The Tiantai Meaning of Life

According to Buddhism, is life meaningful? There is no standard answer to this question. The notion "meaning of life" is not found in the Buddhist literature and is an invention that emerged from a different tradition (Le Bihan 2019, p. 432).Generally, Buddhism presents a perspective rooted in the Four Noble Truths: (1) life is suffering, and (2) the ultimate goal is to escape the cycle of rebirth (samsara). This can suggest a negative view of the meaning of life, as the early Buddhist canon describes rebirth as a "whole mass of suffering (S.V. II. 12.55)," implying that life serves primarily as a means to achieve "utter destruction" and abandon "future existence (S.V. 45.164)."

This presentation examines the interpretation of the Lotus Sütra by Zhiyi (538-597), the actual founder of Tiantai Buddhism, highlighting his positive perspective on the meaning of life. I argue that Zhiyi proposes that Buddha Shakyamuni, having attained nirvana long ago, engages in a performance of struggle to assist deluded sentient beings. His actions aim to guide the sentient beings toward enlightenment by opening their knowledge and vision of the Buddha. Ultimately, this understanding suggests recognizing one's identification with the Buddha and fulfilling the grand mission of aiding others.

Jenny Hung is an assistant professor in the Division of Humanities at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Mee Toh Foundation Visiting Professor in Buddhist Studies at National University of Singapore. She investigates the nature of the self from both the Western and Eastern perspectives. She is now working on two books: Between Buddha-nature and Emptiness: The Peak Era of Chinese Buddhism and Between Identity and Unity: The Self within Chinese Oneness Philosophy.