Part Two

Buddhism: Essence and Comparative Approaches

Chapter 4 Timeless Truth of the Buddha

The Lion's Roar

第二篇 佛教的本质与比较

第四章 永恒的真理

狮子吼

After hearing the Buddha, many decided to give up the wrong views they previously held regarding their religious way of life.

Buddhism is a beautiful gem of many facets, attracting people of diverse personalities. Every facet in this gem has tested methods and approaches that can benefit the Truth seekers with their various levels of understanding and spiritual maturity.

The Buddha Dhamma is the fruit resulting from a most intensive search conducted over a long period of time by a compassionate noble prince whose mission was to help suffering humanity. Despite being surrounded by all the wealth and luxuries normally showered on a crown prince, He renounced His luxurious life and voluntarily embarked on a tough journey to seek the Truth and to find a panacea to cure the sickness of the worldly life with its attendant suffering and unsatisfactoriness. He was bent on finding a solution to alleviate all suffering. In His long search, the prince did not rely on or resort to divine guidance or traditional beliefs as was fashionable in the past. He did an intensive search with a free and open mind, guided solely by His sincerity of purpose, noble resolution, inexhaustible patience, and a truly compassionate heart with the ardent wish to relieve suffering. After six long years of intensive experiment, of trial and error, the noble prince achieved His aim --- He gained Enlightenment and gave the world His pristine teachings known as Dhamma or Buddhism.

The Buddha once said, 'Monks, the lion, king of beasts, at eventide comes forth from his lair. He stretches himself. Having done so, he surveys the four quarters in all directions. Have done that, he utters thrice his lion's roar. Having thrice uttered his lion's roar, he sallies forth in search of prey.

'Now, monks, whatever animals hear the sound of the roaring of the lion, king of beasts, for the most part, they are afraid; they fall to quaking and trembling. Those that dwell in holes seek them; water-dwellers make for the water; forest-dwellers enter the forest; birds mount into the air.

'Then whatsoever ruler's elephants in village, town or palace are tethered with stout leather bonds, they burst out and rend those bonds asunder; void their excrements and in panic run to and fro. Thus potent, is the lion, king of beasts, over animals. Of such mighty power and majesty is he.

'Just so, monks, is it when a Buddha arises in the world, an Arahant, a Perfectly Enlightened One, perfect in wisdom and in conduct, wayfarer, Knower of the worlds, the unsurpassed trainer of those who can be trained, teacher of gods and men, a Buddha, an Exalted One. He teaches the Dhamma; "Such is the nature of concept of Self; this is the way leading to the ending of such a Self.'

'Whatsoever gods there be, they too, on hearing the Dhamma of the Tathagata, for the most part are afraid: they fall to quaking and trembling, saying: ', We who thought ourselves permanent are after all impermanent: that we who thought ourselves stable are after all unstable: not to last, though lasting we thought ourselves. So it seems that we are impermanent, unstable, not to last, compassed about with a Self.' Thus potent is a Tathagata over the world of gods and men. (Anguttara Nikaya).

听了佛陀开示后，很多人放弃了原来对宗教生活的错误观念。佛教是一颗闪亮的宝石，他深深的吸引着人类。它能为正见的人带来福利和了解心灵的真性。

佛陀本来是一位尊贵的太子，为了解脱人类的痛苦，经过长年的实践和追寻所觉悟的真理。当这位生活在荣华富贵中的王储，了解到他被各种不同的烦恼所包围时，他毅然的放弃所拥有的一切去寻求真理，去为病态的社会寻找诊治的良方，去寻找脱离「苦」的道路。在长期的摸索中，他发现传统的宗教无济于事。经过六年的心灵锻炼和思索后，他终于达到了目的──证悟正自觉。他开始教导他所证悟的学问，这学问就是 ──佛法。

佛陀曾经说过：

「僧众啊！狮子是百善之王。就算潮水从牠的洞穴里涌出，牠还是行动自如。牠能够这么做，是因为牠善于观察四面八方，牠能发出『狮子吼』，牠能冲出浪潮寻找猎物。」

「僧众啊！当百兽听到了『狮子吼』，都心惊胆颤，赶紧找地方躲藏。水生动物沉入水底，森林动物潜入森林，鸟类飞上天空。」

「此外，在村庄、城镇或王宫里饲养的大象，也被粗大的皮带缚紧，以防牠们因害怕而挣脱，或在恐慌中排泄。狮子有如此强大的威力，所以被称为『百兽之王』。」

「僧众啊！同样的，佛陀出现于世间，他是一位大阿拉汉、一位大觉悟者、一位德智完备的世间智者和稳健者，无人能胜的调御大夫，是人、天之师，是佛陀，是世尊。他弘扬佛法：『从认识自我的本质到舍弃自我』。」

「不管是什么神，当祂们在听佛陀说法时，都感到震憾，祂们说道：『我们以为我们是永生的，其实我们也无常，我们以为我们是稳健的，其实我们一点也不稳定，我们以为我们是无终结的，其实我们也一样有终结的一天，看来，我们真的是无常、不稳定和有终结的。我们一路来都以自己作为准绳。」这是佛陀对天人及人类的开示。 《增支部》