(３２)還有一個問題：
“我們能辨認出阿羅漢嗎？”
32) Here is another question:
32) “Would we be able to recognize an arahant if we met one
”
一般人非常喜歡問這個問題，例如有些人懷疑：我們是否能辨認出目前在世間的阿羅漢？若有個阿羅漢迎面而來，我們是否能辨認出他是阿羅漢？這時我們可以回答“如果我們無法辨認出他是不是阿羅漢，那麼連阿羅漢本身，也同樣可能無法辨認出彼此。”
PEOPLE LIKE ASKING this very much. For instance there are some who doubt if we could recognize an arahant now living in the world. If asked whether we could recognize an arahant if one came walking along, we should consider the following. In the event that we didn”t recognize this one and never could recognize any of the them, then even arahants themselves would not be able to recognize one another as such.
據說長老舍利弗(Elder Sariputta)不知道羅婆那跋提(Lakuntakabhaddiya)是位阿羅漢，而不斷向他說法，目的是想使他證得阿羅漢。這表示舍弗並不知道羅婆那跋提是阿羅漢(泰本巴利藏第２５冊，１７５頁)[譯注一]。
It is said that the Elder Sariputta did not know that La- ku..akabhaddiya was an arahant, also. He carried on expounding Dhamma to him, the purpose of which was to make possible the attainment of arahantship. This shows that Sariputta did not know that Laku..akabhaddiya was an arahant.
但如果我們真的能認出阿羅漢，則連非阿羅漢的梵天也必定能認出誰是阿羅漢，同時他也能預言誰將能死前就證涅槃，或未證涅槃就死去(泰本巴利藏第２３冊，７７頁)。
However, if it was always the case that we did recognize an arahant as such, then even a god in the Brahma world who was himself no arahant would be able to recognize which people were arahants. He could prophesy who would die having attained nibbāna and who would die without having attained nibbāna.
因此，若我們被問到能否辨認出阿羅漢，我們要回答：“或許可以，或許不能，要視情況而定，有時甚至連阿羅漢本身也可能無法彼此辨認。”所以，我們不應該給予絕對的答案，若說“可以”或“不能”，就會像寺院的教師們，對這類事情總喜歡武斷作答。
Thus, if asked whether we should be able to recognize an arahant or not, we must say that we might be able to or not, depending on the circumstances. Even arahants themselves might not recognize one another as such. So we ought not to give an unqualified answer, saying that we could recognize one or that we could not, as do the teachers in temple preaching halls, who like being dogmatic about such things.
[譯注一]阿羅漢與凡夫的區別，不在于外相，他與凡夫一樣不能免卻老、病、死，但在看待世間、對待人事的心境，以及受世間的影響層面上，二者有顯著的不同。