成为佛教徒
February 5th, 2006
我没有任何宗教信仰。逢年过节的祭祀仅仅是对祖先的追忆罢了。
但是，从一定程度上我相信佛教的有因必有果，人生在世应该多做善事，多积阳德。
这篇文章介绍了佛教的基本概念，提到了佛教的四个神喻：
The
First Noble Truth
Life
can suck. There’s disease, injury, high rent, final exams, warm
beer, natural disasters, and death. There’s lots of good stuff about
life too, so much time is spent attempting to protect ourselves
from the bad, that we completely ignore the good. Even when you’re
happy, it’s difficult to free yourself from the memory and anticipation
of stressful things. People end up living always for tomorrow, whether
that means the anticipation of a promotion, retirement, a better
job, or the Second Coming. Life is characterized by suffering, pain,
and dissatisfaction.
The
origin of suffering is the craving for pleasure, existence, and
non-existence. You get it in your head that you want things,
and your mind then becomes an instrument for chasing those things.
The actual objects you desire are irrelevant; wanting things - anything
- severely circumscribes a person’s capacity to be joyful and serene.
The body needs sustenance, but it’s the self that craves pleasure,
existence and non-existence, and it’s the self that must be seen
as insubstantial.
Some
people say that all this talk of suffering makes Buddhism a pessimistic
religion. And perhaps so it would be, if it weren’t for the Third
Noble Truth, the truth of the cessation of suffering; that there
is a way to rid yourself of this suffering. Good news, eh?
You
wanted a way out of the madness and stress? To rid yourself of
suffering, you must follow the Eightfold Path.
As you’ve probably guessed, it consists of eight parts. Get to know
them, but don’t expect to fully understand them right away. A fair
amount gets lost in the translation when you’re dealing with concepts.
Read on to familiarize yourself with the path.
The
Eightfold Path
The
whole reason for becoming Buddhist is to achieve happiness and become
"enlightened." In order to do this, you must follow the
Eightfold Path. Once you have accomplished all eight steps, you
are officially enlightened:
- Right
Knowledge: Strive to comprehend the first three Noble
Truths. This might seem a bit circular, but language is a
tricky thing, and the Great Seer wanted to make sure you had all
your bases covered. The Noble Truths perhaps aren’t as straightforward
as they may seem at first. So you must strive to fully comprehend
them. - Right
Thinking: Consciously dedicate yourself to a life in harmony
with the Noble Truths elucidated by the Buddha.
Right Speech: No gossiping, lying, backbiting, and harsh
language. If you don’t have anything valuable to say, keep your
big yapper shut. Always good advice.- Right
Conduct: For lay Buddhists (meaning Buddhists who aren’t
monks), Right Conduct means following the Five
Precepts (see below). If you’re a monk, there are some more
rules for conduct, but don’t worry about them until you’re ready
to become a monk. - Right
Livelihood: Go peacefully into the world and do no harm.
So choose a profession that’s harmless to living things, and
refrain from killing people. - Right
Effort: Conquer the flow of negative thoughts, replacing
them with good thoughts. - Right
Mindfulness: Achieve an intense awareness of your body,
emotions, and mental states. Quiet the noises in your head and
dwell in the present. - Right
Concentration: Learn about (and practice) various kinds
of meditation, an important booster rocket on the launch pad
to enlightenment. Read this article
for a full introduction to Meditation. An online
course in meditation is also available.
The
Five Precepts are the basic rules of conduct for lay Buddhists-as
opposed to monks and nuns, who have 227 and 311 rules to follow
respectively. The Five Precepts aren’t commandments given to you
by an angry God who threatens you if you disobey; rather, they are
guidelines meant to improve your karma and help you along the Eightfold
Path to enlightenment. These few rules keep you out of the worst
kinds of trouble, ultimately making you happier:
Don’t kill - man or beast
Don’t steal
Don’t lie
Don’t cheat on your loved one
Don’t take drugs or drink booze
Sounds
pretty straightforward, doesn’t it?