In this book the concept of “mountain, sea, sky, man” is used to express the “four realms of reality” of the Huayan school of Buddhism. Mountain corresponds to the realm of individual phenomena; sea corresponds to the realm of nonobstruction
between principle and phenomena; sky corresponds to the realm of the one principle (śūnyatā) ; and man corresponds to the realm of nonobstruction between phenomena, The same correspondence is expressed in the following verse:
Mountain:
From the sacred mountain of Huayan, entering the realm of reality; conventional truth is spoken in the realm of individual phenomena.
Sea:
Returning to the essence through the sea of Vairocana; Buddha is the realm of nonobstruction between principle and phenomena.
Sky:
The universal Dharmakaya is ineffable; in the realm of the one principle the essential nature is emptiness itself.
Man:
The vows of Samantabhadra span the three times; the realm of nonobstruction between phenomena—this is the Bodhisattva practice.
心道法師 靈鷲山開山和尚
心道法師,靈鷲山無生道場開山和尚、世界宗教博物館創辦人。發願效法觀世音菩薩的精神,歷經獨修、塚間修到閉關斷食,觀照世間的虛妄無常,證悟宇宙諸法的真相與智慧。心道法師一生致力於推廣愛與和平,陸續成立靈鷲山般若文教基金會、靈鷲山護法會、世界宗教博物館基金會、靈鷲山慈善基金會等,積極投入生命的關懷照護。二○○一年成立全球首座世界宗教博物館,以「尊重每一個信仰、包容每一個族群、博愛每一個生命」為創館宗旨。二○○二年創立國際性非營利機構─ GFLP(愛與和平地球家,Global Family for Love & Peace),推動跨宗教合作,從事保護聖蹟、國際救援等工作。