道教与佛教

道教与佛教_沿途导游掌中宝

道教与佛教Daoism and Buddhism

1老子和庄子是谁?

Who are Lao Ziand Zhuang Zi?

When Sima Qian came to write the biography of Lao Zi，he found so few facts that he had difficulty even with Lao Zi's identity．All he could do was to collect together traditions about theman current in his time．According to Records of The Historian，Lao Ziwas a native of the Li Village(历乡)of Ku Xian County(苦县) in the State of Chu．His surname was Li(李)，his personal name was Er(耳)，and his posthumous titlewas Dan(聃)．He was the historian in charge of the archives in Zhou．He lived in Zhou for a long time，but seeing its decline he departed．Before he passed through the gate of the frontier，the guard asked him to leave a short account of his philosophy，and Lao Zi obliged with the work Dao De Jing(The Classic of the Way and Its Vir-tue，《道德经》)．

Lao Zi cultivated the way and virtue，and his teachings aimed at self-effacement．The school of thought supposed to have been founded by Lao Zi is known as Daoism．It can be seen that the Dao was considered the central concept in the thought．Unlike Confucianism，Daoism is preoccupied with man's place in the natural world．In this form，the secret for man is simply to abandon self-effort and ease himself into the rhythm of the universe，the cycle of the seasons，and the inevitable progression of day and night，life and death．

Themost famous successor of Lao Ziwas Zhuang Zi(庄子)，who lived and wrote in the fourth century BC．He went even further than his predecessor in stressing the relativity of the attributes of all things．Zhuang Zi said that efforts to regulate life and improve the world are not only useless and absurd but positively harmful．By Daoist prescription of wu wei(non-action，无为)，Zhuang Zi apparently did notmean total inaction，laziness，or defeatism．Rather he describes the approach to government led by an ideal sage．This sage is fully alert，aware of the processes of nature，and the needs of men; he is prepared to keep the life force in himself and others going，but wary of interfering in any way with what is“natural．”The Dao is everywhere and in every-thing．To understand is to be like Cook Ding(庖丁) who is so familiarwith every turn and twist in the anatomy of an ox．Over 19 years，he cut up thousands of oxen without ever having to sharpen his knife．He simply slid his knife through the spaces between the joints．One of Zhuang Zi's favorite themes is the relativity of ordinary distinctions．He tells a story ofwaking up from a nap and being unable to tell whether he dreamed of the butterfly or the butterfly dreamed of him．Which is dream and which is“real?”For him，true comprehension leads to ecstatic acceptance of whatever life may bring．

2什么是《道德经》?

What is Dao De Jing?

Dao De Jing or The Book of theWay and Its Virtue is the first great Daoist classic．The scholarly evidence suggests that the book took shape over a long period of time before the Han Dynasty(206 BC－220 AD)．The book circulated in several versions until itwas standardized shortly after the Han Dynasty．The book has two parts—Dao and De．The Dao part traditionally has 37 chapters; the De part comprises the other 44 chapters of the book．This classic，much of which is in verse，is paradoxical and highly suggestive．

The work begins by saying that the Dao is inexpressible but then suggests some simileswhich hintat its nature．The Way is humble like water which flows downward and seeks the lowest place．The Way is like empty space，but emptiness has been undervalued．The hollow in the center of a bowl，the space in awheel between rim and hub，or the empty space of a window or door in a room are the very things which give these objects their point and their usefulness．Thus Nonbeing as well as Being has a positive value．Themutuality of this pair of opposites in the universe，matter and space，being and nonbeing，must be recognized．TheWay is like the yin or female because it is passive，yielding，receptive，not active and dominating．

The book is themost frequently translated Chinese book，for its language invites a multitude of interpretations perhaps because the Dao cannot be named or defined but has to be experienced．

3你对道教了解多少?

How much do you know about Daoism?

Daoism is a polytheistic religion that contains shen (deity，神)，xian(Immortal or transcendent being，仙) and gui(ghost，鬼)who reside in their designated circles．The Heaven Jade Emperor takes charge of the group of shen，Dong Wanggong( Eastern Senior King，东王公)and XiWangmu(Western Senior Prince，西王母) take charge of the realm of xian，and Shidian Yanluo(Ten Hall King of Hell，十殿阎罗) takes charge of the realm of gui．The fundamental belief of the religion is the dao(道) that represents the creation and maintenance of the universe in being．According to Daoism，when aman attains the dao，he will turn into an immortal(得道成仙)．Daoism believes that the human beings'supreme pursuit is to be an immortal through dao's cultivation and energy practice．

Daoist followersworshiped Lao Zi(老子) as their great teacherwho founded the Daoist School dating back from pre-Qin period(before 221 BC)．According to an old story，Lao Zi traveled west and disappeared into the vast desert there．Five hundred years later，a man named Zhang Daoling(张道陵) in the Eastern Han Dynasty founded the Five Dous of Rice Sect(五斗米教)in the name of Lao Zi and took Dao De Jing(《道德经》) as their accepted standard doctrine．

In the early years，Daoist priests mainly spread Daoism among common people．It is said thatan ordinary person could turn into an immortal throughout dao's energy practice and cultivation．Accordingly Daoism spread far and wide among common people，then entered the literati and official circle，and finally gained admission into the imperial court where emperors resided．

Emperor Tuoba Tao of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386－534)(北魏太武帝拓跋焘) thought highly of Daoist Priest Kou Qianzhi(寇谦之); Emperor Ming Di of the Southern Dynasties(宋明帝) offered a special patronage to Daoist priest Lu Xiujing(陆修静)．Both Lu and Kou came from the literati and official families．As Daoist priests，they gave Daoism the ideas，imagination，and wisdom of the literati and official circle，thus gradually enriching Daoist scriptures，doctrines，rituals，shen and xian system aswell asmethods of Daoist cultivation and energy practice．

In early Tang Dynasty(618－907)，the Tang emperor，in order to dignify his own social status，proclaimed himself to be a descendant of Lao Zi．As we know，Li was the Tang emperor's surname，and Lao Zi's proper name was Li Er(李耳)．During the Xuan Zong(唐玄宗)'s reign of the Tang Dynasty，Dao De Jing was honored as Dao De Zhen Jing(The Essential Book of theWay and Its Virtue，《道德真经》)．At the same time，the title of the Daoist sage was given to a number of pre-Qin Daoist personages，including Zhuang Zi(庄子)，Wen Zi(文子)，Lie Zi(列子)and others．Emperor Xuan Zong himself annotated Dao De Jing，and ordered all the scholars，officials and common people to keep a copy of the book athome．Examination questions related to Dao De Jing had also been added to imperial examinations．

In the Song Dynasty(960－1279)，Emperor Wei Zong(宋徽宗)proclaimed himself daojun huangdi(Dao Supreme Emperor，道君皇帝)．He also set up a dao's post ranking system based on traditional imperial official ranking patterns．This system included 26 ranks for dao officials，of which the supreme grade was named called jinmen yuke(金门羽客)．The jinmen yuke literally means“A Guest with a Feather at the Golden Gate．”Thosewho had this title could walk in and out of the imperial palace any time without any restrictions．

A multitude of Daoist sects and dao official posts mushroomed during the period of the Jin，Yuan and Ming dynasties．Based on the information from a book called zhu zhen zong pai zong bo(The General Book of All Daoist Sects，《诸真宗派总薄》)，there were 86 Daoist sects in all throughout the course of history．

Since the Tang Dynasty，imperial governments of the dynasties consumed a huge sum of money to have scholars compile The Collection of Daoist Scriptures(《道藏》)in an attempt to keep and disseminate these scriptures．The imperial patronage lasted until the Qing Dynasty，in which the court government began to neglect Daoism．However，Daoist temples still remained popularwith numerous believers from allwalks of life．

4什么是神仙?

What are shen and xian?

Shen and xian have different interpretations．Shen literally means“deity”，and xian“transcendent being．”Shen refers to the naturally born true sage，and xian to a man who has become immortal through his Daoist practice and cultivation; xian also has various magic power．During the later period of Daoism，on many occasions，people couldn't tell who was shen or xian because these supernatural beings appear indistinct．Therefore people simply called them shenxian together despite of their respective interpretation．

Tao Hongjing(陶宏景)，a Daoist priest of the Liang Dynasty，listed about 700 shenxian supernatural beings in a book called The Picture of True Spiritual Figures'Positions(《真灵位业图》)．Since then，the number of shenxian supernatural beings continued to increase as dynasties went by．In the Tang and Song dynasties，Daoist supernatural beings amounted to more than 10，000．This extensive sources of these beings basically came from the following three categories．The first category was a list of deities originated with Daoism like the Heaven Jade Emperor; the second was supernatural beings transformed into Daoism from Chinese ancientmythology and popular legendary tales like Dong Wanggong(东王公) and Xi Wangmu(西王母); the third was deities or ghosts originated from Buddhism．

In the Eastern Jin Dynasty(317－420)，Yuanshi Heaven Emperor(元始天尊)appeared．Yuanshi literally means“primary or original．”Yuanshi Heaven Emperor is esteemed as the supreme deity who is also called the Jade Heaven Emperor responsible for the realm of shen．In the realm of xian(gods)，DongWanggong(东王公) takes charge ofmale xian; XiWangmu(西王母) takes charge of female xian．Shidian Yanluo(十殿阎罗)in Fengdu(丰都) takes charge of the realm of gui(ghost)．

Notes:①indistinct不清楚的②amount to等于③extensive大量的庞大的

5什么是佛教?

What is Buddhism?

Buddhism was founded in India around the 6th century BC．It is said that the founder was Sakyamuni(释迦牟尼)．The essence of Buddhism's early teachingwas summarized in the Four Noble Truths(四谛): Life is suffering; the cause of suffering is desire; the answer is to extinguish desire; theway to this end is by the Eightfold Path(八正道)，a pattern of right living and thinking．Specifically，his followers vowed not to kill，steal，lie，drink，or lose their chastity．Monastic orders for men and women were soon set up．The Three Precious Things(三宝)were said to be the Buddha(佛)，the Dharma(the teaching or Way，法)and the Sangha(the Monastic Order，僧)．

Buddhism became established in China in its Mahayana form(Greater Vehicle，大乘)．The splitbetween Hinayana(Lesser Vehicle，小乘)and Mahayana had already taken place some centuries earlier in India．Buddhism is practiced today as Hinayana in Sri Lanka，Burma，Thailand and elsewhere in Southeast Asia，while various sects of Mahayana are in China，Japan，Korea，Mongolia and Tibet．

The worship of a whole series of Buddhist deities include Bodhisattvas(Enlightened Existences，菩萨) in variousmanifestations．One of the popular Bodhisattvas are Amitabha(阿弥陀佛)，the compassionate savior of theWestern Paradise．Another is Maitreya(弥勒佛)，the Buddha who is to descend to the world to replace Sakyamuni and continue the spread of Buddhism．A third is Avalokitesvara(观音菩萨)，literally，depicted as the Goddess of Mercy．These Bodhisattva figures were ready for entry into Nirvana，a release from the cycle of rebirth; but they vowed to turn back to the world and not accept their own salvation until all sentient beings，humans and animals，were saved．

Notes:①summarize总结②extinguish熄灭③Mahayana大乘佛教④Hinayana小乘佛教⑤manifestation表现形式⑥compassionate有同情心⑦savior救星⑧salvation拯救⑨sentient有感情的

6你能简要介绍一下佛教在古代中国的早期发
展吗?

Could you give me a brief introduction of Buddhism in the early years of ancient China?

In the later Han Dynasty(206 BC－220 AD)，Buddhism was introduced into China from Persia，Central Asia，and India by way of the Silk Road．There is a legend that the Han emperor Ming Di，in response to a dream，sent for images and scriptures from India．Two monks by the names of Matanga(摄摩腾)and Dharmaraksa(竺法兰)established theWhite Horse Temple(白马寺) close to the imperial capital at Luoyang．The Northern Wei Dynasty is perhaps best known for its leg-acy of Buddhist art，particularly the sculpture found in caves at Yungang in Shanxi Province and Longmen near Luoyang．These works of art are but one of the visual signs thatmark the beginning of the complex process by which a foreign religion took hold in ancient China and was，in turn，influenced by Chinese styles and viewpoint．

When Buddhism first reached China，it was introduced as the religion of foreign merchants．During this time，Buddhism was at first considered an insignificant cult．Mostof the Chinese gentrywere indifferent to Buddhism，which was unknown and seemed alien and amoral to Chinese sensibilities．However，Buddhism both acclimatized itself to Chinese circumstances and became more appealing to those who were disillusioned with the old ways．Political patronage was important，but Buddhism had to win a wide following among the Chinese people in order to survive and prosper．

The early Buddhism was spread entirely orally，but in about the first century BC a large body of scriptures began to accumulate．So the early pilgrims therefore devoted a great deal of their time to the difficult task of translation．In this endeavor，words and ideas，as well as artistic forms，had to be translated into Chinese terms．The first Buddhist scripture to be written in Chinese was probably Sutra of Forty-two Sections(《四十二章经》)，although its authenticity is amatter of debate．An Shigao(安世高)，a Buddhist priest，arrived at the Han capital in 148 and was the first to initiate a systematic translation of Buddhist texts into Chinese．

Notes:①visual视觉的②insignificant无足轻重的③cult异教;教派④amoral不属道德范围的⑤sensibility感觉能力⑥accumulate积累⑦endeavor努力

7佛教在古代中国的什么时候处于旺盛时期?

When did Buddhism flourish in ancient China?

During the Tang Dynasty(618－709)，the state employed Confucian forms and learning，and Tang emperors often favored Daoism．The early Tang state could restrict the number ofmonks and regulate monasteries．However，monasteries gradually flourished; they fulfilled important roles; and the most outstanding monks had sufficient self-confidence tomake their own formulation of doctrine and develop the teaching in new ways．For Buddhist art，itwas an age of classic achievement．

There were eight Buddhist sects that appeared between 581 and 755．Of them，four only enjoyed temporary or limited success: the Disciplinary Sect(律宗)， the Dharma Image(法相宗)，the Sect of the Three Stages(三论宗) and the Esoteric Sect(密宗)．The growth of sects not only illustrated the inner vigor of Buddhist religion，but also manifested the strength of Buddhist monasteries．In the countryside，Buddhist monasteries performed important economic functions operatingmills and oil presses．Themonasteries also held much land that was cultivated by semi-servile labor．Much of their wealth was channeled into building and the arts．

Notes:①monastery僧院②flourish昌盛③sufficient足够的④self-confidence自信⑤formulation规划;构想⑥temporary临时的⑦disciplinary纪律的;惩戒的⑧esoteric秘传的;难理解的

8什么是净土宗?

What is the Pure Land Buddhism?

Pure Land Buddhism is a sect of Mahayana Buddhism which derives its name from the paradise in the West over which Amitabha(阿弥陀佛)，the Buddha of Infinite Light，presides．Pure Land Sect first became prominentwhen a monastery was set up by Hui Yuan (慧远)on the top of Mt．Lushan(庐山) in 402．Then it spread throughout China quickly，and currently it is one of themost dominant sects of Buddhism in Asia．

Pure Land Buddhism is based upon the Pure Land sutras first brought to China by Shi Dao'an(释道安) during the Jin Dynasty(265－420)．Drawing on a long Mahayana tradition，this sect emphasizes faith as the means for gaining rebirth in the land of bliss．Themain idea behind this sect is that Nirvana is sometimes hard to obtain by ourselves，so we need help from the Buddha．Instead of solitary meditative work toward enlightenment，the Pure Land Buddhism teaches that devotion to Amitabha will lead us to the Pure Land from which Nirvana will be easier to attain．A special practice of Pure Land Buddhism is that a devotee should devoutly chant the name of Amitabha to reinforce a proper and sincere state ofmind in order to be reborn in Amitabha's Pure land in theWest．

Notes:①paradise(通常大写)天堂②infinite无限的③prominent突出的④dominant占优势的⑤nirvana涅槃⑥solitary隐居的;孤独的⑦meditative冥想的⑧enlightenment启蒙;教化⑨devoutly热诚地

9什么是禅宗?

What is the Zen Sect of Buddhism?

The word“Zen”means“dhyana”in Sanskrit language，meaning“concentrated meditation．”The Chan Buddhism is a major sect of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism．According to traditional accounts，the sect was founded by an Indianmonk whose namewas Bodhidharma(菩提达摩)．He traveled to China by ship，arriving in South China in around 475．Legend has it that he spent nine years inmeditation，facing the rock wall of a cave about amile from the Shaolin Temple(少林寺)．

The Zen Buddhism taughtmeditation as the way for one to pierce through the world of illusion，to recognize the Buddha nature within oneself and to obtain enlightenment．Zen rejected all other practices，such as the performance ofmeritorious deeds or study of scriptures．The Zen Buddhism underwent a schism during the 7th century resulting in the formation of two branches: the Southern Branch and the Northern Branch．The Northern branch of Zen emphasized sitting in silentmeditation and attaining enlightenment gradually; the Southern Zen，founded by the man known as the Six Patriarch，Hui Neng(慧能)，maintained that illumination came in a sudden flash，although only after long search．The Southern Zen teachers often employed unorthodox methods to probe their disciples on the road of illumination．The Northern Branch disappeared over a period of time，but the Southern Branch，after the time of Hui Neng，began to branch off into numerous different schools，each having its own special emphasis，but all of them kept the same basic focus on meditation practice and personal instruction．

Notes:①Sanskrit梵语②illusion幻想③undergo经历④schism分裂⑤illumination解释;启发⑥unorthodox非正统的

10什么是天台宗?

What is the Tiantai Sect of Buddhism?

The Tiantai Buddhism or the Lotus Sutra School was a sect of Mahayana Buddhism founded by Zhi Yi(智，538－597)on Mt．Tiantai(天台山)during the Sui Dynasty．This sect enjoyed themost official support under the Sui and developed doctrinal and metaphysical syncretism by combining elements of various doctrines and practices into the Five Periods and Eight Types of Teachings(五时八教)．The complete truth was con-tained in the Lotus Sutra(《妙法莲华经》)．

Tiantai doctrine centers on three truths:①thetruth that all phenomena are empty，and productsof causation are without a nature of their own;②the truth that they，however，exist temporarily;③the truth that encompasses but transcends emptiness and temporariness．These three truths all involve and require each other——throughout the Tiantai．A rich and unified cosmology is built on temporariness which consists of ten realms．Since each realm includes the other，there will be a total of 1，000 results．Besides，each realm in turn has three aspects(圆融三谛)，including the aspectof living beings，the one of aggregation and the one of space．The result is a single idea at the moment embraces 3，000 realms(一念三千)．Since truth is immanent in everything，it follows that all beings contain the Buddha nature and can be saved．

Notes:①doctrinal教义的;学说的②metaphysical形而上学的③syncretism融合④phenomena现象⑤encompass包含⑥cosmology宇宙学⑦aggregation聚集⑧immanent内在的

11什么是华严宗?

What is the Huayan Sect of Buddhism?

The word“huayan”means“avatamsaka”in Sanskrit language，or“flower garland．”The Huayan Sect was a sect of Mahayana Buddhism，which flourished in China during the Tang Dynasty．A monk，Fa Zang(法藏) of the Tang Dynasty(618－907)，established this sect．The other important patriarchs who contributed to the establishment of the sectwere Du Shun(杜顺)，Zhi Yan(智严)and Cheng Guan(澄观)．

The Avatamsaka Sutra(《严华经》) contains the most complex teachings of the Buddha．The sutra teaches the doctrine of emptiness and interpretation of all phenomena; all phenomena arise simultaneously in reciprocal causation(法界缘起)．Huayan Buddhists distinguish between li(principle，理) and shi(phenomena，事)，an approach which resembles in someways the concept of purusha(spiritual) and prakriti(physical) of Hinduism．These li and shi was independent and interact; one thing contains all things in existence，and that all things are one．

Notes:①garland花冠②sutra佛经③simultaneously同时地④reciprocal相互的⑤causation引起⑥Hinduism印度教