第1章 /什麼是佛教 (粵語-廣東話)

佛陀與佛法
佛教（粵拼：fat6 gaau3）係由古印度釋迦牟尼（即係佛陀）響公元前6世紀以前建立嘅宗教，同基督教同埋伊斯蘭教同印度教並列做世界四大宗教。喺哲學上，佢係無神論嘅一種，講求嘅係醒覺。古代佛教係用梵文或者巴利文傳教嘅。

『佛』（或者佛陀）嘅意思係有悟覺者，而『教』就可以理解為宗教或教育，大意係佛陀對大眾嘅一種普遍而傳承嘅教育。佛教極重視人類心靈嘅進步同覺悟，大眾嘅一切煩惱（苦）都有因有緣嘅，『諸法因緣生，諸法因緣滅』。人同埋其他眾生一樣，沈淪於苦迫之中，並不斷咁生死輪迴。惟有斷滅貪、嗔、痴嘅聖人（佛陀、辟支佛同阿羅漢）先至能夠脫離生死輪回，達到涅槃（清涼寂靜之意，即再冇煩惱），釋迦牟尼喺35歲時就成咗佛，對世人宣傳佢所發現嘅真理。佛教徒嘅目的即係從佛陀嘅教育（正法）裏頭，睇透苦迫同「自我」嘅真相（緣起法），最終超越生死同埋苦楚、斷盡一切煩惱，成佛或者成阿羅漢。

現代佛教可分為南傳佛教同北傳佛教兩大傳承，北傳佛教又可分為漢傳佛教同藏傳佛教，因此可以話係分為三大傳承（詳細嘅分類請睇佛教宗派）。南傳佛教大致上就係上座部佛教，北傳佛教大致上就係大眾部佛教，包括大乘佛教（主要係漢傳佛教），同埋秘密大乘佛教或金剛乘佛教（主要係藏傳佛教）。各傳乘響佛教嘅根本教義基本上冇乜區別，響修行特色上同一啲理論上則略有區別，以菩薩行理論嘅區別最為明顯。

佛教目前主要流行響中國大陸（30%）、台灣（28%）、日本（71%）、韓國（23%）、蒙古（93%）等東亞地區以及泰國（94%）、柬埔寨（93%）、緬甸（90%）、越南（50%）、斯里蘭卡（70%）等東南亞國家，喺歐洲、美洲、大洋洲同埋非洲都有好少量嘅信徒。佛教徒個總數有七億咁多，佔世界總人口嘅11%。

Buddhism is the world's fourth-largest religion with over 520 million followers, or over 7% of the global population, known as Buddhists. Buddhism encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on original teachings attributed to the Buddha and resulting interpreted philosophies. It originated in ancient India as a Sramana tradition sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, spreading through much of Asia. Two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars: Theravada (Pali: "The School of the Elders") and Mahayana (Sanskrit: "The Great Vehicle").

Most Buddhist traditions share the goal of overcoming suffering and the cycle of death and rebirth, either by the attainment of Nirvana or through the path of Buddhahood. Buddhist schools vary in their interpretation of the path to liberation, the relative importance and canonicity assigned to the various Buddhist texts, and their specific teachings and practices. Widely observed practices include taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, observance of moral precepts, monasticism, meditation, and the cultivation of the Paramitas (perfections, or virtues).

Theravada Buddhism has a widespread following in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. Mahayana, which includes the traditions of Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Shingon and Tiantai (Tendai), is found throughout East Asia.

Vajrayana, a body of teachings attributed to Indian adepts, may be viewed as a separate branch or as an aspect of Mahayana Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism, which preserves the Vajrayana teachings of eighth-century India, is practised in the countries of the Himalayan region, Mongolia, and Kalmykia.