「捨生取義」的佛教倫理學觀點

“Sacrificing One’s Life for Righteousness”: A Buddhist Ethics Perspective

本文旨在探討「捨生取義」的佛教倫理學觀點。
「義」主要是指「公義」。佛教對於「公義」有其自身的見解。佛典中最接近「捨生取義」的自殺是「捨身護法」，它雖然受到大乘佛教的推崇，卻沒有被視為不可推卸的道德義務，原因在於為義捨身現象的複雜性；此外，亦因對「公義」的道德判斷會隨時地和人心之變動而有所差異，故佛教倫理學並沒有將「捨生取義」貞定為定言令式的道德義務。
佛教認為世間的道德規範不過是「世俗常數」。因此相比起拳拳服膺於世間的道德規範和道德義務，佛教更重視道德實踐是否導向涅槃正道。所以在「正法」與「捨生取義」之間，佛教倫理學更看重前者，並以前者做為衡量後者的判準。

This article explores the concept of“sacrificing one’s life for righteousness”(shesheng quyi捨生取義) from the perspective of Buddhist ethics. In Chinese, the term yi義refers mainly to righteousness, yet Buddhism has its own understanding of the concept. In Buddhist scriptures,“sacrificing one’s life for righteousness”is closest to the idea of“relinquishing one’s body to protect the Dharma”(sheshen hufa捨身護法). Although the latter may be highly praised within Mahāyāna Buddhism, such an act is not regarded as a necessary moral obligation because of its complexity. Thus, Buddhist ethics does not define“sacrificing one’s life for righteousness”as a categorical moral imperative. Buddhism believes that moral norms in the mundane world are nothing more than“secular constants”(shisu changsu世俗常數). Therefore, in comparison with adhering faithfully to mundane ethical norms and obligations, Buddhism attaches greater importance to whether moral practice will lead one on the correct path to Nirvana. This is why, between the true Dharma and“sacrificing one’s life for righteousness,”Buddhist ethics places greater value on the former and uses it as the criterion for evaluating the latter.