..續本文上一頁ests; be chaste; be thrifty; show skill and diligence in all things.

　　212. Q. Where are these precepts taught

　　p. 59

　　A. In the Sigâlovâda Sutta.

　　213. Q. Do riches help a man to future happiness

　　A. The Dhammapada says: "One is the road that leads to wealth, another the road that leads to Nirvâṇa."

　　214. Q. Does that mean that no rich man can attain Nirvâṇa

　　A. That depends on which he loves most. If he uses his wealth for the benefit of mankind—for the suffering, the oppressed, the ignorant—then his wealth aids him to acquire merit.

　　215. Q. But if the contrary

　　A. But if he loves and greedily hoards money for the sake of its possession, then it weakens his moral sense, prompts him to crime, brings curses upon, him in this life, and their effects are felt in the next birth.

　　216. Q. What says the "Dhammapada" about ignorance

　　A. That it is a taint worse than all taints that a man can put upon himself.

　　217. Q. What does it say about uncharitableness towards others

　　p. 60

　　A. That the fault of others is easily perceived, but that of oneself difficult to perceive; a man winnows his neighbor”s faults like chaff, but his own fault he hides, as a cheat hides the bad die from the gambler.

　　218. Q. What advice does the Buddha give us as to man”s duty to the poor

　　A. He says that a man”s nett income should be pided into four parts, of which one should be devoted to philanthropic objects.

　　219. Q. What five occupations are said to be low and base

　　A. Selling liquor, selling animals for slaughter, selling poison, selling murderous weapons, and dealing in slaves.

　　220. Q. Who are said to be incapable of progress in spirituality

　　A. The killers of father, mother, and holy Arhats; bhikkhus who sow discord in the Sangha; those who attempt to injure the person of a Buddha; those who hold extremely nihilistic views as to the future existence; and those who are extremely sensual.

　　221. Q. Does Buddhism specify places or conditions of torment into which a bad man”s Karma draws him on leaving this life

　　p. 61

　　A. Yes., They are: Sanjîva; Kâlasûtra; Sanghâta; Raurava; Mahâ-Raurava; Tâpa; Pratâpa; Avîchi.

　　222. Q. Is the torment eternal

　　A. Certainly not. Its duration depends on a man”s Karma.

　　223. Q. Does Buddhism declare that non-believers in Buddha will of necessity be damned for their unbelief

　　A. No; by good deeds they may enjoy a limited term of happiness before being drawn into re-birth by their unexhausted tanhâ. To escape re-birth, one must tread the Noble Eight-fold Path.

　　224. Q. What is the spiritual status of woman among Buddhists

　　A. According to our religion they are on a footing of perfect equality with men. "Woman," says the Buddha, in the Chullavêdalla Sutta, "may attain the highest path of holiness "—Arhatship—that is open to man.

　　225. Q. What does a modern critic say about the effect of Buddhism on woman

　　A. That "it has done more for the happiness and

　　p. 62

　　enfranchisement of woman than any other creed" (Sir Lepel Griffin).

　　226. Q. What did the Buddha teach about caste

　　A. That one does not become of any caste, whether Pariah, the lowest, or Brâhmaṇa, the highest, by birth, but by deeds. "By deeds, "said He, "one becomes an outcast, by deeds one becomes a Brâhmaṇa" (See Vasala Sutta).

　　227. Q. Tell me a story to illustrate this.

　　A. Ânanda, passing by a well, was thirsty and asked Prakriti, a girl of the Mâtanga, or Pariah caste, to give him water. She said she was of such low caste that he would become contaminated by taking water from her hand. But Ânanda replied: "I ask not for caste but for water;" and the Mâtanga girl”s heart was glad and she gave him to drink. The Bud…

《Part II· The Dharma or Doctrine》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…