..续本文上一页 was touching: ”If it is through respect for the Teacher that you do not ask anything, let even one of you inform his friend” (i.e., let one tell his friend so that the latter may ask the question on the other”s behalf). [10]

　　佛为了祛疑解惑，素极热切。就在他圆寂前几分钟，他还数度要求他的弟子们，如果他们对他的教诫仍有所疑的话，应向他提出问题，而不要到后来再后悔没有把这些疑问搞清楚。可是他的弟子们都没有出声。那时他所说的话极为感人。他说：“假使你们因为尊敬你们的师尊而不肯提出问题的话，甚至有一个人肯告诉他的朋友也好。”(这意思就是说：他可以将所疑的告诉他的朋友，而由后者代替他向佛陀发问。)﹝注十﹞

　　Not only the freedom of thought, but also the tolerance allowed by the Buddha is astonishing to the student of the history of religions. Once in Nālandā a prominent and wealthy householder named Upāli, a well-known lay disciple of Nigantha Nātaputta (Jaina Mahāvīra), was expressly sent by Mahāvīra himself to meet the Buddha and defeat him in argument on certain points in the theory of Karma, because the Buddha”s views on the subject were different from those of Mahāvīra. [11] Quite contrary to expectations, Upāli, at the end of the discussion, was convinced that the views of the Buddha were right and those of his master were wrong. So he begged the Buddha to accept him as one of his lay disciples (Upāsaka). But the Buddha asked him to reconsider it, and not to be in a hurry, for ”considering carefully is good for well-known men like you”. When Upāli expressed his desire again, the Buddha requested him to continue to respect and support his old religious teachers as he used to. [12]

　　佛不但准许弟子们自由思考，他的宽大为怀，尤令研究佛教史的人吃惊。有一次，在那烂陀城，佛接见了一位有名而富有的居士，名叫优婆离。他是耆那教主尼干若提子(摩诃毗罗﹝注十一﹞)的在家弟子。摩诃毗罗亲自选派他去迎佛，和佛辩论有关业报理论方面的某些问题，想将佛击败，因为在这些问题上，佛的观点与尼干若提子有所不同。可是出乎意料之外，讨论论的结果，优婆离却相信佛的观点是对的，他老师的看法反而错了。所以，他就求佛收他做佛的在家弟子(优婆塞)。但佛叫他不要急著作决定，要慎重考虑一番。因为“像你这样有名望的人，审慎考虑是要紧的。”当优婆离再度表示他的愿望的时后，佛就要求他继续恭敬供养他以前的宗教导师们，一如往昔。﹝注十二﹞

　　In the third century B.C., the great Buddhist Emperor Asoka of India, following this noble example of tolerance and understanding, honoured and supported all other religions in his vast empire. In one of his Edicts carved on rock, the original of which one may read even today, the Emperor declared:

　　在西元前三世纪顷，印度的佛教大帝阿输迦(阿育王)，遵照佛陀宽容谅解的模范，恭敬供养他广袤幅员内所有的宗教。在他雕刻于岩石上的许多诰文中，有一则原文至今尚存，其中大帝宣称：

　　”One should not honour only one” own religion and condemn the religions of others, but one should honour others” religions for this or that person. So doing, one helps one”s own religion to grow and renders service to the religions of others too. In acting otherwise one digs the grave of one”s own religion and also does harm to other religions. Whosoever honours his own religion and condemns other religions, does so indeed through devotion to his own religion, thinking “I will glorify my own religion”. But on the contrary, in so doing he injures his own religion more gravely.

　　“不可只尊敬自己的宗教，而菲薄他人的宗教。应如理尊重他教，这样做，不但可帮助自己宗教的成长，而且也对别的宗教尽了义务。反过来做；则不但替自己的宗教掘了坟墓，也伤害了别的宗教。凡是尊重自教而非难他教的人，当然是为了忠于自教，以为“我将光大自宗”，但是，相反的，他更严重地伤害了他自己的宗教。

　　So concord is good: Let all listen, and be willing to listen to the doctrines professed by others”. [13]

　　因此，和谐才是好的。大家都应该谛听，而且心甘情愿地谛听其他宗教的教义。”﹝注十三﹞

　　We should add here that this spirit of sympathetic understanding should be applied today not only in the matter of religious doctrine, but elsewhere as well.

　　在此，我们要加一句话，就是：这种富于同情、了解的精神，在今天不但应当适用于宗教方面，也适用于其他方面。

　　This spirit of tolerance and understanding has been from the beginning one of the most cherished ideals of Buddhist culture and civilization. That is why there is not a single example of persecution or the shedding of a drop of blood in converting people to Buddhism, or in its propagation during its long history of 2500 years. It spread peacefully all over the continent of Asia, having more than 500 million adherents today. Violence in any form, under any pretext whatsoever, is absolutely against the teaching of the Buddha.

　　这种宽容与了解的精神，自始就是佛教文化与佛教文明最珍视的理想之一。因此，在两千五百多年漫长的佛教史中，找不到一个佛教迫害他教的例子。佛教…

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