The Educational Approach on the Process of Enlightenment

ABSTRACT

This research is to investigate the educational significance on the process of Enlightenment in『Treatise on Awakening Mahāyaāna Faith(大乘起信論)』. It is useful to understanding the various ideas about Mahāyaāna Buddhism. Especially, in『Treatise on Awakening Mahāyaāna Faith』we could find the Mahāyaāna terminology such as One Mind(一心), Original Enlightenment(本覺), Faith(信), Understanding(解), Practice(行), Enlightenment(證) and so on. It is impossible to differentiate understanding from faith that the two kinds of consciousness are the basis of the true knowing of our self. In this context a practical task is not to eliminate of defilement itself, but to free himself from Ignorance. Freedom from Ignorance means realizing the fact that the defilement is not intrinsic. By this practice, the Defiled state of Mind is ceased and one can return to the original Enlightenment. However, in the contemporary school there is no emphasis on the faith for the Enlightenment. The true knowing process must include the firm faith not just understanding the knowledge. So the ideal teaching of Bodhisattvas(菩薩) means both of discipline(修行) and edification(敎化) which constitutes the trust based on faith between teacher and student. In the field of education, it is important to remind that the teaching and leaning are the same kinds of process in『Treatise on Awakening Mahāyaāna Faith』 such as Faith(信), Understanding(解), Practice(行), Enlightenment(證).