| Summary: | 碩士 === 華梵大學 === 東方人文思想研究所 === 97 === Abstract
In modern society, all career plans emphasize more on the pursuit of tangible material life. As “material” can be seen, evaluated, and can satisfy human sensory needs, so it naturally encourages human desire and pursuits. However, the process of pursuit is the root of worry, and when material pursuits can not be satisfied it produces painful results. But if one over emphasizes the spiritual life while lacking a balanced material life, permanent slack results due to excessive advancement. Therefore, any imbalance between the two causes a defect.
Presently, all of the educational or life-planning aims are either goal or desire oriented. How to provide the most meaningful value to life? As a Buddhist, the ultimate caring to all Buddhists is to reach nirvana. However as one progresses towards nirvana, to renounce the world has always been considered the goal. After getting to know the Manusmruti, I discovered that there are other suitable career paths for Buddhists in the mundane world. Utilizing Manusmruti to study the principles of the four life phases applied to a modern Buddhist’s life attitude progresses to integration of all aspects of one’s body, mind and spirit. From demonstration in life’s education, random teaching of correct behavioral concepts, thinking methods and truths about interpersonal dealings are unveiled. Performing diverse roles, one can ultimately reach one’s career goals through facing the elderly life.
Research reveals that the approach of life in the four phases of Manusmruti was greatly influenced with thoughts on self-cultivation. They cover rules that are valid in both the mundane and the renounced world. For the rules in the mundane world, they are basically the truth about how to handle interpersonal relationships. In one’s lifetime, if one can always keep a just mindfulness, one's mind can be rather pleasant and peaceful, which in terms of the rules in the renounced world is to halt worry and gain insight of life and death.
The key implementation of Manusmruti is through education. The method of education is through control of one’s mind through gradual practice. Through the education of the mind towards self-discipline, through gradual practices to transcend the profane to divinity, to reach enlightenment in nirvana, helping humans detach from their physical bodies and material belongings in the mundane world, all this can consequently reduce many social disputes. The Manusmruti teaches us that the life cycle of birth and death is merely a normality, and in order to avoid the turmoil caused by the separation of the living and the dead, one shall detach from one’s obsession of physical body and be prepared to face death in advance. For those facing death, the first priority is to the detachment of and transcendence of life to death.
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