..續本文上一頁changed the old religious customs. Their practices are in accordance with the customs and traditions of the countries where they live.

　　Mahayanists perform their religious services in their mother tongue. They expect to attain the final goal (Nibbana) by becoming Buddhas. Hence, they honor both the Buddha and Bodhisatta (one who is destined to be a Buddha with the same respect. Buddhists in China, Japan and Korea belong to this school. Most of those in Tibet and Mongolia follow another school of Buddhism which is known as Vajrayana. Buddhist scholars believe that this school inclines more towards the Mahayana sect.

　　It is universally accepted by scholars that the terms Hinayana and Mahayana are later invention. Historically speaking, the Theravada already existed long before these terms came into being. That Theravada, considered to be the original teaching of the Buddha, was introduced to Sri Lanka and established there in the 3rd century B. C., during the time of Emperor Asoka of India. At that time there was nothing called Mahayana.

　　Mahayana as such appeared much later, about the beginning of the Christian era. Buddhism that went to Sri Lanka, with its Tripitaka and Commentaries, in the 3rd Century B. C., remained there intact as Theravada, and did not come into the scene of the Hinayana-Mahayana dispute that developed later in India. It seems therefore not legitimate to include Theravada in either of these two categories. However, after the inauguration of the World Fellowship of Buddhists in 1950, well-informed people, both in the East and in the West, use the term Theravada, and not the term Hinayana, with reference to Buddhism prevalent in South-east Asian countries. There are still outmoded people who use the term Hinayana. In fact, the Samdhi Nirmorcana Sutra (a Mahayana Sutra) clearly says that the Sravakayana

　　 Theravadaand the Mahayana constitute one Yana (ekayana) and that they are not two different and distinct ”vehicles”. Although different schools of Buddhism held different opinions on the teaching of the Buddha, they never had any violence or blood shed for more than two thousands years. This is the uniqueness of Buddhist tolerance.

　　一、兩個部派都是以釋迦牟尼佛爲導師。

　　二、兩個部派都同樣尊崇四聖谛。

　　叁、兩個部派都同樣實踐八聖道。

　　四、兩個部派同樣以十二因緣爲基本教義。

　　五、兩個部派同樣反對有超自然的造物者締造世界和統治世界。

　　六、兩個部派所接受的無常、苦、無我和戒、定、慧的觀念完全一致。

　　有些人認爲上座部的思想較爲自私，這是因爲他們尋求自我解脫之道。但是話說回來，一個自私的人能證悟覺悟嗎？兩個部派都接受叁乘思想(正自覺、獨覺和聲聞覺)和菩提(覺悟)。而上座部堅信菩薩只是證悟佛道的前行。只有證悟正自覺的佛陀，才能爲這世間的所有衆生帶來幸福和快樂。

　　上座部追隨正統的宗教傳統，盛行于兩千五百年前的印度。他們以巴利語作爲宗教活動的唯一語言，以達到涅槃，完成正自覺(佛陀)、獨覺(獨覺佛)、或聲聞覺(阿拉漢) 爲最終的目標。但是，在上座部大多數人都以成就阿拉漢爲目標。在斯裏蘭卡、泰國和緬甸的佛教都屬于這個部派。

　　大乘佛教已經改變了這些古老的宗教傳統。他們以所處國家的風俗習慣和語言從事宗教活動。他們修持的最後目標也一樣是涅槃(成佛)。因此，他們崇敬佛和菩薩(未來佛)。中國、日本和韓國的佛教徒屬于這個部派。西藏和蒙古的佛教徒屬于金剛乘(密宗)。

　　國際佛教學者稍後終于接受了大乘和上座部的觀點。對曆史而言，上座部成立的曆史最久。上座部以佛陀原始的教義爲依止。在公元前叁世紀，阿首咖時代，斯裏蘭卡接受了從印度傳入的佛教。在那時候並沒有所謂的大乘佛教。大乘佛教的出現比較晚，大約是紀元初。佛教和叁藏經典于叁世紀傳入斯裏蘭卡，當時並沒有大乘或小乘的存在。從這點看來，上座部的存在，較這兩種概念的存在要來得久。1950 年召開的佛教大會，明確的規定對南傳佛教的稱呼，無論在西方或東方一律使用上座部而不使用小乘。在大乘經典裏，也明確的指出「聲聞乘」，在上座部或大乘佛教裏，對這叁乘之一的「聲聞乘」的解釋都是一致的。

　　不同的部派對佛陀的教義有不同的理解。但是，兩千多年來，並不因此而導致佛教分裂。這體現了佛教徒獨一無二的容忍精神。

《佛教的兩大部派 Two Main Schools of Buddhism》全文閱讀結束。