本帖最后由 班玛藏龙 于 2010-6-21 16:57 编辑
The Four Noble Truths are the very foundation of the Buddhist teaching. In fact, if you don't understand the Four Noble Truths, and if you have not experienced the truth of this teaching personally, it is impossible to practice Buddha Dharma. Therefore I am always very happy to have the opportunity to explain them.
Generally speaking, I believe that all the major world religions have the potential to serve humanity and develop good human beings. By "good" I mean that they have a good and more compassionate heart. This is why I always say it is better to follow one's own traditional religion, because by changing religion you may eventually find emotional or intellectual difficulties.
However, for those of you who really feel that your traditional religion is not effective for you then the Buddhist way of explaining things may hold some attraction. Maybe in this case it is all right to follow Buddhism generally, I think it is better to have some kind of religious training than none at all. If you really feel attracted to the Buddhist approach, and the Buddhist way of training the mind, it is important to reflect carefully, and only when you feel it is really suitable for you is it right to adopt Buddhism as your religion.
There is another important point here. Human nature is such that sometimes, in order to justify our adoption of a new religion, we may criticize our previous religion and claim it is inadequate. This should not happen. Firstly, although your previous religion may not be effective for you, that does not mean it will fail to be of value to millions of other people. Since we should respect all human beings, we must also respect those following different religious paths. It is clear that for some people the Christian approach is more effective than the Buddhism one. It depends on the individual's mental disposition. We must therefore appreciate that potential in each religion, and respect all those who follow them.
The second reason is that we are now becoming aware of the many religious traditions of the world, and people are trying to promote genuine harmony between then. I think there are now many interfaith circles and the idea of religious pluralism is taking root. This is a very encouraging sign.
I wanted to begin with these points, because when I actually explain the Four Noble Truths, I have to argue the Buddhist way is the best! Also, if you were to ask me what the best religion is for me personally, my answer would be Buddhism, without any hesitation. But that does not mean that Buddhism is best for everyone - certainly not. Therefore, during the course of my explanation, when I say that I feel that the Buddhist way is best, you should not misunderstand me.
I would like to further emphasize that when I say that all religions have great potential, I am not just being polite or diplomatic. I have met genuine practitioners from other traditions. I have noticed a genuine and very forceful loving kindness in their minds. My conclusion therefore is that these various religions have the potential to develop a good heart.
Whether or not we like the philosophy of other religions isn't really the point. For a non-Buddhist, the idea of nirvana and a next life seems nonsensical. Similarly, to Buddhists the idea of a Creator God sometimes sounds like nonsense. But these things don't matter; we can drop them. The point is that through these different traditions, a very negative person can be transformed into a good person. That is the purpose of religion - and that is the actual result. This alone is a sufficient reason to respect other religions.
There is one last point. As you may know, Buddha taught in different ways, and Buddhism has a variety of philosophical systems. If the Buddha taught in these different ways, it would seem that he himself was not very sure about how things really are! But this is not actually the case; the Buddha knew the different mental dispositions of his followers. So even Buddha Shakyamuni very much respected the views and rights of individuals. A teaching may be very profound but if it does not suit a particular person, what is the use of explaining it?
To be continured... |
发表于 2010-6-21 16:45:03
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