Superstitions and Dogmas

迷信与教条主义

'People ridicule the superstitions of others, while cherishing their own.'

All ailments have cures but not superstitions. And if for some reason or other, any superstition crystallizes into a religion, it easily becomes an almost incurable malady. In the performance of certain religious functions, even educated people of today forget their human dignity to accept the most ridiculous, superstitious beliefs.

人们在嘲笑他人迷信的同时，却保留了自己的迷信。疾病无法靠迷信而获得痊愈。即使为了某些特殊的理由，也不能让迷信在宗教里扎根，这将会变成无可救药的事。即使在今日，在某些宗教里，我们仍然看到很多受过高深教育的人、知识份子，放弃了自己的尊严和智慧，屈服于荒谬的迷信。

Superstitious beliefs and rituals were adopted to decorate a religion in order to attract the multitude. But after sometime, the creeper which is planted to decorate the shrine as it were, outgrows and outshines the shrine, with the result that religious tenets are relegated to the background and superstitious beliefs and rituals become predominant; the creeper eclipsing the shrine.

Like superstition dogmatic belief also chokes the healthy growth of religion. Dogmatic belief and intolerance go hand-in-hand. One is reminded of the Middle Ages with its pitiless inquisitions, cruel murders, violence, infamy, tortures and burning of innocent beings. One is also reminded of the barbaric and ruthless crusades. All these events were stimulated by dogmatic beliefs in religious authority and the intolerance resulting therefrom.

为了吸引信众，某些宗教以荒谬的迷信来伪装宗教。经过一些时候，伪装剥落了，荒谬的迷信反客为主，坐宗教的神龛，宗教成为背景，而迷信则走前台，大唱其荒谬的戏文。教条主义和迷信一样，阻碍了宗教的发展。对教条的执着，与缺乏宽大的容忍有关。当一个人想起西方中古时代时，就会联想到教会如何毫无怜悯心的镇压异端、残酷对待和谋杀异己等暴行，以酷刑、火刑等不名誉的手段，杀害了许多无辜的生命。人们也会联想到那鲁莽野蛮的十字军。这一切都是受到宗教权威里的教条主义所影响，是不能宽大容忍所引起的后果。

Before the development of scientific knowledge, ignorant people had many superstitious beliefs. For example a lot of people believed that the eclipse of the sun and moon brought bad luck and pestilence. Today we know that such beliefs are not true. Again some unscrupulous religionists encourage people to believe in superstitions so that they can make use of their followers for their own 'benefit'. When people have truly purified their minds of ignorance, they will see the universe as it really is and they will not suffer from superstition and dogmatism. This is the 'salvation' that Buddhists aspire to.

It is extremely difficult for us to break up the emotional feeling that is attached to superstition or dogmatic belief. Even the light of scientific knowledge is often not strong enough to cause us to give up the misconceptions. For example, we have noticed for generations that the earth moves round the sun; but experientially we still behold the sun rising, moving across the sky, and setting in the evening. We still have to make an intellectual leap to imagine that we are, in fact, hurtling at great speed around the sun.

当科学还未得到充份发展时，愚昧、无知的人非常的迷信，他们甚至相信日蚀或月蚀，能为人类带来不幸。某些教派的宗教以迷信来蛊惑信徒，从而得到信徒的追随和供养。有些人去除无知，净化自己的心识，了解宇宙真相，不被迷佛教徒信仰的是什么信和教条主义所侵害。他们就是那些自我解救者──佛教徒。我们同时也要了解到，要根除迷信和教条主义是一件非常困难的事。即使在现代科学技术和知识强大的光芒下，也不足够使我们放弃迷信与教条主义。比如，我们早就知道地球环绕着太阳在运转，可是，在经验我们仍然看着太阳从东方升起，划过天空，从西方落下，在感情，我们仍然不愿意承认地球环绕太阳运转。这显示了我们仍然不喜欢以科学知识为依据。

We must understand that the dangers of dogmatism and superstition go hand-in-hand with religion. The time has come for wise people to separate religion from dogmatism and superstition. Otherwise, the good name of religion will be polluted and the number of non-believers will be increased, as they have already.

我们必须了解到迷信和教条主义的危险性。在将来聪明的人可能把宗教与迷信和教条主义分开。如果不把宗教和迷信及教条主义的界限划分的一清二楚，宗教的声誉将受到严重的影响和打击，到时，不信仰宗教的人就会更加多了。

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammasambuddhassa ！

礼敬彼世尊、阿拉汉、正自觉者！

正道的生活(佛陀)

正见──正确地认识宇宙人生的真相和持守道德戒行。

正思惟──断灭恶的欲念、敌意和残酷的心念。

正语──戒止口恶业，道出善与真诚的言语。

正业──行为正当，不扰乱及损害他人。

正命──从事正当的事业维持生活，不侵损其他众生。

正精进──不懈怠的努力，策励自己的心，离恶向善。

正念──意念法，对修行所缘铭记不忘，不被物欲所诱惑。

正定──心一境性，心清净。