循环与线性交互的佛教时间观

The Buddhist Concept of Time,Circular and Linear Interweaved

文化层面中的时间是人们日常生活中经常使用到的观念。佛教文化中的时间观念、因果轮回借佛教在世界范围内的传播而得到广泛关注。这种循环时间观对当今西方的线性时间观形成挑战。目前为学界以及大众所普遍接受的佛教时间观是基于因果轮回等观念之上的单纯的无止尽的往复循环观念。通过佛教文献分析印度天文学支持的宇宙观以及演绎因果轮回的重要载体——譬喻经,可得知佛教时间观是由循环与线性两种时间观交互而成,并非仅以循环性为特色。

The concept of time in the perspective of culture is discussed for the people＇s daily life use. The circular concept of time, standing out from the western linear concept of time, get attention from the whole world as the Buddhism spreads around. Generally scholars and the public hold such a Buddhist concept of time, the only and endless circles based on the karma and sa？ sara of people. After rechecking the Buddhist literature, analyzing the cosmology concept of Indian Astronomy, and taking the avadona stories as example, we could get the conclusion that the Buddhist concept of time is not only circular, but circular and linear interweaved.