佛陀的本懷
Nature of the Buddha Light of the World
佛陀是世界之光。
”Understood are the things to be understood,
Cultivated are the things to be cultivated,
Eradicated are the things to be eradicated,
Therefore Brahmin, I am the Buddha.”(Sutta Nipata)
「應該了解的都已了解，應該做的都已完成，應該棄除的(煩惱)都已棄除，梵志啊！所以我被稱爲佛陀。」《經集》
”As long, brethren, as the Moon and Sun have not arisen in the world, just as long is there no shining forth a great light of great radiance. There prevails gross darkness, the darkness of bewilderment. Night is not distinguishable from the day, nor the month, the half-moon and the seasons of the years from each other.
「兄弟們！如果這世界沒有太陽和月亮升起，就沒有光線，沒有了光輝的照耀，世界將變得極其黑暗，黑暗令人恐慌。沒有了白天和黑夜的分別，沒有滿月也沒有半月，更沒有一年四季之分。」
”But, brethren, when the Moon and Sun arise in the world then a great light of great radiance shines forth. Gross darkness, the darkness of bewilderment, is no more. Then are months and the half-moon and the seasons of years.”
”Just so, brethren, as long as a Buddha, who is an Arahant, a Buddha Supreme, arises not, there is no shining forth a great light of great radiance. But gross darkness, the darkness of bewilderment, prevails. There is no proclaiming, no teaching, no showing forth, no setting up, no opening up, no analysis, no making clear of the Four Noble Truths.
「然而，兄弟們！如果這世界有太陽和月亮升起，就有光線，也有了光輝的照耀，令人恐慌的黑暗也不存在了。有了白天和黑夜也有滿月和半月，更有一年四季的存在。」「同樣的，兄弟們！如果佛陀不出世，這世間就沒有阿拉漢也沒有佛。這世界沒有光明，只有恐怖和黑暗。這世間如果沒有佛陀所宣教的佛法，就無法發現錯誤，不懂得分析問題，也看不清四聖谛的存在。」
”What Four
The Noble Truth of Suffering, the Arising of Suffering, the ceasing of Suffering, and the approach to the ceasing of Suffering.
”Wherefore, brethren, do you exert yourselves to realize ”This is suffering; this is the arising of Suffering; this is the ceasing of Suffering; this is the approach to the ceasing of Suffering.”
「什麼是滅苦的四聖谛？那就是苦(苦)、集(苦之因)、滅(滅苦)、道(滅苦之道)。」「因此，兄弟們！你們應該清楚的了解：這是造成苦的苦，這是苦的起因，苦的熄滅，這是滅苦之道。」
The above words give us a clear picture of the great value of the arising of the Buddha to the world. The Buddha arose at a time when Western Philosophy as inaugurated by the Greeks, was led by Heraclites who gave a new turn to the early religions of the Olympian gods. It was a time when Jeremiah was giving a new message among the Jews in Babylon.
以幾句話，爲佛陀來到世間，描述了一幅清晰的畫面。佛陀在世的時候，是希臘正在開創西方哲學的時候，由奧林匹亞山諸神的神話故事轉化爲新的宗教。也是希伯來人的先知耶利米(Jeremah)爲巴比倫的猶太人傳教的時候。
It was a time when Pythagoras was introducing a doctrine of reincarnation in Italy. It was a time when Confucius was establishing the national life of China by his ethics of conduct.
It was a time when India”s social fabric was heavily encrusted with priest craft, self-mortification, caste distinctions, corrupt feudalism, subjection of women and fear of Brahmancial dominance.
這時候，當畢達哥拉斯(Pythagoras)在意大利倡導輪回學說，也是孔夫子在中國提倡儒家思想的時候。當時的印度社會崇尚神權、天啓和苦行的思想，階級森嚴，腐敗、封建、重男輕女。處于婆羅門階層支配一切的恐怖時代。
It was at such time that the Buddha, the most fragrant flower of the human race, appeared in the land where saints and sages dedicated their lives in the search for truth.
就在這時候，一朵屬于人類芬芳的花朵綻開了。佛陀出現在印度，出現在聖賢們奉獻生命追求宇宙真理的國土。
He was a great man who wielded an extraordinary influences on others even during His lifetime. His personal magnetism, moral prestige and radiant confidence in His discovery, made Him a popular success. During His active life as a Teacher, the Buddha enlightened many who listened to Him. He attracted the high and low, rich and poor, educated and illiterate, men and women, householders and ascetics, nobles and peasants. He went in search for the vicious to teach, while the pure and virtuous came in search of Him to learn. To all, He gave the gift of the Truth that He had discovered. His disciples were kings and soldiers, merchants and millionaires, beggars and courtesans, religious as well as deluded people. When people…
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