佛陀教我們應該相信誰？Whom did the Buddha teach that we should believe?

(１１)接下來，我們要思考的問題是： 「佛陀教我們應該相信誰？」

11. Now the next thing we shall examine is this:

12. 「Whom did the Buddha teach that we should believe?」

　　假如有人問你這個問題，那麼你可在以噶拉瑪經(Kalama Sutta)里找到佛陀所說的答案——要相信親自所「看清楚」的是什麼[譯注一]。現在我們有必要了解「看清楚」的意義，「看清楚」意思是不需推論、不需思索、不需假設，如同我們將眼前的物體看清楚一樣，只要這樣做，就有效果了，這就是「看清楚」的定義，它不需要依靠任何理由或想像。

IF YOU ARE asked this, then answer with the Buddha』s advice from the Kālāma Sutta. We are to believe what we clearly see for ourselves to be the case. Now it is necessary to understand what is meant by the expression 「seeing clearly」. It means seeing clearly without needing to use reasoning, without needing to speculate, without needing to make assumptions. We should see, as clearly as we see in the case of a present physical object, that, taking this and doing this, this effect is produced. This is the meaning of 「seeing clearly」. There is no need to rely on reasoning or supposition.

　　佛教教導我們除非已親自「看清楚」，否則不要相信任何人、任何事。

In Buddhism, we are taught not to believe anyone, not to believe anything, without having seen clearly for ourselves that the truth in question is so.

　　我們可以由下面的問題知道這個定義，為什麼不要相信三藏經典(Tipitaka)、不要相信導師、不要相信研究報告或傳說、不要相信常識、不要相信邏輯推理？這是幫助我們建立正見的原則，因為所有盲目的相信是迷信，例如我們翻開三藏經典，閱讀了幾頁，沒有經過思考，沒有經過試驗，沒有經過任何評論，便相信它，那就是對三藏經典的迷信，這是佛陀所喝止的。

　　「相信導師」是指盲目地相信導師的每一句話，而沒有經過思考、試驗，親自去「看清楚」，這就是所謂的「相信導師」。

We can see what is meant here from the following questions. Why are we warned not to believe the Tipi.aka (the Buddhist Canon)? not to believe a teacher? not to believe what is reported or rumoured? not to believe what has been reasoned out? not to believe what has been arrived at by means of logic? The principles are a help towards right understanding, because all blind credulity is foolishness.

Suppose we were to open the Tipi.aka and read some passage and then believe it without thinking, without testing it, without any critical examination. This would be foolish belief in the Tipi.aka, which the Buddha condemned. Believing what a teacher says without having used our eyes and ears, without criticizing, and without having seen for ourselves that what he says is really so, this is what is meant here by 「believing a teacher」.

　　以此類推，「相信邏輯推理」是指學習使用前提，或熟練地運用前提作正確的推理，並且從這前提推論出結論。但這還是不夠的，也不可倚賴這類的推論。 　　請聽清楚這一點：以上的說法不是禁止我們去閱讀三藏經典，去向導師求教，去聽研究報告和傳說，或去運用邏輯的推理。它的意思是：雖然我們會閱讀、會聽，但不要輕易接受以這些方式所提供的一切訊息，除非我們已深入地探討、思惟它，而有所領悟，直到親自「看清楚」它真的是如此為止。

It is the same with believing any report or rumour that happens to arise. 「Believing in what has been arrived at by way of logic」 means that, having learn how to reason correctly and being experienced in reasoning we come to the conclusion that a certain proposition must be logically so. But this is still not good enough; we are not to put our trust in this sort of reasoning.

But here we must be careful and take good note that this discourse does not forbid us to read the Tipi.aka. Nor does it forbid us to consult a teacher, to listen to reports and rumours, or to use logical reasoning. Rather it means that although we may have read, listened, and heard, we should not simply accept what is offered in these ways unless we have first thought it over, considered it carefully, fathomed it out, examined fully, and seen clearly for ourselves that it really is so.

　　舉例來說，佛陀教導貪、瞋、痴是引起痛苦的原因，假如我們自己不熟悉貪、瞋、癡，就不能相信這個說法，如果我們相信，那就是迷信。但是當我們親自體驗貪、瞋、痴是怎麼一回事——當它在心中生起，我們就會像被火燒灼一樣痛苦，這就是所謂親自「看清楚」的「相信」。

For instance, the Buddha taught that greed, anger, and delusion are the causes that give rise to suffering. If we ourselves are not yet acquainted with greed, anger, and delusion, then there is no way that we can believe this, there is no need to believe it, and to believe it would, in such a case, be foolish. But when we know ourselves what greed is like, what anger is like, and what delusion is like; and that whenever they arise in the mind, they produce suffering as if they were fires burning us; then we can believe on the basis of our own experience.

　　在三藏經典中，不論佛陀教導什麼，當讀到或聽到時，我們必須要研究、思考，直到「看清楚」為止。

So what the Buddha taught in this connection appears in the Tipi.aka as follows. Having read or having heard something, we must investigate until we have seen clearly the fact being taught.

　　假如我們還沒有「看清楚」，就勢必會重新回到推論，如果這樣，則不妨暫時放下，先相信和踐行已「看清楚」的部份，那就足夠了。不必害怕，逐漸地，我們就會愈來愈相信，且愈看愈清楚，這是佛陀所說非常盛行的噶拉瑪經教法。

If still we don』t see it clearly, we must fall back on reasoning and then leave it for a while. So to start with, we shall believe and practise no more than we have seen clearly to be the case. Then gradually, we shall come to believe and see more and more clearly. This is a very popular teaching of the Buddha.

　　如果你需要對外國人演講，請務必正確地解釋「不要相信」這句話，假如你解釋錯誤，就是冒犯了佛陀。不可相信三藏經典，不可相信他是導師，不可相信研究報告或傳說，不可相信邏輯，隱藏其中的深義，我們必須去發現它。

If someone from another country asks you about it, do explain it properly. If you explain it wrongly, you may misrepresent the Buddha』s teaching. Not believing the Tipi.aka, not believing the teacher, not believing reports and rumours, not believing reasoning by way of logic — these have a hidden meaning. We must search for it.

　　立即相信就是迷信，佛陀曾如此堅定而明確地喝止，甚至縱使是如來所說的也不要相信，必須經過思考、試驗，直到「看清楚」時，我們才可相信。立即相信就是迷信，「看清楚」後再相信才是正信，這是佛教徒的「相信」。不要愚蠢地相信人、經典、推測或推論，而是要相信親自所「看清楚」的是什麼，這就是佛教所說的正信，身為佛教徒的我們也要這樣相信。

To believe straight away is foolishness. The Buddha condemned this firmly and definitely. He told us not to believe until we have put it to the test and have come to see it clearly. Then we may believe.To believe straight away is foolishness; to believe after having seen clearly is good sense.

That is the Buddhist policy on belief: not to believe stupidly, not relying only on people, text-books, conjecture, reasoning, or whatever the majority believes, but rather to believe what we see clearly for ourselves to be the case. This is how it is in Buddhism. We Buddhists make it our policy.

　　[譯注一]在噶拉瑪經(Kalama Sutta)里佛陀說：「不可因為口口相傳就信以為真；不可因為奉行傳統就信以為真；不可因為轟動一時，流傳廣遠就信以為真；不可因為引經據典就信以為真；不可因為合乎邏輯就信以為真；不可因為符合先入為主的觀念就信以為真；不可因為說者的威信就信以為真；不可因為他是導師就信以為真。」