略說本生經(A Brief Explanation of the Jātaka Tales)

開始之前先請各位記住

只有不斷生滅的名色

輪迴並非斷滅也非靈魂不死

本生經是佛陀為了說明確有輪迴而特地講述

但每一生每一生都不能說是佛陀

嚴謹的說法是，佛陀是過去生的繼承人

也就是業的繼承者

之所以能記得過去僅僅只是想蘊的作用

如果不能憶起的話，不管是哪一世對當世都沒有任何意義

即使憶起了，那也已經過去，對當世也不重要

這也是為什麼不管出世法還是入世法都只強調當下

因為在不斷不斷的生滅下

真正重要的只有當下的那一瞬間

過了那一瞬間其實已經是不同人

筆者用現實案例來類比

一位七十歲的老人患有失智症

他每天的記憶都會重置

只能記起六十九歲以前的事

對這位老人而言

他六十九歲以前都是我

七十歲以後每天都不是我

所謂的我僅僅只是因為記憶的連續

而讓我們誤以為有個我

這也是為什麼佛陀強調無我

不管是身也好、心也好都是不斷的變化

這個無我並不是去把人格抹除，消滅自我

而是基於佛陀觀察到的事實

不應該將非恆常的身、心視為我

這比較像是應該用第三人稱視角去看待

而不是用第一人稱視角去看待

然後還不能將全知者視角視為是我

希望透過這樣的說明

能讓各位對佛陀所描述的世界觀更加理解

願各位幸福無煩惱

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Before we begin, please remember:

There are only the ever-changing nāma-rūpa (mind and matter). Saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death) is neither annihilation nor the immortality of the soul.

The Jātaka Tales were specifically narrated by the Buddha to illustrate the reality of saṃsāra. However, each life in the stories cannot be said to be the Buddha. More precisely, the Buddha is the successor of past lives, inheriting their kamma (actions).

The ability to remember past lives is merely a function of the saṅna (memory). If one cannot recall them, it makes no difference to the present life. Even if one can recall, it has already passed and holds no importance for the present. This is why both the worldly and transcendental teachings emphasize the present moment.

Because in the continuous cycle of birth and death, the only thing truly important is the present moment. After that moment passes, it is essentially a different person.

I will use a real-life example to illustrate:

A seventy-year-old man suffers from dementia. His memory resets daily, and he can only remember events up to the age of sixty-nine.

For this man, everything up to sixty-nine years old is 'me.' After seventy, every day is not 'me.' The so-called 'I' is merely a continuity of memory, leading us to mistakenly believe there is an enduring self.

This is why the Buddha emphasized anattā (non-self). Both body and mind are constantly changing. This non-self is not about erasing personality or annihilating the self but is based on the fact observed by the Buddha: one should not regard the impermanent body and mind as 'I.'

It is more like viewing oneself from a third-person perspective rather than a first-person perspective, and not considering the omniscient perspective as 'I.'

I hope this explanation helps everyone better understand the worldview described by the Buddha.

May everyone be happy and free from suffering.