Author: Nanren Shi
Chairman of The International Hua-Yan Buddhist Federation
The perfect wisdom is a Buddhist terminology. In the chapter 4 of the Surangama Sutra, it is said:"
Thus Tathagata said that the basic natures of earth, water, fire, and wind are perfectly interfused, pervade the Dharma Realm, and are tranquil and eternal. " The Tiantai and Huaya school of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism have more detailed teachings about the meanings and the applications of The Perfect Wisdom. The perfect means fulfillment, fully fledged and fully attained. The perfect has nothing missed. If there is even minor missing , it wouldn't be the perfect. Everybody wants a perfect life. For instance the perfect amount of wealth, a perfect career, a perfect family and more. When one's personality becomes fully developed without any impurity, we would call him or her a " perfect person ". Therefore, we all wish ourselves to become a fully developed perfect person.
Realizing The Perfect wisdom is the highest mind state in Buddhism, but not in the extreme way. All phenomenas are perfectly interfused and pervade in our universe, and of course also in the Dharma Realm. "The Perfect Nature of All Sentiment Beings have" is the original Buddhist concept of equality. Buddhism not only believes that all human beings are equal, but also believes that all sentient beings from all 10 spiritual realms are equal. Buddhists perceive rivers, mountains, earth are equal in its nature. If we can treat people in a perfectly reasonable way, people will complain less about us. Once we can treat all sentient beings equally, it is a phenomenon of perfect reality. Once we could perceive that all phenomenas are equally conditional existing, we would live in a perfect awakening world of tranquility ourselves.
The Buddhist methodology of entering the real world to benefit people has been observed since Buddha's time. Shakyamuni Buddha taught the perfect wisdom through his 1st Turning of Dharma Wheel, his teachings on the Vulture Peak Mountain and his parinirvana. Since Buddhism was introduced to China, all Chinese enlightened ones emphasized the importance of The Perfect Wisdom in The Middle Way. Without extremist views ourselves in Buddhism, we will properly teach and help people according to the demand of the people.
