|
佛法發源於印度，之後傳到許多國家，這許多國家就把這個佛法認為是自己的。緬甸就有緬甸的佛教，高棉就有高棉的佛教，越南就有越南的佛教，泰國就有泰國的佛教，中國就有中國的佛教，日本就有日本的佛教，高麗就有高麗的佛教。當初佛說佛法，是不是單單對一個國家說的呢？不是的。他是觀機逗教，佛對每一個國家的人民，都是平等的。佛法本身並沒有分開這麼多的國家；可是這麼多的國家，自己不願意令佛教發揚光大，所以就取為已有，就說這個佛教是自己國家的。
因為這個原因，所以在幾十年以前（一九五三年），我到緬甸去，看到一個佛教的道場，他們拿出一本簽名簿，要我寫些紀念的話。我說這些年來，我的眼光要看全世界，心志要包含法界性。我那時說這些話的意思，也就是說佛教若要發揚光大，我們的眼光要看得遠，要把佛教推行到每一個國家，每一個角落，甚至於每粒微塵裏去。都要在那兒轉大法輪，教化眾生，令人人都能離苦得樂，了生脫死。
所以我就很大膽地說，我們這個佛教，並不是每一個國家自有的佛教。這是全人類的佛教，這是一切眾生的佛教，我們不應該把佛教當做私有的一個寶庫，我們應該把它光明於世，我們能做多少就做多少。
我第一次在臺灣，見到當時的天主教樞機主教于斌，我就對他說：「你應該做一個天主教的佛教徒，不應該有門戶之見。」那時，于斌是樞機主教，若再往上一升，就是教皇了。他很驚奇，我說要他做一個天主教的佛教徒，這不是侮辱他嗎？我說：「你不要奇怪，我也要做一個佛教的天主教徒。我們兩個把思想一溝通，沒有門戶之見，沒有彼此之爭，沒有界限，我們能這樣子，世界上戰爭也就沒有了，也就不會互相排斥。那麼，我不會說你不對，你也不會說我不好，就不會這樣子，天天吃飽沒事幹，在世界上製造矛盾，你相不相信？」他想了一陣子，一拍大腿說：「好，我們就這樣幹！」於是乎，他也開始拜佛，研究佛法了。但是他的名利心沒有滅，還要去競選教皇。大概福報不夠，沒有選上教皇，又天不給壽，結果也不知道是到天國去了，還是到極樂世界去了。總而言之，哪一邊的力量大，就到哪一邊去。
我剛到美國的時候，就有一位不知是天主教，還是基督教的學者，跑來見我，也不知他的目的是問我問題呢？或者找我辯論？他問我說：「你說世界上甚麼宗教最好？」一般人以自己的立場，一定要說佛教是最好的。可是我如果說佛教是最好的，他一定不服氣，他就要找窟窿，找機會和我辯論。我也不是投機，也不是取巧，我就是不願和他辯，所謂「善者不辯，辯者不善；知者不駁，駁者不知。」我既不和他辯，要怎麼才能平息這場舌戰呢？我就告訴他：「你所信的宗教是最好的。」他說：「為甚麼？」我說：「若是不好，你怎麼會相信？這就顯出你所信的宗教就是最好的了，不需要辯論。你信你認為最好的宗教；我信我認為最好的宗教，那就免動干戈，免開舌戰，不用辯論了。」這個人聽了也就沒有甚麼話講。
待續
|
|
Buddhism originated in India and later spread to many other countries, each of which adopted the Buddhadharma in its own fashion. Burma has Burmese Buddhism, Laos has Laotian Buddhism, Vietnam has Vietnamese Buddhism, Thailand has Thai Buddhism, China has Chinese Buddhism, Japan has Japanese Buddhism, and Korea has Korean Buddhism. When the Buddha spoke the Dharma, was he speaking only to one country? No, the Buddha bestowed teachings that accord with people's needs and with the situation at hand. He regarded people of all countries equally. The Buddhadharma itself has none of these national divisions. Different nations took Buddhism as their national possession and did not want Buddhism to spread and flourish. They said that Buddhism belonged to their own country.
For these reasons, when I visited a Buddhist monastery in Burma several decades ago [in 1953] and was asked to write a few words in their guestbook, I wrote that in the years to come, we have to have a global vision; we have to expand the measure of our minds to encompass the entire Dharma Realm. My meaning was this: If we want Buddhism to spread and flourish, we have to look far into the future. We have to bring Buddhism to every nation, every corner of the globe, and even to every mote of dust. Everywhere we go we have to turn the great Dharma wheel and teach living beings how to leave suffering, attain bliss, and end birth and death.
And so I boldly declared that Buddhism is not something that belongs just to our own country. Buddhism belongs to all of humanity, to all living beings. We should not consider Buddhism a private treasure. Instead, we should do everything we can to let the Buddhadharma shine in the world.
When I met the Catholic Cardinal Yubin during my first trip to Taiwan, I said to him, "You should be a Buddhist among the Catholics. You shouldn't hold sectarian views." At that time he was a Cardinal, which is only one level below the Pope. He was quite taken aback by my suggestion that he be a Buddhist Catholic. It sounded almost like an insult. I said, "Don't worry--I will be a Catholic among the Buddhists. If the two of us can see eye-to-eye and cast out all sectarian views, conflicts, and boundaries, then there will be no more wars in the world. Religions will no longer exclude one another. I won't say that you are wrong, and you won't say that I'm no good. Even after we have eaten our fill and have nothing better to do, we won't go around creating controversies in the world. Do you believe this?" He thought about it for while, then slapped his thigh and said, "Let's do it!" And he began to bow to the Buddhas and study the Buddhadharma. But he still hadn't given up his hopes for greater fame, and so he became a candidate for the papacy. Perhaps he didn't have the blessings, as he wasn't chosen to be the Pope. Moreover, Heaven did not favor him with long life. We don't know whether he went to Heaven or to the Land of Ultimate Bliss; whichever place had the strongest pull, that's where he went.
Soon after I came to the United States, a Christian scholar--I forget whether he was a Catholic or a Protestant--came to see me. It wasn't clear whether he just wanted to ask a question or to argue with me, but he asked, "Which of the world's religions do you think is the best?" Most people, if they had been in my place, probably would have said Buddhism is the best. But if I had said that, he wouldn't have been satisfied; he would have argued with me and tried to find my weak spot. I wasn't surrendering or trying to be clever, but I didn't want to argue with him. As it's said, "The good do not argue; those who argue are not good. The wise do not talk back; those who talk back are not wise." Since I wasn't going to argue with him, how could I stop the verbal battle? I said, "The religion you believe in is the best."
"Why?" he asked.
To be contiued
|
