..續本文上一頁字來表示業的效應。在佛學術語中，“業”字決沒有“業的效應”的意思。業的效應，叫做業果或業報。

　　Volition may relatively be good or bad, just as a desire may relatively be good or bad. So karma may be good or bad relatively. Good karma (kusala) produces good effects, and bad karma (akusala) produces bad effects. ”Thirst”, volition, karma, whether good or bad, has one force as its effect: force to continue-to continue in a good or bad direction. Whether good or bad it is relative, and is within the cycle of continuity (samsāra). An Arahant, though he acts, does not accumulate karma, because he is free from the false idea of self, free from the ”thirst” for continuity and becoming, free from all other defilements and impurities (kilesā, sāsavā dhammā). For him there is no rebirth.

　　意志(思)有相對的善或惡，如同欲望有相對的善或惡一樣。所以業也有相對的善或惡。善業得善果，惡業得惡果。“渴(愛)”、思、業，無論善惡，其結果都能産生一種力量，一種繼續向善的或向惡的方向前進的力量。無論善惡，業果也是相對的，而且是存在于輪回之內的。阿羅漢雖然也有活動與作爲，卻不造業。因爲他沒有虛妄我執，沒有煩惱不淨，他已不受後有。

　　The theory of karma should not be confused with so-called ”moral justice” or ”reward and punishment”. The idea of moral justice, or reward and punishment, arises out of the conception of a supreme being, a God, who sits in judgment, who is a law-giver and who decides what is right and wrong. The term ”justice” is ambiguous and dangerous, and in its name more harm than good is done to humanity. The theory of karma is the theory of cause and effect, of action and reaction; it is a natural law, which has nothing to do with the idea of justice or reward and punishment. Every volitional action produces its effects or results. If a good action produces good effects and a bad action bad effects, it is not justice, or reward, or punishment meted out by anybody or any power sitting in judgment on your action, but this is in virtue of its own nature, its own law. This is not difficult to understand. But what is difficult is that, according to the karma theory, the effects of a volitional action may continue to manifest themselves even in a life after death. Here we have to explain what death is according to Buddhism.

　　業的理論，不可與“道德的正義”或“獎善懲惡”之說混爲一談。獎善懲惡與道德的正義，是以一個最高的主宰——上帝的觀念爲出發點的。上帝製造法律，君臨衆生，裁判是非。所謂“正義”一詞，意義含混。使用不當，危險甚大。假彼之名以危害人類者，實較造福爲多。業的理論，就是因果的理論、動力與反動力的理論。這是自然律，與正義、獎懲的觀念毫不相幹。每一個有意的行爲，一定有它的效應和結果。善業得善果，惡業得惡果。不是正義，不是任何“人”或力量對你的行爲加以裁判後所施于你的獎懲，而是因爲這些行爲的本質如此。這是它們本身的法則。這一點還不難懂。難懂的是：根據“業”的理論，意志行爲的效果，即使在人死後，在來生仍能繼續呈現。在這裏，我們必須依據佛教先解釋一下，死倒底是什麼？

　　We have seen earlier that a being is nothing but a combination physical and mental forces or energies. What we call death is the total non-functioning of the physical body. Do all these forces and energies stop altogether with the non-functioning of the body

　　 Buddhism says ”No”. Will, volition, desire, thirst to exist, to continue, to become more and more, is a tremendous force that moves whole lives, whole existences, that even moves the whole world. This is the greatest force, the greatest energy in the world. According to Buddhism, this force does not stop with the non-functioning of the body, which is death; but it continues manifesting itself in another form, producing re-existence which is called rebirth.

　　前文曾說明：衆生者，不過是肉體與精神力量(能)的綜合。我們叫做死的東西，只是身體機能的全部停止而已。這身體機能停止之後，是否這一切的力量與能也全部停頓了呢？佛教說：“不然！”對于生存、持續、繁衍的意志、願力、欲望與渴愛，是一股極大的力量，大到足以推動整個生命、整個存在、整個世界。這是世界最大的力量、最大的“能”。根據佛教，這力量並不因身體機能的活動停頓——死亡——而止息。它繼續以另一形式呈現，而造成稱爲再生的後有。

　　Now, another question arises: If there is no permanent, unchanging entity or substance like Self or Soul (ātman), what is it that can re-exist or be reborn after death

　　 Before we can go on to life after death, let us consider what this life is, and how it continues now. What we call life, as we have so often repeated, is the combination of the Five Aggregates, a combination of physical and mental energies. These are constantly changing: they do not remain the same for two consecutive moments. Every m…

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