淨土法語 / 第75集

第75集我們學佛首先要認識釋迦牟尼佛

We must first know Sakyamuni Buddha if we want to learn Buddhism

3:39

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我們學佛首先要認識釋迦牟尼佛 – 第75集

We must first know Sakyamuni Buddha if we want to learn Buddhism

老師勸我出家,要我學釋迦牟尼佛,讓我看一本書,《釋迦譜》、《釋迦方志》兩種,可以說這是從佛經上節錄下來的釋迦牟尼佛的傳記。老師告訴我,你要學佛,首先要認識釋迦牟尼佛,你要不認識他,你會走錯路,現在人講你會走彎路。我聽了這個話非常有道理,學佛對佛一定要認識。

My teacher, Great Master Zhangjia, advised me to become a monk and wanted me to emulate Sakyamuni Buddha. He recommended me to read these two books i.e., Genealogy of Sakyamuni and Reports on the Spread of Buddhism in the Regions. It can be said that these biographies of Sakyamuni Buddha were excerpted from the Buddhist sutras. My teacher told me that if I want to learn Buddhism, I must first know Sakyamuni Buddha, or else I would be taking a wrong path (or a tortuous path as people today say) in cultivation. I felt what he said was very reasonable. We must know the Buddha well if we want to learn Buddhism.

讀了之後才發現,釋迦牟尼佛不是宗教,現在把它稱作宗教,這就是誤會,這就是魔障。佛教傳到中國也不是宗教,它跟中國的儒非常相似,是一個學派,是一種教育,我們今天稱儒為孔孟教育,佛是釋迦牟尼佛的教育。所以我對於佛教的稱呼,我稱佛陀教育,我不認為它是宗教。

After reading these books, I realized that Buddhism (Sakyamuni Buddha’s teachings) is not a religion. It is a mistake and demonic obstacle to call it a religion now. When Buddhism was spread to China, it was not regarded as a religion either. Since it is very similar to the Chinese Confucianism, they belong to the same school of thought and both are a kind of education. Today, Confucianism is called ‘the teachings of Confucius and Mencius’, while Buddhism is Sakyamuni Buddha’s teachings. That’s why I call it ‘the Buddha’s teachings’ because I do not think it is a religion.

宗教裡面第一個條件,一定要有一個造物主,創造宇宙的神,佛教裡沒有。佛教裡面最高的稱為佛陀,佛陀什麼意思?覺悟的人,跟中國聖人聖的意思很接近。中國這個聖,就是明白宇宙真實的道理跟事相,這稱為聖,聖人。他不是神,他也不是仙人,換句話說,他對於宇宙人生真相徹底明瞭的人稱為佛陀。從字面上翻成中國意思,覺者,就是覺悟的人。它怎麼會變成宗教?

The first condition in a religion is there must be a creator (i.e., a god that creates the universe), but there is no such thing in Buddhism. In Buddhism, the highest state is called ‘buddha.’ What does ‘buddha’ mean? It means an enlightened person, which is very close to the meaning of saints in China. Saints are people who understand the true principles and facts of the universe. They are neither gods nor celestial beings. In other words, people who thoroughly understand the reality of human life and the universe are called ‘buddhas.’ When literally translated into Chinese, ‘buddha’ denotes an enlightened person. How can Buddhism become a religion then?