佛陀教法未來趨勢

艾倫·華勒士博士：

我對佛陀教法未來趨勢的三個看法

B. Alan Wallace –

“Three Views of the Future of Buddhadharma

When The Iron Bird Flies 當鐵鳥升空

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這位西方著名學者的觀察，讓我們不由得想到：

宗薩欽哲仁波切希望大家讀誦並作為「欽哲基金會」發願文的這篇祈願文，它是由西藏大師篤布巴•喜繞堅贊（或譯「多波巴」，1292-1361）所撰：

願我生生世世，

肩負佛陀教法之重擔；

縱使未能承擔，

願我至少常憂佛法即將衰亡。(*1)

適逢藏曆佛陀神變日 ( 2018.3.1) ，且讓我們引用欽哲基金會的話語：「在這個吉祥的日子裡，希望我們的供養伴隨著偉大的發願，祈願佛陀教法的明燈能廣弘於世，利益眾生，永不熄滅。」(*2)

*1. 語出：欽哲基金會年報．2016

http://cht.khyentsefoundation.org/…/KF_Annual_Report_2016_C…

*2. 語出：欽哲基金會網頁

https://cht.khyentsefoundation.org/a-day-of-offering/

When I look at the trends that are taking place right now and extrapolate, I see two things that I’d regard as extremes and then one I regard as middle way. So that’s my subjective perspective. One I think the extreme is… and none of these is bad, but I think maybe not so good for the long term for the health and vitality of Buddhadharma, to really bring maximum benefit to the world.

當我觀察目前的趨勢並作推斷，我看到兩個極端的現象和一個中道的發展，這是我個人的觀點。

針對極端的一種，

雖不是說這些趨勢不好，但我認為對佛法長遠的「健康活力」及是否能真正發揮對世界的「最大效益」來說，或許不怎麼好。

As Buddhadharma has been assimilated into the West, especially over the last 30, 40, 50 years, in some ways, it’s become radically simplified. Often, not much emphasis on “ethics”, often not much emphasis on the power of the view, “the Buddhist world view”, not much emphasis on the whole path of development and stages of practice. But often, just simplifying to some very simple practices. Well, that’s nothing wrong with that. It’s like teaching kindergarten, that’s a really good place to start. But the people would have the impression that Buddhadharma really consists of only kindergarten, and do kindergarten many many times, and now you know Buddhadharma.

特別在過去的30、40、50年來，佛法已經被西化到「過度簡化」，現在往往不怎麼強調「倫理」（戒律）、見地、「佛教世界觀」，也不怎麼著重整體修行的道次第，反而經常將之簡化成一些非常簡單的修行。當然，這也沒有錯，就好比教幼兒園一樣，是很好的切入點，但這樣卻會使人以為佛法只有幼稚園程度的內涵，可以在幼兒園轉好幾圈之後就懂佛法了。

Something has been lost and it has been decontextualized out of this extremely rich framework of ethics, samadhi, wisdom, Buddhist world view, view, meditation, way of life, and we just take a few ideas, simple ideas, a few practices, and say “This is what Buddhadharma is really about.” And then it gets assimilated into psychology, assimilated into western civilization, then I think the very essence is lost. What you really have is “Pop Buddhism”, which will eventually vanish altogether as Buddhism. It’d just trickle into other little therapies and things like that. Which is not a bad thing if you can help people. But I think it’s not a good thing if Buddhadharma just vanishes because it’s been so watered down and like water and sand just after a while, “where did Buddhism go?” You just see a few little therapies. So I think there’s a trend to that. And that continues, I think I can see the end.

這當中流失了些什麼，是從無比豐富的倫理、三摩地（禪定）、智慧、佛教世界觀、見地、禪修、生活方式之架構中被截取。我們只拿幾個概念、簡單的概念和少許的修行方法而宣稱：「這就是佛法真正的內容！」接著，還讓它與心理學同化、與西方文明同化，我認為其精華就此流失。最終，我們目前這種「流行佛法」就會和佛法一起消逝，只剩下流入其他如簡單心理治療等領域中的式微佛法─如果這樣可以幫助到人的話也不是件壞事，但若佛法因被大量稀釋後就如水和沙流失而不見的話，可不是件好事─只需一段時間後，「佛法去哪了？」，只看到僅剩的簡單心理療法。這就是我所看到的其中一個趨勢，若照這樣繼續下去，我應可預知其結果。

There’s another trend, just the opposite of people who are ultra-conservative and feel “my lama”, “my tradition”, “this is the pure one”, “exactly as my lama and his lama”, or “my roshi”, “my bhante”, whatever it is, “my geshe”, “my lineage”, “my, my, my…” Big world of “MY”. “This is the pure one and we have to keep it pure and that means to keep it exactly as it is. No changes! Because change means degeneration, corruption, contamination. So no change. The Dharma is perfect as it is. Words of my perfect teacher, now it’s just perfect. Don’t change anything. Don’t listen to anybody else. Don’t listen to psychologists, they are not even Buddhists. Don’t listen to other religions, they are not Buddhists.” “Don’t listen to any other traditions, they are not quite pure. They are not as good as mine.”

另一個趨勢則是完全相反的「極度保守」族群，嘴邊總是掛著「我的上師」、「我的法脈」、「這個才清淨」、「正如我的上師和他的上師…」、「我的老師」、「我的尊者」… 等等，「我的格西」、「我的傳承」… 「我的、我的…」，好大的「我」啊！「這才是清淨的佛法，我們得原封不動地保存它的清淨，不得有任何改變。變化就代表衰敗、腐化、污染。佛法已如此完美，不可改變。它源自我的完美上師，所以是完美的，什麼都別改變。不要聽別人的。不要聽那些心理學家，他們又不是佛教徒。不要聽其他的宗教，他們是非佛教徒」、「不要聽別的法脈，他們不怎麼清淨，不如我的清淨…」

So this kind of fundamentalism, elitism. Holding on to Buddhism like that, I think it’s a guaranteed strategy for turning your Buddhism into a “museum piece”. It’s dead. It’s frozen. Buddhadharma in Tibet was not frozen for 1,200 of years, it was not frozen. In India, it evolved, it transformed, it grew, it developed. So when you say, “Oh no! This is just right. Just keep it as it is. No change!” Then that might be fine for you if you have enough imprints from past life, maybe the shoe fits. Good for you. But how many in next generation and next the generation would want to have your freeze, dry Buddhadharma and would be a perfect fit for them?

用如此激進主義、精英優越感的心態緊抓著佛法，保證能把佛法變成博物館的「展覽品」般了無生氣。佛法在西藏流傳了一千兩百多年，卻一點也不死板僵化；它在印度也曾演進、變化、成長、發展。有人說：「不行不行，佛法這樣就好，保持原樣，不能改變！」，若你累世的印記夠深，對你或許沒問題，鞋碼尺寸剛好，太好了。但下一代、下下一代呢？有多少人會想要你這種僵化枯燥的佛法，對他們合適嗎？

I think this often happens that the parents have this fundamentalist attitude and the children completely rebel and have no interest in Dharma at all. So, what’s the long term? Do you have to be a clairvoyant or a prophet to see that if we freeze Dharma with no adaptation, no assimilation, no engagement with the modern world. Do we have to be a prophet to see that this is going to be a museum piece, a Buddhist temple, and so forth. There will be a place with fewer number of people holding on to a few rituals and things like that and be completely irrelevant to the rest of the society. And why? Because they made themselves around it.

往往家長容易有這種激進的態度，使得孩子們強烈排斥，對佛法一點興趣都沒有。如此一來，長久下去的結果會是什麼？難道還需要天眼通或預言家才能知道，這種死板僵化、毫無調整、不作同化、難以涉入現代世界的佛法，是否會變成館藏品、佛寺廟…等等？到時候就是少數人緊抓著少許的儀軌等等但與社會完全脫節，為何淪為如此？因為人們故步自封而自作自受。

So I think those are two trends that I see now and I think I can imagine where they are going.

以上是我看到的兩大趨勢，其結果也已經可以預見了。

Then I’m imagining, “what could be a middle way? That can be of the maximum benefit and really keep the vitality of Buddhadharma alive, fresh, and yet, essentially, utterly conservative?” We don’t need a new Dzogchen, or a new Four Noble Truths, maybe Five Noble Truths, and so forth. Really recognize the core, and there is a core. That’s not just India, not just Tibet, not just America or France. Recognize the core and you must learn, have dialogue with the lama or lamas. Learn what that is and then see how this is relate to the world here.

我接著想：「有什麼中庸之道既可以保有佛法的活力清新、發揮最大的利眾效益，又可以保有傳統嚴謹的佛教精華？」我們不需要新的大圓滿法、新的四聖諦或五聖諦…等，而是需要真正認識佛法的核心，而這個核心無關印度、西藏、美國、法國。認識核心之後，就必須學習，和一位或多位上師對話交流，學習佛法的內涵以及它能如何與世界連結。

Let us talk to the psychologists, people in education, in business, in politics, in mental health, maybe we can learn that Buddhist is not equally strong in all areas. So let us learn but always knowing what the core is. And if something is really incompatible, we’d put it down and say, “no thank you, you do that but we are doing this.” So we are not trying to create a universal religion like some “Buddhists - Christians - Judaism and Islam”. It’s Buddhadharma but we can be informed, we can increase understanding by engaging with other religions. Increase our understanding around the core of our Buddhadharma understanding by engaging with science, and the contemporary applications in the world and the environment, in health, in education, and so forth. And so Buddhism from generation to generation always appears fresh, like “Whoah, never thought of that before!” Yet, it is essentially traditional. Always carrying that gold, that solid gold. But the old gold is always looking fresh and utterly contemporary.

讓我們與心理學、教育界、商業界、政治界、心理衛生等人士交流，也許會發現佛法並非在每個領域都一樣具權威性。在我們學習的同時，要隨時清楚核心為何，若與法相違便可以拒絕之：「不，謝謝，你用你的方式，但我們要這麼做」。我們並非在試圖創造某個「佛教式的基督教─猶太教─伊斯蘭教」的統一宗教。它還是佛法，但可隨時接受新知，因交流而增進對其他宗教的認識。以佛法的核心為軸來增進了解，透過交流而了解科學，以及在世界與環境、健康、教育等領域的當代運用。這樣一來，佛法就會不斷以清新的方式呈現給未來的世世代代，就好像：「哇！從來沒想過佛法是這樣！」，但同時保有佛法的傳統與精華。總是保有這塊黃金、如此堅固的黃金，儘管古老，但它隨時都看來清新且完全因應時代。

～普賢法譯小組Kaye英聽&中譯，Raye校對，Serena完稿於2018.02.28。願佛法廣傳於世且永保清新、鮮活！