Part Two

　　Buddhism: Essence and Comparative Approaches

　　Chapter 4 Timeless Truth of the Buddha

　　The Lion”s Roar

　　第二篇 佛教的本質與比較

　　第四章 永恒的真理

　　獅子吼

　　After hearing the Buddha, many decided to give up the wrong views they previously held regarding their religious way of life.

　　Buddhism is a beautiful gem of many facets, attracting people of perse personalities. Every facet in this gem has tested methods and approaches that can benefit the Truth seekers with their various levels of understanding and spiritual maturity.

　　The Buddha Dhamma is the fruit resulting from a most intensive search conducted over a long period of time by a compassionate noble prince whose mission was to help suffering humanity. Despite being surrounded by all the wealth and luxuries normally showered on a crown prince, He renounced His luxurious life and voluntarily embarked on a tough journey to seek the Truth and to find a panacea to cure the sickness of the worldly life with its attendant suffering and unsatisfactoriness. He was bent on finding a solution to alleviate all suffering. In His long search, the prince did not rely on or resort to pine guidance or traditional beliefs as was fashionable in the past. He did an intensive search with a free and open mind, guided solely by His sincerity of purpose, noble resolution, inexhaustible patience, and a truly compassionate heart with the ardent wish to relieve suffering. After six long years of intensive experiment, of trial and error, the noble prince achieved His aim --- He gained Enlightenment and gave the world His pristine teachings known as Dhamma or Buddhism.

　　The Buddha once said, ”Monks, the lion, king of beasts, at eventide comes forth from his lair. He stretches himself. Having done so, he surveys the four quarters in all directions. Have done that, he utters thrice his lion”s roar. Having thrice uttered his lion”s roar, he sallies forth in search of prey.

　　”Now, monks, whatever animals hear the sound of the roaring of the lion, king of beasts, for the most part, they are afraid; they fall to quaking and trembling. Those that dwell in holes seek them; water-dwellers make for the water; forest-dwellers enter the forest; birds mount into the air.

　　”Then whatsoever ruler”s elephants in village, town or palace are tethered with stout leather bonds, they burst out and rend those bonds asunder; void their excrements and in panic run to and fro. Thus potent, is the lion, king of beasts, over animals. Of such mighty power and majesty is he.

　　”Just so, monks, is it when a Buddha arises in the world, an Arahant, a Perfectly Enlightened One, perfect in wisdom and in conduct, wayfarer, Knower of the worlds, the unsurpassed trainer of those who can be trained, teacher of gods and men, a Buddha, an Exalted One. He teaches the Dhamma; "Such is the nature of concept of Self; this is the way leading to the ending of such a Self.”

　　”Whatsoever gods there be, they too, on hearing the Dhamma of the Tathagata, for the most part are afraid: they fall to quaking and trembling, saying: ”, We who thought ourselves permanent are after all impermanent: that we who thought ourselves stable are after all unstable: not to last, though lasting we thought ourselves. So it seems that we are impermanent, unstable, not to last, compassed about with a Self.” Thus potent is a Tathagata over the world of gods and men. (Anguttara Nikaya).

　　聽了佛陀開示後，很多人放棄了原來對宗教生活的錯誤觀念。佛教是一顆閃亮的寶石，他深深的吸引著人類。它能爲正見的人帶來福利和了解心靈的真性。

　　佛陀本來是一位尊貴的太子，爲了解脫人類的痛苦，經過長年的實踐和追尋所覺悟的真理。當這位生活在榮華富貴中的王儲，了解到他被各種不同的煩惱所包圍時，他毅然的放棄所擁有的一切去尋求真理，去爲病態的社會尋找診治的良方，去尋找脫離「苦」的道路。在長期的摸索中，他發現傳統的宗教無濟于事。經過六年的心靈鍛煉和思索後，他終于達到了目的──證悟正自覺。他開始教導他所證悟的學問，這學問就是 ──佛法。

　　佛陀曾經說過：

　　「僧衆啊！獅子是百善之王。就算潮水從牠的洞穴裏湧出，牠還是行動自如。牠能夠這麼做，是因爲牠善于觀察四面八方，牠能發出『獅子吼』，牠能沖出浪潮尋找獵物。」

　　「僧衆啊！當百獸聽到了『獅子吼』，都心驚膽顫，趕緊找地方躲藏。水生動物沈入水底，森林動物潛入森林，鳥類飛上天空。」

　　「此外，在村莊、城鎮或王宮裏飼養的大象，也被粗大的皮帶縛緊，以防牠們因害怕而掙脫，或在恐慌中排泄。獅子有如此強大的威力，所以被稱爲『百獸之王』。」

　　「僧衆啊！同樣的，佛陀出現于世間，他是一位大阿拉漢、一位大覺悟者、一位德智完備的世間智者和穩健者，無人能勝的調禦大夫，是人、天之師，是佛陀，是世尊。他弘揚佛法：『從認識自我的本質到舍棄自我』。」

　　「不管是什麼神，當祂們在聽佛陀說法時，都感到震憾，祂們說道：『我們以爲我們是永生的，其實我們也無常，我們以爲我們是穩健的，其實我們一點也不穩定，我們以爲我們是無終結的，其實我們也一樣有終結的一天，看來，我們真的是無常、不穩定和有終結的。我們一路來都以自己作爲准繩。」這是佛陀對天人及人類的開示。 《增支部》

《第四章 永恒的真理 Chapter 4 Timeless Truth of the Buddha》全文閱讀結束。