The Four Noble Truths
Chapter II. The First Noble Truth: Dukkha
第二章 四聖谛
第一聖谛——苦谛
The heart of the Buddha”s teaching lies in the Four Noble Truths (Cattāri Ariyasaccāni) which he expounded in his very first sermon[1] to his old colleagues, the five ascetics, at Isipatana (modern Sarnath) near Benares. In the sermon, as well have it in the original texts, these four Truths are given briefly. But there are innumerable places in the early Buddhist scriptures where they are explained again and again, with greater detail and in different ways. If we study the Four Noble Truths with the help of these references and explanations, we get fairly good and accurate account of the essential teachings of the Buddha according to the original texts.
在佛陀的教法中，四聖谛可算是其中的心要了。他在波羅奈附近的鹿野苑(今印度沙納特地方)，向他的老同修——五苦行者作第一次說法時﹝注一﹞，所講的就是這個。這次說法的原文尚在，其中只是簡單地敘述了一下四谛。但是在早期的佛典中，有無數的地方，都是反覆闡明四谛的，解釋得很詳細，解釋的方法也不同。如果利用這種資料和注疏來研究四聖谛，便不難根據原典，對佛教的要義，作一個相當完善而正確的闡釋。
The Four Noble Truths are:
四聖谛是：
Dukkha
(一)苦谛。(注一)
Samudaya, the arising or origin of dukkha
(二)集谛：苦之生起或苦之根源。
Nirodha, the cessation of dukkha
(叁)滅谛：苦之止息。
Magga, the way leading to the cessation of dukkha
(四)道谛：導致苦之止息的途徑。
The First Noble Truth: Dukkha
第一聖谛——苦谛
The First Noble Truth (Dukkha-ariyasacca) is generally translated by almost all scholars as ”The Noble Truth of Suffering”, and it is interpreted to mean that life according to Buddhism is nothing but suffering and pain. Both translation and interpretation are highly unsatisfactory and misleading. It is because of this limited, free and easy translation, and its superficial interpretation, that many people have been misled into regarding Buddhism as pessimistic.
幾乎所有的學者，(在英文著作裏)都將第一聖谛譯成“苦難聖谛( The Noble Truth of Suffering)”，並且將它的意義解釋爲：“根據佛教，生命除了苦難與哀痛之外，別無他物。”這種翻譯及釋義極難令人滿意，而且易致誤會。就因爲這種狹義、粗疏而草率的翻譯，以及膚淺的闡釋，才使得許多人發生錯覺，以爲佛教是悲觀的。
First of all, Buddhism is neither pessimistic nor optimistic. If anything at all, it is realistic, for it takes a realistic view of life and of the world. It looks at things objectively (yathābūtam). It does not falsely lull you into living in a fool”s paradise, nor does it frighten and agonize you with all kinds of imaginary fears and sins. It tells you exactly and objectively what you are and what the world around you is, and shows you the way to perfect freedom, peace, tranquillity and happiness.
先說，佛教是既非悲觀的，也非樂觀的。如果一定要說它怎麼樣，毋甯說它是“實觀”的。因爲它對人生、對世界的觀點是如實的。它以客觀的眼光看一切事物，既不诳騙你，使你在一個愚人的樂園中，醉生夢死的度過一生；也不以各種虛幻的恐懼與罪惡來恫嚇、折磨你。它只是客觀而正確地告訴你：你是什麼？你周圍的世界又是什麼？並爲你指出走向十足自由、和平、甯靜與快樂的途徑。
One physician may gravely exaggerate an illness and give up hope altogether. Another may ignorantly declare that there is no illness and that no treatment is necessary, thus deceiving the patient with a false consolation. You may call the first one pessimistic and the second optimistic. Both are equally dangerous. But a third physician diagnoses the symptoms correctly, understands the cause and the nature of the illness, sees clearly that it can be cured, and courageously administers a course of treatment, thus saving his patient. The Buddha is like the last physician. He is the wise and scientific doctor for the ills of the world (Bhisakka) or Bhaisajya-guru).
有的醫生會過份誇大病情，對它放棄一切希望。有的醫生會愚昧地宣稱根本無病，不需要治療，以虛妄的安慰來欺騙病人。你也許可以叫前者爲悲觀的，後者爲樂觀的。兩者都是同樣的危險。可是另有一類醫生，卻能把症候診斷得很正確；他了解疾病的原因與性質，很清楚地看到這種病可以治愈，而且果敢地采取治療措施，因而救了病人一命。佛就像這第叁類的醫師。他是拯救世間疾患的，有智慧而且合乎科學的科學的醫師(藥師佛)(此藥師佛並非大乘經中之東方淨土藥師佛。——張澄基注)
It is true that the Pali word dukka (or Sanskrit dukka) in ordinary usage means ”suffering”, ”pain”, ”sorrow” or ”misery”, as opposed to the word sukha meaning ”happiness”, ”comfort” or ”ease”. But the term dukkha as the First Noble Truth, which represents the Buddha”s view of life and the world, has a deeper philosophical meaning and connotes enormously wider senses. It is admitted…
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