Real Charity

　　布施

　　You perform real charity if you can give freely without expecting anything in return.

　　無所求的布施，才是真的布施。

　　The essence of true charity is to give something without expecting anything in return for the gift. If a person expects some material benefit to arise from his gift, he is only performing an act of bartering and not charity. A charitable person should not make other people feel indebted to him or use charity as a way of exercising control over them. He should not even expect others to be grateful, for most people are forgetful though not necessarily ungrateful. The act of true charity is wholesome, has no strings attached, and leaves both the giver and the recipient free.

　　The meritorious deed of charity is highly praised by every religion. Those who have enough to maintain themselves should think of others and extend their generosity deserving cases. Among people who practise charity, there are some who give as a means of attracting others into their religion or creed. Such an act of giving which is performed with the ulterior motive of conversion cannot really be said to be true charity.

　　真正的布施是不要求任何回報的。如果企望有所回報，就不是布施而是交易了。一個人布施後，而萌起控製受施者或受施團體，是一種不正確的行爲。布施，不要企望別人的感激，即使人類是善忘的，他們也一定會感激你的布施。真的布施，是不企望任何物質的回報，布施者和受施者，同樣的不需要爲布施而承擔任何義務。

　　佛教的布施，是一種崇高的道德意義，布施讓人接受和理解慷慨的真正意義。有些人的布施是爲了宗教的理由或信條，這種不正確的動機，不是真正的布施。

　　The Buddhism views charity as an act to reduce personal greed which is an unwholesome mental state which hinders spiritual progress. A person who is on his way to spiritual growth must try to reduce his own selfishness and his strong desire for acquiring more and more. He should reduce his strong attachment to possessions which, if he is not mindful, can enslave him to greed. What he owns or has should instead be used for the benefit and happiness of others: his loved ones as well as those who need his help.

　　佛教的布施是抑製個人對物質的貪著，從而獲得對心靈修養的進展。一個人如果想獲得心靈的進展，就必須無我的布施，如果他有強烈的回報欲望，就無法生起正念，導致他更加的貪婪。一個人應該經常伸出援手，協助那些需要幫助的人，令他們獲得利益，令他們快樂。

　　When giving, a person should not perform charity as an act of his body alone, but with his heart and mind as well. There must be joy in every act of giving. A distinction can be made between giving as a normal act of generosity and dana. In the normal act of generosity a person gives out of compassion and kindness when he realizes that someone else is in need of help, and he is in the position to offer the help. When a person performs dana, he gives as a means of cultivating charity as a virtue and of reducing his own selfishness and craving. He exercises wisdom when he recalls that dana is a very important quality to be practised by every Buddhist, and is the first perfection (paramita) practised by the Buddha in many of His previous births in search for Enlightenment. A person performs dana in appreciation of the great qualities and virtues of the Triple Gem.

　　當一個人在布施時，不僅僅是「身」的行動，「心」和「意」也一起行動，因此帶來的是真正的快樂。慷慨和布施將令一個人獲得提升。一個慷慨的人，以慈悲心對那些需要幫助的人伸出援手，他就是在布施。當一個人在布施時，生起的慈悲和善心，足夠控製自己的自私和貪著。布施能生起智慧，布施是佛教最重要的修行，因此也成爲第一巴拉密(pàramã)，是佛陀在許多過去世中，尋求圓滿覺悟的重要法門之一。一個人常做布施行，能獲得自我的提升和叁寶的護持。

　　There are many things which a person can give. He can give material things: food for the hungry, and money and clothes to the poor. He can also give his knowledge, skill, time, energy or effort to projects that can benefit others. He can provide a sympathetic ear and good counsel to a friend in trouble. He can restrain himself from killing other beings, and by so doing perform a gift of life to the helpless beings which would have otherwise been killed. He can also give a part of his body for the sake of others, such as donating his blood, eyes, kidney, etc. Some who seek to practise this virtue or are moved by great compassion or concern for others may also be prepared to sacrifice their own lives. In His previous births, the Bodhisatta had many a time given away parts of His body for the sake of others. He had also given up His life so that others might live, so great was His generosity and compassion.

　　人類可布施的東西太多了，對飢餓者施予食物，對貧困者施予金錢、衣物，知識技術、時間、精力，一切能利益他人的，都可以布施。他可以專心的聆聽和祝福那些有困難的朋友。他可以不殺生，同時對那些生命垂危的衆生伸出援手。他可以將身體的部份器官施予那些有需要者，如血液、眼角膜、腎髒等器官。有些人甚至以自己的生命做爲布施，在佛陀覺悟前的許多過去世中，他不但布施部份的身體，有時連生命也布施出去，這顯現了佛陀的慷慨和慈悲。

　　But the greatest testimony to the Buddha”s great compassion is His priceless gift to humanity

　　the Dhamma which can liberate all beings from suffering. To the Buddhist, the highest gift of all is the gift of Dhamma. This gift has great powers to change a life. When a person receives Dhamma with a pure mind and practices the Truth with earnestness, he cannot fail to change. He will experience greater happiness, peace and joy in his heart and mind. If he was once cruel, he becomes compassionate. If he was once revengeful, he becomes forgiving. Through Dhamma, the hateful becomes more compassionate, the greedy more generous, and the restless more serene. When a person has tasted Dhamma, not only will be experience happiness here and now, but also happiness in the lives hereafter as he journeys to Nibbana.

　　佛陀真正的無價之寶，是他那大慈大悲的佛法。佛法讓衆生離苦得樂。佛陀最大的布施是于佛法的布施(法施)，法施足以改變一個人的生命。當一個人以純淨的心接受佛法、實踐真理，他就不再有所改變，他的「心」與「意」獲得無比的幸福、甯靜和歡愉。實踐佛法，令殘酷者生起慈悲心，令貪婪者變成慷慨，令嗔恚者懂得寬恕，令愚癡者獲得智慧。實踐佛法不僅于今世獲得幸福，在證悟涅槃後，將獲得更大的幸福。

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