(１４)“佛教所说的‘业’是怎么回事？”

14) Now I shall say something on kamma in Buddhism, by asking,

14) “What role does kamma play in Buddhism?"

　　许多西方人写了很多谈论佛教的书，他们对讨论“业与再生”的篇章似乎很引以为傲，但他们在每本书里对这方面的解释都十分错误。那些西方人公开解释业(kamma)时，都说善业是好的，恶业是不好的，除了“善有善报，恶有恶报”，就再也没有提到其他的了。这样的说法正与每个宗教的教义相同，但这不是佛教所教导的业。

MANY WESTERNERS HAVE written books on Buddhism, and they seem to be most proud of the chapters dealing with kamma (Sanskrit, karma) and rebirth. But their explanations are wrong, quite wrong every time. Those Westerners set out to explain kamma, but all they really say is that good kamma is good and evil kamma is evil. “Do good, receive good; do evil, receive evil”, and nothing more, is exactly the same doctrine as is found in every religion. This is not kamma as it is taught in Buddhism.

　　“再生”也是如此，他们一再强调，好像确实曾亲眼见到正是那一个相同的“主体”再生。这种主张对佛陀所说没有“人”及没有“主体”存在的教导，作了不正确的说明。即使我现在坐在这里，也没有一个“自我”会被发现，如果没有“人”存在，那有什么会去死?什么会再生?佛陀教导我们时时刻刻都要觉察没有“主体”或“人”的存在，“生”只是一种假相。把自己的著作定名为佛书的作者们，对“业与再生”解释，通常错得很离谱！

With rebirth it is the same. They make their assertions just as if they had seen with their own eyes the very same individuals being reborn. This misrepresents the Buddha’s main message, which teaches the non-existence of “the individual”, of “the self”. Even though “I” am sitting here now, yet there is no individual to be found. When there is no individual, what is there to die? What is there to be reborn? The Buddha taught the non-existence of “the individual”, of “the person”. Thus, birth and death are matters of relative truth. The writers of books entitled “Buddhism” generally explain kamma and rebirth quite wrongly.

　　请密切注意业的问题，身为佛教徒要说明它，必须讨论业的止息，不象其他宗教只是讨论业的本身和它的影响力，如果是佛陀的教法，必须讨论业的止息。

Do pay close attention to this matter of kamma. To be the Buddhist account it must deal with the cessation of kamma, not just with kamma itself and its effects — as found in all religions. To be the Buddha’s teaching it must deal with the cessation of kamma.

　　sabbakammakkhayam-patto，意思是一位成功止息所有业的人，佛陀教导业的止息就是贪(raga)、瞋(dosa)、痴(moha)的止息(泰本巴利藏第２１册，４７３页)。这很容易记住，贪、瞋、痴的止息就是业的终止，那就是心中烦恼的止息。假如贪、瞋、痴不止息，业就不会止息，当贪、瞋、痴止息，旧业和新业就会止息，没有造作现在的业，也没有造作未来的新业，如此，过去、现在、未来的业就会止息，当一个人止息了贪、瞋、痴，业便止息了。必须如此解释业，只有这样说明业，才是佛教的说法。

A sabbakammakkhaya.-patto is one who has attained the cessation of all kamma. The Buddha taught that kamma ceases with the ceasing of lust, hatred, and delusion (rāga, dosa, and moha). This is easy to remember. Kamma ceases when lust, hatred, and delusion cease, that is, when the mental defilements cease. If lust, hatred, and delusion do not cease, kamma does not cease. When lust, hatred, and delusion do cease, old kamma ceases, no present kamma is produced, and no new future kamma is produced — thus kamma past, present, and future ceases. When a person puts an end to lust, hatred, and delusion, kamma ceases. This is how it must be explained. Only such an account of kamma can be called the Buddhist account.

　　所以，我们发现了第三种业，许多人只知道二种业——善业与恶业，他们还不知道什么是第三种业。佛陀称第一种业为黑业(black kamma)或恶业(euil kamma),第二种为白业(white kamma)或善业(good kamma),还有一种业称为非黑非白业(neither-black-nor-white kamma),它可以止息黑业与白业，第三种业就是能完全停止黑、白二业的工具(佛陀使用黑业、白业、非黑非白业等名词)。这第三种业是佛教的业，是符合佛教原则的业。就如前面所说，止息贪、瞋、痴就能止息业，如此第三种业就是使贪、瞋、痴止息的业。换句话说，它就是八正道，当我们的行为与修行符合于八正道时，那就是第三种业，它不是黑业，也不是白业，它止息了黑业和白业，它超越于善恶业之上，是出世间(lokuttara)的。

So we find there is a third kind of kamma. Most people know of only the first and second kinds of kamma, good and evil kamma. They don’t know yet what the third kind of kamma is. The Buddha called the first kind of kamma black or evil kamma, and the second kind white or good kamma. The kind of kamma that can be called neither-black-nor-white is that which puts an end to both black kamma and white kamma. This third kind of kamma is a tool for putting a complete stop to both black and white kamma. The Buddha used these terms “black kamma”, “white kamma”, and “kamma neither-black-nor-white”. This third type of kamma is kamma in the Buddhist sense, kamma according to Buddhist principles. As has been said, to put an end to lust, hatred, and delusion is to put an end to kamma. Thus, the third kind of kamma is the ending of lust, hatred, and delusion; in other words, it is the Noble Eightfold Path. Whenever we behave and practise in accordance with the Noble Eightfold Path, that is the third type of kamma. It is neither black nor white; rather it brings to an end black kamma and white kamma. It is world-transcending (lokuttara), above good and above evil.

　　在西方人所著《业与再生》(Kamma and Rebirth)一书的篇章中，作者从来没有讨论到第三种业，他们的理解完全错误，对经典所作的解释根本不是佛教的。身为佛教徒，就应该讨论可以止息贪、瞋、痴第三种业，那么，包括黑业与白业的所有旧业都会止息。

This third type of kamma is never discussed by Westerners in their chapters on “Kamma and Rebirth”. They get it all wrong; what they expound is not Buddhism at all. To be Buddhist, they should deal with the third type of kamma, the kamma that is capable of bringing to an end lust, hatred, and delusion. Then the whole lot of old kamma — black kamma and white kamma — ends as well.

　　现在，让我们多谈一点第三种业。在这方面，佛陀说：“透过自己无上的智慧，我已觉悟了‘业’”(泰本巴利藏第２１册，３１４页)。这个显然不同的第三种业，不是从其他宗教得来，而是佛陀透过自己的智慧发现，然后将它教给众生。所以我们必须谨记在心，第三种业才是真正佛教对业的教导，如果要写有关佛教“业与再生”的书籍，都应当以这样正确的方法来写，你们要仔细地研读并且关心佛教如何解释“业”的问题。

Now let us say something more about this third kind of kamma. In this connection the Buddha said, “I came to a clear realization of this through my own sublime wisdom.” This teaching of the distinctly different, third type of kamma was not taken over by the Awakened One from any existing creed or religion. It is something he came to know with his own insight and then taught to all. So we ought to keep in mind that the teaching of this third type of kamma is the real Buddhist teaching on kamma. Any manual on kamma in Buddhism, any book entitled “Kamma and Rebirth”, ought to be written on these lines. Do study closely and take an interest in the Buddhist explanation of kamma. That account of good and bad kamma is found in all religions. Buddhism has it too.

　　我们可以在所有宗教里，发现善业与恶业的说明，佛教里也有，它告诉我们做善事是好的，做恶事是不好的，它们都教导着这同一件事。但佛陀说只造善业，并无法完全、绝对地灭除精神的痛苦，因为人一直会被善业所迷且执着善业，换句话说，善业仍然会使人们不断地在善趣的生死中打滚，它不是完全地止息、清凉、涅槃(nibbana)。

It tells us that doing good is good and doing evil is evil. They all teach the same thing. But the Buddha said that merely producing good kamma does not extinguish mental suffering completely and absolutely, because one goes right on being infatuated by and grasping at good kamma. In other words, good kamma still causes one to go round in the cycle of birth and death, albeit in good states of existence. It is not complete quenching, coolness, nibbāna.

So there is a kamma taught exclusively by the Buddha, a third type that does away with all kamma and makes an end of lust, hatred, and delusion. It is hrough this third type of kamma that one attains nibbāna.