基督徒

一個人可以憑藉著自己的力量而得救嗎？

Question：一個人可以憑藉著自己的力量而得救嗎？
Question：can somebody be saved alone, by himself?

Answer in Chinese：

我們必須仔細審查「憑藉著自己的力量」是什麼意義。
沒有人可以離開人群，獨自生存，即使可以，那他將會像動物一樣生活，而不是人類。
我們是人，我們 絕不可能獨立生存，我們需要食物、教育、文化，也需要彼此相愛。
也因為如此，獨立生存是極不可能的事。
那麼，可能憑著自力得救嗎？
我想，對許多人來說， 「憑藉著自己的力量」代表著一種責任心，藉由自身的努力，進行合適的修行，
他們並不需要一個「拯救者」，也就是基督宗教所信仰的「救世主」。
我曾在一些書籍與研討會中，看到了這類的概念。
我想，這種想法應該一種文化上的誤解。
因為我們無法深入彼此的經藏，所以引起了這樣的誤會。

在佛教的 《如是語經》二集中，有一段記載：
「我聞應供已說，世尊說此：『諸比丘，有無生、無有、無作、無為。
諸比丘！若無無生、無有、無作、無為，於此處 應不能知生、有、無、為之出離。
是故，諸比丘！有無生、無有、無作、無為。故應能知生、有、無、為之出離。』」

（This was said by the Lord...
"There is, bhikkhus, a not-born, a not-brought-to-being, a not-made, a not-conditioned. If, bhikkhus, there were no not-born, not-brought-to-being, not-made, not-conditioned, no escape would be discerned from what is born, brought-to-being, made, conditioned. But since there is a not-born, a not-brought-to-being, a not-made, a not-conditioned, therefore an escape is discerned from what is born, brought-to-being, made, conditioned."）

請參考：
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/iti /iti.2.042-049x.irel.html#iti-043（英文版本）
http://www.docin.com/p- 5747067.html（中文版本，在第90頁起）

由上文可知，在佛教當中，確實必須先有「無生」、「無有」、「無作」、「無為」… 等，
才能有「生」、「有」、「無」、「為」的出離，而獲得解脫。
事實上，這些詞彙也很適合用來描述上帝，這與許多基督教會的作家、教父所描述的上帝，非常相似。

在這裡，我們可以試著將基督教與佛陀偉大的概念相融合（我們相信這些概念絕對是從上帝那來的），
而得到這樣的理解：雖然真理是「無生」、「無有」、 「無作」、「無為」，但卻真實的「存在」，
而這種存在形式，就是愛。
也就是說，我們必須以「愛」的形式存在，而不是以（自私的）「人性」的形式存在，
這是上帝所啟示的，這也就是「聖三位一體」。

仿效「聖三位一體」的形式來生活，是人類之所以存在的使命。
上帝非常想要拯救我們，但是如果我們沒有這個意願，他就無法這麼做，
上帝不能強迫我們， 侵犯我們的自由，
然而，我們會發現，若沒有上帝，我們就不可能得救。

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Answer in English：

we must examine what does it mean by himself.
nobody can even survive by himself. or even he survives , he will be like animal, not human being.
we are human beings because we are not alone, e receive food, education, culture and love from others. so this, alone is not so proper.
but of course alone, for many people mean the responsibility, to do the proper thing by himself trying hard, without the need of a savior as many Christians believe. i saw this idea in some books and i hear in some conference. but i think it is a kind of cultural misunderstanding, and because of not studying deeper each other scriptures.

in the book Itivuttaka: The Group of Twos,

This was said by the Lord...
"There is, bhikkhus, a not-born, a not-brought-to-being, a not-made, a not-conditioned. If, bhikkhus, there were no not-born, not-brought-to-being, not-made, not-conditioned, no escape would be discerned from what is born, brought-to-being, made, conditioned. But since there is a not-born, a not-brought-to-being, a not-made, a not-conditioned, therefore an escape is discerned from what is born, brought-to-being, made, conditioned."
see here http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/iti/iti.2.042-049x.irel.html#...

so in buddhism still there is something needed. this not-born etc....
if this does not exist there is no way of salvation.
this is a very good term for god, who can be described like this . and actually is described like this in many christian writters and fathers of the church.

the integration of Christianity to the Buddha genius idea (which we strongly believe is from god) is that this, not born etc...we know a little bit more, is not-born, but exists and it is LOVE .
and to be love exists as persons, not as human persons we know but as He reviled to us. this is the holy trinity.
the responsibility of human beings exists. god wants very much to save me, but he CANNOT do it without my permission, he cannot force my freedom. but without him, as we see we cannot be saved.