..續本文上一頁id that a harsh word can wound more deeply than weapons, where as a gentle word can change the heart and mind of the most hardened criminal. So to develop a harmonious society, we should cultivate and use our speech positively. We speak words which are truthful, bring harmony, kind and meaningful. The Buddha once said ”pleasant speech is sweet as honey, truthful speech is beautiful like a flower, and wrong speech is unwholesome like filth”.

　　戒學：

　　戒學分叁類：正語、正業、正命。

　　正語即尊重于真理及他人的福利。也就是不撒謊、不毀謗、不造謠、不奉承及不胡言亂語。我們經常忽略了語言的威力，因此不關注于語言。

　　但是，我們無時無刻都受到語言的傷害，語言有時候比武器要來得厲害。有時候，因爲一句話改變了你的想法，或因此導致犯罪。要發展和諧的社會，就必須先控製不良語言和使用正面的語言，只說一些真實、平和、善良和有意義的話。佛陀說：「令人愉快的言語，像蜜糖一樣甜，真實的言語，像鮮花一樣芳香，不正確的言語卻像汙穢物。」

　　The next factor under good, moral conduct is Right Action. Right Action entails respect for life, respect for property, and respect for personal relationships. It corresponds to the first three of the Five Precepts to be practised by every Buddhist, that is, dear to all, and all tremble at punishment, all fear death and value life. Hence, we should abstain from taking a life which we ourselves cannot give and we should not harm other sentient beings. Respect for property means that we should not take what is not given, by stealing, cheating, or force. Respect for personal relationship means that we should not commit adultery and avoid sexual misconducts, which is important for maintaining the love and trust of those we love as well as making our society a better place to live in.

　　正業是戒學中的第二項。正業就是珍惜生命、珍惜財物和珍惜人與人之間的關系。正業和五戒中的前叁戒息息相關，那就是不殺生、不偷盜、不邪淫。生命比一切都珍貴，大家都害怕被懲罰，珍惜生命畏懼于死亡。我們在珍惜自己生命的同時，也應該更愛惜其他衆生的生命，不要對其他衆生造成傷害。珍惜財物就是：那些不屬于我們的財物，不要據爲己有，比如：偷盜、欺騙或搶奪。珍惜人與人之間的關系就是：不要搞正常婚姻以外的性關系，要信任和愛護自己的配偶。通過正業，我們能締造一個更平穩和更適合人類居住的社會。

　　Right Livelihood is a factor under moral conduct which refers to how we earn our living in society. It is an extension of the two other factors of Right Speech and Right Action which refer to the respect for truth, life, property and personal relationships. Right Livelihood means that we should earn a living without violating these principles of a moral conduct. Buddhists are discouraged from being engaged in the following five kinds of livelihood: trading in human beings, trading in weapons, trading in flesh, trading in intoxicating drinks and drugs, and trading in poison. Some people may say that they have to do such a business for their living and, therefore, it is not wrong for them to do so. But this argument is entirely baseless. If it were valid, then thieves, murderers, gangsters, thugs, smugglers and swindlers can also just as easily say that they are also doing such unrighteous acts only for their living and, therefore, there is nothing wrong with their way of life. Some people believe that fishing and hunting animals for pleasure and slaughtering animals for food are not against the Buddhist precepts. This is another misconception that arises owing to a lack of knowledge in Dhamma. All these are not decent actions and bring suffering to other beings. But in all these actions, the one who is harmed most of all is the one who performs these unwholesome actions. Maintaining a life through wrong means is not in accordance with the Buddha”s teaching.

　　正命是戒學中的第叁項。正命指示了人類在這個社會中如何獲得生存的權力。正語和正業之道指導我們如何珍惜生命、財物和人與人之間的關系。正命卻指示了我們如何在不違反道德准則中生活。佛教徒應該遠離五種不道德的行業：人口買賣、武器買賣、肉類買賣、酒類和麻醉品買賣和毒品買賣。有些人說，他們從事這類的買賣是爲了 生活，所以他們並沒有犯錯。但是，這種說法並沒有說服力，如果他們沒有錯，那麼，小偷、殺人犯、歹徒、凶手、走私犯和騙子，也可以這麼說：他們從事這些不正當的行業並沒有錯，同樣是爲了生活。

　　有人認爲釣魚和狩獵是一種高尚的娛樂，屠宰動物是爲了食物，因此並不犯戒。這是一種錯誤的觀念，是因爲對佛法缺乏認識的緣故，這些都不是高尚的生活方式，任何生類都不應該對其他生類造成傷害。這些傷害都是一些沒有必要的傷害。對生命抱著錯誤的觀念，並非佛陀所教。

　　The Buddha once said, ”Though one should live a hundred years immorally and unrestrained, yet it would indeed be better to live one day virtuously and meditatively.” (Dhammapada 103) It is better to die as a cultured and respected p…

《八聖道的生活 Righteous Life》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…