A Call to Seek Wisdom in Our Daily Lives

We live in confusing times. These days, we see violence being perpetuated by men who get away with their actions because there are leaders who seem to condone the evil acts. We see children and innocent civilians suffering from senseless causes that seek "peace" and "justice" at the expense of many people. We see our planet being destroyed by selfish individuals and corporations whose main goal is to enrich themselves without paying attention to the consequences.

Master Ru Rui

It is thus heartbreaking to observe that many individuals committing atrocious deeds clearly lack the wisdom to know the difference between right and wrong. 

At Mount Wutai, one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains in China, it is believed that. "Wisdom is knowing ourselves and making our lives meaningful in everything we do." There, monks and nuns focus on the Bodhisattva Manjushri or WenShu, a specific tenant of Buddhism, whose name means transcendent wisdom. At Wutai mountain, hundreds of women search for wisdom every day because they have realized how empty and infinite life is. 

Recently, Master Ru Rui, Abbot of Pushou Monastery and Head Nun of Mt. Wutai Buddhist Nunnery and Academy, hosted a Buddhist assembly to celebrate the birthday of the Buddhisattva Manjushri. It is her second year to call for a World Wisdom Day. Scholars, doctors, Buddhist philosophers, and other people were also present to give talks as they gathered to realize wisdom and compassion of WenShu.

According to Master Ru Rui, wisdom comes from making good use of your mind, which means seeing the empty and the infinite in all that we do. Thus, pursuing the transcendent wisdom of WenShu is similar to what we call Mindfulness and not the earthly wisdom of material wealth and accomplishments.

Master Minghai, Abbot of Bailin Temple, describes, "Buddhism contains many metaphors regarding wisdom, such as the sun dispelling the darkness, a sword that cuts through our despair." He agrees with the idea of proposing a World Wisdom day "because wisdom transcends nationality, religion and culture." 

Each one of us constantly makes mistakes in our daily lives. What is important is recognizing these mistakes and changing them. That is how you find wisdom. It is not something that can be taught but must be found on our own. If every one could only be mindful enough to realize this, our world would definitely become a better place to live in.