Chapter VI. The Doctrine of No Soul: Anatta

　　第六章 无我论

　　What in generally is suggested by Soul, Self, Ego, or to use the Sanskrit expression Ātman, is that in man there is a permanent, everlasting and absolute entity, which is the unchanging substance behind the changing phenomenal world. According to some religions, each inpidual has such a separate soul which is created by God, and which, finally after death, lives eternally either in hell or heaven, its destiny depending on the judgment of its creator. According to others, it goes through many lives till it is completely purified and becomes finally united with God or Brahman, Universal Soul or Ātman, from which it originally emanated. This soul or self in man is the thinker of thoughts, feeler of sensations, and receiver of rewards and punishments for all its actions good and bad. Such a conception is called the idea of self.

　　一般用到“灵魂”、“自我”、“个我”或梵文里的“神我”( Atman)(编者注： Atman其实只是“我”的意思，一般均译为“神我”，沿用已久，但是否与奥义书及吠檀多之哲学相符，甚可置疑。)这些字眼的时候，它们所提示的意义是：在人身中有一恒常不变、亘古长存的绝对实体。这实体就是那千变万化的现象世界背后不变的实质。照某些宗教说，每一个人都有一个个别的灵魂，这灵魂是上帝所创造的。人死后，它即永久地生活在地狱或天堂里，而它的命运则完全取决于它的创造主的裁判。依另一些宗教的说法，这灵魂可以历经多生，直到完全净化，最后乃与上帝或梵天或神我合一，因为当初它就是从这里面流出来的。这个人身中的灵魂或自我是思想者、感受者、一切善恶行为所得奖惩的领纳者，这种的观念叫做我见。

　　Buddhism stands unique in the history of human thought in denying the existence of such a Soul, Self, or Ātman. According to the teaching of the Buddha, the idea of self is an imaginary, false belief which has no corresponding reality, and it produces harmful thoughts of ”me” and ”mine”, selfish desire, craving, attachment, hatred, ill-will, conceit, pride, egoism, and other defilements, impurities and problems. It is the source of all the troubles in the world from personal conflicts to wars between nations. In short, to this false view can be traced all the evil in the world.

　　在人类的思想史中，佛教是独一无二不承认这灵魂、自我或神我的存在者。根据佛的教诫，我见是虚妄的邪信，与真实绝不相侔。它只能产生“我”、“我的”之类有害的思想、自私的欲望、贪求、执著、憎恨、嗔恚、贡高、我慢、自利主义，以及其它染污不净法等种种问题。它是世间一切纷扰的泉源：从个人间的冲突，以至国与国间的战争，莫不以此为根由。简言之，世间一切邪恶不善法，无一不可溯源到这一邪见。

　　Two ideas are psychologically deep-rooted in man; self-protection and self-preservation. For self-protection man has created God, on whom he depends for his own protection, safety and security, just as a child depends on its parent. For self-preservation man has conceived the idea of an immortal Soul or Ātman, which will live eternally. In his ignorance, weakness, fear, and desire, man needs these two things to console himself. Hence he clings to them deeply and fanatically.

　　人的心理上，有两种根深蒂固的意念：自卫与自存。为了自卫，人类创造了上帝，靠上帝得到保护、安全与依怙，就像小孩依赖父母一样。为了自存，人类想出了灵魂(神我)不灭的主意，俾得亘古长存。由于他的愚昧、懦弱、恐惧与贪婪，人类需要这两件东西来安慰自己。因此，他紧紧地、狂热地抓住它们。

　　The Buddha”s teaching does not support this ignorance, weakness, fear, and desire, but aims at making man enlightened by removing and destroying them, striking at their very root. According to Buddhism, our ideas of God and Soul are false and empty. Though highly developed as theories, they are all the same extremely subtle mental projections, garbed in an intricate metaphysical and philosophical phraseology. These ideas are so deep-rooted in man, and so near and dear to him, that he does not wish to hear, nor does he want to understand, any teaching against them.

　　佛的教诫不但不助长这愚昧、怯懦、恐惧与贪欲，反从釜底抽新将这些(劣根性)连根芟除，以使人类得到正觉为目的。根据佛教，上帝与灵魂的概念，是虚妄不实的。虽然神学是一项高度发展的理论，它们仍然只是极精微的前尘心影，不过穿上了深奥难懂的形上学以及哲学名词的外衣而已。这些意念之根深蒂固而为人类所亲所爱，使得人类不愿听闻、更不愿了解任何与之相违反的教诫。

　　The Buddha knew this quite well. In fact, he said that his teaching was ”against the current” (patisotagāmi), against man”s selfish desire. Just four weeks after his Enlightenment, seated under a banyan tree, he thought to himself; ”I have realized this Truth which is deep, difficult to understand… comprehensible only by the wise… Men who are overpowered by passions and surrounded by a mass of darkness cannot …

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