(19)“哪里能找到佛陀?”
19) “Where can we find the Buddha?”
佛陀说:“见法即见如来(Tathatata),未见法的人无法见如来。一个未见法的人,即使他紧抓如来的袈裟,也无法见到如来。”(泰本巴利藏第25册,300页)。
THE BUDDHA SAID, “Any person who sees the Dhamma sees the Tathāgata. Any person who sees not the Dhamma sees not the Tathāgata. One who sees not the Dhamma, though he grasp at the robe of the Tathāgata and hold it fast, cannot be said to see the Tathāgata.” “Tathāgata” is the word generally used by the Buddha to refer to himself.
这意思是佛陀不存在于色身,而存在于佛心中的德行——(法),必须先见到“法”,我们才可以说找到佛。
This means that the Buddha is not to be found in the outward physical body. Rather, he is to be found in that high quality in the heart of the Buddha which is called Dhamma. That is the part that must be seen before we can say that we have found the Buddha.
当我们礼拜佛像,洞察佛像所象征的内涵当下,就超越佛身,看到佛心。进一步直透佛心所代表的德行——清净、光明、寂静、无执无著的“法”,也就是圆满“空性”,那么就可以说:我们找到佛了。
When we prostrate ourselves before the Buddha’s image, we dwell on the image, seeing beyond it to the physical body of the Buddha, which the image represents. Then we look beyond the physical body of the Buddha to his mind, and look beyond his mind until we penetrate to the high qualities present in his mind. We see those qualities as the pure, radiant, peaceful Dhamma, devoid of grasping and clinging, perfectly free. Then we can be said to have found the Buddha.