..续本文上一页ccording to the parents” hopes and aspirations. And yet when these children grow up, they develop in their own way, not necessarily the way the parents wanted them to be. In Buddhism, we believe that while others can exert an influence on someone”s life, the inpidual will in the end create his own kamma and be responsible for his own actions. No human being or deva can, in the final analysis, direct or control an inpidual”s attainment of ”the ultimate salvation”. This is the meaning of self-reliance.
举个例子来说，我们都知道，做父母的经常都按照自己的希望和抱负来教导孩子，然而，孩子长大后，却拒绝了父母为他们安排的一切，他们要发展他们自己的一套。在佛教里，相信一个人能影响另一个人的一生。但是到最后，个人的意识创造了他自己的业力，并为他个人的行为负责。无论是人类或天人，都不能协助或控制他人的解脱，解脱要靠自己。
This does not mean that Buddhism teaches one to be selfish. In Buddhism, when someone seeks, by his own effort, to attain Nibbana, he is determined not to kill, steal, tell lies, lust after others, or lose the control of his senses through intoxication. When he controls himself thus he automatically contributes to the happiness of others. So is not this so-called ”selfishness” a good thing for the general welfare of others
这不是意味着佛教是自私的。佛教徒以自己的努力去证悟涅槃，他持守戒律不杀生、不偷盗、不邪淫、不妄语、不喝那些能导致感官失控的酒。当一个人能有效的控制自己，他就能自动的为他人提供幸福。这种所谓的「自私」，何尝对人没有好处呢？
On a more mundane level it has been asked how the lower forms of life can extricate themselves from a mere meaningless round of existence. Surely in that helpless state some benevolent external force is necessary to pull the unfortunate being from the quicksand. To answer this question we must refer to our knowledge of the evolution theory. It is clearly stated that life begin in very primitive forms
no more than a single cell floating in the water. Over millions of years these basic life forms evolved and became more complex, more intelligent. It is at this more intelligent level that life forms are capable of organization, independent thought, conceptualization and so on.
就生态层次而言，有人要问：「那些低等动物，如何自我拯救呢？当然，在无助的情况下，一些外在的慈悲力，将那些不幸的低等动物，从困难中拯救出来。回答这一问题的同时，我们要对「进化论」有一定的了解。「进化论」清楚的说明，生命的原始形态，是水中浮游的单细胞，经过数亿年的发展，这些基本的生命形态演进成更复杂和具有智慧的生命。这些有智慧的生命形态，能够组织、能够独立思考，并拥有将事物概念化的能力等等。
When Buddhists talk about the ability to save oneself, they are referring to life forms at this higher level of mental development. In the earlier stages of evolution kammic and mental forces remain dormant, but over countless rebirths, a being raises itself to the level of independent thought and becomes capable of rational rather than instinctive behavior. It is at this state that the being becomes aware of the meaninglessness of undergoing endless rebirths with its natural concomitants of pain and sorrow. It is then that the being is capable of making its determination to end rebirth and seek happiness by gaining enlightenment and Nibbana. With this high level of intelligence, the inpidual is indeed capable of self-improvement and self-development.
佛陀所说的自我拯救，是针对较高层次的生命形态而言。在早期的生命中，心识和业力是潜伏的，当经过无数次的轮回转世，才提升到能够独立思考的生命形态，成为更有理性，而不是本能了。在这个阶段，众生觉察到毫无意义，无休无止的生死轮回，和他那如影随形的痛苦和烦恼。然而，众生都拥有了断生死的能力，他们运用较高层次的智慧，获得觉悟和涅槃，寻求永恒的幸福。以这种高层次的智能而言，每个人都有能力自我改善和自我发展。
We all know human beings are born with very varying levels of intelligence and powers of reasoning. Some are born as geniuses, while at the other end of the spectrum, others are born with very low intelligence. Yet every being has some ability to distinguish between choices or options, especially when they concern survival. If we extend this fact of survival even to the animal world we can distinguish between higher and lower animals, with this same ability (in varying degrees of course) to make choices for the sake of survival.
我们知道，人类的才智水平和理性力量都不相同。有些人天生就是天才，而有些人智障。但是，人类还是拥有某种程度的能力去分辨、选择和取舍。如果，我们把这种生存的现象。延伸到动物界中，我们就能分辨高等与低等动物。但是，动物一样有分辨、选择和取舍的能力，只是程度有所不同而已。
Hence, even a lower form of life has the potential to create a good kam…
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