饿鬼能否得到人类所分享的功德果报？尊者阿迦曼为我们揭露真相！

谷成

录自：阿迦摩诃布瓦著（Ven.AcharnMahaBoowa），《尊者阿迦曼传》，泰国帕邦塔寺，一九七六英译版。

简介：尊者阿迦曼已於一九四九年般涅槃。原着作者尊者阿迦摩诃布瓦（1913-2011）是尊者阿迦曼晚年的近侍弟子之一，这本传记，记录了已故尊者禅师长老阿迦曼布利达陀的修行生活和方式。这是由许多曾经在不同的时段里接受他指导而与他同时代的弟子们，热心地提供资料所编辑的成果。

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尊者阿迦曼给予各种境界和不同种类的肉眼所看不见的众生们的帮助，是他的生命中不可或缺的一部份，尤其是当他住在旷野中的时候，愈是偏僻和隐密的地方，他们就愈常来访，来访的肉眼所看不见的客人数目也就愈多，他们来亲近他，不是为了听法和询问就是为了从危险和痛苦中得到援救。後面这一群包括了饿鬼，他们等着接受由他们的亲戚所分享给他们的功德果报。

Giving helpful advice to nonphysical beings from many diverse realms of existence was a serious responsibility that Ãcariya Mun continued to fulfill right up to the time of his death. He was in constant communication with such beings wherever he lived, but more so in the mountain regions. There, in remote wilderness areas, far from human habitation, one group or another visited with him almost every night. Even hungry ghosts, awaiting offerings of merit dedicated to them by their living relatives, came to seek his assistance. It was impossible to tell how long they had been dead, what family or nationality they had once belonged
to, or even whether or not those ghosts had any living relatives left at all. In contacting Ãcariya Mun they hoped that, out of compassion, he would assist them by finding their living relatives and telling them to make donations, dedicating a portion of the merit to the dead to help lessen their torment and suffering and make their lives more bearable.

这些在悲惨境界的饿鬼和众生，已经长期等待着去享受由他们的亲戚们所做的功德果报，然後回向他们，让他们能够，至少局部地，解除强烈的痛苦，因为他们已经受苦多麽长久了，那是人间的日历所不能计量的。同样的，他们将来还要受苦多久，也是不能计量的。

Many of them had already suffered unspeakable miseries in hell for such a long time that it was impossible to calculate the length of their stay in terms of human existence. When they were finally able to rise clear of the hell realms, they still could not evade such misfortune sufficiently to experience some measure of comfort; instead, their suffering continued unabated. For beings who are stuck with the consequences of their evil kamma, it matters little which state of existence they are born into, since very little changes to help alleviate their suffering.

这些在痛苦和悲惨中的众生，其中能够来陈述他们的苦境者，经常亲近尊者阿迦曼，请他帮忙转告他们的亲戚们有关他们的痛苦，让那些亲戚们能够在做功德的时候，想到他们并将果报回向他们。但是当尊者阿迦曼问起他们亲戚的名字时，他们所给他的名字，他或那时期的任何人都完全不认识。他们已经在那些境界里痛苦了几百或几千年（时间的计算是根据那些境界本身的计时），它的长久是不能以人间的时间来计算的。即使在他们局部地解除了痛苦而在较少强烈痛苦的境界中，他们还是在一个不是很好的地方，因为他们在这样的境界里已经很久了，所以在那个地区追溯不到他们的亲戚或子孙後代。这样的例子经常可见，而他们就像无主的动物，等待着有人来援救他们。

Hungry ghosts used to tell Ãcariya Mun they had no idea how long it would take them to work their way through the consequences of their evil deeds. They clung to one desperate hope: if he could kindly inform living relatives of their plight, those relatives might be willing to share the merit of their good deeds with them, allowing them to escape from such unbearable torment. When he questioned the hungry ghosts about their relatives, they talked about another world altogether, one that was incomprehensible to him. Having died and been reborn in one of the realms of hell, some had remained there for tens or even hundreds of thousands of years in nonphysical existence before being released into another lesser state where they had to work through the remainder of their evil kamma. Their ghost-like existence then lasted another five hundred to a thousand nonphysical years, so it was quite impossible to trace their family lineage. Such was the cruel irony of their karmic dilemma: by the time that the most severe consequences of their kamma were exhausted and only the lesser aspects remained – a state where they could finally receive assistance from their relatives – they had lost all track of their families. So they had no choice but to suffer that karmic misery indefinitely, without any idea when it would end. Such ghosts resembled stray animals who have no owners to care for them.

也有那些死了不太久的，就可以得到帮助了，知道他们亲戚或子孙的名字，找得到他们住的地方。像这种情况下，尊者阿迦曼会连络他们的亲戚，告诉他们每次要把功德果报回向他们已故的亲戚。有些情况下，也能享受到别人非个别的回向功德果报，他们并不是他们的亲戚（这种情况下不知道他们的名字）。尊者阿迦曼自己，例行将功德果报回向一切有情众生，这回向遍及所有痛苦中的众生，除了那些只能享有自己亲戚所回向的功德果报者之外。

Other hungry ghosts could be helped somewhat, for they died only recently and their kamma was not so severe – meaning that they were in a position to receive merit dedicated to them by their relatives. Since they had living relatives whose names and addresses they could recall, Ãcariya Mun was able to give them some assistance as long as their families lived in the vicinity where he was residing. Once he knew who they were, he looked for an opportunity to speak with them. He advised them to dedicate to their dead relatives, who awaited, the merit they made by performing special religious functions – or more commonly, by daily offerings of food to the monks. Some ghosts are able to receive a portion of the merit made by generous people everywhere even though it is not specifically dedicated to them. Therefore, Ãcariya Mun always made such dedications while extending loving kindness to all living beings. According to the specific nature of their kamma, some ghosts can receive merit dedicated by anyone, while others can receive only the merit that is personally dedicated to them by their relatives.

尊者阿迦曼说，在痛苦中的这些饿鬼和众生，多得不能计算他们的种类和数量。他们群集在他的四周并请求他的帮助，比其他任一种类肉眼所看不见的众生还要多。换言之，他们就像泰语所说的「透过别人的鼻孔在呼吸」（就像乞丐）。这就是在人间的时候，未曾做过任何好事的结果。这是显示做功德的重要性的一课，不论是用慷慨布施的形式或其它的形式。

Ãcariya Mun said that ghosts live a very peculiar type of existence. From his extensive experience with them, he always found ghosts far more bothersome than any other class of nonphysical beings. Having no recourse to merit of their own, ghosts depend on and always feel indebted to others for their survival. Should these others fail them, the ghosts are left completely destitute. Their dependence on others puts them in the extremely difficult position of never being able to stand on their own.

我们都是游荡穿梭於生死轮回的各种生存境界中的流浪者，那是明智的，我们必须为自己的将来准备一些在紧要关头的时候要用的资粮，因为我们是自己业力的继承人而要对它的果报负责，不论我们将要生於较低或较高的境界，感受任何程度的痛苦或快乐，都是由於自己的业力。去希望或依靠别人的帮助，就像透过别人的鼻孔在吸呼。

Generosity and other forms of merit-making are vitally important as the key elements for laying a foundation of individual self-reliance in this and in all future lives. All living beings are the product of their kamma. They themselves must take full responsibility for the consequences they encounter. No one else can accept that responsibility because no one can experience the kamma generated by another. Births, both good and bad, and the relative degrees of comfort and pain one experiences therein, are the sole responsibility of the individual who created the circumstances that produced these outcomes. No being can substitute for another in this regard. Even those who expect no benefit from their actions still receive the karmic credit for them.

尊者阿迦曼非常善於与各种肉眼所看不见的众生们往来，他也能用各种方式来帮助他们（给予说法或开示，回答问题，回向功德果报，追踪饿鬼的亲戚或子孙等），只是他未向他的弟子们显露他所知道的一切。当听着他对饿鬼和恶道众生的记述时，我们不禁恐惧战栗着，然而，对恶业果报的恐怖远甚於对饿鬼本身的恐怖。如果人们能够看清楚善恶业的果报，就像他们在看其它物质的东西那样，他们一定会恐怖於恶业并远离它，就像他们不敢碰触火焰一样。他们也会热切於行善，它有清凉的力量而带来快乐的结果，那就不会有像今日世界上有那麽多的烦恼和悲哀了。

Ãcariya Mun was an expert in matters concerning ghosts, devas, brahmas, yakkhas, nãgas, and garuðas. Although he did not always reveal the extent of his knowledge, he had the ability to explore endless varieties of phenomena within the many gross and refined nonphysical states of existence that lie beyond the range of human perception. His stories about ghosts were quite hair-raising – even those without fear of ghosts couldn’t help but feel trepidation about the mysterious powers of kamma. He said that if only people could see their own and other people’s good and bad kamma in the way they see substantive things,
like water and fire, no one would dare do evil anymore than they would dare walk into a blazing fire. Instead, they would be eager to do only good – which has the cool, refreshing quality of water. Trouble would gradually diminish in the world as each person worked to guard himself against the dangers of evil.

当尊者阿迦曼在解释有关於肉眼所看不见的众生和他们各种生存境界的法义和事实时，一位阿迦尊者，也是他的弟子，提出他的建议如下：「既然很明显的，人们不能认清善恶业的果报，因为他们不能像尊者阿迦曼那样看到这些肉眼看不见的众生的境界，那麽尊者阿迦曼何不把这些向所有的人们解说，让他们相信业力的果报，因为佛陀和他的圣弟子们也曾经这麽做？这一来，人们将会感激尊者阿迦曼的努力，就像他对其他的弟子们所做的一样。」

ONCE WHEN ÃCARIYA MUN was explaining about heaven, hell, and the ghost realms to the monks, one of his senior disciples spoke up: “Since people cannot actually see heaven and hell or the various nonphysical beings like ghosts, devas, garuðas, and nãgas, they can’t fully understand the ultimate consequences of their actions. But you can see all those things, so wouldn’t it be a good idea for you to elucidate them for the benefit of people everywhere? All are natural phenomena which were clearly understood by the Lord Buddha and his Arahant disciples. No one has ever faulted the Buddha and his disciples for teaching people about them, so I don’t see why anyone should object to your doing so.People are likely to show the same appreciation for your amazing talents as we, your disciples, do.”

尊者阿迦曼说：「如果我不分青红皂白地做这样的启示，我将会被指控为疯狂，提出这项建议的人也是一样，然後我的其他比丘弟子们也一样。佛陀的教义属於有辨识力的智者，宣说教义是要让有辨识力的人们依此修习的。不分青红皂白地提供这样（不可思议和不能证明）的事实给予所有的人们，其结果是弊多於利的。甚至更明显的事实，人们在各种环境、传统和特殊时地的价值意识下，都还常常不知道什麽可以做和什麽不可以做。虽然法义超越世间的真理，但是当它被运用於世间时，还是必须谨慎地特别注意到世间的传统、倾向和其它因素。

Ãcariya Mun was adamant in his response: “The kind of craziness that you suggest will destroy us both. I have never considered speaking out publicly about this matter. Should I do so, you and I and the rest of the monks sitting here would end up being a bunch of lunatics. And once the whole monastery has gone mad, what kind of monastic asylum do you think would accept us all? The sãsana was proclaimed and taught with discretion – to be practiced, understood, and spoken about with discretion. This nonsense you suggest – is it really a matter of discretion, or is it something foolhardy? Think about it. In my opinion, the very thought of it is crazy, let alone actually suggesting it. Even though people might survive listening to us talk about it, we ourselves would surely be doomed. So why bring it up?

佛陀是比其他所有的人先了解事实真相的正觉者，但他永远不会没有机智和辨识力。时机、环境和听众的根性都要予以考虑。必须记住，没有念住控制的智慧是不能产生任何所预期的结果，相反的，可能造成没有利益而不是所希望的结果。当然，我们可能不在乎别人所说的，但是由於缺乏念住的防护，有害的结果将会无可避免地回到自己身上来，这是不能予以忽视的。关於这些事情的真相是不可思议的，不能为了让人们兴奋而予以轻率地处理。我们不应该称赞或骄傲於这种探讨佛教的方法，正确的方法必须是基於智慧，这才是佛陀所赞许的，就是透过这个方法才能使佛法保存到後世。

“Knowledge and understanding about the diverse nature of nonphysical phenomena is a prerogative of the one who has attained that kind of perception. But talking away indiscriminately about such knowledge is quite abnormal, so normal people are reluctant to listen. This is not intended to be a criticism of anyone. Rather, what’s important to keep in mind here is that those who do possess such knowledge should act properly according to the principles of Dhamma – for their own benefit and for the benefit of everyone associating with them. Being convinced of the amazing nature of what we have perceived is not sufficient reason to speak out about things which may encourage others to go mad. Those people, who are keen on listening to such talk simply because their religious conviction is dependent on hearing about amazing phenomena, are already on the road to madness. So I don’t approve of conviction and amazement of this kind. I’d prefer that the kind of discernment the Lord Buddha taught us be used by people in their convictions, and in their sense of amazement. Even though we aren’t all exceptionally wise, at least there’s hope that enough good judgment will be shown to maintain the sãsana, preserving it for the future.

现在，如果你有一笔钱，多得可以行善或作恶，为了那笔钱和你自己的安全，你将会怎麽做？」

“Let me ask you this: Suppose you had a certain amount of money which could be useful to you if you were clever, but harmful to you if you weren’t. How would you handle it when going into a crowd of people to insure that both you and your money were safe?”

「我将尽我最大的努力来守护它。」那个比丘说。

The senior disciple replied: “I’d take every reasonable precaution to look after my money.”

「为了你自己和钱财的安全，你将如何运用你的智慧？」尊者阿迦曼问。

“How exactly would you go about looking after it in a large crowd of people to avoid any possible danger?”

「我将挪出一部份的钱来帮助其他的人们，然後把其馀的存放在一个适当的地方，不让任何人看到或知道它放在那里。」

“If I felt it was appropriate to spend some of my money there, I’d take care to count out and hand over the necessary amount without allowing anyone to see the larger amount that I still had with me. That amount I’d keep well hidden from view to avoid any possible danger.”

「现在我们回到有关於肉眼所看不见的众生的真相来，如果你已经知道所有的这些真相，你如何把它们教给人们，使它们有利於你自己和别人，而这一切都没有任何有害的结果？」

Ãcariya Mun then said: “Okay now, let’s suppose that you possess a certain knowledge and understanding about ghosts and other nonphysical beings. How would you handle that knowledge discreetly in relation to others so that it would be of some benefit to them without becoming an issue of widespread, public notoriety, which could be harmful to both you and the sãsana?”

「我必须很谨慎地处理它们，就像处理我的钱财一样。」那个比丘回答。

“I’d have to use the same kind of care in handling such knowledge that I’d use in handling my money.”

「那麽，你就知道我的论点了。刚才你还要求我不分青红皂白地向人们透露所有关於肉眼所看不见的众生的真相，没有考虑到任何可能会发生的有害结果，你看，你是多麽粗心，你知道到底是智者比愚人多，还是愚人比智者多？又是那一种人们才能够为後世保守和维护教义？」

“Just a moment ago, you implied that I should broadcast my knowledge about such phenomena to the general public without ever considering the consequences. Why was that? I figure that the average discriminating person would never suggest what you just did, and yet you spoke right up. If you don’t even have the common sense of the average person, what will anyone find to admire in you? I fail to see anything at all admirable in your thinking. Should someone reproach you for lacking judgment, how would you defend yourself when confronted with the truth of this accusation? Think about it: Which are the greater in this world, the wise or the foolish? And how would anyone be able to reasonably maintain the sãsana and preserve its continued welfare by following the suggestion you made to me just now?”

「这是我自己的过失，」那个比丘说：「我希望其他人们知道这些我以前从未听别人说过的奇特的真相，我猜想其他人们也会同样地感动。我让自己冲昏了头，我没有想到这麽做可能会发生什麽不良後果，也没有想到到底是否智者多於愚人或者相反，现在我知道了，愚人多於智者。例如，在一个村子里，只有很少的人们了解有关戒德或法义的真理。其馀的人们则不在乎什麽是善恶，也不在乎为什麽他们会在这里和他们将会到那里去。他们只爱寻欢作乐而平白浪费了他们的生命，那些能够为後世保守和维护正法的人，必定是那些拥有智慧和辨识力的人。这在国家事务上和正法事务上都是真确的，其馀的人们就会因为少数人的播种而得到收获。」

His disciple replied: “Thinking about it now, I feel that what I suggested was totally wrong. I spoke up because hearing about such amazing things has so inspired me that I wanted to share this knowledge with people everywhere. I assumed they would probably be inspired as well and so benefit enormously from it. But I never considered the obvious adverse consequences that such a disclosure would have for the whole sãsana. Please be kind enough to forgive me – I don’t want to see this tendency to be indiscreet become ingrained in my character. I shall try to be more circumspect in the future so that it doesn’t happen again.

“If someone reproaches me for lacking judgment, I will gladly admit my mistake for I clearly deserve the criticism. Until you asked me just now, I had never really considered whether or not the fools outnumber the wise. Now I realize that there must be many more fools in this world, since in our village communities there are very few wise people who care about moral issues. Mostly, people don’t seem to know what they’re here for and where they are going. They aren’t very interested in thinking about why they do things and whether they do right or wrong, good or bad. Being satisfied with whatever is easy and convenient at the
moment, they simply let fate decide their future. I understand all this a lot better now. Those people who are capable of reasonably maintaining the sãsana and preserving its continued welfare must be wise and discerning people who lead others in an even, harmonious manner so that everyone can benefit from their example. A wise, discerning teacher is the cornerstone of success in the same way that a capable leader is essential to all affairs in all walks of life.”


「你必须知道，宗教或是法义的事务远比国家事务来得微妙。它们需要一种更深的智慧，一种绝不能运用於破坏性目的的智慧，而是一种只会增进开发和进步的智慧。用八正道来说，这就叫做正见和正志，藉着它们，一个人的言语和行为就会被塑造和开发出来。」

Ãcariya Mun took up the discussion at this point:“Since you’re capable of understanding that a wise person is essential to the success of every endeavor, why don’t you think about what’s important in your own endeavors as a practicing monk? Spiritual endeavors, being very subtle, are difficult to fully understand. For this reason, only clever, discerning people can uphold the sãsana to perfection. Here I’m not referring to the kind of cleverness that causes destruction in the world and damage to the sãsana, but cleverness that discriminates wisely, making decisions favorable to one’s material and spiritual prosperity. It’s this type of cleverness that’s implicit in the first two factors of the Noble Eightfold Path: Sammã-diååhi and Sammã-sankappo – Right View and Right Thought. And these factors are personified by someone whose words and actions always follow the principles of wisdom.


「正禅思（正定）必须永远由正见支持着，否则它就会变成所谓的「枯木禅」（什麽都不知道）。智慧必须做为禅思的基础，心里所想到的知识，或是心意外触所知道的，或是应该如何处理或评价这些事情或环境—所有这些都必须用智慧予以分析、评鉴和判断，以防止自我迷惑。

“Even Right Samãdhi is dependent on the analytical, probing wisdom of Right View to avoid becoming ‘comatose samãdhi’. When the citta converges into a state of calm, wisdom should always be there, playing a supportive role. Otherwise, how could those dedicated to understanding the true nature of all phenomena deal correctly with the knowledge arising within the citta, or the external phenomena with which it comes into contact? If wisdom is not there to help, one is bound to make mistakes in judgment.

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愿以分享此文的功德，回向一切众生，回向无上菩提，愿四众弟子和合，愿正法久住世间。顶礼阿迦曼尊者，礼敬阿迦摩诃布瓦大德！Sadhu Sadhu　Sadhu！

cleanerking

不分青红皂白地提供这样（不可思议和不能证明）的事实给予所有的人们，其结果是弊多於利的。甚至更明显的事实，人们在各种环境、传统和特殊时地的价值意识下，都还常常不知道什麽可以做和什麽不可以做。虽然法义超越世间的真理，但是当它被运用於世间时，还是必须谨慎地特别注意到世间的传统、倾向和其它因素。

「为了你自己和钱财的安全，你将如何运用你的智慧？」尊者阿迦曼问。