佛教：亚洲之光的宗教
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AI-translated. May contain errors. For accurate text, refer to the original English.
中文
辨喜昨晚在礼堂向约150名（据《时报》记载为500名）听众发表了讲演，主题为「佛教——亚洲之光的宗教」。尊敬的唐·M·迪金森先生为他作了介绍。
「谁能断言这一宗教体系是神圣的，而那一个是注定灭亡的？」迪金森先生在介绍辞中说，「谁能画出那神秘的界线？」
辨喜详细回顾了印度早期的宗教。他讲述了祭坛上大规模的动物宰杀；讲述了佛陀（Buddha）的诞生与生平；讲述了佛陀对创造之因与存在之理所苦苦追问的困惑；讲述了佛陀为寻求创造与生命之谜的答案而进行的真诚奋斗；以及最终所达致的结果。
佛陀，他说，在所有人中高出一头。他是一位，他说，无论是友人还是敌人，都无法说他曾有过一息或一餐不是为了众生的利益。
「他从未宣讲灵魂的轮回，」卡纳达说，「除非他相信一个灵魂对其继承者就像海洋的浪涛——浪涛兴起而后消逝，留给后浪的不过是它的力量。他从未宣称有神的存在，也未曾否认神的存在。
「'我们为何应当行善？'他的弟子问他。
「'因为，'他说，'你们继承了善。让你们也依次将善的遗产留给你们的后继者。让我们都助力于累积善行的前进行列，为了善本身。'
「他是第一位先知。他从未凌辱任何人，也从未将任何事物据为己有。他相信我们应当在宗教中自己完成自己的解脱（Moksha）。
「'我无法告诉你，'他在临终之时说，'任何人也无法告诉你。不要依赖任何人。自己完成你自己的宗教修行，自己寻得解脱。'
「他抗议人与人之间、人与兽之间的不平等。一切生命皆平等，他如此宣讲。他是第一位倡导禁酒的人。'行善，做善，'他说。'若有神，你以行善而获得祂。若无神，行善本身即是善。他应为其所受之苦负责。他应为其所做之善受到称颂。'
「他是第一位使传教士走入世界的人。他作为救主降临于印度千百万受压迫者之中。他们无法理解他的哲学，但他们看见了这个人与他的教诲，便跟随了他。」
在结语中，卡纳达说，佛教是基督教宗教的基础；天主教会源自佛教。
English
Vive Kananda lectured to an audience of about 150 [according to the Journal, 500] at the Auditorium last night upon "Buddhism, the Religion of the Light of Asia." Honourable Don M. Dickinson introduced him to the audience. "Who shall say that this system of religion is divine and that doomed?" asked Mr. Dickinson in his introductory remarks. "Who shall draw the mystic line?"
Vive Kananda reviewed at length the early religions of India. He told of the great slaughter of animals on the altar of sacrifice; of Buddha's birth and life; of his puzzling questions to himself over the causes of creation and the reasons for existence; of the earnest struggle of Buddha to find the solution of creation and life; of the final result.
Buddha, he said, stood head and shoulders above all other men. He was one, he said, [of] whom his friends or enemies could never say that he drew a breath or ate a crumb of bread but for the good of all. "He never preached transmigration of the soul," said Kananda, "except he believed one soul was to its successor like the wave of the ocean that grew and died away, leaving naught to the succeeding wave but its force. He never preached that there was a God, nor did he deny there was a God. "'Why should we be good?' his disciples asked of him.
"'Because', he said, 'you inherited good. Let you in your turn leave some heritage of good to your successors. Let us all help the onward march of accumulated goodness, for goodness' sake.' "He was the first prophet. He never abused any one or arrogated anything to himself. He believed in our working out our own salvation in religion. "'I can't tell you,' he said, on his deathbed, 'nor any one. Depend not on any one. Work out your own religion [salvation].' "He protested against the inequality of man and man, or of man and beast. All life was equal, he preached. He was the first man to uphold the doctrine of prohibition in liquors. 'Be good and do good', he said. 'If there is a God, you have Him by being good. If there is no God, being good is good. He is to be blamed for all he suffers. He is to be praised for all his good.' "He was the first who brought the missionaries into existence. He came as a saviour to the downtrodden millions of India. They could not understand his philosophy, but they saw the man and his teachings, and they followed him."
In conclusion Kananda said that Buddhism was the foundation of the Christian religion; that the catholic church came from Buddhism.
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。