二 宗教上之佛教觀
A Religious Perspective on Buddhism
甲、分別觀 1.宗教上之緣起，三：一、人人皆有離苦惱而得安樂，免死亡而獲常存，轉濁惡而成淨善，了諸法而明真性之本懷。二、眾生自無始以來，有二種障：一、無明障；二、煩惱障。吾人既有前之本懷，復為二障所障，不能通達，遂生妄見而執妄法。三、有釋迦牟尼佛大覺聖人出世，斷除二障，得遂本懷。本其身之所崇，教示吾人以三界惟心、萬法惟識、一切法因緣生之一實相印印定諸法，令吾人了悟無常、苦、空、無我，得達其常樂我淨之目的，遂有「心佛眾生三無差別」之佛教——唯一正教起。
A. Separate Observation 1. The Buddhist concept of dependent origination has three aspects: First, every person inherently desires to be free from suffering and attain happiness, to escape death and gain permanence, to transform defilement into purity, and to understand the true nature of all things. Second, since beginningless time, all beings have been hindered by two kinds of obstacles: the obstacle of ignorance and the obstacle of afflictions. Though we possess the inherent aspiration mentioned above, these two obstacles block us from penetrating the truth, giving rise to false views and attachment to illusory phenomena. Third, Shakyamuni Buddha, the great enlightened sage, appeared in the world, eliminated both obstacles, and fulfilled this inherent aspiration. Based on His own realization, He taught us the one ultimate truth—that the three realms are only mind, that all phenomena are only consciousness, and that all things arise from causes and conditions—thereby sealing all phenomena with this single truth. He enabled us to understand impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self, and to attain the goal of permanence, bliss, self, and purity. Thus arose the Buddhist teaching that "mind, Buddha, and all beings are not three different things"—the one true teaching.
2.宗教上之要素，五：一曰信仰，他教有三：一、如信有天神上帝為宇宙唯一真宰等。二、如信世界萬物、皆天上唯一帝主所造等。三、如信善惡苦樂罪福唯由上帝命令所支配等。佛教亦有三：一、實——體——佛，信一切法唯心，心真如覺性即佛。二、德——相——法，信一切法因緣生，諸法實相不可思議。三、能——用——僧，信因果不昧，緣起無盡，十方三世利益有情。
Here are the five essential elements of religion. Other religions typically have three:
1. Belief in a supreme deity—a heavenly God who is the sole ruler of the universe. 2. Belief that all things in the world were created by this single divine Lord above. 3. Belief that good and evil, suffering and joy, sin and blessing are all governed solely by God's command.
Buddhism also has three corresponding beliefs:
1. **Reality (Essence) — the Buddha**: Belief that all phenomena arise from the mind, and that the mind's true, awakened nature is Buddhahood itself. 2. **Virtue (Character) — the Dharma**: Belief that all things arise through causes and conditions, and that the true nature of reality is profound and beyond conceptual thought. 3. **Function (Expression) — the Sangha**: Belief in the unfailing law of cause and effect, the endless interconnections of dependent origination, and the benefit of all sentient beings across the ten directions and three times.
二曰心神，心神之界說者，他教則為鬼神：如世俗傳說人之形軀死亡後，其心魂精魄或為鬼為神之類。天神：如婆羅門教、耶穌教、天主教、回回教等，不悟即心自性之真如體用，謂為天上之唯一真性等。靈魂：婆羅門教於三世輪迴執靈魂說，耶穌教於人心死後執靈魂說。佛教則為心性：萬物唯心，心本覺性，即如來藏妙真如性。心神之理論者，他教之有神者三：多神則拜動物、拜山川草木、拜門堂井灶等。一神則祠天主、祠上帝、祠大梵天、祠摩醯首羅天。神汎則以現存之萬有皆神，觀宇宙之閎渺悠久生寅畏心，於宇宙之真體生渴慕心等，皆謂之汎神教。無神者，如虛無斷滅論等。佛教則宇宙惟心，物我無性，直指人心見性成佛。
Second, the mind-spirit. Other religions define the mind-spirit in various ways: as ghosts or spirits—for example, folk beliefs hold that after the body dies, the soul and spirit become ghosts or deities; as heavenly gods—such as in Brahmanism, Christianity, Catholicism, and Islam, which fail to realize that the true nature and function of the mind itself is the fundamental reality, and instead posit a single supreme deity in heaven; or as a soul—Brahmanism asserts a soul that transmigrates through the three realms of rebirth, while Christianity asserts a soul after the death of the person. Buddhism, however, speaks of mind-nature: all things are mind, and the mind is originally awakened nature—this is the wondrous true nature of the Thus Come One's treasury.
As for theories of the mind-spirit, other religions with a belief in gods fall into three types: polytheism, which worships animals, mountains, rivers, plants, doors, halls, wells, stoves, and so on; monotheism, which venerates the Lord of Heaven, God, Brahma, or Maheshvara; and pantheism, which regards all existing things as divine, viewing the vast and timeless universe with reverence and longing for its true essence. There are also atheists, such as nihilists who advocate annihilation. Buddhism, in contrast, holds that the universe is mind alone, that things and self have no inherent nature, and it points directly to the human mind to see its true nature and attain Buddhahood.
三曰因果：因果無謬，罪福不亡，固宗教實踐上一重要義。他教或有現在而無過未，或有過未而無現在，或有現在未來而無過去，或雖三世而偏執一端，不識因果之真相，唯佛能圓滿證說三世之理。
Third, the principle of cause and effect: cause and effect never falter, and merit and sin do not vanish—this is a crucial tenet in religious practice. Other religions may acknowledge only the present without the past or future, or recognize the past and future but not the present, or include the present and future but omit the past; even when they accept the three times, they often cling to one extreme and fail to grasp the true nature of cause and effect. Only the Buddha can fully and perfectly expound the principle of the three times.
四曰慈悲：凡宗教各有慈悲救世度人之義。粗觀之，孔之仁，墨之兼愛，耶之博愛，似與佛之慈悲無別。然細密察之，佛教之慈悲，有生緣慈悲、法緣慈悲、無緣慈悲之三種，他教唯有生緣慈悲之小部耳。
Fourth, compassion and loving-kindness: Every religion has its own meaning of compassion and saving the world. At a glance, Confucian benevolence, Mohist universal love, and Christian brotherly love may seem no different from Buddhist compassion. Yet, on closer inspection, Buddhist compassion has three levels: compassion based on sentient beings, compassion based on phenomena, and unconditional compassion. Other religions only possess a small portion of the first level.
五曰教主：凡宗教必有現實世界上人格最偉大之教主。佛教以釋迦牟尼佛為教主，釋迦牟尼佛為五洲萬國有歷史以來第一偉大人物，其降生尊貴之族、帝王之子，其出家壯盛之年，富樂之人，其修道六年苦行、成最正覺，其救世轉大法輪、度無量眾，故曰「天上天下無如佛，十方世界亦無比，世間所有我盡見，一切無有如佛者」！
乙、圓融觀 上來依分別門觀之，佛教如大海，他教如斷港；佛教如赫日，他教如爝火；佛教如雪嶽，他教如土阜；顯然有其淺深勝劣高下之異。昔雅典大哲亞里陀大德曰：「吾雖甚愛吾師柏拉圖，然不如吾愛真理」。今吾於各教教主、教義亦如是，雖汎然莫不尊愛，而一經與佛教比較，則真相所存，彰明較著，不容為各教曲掩。雖然、佛教不特其尊無上，抑其大無外也。無外、則無對絕待，無待絕對則離一切相即一切法，而若邪若正若小若大若偏若圓無不融歸佛心矣，茲更作一圖表示如下。
佛法界者，眾生心是宗極，一心教示萬法，法法絕待，唯是一心，心心圓融，遍含萬法，夫是之謂佛教。牟尼現世，天人之師，軌範行業，迺宣教戒；教戒未足發智故，聞義學以窮理；義學未足證心故，修靜慮以體真；靜慮未足悟物故，廣為無量方便法門以濟眾。夫至廣為無量方便法門以濟眾，則群眾所傳誦持續之道術，又寧有不可融歸乎佛法者哉？即如耶教崇拜宇宙唯一天主，佛亦稱三千大千世界主。又耶教謂上帝創造世界，蓋出於婆羅門教崇祀大梵天者之說，佛亦嘗自稱我即大婆羅門及大梵天。耶教不設形像，此亦佛教中之一種無相法門，金剛經所謂「若見諸相非相，即見如來」是也。舉此犖犖數端，餘可類推而知矣。要之、宗教者貴乎上得其真，下能益民。益民之道，貴乎律儀清正，心行慈善。耶教上得其真與否，雖不敢知，然能勤修乎利益生民之業，未離人天之行，異乎回教之多近修羅法，及其餘教淫、教殺、教盜諸不律儀教，以牛戒、自餓、投灰，諸苦行外道近於畜生、餓鬼、地獄者，其盛行乎世宜矣。雖然、地藏常居地獄，觀音現身餓鬼，釋迦嘗為種種畜生以行菩薩道，則三惡趣法亦何嘗非佛法乎？是故種種外教之法，入佛法中皆成佛法，但除其執，法本圓融，所謂「千流萬派無辭讓，始見歸墟佛海深」。