One of the most important doctrines in Buddhism is anātman, which denies the existence of a self. However, if there really is no self, then how can we say that there are any wrongdoers? In turn, we could even question whether it makes any sense to repent of our sins, if there is no agent behind anything. This issue is particularly vexing from a Western philosophical standpoint, which generally emphasizes moral agency as an important aspect of ethics. However, the Korean monk Wŏnhyo (617–686) claimed that only on the basis of the doctrine of non-self and universal emptiness could we properly practice repentance while avoiding dogmatism and self-righteousness. In his view, liberation from suffering can only be achieved through a deep understanding of the nature of emptiness. This understanding can only be reached by rejecting the reality of the six sense-objects and therefore seeing the world as a kind of illusion. However, such a vision does not imply that we must step "outside" of the world—on the contrary, we must embrace illusion and reality as being the same. Understanding and accepting this radically non-dualistic metaphysical view results in an ethics where genuine compassion is generated spontaneously.

中文翻译：

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走向空虚的佛教伦理：Wŏnhyo 论六识大乘忏悔中的过犯与忏悔

佛教中最重要的教义之一是无我，它否认自我的存在。但是，如果真的没有我，又怎么能说有不法者呢？反过来，如果任何事情背后都没有代理人，我们甚至可以质疑悔改我们的罪是否有意义。从西方哲学的角度来看，这个问题尤其令人烦恼，西方哲学通常强调道德能动性是伦理学的一个重要方面。然而，韩国僧人Wŏnhyo（617-686）声称，只有基于无我和普遍空性的教义，我们才能正确地修行忏悔，同时避免教条主义和自以为是。在他看来，只有深入了解空性的本质，才能从痛苦中解脱出来。这种理解只能通过拒绝六种感官对象的真实性，从而将世界视为一种幻相来实现。然而，这样的愿景并不意味着我们必须“走出”世界——相反，我们必须将幻想和现实视为相同。理解和接受这种完全非二元论的形而上学观点会导致一种自发产生真正同情的伦理。