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佛骨

Buddha's Bone

作者：谢德华   (By Edward Short)

    1986年5月，在中国陕西省扶风镇的法门寺，有很大的发现。对考古学家，历史学家和佛教徒而言，是个鼓舞人心的消息。

    法门寺建于东汉时期，是佛教从印度被传到中国不久以后建造的。法门寺曾经被毁坏过一次，后来又修复好了。有一段很长的时间，很多人前往法门寺烧香拜佛。直到，第十世纪时（宋朝时期），法门寺才慢慢地没落。1981年4月，因为地震大雨，法门寺的部分建筑倒塌了。

    1986年重建庙宇时，工人发现古老的地窖，是公元874年，唐朝时代的和尚封了的一个地窖；一千多年间没有人打开过的。考古学家和佛教徒想知道这个地窖里藏着什么秘密，古董和宝物。他们就打开了那一千多年来没有开过的门，进了阴暗的小房间。

    在地窖墙壁上有个小洞，洞里头有个小盒子。盒子是铁做的。事实上，盒子是个小棺材，用金色的丝巾包着。外壳雕了45个佛像和几个中国字。棺材里头另有三个盒子。第一个是檀香木做的；檀香木盒子里头有个水晶玻璃盒子，盒子两边饰有宝石和珍珠。最后，玻璃盒子里头是个玉盒子。令人惊讶的是玉盒子里装的是一根发霉泛黄的手指骨头。

    经过仔细的调查研究以后，中国佛教协会主席，赵朴初宣布说：小棺材里头的宝物和棺材外面雕刻的字，一致地证明小盒子里装的是一根释迦牟尼的手指骨头！

    我相信全世界佛教徒聆听此消息时，他们高兴得不得了！但是，这个消息带给基督徒的造就和鼓励却更大！释迦牟尼死了，埋葬了；他的骨头保留至今。但是，耶稣基督却不然。虽然耶稣也死了，埋葬了。不同的一点是耶稣复活了！《圣经》记载着告诉我们说：“他没有被撇在阴间；他的肉体也没有腐烂。这位耶稣，上帝已经使他复活了…”（新约《圣经》使徒行转2:31-32）。

    耶稣复活了！不论是考古学家，历史学家，基督徒或非基督徒，没有人能够找到耶稣的骨头！他复活了！他的骨头不再在坟墓里头！耶稣胜过死亡！死亡和复活的权柄都在乎耶稣。朋友，释迦牟尼是一位伟人，佛教徒也很虔诚，但是他们敬拜一位过世的人。基督徒呢？基督徒敬拜一位复活了的，永远活着的救主。

欢迎您学习

耶稣基督的教训和真理。

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      A very unusual discovery was made in May of 1986 in the Famen Temple in Fufeng County, Shaanxi Province of China.  This is about 118 km from  Xi’an where the famous terra cotta soldiers from the Chin Dynasty were unearthed in 1974.  The discovery gave archaeologists, historians and Buddhists much excitement.

       The Famen Temple was built between A.D. 200-300, but was later destroyed and rebuilt.  The temple was very prominent for a lengthy period of Chinese history and it gained favor and support of royalty, high-ranking officials and celebrities. After the 10^th century the temple began to fade into obscurity however.  Many centuries passed, and finally an earthquake and heavy rainfall caused the temple to partially collapse in 1981.  The Chinese government decided to rebuild the temple however, and during the process, in April of 1986, a large crypt was discovered.  This crypt had been sealed in A.D. 874 and left undisturbed for over one thousand years.  How the archaeologists and Buddhists alike wondered what secrets, antiques and relics the crypt might contain!

     According to the Beijing Review (Sept. 7, 1987), Ling Yuan described in detail what was found inside the crypt.  The archaeologists found a niche in the rear chamber, and inside it was a small iron casket, wrapped in gold colored silk.   The outer most casket was decorated with 45 gilded images of Buddha and engraved with elegant Chinese characters.  When the casket was opened, a smaller sandalwood box was revealed inside.  Further in, there was a crystal box inlaid with a yellow gem at one end and a blue gem at the other, each surrounded by pearls.  Lastly a jade box was removed.  When the jade box was opened on May 10, 1986, archaeologists found in it four bones of yellowish‑white color and stained with mildew.  And what were these bones? 

     After intense examination, three of the four bones were determined to be "sacred copies" of the real thing.  But the fourth bone was accepted by Zhao Puchu, chairman of the Chinese Buddhists' Association, as the true finger bone of Siddhartha Gautama (Sakyamuni), the Buddha and founder of Buddhism, who died about 483 B.C.  Zhao confirmed to the modern world what the inscription on the outer casket had stated, "this precious casket which contains the genuine finger bone of Sakyamuni is presented by the Tang Emperor."

      I’m confident that it is very edifying to Buddhists all over the world that one mildewed bone from one finger of the founder of their religion has been unearthed in China, but this discovery makes Christians very happy also.  In fact, the truth of the discovery is at once obvious to Christians:  Buddha died, was buried and his bones are with us to this day.  Jesus, on the other hand, "was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption"; his bones have never been and will never be found because God raised him from the dead!  By overcoming death Jesus proved that he is the Son of God (Romans 1:4), that he himself had no sin (Romans 6:23) and that he can forgive the sins of others (Acts 13:37, 38).  Jesus’ resurrection proves that Christians need not fear death as other people do (1 Timothy 4:6‑8), and that all people will one day be judged by the God of this universe (Acts 17:31).  Siddhartha Gautama was a great person, and many Buddhists are very sincere in their religion, but the truth is that Buddhists worship a dead man.  Christians on the other hand worship a resurrected and living Savior!

      Please consider the impact on your own life the resurrection of Jesus can make!  Become a Christian!