In the Era of Artificial Intelligence (AI),We must Cherish more the Wisdom of True Spiritual Teachers

从佛陀到你之间代代相传的，就是文字背后的正法眼藏、涅槃妙心，它必须要通过一个人来传给你。

Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is being applied across almost every industry, rapidly ushering humanity into a new era of machine-enhanced cognition, unprecedented automation and intellect. Against this backdrop, we, as disciples of the Buddha, must earnestly contemplate: What, then, is our unique, irreplaceable value?

现在，人工智能（AI）正赋能于各个行业，快速地推动着人类进入智能时代。在这样的时代背景下，我们佛弟子要思考的是，我们自身不共的价值是什么？

01

知识不是智慧

人工智能语言模型本身只是逻辑层面的工具，哪怕把三藏十二部都输入里面了，你一查，满篇的佛言祖语都可以罗列出来，给你提供你想要的答案，但它并不能代表智慧本身。

所以，虽然科技进步了，但对于我们人类的共业来说，实际上烦恼更重了。过去是精致的利己主义，现在是精致的烦恼主义。人们遇到困惑时，他往往会求助于这些被精密编码的人工智能软件，这不仅是对真理弘扬者的考验，对众生来说，更大的违缘出现了，更容易淹没在知识的海洋里，更难触摸到佛法的智慧了。

<Knowledge Is Not Wisdom>

AI Language models are, in essence, tools of logic. If we feed into the system the entirety of the Tripiṭaka, all three collections and twelve divisions of the Buddhist Canon, and ask it to retrieve answers, AI could swiftly assemble a text reciting the words of Buddhas and patriarchs, offering responses seemingly tailored to our queries. Yet this, however dazzling, is not wisdom. Words and texts serve as carriers of knowledge, yet they do not fully convey the profound meaning of the Dharma.

Therefore, although technology has advanced, the collective karmic burden of humanity has grown heavier, and our afflictions (kleśas) have deepened in complexity. In the past, we spoke of a ‘refined self-interest’; now, we live in an age of ‘refined anxiety’ where we encounter more subtle and intricate afflictions, and entanglement in delusion. Many people turn to AI-driven tools for answers when they feel confused or lost, but this is not a substitute for authentic spiritual guidance. This tendency not only tests those who safeguard the Dharma, but it also creates greater obstacles — over-reliance on AI may lead people to get lost in a sea of information rather than achieving real insights attained through the liberating wisdom of Buddhism. AI cannot replace the Triple Gem — Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—nor can it take the place of true spiritual teachers.

“诸佛妙理，非关文字”

在《六祖坛经》中，六祖大师就跟无尽藏比丘尼讲，“诸佛妙理，非关文字。”也就是说，知识的逻辑、这些大语言并不是诸佛的妙理，它跟智慧没有关系。数理化，乃至哲学，都是一种逻辑，属于知识层面、工具学层面，它的本体不是智慧。

所以，AI作为学习的工具，虽然有助于提高学习效率，但如果想通过它来学佛，用工具替代三宝、替代真正的大善知识，那就走入误区了。客观来说，随着AI与我们的生活越来越密切，这种遗憾的发生是难免的。

In the Platform Sūtra of the Sixth Patriarch, the Sixth Patriarch told the nun, Bhikkhunī Wu JinZang: “The subtle truth of the Buddhas lie not in written words and letters.” That is to say, the logic of knowledge, and the dazzling capacity of large language models do not capture the subtle principles of the Buddhas; they are unrelated to wisdom. Mathematics, physics, chemistry, even philosophy, are but systems of thought. They belong to the domain of conditioned knowledge, tools of analysis and conceptual understanding. They are not wisdom in their very nature.

Therefore, AI, when leveraged as a tool for learning, may indeed enhance efficiency and be a helpful aid in the study of the Dharma. However, it cannot substitute for the Triple Gem — the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha, nor can it supplant the guidance of a true spiritual teacher. Relying solely on AI-generated interpretations of Buddhist scriptures as one’s teacher is to walk into delusion and can lead to misunderstandings. As AI becomes increasingly woven into the fabric of our daily lives, such confusion is, regrettably, almost inevitable, and is likely to occur with increasing frequency.

<英文翻译：Iko&Matt （澳大利亚）

Walking on a spring outing,Pure Brightness

正如佛陀在经典里讲的那样，以后的时代五蕴昌盛，众生被“打劫”得体无完肤，没有精力再来学佛；已经学佛的人也会不小心被它“打劫”。为什么？因为我们毕竟生活在这个时代，很难完全脱离时代的共业。

如果我们开智慧了，了解如来的真实义了，这才能代表智慧、代表大道，才能住持三宝。《六祖坛经》里说：“正人说邪法，邪法亦成正；邪人说正法，正法亦成邪。”知见如果不正的话，高僧大德的语言也会被邪解的。

The Buddha himself prophesied in the scriptures, that in future ages, the Five Aggregates would flourish, yet sentient beings would be so spiritually “ransacked” by worldly distractions as to be left fragmented and exhausted, with little energy remaining to undertake the study of the Dharma. Even those already walking the path may find themselves subtly “robbed” of their resolve without realising it. Why? Because we are inescapably entangled in the collective karma of this era. It is difficult to wholly transcend it.

Only by awakening true wisdom, and the true meaning of the Tathāgata's teaching is realised, can we claim to embody wisdom, to uphold the Great Way, and possess the authority to sustain the Triple Gem. As the Platform Sūtra again affirms: “When a righteous person speaks a deviant teaching, that teaching becomes righteous; when a deluded person speaks the righteous Dharma, it too may become distorted.” Without the correct knowledge and views, even the words of great masters may be misinterpreted, and people can be lead astray.

02

善知识

才是大道的传承者

II. True Spiritual Teachers Are

 the Guardians of the Path

文字是我们人类文明的一个标志，同时也可能是人类苦难的一种载体，所以它是一把双刃剑。在大唐盛世，六祖大师示现了文字上并不通达，但他的心性不拘泥于文字相，他的心灵的智慧光芒，完全不需要通过文字来体现。

灵山会上“佛陀拈花，迦叶破颜”，禅宗的“教外别传，不立文字”，这就是佛陀的正法眼藏、涅槃妙心。佛法不坏世界法，它也有文字传承的方式，但三藏十二部并不能完整地、独立地成为智慧体，还需要佛法僧三宝一体的传承。

六祖大师已经明了心地，五祖大师还要半夜袈裟做围，再一对一地密付于他。所以佛教里才会强调“传承”，从佛陀到你之间代代相传的，就是文字背后的正法眼藏、涅槃妙心，它必须要通过一个人来传给你。

这就是告诉我们不要忘了，佛教里的任何一乘，它的背后逻辑都是《法华经》里所讲的逻辑——“无二亦无三，唯有一真实”。你不要认为声闻乘就是声闻乘，声闻乘的本质也是从佛陀金刚心中所流出的，佛陀的金刚语“一即一切”，它就是圆满的。

这也是我们佛弟子需要保持敬畏的地方，不要觉得我学了声闻乘的法、学了戒，就觉得怎么样了。在开遮持犯上，善知识才有解释权，善知识才有安立权，最终落实到现实生活的时候，要以善知识为主，善知识叫你怎么做，你就怎么做，因为他背后的逻辑是能够代佛宣扬的。所以，我们学佛了，就要进入佛教的系统里来，否则会闹笑话的。

Written language stands as one of the hallmarks of human civilisation — and yet it can also serve as a vessel for human suffering. Like a double-edged sword, it may uplift or delude. During the Tang dynasty’s golden age, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, though illiterate, demonstrated that mastery over written words is not the measure of wisdom. The luminous insight of his awakened mind transcended dependence upon textual expression.

Recall the Flower Sermon upon Vulture Peak, the Buddha silently held up a flower, and Mahākāśyapa smiled in silent understanding. This was the birth of the Chan tradition’s “special transmission outside the scriptures,” not relying on words and letters. This is the Treasury of the Buddha’s True Dharma Eye, the Wondrous Mind of Nirvāṇa. While the Dharma does not reject worldly conventions, it has its own textual tradition of scriptural transmission (the vast canon of the Tripiṭaka) these alone do not embody complete wisdom. For true transmission requires the unified presence of Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, the Triple Gem in living harmony, moving through the human heart.

Though the Sixth Patriarch had already awakened - attaining clarity of mind, the Fifth Patriarch still chose to transmit the robe and bowl to him in secrecy during the depths of night. Why such care? Because in Buddhism, “transmission” refers not to ink on paper, but to the unbroken lineage from the Buddha to this very moment — the sacred essence behind the texts, the True Dharma Eye, the Wondrous Mind of Nirvāṇa. And this must be entrusted from one awakened mind to another.

Let us not forget that behind every path in the Dharma lies a single truth, as stated in the Lotus Sūtra: “There is no second nor third way, but only One True Path.” Even what appears as the Śrāvakayāna (the Hearers’ Path) is an emanation of the Buddha’s Vajra mind, born of his indestructible vow. The Vajra speech of the Tathāgata declares: “One is all, and all is one.” Every true teaching contains the completeness of the Dharma.

This is why we, as followers of the Buddha, must maintain a deep sense of reverence. It is not enough to study precepts or the Śrāvakas teachings (the Hearers’ path) and feel self-satisfied, assuming that we understand. When it comes to interpretation and application, what to permit or prohibit, it is the true spiritual teacher who holds the authority. It is they who possess the insight to establish what is appropriate. When Dharma is brought into daily life, it must be grounded in the guidance of the spiritual teacher. When they instruct, we follow — for behind their words is the capacity to proclaim the Dharma on behalf of the Buddha. Thus, to learn the Dharma is to enter the living system of the Buddha’s teachings. Otherwise, even earnest efforts may turn into mistakes.

“无二亦无三，唯有一真实” >>

在这样的一个时代，我们如果有智慧了、有定力了，也可以借助机器智能学习佛法。但它对我们修行造成的障碍，对我们生命这种碎片化的“打劫”，我们要生起一种定解，要更加珍惜佛教的善知识，他们才是大道的传承者，他们才是真正住持三宝的僧宝，他们才是法门的龙象。我们只要追随好、护持好他们，就能健康成长。

In this present era, if we possess wisdom and meditative strength, we may skilfully utilise AI as a learning tool for the Dharma. But we must also recognise the ways it fragments our lives, disrupting our practice, robbing us of inner stillness. Therefore, let us develop resolute clarity, and cherish all the more the true spiritual teachers of the Dharma. They alone are the true inheritors of the Great Way. These monks are the living embodiment of the Saṅgha who uphold the Triple Gem. They are the dragons of the Dharma, the elephants of the teachings. So long as we follow them with sincerity, and support them wholeheartedly, our growth in the Dharma will be steadfast and true.

While AI can assist in studying Buddhist knowledge, true wisdom can only be attained through practice, experience, and guidance from genuine spiritual teachers. In an era of rapid technological advancement, Buddhist practitioners must remain grounded, uphold the Triple Gem, and follow true spiritual teachers to prevent being misled by superficial knowledge.

——三参法师

 Venerable Master San Can

< 养心Slogan>

频繁刷手机，我们的心灵很容易被碎片化，不要沉溺其中，学会自我节制，通过学习佛法来有效滋养并净化我们的心灵，一起回归心灵，保持身心灵的健康。