..续本文上一页imself to the extent that no man had done and yet lived. He, too, would have certainly died had He not realized the futility of self-mortification, and decided to practise moderation instead.
在漫长的六年里，他努力寻求真理从不懈怠。他向著名的老师参学，他向所有的宗教导师学习。但他发现找不到他所追求的，他参与了苦行修士的训练，想通过折磨身体来证悟真理，当时他相信通过这样的锻炼会寻获真理。他以无比的坚强意志实践苦行修士的教导。他禁食，每天以一点点食物充飢，结果瘦得剩下皮包骨，肚皮也贴上脊椎骨了，他的苦行已到达人类能够忍受的极限。最后，他觉察到这种自我折磨的苦行方式是枉费心机的，他终于放弃了苦行，转而实践中道。
On the full moon night of the month of Vesakha, He sat under the Bodhi tree at Gaya, wrapped in deep meditation. It was then that His mind burst the bubble of the universe and realized the true nature of all life and all things. At the age of 35 years, He was transformed from an earnest truth seeker into the Buddha, the Enlightened One.
在七月(āsāḷha)的月圆之夜，在迦耶(Buddhagayā，现在的布德嘎亚)，他坐在一棵菩提树下，进入禅定。就在这时候，他证悟了正自觉。当时他三十五岁，从一个平常人成为佛陀 —— 一位觉者。
For nearly half a century, the Buddha walked on the dusty paths of India Teaching the Dhamma so that those who heard and practised could be ennobled and free. He founded an order of monks and nuns, challenged the caste system, raised the status of women, taught religious freedom and free inquiry, opened the gates of deliverance to all, in every condition of life, high or low, saint or sinner, and ennobled the lives of criminals like Angulimala and courtesans like Ambapali.
将近半个世纪，佛陀步行在印度泥泞的道路，弘扬他所觉悟的法。那些实践他所教导者，都能获得解脱。他成立了比库僧团和比库尼僧团。他向传统挑战，提升妇女的地位，让她们通过宗教而获得自由和平等。他敞开了佛教大门，解放了所有阶层的人，无论是高尚或低下的，圣人或罪恶者。度化了杀人无数、罪恶滔天的安古里玛拉(Angulmala，古译：指魔、央掘摩罗)，和妓女安巴帕丽(Ambapal)。
He was towering in wisdom and intellect. Every problem was analyzed in component parts and then reassembled in logical order with the meaning made clear. None could defeat Him in dialogue. An unequaled teacher, He still is the foremost analyst of the mind and phenomena even up to the present day. For the first time in history, He gave men the power to think for themselves, raised the worth of mankind, and showed that man can reach to the highest knowledge and supreme Enlightenment by his own efforts.
他浸濡于寻求知识和智慧中，所有的问题都被他一一的解决了。一切物体都由四种元素组成，一切都是四大(元素)的假合。没有人能在辩论中把他驳倒。一位无可比拟的教师，他的学术和理论一直影响到今天。他是历史的第一个人，他给予人类思想的动力，突出了人性，指示人类只要肯努力，就能获得无上的知识和达到殊胜的觉悟境界。
Despite His peerless wisdom and royal lineage, He was never removed from the simple villager. Surface distinctions of class and caste meant little to Him. No one was too little or low for Him to help. Often when an outcast, or poor and dejected came to Him, his self-respect was restored and he turned from the ignoble life to that of a noble being.
除了弘法以外，他从来没有离开那简陋的村庄。他视名利、地位为无物。他无私的帮助一切众生，在他眼中没有谁是渺小或低下的。经常有外来的穷人或残废者来寻求他的协助，他令他们的自尊重新获得确认，使他们从鄙贱的生命中提升为尊贵的人类。
The Buddha was full of compassion(karuna)and wisdom(panna), knowing how and what to teach each inpidual for his own benefit according to his level and capabilities. He was known to have walked long distances to help one single person.
佛陀的内心充满了慈悲和智慧，他根据每个人不同的层次和能力教导他们。他经常到很远的地方去，只为帮助某一个人。
He was affectionate and devoted to His disciples, always inquiring after their well-being and progress. When staying at the monastery, He paid daily visits to the sick wards. His compassion for the sick can be seen from His advice, ”He who attends the sick, attends on me.” The Buddha kept order and discipline on the basis of mutual respect. King Pasenadi could not understand how the Buddha maintained such order and discipline in the community of monks, when he as a king with the power to punish, could not maintain it as well in his court.
他亲切地关怀和爱护他的弟子，经常问起他们的起居和修行的进展。当居住在寺院的时候，他每天都去探访病院里的病人，他的慈悲心从这里展露无疑。他说道：「谁照顾病人，就是在照顾我。」他提倡秩序和纪律，使大家互相尊敬。巴谢那地王(Pasenadi，古译：波斯匿)不能理解佛陀如何维持一个那么庞大僧团的纪律？以他身为一个拥有惩罚权力的国王和他的法院都无法做到这一点。
The Buddha did not claim to have ”created” worldly conditions, universal phenomena, or the Universal Law which we call the ”Dhamma”.…
《第一章 佛陀的本怀与生平 Chapter 1 Gautama, the Buddha》全文未完，请进入下页继续阅读…