Chapter 9 Dhamma And Ourselves As Refuge

　　第九章 佛法與皈依

　　Why We take Refuge in the Buddha

　　皈依

　　Buddhists take refuge in the Buddha not out of fear of Him, but to gain inspiration and right understanding for their self-purification.

　　佛弟子皈依佛陀，並不是懼畏于佛陀，而是爲了獲得心靈的發展和正確的理解如何淨化自己。

　　Buddhist do not take refuge in the Buddha with the belief that He is a god or son of god. The Buddha never claimed any pinity. He was the Enlightened One, the most Compassionate, Wise, and Holy One who ever lived in this world. Therefore, people take refuge in the Buddha as a Teacher or Master who has shown the real path of emancipation. They pay homage to Him to show their gratitude and respect, but they do not ask for material favors. Buddhists do not pray to the Buddha thinking that He is a god who will reward them or punish or curse them. They recite verses or some sutras not in the sense of supplication but as a means of recalling His great virtues and good qualities to get more inspiration and guidance for themselves and to develop the confidence to follow His Teachings. There are critics who condemn this attitude of taking refuge in the Buddha. They do not know the true meaning of the concept of taking refuge in and paying homage to a great religious Teacher. They have learned only about praying which is the only thing that some people do in the name of religion. When Buddhists seek refuge it means they accept the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha as the means by which they can eradicate all the causes of their fear and other mental disturbances. Many people, especially those with animistic beliefs, seek protection in certain objects around them which they believe are inhabited by spirits.

　　佛弟子皈依佛陀，並不是因爲佛陀是「神」或是「神的兒子」，佛陀從來不承認他具有「神」性。佛陀是一個已經覺悟的「人」，他是最慈悲的人、最有智慧的人和最值得尊敬的人。所以皈依佛陀如同皈依老師或師傅。佛陀爲我們指示了解脫于苦的正道。信徒們禮敬佛陀，是表示對他的尊敬和感激，並非要求佛陀的賜予。佛教徒不問佛陀祈求什麼，也不認爲佛陀是擁有賞、罰或詛咒人類權力的「神」。佛教徒誦念經文只是贊美佛陀，歌頌他那崇高、盡善的素質，同時把佛陀當作自己的楷模和鼓勵，根據佛陀的教誨來發展自己的信心，並沒有祈禱的意義存在。有些人責難這種皈依佛陀的態度，因爲他們不明白皈依和禮敬偉大導師的真正意義，他們以爲這只是一般的宗教祈禱。佛教徒叁皈依的真正意義是，皈依佛陀(Buddha)、皈依佛法(Dhamma)和皈依僧團(Sangha)，從而培養真正的信心，斷除精神的困擾。很多人誤解了，以爲這是一種對神靈的崇拜和尋求神靈的依怙。

　　The Buddha advised against the futility of taking refuge in hills, woods, groves, trees and shrines when people are fear-stricken. No such refuge is safe, no such refuge is Supreme. Not by resorting to such a refuge is one freed from all ill. He who has gone for refuge to the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha sees with right knowledge the Four Noble Truths -Sorrow, the cause of Sorrow, the transcending of Sorrow, and the Noble Eightfold Path which leads to the cessation of Sorrow. This indeed is secure refuge. By seeking such refuge one is released from all Sorrow.

　　(Dhammapada 188-192)

　　佛陀告誡弟子們，人類生活在恐怖和憂慮中，不要去迷信那些山、岩、木、樹等神祇，這種信仰既不殊勝也不安全，更不能消除煩惱。佛弟子必須真正的皈依佛陀、佛法和僧團，了解什麼是正知、正見，了解四聖谛──苦、集、滅、道，透過對八聖道的實踐，才能斷除一切苦痛，這就是真正的皈依。一個人唯有通過真正的皈依，才能離苦得樂。

　　In the Dhajagga Sutta, itis mentioned that by taking refuge in Sakra, the king of gods or any god, the followers would not be free from all their worldly problems and fears. The reason is, such gods are themselves not free from lust, hatred, illusion and fear, but the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha (i.e. the community who has attained perfection) are free from them. Only those who are free from unsatisfactoriness can show the way to lasting happiness.

　　在經典中曾經提及皈依忉利天和其他諸天的天神，皈依者並不能解除內心的恐懼與不安。唯有皈依佛、法、僧叁寶，才能消除內心的恐懼與不安。這是因爲諸天的天神並沒有消除貪、嗔、癡、煩惱和一切內心引起的騷動。當一個人從一切煩惱中擺脫出來時，才能獲得真正的幸福。

　　Francis Story, a well known Buddhist scholar, gives his views on seeking refuge in the Buddha.

　　一位著名的佛教學者 F.史多利，這麼看待皈依：

　　I go for refuge to the Buddha. I seek the presence of the Exalted Teacher by whose compassion I may be guided through the torrents of Samsara, by whose serene countenance I may be uplifted from the mire of worldly thoughts and cravings, seeing th…

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