乾县铁佛寺移动版

QUESTION: If the scriptures were preserved in memory for so long they must be very unreliable. Much of the Buddha’s teachings could have been lost or changed.

ANSWER: The preservation of the scriptures was a joint effort by the community of monks and nuns. They would meet together at regular intervals and chant parts or all of the Tipitaka. This made it virtually impossible for anything to be added or changed.

Think of it like this. If a group of a hundred people know a song by heart and while they are all singing it one gets a verse wrong or tries to insert a new verse, what will happen? The sheer number of those who know the song correctly will prevent the odd one from making any changes. It is also important to remember that in those days there were no televisions, newspapers or advertising to distract and clutter the mind which, together with the fact that monks and nuns meditated, meant that they had extremely good memories. Even today, long after books have come into use, there are still monks who can recite the whole Tipitaka by heart. The monk Mengong Sayadaw of Burma is able to do this and he is mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as having the world’s best memory.

QUESTION:  You mentioned Pali. What is that?

ANSWER: Pali is the name of the language that the oldest Buddhist scriptures are written in. No one is sure what language the Buddha spoke, but it is traditionally believed to have been Pali. If he did not speak this language, he probably spoke something very close to it. In fact, because he traveled and taught very widely, it is likely that the Buddha spoke several of the languages that were currant in northern India at that time.

QUESTION: How important are the scriptures to Buddhists?

ANSWER: Buddhists do not consider the Tipitaka to be a divine, infallible revelation from a god, every word of which they must believe.  Rather, it is a record of the teaching   of   a    great   man    that   offers    explanations,   advice,    guidance   and encouragement, and which should read thoughtfully and respectfully. Our aim should be to understand what the Tipitaka teaches, not just believe it, and thus what the Buddha says should always be checked against our experience. You might say that the  informed  Buddhist’s  attitude  towards  the  scriptures  is  similar  to  a  scientist’s attitude towards research papers in a scientific journal. One scientist conducts an experiment and then publishes his or her findings and conclusions in a journal. Other scientists will read the paper and treat it with respect but they will not consider it valid and authoritative until they have conducted the same experiment and got the same results.

QUESTION: Before you mentioned the Dhammapada. What is that?

ANSWER: The Dhammapada is one of the smallest works in the first sections of the Tipitaka. The name could be translated as ‘The Way of Truth’ or ‘Verses of Truth’. It consists  of 423  verses,  some  pithy,  some  profound,  some  containing  appealing similes, others of considerable beauty, all spoken by the Buddha. Consequently the Dhammapada is the most popular piece of Buddha literature. It has been translated into most major languages and is recognized as one of the masterpieces of world religious literature.

QUESTION:  Someone  told   me  that  you  should   never   put  a  copy  of  the scriptures on the floor or under your arm, but that it should be placed in a high place. Is this true?

ANSWER: Until recently in Buddhist countries as in medieval Europe, books were rare and valuable objects. Therefore, the scriptures were always treated with great respect and the customs you have just mentioned are examples of this. However, while customs and traditional practices are alright, most people today would agree that  the  best  way  to  respect  the  Buddhist  scriptures  would  be  to  practice  the teachings they contain. (责任编辑：admin)