目錄
 

自然界的因果規律

 
◎邱韻宜
二OO九年十月•講於萬佛聖城大殿

● 科學家也說因果(Scientific American September 2009 美國科學雜誌)

 
 
李查.維特瑞爾
(Richard W Wetherill)

李查.維特瑞爾(1906-1989)在幾十年前,指出自然界有一個叫做「純正義自然法則」。這個法則提示:「正當的行為必定得到正當的報應,錯誤的行為必定得到錯誤的報應。」它是一個自然推行的法則,每個人的正當或錯誤行為都會得到應得的報應。倘若人做出正確、理智、及老實的行為,自然界的問題就解決了。倘若人不願正確面對自然界的法則,自然界的問題將延續不斷,終得不到解決。

Richard W Wetherill (1906-1989) identified a natural law decades ago. He called it the law of absolute right. It states right action gets right result; wrong action gets wrong result. It is the self-enforcing law that delivers the results of everybody's right or wrong behavior. When right, rational, and honest behavior is taken, situations are resolved. When behavior fails to meet nature's criteria, situations are unresolved and remain troublesome.

他指出,前人類很早就在生活中從自然界法則學習到一個結論:自然界會自然的執行自己的規律。如果不服從它,它也會自動報與應有的懲罰。人類任何方式的違反它,無論是有意或無意的,都將惹來法則自然推行的報應。

He pointed out: early in life there is one thing that people learn about natural laws. Laws of nature do their own enforcing, and when not obeyed, they do their own punishing. The mere attempt to disobey a natural law, intended or not, exposes a person to whatever punishment that the law imposes.

維特瑞爾教導,一定要堅持以不變的決心,去停止投入行為違反地球創物者它的自然法則及全人類。堅持這樣的行為法則才能有好報,遠離惡報。人類正當的行為最後將得報以人間天堂,這也是創物者開天闢地的目的!

Wetherill taught that it takes a changeless decision to stop pitting our behavior against whoever or whatever created Earth, its law, and its people. The behavioral law then serves its purpose to deliver right results, not wrong results. People's right behavior finally results in the "heaven on earth" intended by whoever or whatever the creator is!

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For more information please visit the website at www.alphapub.com

● 命運就是因果•Your Life's Faith is Your Cause and Effect

因為有昨天、今天、明天,因為有過去、現在、未來,生命就在時間裡運轉。這就是命運。人可以掌握自己的命運嗎?只有其中一部份的命運是可以掌握的,其他的部分卻不能。比如說,人被生到這個世界來,都是糊裡糊塗而來。為什麼選擇這一對父母親?為什麼選擇現在的兄弟姊妹?為什麼選擇這個世界、國家?為什麼選擇這個時代?是自己選擇的嗎?除非開悟了,要不然,普通人是無法回答的。然後,一切一切的環境、遭遇,也就在糊裡糊塗中發生了。乃至於所遇到的師長、親友、男人、女人等,都是命運的一部分。

It is a fact that there is yesterday, today, and tomorrow; there is past, present, and future; and thus life is turning and turning within the time span. This is what is called a person's Faith in his life. Could you master your own faith in your life, probably not all? Many things are not in your control. For example, when a person is born to this world, you are born confused and unpredicted. No one knows why he chooses his present parents and his siblings. No one knows why he chooses this world, this country, this era of history. Did you choose yourself? A normal person cannot answer this until he is enlightened. On top of that, many things that happened to you happened unexplained and in confusion; including how you meet your teachers, the elders, relatives, friends, the men and the women. These are a part of your faith in your life.

學佛以後,明白了常人所說的糊裡糊塗,其實就是因果在運作。因為有因果,才有過去、現在與未來。因緣和合,果報就成熟了。有過去的因,才有現在的果。學佛是為了打開自己的智慧。在命運中、在因果中,用自己的智慧重新打造自己,期望不再糊裡糊塗下去。

After learning Buddhism, it is understood that what is called explained or in confusion, or what is called faith, in reality is how the cause and effect is working. Due to cause and effect, one has to experience the past, the present and face the future. When cause and condition is ripe, the consequence or the effect will be there. The cause of the past gives rise to the consequence of the present. The purpose of learning Buddhism is for opening up one's wisdom. Living within one's faith, and experiencing one's causes and effects, one applies his wisdom to renew himself; and hoping that one does not continued to live in ignorance and confusion.

要明白「因果法則」是不變的自然法則。人類的法律,需要警察去執行;犯法的人,要有法官來判罪。因果法則是不需要有警察,也不需要有法官,造善造惡的人自己自然面對善報或惡報。比如說,你講騙話多了,就沒有人相信你。你沒有好好修行,就開不了智慧。你煮咖哩,材料搭配得越好,咖哩就越好吃。你常常整理房間,房間當然就整齊。你不清理身體,身體就生出毛病了。你病得輕,吃幾天的藥就好了。你病得重,才吃了幾天的藥怎麼能好呢?你才看了醫生,藥都還沒吃,就想好了,那是不可能的事!所以,一切就是這麼自然。你現在命運好不好,就是過去造的因。你未來要有好的境遇,必須要自己好好的去打造。

One should understand that the law of cause and effect is a natural law. The laws made by human society will need the police to enforce. A criminal will need the judge to pass a sentence. The Law of Cause and Effect does not need the police or the judges, the doer, good or evil, will naturally face their rewards or retributions consequently. Take for examples; if a person tells too many lies, nobody will believe in her. If a person does not cultivate diligently, she would probably not going to open her wisdom. When you cook curry, the better you know how to match the ingredients, the better taste will the curry be. If a person constantly cleans up her room, her room will naturally be neat. If a person does not clean her body, her body will slowly get sick. If you are just slightly sick, you probably will recover in a few days. If one is badly sick, how could you expect to be well in a few days? If you just visited a doctor and not even started taking medication, how would you expect to be well? This is just so natural. Similarly, if one is presently having a bad fortune, it is because of the cause done in the past. If you wish to live a better life, you will have to work for it from now.

在美國看醫生有一定的步驟,是要有耐心的。普通看一次醫生還沒好,不可能就送去看專科,就照這個什麼鏡,用什麼機器檢驗。要知道看一次醫生,動不動就一百幾十塊錢,加上檢驗,就幾百塊錢,或是上千塊錢。看一次專科,費用之多,更不必說。一次急診室的費用,好幾千塊錢也是很平常的。一個 CT scan費用之大,也可想而知。照一個 CT scan ,好比照 760次的X光,比廣島原子彈生存者所受的輻射線還多,廣島的生存者後來都中了cancer。 你如果還健康,醫生不會給你照 CT scan,你也會不敢照。因此,身體如果生了個小病,或者是這一生幾十年累積而來的慢性病,看醫生還是必須要有耐心才行。

In America, when you visit doctors, there is a long procedure, and you have to have patience. In normal situation, one visit to family practitioner will not lead you to specialist, or recommended the use of any sophisticated testing equipments. A normal visit to a family doctor including the prescription can easily cost you more than a hundred dollar. When administration of other tests is included, it may add up to a few hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The cost of visiting a specialist costs much more. A visit to emergency room can easily cost you more than a thousand dollar. The cost of administrating a CT scan will cost more. A CT scan is equivalent to 760 exposures of X-ray. This amount of radiation exposure is higher than that of the survivals of Hiroshima exposure to atomic explosion. It is known that all the survivals of Hiroshima atomic explosion later died from cancer due to exposure. If you are still healthy, doctors will not recommend a CT scan. You would not dare to exposure yourself either. Thus, if you are just getting a common sickness or your health problem is due to 40 or 50 years of aging, you have to have patience.

佛陀教導我們,生老病死是不能改變的,那是自然的過程。只有不生,才能不死。佛陀教導的是如何了生脫死,離苦得樂。如果心念徘徊在貪生怕死中,死後還會投胎到六道輪迴,不能離苦得樂。這個智慧要記著,願大家互相勉勵。生病是每個人都要面對的,如果有個什麼病痛時,就慌了心,懷疑這懷疑那的,令沒有醫學知識的人跟著一起轉,那是不應該的。

Buddha taught that nothing can be done about the process of birth, aging, sickness and death. It will naturally run its course. Only if one is not born, then there is no death. Thus Buddha taught living beings how to end birth and death, how to leave suffering and attain bliss. If one dwells in the mental state of craving to live and fear of death, when one dies, he/she will still be born in the cycle of six paths of rebirth. She will not leave suffering or attain bliss. It is wise to remember this. I wish everyone will share this as an inspiration for cultivation. Being sick is a common thing that one has to face. If facing a sickness, one gets nervous, feels suspicious, confuses and turns around the medically ignorant people/friends around him/her, this is really not proper.

另一方面,有些人病得很重,卻不願去看醫生,那是另一個極端。如果能把病治癒,活著修行,或者能護持佛法,或者能續佛慧命,行菩薩道,利人利己,還是有用的。因為世界上的修行人不多,好好地修行,能利益眾生。身體病了,接受醫療,那是應該的。

On the other hand, there are people who are really sick and yet would not wish to visit a doctor. This is the other extreme. If one could recover from a sickness to fulfill the purpose of cultivation, either to protect the Buddha Dharma, or to live as example of the wisdom of Buddha, to practice the Bodhisattva practices, to benefit others and thus benefit the self, life is made useful. It is a fact that there are not many cultivators in this world. For the purpose of cultivation, for the purpose of benefiting living beings, one should accept proper medical care when sick.

還有師父說過,如果你都沒有(在任何方面)利益到這個國家,又沒付過一分錢的稅,就只想利益自己,那是不應該的。最近美國有一個很先進的健康基金會 Life Extension Foundation,2009年9月的一篇報導說,現在美國欠債十一兆美元(11 trillion),已經很可怕了。更可怕的是,預料再過幾年,美國的 Medicare 退休人員醫藥基金,將面對基金不足三十四兆美元更可怕的龐大數字。所以平時照顧好自己的健康,比看醫生更重要。

Another thing to note, Master said it before, if you have not benefit this country (in anyway), and have not pay a cent of income tax, and you only think of benefiting yourself, that is really not proper. In an article published by the Life Extension Foundation September 2009 issue, it is said that if the $11 trillion debt of federal government sound high, in several years to come, the Medicare unfunded liability of $34 trillion deficit will pale anyone. Thus it is more important to look after your health everyday than visiting doctor later.

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法界佛教總會 • DRBA / BTTS / DRBU

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