..續本文上一頁。換句話說，也就是擴充到一切人，一切有情生物上，這就是佛家「無緣大慈，同體大悲」精神的極至。以下我們會講到如何講信修睦，待人接物；現在我們回頭來談基本的「孝悌」，做個結束。
Our closest human relationships are with our parents, and secondly with our brothers, teachers, and elders. Therefore, filial piety and fraternal respect are the foundation for education in human ethics. When one builds a house, one must first lay a solid foundation. The foundation stones of the pillars of the house have to be set securely, or else the house may topple. Filial piety and fraternal respect are not be taken in the narrow sense of referring only to one”s own parents and brothers. Filial piety should be extended to our uncles and all our elders. Fraternal respect should expand to include our cousins and all others who are of the same generation or of later generations. In other words, these virtues should encompass all people and all sentient beings. This is the ultimate significance of the Buddhist spirit of "great kindness for those with whom we have no affinities, and the great compassion of being one with all." The later verses discuss the cultivation of trustworthiness and harmony in one”s social interactions and handling of affairs. For now we will return to and conclude the discussion of the basic virtues of filial piety and fraternal respect.
人倫關系如蜘蛛織網，由內而外，循序漸進，層次分明。居中織網的蜘蛛是「 仁」，其放射網所及之處都是「義」，所經之徑就是「禮」。因此伯叔諸舅和堂表兄弟姐妹，就是在孝悌自已父母兄弟姐妹後，須要孝悌的對象；這是仁愛的第二層發揮，合理合宜。我們敬愛父母兄弟姐妹，父母也敬愛他們的兄弟姐妹；父母慈愛我們，伯叔諸舅當然也慈愛他們的子女。因此敬愛堂表兄弟姐妹，也就是善體伯叔諸舅之心，也就是孝順伯叔諸舅；而孝順伯叔諸舅，就是善體親心，更是孝順父母了。古人說﹕「伯叔如親父」、「見舅如見娘」，都是這個意思。
Human relationships are like spiderwebs, spun from the inside out proceeding in orderly succession with clearly defined levels. The spider at the center of the web is "humaneness," the places its web reaches are "righteousness," and the paths it takes are "propriety." After one has practiced filial piety and fraternal respect toward one”s own parents and siblings, one should focus on one”s uncles and cousins. That is the second level of humaneness, and is in accord with principle. We love and respect our parents and siblings, and our parents love and respect their siblings; our parents love us, and our uncles of course love their own children. Therefore, when we love and respect our cousins, we are empathizing with our uncles, which is to be filial to them. Being filial to our uncles is in turn empathizing with our parents, which is to be filial to our parents. The ancient sayings: "Our paternal uncles are like our own father," and "When we see our maternal uncles, it”s like seeing our own mother," express this principle.
秦穆公和晉文公是中國春秋五霸中的兩位霸主，秦穆公的夫人是晉文公的長姐。晉文公早年爲逃避繼母骊姬的迫害，流亡各國；到秦國時，秦穆夫人已去世了，秦穆公的世子真有「見舅如見娘」之感。晉文公臨別時，秦穆公世子依依難舍，充分流露著孺慕之情。《詩經》裏那首「渭陽」，就是秦康公在即位後，思念舅舅晉文公的作品。可見古人的性情，確是比較淳厚，我們怎能不快快恢複固有道德呢？
Lord Mu of the state of Qin and Lord Wen of Jin were two feudal lords during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. Lord Mu”s wife was the elder sister of Lord Wen. In his youth, Lord Wen fled from his oppressive stepmother Liji and wandered through various states. When he arrived in the state of Qin, Lord Mu”s wife had already passed away. and Lord Mu”s son, the crown prince, really felt that he was seeing his own mother when he saw Lord Wen, his uncle. When Lord Wen was about to leave, the crown prince could hardly bear to let him go; he was filled with yearning. The poem "Wei Yang" in the Book of Odes speaks of Lord Kang of the state of Qin, after assuming the throne, remembering his maternal uncle, Lord Wen. From this one can see how much more virtuous and filial the ancients were. We should quickly return to the virtuous ways of old.
《弟子規淺釋 Standards for Students 第叁章﹕悌 Chapter Three﹕ FRATERNITY - 9》全文閱讀結束。