人是否擁有自由意志？此問題向來為西方哲學界所重視，近年來， 西方佛教學者亦試圖從佛教文本中，探討佛教對此一問題的看法。如學 者依據南傳佛教的教義，認為佛說「無我」，就是否定了自由意志存在 的可能性，佛陀所教導的，是「意志的自由」，因此佛教徒認同選擇和 責任的存在。若就大乘佛教言，學者認為大乘經典中，並未直接討論「意 志是否受限於先前因緣」的問題，大乘佛教徒所重視的，是如何走向解 脫道以追求「原初的自由」。 

    本文則認為，華嚴宗的「性起」思想，就是對自由意志存在的肯定； 而眾生心之所以無法任運自在，乃因眾生本覺真心受無明遮障，致使「真 心性起」轉成「妄心緣起」之故，眾生也因此有了對「我」及「我所」 的執著；故依華嚴思想，「無我」並非是對自由意志的否定，而是修行 人在破除無明，生起自由意志之前，應該努力的目標。

    對於緣起，華嚴宗又將其分為「染緣起」及「淨緣起」。若眾生隨 順「染緣起」，就會迷失本心，產生我執及法執，因此心生煩惱並造業 受報，於三界六道中輪轉不已。唯有隨順淨緣起，眾生才有可能以清淨心及清淨行翻轉業果，淨除我、法二執，遠離煩惱，逐步地改善心的狀 態，終究有一天能證得我、法二空得心自在，這就是華嚴宗所說的自由。

    The question whether humans possess free will has long claimed the center stage of Western philosophy. In recent years, western Buddhist scholars try to answer thise question from the Buddhist perspective. According to the Theravada tradition, anatman, or selflessness, as proposed by Buddha himself, denies the possibility of free will. What Buddha advocates instead is the freedom of will, which guarantees the existence of choice and responsibility. Whereas in the Mahayana tradition, the question whether our will is bound by previous conditions is not explicitly discussed. The practitioners of Mahayana Buddhism focus mainly on the path of liberation to attain the primordial freedom.

    This paper argues that the idea of“nature arising”(hsing-ch'i 性起) by the Hua Yen School affirms the existence of free will. Sentient beings, however, with their true mind blinded by ignorance, could not exercise their free will. Nature arising of the true mind degenerates itself into the dependent arising of the delusional mind. The sense of “I” and “mine” is thus further consolidated. Therefore, according to the Hua Yen thought, anatman, or selflessness, is not the denial of free will. Rather, it is the goal to be strived for before practitioners attain enlightenment and free will

    According to Hua Yen Shool, there are two types of“dependent arising” (yuan-ch'i 緣起), the first is “transcendental dependent arising” (jing yuan-ch'i 淨緣起), and the second “mundane dependent arising.”(rǎn yuan-ch'i 染緣起) By subjecting themselves to the mundane dependent arising, sentient beings hold the reality of the ego(我執), and the reality of dharma(法執) to be true, and thereby fall under the influence of their karma and samsara in the six realms. By observing transcendental dependent arising, practitioners can gradually be released from the distress and karma by the undefiled mind and act, and finally attain the emptiness of the ego, and the emptiness of the dharma. This is the ultimate freedom suggested by the Hua Yen School.

自由意志、性起、緣起、染緣起、淨緣起。

Free will, nature arising, dependent arising, mundane dependent arising, transcendental dependent arising