May 24, 2007: Gratitude for Buddha | 2007年5月24日: 佛恩

之所以有感恩的心情，是源于这十年来学习佛法的自然结果。生命每个阶段碰到的任何人，都和你息息相关，我们彼此相互依存，真正要感恩的缘起，应当是佛。

释迦牟尼佛，二千五百年前的一个王子，拥有强大的权势、财富、令人称羡的美满家庭。以现在的价值观去想，应是人间最好的境界了吧！但即使拥有这一切，这位王子发现仍然有痛苦，改变不了生老病死，无法真正保护妻儿，连自己都保护不了。即使拥有和他一样的完美人生，还有无限的痛苦，经过不断向内心探索，终于发现解决痛苦的方法，成为一个完全觉悟的人——佛陀。

我想了解的是：一个拥有一切世间美好的人，怎么还会有痛苦？以及他解决痛苦的方法是什么？什么又是真正的快乐？如何获得？这些离苦得乐的方法，流传下来在很多国家地区，有长远的影响。佛法到底在讲什么？通过十年的努力，现在多少知道一点点，使我更认清自己，这令我升起对生命的感恩。

在佛教界，这十年中也有很多老师要感恩。他们以各种方法帮助我理解生命，还有很多同修提供了机会，送我很好的书籍，一起探讨生命，使我在过程中学到很多。对于佛的感恩是个缘起，如果没有佛的智慧，我还不会认清生命中有许多人需要感恩。

我们所知的这位两千多年前的佛，已经不以肉体形态出现。我只能把这种感恩之情，转化成未来对他人的责任。把他们对我的关怀，通过我去转化成帮助他人的方法，我并非忽然从凡夫变成智者，我只是个转化的工具，把关爱传递出去，愿更多人在生命舞台上，能离苦得乐，积极面对生命。如果你真正了解痛苦，你就很容易超越痛苦。

我也曾经误解佛教是迷信、消极，是暂时躲避痛苦的避难所，其实这些观念都是从小别人灌输给我的。任何事物，不知道它讲什么我们就相信，就是迷信；而不知道它讲什么就否定，这也是迷信。科学的态度是：在没有确实了解前，不盲目地相信，也不盲目地否定。

爱因斯坦说过："唯一能处理现代科学需求的宗教，非佛教莫属。"为何两千多年来，佛法被广大的科学家、军事家、政治家、学者、百姓所接受？佛教到底在讲什么？在佛陀诞生日的今天，我们推出" 有缘人"网站平台，让天下有缘人,

在此分享书籍、链接和文章，共同探讨生命的意义。了解离苦得乐的方法。欢迎大家成为有缘人，一起寻找生命的答案。

我每天都在感恩，这在过去的修行中已经养成习惯，只不过借今天佛诞日，把这个感恩的缘起和大家分享。

如果你看到这五天的分享，希望这也成为你感恩生命的缘起，让自己和他人获得幸福快乐。

谢谢！

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All of my gratitude has come from my studies of Buddhist doctrine over the past 10 years.  Throughout the different stage of my life, in my interactions and co-existence with other people, my true gratitude originates with Buddha.

The Buddha, Shakyamuni, was a prince born about 2500 years ago to a life of material riches and social power, the envy of all those around him.  He had the best living conditions possible at the time, but even though he wanted for nothing, the prince discovered that life still contained much pain.  Old age, illness, death -- even with his vast resources there was no way for him to protect his wife and son, or even himself, from what was destined to befall them.  Through much soul searching, the prince at last discovered a way to rid himself of the pain.  He became full awakened -- fully enlightened -- a Buddha.

What I have worked to understand is how a person who is fulfilled in all aspects of their life can still experience pain and suffering?  How does one rid themselves of it?  What is true happiness?  How do you achieve it?  The methods for attaining these things have been spread far and wide and had much influence in the world.  But what specifically do the Buddhist doctrines talk about?  After 10 years of study and work, I now know a little bit, have begun to understand myself a little better, and this is where my gratitude for life comes from.

In the realm of religion there have been many teachers over the past 10 years for which I am thankful.  They have utilized different methods to help me understand life.  Many of those on the same path, students of Buddhist doctrines, provided opportunities through discussions and books, to explore and study life.  I have learned so much in this process.  But to start with, I have gratitude for Buddha, because without Buddha's wisdom I would never have realized how much gratitude I have for so many people.

The Buddha who lived 2500 years ago no longer exists in the physical state.  So I can only express my gratitude for Buddha by putting all of my energy into helping others.  I am not an over-night genius.  I am only a tool that can help spread love and caring to others so that they, too, might obtain happiness in life.  The more one understands their pain and suffering, the easier it is to overcome.

I have also misunderstood Buddhism to be a superstitious, pessimistic view of life -- a temporary hiding place from pain and suffering.  That paricular point of view was taught to me by others at a young age.  But I realized that in any given situation, if you believe something without fully understanding it, or reject it without really knowing, that is a type of superstition as well.  The scientific approach is that before you can truly understand something, you can not blindly believe, nor blindly reject.

Albert Einstein once said, "If there is any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism".  Why in the past 2500 years has Buddhism been so widely accepted by scientists, politicians, military officers, educators and civilians?  What is Buddhism really about?

Today is Buddha's birthday and I would like to introduce you go the newly formed " Come Together" website, for all people to collaborate, share, discuss and investigate.  " Come Together" will provide a place for everyone to share books, links, and articles to discuss and explore the meaning of life and how one may rid themselves of pain and suffering to obtain a happier life.  I'd like to invite everyone to be a part of " Come Together" so that we may journey together in our common search for life's answers.

Every day I feel gratitude.  It is a habitual act that I picked up from my Buddhist studies.  Except today, in celebration of Buddha's birthday, I am sharing my gratitude with everyone.  I hope that after these past five days of sharing my thoughts on the topic of gratitude, that you may have come to realize all those things in your life for which you can be grateful, and that it brings you closer to obtaining happiness, for yourself and all others.

Thank you!