Summary
s.1In The Questions of Bhadrapāla the Merchant, the Buddha’s principal interlocutor is a wealthy merchant who asks him to explain what consciousness is, and what happens to it when one dies and is reborn. In his characterization of consciousness, the Buddha relies heavily on the use of analogies drawn from nature. The sūtra also reflects common cultural beliefs of ancient India, such as spirit possession. In addition, it presents graphic and vividly contrasting descriptions of rebirth in the realms of the gods for those who have lived meritorious lives and in the realms of hell for those who lack merit.
s.1在《賢護長者所問經》中，佛陀的主要對話人是一位富有的長者，他請求佛陀解釋識是什麼，以及人死亡和投生時識會發生什麼。在對識的特徵描述中，佛陀大量使用了從自然界汲取的比喻。這部經典也反映了古代印度的普遍文化信念，例如鬼神附身。此外，它還對於那些過著有福德生活的人投生到天神之境和那些缺乏福德的人投生到地獄的情形，進行了圖像般生動而鮮明的對比描述。