自由思考 Independent thinking

 南禪朋友好

 

      自由思考

修行當然是自由的。

 我被問及一個匪夷所思的問題；有年輕人願意出家，但是出家戒條是「終身不得還俗！不能看望俗家父母！」

 

我想都沒有想，脫口而出胡說八道！

 

當佛陀的弟子蔓童子問佛陀：世界有邊際或無邊際？您要給我答案，不然我就要還俗。佛陀說：你要出家時，我沒有承諾要回答這個問題！

 

那蔓童子就還俗了！

 

Independent thinking

 

Independent thinking and freedom of choice are part and parcel of

 spiritual practice.

 

I was once asked how a young person could be willing to ordain

 knowing that the monastic precepts prohibit both disrobing and

 visiting one’s parents.

 

I replied, without hesitation, ‘this was totally nonsense!’

 One time the monk Māluṅkyaputra asked the Buddha to tell him

 whether the universe is finite or infinite, or else he would disrobe.

 The Buddha refused to answer, reminding Māluṅkyaputra that when

 he was ordained, he never promised to answer this question.

Soon afterwards, Māluṅkyaputra disrobed.

 

 

一個佛陀不認同的弟子都還存在著他自己的思考，而佛陀也說

出你可以自由思考的立場，我不一定要回答

 

國外的媒體說：世界上唯一宗教跟哲學邏輯結合的就是佛教。

 

真相是當整個思考程度喪失的時候，那是後代各自的教派條

約，不是佛陀的教導！

只是出家修行能做到馬上隔離、與斷絕自己的血脈，那只有真

 

正證悟聖果的人才做得到，（但佛陀在大徹大悟後，依然在羅

 

睺羅（佛陀的兒子）有生命危險的時候，展神通去救他）。

 

成年人應該清楚脫離血緣的困難度，這個做法是「千山鳥飛

絕」的目標，但剛飛離鳥巢的小鳥不知道啊！

半寄

Māluṅkyaputra has a burning question and boldly puts it to the

 Buddha, who neither answers the question nor rebukes him for

 asking it.

 For an adult it’s hard enough to leave one’s family behind, like a

 bird flying beyond countless mountains, never to return. For a

 fledgling who has just learned to fly, it’s even more difficult and

 unlikely!

 

Now, some in the West have said that Buddhism is the only religion

 in the world that accords with philosophy and logic.

 

The truth is that other religions may have totally lost touch with

 rational thinking, but not Buddhism!

As for cutting off all contact with one’s family immediately after

 ordination, that would only be possible for someone who has

 already realized the highest level of awakening. (However, we

 should keep in mind how the Buddha once used his supernatural

 power to save his son Rāhula from danger.)

 

Master Ban Ji

 Translated by Ken Kraynak