Sunday, May 23, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
猶太/基督教中的輪迴說
早在公元前的《死海古卷》中就記載著昆蘭厄賽派 (Qumran Essenes) 猶太人等待《創世記》中的大祭司麥基洗德再次轉世重臨之盼望，新約《希伯來書》耶穌為大祭司麥基洗德之說正正是為了呼應此厄賽派古老傳說。
第一世紀猶太史學家約瑟夫 (Flavius Josephus) 的記錄中可見當時猶太教三大支派中的厄賽派 (Essenes) 和法利賽派均相信一如畢達哥拉斯的輪迴轉世之說，即除了撒都該派，如此說《使徒行傳》23:8 的「撒都該人說沒有復活」一說某程度是要突顯撒都該人有別於當時其他猶太人和基督徒般信奉輪迴（復活）之意。
影響著古今整個基督教的第二世紀教父俄利根 (Origen) 就相信靈魂會因著前生所作的善惡而得著今生不同的果，且無始無終地不斷輪轉下去，此說在正統教會一直流傳了三百年之久，遲至第六世紀東羅馬帝國皇帝查士丁尼一世 (Justinian I) 才設法將教父俄利根之說定為異端，並拘禁當時支持此說的教皇維吉利 (Vigilius) ，當中提出否定輪迴說的首要原因為「惟恐輪迴說會削弱基督救贖的重要」。
此外，教父愛任紐就指出靈知派導師卡珀奎提斯 (Carpocrates) 主張人籍著輪迴中體驗更多不同經歷從而達至救贖之說。
早期基督教中嚴守律法及持素食的雅各派後人以便尼派 (Ebionites) ，在他們的經典《革利免講道集》中就曾描述太初的「真先知」阿當不斷輪迴轉世並成為耶穌，節錄如下：
祂自太初不斷更換自己的形態和名字，
週而復始地在世上顯現，
直到屬於祂的時候到來，
祂將得到神的恩慈之膏立，
使祂永遠地得享安息。
猶太教中的輪迴說希伯來文為 Gilgul ha Neshamot （意為靈魂的輪轉），引伸自《申命記》25:5-10, 33:6 和《以賽亞書》22:14, 65:6，為歷代主流猶太教中的信仰，在猶太秘學重要經典《光輝之書》(Sefer ha Zohar) 有這樣的描述：
若一個人未曾完成他來世的目的，
至聖者將會將他連根拔起，
並且一次又一次的重新秧種他。
......
靈魂皆要輪轉，人們卻不懂神聖一位所設的法則。
他們不知道來世前和離世後皆要接受判決，
他們不知道自己還有多次的轉世和事情要經歷，
也不知道在另外世界沒有進入神殿的赤裸靈魂之數量。
人們亦不知道靈魂有如石頭被投石器投擲後旋轉。
然而時候將至這一切奧秘將被揭示。
近代猶太秘學創始人十六世紀的拉比以撒盧利亞 (Isaac Luria) 在其作品《輪轉之門》 (Shaar ha Gilgulim) 解說到萬有皆在阿當的宇宙一靈 (Neshamah Klalit) 之中，自他首罪後他的靈始分裂並輪轉為地上眾生，當中摩西為該隱和塞特之轉世，《民數記》打驢的巴蘭和大衛時代的拿單為雅各母舅拉班之轉世等。經過生生世世的輪轉，眾生最後將會重新結合成一如太初之一靈。
如何從此無間輪轉迷宮中逃脫就是靈知派救贖觀的重點。在《拿戈瑪第古本》的《抗衡者多馬之書》中使徒多馬作為耶穌的「雙生兒」領受祂的教導，以擺脫肉體枷鎖以逃出物質界為中心思想，結尾禱文如下：
謹守及祈求你自己別再以肉身再生，
寧願你脫離生命痛苦的束縛。
當你禱告，你將找著歇息，
因你已放下痛苦和屈辱。
當你脫離了痛苦和肉體情慾，
你將從至善者得著歇息，
且與王共治，與祂結合在一起，
從今時直到永遠，阿門。
同自《拿戈瑪第古本》的《約翰秘傳之書》耶穌在使徒約翰的異象中提及以跟隨引導者（另一生命之靈在其中的靈魂）脫離輪轉的方法：
（約翰）我問：「主啊，靈魂怎樣收縮從而返回母腹中？」
祂為著我的提問而欣笑，
並回答說：「你是切實地蒙福的，因著你已悟明了。
靈魂該去跟隨另一生命之靈在其中的靈魂，
它會因此而得到救贖，從此不用再進入另一肉身中。」
在猶太教中流傳著當人在彌留之際默想舍姬娜 (Shekhinah) 並跟隨她的話，此人就能直接返回光那裡不用繼續輪迴之苦，這與耶穌在《約翰秘傳之書》所說的「跟隨另一生命之靈在其中的靈魂」可是接近。
耶穌的到來就是作為光指示我們脫出輪迴迷宮的出路，喚醒那一直在沈睡中的真我從而得著「靈知」，以此回到我們原自之處 — 永恆的光之中。此救贖不僅是「因信稱義」的他力救贖，更是著重內在真我覺醒的自力救贖，明燈在黑暗中為我們燃亮，然而我們仍然需要靠著自己的雙腳走出黑暗。在《約翰秘傳之書》就曾詳述此以喚醒沈睡中眾人之救贖說，當中耶穌指自己乃在第三次降臨時來到「下界」（人間），暗示著自己為童貞的靈芭碧羅 (Barbelo) 披帶耶穌的第三次降臨：
我是住在那光中之光，
我是神的眷顧 (Pronoia) ，
並來到黑暗和下界之中。
我以他們次元者的光作偽裝，
籍此來到牢獄之中，那就是眾人的肉身。
我喊到：「但凡聽到的，就讓他從沉睡中醒來吧。」
流著苦澀淚水的他回答說：「誰在呼喊我的名字？
我既已被囚禁在這牢獄中，還有何希望可言呢？」
我便說：「我是無瑕光的眷顧，
我是童貞靈的意念，
那將你提昇至榮耀之處的。
起來並記得你已被聽見，跟從你的根源，
那就是我，恩慈的一位。
保守你自己免被貧乏的天使和混沌的魔鬼綑綁你。
提防進入沉睡和下界的圍困。」
我把他喚醒，
並以五封印之光和水封印他，
死亡自此在他身上再無作為。
第一世紀猶太史學家約瑟夫 (Flavius Josephus) 的記錄中可見當時猶太教三大支派中的厄賽派 (Essenes) 和法利賽派均相信一如畢達哥拉斯的輪迴轉世之說，即除了撒都該派，如此說《使徒行傳》23:8 的「撒都該人說沒有復活」一說某程度是要突顯撒都該人有別於當時其他猶太人和基督徒般信奉輪迴（復活）之意。
影響著古今整個基督教的第二世紀教父俄利根 (Origen) 就相信靈魂會因著前生所作的善惡而得著今生不同的果，且無始無終地不斷輪轉下去，此說在正統教會一直流傳了三百年之久，遲至第六世紀東羅馬帝國皇帝查士丁尼一世 (Justinian I) 才設法將教父俄利根之說定為異端，並拘禁當時支持此說的教皇維吉利 (Vigilius) ，當中提出否定輪迴說的首要原因為「惟恐輪迴說會削弱基督救贖的重要」。
此外，教父愛任紐就指出靈知派導師卡珀奎提斯 (Carpocrates) 主張人籍著輪迴中體驗更多不同經歷從而達至救贖之說。
早期基督教中嚴守律法及持素食的雅各派後人以便尼派 (Ebionites) ，在他們的經典《革利免講道集》中就曾描述太初的「真先知」阿當不斷輪迴轉世並成為耶穌，節錄如下：
祂自太初不斷更換自己的形態和名字，
週而復始地在世上顯現，
直到屬於祂的時候到來，
祂將得到神的恩慈之膏立，
使祂永遠地得享安息。
猶太教中的輪迴說希伯來文為 Gilgul ha Neshamot （意為靈魂的輪轉），引伸自《申命記》25:5-10, 33:6 和《以賽亞書》22:14, 65:6，為歷代主流猶太教中的信仰，在猶太秘學重要經典《光輝之書》(Sefer ha Zohar) 有這樣的描述：
若一個人未曾完成他來世的目的，
至聖者將會將他連根拔起，
並且一次又一次的重新秧種他。
......
靈魂皆要輪轉，人們卻不懂神聖一位所設的法則。
他們不知道來世前和離世後皆要接受判決，
他們不知道自己還有多次的轉世和事情要經歷，
也不知道在另外世界沒有進入神殿的赤裸靈魂之數量。
人們亦不知道靈魂有如石頭被投石器投擲後旋轉。
然而時候將至這一切奧秘將被揭示。
近代猶太秘學創始人十六世紀的拉比以撒盧利亞 (Isaac Luria) 在其作品《輪轉之門》 (Shaar ha Gilgulim) 解說到萬有皆在阿當的宇宙一靈 (Neshamah Klalit) 之中，自他首罪後他的靈始分裂並輪轉為地上眾生，當中摩西為該隱和塞特之轉世，《民數記》打驢的巴蘭和大衛時代的拿單為雅各母舅拉班之轉世等。經過生生世世的輪轉，眾生最後將會重新結合成一如太初之一靈。
如何從此無間輪轉迷宮中逃脫就是靈知派救贖觀的重點。在《拿戈瑪第古本》的《抗衡者多馬之書》中使徒多馬作為耶穌的「雙生兒」領受祂的教導，以擺脫肉體枷鎖以逃出物質界為中心思想，結尾禱文如下：
謹守及祈求你自己別再以肉身再生，
寧願你脫離生命痛苦的束縛。
當你禱告，你將找著歇息，
因你已放下痛苦和屈辱。
當你脫離了痛苦和肉體情慾，
你將從至善者得著歇息，
且與王共治，與祂結合在一起，
從今時直到永遠，阿門。
同自《拿戈瑪第古本》的《約翰秘傳之書》耶穌在使徒約翰的異象中提及以跟隨引導者（另一生命之靈在其中的靈魂）脫離輪轉的方法：
（約翰）我問：「主啊，靈魂怎樣收縮從而返回母腹中？」
祂為著我的提問而欣笑，
並回答說：「你是切實地蒙福的，因著你已悟明了。
靈魂該去跟隨另一生命之靈在其中的靈魂，
它會因此而得到救贖，從此不用再進入另一肉身中。」
在猶太教中流傳著當人在彌留之際默想舍姬娜 (Shekhinah) 並跟隨她的話，此人就能直接返回光那裡不用繼續輪迴之苦，這與耶穌在《約翰秘傳之書》所說的「跟隨另一生命之靈在其中的靈魂」可是接近。
耶穌的到來就是作為光指示我們脫出輪迴迷宮的出路，喚醒那一直在沈睡中的真我從而得著「靈知」，以此回到我們原自之處 — 永恆的光之中。此救贖不僅是「因信稱義」的他力救贖，更是著重內在真我覺醒的自力救贖，明燈在黑暗中為我們燃亮，然而我們仍然需要靠著自己的雙腳走出黑暗。在《約翰秘傳之書》就曾詳述此以喚醒沈睡中眾人之救贖說，當中耶穌指自己乃在第三次降臨時來到「下界」（人間），暗示著自己為童貞的靈芭碧羅 (Barbelo) 披帶耶穌的第三次降臨：
我是住在那光中之光，
我是神的眷顧 (Pronoia) ，
並來到黑暗和下界之中。
我以他們次元者的光作偽裝，
籍此來到牢獄之中，那就是眾人的肉身。
我喊到：「但凡聽到的，就讓他從沉睡中醒來吧。」
流著苦澀淚水的他回答說：「誰在呼喊我的名字？
我既已被囚禁在這牢獄中，還有何希望可言呢？」
我便說：「我是無瑕光的眷顧，
我是童貞靈的意念，
那將你提昇至榮耀之處的。
起來並記得你已被聽見，跟從你的根源，
那就是我，恩慈的一位。
保守你自己免被貧乏的天使和混沌的魔鬼綑綁你。
提防進入沉睡和下界的圍困。」
我把他喚醒，
並以五封印之光和水封印他，
死亡自此在他身上再無作為。
猶太/基督教中的輪迴說
早在公元前的《死海古卷》中就記載著昆蘭厄賽派 (Qumran Essenes) 猶太人等待《創世記》中的大祭司麥基洗德再次轉世重臨之盼望，新約《希伯來書》耶穌為大祭司麥基洗德之說正正是為了呼應此厄賽派古老傳說。
第一世紀猶太史學家約瑟夫 (Flavius Josephus) 的記錄中可見當時猶太教三大支派中的厄賽派 (Essenes) 和法利賽派均相信一如畢達哥拉斯的輪迴轉世之說，即除了撒都該派，如此說《使徒行傳》23:8 的「撒都該人說沒有復活」一說某程度是要突顯撒都該人有別於當時其他猶太人和基督徒般信奉輪迴（復活）之意。
影響著古今整個基督教的第二世紀教父俄利根 (Origen) 就相信靈魂會因著前生所作的善惡而得著今生不同的果，且無始無終地不斷輪轉下去，此說在正統教會一直流傳了三百年之久，遲至第六世紀東羅馬帝國皇帝查士丁尼一世 (Justinian I) 才設法將教父俄利根之說定為異端，並拘禁當時支持此說的教皇維吉利 (Vigilius) ，當中提出否定輪迴說的首要原因為「惟恐輪迴說會削弱基督救贖的重要」。
此外，教父愛任紐就指出靈知派導師卡珀奎提斯 (Carpocrates) 主張人籍著輪迴中體驗更多不同經歷從而達至救贖之說。
早期基督教中嚴守律法及持素食的雅各派後人以便尼派 (Ebionites) ，在他們的經典《革利免講道集》中就曾描述太初的「真先知」阿當不斷輪迴轉世並成為耶穌，節錄如下：
祂自太初不斷更換自己的形態和名字，
週而復始地在世上顯現，
直到屬於祂的時候到來，
祂將得到神的恩慈之膏立，
使祂永遠地得享安息。
猶太教中的輪迴說希伯來文為 Gilgul ha Neshamot （意為靈魂的輪轉），引伸自《申命記》25:5-10, 33:6 和《以賽亞書》22:14, 65:6，為歷代主流猶太教中的信仰，在猶太秘學重要經典《光輝之書》(Sefer ha Zohar) 有這樣的描述：
若一個人未曾完成他來世的目的，
至聖者將會將他連根拔起，
並且一次又一次的重新秧種他。
......
靈魂皆要輪轉，人們卻不懂神聖一位所設的法則。
他們不知道來世前和離世後皆要接受判決，
他們不知道自己還有多次的轉世和事情要經歷，
也不知道在另外世界沒有進入神殿的赤裸靈魂之數量。
人們亦不知道靈魂有如石頭被投石器投擲後旋轉。
然而時候將至這一切奧秘將被揭示。
近代猶太秘學創始人十六世紀的拉比以撒盧利亞 (Isaac Luria) 在其作品《輪轉之門》 (Shaar ha Gilgulim) 解說到萬有皆在阿當的宇宙一靈 (Neshamah Klalit) 之中，自他首罪後他的靈始分裂並輪轉為地上眾生，當中摩西為該隱和塞特之轉世，《民數記》打驢的巴蘭和大衛時代的拿單為雅各母舅拉班之轉世等。經過生生世世的輪轉，眾生最後將會重新結合成一如太初之一靈。
如何從此無間輪轉迷宮中逃脫就是靈知派救贖觀的重點。在《拿戈瑪第古本》的《抗衡者多馬之書》中使徒多馬作為耶穌的「雙生兒」領受祂的教導，以擺脫肉體枷鎖以逃出物質界為中心思想，結尾禱文如下：
謹守及祈求你自己別再以肉身再生，
寧願你脫離生命痛苦的束縛。
當你禱告，你將找著歇息，
因你已放下痛苦和屈辱。
當你脫離了痛苦和肉體情慾，
你將從至善者得著歇息，
且與王共治，與祂結合在一起，
從今時直到永遠，阿門。
同自《拿戈瑪第古本》的《約翰秘傳之書》耶穌在使徒約翰的異象中提及以跟隨引導者（另一生命之靈在其中的靈魂）脫離輪轉的方法：
（約翰）我問：「主啊，靈魂怎樣收縮從而返回母腹中？」
祂為著我的提問而欣笑，
並回答說：「你是切實地蒙福的，因著你已悟明了。
靈魂該去跟隨另一生命之靈在其中的靈魂，
它會因此而得到救贖，從此不用再進入另一肉身中。」
在猶太教中流傳著當人在彌留之際默想舍姬娜 (Shekhinah) 並跟隨她的話，此人就能直接返回光那裡不用繼續輪迴之苦，這與耶穌在《約翰秘傳之書》所說的「跟隨另一生命之靈在其中的靈魂」可是接近。
耶穌的到來就是作為光指示我們脫出輪迴迷宮的出路，喚醒那一直在沈睡中的真我從而得著「靈知」，以此回到我們原自之處 — 永恆的光之中。此救贖不僅是「因信稱義」的他力救贖，更是著重內在真我覺醒的自力救贖，明燈在黑暗中為我們燃亮，然而我們仍然需要靠著自己的雙腳走出黑暗。在《約翰秘傳之書》就曾詳述此以喚醒沈睡中眾人之救贖說，當中耶穌指自己乃在第三次降臨時來到「下界」（人間），暗示著自己為童貞的靈芭碧羅 (Barbelo) 披帶耶穌的第三次降臨：
我是住在那光中之光，
我是神的眷顧 (Pronoia) ，
並來到黑暗和下界之中。
我以他們次元者的光作偽裝，
籍此來到牢獄之中，那就是眾人的肉身。
我喊到：「但凡聽到的，就讓他從沉睡中醒來吧。」
流著苦澀淚水的他回答說：「誰在呼喊我的名字？
我既已被囚禁在這牢獄中，還有何希望可言呢？」
我便說：「我是無瑕光的眷顧，
我是童貞靈的意念，
那將你提昇至榮耀之處的。
起來並記得你已被聽見，跟從你的根源，
那就是我，恩慈的一位。
保守你自己免被貧乏的天使和混沌的魔鬼綑綁你。
提防進入沉睡和下界的圍困。」
我把他喚醒，
並以五封印之光和水封印他，
死亡自此在他身上再無作為。
第一世紀猶太史學家約瑟夫 (Flavius Josephus) 的記錄中可見當時猶太教三大支派中的厄賽派 (Essenes) 和法利賽派均相信一如畢達哥拉斯的輪迴轉世之說，即除了撒都該派，如此說《使徒行傳》23:8 的「撒都該人說沒有復活」一說某程度是要突顯撒都該人有別於當時其他猶太人和基督徒般信奉輪迴（復活）之意。
影響著古今整個基督教的第二世紀教父俄利根 (Origen) 就相信靈魂會因著前生所作的善惡而得著今生不同的果，且無始無終地不斷輪轉下去，此說在正統教會一直流傳了三百年之久，遲至第六世紀東羅馬帝國皇帝查士丁尼一世 (Justinian I) 才設法將教父俄利根之說定為異端，並拘禁當時支持此說的教皇維吉利 (Vigilius) ，當中提出否定輪迴說的首要原因為「惟恐輪迴說會削弱基督救贖的重要」。
此外，教父愛任紐就指出靈知派導師卡珀奎提斯 (Carpocrates) 主張人籍著輪迴中體驗更多不同經歷從而達至救贖之說。
早期基督教中嚴守律法及持素食的雅各派後人以便尼派 (Ebionites) ，在他們的經典《革利免講道集》中就曾描述太初的「真先知」阿當不斷輪迴轉世並成為耶穌，節錄如下：
祂自太初不斷更換自己的形態和名字，
週而復始地在世上顯現，
直到屬於祂的時候到來，
祂將得到神的恩慈之膏立，
使祂永遠地得享安息。
猶太教中的輪迴說希伯來文為 Gilgul ha Neshamot （意為靈魂的輪轉），引伸自《申命記》25:5-10, 33:6 和《以賽亞書》22:14, 65:6，為歷代主流猶太教中的信仰，在猶太秘學重要經典《光輝之書》(Sefer ha Zohar) 有這樣的描述：
若一個人未曾完成他來世的目的，
至聖者將會將他連根拔起，
並且一次又一次的重新秧種他。
......
靈魂皆要輪轉，人們卻不懂神聖一位所設的法則。
他們不知道來世前和離世後皆要接受判決，
他們不知道自己還有多次的轉世和事情要經歷，
也不知道在另外世界沒有進入神殿的赤裸靈魂之數量。
人們亦不知道靈魂有如石頭被投石器投擲後旋轉。
然而時候將至這一切奧秘將被揭示。
近代猶太秘學創始人十六世紀的拉比以撒盧利亞 (Isaac Luria) 在其作品《輪轉之門》 (Shaar ha Gilgulim) 解說到萬有皆在阿當的宇宙一靈 (Neshamah Klalit) 之中，自他首罪後他的靈始分裂並輪轉為地上眾生，當中摩西為該隱和塞特之轉世，《民數記》打驢的巴蘭和大衛時代的拿單為雅各母舅拉班之轉世等。經過生生世世的輪轉，眾生最後將會重新結合成一如太初之一靈。
如何從此無間輪轉迷宮中逃脫就是靈知派救贖觀的重點。在《拿戈瑪第古本》的《抗衡者多馬之書》中使徒多馬作為耶穌的「雙生兒」領受祂的教導，以擺脫肉體枷鎖以逃出物質界為中心思想，結尾禱文如下：
謹守及祈求你自己別再以肉身再生，
寧願你脫離生命痛苦的束縛。
當你禱告，你將找著歇息，
因你已放下痛苦和屈辱。
當你脫離了痛苦和肉體情慾，
你將從至善者得著歇息，
且與王共治，與祂結合在一起，
從今時直到永遠，阿門。
同自《拿戈瑪第古本》的《約翰秘傳之書》耶穌在使徒約翰的異象中提及以跟隨引導者（另一生命之靈在其中的靈魂）脫離輪轉的方法：
（約翰）我問：「主啊，靈魂怎樣收縮從而返回母腹中？」
祂為著我的提問而欣笑，
並回答說：「你是切實地蒙福的，因著你已悟明了。
靈魂該去跟隨另一生命之靈在其中的靈魂，
它會因此而得到救贖，從此不用再進入另一肉身中。」
在猶太教中流傳著當人在彌留之際默想舍姬娜 (Shekhinah) 並跟隨她的話，此人就能直接返回光那裡不用繼續輪迴之苦，這與耶穌在《約翰秘傳之書》所說的「跟隨另一生命之靈在其中的靈魂」可是接近。
耶穌的到來就是作為光指示我們脫出輪迴迷宮的出路，喚醒那一直在沈睡中的真我從而得著「靈知」，以此回到我們原自之處 — 永恆的光之中。此救贖不僅是「因信稱義」的他力救贖，更是著重內在真我覺醒的自力救贖，明燈在黑暗中為我們燃亮，然而我們仍然需要靠著自己的雙腳走出黑暗。在《約翰秘傳之書》就曾詳述此以喚醒沈睡中眾人之救贖說，當中耶穌指自己乃在第三次降臨時來到「下界」（人間），暗示著自己為童貞的靈芭碧羅 (Barbelo) 披帶耶穌的第三次降臨：
我是住在那光中之光，
我是神的眷顧 (Pronoia) ，
並來到黑暗和下界之中。
我以他們次元者的光作偽裝，
籍此來到牢獄之中，那就是眾人的肉身。
我喊到：「但凡聽到的，就讓他從沉睡中醒來吧。」
流著苦澀淚水的他回答說：「誰在呼喊我的名字？
我既已被囚禁在這牢獄中，還有何希望可言呢？」
我便說：「我是無瑕光的眷顧，
我是童貞靈的意念，
那將你提昇至榮耀之處的。
起來並記得你已被聽見，跟從你的根源，
那就是我，恩慈的一位。
保守你自己免被貧乏的天使和混沌的魔鬼綑綁你。
提防進入沉睡和下界的圍困。」
我把他喚醒，
並以五封印之光和水封印他，
死亡自此在他身上再無作為。
Saturday, May 15, 2010
佛教不承认有创造万物的神
佛教不承认有创造万物的神
依照某些宗教的说法，宇宙万物是由万能的主所创造的，他们的证据是旧约中的‘创世纪’。
其实稍为有点思想的人，马上就可以会意‘神’也是人类思想的产物，人类凭着自己的观念和形像造神。而人类创造了‘神’，目的之一是在解释‘宇宙人生的起源’，佛家称它做‘第一因’。但‘神’本身从何而来？外教徒不但不肯去追究，而且十分肯定地说：‘神是万能的，他是自然存在的。’
亲爱的朋友呀！如果神能够‘自己存在’，换句话说他不用被别人创造，就可以自己存在，那么‘神创造宇宙人生’的观念又有什么意义呢？（因为同理宇宙人生也可以自然存在了。）
这里我们列下一个数学式子来说明这个问题，虽然不十分恰当，但多少可以帮助同学们了解：
假设宇宙人生的起源为X。求X＝？
外教徒的解答是这样的，他们不必引用定理或已知的假设，直接就写了答案：X＝神
然而神是从那儿来的呢？请看下列的式子：X＝神＝Y
稍有数学观念的人都知道，Y也是一个未知数，换句话说这个问题照样没有得到解答。
佛教根本否定‘神创造万物’的假设，根本就不承认宇宙有第一个‘开始’。所谓一件事的‘开始’祗是前一件事的‘结束’而已。在一连串的因果关系中，一件事物的消逝就构成另一件事物生起的条件。
张澄基博士在他所著的《什么是佛法？》一书中，对这个问题曾经做过如下的解释：“‘开始’这个观念，是因人类‘有限’的心理（所产生的），不能涵括万千的因果关系。”
比如说我们去看第三场的‘乱世佳人’电影，从七点‘开始’ 演，到十点’结束’，但是我们再仔细想一想，第三场电影的‘开始’，其实就是第二场的‘结束’，而第三场的‘结束’，不就是第四场的‘开始’吗？
所以说‘开始’这个概念，只是对某一特定事物而言才有意义；对整个错综复杂、因果相续的宇宙而言，就没有意义了。时间是流动不息的，谁能从中找出停止不动、所谓‘现在’的一点来？然后说这一点就是‘开始’呢？
其实佛教对于讨论这一类对人生没有利益的问题，（哲学上的形而上学）并不感兴趣，因为宇宙是无始的，也是无终的，人们殚精竭虑去追求‘宇宙的第一因’，将是枉然的，徒劳无功的。当你千辛万苦寻求到‘第一因’时，你势必发觉在它之前还有一个‘因’。如此循环不息，周而复始，你永远寻求不出一个固定不变的‘第一因’来。
同时人生短暂、生命无常，如果你还是要钻牛角尖，那么当你还没有追求到‘宇宙第一因’的答案时，你可能已经死了。
在佛经里，有一段极精彩的比喻：
‘有一个人被毒箭所伤，他的亲友带他去看外科医生。假如当时那人说：“我不愿把这箭拔出来，我要知道射我的是谁，他是刹帝利种？婆罗门种？吠舍种？还是首陀罗种？他的姓名与氏族是什么？他是高是矮还是中等身材？他的肤色是黑是棕还是金黄色？他来自那一城市乡镇？我不愿取出此箭，除非我知道我是被什么弓所射中，弓弦是什么样的？那种类型的箭？箭羽是哪种毛制的，箭簇又是什么材料制成的？......” 若如此追究，在未得到这些答案前，这个人必当死亡了。’ 其实现实中的问题是，先把箭拔出来治疗伤口，而不至于因等待答案而死亡。所以佛教不浪费篇幅和时间，苦苦去追究‘宇宙的第一因’问题。因为追求也是无用的，同时也是对人生无益的，这些跟人们脱离生、老、病、死的痛苦无关，不能使人从而得到宁静、解脱的快乐。
话题稍微扯远了点儿，现在我们再谈佛教反对宇宙万物是由神所创造的观点，而认为万物都是‘因缘聚合’而成的。比如我们眼前的一座山，它是土石之积；湖泊是凹地积水而成；再看教室的桌椅，则是木匠用木头做成的。如果把土石散开则不复成‘山’；把湖泊的水抽干则成凹地，哪来‘湖泊’的影子？再把木板一片片地拆散，请问‘桌椅’在哪？
这些有形体可见的东西，我们都可以简称它们叫‘色’，因为它们只是‘因缘暂时的聚合’而已，并不是真实不变的，所以我们说它们是‘空’的——没有永存不变的实体。这就是佛经上‘色即是空’的简单道理。
然而，佛教说‘色即是空’，这‘空’字并不是‘空空如也’的‘空’，也不是‘一无所有’的‘空’，而是一种含着‘妙有’的‘真空’。这句话怎么个说法呢？我且举一个例子来说明：
眼前有一杯水，把水持续加热后就变成水蒸气了，再也看不见水的影子。但这并不是说水真的就消失成‘空’了，当水蒸气遇冷的时候，又会还原成‘水’了。
再者懂得化学的人，都知道水是氢氧的化合物，换句话说‘水’不过是氢和氧暂时的化合‘物’而已。水经过电解以后，又会变成氢气和氧气了。依此类推宇宙万事万物，没有一件不是因缘暂时聚合生成的，没有一样是永恒不变的。因缘合则生，因缘散则灭，哪里有创造万物的‘神’？哪有被创造的永恒不变的‘万物’呀？
依照某些宗教的说法，宇宙万物是由万能的主所创造的，他们的证据是旧约中的‘创世纪’。
其实稍为有点思想的人，马上就可以会意‘神’也是人类思想的产物，人类凭着自己的观念和形像造神。而人类创造了‘神’，目的之一是在解释‘宇宙人生的起源’，佛家称它做‘第一因’。但‘神’本身从何而来？外教徒不但不肯去追究，而且十分肯定地说：‘神是万能的，他是自然存在的。’
亲爱的朋友呀！如果神能够‘自己存在’，换句话说他不用被别人创造，就可以自己存在，那么‘神创造宇宙人生’的观念又有什么意义呢？（因为同理宇宙人生也可以自然存在了。）
这里我们列下一个数学式子来说明这个问题，虽然不十分恰当，但多少可以帮助同学们了解：
假设宇宙人生的起源为X。求X＝？
外教徒的解答是这样的，他们不必引用定理或已知的假设，直接就写了答案：X＝神
然而神是从那儿来的呢？请看下列的式子：X＝神＝Y
稍有数学观念的人都知道，Y也是一个未知数，换句话说这个问题照样没有得到解答。
佛教根本否定‘神创造万物’的假设，根本就不承认宇宙有第一个‘开始’。所谓一件事的‘开始’祗是前一件事的‘结束’而已。在一连串的因果关系中，一件事物的消逝就构成另一件事物生起的条件。
张澄基博士在他所著的《什么是佛法？》一书中，对这个问题曾经做过如下的解释：“‘开始’这个观念，是因人类‘有限’的心理（所产生的），不能涵括万千的因果关系。”
比如说我们去看第三场的‘乱世佳人’电影，从七点‘开始’ 演，到十点’结束’，但是我们再仔细想一想，第三场电影的‘开始’，其实就是第二场的‘结束’，而第三场的‘结束’，不就是第四场的‘开始’吗？
所以说‘开始’这个概念，只是对某一特定事物而言才有意义；对整个错综复杂、因果相续的宇宙而言，就没有意义了。时间是流动不息的，谁能从中找出停止不动、所谓‘现在’的一点来？然后说这一点就是‘开始’呢？
其实佛教对于讨论这一类对人生没有利益的问题，（哲学上的形而上学）并不感兴趣，因为宇宙是无始的，也是无终的，人们殚精竭虑去追求‘宇宙的第一因’，将是枉然的，徒劳无功的。当你千辛万苦寻求到‘第一因’时，你势必发觉在它之前还有一个‘因’。如此循环不息，周而复始，你永远寻求不出一个固定不变的‘第一因’来。
同时人生短暂、生命无常，如果你还是要钻牛角尖，那么当你还没有追求到‘宇宙第一因’的答案时，你可能已经死了。
在佛经里，有一段极精彩的比喻：
‘有一个人被毒箭所伤，他的亲友带他去看外科医生。假如当时那人说：“我不愿把这箭拔出来，我要知道射我的是谁，他是刹帝利种？婆罗门种？吠舍种？还是首陀罗种？他的姓名与氏族是什么？他是高是矮还是中等身材？他的肤色是黑是棕还是金黄色？他来自那一城市乡镇？我不愿取出此箭，除非我知道我是被什么弓所射中，弓弦是什么样的？那种类型的箭？箭羽是哪种毛制的，箭簇又是什么材料制成的？......” 若如此追究，在未得到这些答案前，这个人必当死亡了。’ 其实现实中的问题是，先把箭拔出来治疗伤口，而不至于因等待答案而死亡。所以佛教不浪费篇幅和时间，苦苦去追究‘宇宙的第一因’问题。因为追求也是无用的，同时也是对人生无益的，这些跟人们脱离生、老、病、死的痛苦无关，不能使人从而得到宁静、解脱的快乐。
话题稍微扯远了点儿，现在我们再谈佛教反对宇宙万物是由神所创造的观点，而认为万物都是‘因缘聚合’而成的。比如我们眼前的一座山，它是土石之积；湖泊是凹地积水而成；再看教室的桌椅，则是木匠用木头做成的。如果把土石散开则不复成‘山’；把湖泊的水抽干则成凹地，哪来‘湖泊’的影子？再把木板一片片地拆散，请问‘桌椅’在哪？
这些有形体可见的东西，我们都可以简称它们叫‘色’，因为它们只是‘因缘暂时的聚合’而已，并不是真实不变的，所以我们说它们是‘空’的——没有永存不变的实体。这就是佛经上‘色即是空’的简单道理。
然而，佛教说‘色即是空’，这‘空’字并不是‘空空如也’的‘空’，也不是‘一无所有’的‘空’，而是一种含着‘妙有’的‘真空’。这句话怎么个说法呢？我且举一个例子来说明：
眼前有一杯水，把水持续加热后就变成水蒸气了，再也看不见水的影子。但这并不是说水真的就消失成‘空’了，当水蒸气遇冷的时候，又会还原成‘水’了。
再者懂得化学的人，都知道水是氢氧的化合物，换句话说‘水’不过是氢和氧暂时的化合‘物’而已。水经过电解以后，又会变成氢气和氧气了。依此类推宇宙万事万物，没有一件不是因缘暂时聚合生成的，没有一样是永恒不变的。因缘合则生，因缘散则灭，哪里有创造万物的‘神’？哪有被创造的永恒不变的‘万物’呀？
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Buddhism : The Only Real Science
Buddhism : The Only Real Science
By: Ajahn Brahmavamso
8th February 2004
I used to be a scientist. I did Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University, hanging out in the same building as the later-to-be-famous Professor Stephen Hawking. I became disillusioned with such science when, as an insider, I saw how dogmatic some scientists could be. A dogma, according to the dictionary, is an arrogant declaration of an opinion. This was a fitting description of the science that I saw in the labs of Cambridge. Science had lost its sense of humility. Egotistical opinion prevailed over the impartial search for Truth. My favourite aphorism from that time was:
"The eminence of a great scientist, is measured by the length of time that they OBSTRUCT PROGRESS in their field"!
To understand real science, one can go back to one of its founding fathers, the English philosopher Francis Bacon (1561 - 1628). He established the framework on which science was to progress, namely "the greater force of the negative instance". This meant that, having proposed a theory to explain some natural phenomenon, then one should try one's best to disprove it! One should test the theory with challenging experiments. One must put it on trial with rigorous argument. When a flaw appears in the theory, only then does science advance. A new discovery has been made enabling the theory to be adjusted and refined. This fundamental and original methodology of science understood that it is impossible to prove anything with absolute certainty. One can only disprove with absolute certainty.
For example, how can one prove the basic law of gravity that "what goes up comes down, eventually"? One may throw objects up one million times and see them fall one million times. But that still does not prove "what goes up comes down". For NASA might then 'throw' a Saturn rocket up into space to explore Mars, and that never comes down to earth again. One negative instance is enough to disprove the theory with absolute certainty.
Some misguided scientists maintain the theory that there is no rebirth, that this stream of consciousness is incapable of returning to a successive human existence. All one needs to disprove this theory, according to science, is to find one instance of rebirth, just one! Professor Ian Stevenson, as some of you would know, has already demonstrated many instances of rebirth. The theory of no rebirth has been disproved. Rebirth is now a scientific fact!
Modern science gives a low priority to any efforts to disprove its pet theories. There is too much vested interest in power, prestige and research grants. A courageous commitment to truth takes too many scientists out of their comfort zone. Scientists are, for the most part, brainwashed by their education and their in-group conferences to see the world in a very narrow, microscopic, way. The very worst scientists are those who behave like eccentric evangelists, claiming that they alone have the whole truth, and then demanding the right to impose their views on everyone else.
Ordinary people know so little about science that they can hardly even understand the jargon. Yet, if they read in a newspaper or magazine "a scientist says that?", then they automatically take it to be true. Compare this to our reaction when we read in the same journal "a politician says that?"! Why do scientists have such unchallenged credibility? Perhaps it is because the language and ritual of science has become so far removed from the common people, that scientists have become today's revered and mystical priesthood. Dressed in their ceremonial white lab coats, chanting incomprehensible mumbo jumbo about multi-dimensional fractal parallel universes, and performing magical rituals that transubstantiate metal and plastic into TV's and computers, these modern day alchemists are so awesome we'll believe anything they say. Elitist science, as once was the Pope, is now infallible.
Some know better. Much of what I learnt 30 years ago has now been proved wrong. There are, fortunately, many scientists with integrity and humility who affirm that science is, at best, a work still in progress. They know that science can only suggest a truth, but can never claim a truth. I was once told by a Buddhist G.P. that, on his first day at a medical school in Sydney, the famous Professor, head of the Medical School, began his welcoming address by stating "Half of what we are going to teach you in the next few years is wrong. Our problem is that we do not know which half it is!" Those were the words of a real scientist.
Some evangelical scientists would do well to reflect on the (amended) old saying "Scientists rush in where angels fear to tread" and stop pontificating about the nature of the mind, happiness and even Nirvana. Neurologists are especially prone to such neuroses (Neurosis: an undue adherence to unrealistic ideas of things). They are claiming that the mind, awareness and will, is now adequately explained by activity in the brain. This theory was disproved over 20 years ago by Prof. Lorber's discovery of the student at Sheffield University with and IQ of 126, a First Class degree in mathematics, but with virtually no brain (Science, Vol. 210, 12 Dec 1980)! More recently, it was disproved by Prof. Pim Van Lommel, who demonstrated the existence of consciousness activity after clinical death, i.e. when all brain activity has ceased (Lancet, Vol. 358, 15 December 2001, p 2039).
Although there may be correlation between a measurable activity in part of the brain and a mental impression, such co-occurrence doesn't always imply that one is the cause of the other. For instance, some years ago, research showed a clear correlation between cigarette smoking and the non-occurrence of Alzheimer's disease. It was not that smoking cigarettes somehow caused immunity from Alzheimer's, as much as the tobacco companies might have wished, it was only that many smokers did not live long enough to get Alzheimer's disease! Thus a co-incidence of two phenomena, even when repeated, does not mean that one phenomenon is the cause of the other. To claim that activity in the brain causes awareness, or mind, is plainly unscientific.
Buddhism is more scientific than modern science. Like science, Buddhism is based on verifiable cause-and-effect relationships. But unlike science, Buddhism challenges with thoroughness every belief. The famous Kalama Sutta of Buddhism states that one cannot believe fully in "what one is taught, tradition, hearsay, scripture, logic, inference, appearance, agreement with established opinion, the seeming competence of a teacher, or even in one's own teacher". How many scientists are as rigorous in their thinking as this? Buddhism challenges everything, including logic.
It is worth noting that Quantum Theory appeared quite illogical, even to such great scientists as Einstein, when it was first proposed. It is yet to be disproved. Logic is only as reliable as the assumptions on which it is based. Buddhism trusts only clear and objective experience.
Clear experience occurs when one's measuring instruments, one's senses, are bright and undisturbed. In Buddhism, this happens when the hindrances of sloth-and-torpor and restlessness-and-remorse are both overcome. Objective experience is that which is free from all bias. In Buddhism, the three types of bias are desire, ill will and sceptical doubt. Desire makes one see only what one wants to see, it bends the truth to fit one's preferences. Ill will makes one blind to whatever is disturbing or disconcerting to one's views and it distorts the truth by denial. Sceptical doubt stubbornly refuses to accept those truths, like rebirth, that are plainly valid but which fall outside of one's comforting worldview. In summary, clear and objective experience only happens when the Buddhist 'Five Hindrances' have been overcome. Only then can one trust the data arriving through one's senses.
Because scientists are not free of these five hindrances, they are rarely clear and objective. It is common, for example, for scientists to ignore annoying data, which do not fit their cherished theories, or else confine such evidence to oblivion by filing it away as an 'anomaly'. Even most Buddhists aren't clear and objective. One has to have recent experience of Jhana to effectively put aside these five hindrances (according to the Nalakapana Sutta , Majjhima No. 68). So only accomplished meditators can claim to be real scientists, that is, clear and objective.
Science claims to rely not only on clear and objective observation, but also on measurement. But what is measurement in science? To measure something, according to the pure science of Quantum Theory, is to collapse the Schroedinger Wave Equation through an act of observation. Moreover, the "un-collapsed" form of the Schroedinger Wave Equation, that is before any measurement is made, is, perhaps, science's most perfect description of the world. That description is weird! Reality, according to pure science, does not consist of well ordered matter with precise massed, energies and positions in space, all just waiting to be measured. Reality is the broadest of smudges of all possibilities, only some being more probable than others. Even basic 'measurable' qualities as 'alive' or 'dead' have been demonstrated by science to be invalid sometimes. In the notorious 'Schroedinger's Cat' thought experiment, Prof. Schroedinger's cat was ingeniously placed in a real situation where it was neither dead nor alive, where such measurements became meaningless. Reality, according to Quantum Theory, is beyond measurements. Measuring disturbs reality, it never describes it perfectly. It was Heisenberg's famous 'Uncertainty Principle' that showed the inevitable error between the real Quantum world and the measured world of pseudo-science.
Anyway, how can anyone measure the measurer, the mind? At a recent seminar on Science and Religion, at which I was a speaker, a Catholic in the audience bravely announced that whenever she looks through a telescope at the stars, she feels uncomfortable because her religion is threatened. I commented that whenever a scientist looks the other way round through a telescope, to observe the one who is watching, then they feel uncomfortable because their science is threatened by what is doing the seeing! So what is doing the seeing, what is this mind that eludes modern science?
A Grade-One teacher once asked her class "What is the biggest thing in the world?" One little girl answered "My daddy". A little boy said "An elephant", since he'd recently been to the zoo. Another girl suggested "A mountain". The six-year-old daughter of a close friend of mine replied, "My eye is the biggest thing in the world"! The class stopped. Even the teacher didn't understand her answer. So the little philosopher explained "Well, my eye can see her daddy, an elephant, and a mountain too. It can also see so much else. If all of that can fit into my eye, then my eye must be the biggest thing in the world"! Brilliant.
However, she was not quite right. The mind can see everything that one's eye can see, and it can also imagine so much more. It can also hear, smell, taste and touch, as well as think. In fact, everything that can be known can fit into the mind. Therefore, the mind must be the biggest thing in the world. Science's mistake is obvious now. The mind is not in the brain, nor in the body. The brain, the body and the rest of the world, are in the mind!
Mind is the sixth sense in Buddhism, it is that which encompasses the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, and transcends them with its own domain. It corresponds loosely to Aristotle's "common sense" that is distinct from the five senses. Indeed, ancient Greek philosophy, from where science is said to have its origins, taught six senses just like Buddhism. Somewhere along the historical journey of European thinking, they lost their mind! Or, as Aristotle would put it, they somehow discarded their "common sense"! And thus we got science. We got materialism without any heart. One can accurately say that Buddhism is science that has kept its heart, and which hasn't lost its mind!
Thus Buddhism is not a belief system. It is a science founded on objective observation, i.e. meditation, ever careful not to disturb the reality through imposing artificial measurements, and it is evidently repeatable. People have been re-creating the experimental conditions, known as establishing the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path, for over twenty-six centuries now, much longer than science. And those renowned Professors of Meditation, the male and female Arahants, have all arrived at the same conclusion as the Buddha. They verified the timeless Law of Dhamma, otherwise known as Buddhism. So Buddhism is the only real science, and I'm happy to say that I'm still a scientist at heart, only a much better scientist than I ever could have been at Cambridge.
By: Ajahn Brahmavamso
8th February 2004
I used to be a scientist. I did Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University, hanging out in the same building as the later-to-be-famous Professor Stephen Hawking. I became disillusioned with such science when, as an insider, I saw how dogmatic some scientists could be. A dogma, according to the dictionary, is an arrogant declaration of an opinion. This was a fitting description of the science that I saw in the labs of Cambridge. Science had lost its sense of humility. Egotistical opinion prevailed over the impartial search for Truth. My favourite aphorism from that time was:
"The eminence of a great scientist, is measured by the length of time that they OBSTRUCT PROGRESS in their field"!
To understand real science, one can go back to one of its founding fathers, the English philosopher Francis Bacon (1561 - 1628). He established the framework on which science was to progress, namely "the greater force of the negative instance". This meant that, having proposed a theory to explain some natural phenomenon, then one should try one's best to disprove it! One should test the theory with challenging experiments. One must put it on trial with rigorous argument. When a flaw appears in the theory, only then does science advance. A new discovery has been made enabling the theory to be adjusted and refined. This fundamental and original methodology of science understood that it is impossible to prove anything with absolute certainty. One can only disprove with absolute certainty.
For example, how can one prove the basic law of gravity that "what goes up comes down, eventually"? One may throw objects up one million times and see them fall one million times. But that still does not prove "what goes up comes down". For NASA might then 'throw' a Saturn rocket up into space to explore Mars, and that never comes down to earth again. One negative instance is enough to disprove the theory with absolute certainty.
Some misguided scientists maintain the theory that there is no rebirth, that this stream of consciousness is incapable of returning to a successive human existence. All one needs to disprove this theory, according to science, is to find one instance of rebirth, just one! Professor Ian Stevenson, as some of you would know, has already demonstrated many instances of rebirth. The theory of no rebirth has been disproved. Rebirth is now a scientific fact!
Modern science gives a low priority to any efforts to disprove its pet theories. There is too much vested interest in power, prestige and research grants. A courageous commitment to truth takes too many scientists out of their comfort zone. Scientists are, for the most part, brainwashed by their education and their in-group conferences to see the world in a very narrow, microscopic, way. The very worst scientists are those who behave like eccentric evangelists, claiming that they alone have the whole truth, and then demanding the right to impose their views on everyone else.
Ordinary people know so little about science that they can hardly even understand the jargon. Yet, if they read in a newspaper or magazine "a scientist says that?", then they automatically take it to be true. Compare this to our reaction when we read in the same journal "a politician says that?"! Why do scientists have such unchallenged credibility? Perhaps it is because the language and ritual of science has become so far removed from the common people, that scientists have become today's revered and mystical priesthood. Dressed in their ceremonial white lab coats, chanting incomprehensible mumbo jumbo about multi-dimensional fractal parallel universes, and performing magical rituals that transubstantiate metal and plastic into TV's and computers, these modern day alchemists are so awesome we'll believe anything they say. Elitist science, as once was the Pope, is now infallible.
Some know better. Much of what I learnt 30 years ago has now been proved wrong. There are, fortunately, many scientists with integrity and humility who affirm that science is, at best, a work still in progress. They know that science can only suggest a truth, but can never claim a truth. I was once told by a Buddhist G.P. that, on his first day at a medical school in Sydney, the famous Professor, head of the Medical School, began his welcoming address by stating "Half of what we are going to teach you in the next few years is wrong. Our problem is that we do not know which half it is!" Those were the words of a real scientist.
Some evangelical scientists would do well to reflect on the (amended) old saying "Scientists rush in where angels fear to tread" and stop pontificating about the nature of the mind, happiness and even Nirvana. Neurologists are especially prone to such neuroses (Neurosis: an undue adherence to unrealistic ideas of things). They are claiming that the mind, awareness and will, is now adequately explained by activity in the brain. This theory was disproved over 20 years ago by Prof. Lorber's discovery of the student at Sheffield University with and IQ of 126, a First Class degree in mathematics, but with virtually no brain (Science, Vol. 210, 12 Dec 1980)! More recently, it was disproved by Prof. Pim Van Lommel, who demonstrated the existence of consciousness activity after clinical death, i.e. when all brain activity has ceased (Lancet, Vol. 358, 15 December 2001, p 2039).
Although there may be correlation between a measurable activity in part of the brain and a mental impression, such co-occurrence doesn't always imply that one is the cause of the other. For instance, some years ago, research showed a clear correlation between cigarette smoking and the non-occurrence of Alzheimer's disease. It was not that smoking cigarettes somehow caused immunity from Alzheimer's, as much as the tobacco companies might have wished, it was only that many smokers did not live long enough to get Alzheimer's disease! Thus a co-incidence of two phenomena, even when repeated, does not mean that one phenomenon is the cause of the other. To claim that activity in the brain causes awareness, or mind, is plainly unscientific.
Buddhism is more scientific than modern science. Like science, Buddhism is based on verifiable cause-and-effect relationships. But unlike science, Buddhism challenges with thoroughness every belief. The famous Kalama Sutta of Buddhism states that one cannot believe fully in "what one is taught, tradition, hearsay, scripture, logic, inference, appearance, agreement with established opinion, the seeming competence of a teacher, or even in one's own teacher". How many scientists are as rigorous in their thinking as this? Buddhism challenges everything, including logic.
It is worth noting that Quantum Theory appeared quite illogical, even to such great scientists as Einstein, when it was first proposed. It is yet to be disproved. Logic is only as reliable as the assumptions on which it is based. Buddhism trusts only clear and objective experience.
Clear experience occurs when one's measuring instruments, one's senses, are bright and undisturbed. In Buddhism, this happens when the hindrances of sloth-and-torpor and restlessness-and-remorse are both overcome. Objective experience is that which is free from all bias. In Buddhism, the three types of bias are desire, ill will and sceptical doubt. Desire makes one see only what one wants to see, it bends the truth to fit one's preferences. Ill will makes one blind to whatever is disturbing or disconcerting to one's views and it distorts the truth by denial. Sceptical doubt stubbornly refuses to accept those truths, like rebirth, that are plainly valid but which fall outside of one's comforting worldview. In summary, clear and objective experience only happens when the Buddhist 'Five Hindrances' have been overcome. Only then can one trust the data arriving through one's senses.
Because scientists are not free of these five hindrances, they are rarely clear and objective. It is common, for example, for scientists to ignore annoying data, which do not fit their cherished theories, or else confine such evidence to oblivion by filing it away as an 'anomaly'. Even most Buddhists aren't clear and objective. One has to have recent experience of Jhana to effectively put aside these five hindrances (according to the Nalakapana Sutta , Majjhima No. 68). So only accomplished meditators can claim to be real scientists, that is, clear and objective.
Science claims to rely not only on clear and objective observation, but also on measurement. But what is measurement in science? To measure something, according to the pure science of Quantum Theory, is to collapse the Schroedinger Wave Equation through an act of observation. Moreover, the "un-collapsed" form of the Schroedinger Wave Equation, that is before any measurement is made, is, perhaps, science's most perfect description of the world. That description is weird! Reality, according to pure science, does not consist of well ordered matter with precise massed, energies and positions in space, all just waiting to be measured. Reality is the broadest of smudges of all possibilities, only some being more probable than others. Even basic 'measurable' qualities as 'alive' or 'dead' have been demonstrated by science to be invalid sometimes. In the notorious 'Schroedinger's Cat' thought experiment, Prof. Schroedinger's cat was ingeniously placed in a real situation where it was neither dead nor alive, where such measurements became meaningless. Reality, according to Quantum Theory, is beyond measurements. Measuring disturbs reality, it never describes it perfectly. It was Heisenberg's famous 'Uncertainty Principle' that showed the inevitable error between the real Quantum world and the measured world of pseudo-science.
Anyway, how can anyone measure the measurer, the mind? At a recent seminar on Science and Religion, at which I was a speaker, a Catholic in the audience bravely announced that whenever she looks through a telescope at the stars, she feels uncomfortable because her religion is threatened. I commented that whenever a scientist looks the other way round through a telescope, to observe the one who is watching, then they feel uncomfortable because their science is threatened by what is doing the seeing! So what is doing the seeing, what is this mind that eludes modern science?
A Grade-One teacher once asked her class "What is the biggest thing in the world?" One little girl answered "My daddy". A little boy said "An elephant", since he'd recently been to the zoo. Another girl suggested "A mountain". The six-year-old daughter of a close friend of mine replied, "My eye is the biggest thing in the world"! The class stopped. Even the teacher didn't understand her answer. So the little philosopher explained "Well, my eye can see her daddy, an elephant, and a mountain too. It can also see so much else. If all of that can fit into my eye, then my eye must be the biggest thing in the world"! Brilliant.
However, she was not quite right. The mind can see everything that one's eye can see, and it can also imagine so much more. It can also hear, smell, taste and touch, as well as think. In fact, everything that can be known can fit into the mind. Therefore, the mind must be the biggest thing in the world. Science's mistake is obvious now. The mind is not in the brain, nor in the body. The brain, the body and the rest of the world, are in the mind!
Mind is the sixth sense in Buddhism, it is that which encompasses the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, and transcends them with its own domain. It corresponds loosely to Aristotle's "common sense" that is distinct from the five senses. Indeed, ancient Greek philosophy, from where science is said to have its origins, taught six senses just like Buddhism. Somewhere along the historical journey of European thinking, they lost their mind! Or, as Aristotle would put it, they somehow discarded their "common sense"! And thus we got science. We got materialism without any heart. One can accurately say that Buddhism is science that has kept its heart, and which hasn't lost its mind!
Thus Buddhism is not a belief system. It is a science founded on objective observation, i.e. meditation, ever careful not to disturb the reality through imposing artificial measurements, and it is evidently repeatable. People have been re-creating the experimental conditions, known as establishing the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path, for over twenty-six centuries now, much longer than science. And those renowned Professors of Meditation, the male and female Arahants, have all arrived at the same conclusion as the Buddha. They verified the timeless Law of Dhamma, otherwise known as Buddhism. So Buddhism is the only real science, and I'm happy to say that I'm still a scientist at heart, only a much better scientist than I ever could have been at Cambridge.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
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