第二辑 直抵心灵的真相 Volume 2: Truth That Touches Your Heart
在巴利文原典中，多处都提到一位游方者名叫婆蹉种。一次，婆蹉种来到佛处，问道：
“尊敬的乔达摩啊，神我是有的吗？”
佛陀缄口不答。
“那么，可敬的乔达摩，神我是没有的吗？”
佛还是保持沉默。
In the original Pali scriptures, there are many references to a pilgrim named Pocha. Once, Pocha came to the Buddha's place and asked:
"Respected Gautama, is there a cosmic self?"
Buddha remained silent.
"Then, Venerable Gautama, is there no cosmic self?"
Buddha remained silent.
在佛陀时代，类似于婆蹉种这样的游方者不乏其人，他们在和别人讨论时，为了辩论而辩论，时常用形而上学方面的问题来同别人争辩。其中十个有名的形而上学的问题是：
In the Buddha's time, there were many wanderers similar to Pocha. When they were discussing with others, they debated for the sake of debate, frequently employing metaphysical matters to argue with others. Ten of these well-known metaphysical questions include:
一、有关宇宙的问题
宇宙，宇代表上下四方所有的空间，宙代表古往今来的时间。
1.宇宙是永恒的吗？
2.宇宙不是永恒的吗？
3.宇宙是有限的吗？
4.宇宙是无限的吗？
I. Questions about the universe
Yǔ, represents all the space in the upper and lower four directions, and Zhòu represents the time from the past to the present.
1.Is the universe eternal?
2.Is the universe not eternal?
3.Is the universe finite?
4.Is the universe infinite?
二、有关心理学方面的问题
5.身与心是一体的吗？
6.身是一物，心又是一物吗？
II. Questions about psychology
5.Are body and mind one?
6.Is the body one thing and the mind another?
三、佛陀悟证的境界问题
7.如来涅槃后继续存在吗？
8.如来涅槃后不再继续存在吗？
9.如来涅槃后是既存在亦同时不存在吗？
10.如来涅槃后既不存在亦同时非不存在吗？
III. Questions about the realm of Buddha's enlightenment
7.Does the Tathagata (Buddha) continue to exist after Nirvana?
8.Does the Tathagata (Buddha) cease to exist after Nirvana?
9.Does the Tathagata (Buddha) exist and not exist at the same time after Nirvana?
10.Does the Tathagata (Buddha) neither exist nor not exist at the same time after Nirvana?
佛陀对讨论以上这些形而上学的问题不感兴趣，所以每当有人向佛陀提出以上问题时，佛陀总是沉默不语。
佛陀为什么不回答以上这些形而上学的问题呢？我们从四个方面来解释：
The Buddha was not interested in discussing these metaphysical questions, so whenever someone asked the Buddha these questions, Buddha always remained silent.
Why didn't the Buddha answer these metaphysical questions? We can explain it from four perspectives:
一、佛陀不止一次地回答说：
01.The Buddha replied on more than one occasion, saying,
“比丘，我所讲的法只有两件事：苦和苦之止息（即涅槃）。人类充满了痛苦，我们当务之急的任务就是要去除痛苦，所以我解释这些法，因为它们有用处，它们与修炼身心的梵行有根本上的关系，可令人厌离、去执、入灭、得宁静、深观和涅槃。因此我解释这些法……”
"Bhiksu, I teach only two things: suffering and the cessation of suffering (nirvana). Human beings are full of suffering, and our most urgent task is to eliminate suffering. Therefore, I expound these dharmas as they are beneficial and intimately connected to the mind and body in the pursuit of the holy life. They bring about renunciation, detachment, cessation, and ultimately lead to serenity, insight, and nirvana. Thus, I expound upon these dharmas..."
而在以上十个形而上学的问题中，前四个问题是有关宇宙的期限和广度的问题，这是宇宙论，不管世界是永恒还是非永恒，有限还是无限，它们都无益于人类对痛苦之解脱。
Among the ten metaphysical questions above, the first four questions are about the duration and grandness of the universe. This is cosmology. No matter whether the world is eternal or non-eternal, finite or infinite, these concepts are not beneficial to human beings' liberation from suffering.
接下来两个问题是有关身与心方面的问题。根据佛陀的教诲，诸法无我，这是三法印之一。事实上，无我的教义是佛教的一大特色，所以若有人问身与心是一体的还是可以分离的，对佛陀的教诲而言，这简直是风马牛不相及。对佛教来说，这些问题根本就无从说起。
The next two questions are about body and mind. According to the Buddha's teachings, "All phenomena are empty and devoid of self", this is one of the Three Dharma Seals. In fact, the doctrine of no-self is a major feature of Buddhism, so if one asks whether body and mind are one or separate, it is simply irrelevant to the teachings of the Buddha. For Buddhism, these questions are simply out of the question.
二、形而上学的问题会把人们引入歧途，使人迷失方向。
02.Metaphysical related questions can lead people astray.
佛陀时代，一位比丘名叫曼童子，有一天，他午后静坐时，忽然起来去到佛所，行过礼后在一旁坐下，就说：“世尊，我正独自静坐，忽然起了一个念头：有十个问题你从来没有给我们明确的解释。每当人们向您问起这些问题时，您总是将之搁置一边，沉默不语。我不喜欢这种做法。
During the time of the Buddha, there was a Bhiksu named Mālunkyāputta. One afternoon, while he was engaged in meditation, he abruptly stood up and made his way to the Buddha's dwelling. After paying his respects with a bow, he sat down and addressed the Buddha, saying, "Honorable One, while I was in meditation, a thought suddenly arose within me regarding ten questions for which you have never provided a clear explanation. Whenever people ask these questions, you always set them aside and remain silent. I find that disconcerting."
世尊，今天您若跟我解释清楚这十个问题，我将继续修梵行；如果世尊仍对这些问题保持沉默，我便会失去信心，不再修梵行。如果世尊知道世间是永恒的，就请照这样给我解释。如果宇宙不是永恒的，又为什么？如果您对这些问题也不知道，就直接说：‘我不知道。’”
"Honorable One, if you can provide a clear explanation of these ten questions to me today, I will persist in practicing the holy life. However, if you choose to remain silent, I will lose faith and cease my pursuit of the holy life. If you know whether the world is eternal, please enlighten me on that matter. And if the universe is not eternal, I am curious to understand the reason behind it. If you do not have the answers, simply say, 'I do not know.'"
佛陀说：“你这愚蠢的人啊！你当初出家修行就是为了了解这些形而上学的问题吗？你跟随我修梵行时我答应过你将会回答这些问题吗？” 曼童子回答说：“世尊，没有。”
The Buddha responded, saying, "You fool! Did you enter the holy life with the purpose of comprehending these metaphysical questions? Did I make any promises to answer such questions when you chose to follow me in the holy life?" Mālunkyāputta replied, "World-Honored One, no."
佛陀说：“在你还没有得到如来的答案之前就要死掉了。曼童子，这就好比一个中了毒箭的人，在亲友找到医生替他诊治时，却对医生说：‘取箭之前，先回答我的问题：伤害我的人属于什么阶级？名字叫什么？身材怎样？哪里人氏？还有他用的弓是什么做的？弦又是什么做的？箭杆是什么做的？箭翎是哪种鸟的羽毛？医生，你若不能给我一个满意的解释，我就不疗伤了！’”
The Buddha said, "You will perish before receiving an answer from the Tathagata. Mālunkyāputta, you are behaving like a person wounded by a poisoned arrow. When relatives and friends find a doctor to heal him, he demands, 'Before you extract the arrow, answer my questions: Who shot me? What is their name? What is their appearance? Where do they come from? What is the bow made of? How about the arrow? What materials compose the shaft? What bird's feather is on the arrowhead? Doctor, if you fail to provide a satisfactory explanation, I will refuse treatment!'"
曼童子，这人在未弄清这些答案之前早就死了。如果某人整天为这些形而上学的问题所困扰，穷追不舍，追根穷源，这便误入歧途，终将一无所获。
"Mālunkyāputta, this person perished long before these answers became known. If someone is consumed by these metaphysical dilemmas all day long and desperately pursues them, they will stray from the path and ultimately gain nothing."
三、由于语言的局限性，凡夫无法通过语言明了这些问题。
03.Due to the limitations of language, ordinary people cannot fully grasp the reality through words alone.
语言是人类创造的，用以表达人类由感官与心灵所体验到的事物、经验、思想和感情。它代表我们所熟知的事物与意念的符号。它局限于时间、空间和缘起法，语言不可能超越这些范围。
Language is a manmade construct used to express events, experiences, thoughts and feelings that are perceived through the mind and senses. It utilizes symbols to represent familiar things and ideas. Language is confined by the constraints of time, space, and dependent origination, unable to transcend these limitations.
换句话说，人类只能在时间、空间和缘起法允许的范围内用语言表达一件事、一种境界。有时，人类的语言甚至不足以表示日常事物的真实性状。例如经验告诉我们，有时我们会有一种激情或感受，但却无法用语言表达出来。所以人类的语言不是万能的，它有一定的局限性。
In other words, human beings can only express their thoughts and perspectives within the confines of time, space, and dependent origination. At times, human language falls short in capturing the full reality of our daily lives. For instance, certain intense emotions or feelings defy adequate verbal expression. Hence, human language is not omnipotent; it possesses certain limitations.
在了知真理方面，语言更是显得无力，因为超出世间的佛法是超出时间、空间和缘起定律的限制，人类只能体证之，而不可能用语言描述之，即所谓心行处灭，言语道断。事实上，这些问题永远不可能通过语言文字而获得充分而圆满的答复，没有任何语言文字可以表达这种境界。
In terms of knowing the truth, language is even more powerless, because the Buddha dharma is beyond the world and is restricted beyond the limitations of time, space and the law of dependent origination. Human beings can only experience it, but cannot describe it in words, as it is referred to as "The ultimate truth is beyond words and thoughts." In fact, these questions can never be fully and satisfactorily answered through language, as no language can articulate such a realm.
就像在鱼的词汇里是没有形容陆地的字眼一样。乌龟对他的朋友鱼说，它刚到陆地上散步回湖。鱼说：“散步和游泳有什么区别？”乌龟想对鱼解释陆地是坚硬的，不能在上面游泳，只能在上面步行。显然，鱼永远也无法体验在陆地上步行是个什么样的境界。
Just as there is no descriptive word for land in the vocabulary of a fish. The tortoise tells his friend, the fish, that he has just returned to the lake after a walk on land. The fish says, "What's the difference between walking and swimming?" The tortoise wishes to explain walking to the fish. The land is solid so one could not swim on it but only walk on it. Obviously, the fish will never be able to experience what it is like to walk on land.
同样，在普通凡夫的词汇里，不可能找到适当的词句去描绘涅槃。可是目前有不少人用世界上最美妙的词语去描绘涅槃的崇高境界，有人甚至不惜绞尽脑汁，长篇累牍地论述佛陀入灭后的奇妙境界。其结果正如《楞伽经》里所说愚人执着语言文字，如大象陷入泥潭，不能自拔。
Likewise, in the vocabulary of an ordinary person, it is impossible to find the appropriate words to describe Nirvana. However nowadays, many people use the most elaborate words in the world to describe the sublime supremacy of Nirvana; and some even rack their brains to painfully and lengthily describe the blissful state of the Buddha after his death. The result is just as what the "Lankavatara Sutra" says, “fools are attached to words, like elephants stuck in a quagmire, unable to extricate themselves.”
四、对机说法，因材施教是佛陀教化众生的方法。
04.The Buddha's method of enlightening sentient beings is to teach them according to their aptitudes.
佛陀并不是一座计算机，不管什么人问什么样的问题，他都会不加思索地回答。他是一位很讲究实际效益的老师，充满了慈悲与智慧，他并不是为了炫耀自己的知识而答问，而是为了要帮助问话人走上正觉的道路。他和人说法时，时刻不忘对方的水平、倾向、根器、性格以及了解某一问题的能力。
The Buddha is not a computer, he won't simply answer any questions without thinking. He is a teacher who is very concern about practical benefits; he is also full of compassion and wisdom. He does not answer questions to show off his knowledge, but to help the questioner on the path of enlightenment. When he talks to a person, he always keeps in mind the level, inclination, capacities, character and ability of understanding a certain issue of that person.
根据佛陀的教导，应对问题有四种方式：
1.当问题比较直接、明显，而且避免了形而上学的问题时，这些问题必须直截了当地答复。例如苦之因是什么？
2.某些问题必须以分析的方法解答，例如佛教是唯心主义还是唯物主义？
3.另有一些问题必须以反问为答复。
4.有一类问题必须以缄默不语为答复。例如当有人向佛陀询问有关形而上学方面的问题时，佛陀常常是保持沉默。
According to the Buddha's teachings, there are four ways to deal with the imposed questions:
1.When the questions are direct and obvious, deprived of the metaphysical aspects, they must be answered directly. For example, what is the cause of suffering?
2.Certain questions must be answered analytically, such as "is Buddhism an idealism or materialism"?
3.Other questions must be answered by questioning back.
4.There is a class of questions that must be answered by silence. For example, when someone asked the Buddha about metaphysics, the Buddha often kept silent.
所以，当婆蹉种问佛陀有无神我时，佛陀总是保持沉默。佛陀的缄默对婆蹉种的影响胜过任何雄辩。悲智双全的佛陀曾为这位困惑的求法人煞费苦心，并对他表示深切的关怀。
So, when Pocha asked the Buddha if there is a god and self, the Buddha always kept silent. The Buddha's silence had an effect on Pocha than any eloquence. The compassionate and wise Buddha took great care of the bewildered seeker and expressed his deep concern for him.
总之，这十个佛陀不回答的问题都是有关佛陀悟证的境界问题。佛陀悟证的超凡境界只能通过修行而悟证之。对普通人来说，即使佛陀为他们解释，他们也永远不会明白这种超越现世的境界。
In short, these ten questions that the Buddha did not answer are all about the realm of the Buddha's enlightenment. The transcendent state of Buddha's enlightenment can only be realized through practice. For ordinary people, even if the Buddha were to explain it to them, they would never comprehend such a transcendent realm beyond the mundane world.
有一次，佛陀在憍欣弥（今印度阿拉哈巴特附近）一座尸舍婆林中经过时，他取了几片叶子放在手里，问他的弟子们道：“比丘们啊！你们意下如何？我手中的几片叶子多呢，还是此间林中的叶子多？”“世尊，你手中只有很少几片叶子，但此间尸舍婆林中的叶子却多得不可胜数。”
Once long-ago, when the Buddha was passing by a forest in Khohimmi (in present-day Allahabat, India), he took a few leaves and put them in his hands. He asked his disciples, "O bhiksu, what do you think? Are there more leaves in my hand, or are there more leaves in the forest here?" "World-Honored One, you have only a few leaves in your hand, but there are countless leaves here in the forest."
“同样，我所知的法如同尸合婆林中的叶子，而我已经告诉你们的如同我手中的叶子，只有一点点，我所未说的法还有很多呢！而我为什么不为你们说那些法呢？因为他们没有用处，不能引导人证得涅槃。这就是我没有说那些法的原因。”
"Similarly, the Dharma I know is like leaves in the forest, and what I have told you is just like the leaves in my hand, only a small portion. There is much Dharma that I have not spoken of! But why haven't I revealed all of it to you? Because they are not beneficial, they do not lead to the realization of Nirvana. That is the reason why I have not spoken those dharmas."
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