Tse-fu Kuan 關則富
Yuan Ze University, College of General Studies, Faculty Member
From the late 4th century BCE, the Greeks initiated long-term cultural exchange between the Indian and Mediterranean worlds. Following the Greek conquests of NorthWest India and Central Asia, Buddhism spread to these regions. Here... more
From the late 4th century BCE, the Greeks initiated long-term cultural exchange between the Indian and Mediterranean worlds. Following the Greek conquests of NorthWest India and Central Asia, Buddhism spread to these regions. Here Buddhists, native and immigrant alike, came into prolonged contact with Western civilizations. The Bible in Greek or Syriac translation may have been available in NorthWest India and Central Asia in the early centuries CE or before the Common Era. Cumulative evidence also indicates that there were Christians and Jews in these regions during this period. They lived side by side with Buddhists for generations. Presumably under such circumstances, biblical elements found their way, perhaps indirectly, into Buddhist literature. A notable example is one version of the Aṅgulimāla Sutta, T118. The episode of Aṅgulimāla's encounter with his teacher's wife was probably adapted from Joseph's encounter with Potiphar's wife in Genesis 39. In this article, I show that the similarities between the Joseph story and the Aṅgulimāla story greatly surpass those between the Joseph/Aṅgulimāla stories and their counterparts in other literature, including six Greek tales, an Indian epic, two Jātakas and the Divyāvadāna of Buddhism.
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The Buddha seems ambivalent in his position about whether all our feelings can be ascribed to karma, even if indirectly. He unequivocally states: “Karma distinguishes beings as inferior and superior,” which covers various aspects of life... more
The Buddha seems ambivalent in his position about whether all our feelings can be ascribed to karma, even if indirectly. He unequivocally states: “Karma distinguishes beings as inferior and superior,” which covers various aspects of life that affect our feelings. On the other hand, again and again he criticizes some religions for holding the doctrine “whatever a person experiences is caused by karma,” or puts aside karma in favor of obvious causation. This issue can be addressed in several ways: The Buddha implies a distinction between past and present karma, and the unthinkable nature of karma entails the question “Who are qualified to pronounce karma?” Also, the Buddha is careful to avoid a fatalistic view of karma doctrine, his skill in means leads to the inconsistency of his mode of expression, and the two levels of truth allow him to speak in conformity with worldly conventions endorsed by “the wise.”
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The earliest Buddhist tradition recognized Sāriputta and Moggallāna as the two chief disciples of the Buddha. No distinction or disparity was made between them in terms of their status as paradigms. The attributes that marked them as... more
The earliest Buddhist tradition recognized Sāriputta and Moggallāna as the two chief disciples of the Buddha. No distinction or disparity was made between them in terms of their status as paradigms. The attributes that marked them as paradigms were wisdom (paññā) and psychic potency (iddhi) respectively. Since psychic potency always involves concentration (samādhi) and is based on it, that Moggallāna was foremost in iddhi amounts to that he was foremost in samādhi. This is corroborated by the fact that the Moggallāna-saṃyutta in the Saṃyutta Nikāya features samādhi. Therefore, what distinguishes them as the pair of chief disciples denotes that the two prominent factors of the path, i.e. wisdom (paññā) and concentration (samādhi), were equally essential just as Sāriputta and Moggallāna. Originally iddhi was seen to emanate from samādhi, while paññā was also seen to be based on samādhi. In the end, iddhi along with samādhi was rendered significantly inferior and subjugated to paññā, which became the decisive factor that dominates iddhi and samādhi. Therefore, in the history of Buddhist literature, there was a tendency to deprecate Moggallāna’s achievements in iddhi and samādhi (concentration) compared to those of Sāriputta, who was foremost in paññā (wisdom). It was against this background that Buddhist narratives gradually consolidated Sāriputta’s pre-eminence over Moggallāna, and that psychic potency (iddhi) came to be regarded as more subject to wisdom than to concentration. The later versions of the legends devalued Moggallāna’s iddhi to such a degree that his iddhi cannot work when facing the fatal assault of people, which is in stark contrast to Sāriputta’s invincible iddhi that helps him survive the deadly attack of a mighty yakkha.
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The Chinese Ekottarika Āgama (EĀ) stands out among the four Pali Nikāyas and the corresponding four Chinese Āgamas, which are supposed to be collections of early Buddhist texts. My study of anomalies in a sutta of EĀ reveals that it is a... more
The Chinese Ekottarika Āgama (EĀ) stands out among the four Pali Nikāyas and the corresponding four Chinese Āgamas, which are supposed to be collections of early Buddhist texts. My study of anomalies in a sutta of EĀ reveals that it is a composite of various textual sources. The original translation of this sutta, presumably non-numerical, was merged with a much shorter, numerical sutta in the process of forming the extant sutta. Zhu Fonian was not satisfied with his original translation of EĀ, which was carried out under difficult circumstances. As time went by, he had access to other Indic sources and Chinese translations, which could have enabled him to improve this translation. On the other hand, he modified part of his translation in such a creative way that it deviates significantly from the Indic original. Thus our sutta incorporated some new elements, including an episode adapted from a passage in Dharmarakṣa's translation of a Mahāyāna text. Therefore, Moggallāna's travel to the Brahmā Heaven in the original translation was turned into a journey to another buddha-field in the revised version. The religious milieu may have prompted Zhu Fonian to draw upon the Mahāyāna texts, especially those translated by Dharmarakṣa, when revising his translation of EĀ.
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Of the four Nikāyas in Pali and the four Āgamas in Chinese, the numerical collections, i.e. the Aṅguttara Nikāya and the Ekottarika Āgama, are the most adaptable and considerate of individual needs according to ancient Indian/Chinese and... more
Of the four Nikāyas in Pali and the four Āgamas in Chinese, the numerical collections, i.e. the Aṅguttara Nikāya and the Ekottarika Āgama, are the most adaptable and considerate of individual needs according to ancient Indian/Chinese and modern American monks. Therefore, these two collections contain a considerable proportion of suttas/sūtras that are closely connected with the notion of compassion (karuṇā/anukampā). These two collections include many suttas addressed to Buddhists dealing with the ethical and spiritual concerns of life within the world, and thus involves the issues of merit (puñña). In this study I have illustrated the significant but often underestimated position of compassion with merit in early Buddhist doctrine. Compassion is not just a type of meditation or contemplation, but it should be put into practical action, either by peaching the Dharma or by providing worldly necessities. The Buddha said: “If anyone attends to a sick person, he attends to me.” The soteriological function of compassion associated with merit is expounded in the early suttas/sūtras, particularly those in the Aṅguttara Nikāya and the Ekottarika Āgama. On the other hand, many discourses in these two collections reify great compassion by extending Buddhist concern from monastics to the laity, caring for all beings’ worldly welfare based on an ethical system of merit.
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1990.08.24中國時報： 根據前幾年內政部統計，台灣地區的佛教徒有三百三十一萬人，位居各宗教信徒人數之首（中國時報七十六年一月十五日），然而其中絕大多數甚至連緣起法、四聖諦、三無漏學等佛教最基本的教理都沒聽過，卻自認為信仰佛教，猶如自稱能閱讀英文但卻沒見過A、B、C等字母。大部分人對佛教的認識不是依據佛教經典或介紹佛教的專書，也不是得自接觸純正佛教的活動，而是從那些打著佛教旗幟，骨子裡是另一套把戲的宗教活動來的。 "Basic Points Unifying the... more
1990.08.24中國時報：
根據前幾年內政部統計，台灣地區的佛教徒有三百三十一萬人，位居各宗教信徒人數之首（中國時報七十六年一月十五日），然而其中絕大多數甚至連緣起法、四聖諦、三無漏學等佛教最基本的教理都沒聽過，卻自認為信仰佛教，猶如自稱能閱讀英文但卻沒見過A、B、C等字母。大部分人對佛教的認識不是依據佛教經典或介紹佛教的專書，也不是得自接觸純正佛教的活動，而是從那些打著佛教旗幟，骨子裡是另一套把戲的宗教活動來的。
"Basic Points Unifying the Theravāda and the Mahāyāna" 〈上座部佛教與大乘佛教的基本共識〉：
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We accept the Four Noble Truths, namely duḥkha, the arising of duḥkha, the cessation of duḥkha, and the path leading to the cessation of duḥkha; and the law of cause and effect (pratītyasamutpāda) 我們接受四聖諦，亦即苦、苦因、苦滅、滅苦之道，以及緣起法則 ... ...
根據前幾年內政部統計，台灣地區的佛教徒有三百三十一萬人，位居各宗教信徒人數之首（中國時報七十六年一月十五日），然而其中絕大多數甚至連緣起法、四聖諦、三無漏學等佛教最基本的教理都沒聽過，卻自認為信仰佛教，猶如自稱能閱讀英文但卻沒見過A、B、C等字母。大部分人對佛教的認識不是依據佛教經典或介紹佛教的專書，也不是得自接觸純正佛教的活動，而是從那些打著佛教旗幟，骨子裡是另一套把戲的宗教活動來的。
"Basic Points Unifying the Theravāda and the Mahāyāna" 〈上座部佛教與大乘佛教的基本共識〉：
... ...
We accept the Four Noble Truths, namely duḥkha, the arising of duḥkha, the cessation of duḥkha, and the path leading to the cessation of duḥkha; and the law of cause and effect (pratītyasamutpāda) 我們接受四聖諦，亦即苦、苦因、苦滅、滅苦之道，以及緣起法則 ... ...
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Seemingly contrary ideas of Nirvana are found in early Buddhist literature. Whereas some texts describe one who attains Nirvana as being conscious of everything, others depict Nirvana as a state in which consciousness has no object but... more
Seemingly contrary ideas of Nirvana are found in early Buddhist literature. Whereas some texts describe one who attains Nirvana as being conscious of everything, others depict Nirvana as a state in which consciousness has no object but emptiness or Nirvana. In this paper I deal with this paradox of Nirvana consciousness by exploring the correlations between several statements in early Buddhist texts. A number of sutta passages are cited to show that they contain doctrinal elements which, when considered collectively, may cast valuable light on how to reconcile this paradox. Two pivotal notions are ‘non-abiding consciousness’ and ‘consciousness that is infinite, pervasive all around’. These two notions are connected to each other and seem to subsume or bridge the two strikingly distinct forms of Nirvana consciousness mentioned above. Nirvana consciousness said to be ‘non-abiding’, which is analogous to ‘without object’, does ‘not abide’ (non-abiding) in any objects in the sense that it does not cling to them or rest on them. The ‘infinite, all-pervasive’ consciousness, based on stopping normal consciousness, does not depend on any sense objects, and hence it is unconditioned by them and operates unhindered. Nirvana consciousness thus constitutes the infinite realization free from all conditioning and hindrance. This resonates with the idea that one who attains Nirvana is conscious of everything.
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In both the Aṅguttara Nikāya in Pali and the Ekottarika Āgama in Chinese translation, the suttas are grouped into eleven nipātas (‘books’), from the Ekaka-nipāta/Eka-nipāta (Book of Ones) to the Ekādasaka-nipāta (Book of Elevens) – though... more
In both the Aṅguttara Nikāya in Pali and the Ekottarika Āgama in Chinese translation, the suttas are grouped into eleven nipātas (‘books’), from the Ekaka-nipāta/Eka-nipāta (Book of Ones) to the Ekādasaka-nipāta (Book of Elevens) – though in the Ekottarika Āgama the nipātas are not labelled as such. This grouping into nipātas is based on the number of doctrinal items dealt with in the component suttas. In the Ones and Twos, it is often the case that a single original sutta has been subdivided so that its component sections become a series of similarly structured derivative suttas superficially appropriate for inclusion in the Ones or Twos. Moreover, material for this process of subdividing has sometimes been provided by multiplying doctrinal sets with formulaic statements. In most of the remaining nipātas the phenomena noted in the Ones and Twos are also present, but on a much smaller scale. In view of their Chinese counterparts in the Saṃyukta Ᾱgama, some groups of suttas in the Aṅguttara Nikāya with saṃyutta-like nature were probably moved from the Saṃyutta Nikāya to the Aṅguttara Nikāya within the Pali tradition. Evidence of a comparable movement into the Ekottarika Āgama is also available. The artificial suttas created by subdivision and the original numerical suttas shared by the Ekottarika Āgama and the Aṅguttara Nikāya largely retained their original places at the beginning of each nipāta, while some genuine suttas probably earlier located in the Saṃyukta Ᾱgama and Madhyama Āgama were added progressively at the end of the growing nipāta.
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For over a century many Buddhist texts in Pali have been translated into English, the four main Nikāyas at least twice. Significant improvements have been made in regard to English translations of Pali texts. This paper provides five case... more
For over a century many Buddhist texts in Pali have been translated into English, the four main Nikāyas at least twice. Significant improvements have been made in regard to English translations of Pali texts. This paper provides five case studies that illustrate the problems and complexities involved in translating Pali texts. Examples are taken from four suttas of the Aṅguttara Nikāya. Various issues are addressed using textual and contextualised analyses. I attempt to offer solutions to some problems related to translating the Pali through different approaches, including style, philology, history, Buddhist thought and inter-religious relation.
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佛教與基督宗教對臺灣社會的影響與貢獻甚鉅。筆者開設一門通識課，以此二宗教與伊斯蘭教為課程內容。在2014年為這門課規劃一項期末作業，根據各組學生聯絡基督教會和佛教道場的經歷與他們的訪談記錄，以此為本研究的參考起點，進而聯繫到筆者對臺灣佛教與基督宗教的長年觀察，並以此二宗教的歷史發展作為借鏡，可發現一些深具意義的現象。從創教之初，此二宗教都富有傳道的使命感，後來為了探究與宣揚自己宗教的「真理」，分別發展出頗具規模的教育研究機構，但這類機構在臺灣發揮的功能，兩教差距甚大。此二宗教... more
佛教與基督宗教對臺灣社會的影響與貢獻甚鉅。筆者開設一門通識課，以此二宗教與伊斯蘭教為課程內容。在2014年為這門課規劃一項期末作業，根據各組學生聯絡基督教會和佛教道場的經歷與他們的訪談記錄，以此為本研究的參考起點，進而聯繫到筆者對臺灣佛教與基督宗教的長年觀察，並以此二宗教的歷史發展作為借鏡，可發現一些深具意義的現象。從創教之初，此二宗教都富有傳道的使命感，後來為了探究與宣揚自己宗教的「真理」，分別發展出頗具規模的教育研究機構，但這類機構在臺灣發揮的功能，兩教差距甚大。此二宗教原本都鼓勵信徒時常到教會或道場學習宗教義理，固定每隔七天或大約每隔七天舉行一次聚會，基督宗教稱為「主日崇拜／主日彌撒」，佛教稱為「齋日／布薩」。「法會」一詞原指此類講經說法的聚會。但在當今臺灣，這種佛教聚會已經沒落，而基督宗教依舊維持其傳統。佛教與基督宗教各自早已派別林立，近幾十年來，此二宗教在臺灣的教派意識發展有相反的趨勢：前者傾向於自我定位為民族性的「漢傳佛教」，各派竭力發展其特色以別於其他教派，後者則強調普世的基督信仰，追求超越教派藩籬，不同教派能在宣教與慈善濟世方面合作。
孤寂一沙鷗，
困惑問蒼天：
蔓草覆古道，
如何覓舊跡？
孤寂一沙鷗，
困惑問蒼天：
蔓草覆古道，
如何覓舊跡？
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The suicide accounts of three bhikkhus in sutta literature probably inspired the formulation of a particular type of person who attains Arahantship at death, later designated as an ‘equal-headed’ (samasīsin) person in the Abhidhamma. It... more
The suicide accounts of three bhikkhus in sutta literature probably inspired the formulation of a particular type of person who attains Arahantship at death, later designated as an ‘equal-headed’ (samasīsin) person in the Abhidhamma. It is inconceivable for an Arahant to break the precepts. Regarding suicide as an offence, the Theravāda tends to depict those bhikkhus as non-Arahants before suicide. The Pali commentary explains that they did not attain Arahantship until their deaths and refers to two of them as each being an ‘equal-header’ (samasīsī). By contrast, the (Mūla-)Sarvāstivāda sūtras and Abhidharma portray them as Arahants during their lifetimes, a stance compatible with the Sarvāstivādin view that suicide is not an offence. The Sarvāstivādins deny the concept of samasīsin proposed by the Vibhājyavādins, which include the Theravāda and Dharmaguptaka schools. The Pali commentaries provide various explanations and classifications of samasīsin, which have one idea in common: the term signifies the concurrence of two events, and it denotes at least a person who only becomes an Arahant at death, and sometimes someone who becomes an Arahant at the same time as a certain kind of event occurs. The Paṭisambhidāmagga, a quasi-Abhidhamma text, has a chapter that expounds ‘equal-head’ (samasīsa) in an oblique way by enumerating various kinds of sama and of sīsa separately. The Paṭisambhidāmagga commentary tries to make sense of the term samasīsa by associating this textual exposition of sama and sīsa with the more commonly found term samasīsin.
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本文對於世界三大宗教從古至今帶給世界的難題和爭議作了一番探討與省思。本文嘗試從三個面向來處理這些難題，包括人類的「理性」面或「良心」面與宗教的「神聖」面之間的緊張關係，以提問的方式探討如後的嚴肅課題：「神聖」超越理性與良心？一切生命皆平等？一命可以還一命？戰爭可以是「神聖」的？宗教使好人變得更好，使壞人變得更壞？結論認為，人類的理性與良心有助於辨別宗教裡面邪惡的成份，也可能有助於體現宗教的「神聖」。
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Research Interests: Buddhism and Mindfulness
In an article published earlier in this journal (vol. 17), I argued that the first three objects of the four satipa hānas correspond to rūpa, vedanā and viññāöa among the five khandhas, but saññā is not involved in the four satipa hānas... more
In an article published earlier in this journal (vol. 17), I argued that the first three objects of the four satipa hānas correspond to rūpa, vedanā and viññāöa among the five khandhas, but saññā is not involved in the four satipa hānas because a liberated person has no saññā. While quoting two canonical passages to support that a liberated person is devoid of saññā, I also indicated that Sue Hamilton (1996: 60) had disagreed with me and contended that " saññā not only apperceives and conceives all our saµsāric experiences, sensory and abstract, but is also instrumental in identifying the liberating experience " on account of a canonical passage which describes the experience of liberation as being the highest activity of saññā. After more investigations, I have found that my argument that a liberated person has no saññā was wrong. Here I would like to show that those passages that criticise saññā and dissociate it from liberation only disapprove of unwholesome types of saññā, and that the practice of sati consists in the
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General opinion holds that the Abhidhamma treats the Buddha's teachings in terms of ultimate realities, i.e. dhammas, and that conventional constructs such as persons (puggala) fall outside the primary concern of the Abhidhamma. The... more
General opinion holds that the Abhidhamma treats the Buddha's teachings in terms of ultimate realities, i.e. dhammas, and that conventional constructs such as persons (puggala) fall outside the primary concern of the Abhidhamma. The present paper reexamines this ultimate-conventional dichotomy drawn between dhammas and persons and argues that this dichotomy does not hold true for the canonical Abhidhamma in Pali. This study explores how various types of persons are interpreted and approached by the Abhidhamma material, including Abhidhamma texts such as the Puggalapaññatti and a number of suttas in the Aṅguttara Nikāya that are identified in this paper as proto-Abhidhamma. Keywords Abhidhamma · Person · Puggala · Pudgala · Paññatti · An ˙guttara
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In conclusion, we can accept the Aviparītaka Sūtra account that domanassa, dukkha, somanassa, sukha and upekkhā cease successively as one proceeds from lower to higher meditative attainments, and these five terms in this account are not... more
In conclusion, we can accept the Aviparītaka Sūtra account that domanassa, dukkha, somanassa, sukha and upekkhā cease successively as one proceeds from lower to higher meditative attainments, and these five terms in this account are not different from those in the usual jhāna formula. It is not necessary to equate sukha of the first three jhānas to somanassa as the Theravādins do, or to identify sukha of the first two jhānas with prasrabdhi (a volitional formation, not a feeling) as the Sarvāstivādins do. Neither is it necessary to interpret upekkhā in the jhānas as a volitional formation as the two traditions do. The process of reducing feelings as prescribed in the scheme of jhāna conforms with what is stated in the Saḷāyatanavibhaṅga Sutta: first developing pleasant feeling and eliminating unpleasant feeling; then abandoning pleasant feeling and achieving upekkhā.
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譯者序 巴利語《律藏》（Vinaya II 139）記載，佛陀要求大家「以各自的語言」來學習佛法。印度最高的婆羅門階級以梵語作為標準語言，僅有少數的上層社會人士使用，然而在兩千五百年前，印度各地已經發展出各種方言，普羅大眾不懂梵語。佛陀的規定意味著，他所開示的法義被弘揚到各地時，應以當地的語言來教導，以方便一般人了解與學習。... more
譯者序
巴利語《律藏》（Vinaya II 139）記載，佛陀要求大家「以各自的語言」來學習佛法。印度最高的婆羅門階級以梵語作為標準語言，僅有少數的上層社會人士使用，然而在兩千五百年前，印度各地已經發展出各種方言，普羅大眾不懂梵語。佛陀的規定意味著，他所開示的法義被弘揚到各地時，應以當地的語言來教導，以方便一般人了解與學習。
從公元第二世紀開始，印度佛典傳到中國，翻譯成漢文，然後傳到越南、朝鮮、日本，這是人類文化史上的大事。過去一千多年，漢文作為東亞各國的通用書面語文，自有其不可抹滅的貢獻與功能。相對於現代的中文白話文，古代通用的漢文稱為文言文。近百年間，文言文在幾乎所有的用途上已被白話文取代。在現代華人世界，一般大眾能閱讀白話文，多數人卻對文言文感到困難。
歐洲宗教改革明年將屆滿五百年。姑且不論其複雜的歷史功過，但可以肯定宗教改革加速了《聖經》被廣泛譯成各族語文，讓歐洲民眾可以普遍接觸《聖經》，而非少數懂拉丁文的社會菁英才能閱讀，也不會被極少數懂希伯來文與希臘文等聖經語文的學者所壟斷。如此，一般基督徒才有信奉其宗教的具體依據。佛經若能譯成現代中文（白話文），將可讓為數眾多的中文讀者有機會了解佛陀的教誨，而非少數精通文言文的社會菁英才能讀懂佛經，也不會被極少數懂梵、巴等佛典語文的學者所壟斷。佛經是全人類的珍貴文化資產，尤其巴利語的《長部》、《中部》、《相應部》、《增支部》是唯一保存於古印度語言且卷帙完整的初期佛經，如果能精確地翻譯成現代白話文，對佛教有興趣的廣大中文讀者將得以一窺堂奧，宛如親身聆聽佛陀的教導。
巴利語《律藏》（Vinaya II 139）記載，佛陀要求大家「以各自的語言」來學習佛法。印度最高的婆羅門階級以梵語作為標準語言，僅有少數的上層社會人士使用，然而在兩千五百年前，印度各地已經發展出各種方言，普羅大眾不懂梵語。佛陀的規定意味著，他所開示的法義被弘揚到各地時，應以當地的語言來教導，以方便一般人了解與學習。
從公元第二世紀開始，印度佛典傳到中國，翻譯成漢文，然後傳到越南、朝鮮、日本，這是人類文化史上的大事。過去一千多年，漢文作為東亞各國的通用書面語文，自有其不可抹滅的貢獻與功能。相對於現代的中文白話文，古代通用的漢文稱為文言文。近百年間，文言文在幾乎所有的用途上已被白話文取代。在現代華人世界，一般大眾能閱讀白話文，多數人卻對文言文感到困難。
歐洲宗教改革明年將屆滿五百年。姑且不論其複雜的歷史功過，但可以肯定宗教改革加速了《聖經》被廣泛譯成各族語文，讓歐洲民眾可以普遍接觸《聖經》，而非少數懂拉丁文的社會菁英才能閱讀，也不會被極少數懂希伯來文與希臘文等聖經語文的學者所壟斷。如此，一般基督徒才有信奉其宗教的具體依據。佛經若能譯成現代中文（白話文），將可讓為數眾多的中文讀者有機會了解佛陀的教誨，而非少數精通文言文的社會菁英才能讀懂佛經，也不會被極少數懂梵、巴等佛典語文的學者所壟斷。佛經是全人類的珍貴文化資產，尤其巴利語的《長部》、《中部》、《相應部》、《增支部》是唯一保存於古印度語言且卷帙完整的初期佛經，如果能精確地翻譯成現代白話文，對佛教有興趣的廣大中文讀者將得以一窺堂奧，宛如親身聆聽佛陀的教導。
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
因果業報是佛教的重要教義，佛教徒和非佛教徒都知道，但誤解的人可能比了解的人更多。古代漢譯的四《阿含》（Āgama）與對應的巴利語四《部》（Nikāya, 尼柯耶），包含了初期佛教的眾多經典（sutta/sūtra, 契經），其中多處記錄了佛陀有關因果業報的論述，包括他與弟子們、一般人及各派外道之間的對話。他運用善巧方便，為不同背景、根機的對話者，提供契理契機（翻譯名義集：契理契機名契經也）的業報觀念，也給後世的人們，留下深具啟發性的教導和理性討論的空間。
Research Interests:
佛教徒多熱衷於服務死人，如助念、做七、迴向，但死者真能因此而受益嗎？趁人還在世時關懷、照顧他們，為他們講經說法，是否比較實在？佛教徒不了解佛教經典中的義理，不想探索佛陀的教導，如何能夠將「回歸佛陀本懷」的口號化為宗教實踐？這些問題值得研究。
Research Interests:
文化往往藉由翻譯，跨越民族的藩籬，擴展到全球。三大世界性宗教──基督教、伊斯蘭教、佛教──都發展出各種形式的翻譯。翻譯宗教典籍，難以盡達原意，一千六百多前譯經家鳩摩羅什感慨道：「有似嚼飯與人，非徒失味，乃令嘔噦也。」然而，一個宗教的傳播不可能仰賴各民族的人們學習該宗教的原典語文，勢必將宗教經典翻譯成各民族的語文，以便人們用母語來理解經典並信受奉行。在本期第四版，本校鍾秋玉助理教授描繪中古時代以來聖經翻譯的曲折歷程，以及新科技如何帶動1750種語言的聖經版本傳揚世界各地，讓... more
文化往往藉由翻譯，跨越民族的藩籬，擴展到全球。三大世界性宗教──基督教、伊斯蘭教、佛教──都發展出各種形式的翻譯。翻譯宗教典籍，難以盡達原意，一千六百多前譯經家鳩摩羅什感慨道：「有似嚼飯與人，非徒失味，乃令嘔噦也。」然而，一個宗教的傳播不可能仰賴各民族的人們學習該宗教的原典語文，勢必將宗教經典翻譯成各民族的語文，以便人們用母語來理解經典並信受奉行。在本期第四版，本校鍾秋玉助理教授描繪中古時代以來聖經翻譯的曲折歷程，以及新科技如何帶動1750種語言的聖經版本傳揚世界各地，讓經文撫慰許多人的心靈。第三版由龍岡清真寺馬秉華副教長探討穆斯林對於可否「翻譯」古蘭經的嚴謹態度，談到古蘭經已有百餘種語言的譯解本，數種現代中譯本取代了今人難懂的清朝翻譯。在第二版，獨立學者蘇錦坤先生指出，佛陀鼓勵以各地語言解說、弘揚其教導，而佛典在漢地長達九百年的翻譯史對漢文化產生巨大影響。在第一版，蘇先生敘述宋初為了取悅皇帝而虛與委蛇的「譯經」事業，堪稱人類翻譯史上的一大笑話。翻譯的衰落反映了宗教傳播與傳承的式微。(https://www.ge.yzu.edu.tw/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1197)