Law of Dependent Origination

　　緣起法

　　"No God, no Brahma can be found No matter of this wheel of life Just bare phenomena roll Depend on conditions all. (Visuddhi Magga)"

　　不是任何神或婆羅門所能尋獲的，生命之輪沒有迹象。當你理解它的運轉時，知道這一切都是緣起法。《清淨道論》

　　The Law of Dependent Origination is one of the most important teachings of the Buddha, and it is also very profound. The Buddha has often expressed His experience of Enlightenment in one of two ways, either in terms of having understood the Four Noble Truths, or in terms of having understood the nature of the dependent origination. However, more people have heard about the Four Noble Truths and can discuss it than the Law of Dependent Origination, which is just as important.

　　緣起法是佛陀教義中最重要和最珍貴的一項。佛陀以他那寶貴的覺悟體驗教導弟子們，要獲得覺悟，有兩條道路，一是通過理解四聖谛而獲得覺悟，另一是通過理解緣起法而獲得覺悟。雖然，大多數人願意去了解四聖谛，而忽略緣起法，但是，緣起法相對于四聖谛，是一樣重要的。

　　Although the actual insight into dependent origination arises with spiritual maturity, it is still possible for us to understand the principle involved. The basis of dependent origination is that life or the world is built on a set of relations, in which the arising and cessation of factors depend on some other factors which condition them. This principle can be given in a short formula of four lines:

　　通過對緣起法的觀察，能獲得心靈的發展，因此，緣起法是覺悟的重要關節。緣起法是闡述生命與宇宙錯綜複雜的關系，某些因緣的生起，必須依賴某些因緣的條件。以下「四句」是緣起法的重點：

　　When this is, that is This arising, that arises When this is not, that is not This ceasing, that ceases.

　　此有故彼有。

　　此生故彼生。

　　此無故彼無。

　　此滅故彼滅。

　　On this principle of interdependence and relativity rests the arising, continuity and cessation of existence. This principle is known as the Law of Dependent Origination in Pali, Paticca-samuppada. This law emphasizes an important principle that all phenomena in this universe are relative, conditioned states and do not arise independently of supportive conditions. A phenomenon arises because of a combination of conditions which are present to support its arising. And the phenomenon will cease when the conditions and components supporting its arising change and no longer sustain it. The presence of these supportive conditions, in turn, depend on other factors for their arising, sustenance and disappearance.

　　通過這「四句」，我們理解因緣的生起、延續、轉變和消失，這就是「緣起法」(Patcca samuppada)。緣起法，讓我們理解到宇宙的一切離不開因緣，這世間的一切都依賴于各種因緣。一個現象的生起，是依賴于各種的因緣條件。一個現象的消失，也因爲各種因緣的變化或消失。支撐目前的因緣條件，卻依賴其它因緣條件的生起、維持或消失。

　　The Law of Dependence Origination is a realistic way of understanding the universe and is the Buddhist equivalent of Einstein”s Theory of Relativity. The fact that everything is nothing more than a set of relations is consistent with the modern scientific view of the material world. Since everything is conditioned, relative, and interdependent, there is nothing in this world which could be regarded as a permanent entity, variously regarded as an ego or an eternal soul, which many people believe in.

　　緣起法是唯一了解宇宙和佛教宇宙觀的關鍵。通過現代科學的觀點，來看這個物質世界，這世界的本質本來具無，一切都是因緣條件的結合。既然一切都是因緣條件的結合，那麼，這世間根本就沒有一件東西是永恒的。甚至，很多人都認爲永恒的靈魂，實際也不存在。

　　The phenomenal world is built on a set of relations, but is this the way we would normally understand the world to be

　　 We create fictions of its permanency in our minds because of our desires. It is almost natural for human beings to cling to what they consider as beautiful or desirable, and to reject what is ugly or undesirable. Being subjected to the forces of greed and hatred, they are misled by delusion, clouded by the illusion of the permanency of the object they cling to or reject. Therefore, it is hard for us to realize that the world is like a bubble or mirage, and is not the kind of reality we believe it to be. We do not realize that it is unreal in actuality. It is like a ball of fire, which when whirled around rapidly, can for a time, create the illusion of a circle.

　　這個被我們理解的世界，是一連串因緣條件的組合。但是，這是…

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