農(nóng)歷十二月初八，是本師釋迦牟尼佛成道日，也是我國民間的臘八節(jié)。
The Fundamental Teacher ?ākyamuni Buddha’s Enlightenment Day is celebrated at the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month of the Chinese calendar; this day also coincides with the traditional Laba Festival.
經(jīng)論中記載，佛陀成道前，經(jīng)六年苦行，骨瘦如柴，以致暈倒在尼連禪河畔。在接受一位牧羊女供養(yǎng)的乳糜之后，恢復(fù)了體力，于菩提樹下，悟道成佛。中國佛教徒依禪宗之習(xí)，于十二月初八，以谷米和果物等煮粥供佛。
As recorded in the Buddhist scriptures, ?ākyamuni Buddha spent six years for ascetic practice before enlightenment, which caused him to be reduced to skin and bones, falling in a faint at the bank of Niranjana. Later, he regained strength after eating rice gruel made from milk, offered by a shepherd girl. Sitting under a bodhi tree, he awakened to the Way and attained supreme enlightenment. On this day, the Chinese Buddhists, following the tradition of the Chan school, make congee with grains, dried dates, nuts, and so on as an offering to the Buddha.
《佛本行集經(jīng)·成無上道品》云：“明星將欲初出現(xiàn)時，夜尚寂靜，一切眾生行與不行，皆未覺寤。是時婆伽婆，即生智見，成阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。” 二千五百多年前那個寂靜的夜晚，在一棵未來將舉世聞名的菩提樹下，今天被世人尊稱為釋迦牟尼佛的喬達(dá)摩·悉達(dá)多王子，在禪定中降伏了一切的煩惱，證悟了一切的真理。
The “Chapter of Attaining Unsurpassed Enlightenment” of the Abhini?krama?a Sūtra states, “The night was silent before a bright star was about to emerge. All sentient beings, practicing and not practicing, were not awakened. At that very moment, the bhagavat developed insight and attained the supreme, perfect enlightenment.” In that evening 2,500 years ago, under a bodhi tree that was about to be known all over the world, Prince Siddhārtha Gautama, who would soon be respectfully referred to as ?ākyamuni Buddha, tamed all afflictions in meditative concentration and realized the ultimate truth of everything.
此時黎明將至，一顆啟明星正在東方天際閃耀，佛陀感嘆：“真是奇妙啊！原來一切眾生都如此智慧，正和我所證悟到的一樣，只是心靈被妄想執(zhí)著的黑暗蒙蔽，因此看不到真相。”
The daylight was about to break, and a morning star was shining in the east sky. The Buddha exclaimed, “Strange indeed! All living beings have the same wisdom as what I just realized, yet they could not perceive this truth because their minds are clouded by the darkness of delusion and attachments.”
從這一天起，慈悲偉大的佛陀，以永不停歇的腳步，將自己對于宇宙人生終極意義的證悟傳遞給所有眾生，為沉淪苦海的眾生開演出八萬四千法門，無論貧富貴賤、凡圣智愚，都能夠遠(yuǎn)離貪婪、仇恨和無知的煩惱，獲得清涼、慈悲、智慧的快樂，走上離苦得樂、究竟解脫的大道。
From that day on, the great and compassionate Buddha started teaching all sentient beings, without stop, his knowledge about the ultimate truth of the universe and life. He teaches 84,000 dharma gates to sentient beings who are trapped in the ocean of suffering, so that people, rich or poor, wise or unwise, holy or mundane, are all able to stay away from afflictions brought about by craving, hatred, and ignorance, obtain the joy of tranquility, compassion, and wisdom, and embark on the great path towards elimination of sufferings, attainment of happiness, and realization of ultimate liberation.
