去北醫大心得小感

 　　今日去台北醫學大學附設醫院看復健科，緣起是因為看到醫院有一種特殊的設備，可以幫助癱瘓的病人（20120229-真的很希望能恢復行動能力）。今日也是第一次到北醫大，讓人耳目一新，覺得相當進步呢！整體醫院環境整潔明亮，醫師及護理師們也都相當有耐心與客氣。

　　醫師有讓印隆去參觀這套設備，剛好有一位老菩薩正在使用。她看起來應該有八十歲了，但笑臉盈盈，好像小孩子般的天真。在世間法上，她算是一位很有福報的，其先生拄著拐杖在一旁陪伴，親友孩子們圍繞在旁，有的拿相機拍照，有的在一旁鼓勵，相信這位老菩薩一定有機會可以恢復的！

　　而這個復健療程相當昂貴，一次就要六千元，一個療程要三個月，需七萬二千元。印隆聽到這個數字，就不想使用了。再詢問醫師可否進行其他復健治療？醫師也非常的好，先幫印隆安排了六次的一對一物理復健方式。

　　很感恩陪同印隆看診的兩位菩薩，真的很不好意思為了此殘破病痛身軀而麻煩大家。只但願我能有恢復基本自理生活的能力，才能為佛教、為眾生貢獻更多心力。

　　而於等待看診的時候，我們也聊了一下慈濟的事。其實一直以來，都有格友詢問類似的問題。我想，慈濟已發展到如此規模，難免會有一些事不能盡如人意，也會有許多反對的聲音。像　聖嚴師父以前在講開示時，還有人直接在現場問難，並且把過程拍下來po在網路上。淨空老法師、果如法師......等等被批判的也很多。連印隆這個平凡的出家人，只是在自己的blog天地分享一些心得，也是有人對於每篇文章都有反對的意見。

　　對於這些反對的聲音，如果不是外道故意來問難，而是有可以改進的地方，我們一定會感恩接受的。若是不如法的刻意問難，建議先不要花太多氣力與之論辯，有時候保持緘默，也是一種論辯的好方式。等待因緣成熟，自有水落石出之一日。

 

以下引用《佛陀的啟示》一書的第六章 無我論（CHAPTER VI　THE DOCTRINE OF NO-SOUL: ANATTA）：

Muchhas been written on the subject of the Buddha’s silence when a certainParivrājaka (Wanderer) named Vacchagotta asked him whether there was an Ātmanor not. The story is as follows:

關於遊方者婆嗟種問佛是否有神我，佛緘口不答一事，已有人寫了許多文章。故事是這樣的：

 

Vacchagottacomes to the Buddha and asks:

婆嗟種來到佛處，問道：

 

 ‘VenerableGotama, is there an Ātman?’

「可敬的喬答摩啊！神我是有的嗎？」

 

TheBuddha is silent.

佛緘口不答。

‘TheVenerable Gotama, is there an Ātman?’

「那末，可敬的喬答摩，神我是沒有的嗎？」

Againthe Buddha is silent. Vacchagotta gets up and goes away.

佛還是緘口不答。婆嗟種就站起來走了。

Afterthe Parivrājaka had left, Ānanda asks the Buddha why he did not answerVacchagotta’s question. The Buddha explains his position:

這遊方者走後，阿難問佛為什麼不回答婆嗟種的問題。佛解釋自己的立場說：

‘Ānanda,when asked by Vacchagotta the Wanderer: “Is there a self?”, if I had answered:“There is a self”, then, Ānanda, that would be siding with those recluses andbrāhmanas who hold the eternalist theory (sassata-vāda).

「阿難，遊方者婆嗟種問我：『有我嗎？』如果我答：『有的』，那末，阿難，我就與持常見的梵志出家人站在一邊了。

‘And,Ānanda, when asked by the Wanderer: “Is there no self?” if I had answered:“There is no self”, then that would be siding with those recluses and brāhmanaswho hold the annihilationist theory (uccheda-vāda).

「同時，阿難，遊方者問我：『沒有我嗎？』如果我答：『沒有！』那我就跟持斷見的梵志出家人站在一邊了。

‘Again,Ānanda, when asked by Vacchagotta: “Is there a self?”, if I had answered:“There is a self”, would that be in accordance with my knowledge that alldhammas are without self?’

「再說，阿難，婆嗟種問我：『有我嗎？』如果我答『有的！』這答案與我所知『一切法無我』符合嗎？」

‘Surelynot, Sir.’「當然不符囉！世尊。」

‘Andagain, Ānanda, when asked by the Wanderer: “Is there no self?” if I hadanswered: “There is no self”, then that would have been a greater confusion tothe already confused Vacchagotta. For he would have thought: Formerly indeed Ihad an Ātman (self), but now I haven’t got one.’

「還有，阿難，遊方者問我：『沒有我嗎？』如果我答：『沒有！』那將使得本來已經糊裡糊塗的婆嗟種越攪越糊塗了。他就會這樣想：以前我倒還有一個神我（我），而今卻沒有了。」

Itshould now be quite clear why the Buddha was silent. But it will be stillclearer if we take into consideration the whole background, and the way theBuddha treated questions and questioners – which is altogether ignored by thosewho have discussed this problem.

佛陀為什麼保持緘默，現在該很明白了。但如我們將全部背景，和佛對付問題及問話人的態度，也考慮在內，就會更加明白。可惜這種態度完全為討論這問題的人所忽略了。

TheBuddha was not a computing machine giving answers to whatever questions wereput to him by another at all, without any consideration. He was a practicalteacher, full of compassion and wisdom. He did not answer questions to show hisknowledge and intelligence, but to help the questioner on the way torealization. He always spoke to people bearing in mind their standard ofdevelopment, their tendencies, their mental make-up, their character, theircapacity to understand a particular question.

佛並不是一座計算機，不管什麼人問什麼樣的問題，他都會不加思索的答覆。他是一位很踏實的導師，充滿了慈悲與智慧。他並不是為了炫耀自己的才智知識而答問，而是為了要幫助問話人走上正覺的道路，他和人講話時，時刻不忘對方的水準、傾向、根器、性格以及了解某一問題的能力。

Accordingto the Buddha, there are four ways of treating questions: (I) Some should beanswered directly; (2) others should be answered by way of analyzing them; (3)yet others should be answered by counter-questions; (4) and lastly, there arequestions which should be put aside.

根據佛說，對付問題有四種方式：（一）某些問題必須直截了當的回答；（二）某些問題須以分析的方法解答；（三）另有一些問題須以反問為答覆；（四）最後，有一類問題須予以擱置。

Theremay be several ways putting aside a question. One is to day that a particularquestion is not answered or explained, as the Buddha had told this very sameVacchagotta on more than one occasion, when those famous questions whether theuniverse is eternal or not, etc., were put to him. In the same way he hadreplied to Mālunkyaputta and others. But he could not say the same thing withregard to the question whether there is an Ātman (Self) or not, because he hadalways discussed and explained it. He could not say ‘there is self’, because itis contrary to his knowledge that ‘all dhammas are without self’. Then he didnot want to say ‘there is no self’, because that would unnecessarily, withoutany purpose, have confused and disturbed poor Vacchagotta who was alreadyconfused on a similar question, as he had himself admitted earlier. He was notyet in a position to understand the idea of Anatta. Therefore, to put asidethis question by silence was the wisest thing in this particular case.

擱置一個問題有許多方法。其中有一個方法就是說出這問題是不可解答的。有好幾次同一的婆嗟種來問佛世界是否有常的時候，佛就是這樣告訴他的。他對羇舍子以及其他的人，也是這樣答覆的。但是對於有無神我的問題，他可不能同樣地答覆，因為他一直都在討論與解釋這問題。他不能說「有我」，因為它與他所知的一切法無我相違背。而他也不能說「沒有我」，因為這將毫無必要、毫無意義地增加婆嗟種的困擾。婆嗟種早就承認他本來已經為一則類似的問題所困惑。他尚未到能了解「無我」的地步。因此，在這種特殊情形之下，保持緘默，將問題置之不答，就是最明智之舉。

Wemust not forget too that the Buddha has known Vacchagotta quite well for a longtime. This was not the first occasion on which this inquiring Wanderer had cometo see him. The wise and compassionate Teacher gave much thought and showedgreat consideration for this confused seeker. There are many references in thePali texts to this same Vacchagotta the Wanderer his going round quite often tosee the Buddha and his disciples and putting the same kind of question againand again, evidently very much worried, almost obsessed by these problems. TheBuddha’s silence seems to have had much more effect on Vacchagotta than anyeloquent answer or discussion.

尤其不可忘懷的是：佛認識婆嗟種已有多時。這位好問的遊方者來訪問佛陀，這也並不是第一次。智悲雙運的導師，曾為這困惑的求法人煞費心機，並對他表示深切的關懷。在巴利文原典中，多處都提到這位遊方者婆嗟種。他常常去見佛陀以及佛弟子們，三番兩次向他們提出同樣的問題，顯然為了這些問題而十分煩悶，幾乎到了著魔的程度。佛的緘默，對婆嗟種的影響，似乎要比任何雄辯滔滔的答案為大。