“业”是因果关系原素 -- 【编辑室】 〖Editorial〗

佛教提出的业力,是组成因果关系的原素。业力是指个人过去、现在或将来的行为所引发的结果的集合,业力的结果会主导现在及将来的经历。因而,一个人的生命经历和个人遭遇均是受自己的行为影响。所以,每个人都要为自己生命负责。另一方面,业力也是主导轮回的因,所以业力并不单单是现世的结果,还会永无止息地延伸至来世或更多的未来世。

业力在佛学思想中显然是非常重要的,同时也是最难解释的。特别是佛家所提出的“业力论”,那更是最易让人误解的。其实,业力思想影响了整个亚洲文明。许多亚洲人都把业力论作为其道德规范和宗教信仰之思想基础。

“业力论”在佛教思想里占有极重要的地位,佛教的整个思想都脱离不了业力的范畴。从表面上看,业力是一个相当抽象的名词,因而常被人所误解,加上到目前为止,还未有一本让人满意的书籍来解释佛家所提出的“业力论”。

业力是指行为或广义地包含因果关系。业力不同命运,人在自由的情况下所做的决定会影响将来的命运,根据《吠陀经》说,如果我们播种善因,将结善果。业力就是泛指今生及前生所有行为及伴随行为而起的反应,凡此种种行为结果都会决定我们的将来,但业力并不一定会即时显现,也有可能会经过积累,在今生或来生遇上特殊的条件时才显现。

业力不是个人及形而上的法则,人没有改变这个法则的能力,而业力也不是惩罚或奖赏,只是一个自然法则。佛教提出“身业”由身体行为所做的业;“口业”由语言行为所做的业;“意业”由起心动念的意念在一瞬间所做的业;身、口之所造业都是随著念头而造的业,念善则造善业,念恶则造恶业。

佛教更提出“十恶业”的意识,所谓十恶业,分别是三身恶业、四口恶业和三意恶业。身三恶业:是杀生、偷盗、淫欲,此三业皆是生死轮回的根本;口四恶业:是妄语、两舌、恶口、绮语,此四业不但是生死轮回之根本,而且是一切天灾人祸的根本;意三恶业:是贪、嗔、痴三毒,此三毒是无量无边之烦恼根源和三恶道的直接业源,是致人身体疾病的根本原因和水灾、火灾、风灾的直接原因,如水灾的业因是贪欲,火灾的业因是嗔恚,风灾的业因是愚痴。业又根据动机或道德意志分为:善业、恶业、无记业。 善业有“有漏善”和“无漏善”。无记业则是不善不恶,但又分二种:“有覆无记”与“无覆无记”。不善不恶但能遮住本性的,叫“有覆无记”;分不出善恶,但不会遮盖本性的,则叫“无覆无记”。

SEED OF CONTENTMENT

There is a story of a destitute beggar who had an experience of liberation from his own desperation. The Buddha met him in the street and could see that he had been reborn in a deprived state of poverty many hundred times over. The Buddha told this beggar that he would give him a bag of coins if he could say, “I don’t want it; I don’t need it,” three times. So lacking in merit, the beggar had difficulty saying it. But with the encouragement of the Buddha’s attendant Ananda, he finally said it with excruciating pain, “I don’t want it; I don’t need it.”

I have found this story particularly touching. One could see the beggar’s whole presence and demeanour shift from a state of impoverishment to a state of recognition of inner strength and merit, that emerged from deep within. In the end, he accepted the coins in a dignified way. This was Buddha’s skillful means to help the beggar to cultivate a seed of contentment in his own mind.