On the Relationship Between Buddhism and Civilization

With regard to the relationship between religion and civilization,the religious research circles of the West have provided us with numerous studies and valuable references.Buddhism itself has rich resources of civilization.Being a country deeply rooted in tradition,it is very important for us to make use of these resources so as to build a Buddhist Civilization.According to ancient Indian Buddhism,a buddhist must master the so-called Pancavidya which means five techniques including language,Indian logic,medicine,craftmanship and philosophy.Mastering these five techniques means complete accomplishment to an ancient Buddhist,yet to a contemporary it is not enough.A contemporary must be civilized besides grasping the five techniques.Actually there are abundant resources of civilization in Buddhism,which can be utilized to form buddhist civilization in today’s Chinese society to improve the civilized images of the Chinese people.In a word,Chinese circles should make their fair share of contribution to the promotion of modern civilization.