Chapter III. The Second Noble Truth

　　Samudaya: The Arising of Dukkha

　　第叁章 第二聖谛：集谛——苦之生起

　　The Second Noble Truth is that of the arising or origin of dukkha (Dukkhasamudaya-ariyasacca). The most popular and well-known definition of the Second Truth as found in innumerable places in the original texts runs as follows:

　　第二聖谛——集谛，就是關于苦之生起或根源的真谛。這一聖谛最通俗而爲人所熟知的界說，在巴利文原典中許多地方都可見到。

　　”It is this “thirst” (craving, tanhā) which produces re-existence and re-becoming (ponobhavikā), and which is bound up with passionate greed (nandirāgasahagatā), and which finds fresh delight now here and now there (tatratatrābhinandini), namely, (1) thirst for sense- pleasures (kāma-tanhā), (2) thirst for existence and becoming (bhava-tanhā) and (3) thirst for non-existence (self-annihilation, vibhava-tanhā). [1]

　　“苦的根源，就是“渴(愛)”。它造成“來世”與“後有”；與強烈的貪欲相纏結，隨地隨處拾取新歡。這“渴(愛)”有叁：(一)感官享受的渴求(欲愛)；(二)生與存的渴求(有愛)；(叁)不再存在的渴求(無有愛)。”﹝注一﹞

　　In this ”thirst”, desire, greed, craving, manifesting itself in various ways, that gives rise to all forms of suffering and the continuity of beings. But it should not be taken as the first cause, for there is no first cause possible as, according to Buddhism, everything is relative and inter-dependent. Even this ”thirst”, tanhā, which is considered as the cause or origin of dukkha, depends for its arising (samudaya) on something else, which is sensation (vedanā)[2] , and sensation arises depending on contact (phassa), and so on and so forth on the circle which is known as Conditioned Genesis (Paticca-samuppāda), which we will discuss later. [3]

　　這以各種形式表現的“渴求”、欲望、貪婪、愛著，就是生起一切痛苦及使得生死相續不斷的根源。但卻不能將它視爲最初因，因爲按佛法說，一切都是相對的、相互依存的。這苦之根源的渴(愛)，也是依其他的條件而生起的。這條件就是受﹝注二﹞，而受又依觸而生起，輾轉相依，即構成所謂十二緣起。這在下文再爲詳論。

　　So tanhā, ”thirst”, is not the first or the only cause of the arising of dukkha. But it is the most palpable and the ”all-pervading thing”. [4] Hence in certain places of the original Pali texts themselves the definition of samudaya or the origin of dukkha includes other defilements and impurities (kilesā, sāsavā dhammā), in addition to tanhā ”thirst” which is always given the first place. [5] Within the necessarily limited space of our discussion, it will be sufficient if we remember that this ”thirst” has as its centre the false idea of self arising out of ignorance.

　　由上可知，“渴(愛)”並不是苦之生起的最初或唯一的原因，而是最明顯、最直接的原因，也是最主要與最普遍的事實。﹝注叁﹞因此，在巴利文原典的某些地方，集谛的定義中，除了以渴(愛)爲主要原因以外，還包括了其他的煩惱不淨法。﹝注四﹞本文篇幅有限，無法詳論，只請牢記一點：這渴(愛)的核心，就是從無明生起的虛妄我見。

　　Here the term ”thirst” includes not only desire for, and attachment to, sense-pleasures, wealth and power, but also desire for, and attachment to, idea and ideals, views, opinions, theories, conceptions and beliefs (dhamma-tanhā). [6] According to the Buddha”s analysis, all the troubles and strife in the world, from little personal quarrels in families to great wars between nations and countries, arise out of this selfish ”thirst”. From this point of view, all economic, political and social problems are rooted in this selfish ”thirst”. [7] Great statesmen who try to settle international disputes and talk of war and peace only in economic and political terms touch the superficialities, and never go deep into the real root of the problem. As the Buddha told Rattpāla: ”The world lacks and hankers, and is enslaved to “thirst” (tanhādāso).”

　　“渴(愛)”一詞的意義，不僅是對欲樂、財富、權勢的貪求與執著，也包括對意念、理想、觀點、意見、理論、概念、信仰等的貪求與執著。﹝注五﹞根據佛的分析，世間一切困擾紛爭，小至家庭個人之間的口角，大至國與國間的戰爭，無不由于這自私的“渴(愛)”所引起的。﹝注六﹞從這一觀點看，一切經濟、政治、與社會的根本，都在這自私的渴愛。大政治家們想僅從經濟與政治方面去解決國際糾紛，討論戰爭與和平，只觸及問題的表面，而不能深入到根本症結之所在。佛就曾告訴羅吒波羅：“世人常感不足，夢寐以求，乃成爲“渴(愛)”的奴隸。”

　　Every one will admit that all the evils in the world are produced by selfish desire. This is not difficult to understand. But now this desire, ”thirst”, can produce re-existence and re-becoming (ponobhavikā) is a problem not so easy to grasp. It is here that…

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