從《西藏度亡經》的英譯看中陰法教的生死體系與臨終解脫教示   免費試閱

From The Tibetan Book of the Dead to View the Life-Death System and Dying Instructions of Bardo Teachings in Tibetan Buddhism

中陰法教是藏傳佛教最重要的法教之一，本文即以廣泛影響當代西方心理學、臨終醫學、生死學等學科的《西藏度亡經》為主軸，探討中陰法教所涵攝的各種人類生存狀態與解脫可能性。期藉由對死亡經驗的正視，幫助我們深入了解死亡的歷程；再者，或能讓我們對於未知的精神向度，如中陰身、來生、輪迴轉世等議題，有更為廣闊的理解或認知。此外，由於Evans-Wentz英譯的《西藏度亡經》首版中，僅節譯出部分章節，無法呈現中陰法教的完整教義，因此重現其原典《中陰聞教解脫》所闡釋的生／死體系，亦為本文的要旨之一。為此，在文中將就三大面向來討論《西藏度亡經》，首先是概介此書的歷史淵源與傳承背景；二是簡述《西藏度亡經》在西方的傳佈與影響；三是重新回顧原典所強調的生／死體系與實修架構，以延伸出此中陰法教對當代生死教育所可能帶來的啟發與引導。

This paper is aimed to investigate one of the most important teachings of Tibetan Buddhism， Bardo teachings， through systemic survey related with Bardos and its practical instructions of possible liberation upon dying and after death， to gain fuller and deeper understanding about human existence and its profound， ultimate freedom in terms of Buddhist perspectives. Therefore， it will be focused on the famous book， The Tibetan Book of the Dead， which has been drawing a lot of interests and attentions in the Western World since it firstly published in English in 1927， as an example to illustrate how Bardo teachings could present the invisible dying procedures and to be understood in the modern view.In the beginning， there are some brief introductions of Karling tradition and its historical background， which summarizes the lineage of Terton Karma Lingpa who was the soul person to reveal and pass down those teachings. Then， it will go with The Tibetan Book of the Dead translated and spread since the beginning of 20th century till now， because it has been bringing wide influences on different modern subjects， particular psychology as C. G. Jung launched.In the final part of this paper， it will narrate the authentic content and practical “practices” in this book as the essential instructions on dying and after-death， which reflects a wholesome value system for living and indicates the necessity of preparing on hand in order to seize the important opportunities of liberation from Samsara during the Bardo states.