Superstitions and Dogmas
迷信與教條主義
”People ridicule the superstitions of others, while cherishing their own.”
All ailments have cures but not superstitions. And if for some reason or other, any superstition crystallizes into a religion, it easily becomes an almost incurable malady. In the performance of certain religious functions, even educated people of today forget their human dignity to accept the most ridiculous, superstitious beliefs.
人們在嘲笑他人迷信的同時，卻保留了自己的迷信。疾病無法靠迷信而獲得痊愈。即使爲了某些特殊的理由，也不能讓迷信在宗教裏紮根，這將會變成無可救藥的事。即使在今日，在某些宗教裏，我們仍然看到很多受過高深教育的人、知識份子，放棄了自己的尊嚴和智慧，屈服于荒謬的迷信。
Superstitious beliefs and rituals were adopted to decorate a religion in order to attract the multitude. But after sometime, the creeper which is planted to decorate the shrine as it were, outgrows and outshines the shrine, with the result that religious tenets are relegated to the background and superstitious beliefs and rituals become predominant; the creeper eclipsing the shrine.
Like superstition dogmatic belief also chokes the healthy growth of religion. Dogmatic belief and intolerance go hand-in-hand. One is reminded of the Middle Ages with its pitiless inquisitions, cruel murders, violence, infamy, tortures and burning of innocent beings. One is also reminded of the barbaric and ruthless crusades. All these events were stimulated by dogmatic beliefs in religious authority and the intolerance resulting therefrom.
爲了吸引信衆，某些宗教以荒謬的迷信來僞裝宗教。經過一些時候，僞裝剝落了，荒謬的迷信反客爲主，坐宗教的神龛，宗教成爲背景，而迷信則走前臺，大唱其荒謬的戲文。教條主義和迷信一樣，阻礙了宗教的發展。對教條的執著，與缺乏寬大的容忍有關。當一個人想起西方中古時代時，就會聯想到教會如何毫無憐憫心的鎮壓異端、殘酷對待和謀殺異己等暴行，以酷刑、火刑等不名譽的手段，殺害了許多無辜的生命。人們也會聯想到那魯莽野蠻的十字軍。這一切都是受到宗教權威裏的教條主義所影響，是不能寬大容忍所引起的後果。
Before the development of scientific knowledge, ignorant people had many superstitious beliefs. For example a lot of people believed that the eclipse of the sun and moon brought bad luck and pestilence. Today we know that such beliefs are not true. Again some unscrupulous religionists encourage people to believe in superstitions so that they can make use of their followers for their own ”benefit”. When people have truly purified their minds of ignorance, they will see the universe as it really is and they will not suffer from superstition and dogmatism. This is the ”salvation” that Buddhists aspire to.
It is extremely difficult for us to break up the emotional feeling that is attached to superstition or dogmatic belief. Even the light of scientific knowledge is often not strong enough to cause us to give up the misconceptions. For example, we have noticed for generations that the earth moves round the sun; but experientially we still behold the sun rising, moving across the sky, and setting in the evening. We still have to make an intellectual leap to imagine that we are, in fact, hurtling at great speed around the sun.
當科學還未得到充份發展時，愚昧、無知的人非常的迷信，他們甚至相信日蝕或月蝕，能爲人類帶來不幸。某些教派的宗教以迷信來蠱惑信徒，從而得到信徒的追隨和供養。有些人去除無知，淨化自己的心識，了解宇宙真相，不被迷佛教徒信仰的是什麼信和教條主義所侵害。他們就是那些自我解救者──佛教徒。我們同時也要了解到，要根除迷信和教條主義是一件非常困難的事。即使在現代科學技術和知識強大的光芒下，也不足夠使我們放棄迷信與教條主義。比如，我們早就知道地球環繞著太陽在運轉，可是，在經驗我們仍然看著太陽從東方升起，劃過天空，從西方落下，在感情，我們仍然不願意承認地球環繞太陽運轉。這顯示了我們仍然不喜歡以科學知識爲依據。
We must understand that the dangers of dogmatism and superstition go hand-in-hand with religion. The time has come for wise people to separate religion from dogmatism and superstition. Otherwise, the good name of religion will be polluted and the number of non-believers will be increased, as they have already.
我們必須了解到迷信和教條主義的危險性。在將來聰明的人可能把宗教與迷信和教條主義分開。如果不把宗教和迷信及教條主義的界限劃分的一清二楚，宗教的聲譽將受到嚴重的影響和打擊，到時，不信仰宗教的人就會更加多了。
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammasambuddhassa ！
禮敬彼世尊、阿拉漢、正自覺者！
正道的生活(佛陀)
正見──正確地認識宇宙人生的真相和持守道德戒行。
正思惟──斷滅惡的欲念、敵意和殘酷的心念。
正語──戒止口惡業，道出善與真誠的言語。
正業──行爲正當，不擾亂及損害他人。
正命──從事正當的事業維持生活，不侵損其他衆生。
正精進──不懈怠的努力，策勵自己的心，離惡向善。
正念──意念法，對修行所緣銘記不忘，不被物欲所誘惑。
正定──心一境性，心清淨。