从“野狐禅”看禅宗的自由意志

The Problems of Freedom Will and Determinism in the Light of Pai-chang's Fox

佛教徒既坚持普遍的因果律,又认为善恶报应皆是自作业自受报,既同意决定论,又坚持自由意志,两者对佛教来说都很重要,前者是佛教的根本教义,而没有了后者,无法劝人修行为善。那么,佛教是如何处理两者之间的矛盾呢?佛教对这个问题的观点是:自由和被决定并不冲突,自由更多的只是感觉和选择的可能性,被决定并不表示意志也是被先在原因决定的。总之,佛教徒属于温和决定论者,提倡自由地选择必然。

Since Buddhist believe in cause and effect,as well as comeuppance,they are determinist.At the same time,they stick to moral law,which is freedom will.Buddhist,as soft-determinist,accept the compatibility of freedom will and determinism through an analytical study of concepts.Freedom is nothing but the immediate conscious of freedom,and freedom is relative to compulsion,but not to determinism.Choosing inevitability freely is the finally answer.