澳大利亞塔州中國佛教學院
澳大利亞塔州中國佛教學院
Tasmanian Chinese Buddhist Academy of Australia
Bathing Buddha Ceremony 浴佛聖典
Frequently asked questions
常見問題
Why is the holy birthday of the Buddha also called the Bathing Buddha Festival?
為甚麼紀念 大聖 釋迦牟尼佛祖聖誕，又稱為“浴佛節”嗎？
According to the recordings in many Buddhist sutras, the Buddha was born from the right armpit of Madam Mahamaya who was transformed from Nirmanara in the Lumbini Grove of Ancient India. In the sky, there were eleven dragons pouring scented water from their mouths to bathe the newborn Buddha. Therefore, the commemoration of the birth of the Buddha is also called the Bathing Buddha Festival, whereby bathing the Buddha with scented water is used to signify the celebration. Buddhism was transmitted to different countries and integrated with the local cultures; as a result, a vast number of different bathing Buddha traditions and rituals have been formed.
據多部佛典記載， 大聖 釋迦牟尼佛祖從大幻化天變現的 摩耶夫人右脅生於古天竺蘭毗尼園，有十一龍從空中吐降香水為之沐浴。故而，紀念 大聖 佛祖聖誕，又稱“浴佛節”，用香水為佛洗浴，以示慶祝。
佛教傳入不同國家，與當地文化相融合，就形成迥異多樣之浴佛傳統和儀規。
What does 'Buddha' mean?
“佛”是甚麼意思？
This is a question that Buddhist practitioners contemplate throughout their lives! The term ‘Buddha’ is a transliteration of the same Sanskrit word. In simple terms, Buddha means ‘the awakened one’, someone who has awakened to the truth of the universe, achieved complete enlightenment, and perfected the virtues of benefiting all sentient beings. The original transliteration of ‘Buddha’ is preserved in Buddhist scriptures as a sign of respect and to retain its profound meanings.
這是佛教修行者終生都在思考的問題！佛為梵文Buddha音譯“佛陀”之簡稱，簡而言之，佛即“覺者”，覺悟宇宙實相，渡眾功德圓滿，所作已作，不受後有。佛教經典中保留“佛”的原來音譯，是為表示尊重和保留其多重密義。
What is the name of the Holy Buddha?
大聖佛祖的名字是什麼？
The Buddha was the prince of the kingdom of Kapilavastu in ancient India. His secular name was Siddhartha Gautama. After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha’s title became ‘Sakyamuni’. ‘Sakya’ refers to his family name, and ‘muni’ signifies wisdom, patience, and other virtues. Therefore, ‘Sakyamuni’ means the ‘sage of the Sakya clan’.
大聖 佛祖是古天竺迦毗羅衛國的太子，祂的世俗名字是悉達多．喬答摩。 大聖 佛祖成道後，祂的佛號是“釋迦牟尼”。“釋迦”是家族名稱，“牟尼”有能仁、能忍等意思。釋迦牟尼的意思就是“釋迦族的聖者”。
When and where was the Buddha born, and when and where did he enter nirvana?
大聖 佛祖於何時何處誕生，何時何處圓寂嗎？
The Buddha was born on the eighth day of the fourth month in the year 565 BCE, under the Bodhi tree in the Lumbini Garden of the kingdom of Kapilavastu, which is located in present-day Nepal, not India! According to the scriptures, Prince Siddhartha, upon his birth, immediately walked and spoke. He took seven steps, and with each step, a lotus flower bloomed. With one hand pointing to the sky and the other to the earth, he declared, “Within the universe, only I know the truth of sunyata nature!” The Buddha possessed thirty-two auspicious physical characteristics, and thirty-two auspicious signs appeared as an auspicious omen from the heavens correspondingly.
The Buddha entered nirvana in the city outskirts of Kushinagar under a pair of sala trees, in the year 484 BCE at the age of eighty. During that era, this was considered quite a long life! At the time of the Buddha’s nirvana, flowers and plants bloomed abundantly around the twin sala trees, and the trees turned white, as if the entire surrounding forest mourned in sorrow.
大聖 佛祖在公元前565年四月初八誕生於迦毗羅衛城的皇室蘭毗尼花園無憂樹下，位於現在的尼泊爾境內，而不是印度！根據經典記載，悉達多太子出生後即會行走說話，祂行七步，步步生蓮華，一手指天，一手指地，宣告：
“天上天下，唯我獨尊！”衪渾身有三十二種好相，天降三十二種嘉瑞以應驗之。
大聖 佛祖在公元前484年圓寂於拘尸那城的市郊娑羅雙樹下，享年八十歲，在那個時代，這被認為是相當長壽！ 大聖 佛祖圓寂時，雙林樹週圍花草盛開，樹木變白，就像四週的山林都為此而哀悼。
Why did the Buddha renounced worldly life and become a monk?
大聖 佛祖為何出家修道嗎？
After giving birth to Prince Siddhartha, Madam Mahamaya returned to the heavens seven days later. The crown prince was then raised by his aunt, Mahaprajapati Gautami. Although Prince Siddhartha grew up in the palace, enjoying a comfortable and luxurious life, he had a penchant for contemplation and constantly pondered various aspects of human existence. He witnessed the suffering and torment endured by farmers toiling in the fields and the pain of animals being preyed upon in the vicious cycle of survival. Gradually, he became disenchanted with the conflicts and struggles of life. He realised that the Brahmanical teachings and the cosmological theories of the gods he had received while growing up in the palace did not provide a complete understanding of the nature of the universe. Therefore, he made the decision to renounce his royal life and embarked on a path to liberate all sentient beings and thoroughly comprehend the fundamental principles of birth, aging, illness, and death.
On a full moon night, at the age of twenty-nine (some accounts say nineteen), the crown prince, riding a white horse lifted into the air by Buddhas of multiple heavens, departed from the palace. This marked the beginning of his journey in the pursuit of enlightenment and the practice of Buddhism.
悉達多的母親 摩耶夫人在誕下太子後七天便回歸大幻化天。太子由衪的姨母摩訶波闍波提照顧長大。悉達多太子雖然在皇宮裏成長，過著舒適豪華的生活，但是衪愛好思考，經常對人生各種學問苦苦思索。衪思忖在田裏做繁重乏味工作的農夫所受的煎熬和折磨，亦看到弱肉強食的畜牲道中被捕食的動物的痛苦，而逐漸厭倦衝突和鬥爭。祂覺悟到祂從小在皇宮中接受的婆羅門神本位教法及其梵天創世說，尚未圓滿解釋宇宙實相。由是，衪決定捨棄皇家的生活，立志救渡眾生，徹底明瞭生老病死諸苦的基本原理。在一個滿月的晚上，二十九歲（一說十九歲）的太子，騎著一匹由諸天諸佛提起四蹄的白馬，飛離了皇宮，從此開始了祂的修佛行持。
How many Buddhist scriptures are there in the world?
世界上有多少佛教經典嗎？
The Buddhist scriptures are vast and numerous, beyond enumeration. Different Buddhist traditions also have their own canonical texts, some shared and some unique. For example, the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions revere the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, which consists of over four million words. Additionally, in Esoteric Buddhism, there are many hidden scriptures concealed in other dimensions of the universe. It seems that a lifetime wouldn’t be enough to read all the Buddhist scriptures!
However, during the lifetime of the Buddha, he did not personally write any scriptures. The Buddhist scriptures were compiled by his great disciples based on his teachings after his parinirvana. The Buddha once revealed, “For forty-nine years in this world, I have not spoken a single word to anyone.” This statement was made to dispel sentient beings’ attachment to the ego and Dharma. Buddhist practitioners should emphasise the unity of knowledge and practice, personally verifying theories through practical realisations and realising the teachings through solid practice.
佛典浩瀚，不勝枚舉；不同佛教傳統亦有其共不共之佛教經典。比如顯密共尊之《大般若經》就有四百多萬字，又如密教有岩藏、伏藏、虛空藏等諸多經典蘊藏於其他宇宙時空。想要將所有佛經都看一遍，看來一輩子的時間都不夠！
不過， 大聖 佛祖在世時，不曾書寫佛經，佛經都是 大聖 佛祖圓寂後，由祂的大弟子們結集祂的言教而成的。 大聖 佛祖曾聖示“吾四十九年住世，不曾一字與人”，就是為了破除眾生的我法執和對“相”的追求。佛教修行者更應知行合一，實修親證，以理論指導實修，以實修驗證理論。