..續本文上一頁oment they are born and they die. ”When the Aggregates arise, decay and die, O bhikkhu, every moment you are born, decay and die[16] .” Thus, even now during this life time, every moment we are born and die, but we continue. If we can understand that in this life we can continue without a permanent, unchanging substance like Self or Soul, why can”t we understand that those forces themselves can continue without a Self or a Soul behind them after then non-functioning of the body

　　現在又生起另外一個問題：如果沒有永恒不變的實體如“自我”、“神我”者，那末這個在死後仍能受有、仍能再生的是什麼呢？在進一步討論死後的生命之前，我們先來研究一下現生是什麼？以及它如何持續？我們已經一再重複的說過，所謂生命乃是五蘊和合而成，是肉體與精神力量的綜合。這些力量時刻在變，沒有兩個相續的刹那是相同的。每一刹那，它們生起又立刻死亡。“五蘊生起、變壞、死亡的時後，比丘啊！那每一刹那，你也生起、變壞、死亡。”﹝注十叁﹞所以在今生一生當中，每一刹那我們都在生了又死，死了又生，而我依舊繼續存在。假使我們能夠了解，在今生中，我們沒有一個永恒不變的實體如“自我”、“神我”者，而能繼續存在，爲什麼我們就不能了解在身體機能的活動停頓之後，這力量仍能不假助于“自我”、“神我”而繼續存在呢？

　　When this physical body is no more capable of functioning, energies do not die with it, but continue to take some other shape or form, which we call another life. In a child all the physical, mental and intellectual faculties are tender and weak, but they have within them the potentiality of producing a full grown man. Physical and mental energies which constitute the so-called being have within themselves the power to take a new form, and grow gradually and gather force to the full.

　　物質的身體不再活動的時後，“能”並不隨之消失。它繼續形成另外一種形態，就是我們叫做另一生命的東西。兒童的身體與心智機能都非常嬌嫩、柔弱，可是其中卻含有成長爲發育完全的成人的勢能。構成所謂衆生的身心的能，其中即含有形成新色身、並使之逐漸長成及充份發育的力量。

　　As there is no permanent, unchanging substance, nothing passes from one moment to the next. So quite obviously, nothing permanent or unchanging can pass or transmigrate from one life to the next. It is a series that continues unbroken, but changes every moment. The series is, really speaking, nothing but movement. It is like a flame that burns through the night: it is not the same flame nor it is another. A child grows up to be a man of sixty. Certainly the man of sixty is not the same as the child of sixty years ago, nor is he another person. Similarly, a person who dies here and is reborn elsewhere is nether the same person, nor another (na ca so na ca aňňo). It is the continuity of the same series. The difference between death and birth is only a thought-moment: the last thought-moment in this life conditions the first thought-moment in the so-called next life, which, in fact, is the continuity of the same series. During this life itself, too, one thought-moment conditions the next thought-moment. So from the Buddhist point of view, the question of life after death is not a great mystery, and a Buddhist is never worried about this problem.

　　因爲沒有永恒不滅的實體，所以並沒有任何東西可以從這一刹那度到另一刹那。因而，很明顯的，也就沒有任何恒常不變的東西可以從今生投向他生。生命只是刹那變化而相繼不斷的一個系列。這系列，實在講起來，只是一連串的運動。它就像一朵徹夜長明的燈焰。(從初夜到天明)它既非同一焰，也不是另一焰。一個小孩成長爲六十老翁。當然的，這六十老翁與六十年前的稚子不會一樣，可是他也不是另一個人。同樣地，一個人在此地死了，在另一個地方又生了下來；這兩者既非同一人，亦非另一人。他仍是同一系列的繼續。死與生的差別只在一念頃間。此生的最後一念頃，便決定了所謂下一生的最初一念頃。這下一生實際上仍是此生同一系列的延續。就在此生中，亦複如是。此一念頃便是構成下一念頃的要件。因此，從佛教的觀點看，生死的問題並不是什麼大神秘。佛教徒對這問題是素不挂懷的。

　　As long as there is this ”thirst” to be and to become, the cycle of continuity (samsāra) goes on. It can stop only when its driving force, this ”thirst”, is cut off through wisdom which sees Reality, Truth, Nirvāna.

　　只是求生、求存的“渴(愛)”存在一天，生死相續的輪回，就將不停的流轉。只有以智慧照見實相、真理、涅槃，將它的動力“渴(愛)”切斷了，這輪回才會停止轉動。

　　[1] Mhvg. (Alutgama, 1922), p. 9; S V (PTS), p. 421 and passim.

　　[2] Vedanāsamudayā tanhāsamudayo. M I (PTS), p. 51

　　[3] See p.53.

　　[4] Abhisamuc, p. 43, prādhānyārtha, sarvatragārtha.

　　[5] See Vibh. (PTS), p. 106 ff.

　　[6] M I (PTS), p. 51; S II p. 72; Vibh. P. 380.

　　[7] M I, p. 86.

　　[8] Ibid., p. 48.

　　[9] It is interesting to compare this ”mental volition” with ”libido” in modern psychology.

　　[10] MA I (PTS), p. 210.

　　[11] Manosaňcetanā” ti cetanā eva vuccati. MA I (PTS), p. 209.

　　[12] See above p. 22.

　　[13] S II (PTS), p. 100. The three forms of ”thirst” are: (1) Thirst for sense-pleasures, (2) Thirst for existence and becoming, and (3) Thirst for non-existence, as given in the definition of samudaya ”arising of dukkha” above.

　　[14] See above p. 22.

　　[15] M III (PTS), p. 280; S IV, pp. 47, 107; V, p. 423 and passim.

　　[16] Prmj. I (PTS), p. 78 ”Khandhese jāyamānesu jiyamānesu miyamānesu ca khane khane ivam bhikkhu jāyase ca jiyase ca miyase ca.” This is quoted in the Paramatthajotikā Commentary as the Buddha”s own words. So far I have not been able to trace this passage back to its original text.

　　注釋：

　　一：見一九二二年阿陸葛瑪版律藏大品第九頁；巴利文學會版《雜部經》第五集第四二一頁及其他各處。

　　二：見巴利文學會版《中部經》第一集第五十一頁。

　　叁：見《阿毗達摩集論》第四十叁頁。

　　四：見巴利文學會版《毗崩伽》(分別論)第一零六頁以次各頁。

　　五：見巴利文學會版《中部經》第一集第五十一頁；《雜部經》第二集第七十二頁；《毗崩伽》第叁八零頁。

　　六：見巴利文學會版《中部經》第一集第八十六頁。

　　七：見巴利文學會版《中部經》第一集第四十八頁

　　八：所謂“思食”與現代心理中之libido(性本能、生命的泉源)可成一有趣的對比。

　　九：見巴利文學會版學《中部經》覺音疏第一集第二一零頁。

　　十：見同書二零九頁。

　　十一：見巴利文學會版《雜部經》第二集第一零零頁。叁種渴(愛)是(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)。前文集谛——苦之生起的定義中，業已列舉。

　　十二：見巴利文學會版《中部經》第叁集第二八零頁；。《雜部經》第四集第四十七頁及一零七頁；第五集第四二叁頁及其他各處。

　　十叁：根據《小部經》集覺音疏(巴利文學會版)第七十八頁，此語系佛親口所說。但著者迄未能查得其原文出處。

《佛陀的啓示 第叁章 第二聖谛：集谛——苦之生起 Chapter III· The Second Noble Truth - Samudaya: The Arising of Dukkha》全文閱讀結束。