阿含指南針
永恆論者  三德大頭菜
 
  今期討論的經文是出自《長阿含經》的第一經,經題為「佛法所不教授的是什麼」。【註一】

  此經列出佛世時期的62種妄見,其中第5種謬見和現今的一神論相似,故將此第5見抽出,試把佛陀開示對此見的形成原因介紹一下。

  經文大意說,此派見解是「部分永恆論者」和「部分非永恆論者」,他們宣稱自我及此世間是「部分永恆」和「部分非永恆」的。【註2】

  經中說到在一段長時間之後,此世界「收縮」。在收縮期間,眾生大都「再生」在極光天 (Abhassara) 裡,他們以超越的方式在那裡安住了很長時間。

  但當時限到臨,此世界便開始「擴張」,在擴張中生起了梵天 (Brahma)的空虛宮殿。而一個「存在體」,在其壽命和善業耗盡後,從極光天下墮到這空虛的梵天宮殿(Brahma-palace),之後這「存在體」再於這處優越地生存了一段很長時間。【註3】

  及後這存在體因孤獨一「人」太久了,因此生起不安、不滿及憂慮,所以他生起一念:真想有其他存在體會投生到此處啊!而其後,另一存在體亦確實應他的想念而誕生。

  而最先生起的存在體,「想當然地」認為自己是至高無上、神聖而偉大的,也認為其餘的存在體均是他所創造的。因他認為其他人之所以存在,均是因為他最先生起之念,而才導致其後來者誕生的。

  而一眾後來者,亦皆認同這一種說法,均認為自己是被創造的。【註4】

  及後,在梵天宮殿的其中一個眾生下墮,並投生到「人界」。他在人界出家學道,並修得甚深「定力」,足以令他能回憶起過去世的往事。但這種通力,只足夠令他記起僅是上一世存在的情況而已。故此他宣稱創造者是永恆的,而自己作為被創造者只是「部分」永恆而已。【註5】

  而佛陀評道,此種見解是受「觸」而產生。這「觸」是「六根」與外境的接觸,而觸之後會再生起愛執,而其後一切苦便會尾隨產生了。【註6】

  但當行者了解到這一切只是六根與觸所引起之「生」與「滅」;與其「味」、「患」、「離」的話,行者便會自證其超越之道。【註7】

  而一切墮入這62種見解的人,佛陀便譬喻他們好比為墮進網中之魚——如同一名熟練的漁夫,用一張細孔的魚網,去罩著一片海水,將任何在水中的生物,也通通網住了。【註8】

  這篇經文本來十分冗長,這亦是《長阿含經》的特色之一。現今因篇幅關係只是在64種妄見中抽其一。除篇幅長外,此經亦顯露《長阿含經》的另一特點,乃是相較於其餘之「三含」,《長阿含經》較側重於對不同宗教的論戰,而非教內所授法門之修習。故亦因此牽涉不少「上天入地」式,或穿梭於不同界別和宇宙時空的開示,對一輩較不宗教性的讀者,會是較難接受的。

  而本經的另一特點,作為長含之首經,乃是昭示佛學在不同宗教,或是在不同哲學或見解中的位置。而佛陀宣稱這位置是超越的。據此經所說,不同宗派或見解,其說法會有所不同,但其立論基礎,只不過是基於推測等「方法」;又或基於其創教者的某一有限階段的回憶而已。佛陀把此比喻為網中之魚。而佛學的超越性便是,她不會墜進官感的迷宮中(包括心)。除了佛教之外,任何宗教或哲學見解之形成,也必依賴心理的運作。而這運作亦實難逃出——觸、受和愛。而只有佛家的離和捨,及最終的無我,才能令不同界別的眾生,從這一個熟練的漁夫手中之網孔中超脫出來——以如實觀照一切現象皆只是生滅,催生起看破、放下和超越。而一旦墜入諸種繁瑣之比較宗教的爭論中,就更是會被念頭的繩網愈纏愈實,始終難以出離。

  故此經題為「佛法所不教授的是什麼」,所不教授的,乃是會使人墜進網中被困的諸種學說見解。應要做的是把不同宗教或哲學,也看做成為生滅的對象,不去緊執。

 

註解

  1. What the Teaching Is Not (Brahmajala Sutta) : The Supreme Net. The Long Discourse of the Buddha by Maurice Walshe. Page 67, Wisdom Publication.
  2. There are, monks, some ascetics and Brahmins who are partly Eternalists and partly Non-Eternalists, who proclaim the partial eternity and the partial non-eternity of the self and the world in four ways.
  3. There comes a time, monks, sooner or later after a long period, when this world contracts. At a time of contraction, beings are mostly reborn in the Abhassara Brahma world. And there they dwell, mind-made, feeding on delight, self-luminous, moving through the air, glorious——and they stay like that for a very long time.
      But the time comes, sooner or later after a long period, when this world begins to expand. In this expanding world an empty palace of Brahma appears. And then one being, from exhaustion of his life-span or of his merits, falls from the Abhassara world and arises in the empty Brahma-palace. And there he dwells, mind-made, feeding on delight, self-luminous, moving through the air, glorious——and he stays like that for a very long time.
  4. Then in this being who has been alone for long there arises unrest, discontent and worry, and he thinks: “Oh, if only some other beings would come here!”And other merits, fall from the Abhassra world and arise in the Brahma-palace as companions for this being. And there they dwell, mind-made......and they stay like that for a very long time.
      ‘and then, monks, that being who first arose there thinks: “I am Brahma, the Great Brahma, the Conqueror, the Unconquered, the All-Seeing, the All-Powerful, the lord, the Maker and Creator, Ruler, Appointer and Orderer, Father of All That Have Been and Shall Be. These beings were created by me. How so? Because I first had this thought: ‘Oh, if only some other beings would come here! That my wish, and then these beings came into this existence!” But those beings who arose subsequently think: “This, friends, is Brahma, Great Brahma, the Conqueror, the Unconquered, the All-seeing, the All-Powerful, the Lord, the Maker and Creator, Ruler, Appointer and Orderer, Father of All That Have Been and Shall Be. How so? We have seen that he was here first, and that we arose after him.”
  5. ‘And this being that arose first is longer-lived, more beautiful and more powerful than they are. And it may happen that some being falls from that realm and arises in this world. Having arisen in this world, he goes forth from the household life into homelessness. Having gone forth, he by means of effort, exertion, application, earnestness and right attention attains to such a degree of mental concentration that he thereby recalls his last existence, but recalls none before that. And he thinks: ‘That Brahma,......he made us, and he is permanent, stable, eternal, not subject to change, the same for ever and ever, But we who were created by that Braham, we are impermanent, unstable, short-lived, fated to fall away, and we have come to this world.” This is the first case whereby some ascetics and Brahmins are partly Eternalists and partly Non-Eternalists.
  6. ‘When those ascetics and Brahmins who are speculators about the past, the future, or both, having fixed views, put forward views in sixty-two different ways, that is conditioned by contact.’
      ‘That all of these (eternalists and rest) should experience that feeling without contact is impossible.’
  7. ‘With regard to all or these......, they experience these feelings by repeated contact through the six sensebases; feeling conditions craving; craving conditions clinging conditions becoming; becoming conditions birth; birth conditions ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, sadness and distress.
      ‘When, monks, a monk understands as they really are the arising and passing away of the six bases of contact, their attraction and peril, and the deliverance from them, he knows that which goes beyond all these views.
  8. ‘Whatever ascetics and Brahmins who are speculators about the past or the future or both, having fixed views on the matter and put forth speculative views about it, these are all trapped in the net with its sixty-two divisions, and wherever they emerge and try to get out, they are caught and held in this net. Just as a skilled fisherman or his apprentice might cover a small piece of water with a fine-meshed net, thinking: ‘Whatever larger creatures there may be in this water, they are all trapped in the net, caught, and held in the net’, so it is with all these; they are trapped and caught in this net.