人，有不同的性格，天下萬物，也有不同的性格。像海洋有容納百川的性格，大地有承載一切的性格。國際佛光會是一個現代化的世界組織，當然也有其性格。總括而言，佛光會兼具下列四種性格︰
(一) 國際佛光會具足信仰的根性︰樹，之所以長得茂盛蒼鬱，是因為有紮實的根；人，所以能活得下去，是因為有生命的根。事業亦然，如果想要昌盛興隆，就必須鞏固根基。所謂萬丈高樓平地起」，根基越深越穩，樓房才能建得越高越大。
《華嚴經》云︰「信為道元功德母，增長一切諸善根。」慧命的根，是信仰。壯大信仰的根，我們可以消除煩惱、淨化身心；滋養信仰的根，我們可以增長菩提、進德修業。信心門裡有無限寶藏，一分信心就有一分收穫，十分信心就有十分收穫。像五代靈裕禪師不畏周武法難，夜談佛理；唐朝志超法師無懼朝廷反佛，為人剃度。由於祖師大德憑著堅定的信仰，冒死護佛，使得聖教得以延續至今，眾生也因而蒙受法益。所以，深厚的信仰基礎不但可以解脫煩惱，安住身心，更能夠普利有情，兼善天下。
佛光會與其他一般社會團體不同之處，主要就在於佛光會具有堅定的宗教信仰。因此我們的宗旨強調信心教性，我們的信條注重信仰傳承，我們在會前高唱三寶頌，我們在飯前稱念佛光會員四句偈。此外，我們舉辦各類修行活動來培養佛子的信心道念，我們選拔佛光家庭以鼓勵佛教的信仰傳燈。佛光會成立五年來，不但陣容越來越堅強，法務也越來越興隆，凡此都是因為佛光會具足信仰的根性。
(二) 國際佛光會具足普及的特性︰佛教是一個具有大眾性格的宗教，像觀音菩薩以「普門示現」來接引眾生，普賢菩薩以「普同供養」攝化有情，淨土宗以「三根普被」的念佛法門來度脫行人，禪宗以「普請出坡」的作務方式來反璞歸真……，處事能「普」及一切，則皆大歡喜；待人能「普」遍圓融，則能利益均霑。「普」，是一個多麼美好的世界啊！
佛光會秉承古聖先賢的包容本懷，不但接引全球各地的佛子參與其中，更歡迎信仰不同的佛光之友共襄盛舉。由於彼此秉持共同的度眾理想，發揮高度的濟世熱忱，同心一德推動佛學研究、擴大社會服務，所以能在短期間內將佛法的菩提種子遍撒世界五大洲，大家不分種族、貧富、貴賤、老少，咸來加入我們弘法利生的行列，讓佛教慈悲、般若、禪定、戒行的妙用普及人心，成為社會的中流砥柱，不但受到當地居民的肯定，各國政府也相繼頒獎鼓勵，此乃佛光會具足普及的特性由以致之。
(三) 國際佛光會具足現代的適性︰現代有適應、進步的意義，佛教自從佛陀創教以來，一直都能保持現代的適性，在各種弘法方式上力求契理契機，與時俱進；例如在佛教經典方面，從口授傳法，到抄經、刻經、印經，進而發展到現在的電腦藏經；在佛化事業方面，從早期的僧祇粟、寺庫、無盡藏院、病坊，到目前的佛教托兒所、幼稚園、中學、大學，佛教醫院、診所、佛教圖書雜誌等等，都是配合時代的需要。
有識於佛教現代化的重要性，佛光會自開創以來，即配合時代的腳步，不但倡導人間化、大眾化的佛教，將佛法禮儀推廣到日常生活當中，將佛教修持落實於F我關係之間，更推動以道德為本，普利社會的現代化佛教，從植樹環保、資源回收活動的舉辦，到七誡運動、清貧思想的推行；從佛教電視、廣播節目的錄製，到佛教錄音帶、錄影帶的出版……，凡此種種無非是想將佛教的般若智慧，化為權巧方便以廣利有情。此外，我們的弘法活動以聲光化電來攝受大眾，我們的教化方式以科技文明來增進效果，我們的目的是要讓佛教積極進取的精神，永遠伴隨著時代潮流向前邁進。總之，只要有益於人類大眾，各種新的思想、新的方法，佛光會都勇於嘗試，樂於參與，因為我們具足現代的適性。
(四) 國際佛光會具足國際的廣性︰佛法妙諦除了能豎窮三際、歷久彌新之外，更具有橫遍十方，周遍涵容的特性。釋迦牟尼佛為說法度眾，非以一地、一國為限；觀世音菩薩為尋聲救苦，二六時中遊諸國土；善財童子南巡諸國，尋師訪道；趙州禪師八十行腳，四處參學。
國際佛光會追隨古德風範，主張天下本是一家，眾生原是一體。所以我們每年將各地的精英聚集一堂，召開世界會員代表大會、理監事會議；我們經常在全球不同地區，舉辦各種講習會議培訓各種人才；我們每年遴選檀講師在國際弘揚法義；我們舉行世界祈福法會，祈求人類和平；我們舉辦各種國際佛教會議，彼此溝通交流；我們推動世界佛學會考，普及學佛風氣；我們協辦國際僧伽會議，互相切磋研究；我們成立急難救助會，將佛光會員的慈悲帶往世界各地的災區；我們一再呼籲全體會員立足本土，放眼世界，因為佛光會具足國際的廣性。
性格是成就一切的動能，車子的性能好，就能走得遠、跑得快；飛彈的性能強，就能飛得高、射得準。國際佛光會在成立開始，就具足了信仰的根性、普及的特性、現代的適性、國際的廣性，往後要邁向崇高的理想，成就長遠的法業，還必須會員們同心齊力，以眾為我，將佛光會的四種性格淋漓發揮！
The Character of the BLIA
People all have different characters, just as all things in the universe have their own, individual natures. The sea accepts all the world’s rivers, and the earth supports all its many forms of life. Since the BLIA is an international organization, it too must be expansive like the sea, and inclusive of all, just like the earth. I will discuss the character of the BLIA in more detail in the following four sections.
Belief
A tree can grow tall and flourish only if it has strong roots. In the same way, a human being can only live well if his or her character has deep roots. If you want to do great things in your life, you must first be certain that you have a strong and deep foundation. “The tallest buildings are built on flat ground.” The deeper and firmer the founda- tion, the taller the building can be.
The Flower Adornment says, “Belief is the source of the way and the mother of all virtue. She constantly nurtures all good roots.”
The roots of wisdom are belief. If we have deep roots of belief, then we will be able to rid ourselves of all suffering and purify our hearts and minds. If we have deep roots of compassion, then we will be able to increase our awareness of the bodhi mind as we develop our own best virtues.
Unlimited treasures lie behind the doors of belief. If you have one unit of belief, then you can reap one unit of the good harvest. If you have ten units of belief, then you will be able to reap ten units of the good harvest. Master Lingyu (518-605) of the Five dynasties period was not afraid of King Chou’s dislike of Buddhism. He preached anyway. Master Zhichao of the Tang dynasty also was not afraid of imperial displeasure. He ordained monks, no matter what the emperor thought. There were many courageous monks in the past who took great risks to preach the Dharma. If it had not been for them, there might not be any Dharma for us to hear today. Their willingness to take the risks they took was based on their unshakable faith in the truths of Buddhism. Faith is an indispensable virtue not just for what it can do
for us, but also for what it can do for others through us.
The main difference between the BLIA and other large organiza- tions is that the BLIA is founded on religious belief.
Our guiding principles are based on belief, just as our basic eight beliefs emphasize belief and faith. We proclaim our belief in the Triple Gem before all the world.
In addition to this, we carry on many activities whose major focus lies in furthering people’s belief in Buddhism.
We make belief a mainstay of our families, and from there, use it
to influence and help other people.
Since its inception in 1991, the BLIA has grown strong and our work has seen much success. We have met with success only because we have deep roots of faith and belief upon which we may constantly draw.
Universalism
Buddhism is a religion concerned with the welfare of all sentient beings.
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva embodies a compassion that includes all beings. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva has dedicated himself to helping all sentient beings. Pure Land Buddhism is based on a vow all of us can take, and by this vow, it is designed to save everyone who is willing to try. Chan Buddhism shows everyone how to escape suffering, and no one is ever excluded.
Universalism is a fundamental concept that lies at the heart of all Buddhism. When we do things with a universal consciousness, we do them in a way that can bring benefit to all beings. When we always deal with people with a universal inclusiveness, then we will cast our net of mercy as widely as it should be cast.
The BLIAis rooted within the great tradition of Buddhist tolerance, which comes from deep in the past.
Not only do we welcome all disciples of Buddha into our ranks, no matter where they may come from, but we also support and help friends of Buddhism, even if they are not Buddhist themselves.
Since all of us share the same high ideals and the same ardent enthusiasm for spreading Buddhism to all corners of the world, the BLIA has been very successful in the few years since its formation. Since we make no distinctions among ourselves as to social position, age, race or wealth, we have succeeded in spreading bodhi seeds to many parts of the world in a very short period of time. Our efforts to make Buddhist virtues like compassion, prajna, meditative concen- tration and self-control mainstays of the world’s culture have been welcome wherever we have gone. Even the governments of many nations around the world have been supportive of our efforts. We have seen this sort of repeated success because our first emphasis always has been on universalism. We do this for all the world’s peoples, and no one is excluded.
Adaptability
Ever since the time of the Buddha, Buddhism has been characterized by its adaptability.
Buddha enjoined his disciples to use whatever means necessary to preach the Dharma and to adapt it to the conditions of whichever society they found themselves in.
An example of this willingness to adapt can be seen in the way the Dharma itself has been preserved over time.
In the Buddha’s day, the Dharma was only taught orally. There were no written sutras. In time, people began to write down the Buddha’s teachings. Over the years, sutras have been written, copied, painted, or carved in wood and stone, depending on the conditions and needs of the time and place. In this modern world, the sutras are being placed on line so they can be researched even more easily on computers.
Another example of Buddhism’s adaptability can be found in Buddhist charity works and healthcare facilities.
In the distant past, Buddhists stockpiled grain in case of famine. Gradually, temples began to amass some wealth, which they often used to lend to people in need. Many temples also oversaw lending among their members. Small interest payments from these transactions were used for temple repairs and the like. Nowadays, we have Buddhist nursery schools, high schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, clinics, magazines, and even TV shows.
The BLIA is dedicated to furthering this process of expansion and adaptability.
By preaching Humanistic Buddhism, we hope to bring the truths of Buddhism into the everyday lives of people everywhere. By preaching Buddhist morality, we hope to influence in a positive way how groups of people interact among themselves. By advocating environmen- talism, we hope to transform the way people treat the natural world around them. By using TV and radio to broadcast Buddhist ideals to as many people as possible, we hope to infuse society with the wisdom of the Buddha himself. In doing these things, we try to be as modern and skillful as possible, because only in this way can we hope to success- fully make Buddhism into a living and active force that participates in the world’s development even as it seeks to influence it.
Internationalism
Buddhism is vast. It is vast not only across time, but also across space. The Buddha did not preach the Dharma merely to one place at one time.
After his enlightenment, the Buddha said, “All sentient beings in the whole universe possess the wisdom of the Tathagata.”
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva has pledged to answer any call for help, no matter where it comes from. Sudhana traveled all over India to learn Buddhism. In his eighties, Master Zhaozhou (778-897) still traveled between distant monasteries in China to deepen his learning.
The BLIA is part of that vast tradition of Buddhism. We consider the world to be our home and all people to be our family.
Every year the BLIA holds its annual conference in a different part of the world. In addition to this conference, the BLIA hosts many other kinds of meetings and seminars all across the globe. We hold board meetings, meetings of lay preachers, seminars with Buddhist monks from other orders, and large interdenominational conferences designed to improve communication among the world’s different religions. We sponsor the World Buddhist Examination to encourage people to study Buddhism throughout the year. The BLIA is also involved in disaster relief and charity work. In these ways, we try to send our message to every part of the world.
The character of an organization determines its effectiveness. If an automobile is well-tuned and well-maintained, it will travel far and fast. If a missile is well-made, it will be able to fly very far and strike with great accuracy. We have based the BLIA’s fundamental character on belief, on universalism, on adaptability and on internationalism. If we really want to accomplish our highest ideals, it is essential that all members of the BLIA work together harmoniously and positively to bring these ideals to fruition. If we all cooperate with each other, I am sure the BLIA will continue to bring the aid and comfort of Buddhism to even more of the world’s people.