第十一章 生活與文化 Chapter 11 Life and Culture

Part Four

Human Life in Society

第四篇 人類的生活與社會

Chapter 11 Life and Culture

第十一章 生活與文化

Traditions, Customs and Festivals

傳統.習俗與節目

Buddhism is open to traditions and customs provided they are not harmful to the welfare of others.

The Buddha advised us not to believe in anything simply because it is the traditional custom. However, we are not advised to suddenly do away with all traditions. ‘You must try to experiment with them and put them thoroughly to test. If they are reasonable and conducive both to your happiness and to the welfare of others, only then should you accept and practise these traditions and customs.’ (Kalama Sutta) This is certainly one of the most liberal declarations ever made by any religious teacher. This tolerance of other’s traditions and customs is not known to some other religionists. These religionists usually advise their new converts to give up all their traditions, customs and culture without observing whether they are good or bad. While preaching the Dhamma, Buddhist missionaries have never advised the people to give up their traditions as long as they are reasonable. But the customs and traditions must be within the framework of religious principles. In other words, one should not violate the religious precepts in order to follow one’s traditions. If people are very keen to follow their own traditions which have no religious value at all, they can do so provided that they do not practise these traditions in the name of religion. Even then, such practices must be harmless to oneself and to all other living creatures.

只要是不造成傷害、利益群眾的傳統和習俗，佛教都能接受。

傳統與習俗：

佛陀說，不要因為是傳統或習俗就相信它，然而，佛教並不鼓勵拋棄所有的傳統和習俗。

佛陀說：

「你必須試驗它們，徹底的檢驗，如果它們合理、有助于我們的幸福，那麼，就應該接受和實行這些傳統和習俗。」

《卡拉馬經Kalama Sutta》

這是從未有過、最自由的宗教宣言。在其他宗教里，對他人的傳統和習俗的容忍就非常的罕見了。有些宗教經常勸告皈依者，放棄他們所有的傳統、習俗和文化，不管是好、或是壞的。佛教在弘法的過程中，從來就沒有要求信徒放棄他們原有的傳統和習俗，不過，這些傳統和習俗要在佛教道德范圍內，換句話說，一個人不可以為了順從自己的傳統和習俗，而背棄佛教原則。如果人們傾向于自己的傳統和習俗，而這些傳統和習俗又沒有佛教價值，倘若他們不以佛教名義，一樣可以奉行他們原有的傳統和習俗，但是，不可以對自己或對他人造成傷害，或傷及無辜的生命。

Rites and Rituals

典禮與儀軌：

These are included within customs and traditions. The rites and rituals are an ornamentation or a decoration to beautify a religion in order to attract the public. They provide a psychological help to some people. But one can practise religion without any rites and rituals. Certain rites and rituals that people consider as the most important aspect of their religion for their salvation are not considered as such in Buddhism. According to the Buddha, one should not cling to such practices for his spiritual development or mental purity.

典禮和儀軌是傳統和習俗的一部份。典禮和儀軌美化了宗教，並吸引了群眾。典禮和儀軌為某些人提供了心理的幫助。但是，不是所有的修行者都需要靠典禮和儀軌的幫助。在人們心目中，某些儀軌對宗教而言是非常重要的，其實，佛教只重視自我的解脫，並不重視儀軌。依據佛陀的教誨，儀軌化的修持方式，在淨化心靈，會造成障礙。

Festivals

節日慶典：

Genuine and sincere Buddhists do not observe Buddhist festivals by enjoying themselves under the influence of liquor and merry-making or holding feasts by the slaughtering of animals. The true Buddhists observe festival days in an entirely different manner. On the particular festival day, they would devote their time to abstaining from all evil. They would practise charity and help others to relieve themselves from their suffering. They may entertain friends and relatives in a respectable way.

正信的佛教徒，不以飲酒作樂、屠殺無辜及可憐的動物來慶祝節日。正信的佛教徒以完全不同的方式來慶祝節日，在節日里，他們專心的杜絕一切邪惡的行為，他們以布施幫助他人解除痛苦與憂愁。

The festivals that have been incorporated with religion sometimes could pollute the purity of a religion. On the other hand a religion without festivals can become very dull and lifeless to many people. Usually children and youths come to religion through religious festivals. To them the attraction of a religion is based on its festivals. However, to a mediator, festivals can become a nuisance.

很多節日慶典都與宗教拉上關系，從而褻瀆了宗教的神聖性。對一般人而言，宗教如果沒有慶典，就顯得沉悶和沒有生氣。一般，孩子們和年青人都是通過慶典而加入或皈依宗教的，宗教吸引他們的就是慶典。然而，對一個禪定的修行者而言，慶典造成了騷擾。

Of course, some people will not be satisfied with religious observances only during a festival . They naturally like to have some sort of merry-making and outward show. Rites, rituals, ceremonies, processions and festivals are organized to quench that thirst for emotional satisfaction through religion. No one can say that such practices are wrong, but devotees have to organize those ceremonies in a cultured manner, without causing a nuisance to others.

當然，還有一些人並不滿足于節日慶典的宗教儀式，他們還喜歡有些余興節目。典禮、儀軌、游行等各種形式的慶祝活動，就是用來滿足那些對宗教節目有渴求欲的人，但是，沒有人會說這些活動是錯誤的。這些慶典應該在文明的方式下進行，不可以給他人造成騷擾。

Buddhism and Women

佛教與女性

A female child may prove even to be a better offspring than a male.

女孩也能證明她們比男孩強。

Women’s position in Buddhism is unique. The Buddha gave women full freedom to participate in a religious life. The Buddha was the first religious Teacher who gave this religious freedom to women. Before the Buddha, women’s duties had been restricted to the kitchen; women were not even allowed to enter any temple or to recite any religious scripture. During the Buddha’s time, women’s position in society was very low. The Buddha was criticized by the prevailing establishment when He gave this freedom to women. His move to allow women to enter the Holy Order was extremely radical for the times. Yet the Buddha allowed women to prove themselves and to show that they too had the capacity like men to attain the highest position in the religious way of life by attaining Arahantahood. Every woman in the world must be grateful to the Buddha for showing them the real religious way of living and for giving such freedom to them for the first time in world history.

女性在佛教的地位是獨特的，佛陀給予女性參與宗教的自由和權力，佛陀是給予女性宗教自由的第一位宗教導師。在佛教成立之前，女性活動范圍僅限于廚房內，男性不允許女性到寺院進行任何宗教活動，以免褻瀆神靈。佛陀時代，女性的地位低微，佛陀給予女性宗教自由時，受到當時社會各階層猛力的抨擊，佛陀成立比庫尼僧團，接受女性出家，在那個時代是一種極端的革命行為。然而，佛陀讓女性自己證明，她們具備與男性一樣的能力，她們也能證得阿拉漢果。每一位女性都必須感謝佛陀，因為，佛陀給予女性自由的宗教生活，並給予她們在人類歷史的首度自由。

A good illustration of the prevailing attitude towards women during the Buddha’s time is found in these words of Mara:

佛陀時代，一般人們對女性的態度，可以在佛陀與魔羅(Mara)的對話中應證：

‘No woman, with the two-finger wisdom (narrow)which is hers, could ever hope to reach those heights which are attained only by the sages.’

Undoubtedly, the Buddha was vehement in contradicting such attitude. The nun (bhikkhuni) to whom Mara addressed these words, gave the following reply:

‘When one’s mind is well concentrated and wisdom never fails, does the fact of being a woman make any difference?’

King Kosala was very disappointed when he heard that his Queen had given birth to a baby girl. He had expected a boy. To console the sad King, the Buddha said:

’A female child, O Lord of men, may prove

Even a better offspring than a male.

For she may grow up wise and virtuous,

Her husband’s mother reverencing, true wife,

The boy that she may bear may do great deeds,

And rule great realms, yes, such a son

Of noble wife becomes his country’s guide,’

(Samyutta Nikaya)

「女性以她兩根指頭大的智慧，是沒有希望證悟或圓成聖道的。」毫無疑問的，佛陀不同意這種說法。這時，那位被魔羅攻擊的比庫尼說話了：「當一個人心識專注，智慧獲得全面發展時，是不是女性又有什麼關系呢？」

高沙喇(kosala)國王聽到王后為他生下一個女孩時，非常失望，他一直想要一名男孩。佛陀安慰這位憂傷的國王：

「啊！陛下。這一個女孩將來能證明她比男孩更優秀。她有智慧、有德性。是一位受婆婆尊敬的好媳婦。她所教養的孩子，做出偉大的功績，統治廣大的領土。是的，像這樣的兒子──一位國家的領導，是屬于這位高貴的婦人的。」

The Buddha has confirmed that man is not always the only wise one; woman is also wise.

佛陀並不認為男性是唯一聰明的人類，女性也一樣聰明。

Nowadays many religionists like to claim that their religions give women equal rights. We only have to look at the world around us today to see the position of women in many societies. It seems that they have no property rights, are discriminated in various fields and generally suffer abuse in many subtle forms. Even in western countries, women like the Suffragettes had to fight very hard for their rights. According to Buddhism, it is not justifiable to regard women as inferior. The Buddha Himself was born as a woman on several occasions during His previous births in Samsara and even as a women He developed the noble qualities and wisdom until He gained Enlightenment or Buddhahood.

某些宗教聲稱它們奉行男女平等的政策，但是，在今日，我們只需要觀察女性在社會的地位時，就會發現女性並沒有被獲得尊重，她們的權益被某些力量給剝奪了。甚至在所謂文明的西方社會，女性一樣要為她們的權益而斗爭。佛教並不認為女性是弱者。佛陀在無數的生死輪迴中，曾以女相出世，她同樣的發展自我的德性和智慧，一直到他證悟正自覺的佛果。