On the Earliest Path to the Tathagatahood: A Study in Nikaya Traditions

佛教傳統認為喬達摩是歷史上第一位在這個世界成佛的人，亦即如來。非佛教傳統間接證實這種說法，因為在他們的文獻中沒有一位佛教以外的老師被稱為「佛陀」。喬達摩之所以成佛，在於他了解了漏盡或苦滅的真實知識，那就是「菩提」。廣義來說，菩提可以說是處理有為法的客觀知識。了悟菩提使喬達摩確證涅槃的存在，那是無為的真相。從此，涅槃的存在，也不再僅僅是他個人的信仰。喬達摩的成就顛覆了傳統沙門的精神世界。佛教之前的沙門，對於有為法的真相顯然並不是真的感興趣；他們汲汲於接近無為寂滅的心靈狀態。他們努力壓抑由貪或苦等不善念頭所引起的心靈擾動，但卻不設法根除這些惡念。佛教之前的沙門主要修習兩種禪法：一種是努力達到不被感受影響的自在；另一種則是通過漸次消除形相與空間等知覺，最終達到滅除受與想的狀態。第一種禪法能導向菩提的覺悟，因為它完整保留了想，因此而有克服知障的可能空間；第二種禪法則為體驗現法涅槃所必要，因為它能逐步去除一切有為法的痕跡。喬達摩是歷史上第一位同時修習這兩種禪法的人，他不僅改善這些禪法，並且還將它們結合為唯一的禪法，終而了悟最終的精神目標。本文嘗試對喬達摩成佛──如來──的過程作一詳細而嚴謹的探討。

關鍵字

四禪；菩提；現法涅槃

並列摘要

The Buddhist traditions assert that Gotama was the first historical person in the world to become the Buddha, the Tathagata. Non-buddhist traditions confirm this in an indirect way, for in their literature none of the non-buddhist teachers was given the epithet of ＂Buddha.＂ Gotama became the Buddha, for he realised the ＂bodhi,＂ the truly objective knowledge concerning the destruction of the asravas or dukkha. In a wider sense the bodhi can be interpreted as the objective knowledge of the Conditioned. The realisation of bodhi provided Gotama with the only valid premise for really ascertaining the existence of the Nibbana, the unconditioned reality. The existence of the Nibbana was no longer a matter of faith with him. This achievement of Gotama revolutionised the spiritual world of the Sramanas. The pre-Buddhist Sramanas had not evinced any real interest for understanding the true nature of the Conditioned; they were all for attaining a mental state which offered the closest approximation to the calmness of the Unconditioned. Their spiritual endeavour was directed towards the suppression of mental agitations caused by unwholesome elements like greed, dukkha etc. but never towards the utter destruction of such evil elements. The pre-Buddhists Sramanas mainly practised either of the following two systems of meditation: one was practised for attaining freedom from the influence of the feelings; the other aimed at the cessation of perception and feeling through the gradual elimination of the perceptions of form, space etc. The first system was suitable for the realisation of bodhi, for it left the field of perception intact but showed the way to overcome the influence of the perceptibles; the other system was necessary for experiencing the Nibbana-in-thisworld for it gradually obliterates almost all the traces of the Conditioned. Gotama was the first historical person who practised both the systems, improved upon them, combined them into one system and realised the ultimate spiritual goal. The present article attempts a detailed and critical account of the entire path Gotama traversed to become the Buddha, the Tathagata.