- 文：編輯部出處：解惑篇期數：334期2018年7月
客問：當我在不清楚的情況下，辦了放生活動，結果牠們死了，我是不是造業了？
解惑篇──生活漫談 ／雲老禪師主答 英譯．陳曌
1、客問：當我在不清楚的情況下，辦了放生活動，結果牠們死了，我是不是造業了？
Q: If I get involved with some ‘save a life’ activities but caused the animal(s) to die due to my lack of understanding, have I committed evil deeds?
師答：如果你是放生活動的發起人，你就必須負很大的責任，絕不能說你不清楚，你既然要發起放生活動，就必須去瞭解有關事項。
A: If you are the organizer of the activity, the onus is on you. There is no excuse to say that you didn’t know better. As the organizer, it is your duty to make sure that you know exactly what you are doing.
２、客問：做生意人每月拜拜為什麼？
Q: Why do business people pray to the gods every month?
師答：做生意在門口拜拜有二個對象，一是拜土地公，在臺灣、福建中國南邊沿海一帶有此風俗，因為人生長於土地，依靠於土地，連腳所站的也是，所以每月初二、十六或初一、十五設案拜拜，此其一；另一則是拜天上之財神，因為天的福報最大，祈福之意希望有福氣，拜天道以財神為對象，真正的目的在此，在民間只是一種傳統，拜什麼也不知道，反正拿著香拜拜，有時燒些金紙。
學佛人無所謂拜不拜，有人問我，我的看法是：如果自己能作主，沒有長輩干涉，不拜可以；如果家中沒問題，擔心左右街坊鄰居講閒話，對此有罣礙顧慮，那最好還是照著做，如果這些都覺得沒有關係，不拜也無所謂；那麼把初一、十五的這種拜拜回復到在佛堂，甚至還可以順便拜拜自己的祖先，不是更好嗎？當然還是要看個人的環境，比方上有長輩，已成習慣之作法，改變會使他們不歡喜，則不宜堅持自己是學佛人不拜這些，這也不是學佛人所該有的作法；惟莫用雞魚鴨肉拜，用素食即可，目前在臺灣有一好處，拜拜已提倡漸漸改用素食，而且不會有人講閒話，可見佛教日漸普遍了，做很多事都比較方便。
A: Business people make offerings in front of their shops every month for two purposes: First, they pray to the Earth Deity, a common practice in Taiwan, as well as places along the coastal areas in southern China. These people generally live off the land and rely on land. The land is their support. Offerings are made on the second and sixteenth day, or the first and fifteenth day of each month. The second target for the offering is the Heavenly God of Wealth. Heaven is regarded as most blessed. It is hoped that with the offering, Heaven can bring them good luck. Among the Heavenly deities, the God of Wealth is most popular. This is part of the tradition. To many, the real reason why they it remains obscured. Many do it simply because others are doing it.
For Buddhists, such practice caries little insignificant. When people asked me this question, I usually tell them: If you have a choice and if family elders have no objection, one may do away with it. But if one is worried about what neighbours might say or fear any possible repercussions, they may carry on with the practice. However, they can also change the offerings to coincide on the first and fifteenth day of each month and do it at the family shrine or ancestral altar. This way, prayers can also be offered to one’s forebears. Of course, all these depends on one’s family circumstance. If a change in practice is going to upset family elders, it is best to continue the old ways. As a Buddhist, one must not go against the wishes of other family members. The only thing to bear in mind is that food offerings must not contain any meat. Vegetarian dishes are more appropriate. One positive trend in Taiwan these days is that vegetarianism is becoming more widespread and popular, making the change much easier.
