..续本文上一页也从来不曾因为弘法或劝人信佛而流过一滴血。它和平地传遍了整个亚洲大陆，到今天已有了五亿以上的信众。任何形式的暴力，不论以什么为借口，都是绝对与佛的教诫相违背的。

　　The question has often been asked: Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy

　　 It does not matter what you call it. Buddhism remains what it is whatever label you may put on it. The label is immaterial. Even the label ”Buddhism” which we give to the teaching of the Buddha is of little importance. The name one gives it is inessential.

　　有一个时常被提起的问题：佛教到底是宗教呢？还是哲学？不管你叫它做什么，都无关宏旨。佛教仍然是佛教，不论你给它贴上什么样的标签。标签是不相干的。我们将佛的教诫称为“佛教”，也没有什么特别的重要性。人们为它所取的名字，是不关紧要的。

　　What”s in a name

　　 That which we call a rose,

　　名字有什么相干？ 我们叫做玫瑰的，

　　By any other name would smell as sweet.

　　叫任何别的名字， 仍然一样的芬芳。

　　In the same way Truth needs no label” it is neither Buddhist, Christian, Hindu nor Moslem. It is not the monopoly of anybody. Sectarian labels are a hindrance to the independent understanding of Truth, and they produce harmful prejudices in men”s minds.

　　同样的，真理不需要标签。它既不是佛教的，也不是基督教的、印度教的、或是回教的。它不是任何人的专利品。宗教的标签，只是独立了解真理的障碍。它们能在人们心中产生有害的偏见。

　　This is true not only in intellectual and spiritual matters, but also in human relations. When, for instance, we meet a man, we do not look on him as a human being, but we put a label on him, such as English, French, German, American, or Jew, and regard him with all the prejudices associated with that label in our mind. Yet he may be completely free from those attributes which we have put on him.

　　这不仅再与理性和心灵有关的事情为然。即使在人与人的关系间，亦复如是。举例来说，我们遇到一个人，并不把他看成人类，而先在他身上加上一个标签，好比英国人、法国人、德国人、或是犹太人，然后将我们心中与这些名称有关的一切成见，都加在此人身上。实际上，这人可能不含有丝毫我们所加于他身上的种种属性。

　　People are so fond of discriminative labels that they even go to the length of putting them on human qualities and emotions common to all. So they talk of different ” brands” of charity, as for example, of Buddhist charity or Christian charity, and look down upon other ”brands” of charity. But charity cannot be sectarian; it is neither Christian, Buddhist, Hindu nor Moslem. The love of a mother for her child is neither Buddhist nor Christian: it is mother love. Human qualities and emotions like love, charity, compassion, tolerance, patience, friendship, desire, hatred, ill-will, ignorance, conceit, etc., need no sectarian labels; they belong to no particular religions.

　　人类最喜欢有分别性的标签，甚至将各种人类共同具有的品性与情感也都加上了标签。因此，我们常常谈到各种“商标”的慈善事业：好比佛教慈善事业，或者基督教慈善事业，而藐视其他“商标”的慈善事业。可是慈善事业实在不能分宗派；它既非基督教的、佛教的、印度教的、也非回教的。一位母亲对子女的爱，既非佛教的，也非基督教的；它只是母爱。人类的品性与情感如爱、慈、悲、恕、忍、义、欲、憎、恶、愚、慢等，都用不著宗教的标签；它们并不专属于任一宗教。

　　To the seeker after Truth it is immaterial from where an idea comes. The source and development of an idea is a matter for the academic. In fact, in order to understand Truth, it is not necessary even to know whether the teaching comes from the Buddha, or from anyone else. What is essential is seeing the thing, understanding it. There is an important story in the Majjhima-nikāya (sutta no.140) which illustrates this.

　　对于寻求真理的人来说，某一思想的来源是无足轻重的。研究某种思想的源流及演变是学术界的事。事实上，如果单为了明了真理，甚至不需要知道这教义是否为佛说，或是他人所说。要紧的是了知与澈见真理。在巴利藏《中部经》第一四零经中，有一则很重要的记载，可资佐证。

　　The Buddha once spent a night in a potter”s shed. In the same shed there was a young recluse who had arrived there earlier. [14] They did not know each other. The Buddha observed the recluse and thought to himself: ”Pleasant are the ways of this young man. It would be good if I should ask about him”. So the Buddha asked him ”O bhikkhu, [15] in whose name have you left home

　　 Or who is your master

　　 Or whose doctrine do you like

　　”

　　有一次，佛在一个陶工的棚屋里度过一夜。在这棚屋里，先到了一位年轻的出家人。﹝注十四﹞他和佛陀彼此并不相识。佛陀将这出家人端详一遍，就这样想：这年轻人的仪态举止都很可喜，我不妨盘问他一番。于是佛就问他：“比丘啊！﹝注十五﹞你是在谁的名下出家的？谁是你的导师？你服膺谁的教诫？”

　　”O friend,” answered the young man, ”there is the recluse Gotama, a Sakyan scion, who left the Sakya-family to become a recluse. There is high repute abroad of him that he is an Arahant, a Full-Enlightened One. In the name of that Blessed One…

《佛陀的启示 第一章 佛教的宗教态度 Chapter I· The Buddhist Attitude of Mind》全文未完，请进入下页继续阅读…