an article by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
Arahants, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas
http://www.bodhimonastery.net/docs/Arah ... dhasV2.pdf
在这篇文章, 菩提比丘提出他个人对于阿罗汉, 菩萨和佛陀的看法! 对于一位南传比丘, 能够打破传统的束缚而大谈大小乘,单是这点, 已值得一看!
菩提比丘深受南传佛教的训练, 对于菩萨观念虽只从南传Nikaya 和 汉传Agama来谈,( Nikaya 和 Agama, 佛没有教我们学菩萨道, 只有解脱道)但是对于菩萨观念何以会风靡整个部派佛教, 包括保守的上座部, 自己也坦然的说- 他无法解释!这种勇于求真的精神, 值得赞叹!
V. The bodhisattva problem
.......
In the final analysis, I have to confess that I can’t provide a cogent explanation. In view
of the fact that in later times, so many Buddhists, in Theravāda lands as well as in the
Mahāyāna world, have been inspired by the bodhisattva ideal, it is perplexing that no
teachings about a bodhisattva path or bodhisattva practices are included in the discourses
regarded as coming down from the most archaic period of Buddhist literary history. For
me, this remains an incomprehensible puzzle
......
菩萨观念(悲愍众生的精神), 明显的是和印度当时的"厌世"精神((奥义书/沙门文化)是互相冲突的. 在奥义书/沙门文化背景熏陶下, 一般人是无法突破这个文化背景而开展出全然不同的精神面貌-菩萨观念. 除非他是---佛陀
菩萨观念可以说是佛教对当时厌世的印度文化, 注入一股全新的力量!!这是佛教独有的"精神面貌", 如果说它是后世佛教徒所创作, 这是非常不可思义!!除了佛陀, 谁人有那么深的智慧,那么大的勇气去突破根深蒂固的"旧有文化"?谁人有那么大人格魅力, 可以影响印度当时大部份的佛教徒?
......
we can see that while Early Buddhism emphasizes that each person is ultimately responsible
for his or her own destiny, holding that no one can purify another or rescue another from
the miseries of saüsāra,
it includes an altruistic dimension that distinguished it from most
of the other religious systems that flourished alongside it in northern India. This altruistic
dimension might be seen as the "seed" from which the bodhisattva doctrine developed
and thus as one of the elements in ancient Buddhism that contributed to the emergence of
the Mahāyāna........ 菩提比丘
文中菩提比丘提出一般佛教徒对于大小乘的误解:
1. 对于阿罗汉/上座部佛教的误解(1) Arahants, and Theravādin Buddhists, are concerned exclusively with their own
salvation as opposed to the benefit of others; they have a narrow fixation on personal
liberation because they are "fearful of birth and death" and therefore have little
compassion for others and don’t undertake activities intended to benefit them.
.....I’ll take the two stereotypes in order, and begin with the ancient arahants. Although the
Buddha was the pioneer in discovering the path to liberation, this does not mean that his
arahant disciples just selfishly reaped the benefits of the path and did nothing for others.
To the contrary, in the suttas we can see that many of them became great teachers in their
own right who were capable of guiding others towards liberation. The best known among
them are Sāriputta, Mahākaccāna, Moggāllana, and Ānanda. There was the monk Puõõa
who went to the barbarian Sunāparanta country, risking his life to teach the Dhamma tothe people there. There were such nuns as Khemā and Dhammadinnā, who were
outstanding preachers, Pañācārā, who was a master of the discipline, and many others. For
four hundred years, the Buddhist texts were preserved orally, transmitted from teachers to
pupils, and obviously there had to be thousands of monks and nuns who dedicated their
lives to learning the texts and teaching them to pupils, all for the purpose of preserving
the good Dhamma and Vinaya in the world.
The example established by the Buddha’s great arahant disciples has been the model for
the followers of the arahant ideal throughout history. While those who pursue this ideal
do not make such lofty vows as do followers of the bodhisattva ideal, they are inspired by
the example of the Buddha and his great disciples to work for the spiritual and moral
uplift of others to the best of their ability: by teaching, by example, and by direct spiritual
influence, inspired by the Buddha’s command to "wander forth for the welfare of the
multitude, for the happiness of the multitude, out of compassion for the world, for the
good, welfare, and happiness of devas and human beings."
The life pattern of a follower of the arahant ideal conforms in many respects to that of the
Buddha. I take as an example those who may not have actually achieved arahantship
itself but are practicing within this framework and have reached some higher stage of
spiritual accomplishment. In the early part of their lives, they may go to a forest
monastery or to a meditation center to train under a competent teacher. Then, after
reaching a sufficient level of maturity to practice on their own, they will go into solitude
to develop their practice for a period that might last five years or longer. Then, at a
certain point, their achievements will start to exert an influence on others. They might
start to teach on their own initiative, or their teacher might ask them to begin teaching, or
prospective students might realize they have achieved some superior state and request
guidance from them. From this point on, they will begin to teach, and in time they might
become well respected spiritual teachers, with many disciples and many centers under
their guidance.In contrast to the image of "selfish personal liberation" that Mahāyāna Buddhists ascribe
to the arahants and those following the śrāvaka-yāna, the most eminent masters of the
Theravāda tradition often teach thousands of disciples, monastic and laity. Some may
work ten or more hours a day. For example, in recent times, Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw of
Burma established hundreds of meditation centers in Burma and presided over the Sixth
Buddhist Council; Ajahn Chah had a main monastery and many branch monasteries in
Thailand, one dedicated to foreign monks; Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw, U Pandita, and Bhante
Gunaratana – present-day Theravāda meditation teachers – travel throughout the world
conducting courses; Ajahn Maha Boowa, at age 93 reputed to be an arahant, supports
sixty hospitals in Thailand, and regularly visits them to console patients and distribute
medicines. Those who are not competent to function as meditation teachers might still
become masters of Buddhist texts and philosophy and devote themselves selflessly to
guiding others in understanding the Dhamma, whether by training monks and nuns, by
giving instructions to the laity, by teaching in Buddhist monastic schools, or by preaching
in Buddhist temples.
From the Theravāda perspective, while social work is certainly praiseworthy, of all
benefits that can be conferred on others, the most precious benefit is the gift of the
Dharma. Thus the quest for liberation as an arahant is not a purely private, personal
undertaking, but has a far-reaching influence and can have an impact upon a whole
society. In the traditional Theravāda countries, before the corrupting influence of the
West set in, the whole life of the community revolved around the Dhamma. The monks
who meditated in the forests and mountains were the inspiration and model for the
society; those who preached and taught in the villages helped to transmit the Dhamma to
the people. The lay community, from the king down to the villagers, saw their principal
duty to be the support of the Sangha. So the supreme goal of arahantship became the
focal point for an entire social system inspired and sustained by devotion to the Dhamma.
Those who seek the goal of nirvāõa don’t wait until they become arahants before they
start helping others. Within this system, giving is regarded as the foundation for all other
virtues; it is the first basis of merit and the first of the ten pāramis. Thus the Paliscriptures, and monks in their preaching, encourage people to give to the best of their
ability. Lay people support the Sangha with their simple material needs of food, robes,
dwellings, and medicines. They also give generously to the poor and disadvantaged. In
Sri Lanka, for example, blood donation campaigns are common on Buddhist holidays,
and many people donate their eyes to eye banks and their bodily organs for medical
research after their death. I learned recently that in Sri Lanka, more than 200 monks have
donated kidneys, without any thought of remuneration or any other personal benefit,
solely for the privilege of giving a bodily organ. Monks with knowledge of the Dhamma
and skill in speaking become preachers and teachers. Those with managerial skills might
become administrators of monasteries. The few who are strongly motivated to make the
effort to win liberation in this very life dedicate their energy to meditation in forest
hermitages. Accomplished meditation teachers will devote their time to teaching
meditation and will also try to find time to develop their own practice. Sometimes they
have to delay their own practice in order to fulfill their teaching duties......
2. 对于菩萨/大乘佛教的误解
2)
Followers of the bodhisattva ideal, and Mahāyāna Buddhists, are so much involved in
social projects aimed at benefiting others that they don’t take up the practice that the
Buddha assigned to his disciples, namely, the taming of the mind and the development of
insight. They have overwhelmed themselves with social duties and forsaken meditation
practice.
......
So much for misunderstandings concerning the arahant ideal, and now for the bodhisattva
ideal: I think it would be an oversimplification to equate the pursuit of the bodhisattva
ideal with engagement in social service and to assume that a bodhisattva forgoes all
training on the path to liberation. In my understanding, the foundation of the bodhisattva
path is the arising of the bodhicitta ( bodhicittotpāda), the aspiration to supreme
enlightenment. This usually arises only through diligent training in meditation. According
to the authoritative sources on Mahāyāna Buddhist meditation, to generate the bodhicitta,
one must systematically train the mind to perceive all beings as one’s mothers and
fathers, sisters and brothers, and arouse towards them boundless loving-kindness and
great compassion, until such a perception becomes natural and spontaneous. This is not at
all easy. I read that the Dalai Lama has said that he himself has experienced the real
bodhicitta only a few times, for a few moments each time, so this gives us some idea of
how difficult such an achievement must be. It can’t be won just by casually engaging in a
little social service and then convincing oneself that one has aroused the bodhicitta.It is true that the bodhisattva vows to work for the welfare of others in a broader way than
the follower of the śrāvaka vehicle, but all such efforts are superficial if they are not
motivated and supported by the true bodhicitta. Besides generating the aspirational
bodhicitta, the bodhisattva must apply the bodhicitta through the practice of the six
pāramitās and other great bodhisattva deeds of self-abnegation. The pāramitās begin with
dāna-pāramitā, the perfection of giving. Social engagement can certainly be included
under this category, as it involves giving others material gifts and the gift of security. But
these gifts, as worthy as they are, do not equal in value the gift of the Dharma, for the gift
of the Dharma leads to the permanent extinction of suffering. To be qualified to give this
gift requires skills that go beyond social service.The next spiritual perfection is sīla-pāramitā, the perfection of morality, and social
engagement can be included under the morality of altruistic action, acts that benefit
others. While engaged in social service, a bodhisattva must also practice patience –
patience in enduring difficult conditions, patience in enduring disregard and abuse from
others; so he is fulfilling kùānti-pāramitā, the perfection of patience. And the work of
social service demands energy. This helps to fulfill the vīrya-pāramitā, the perfection of
energy. Thus social engagement can contribute towards the fulfillment of four of the six
pāramitās.
But the bodhisattva must also fulfill the dhyāna-pāramitā and the prajñā-pāramitā, the
perfections of meditation and wisdom, and these two perfections require the adoption of a
contemplative life style. The Prajñā-pāramitā Sūtras say that the prajñā-pāramitā guides
and directs the other five pāramitās, and the other five pāramitās become "perfections" or
transcendent virtues only when they are connected with prajñā-pāramitā. But prajñāpāramitā
can only be attained through contemplative practice, by seeking out a lifestyle
similar to that of one seeking arahantship.
The early Mahāyāna sūtras, such as the Ugraparipçcchā Sūtra, do not recommend that the
novice monastic bodhisattva immerse himself in social work; rather, they point him to the
forest and instruct him to devote his efforts to meditation. If we look at the history ofMahāyāna Buddhism, whether in India, China, or Tibet, we would see that the great
Mahāyāna masters such as
Nāgārjuna(龙树, 往往悲上座部攻击的最厉害的大乘佛教菩萨), Asanga, and Atīsha in India; Hui-neng, Zhi-yi, and
Xuan-cang in China; Longchen, Gampopa, and Tsongkhapa in Tibet, were not renown
for their engagement in social service, but for their accomplishments as philosophers,
scholars, and meditation masters. The Buddha himself achieved the highest attainments
in meditation. Since bodhisattvas aim to become Buddhas, it is only natural that they
should perfect the meditative skills that are characteristic of a Buddha.Although the motivation and philosophical basis for followers of the bodhisattva vehicle
differ from that of followers of the śrāvaka vehicle, the lifestyles of the two are not very
different. The popular images of the withdrawn, solitary arahant, and the gregarious,
super-active bodhisattva are fictions. In real life, the two resemble each other much more
than one would think. The arahants, and those who seek to attain arahantship, often work
assiduously for the spiritual and material improvement of their fellow human beings. The
bodhisattvas, and bodhisattva aspirants, often must spend long periods in solitary
meditation cultivating the meditative skills that will be necessary for them to attain
Buddhahood. They will also have to study all the doctrines and the paths of the śrāvaka
vehicle, yet without actualizing those paths. The bodhisattvas will have to learn to enter
the meditative absorptions, practice them, and eventually master them. They will have to
contemplate the three characteristics of impermanence, suffering, and non-self. They will
have to acquire the insight-knowledges into the three characteristics. They differ from
śrāvakas in so far as a śrāvaka aims to use the insight-knowledges to attain realization of
nirvāõa. A bodhisattva will link his or her practice of the path with the bodhicitta
aspiration, the bodhisattva vows, and the spirit of great compassion. Sustained by these
supports, a bodhisattva will be able to contemplate the nature of reality without attaining
realization of nirvāõa until he or she has matured all the qualities that come to perfection
in Buddhahood. Among these is the perfection of giving and the conferring of benefits on
sentient beings. But the greatest gift that one can give is the gift of the Dharma, and the
kindest benefit one can confer on sentient beings is teaching them the Dharma and
guiding them in the Dharma. Though a bodhisattva can certainly engage in social service
as an expression of his or her compassion, to reach the higher stages of the bodhisattvapath the aspirant will require a different range of skills than is exercised in social
engagement, skills that are closer to those possessed by the arahant.
接下来菩提比丘说到:
...
In my own view,
both paths (or vehicles) – the arahant path and the bodhisattva path –
can be seen as valid expressions of the Buddha’s teaching....
他总结说"真正的佛教是需要
佛, 阿罗汉, 菩萨一起发展的. 原因如下:
It needs Buddhas to
discover and teach the path to liberation;
it needs arahants to follow the path and confirm that the Dharma does indeed lead to liberation, adorning the teaching with examples of those who lead the purest holy life;
it needs bodhisattvas to bring forth the resolve to
perfect those qualities that will enable them at some point in the future, near or distant, to
become Buddhas themselves and once again turn the unsurpassed Wheel of the Dharma.
希望以上的贴子能够让佛教徒更有深度的去理解"历史上的佛教", 秉着求真求善的精神(kalama sutra) 去探讨现有的各佛教传承, 该取的就取(符合善的, 而不是符合传统, 不论它是那一个传统); 该舍的就舍, (学习有勇气去舍掉不善的一面); 唯有这样, "真正的佛教"才能够在这个世间展现出来!!
Upatissa
