindly pay attention to life. All flesh should be cherished, and should not be harmed for any pretence.VII. Tsong-kha-pa's monkery ethicsTsong-kha-pa's monkery was prescribed according to different conditions of all flesh. "Three Scopes of Spiritual Practice" were three different ethic stages. They were also the three steps of the process from a mortal to a Buddha.1. Monkery of Initial Scope. Initial Scope was prescribed for beginners, and it was also the premise to approach Intermediate Scope and Final Scope. In Initial Scope, one should learn things from teacher, understand bitterness of life, believe cause and effect, become a Buddhist, and finally, shift from wickedness to kindness. Getting rid of wickedness and enjoying mutual happiness of God and human were the aims. So Initial Scope was also called Deva-manu-sya-yana(Vehicle for all Gods and men).2. Monkery of Initial Scope. Tsong-kha-pa Lama indicated: "Though the happiness is achieved, the bitterness still exists. It is mistaken to be complacent at that step." So we needed to research the common and specific situations of life and death, and then study the cause and effect of life and death in The Three Realms. We should make up our mind to discard all annoyances and mortal actions, and strictly learn precepts, concentration and wisdom. Thus we could get rid of the reincarnation within The Three Realms, and the happiness of nirvana could be achieved.3. Monkery of Final Scope. It mainly included developing Bodhi Citta, pursuing Bodhisattva Precepts, learning Six Perfections to consummate oneself, learning Four Ways to consummate all flesh, learning Tantrayana to become a Buddha and realizing three kayas to benefit all flesh.VIII. The modern value of Tsong-kha-pa Lama's religious ethicsTsong-kha-pa Lama commented on universe and human life by naive dialectic of "cause and effect", showing utmost care to life. 1. Arouse people to think about the life status of themselves; 2. Achieve a "Global Ethics" of the lowest level; 3. Face the various bitterness of human life bravely; 4. Maintain a middle attitude on bitterness and happiness; 5. Cure mental hurt for people; 6. Consummate the aim of life, override life and death, and finally, realize the mergence of human and universe.Actually, Tsong-kha-pa Lama's religious ethics appeared in a special time, and it also had a negative aspect for the development of Tibetan traditional society.