Chapter VI. The Doctrine of No Soul: Anatta

　　第六章 無我論

　　What in generally is suggested by Soul, Self, Ego, or to use the Sanskrit expression Ātman, is that in man there is a permanent, everlasting and absolute entity, which is the unchanging substance behind the changing phenomenal world. According to some religions, each inpidual has such a separate soul which is created by God, and which, finally after death, lives eternally either in hell or heaven, its destiny depending on the judgment of its creator. According to others, it goes through many lives till it is completely purified and becomes finally united with God or Brahman, Universal Soul or Ātman, from which it originally emanated. This soul or self in man is the thinker of thoughts, feeler of sensations, and receiver of rewards and punishments for all its actions good and bad. Such a conception is called the idea of self.

　　一般用到“靈魂”、“自我”、“個我”或梵文裏的“神我”( Atman)(編者注： Atman其實只是“我”的意思，一般均譯爲“神我”，沿用已久，但是否與奧義書及吠檀多之哲學相符，甚可置疑。)這些字眼的時候，它們所提示的意義是：在人身中有一恒常不變、亘古長存的絕對實體。這實體就是那千變萬化的現象世界背後不變的實質。照某些宗教說，每一個人都有一個個別的靈魂，這靈魂是上帝所創造的。人死後，它即永久地生活在地獄或天堂裏，而它的命運則完全取決于它的創造主的裁判。依另一些宗教的說法，這靈魂可以曆經多生，直到完全淨化，最後乃與上帝或梵天或神我合一，因爲當初它就是從這裏面流出來的。這個人身中的靈魂或自我是思想者、感受者、一切善惡行爲所得獎懲的領納者，這種的觀念叫做我見。

　　Buddhism stands unique in the history of human thought in denying the existence of such a Soul, Self, or Ātman. According to the teaching of the Buddha, the idea of self is an imaginary, false belief which has no corresponding reality, and it produces harmful thoughts of ”me” and ”mine”, selfish desire, craving, attachment, hatred, ill-will, conceit, pride, egoism, and other defilements, impurities and problems. It is the source of all the troubles in the world from personal conflicts to wars between nations. In short, to this false view can be traced all the evil in the world.

　　在人類的思想史中，佛教是獨一無二不承認這靈魂、自我或神我的存在者。根據佛的教誡，我見是虛妄的邪信，與真實絕不相侔。它只能産生“我”、“我的”之類有害的思想、自私的欲望、貪求、執著、憎恨、嗔恚、貢高、我慢、自利主義，以及其它染汙不淨法等種種問題。它是世間一切紛擾的泉源：從個人間的沖突，以至國與國間的戰爭，莫不以此爲根由。簡言之，世間一切邪惡不善法，無一不可溯源到這一邪見。

　　Two ideas are psychologically deep-rooted in man; self-protection and self-preservation. For self-protection man has created God, on whom he depends for his own protection, safety and security, just as a child depends on its parent. For self-preservation man has conceived the idea of an immortal Soul or Ātman, which will live eternally. In his ignorance, weakness, fear, and desire, man needs these two things to console himself. Hence he clings to them deeply and fanatically.

　　人的心理上，有兩種根深蒂固的意念：自衛與自存。爲了自衛，人類創造了上帝，靠上帝得到保護、安全與依怙，就像小孩依賴父母一樣。爲了自存，人類想出了靈魂(神我)不滅的主意，俾得亘古長存。由于他的愚昧、懦弱、恐懼與貪婪，人類需要這兩件東西來安慰自己。因此，他緊緊地、狂熱地抓住它們。

　　The Buddha”s teaching does not support this ignorance, weakness, fear, and desire, but aims at making man enlightened by removing and destroying them, striking at their very root. According to Buddhism, our ideas of God and Soul are false and empty. Though highly developed as theories, they are all the same extremely subtle mental projections, garbed in an intricate metaphysical and philosophical phraseology. These ideas are so deep-rooted in man, and so near and dear to him, that he does not wish to hear, nor does he want to understand, any teaching against them.

　　佛的教誡不但不助長這愚昧、怯懦、恐懼與貪欲，反從釜底抽新將這些(劣根性)連根芟除，以使人類得到正覺爲目的。根據佛教，上帝與靈魂的概念，是虛妄不實的。雖然神學是一項高度發展的理論，它們仍然只是極精微的前塵心影，不過穿上了深奧難懂的形上學以及哲學名詞的外衣而已。這些意念之根深蒂固而爲人類所親所愛，使得人類不願聽聞、更不願了解任何與之相違反的教誡。

　　The Buddha knew this quite well. In fact, he said that his teaching was ”against the current” (patisotagāmi), against man”s selfish desire. Just four weeks after his Enlightenment, seated under a banyan tree, he thought to himself; ”I have realized this Truth which is deep, difficult to understand… comprehensible only by the wise… Men who are overpowered by passions and surrounded by a mass of darkness cannot …

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