何谓“华夏”？

何谓“华夏”？

What is meant by ‘Hua Xia’?

何谓“华夏”？《春秋左传正义》云：“中国有礼仪之大，故称夏；有服章之美，谓之华。”“华夏皆谓中国，而谓之华夏者，夏，大也。言有礼仪之大，有文章之华也。”

What is meant by ‘Hua Xia’? The Correct Meaning of the Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals says, ‘The Middle Kingdom possesses the greatness of ceremonial propriety; as such, it is called xia (great). It has the beauty of costume and emblems; as such, it is called hua (splendid).’ ‘Both hua and xia refer to the Middle Kingdom, and that which is known as Hua Xia is great. Hence, it is said there is greatness of ceremonial propriety and splendour of literary works.’

中国者，睿智之所居，万物之所聚，贤圣之所教，仁义之所施，礼乐之所用。“中国”的名称已很久远，“中”这个字，内涵深刻。人类的文明是有次序的，它的次序越严谨，其文明程度越高。华夏文明的次序在礼仪中彰显，在服章中流溢。

The Middle Kingdom is the place where the wise and intelligent reside, myriad objects gather, saintly sages teach, benevolence and righteousness is exercised, and propriety and decorum put to use. The name ‘Middle Kingdom’ has a very long history. The meaning of the character zhong (middle) is deep. There is orderliness in human civilization. The higher the orderliness, the more refined a civilization is. The orderliness of the Hua Xia civilization can be seen in its ceremonial rituals, and brims within its costumes and emblems.

华夏自古就是崇礼尚义的文明之邦。礼仪，古体为禮儀。这个“禮” 字，左边偏旁从示，右边“豊”表器皿，是祭神的一种仪式。

Hua Xia has always been a sovereignty that valued propriety and esteemed righteousness. The old script for the character li (propriety or ceremony or decorum) includes the character shi (display or show) to the left and the character li (ancient ritualistic instrument) which stands for ‘instrument’ or ‘vessel’ to the right – meaning a ritual of worship.

在举行仪式的过程中，人和神，换而言之，低级生命和高级生命之间进行交流乃至升华。

In other words, during the process of the ceremonial ritual, the human and the divine – one a lower life-form; and the other, a higher one – interact with each other to become enhanced.

自尧舜垂衣裳而天下治以来，华夏文明逐渐形成了五礼之说。

Since the time ‘Yao and Shun handed down [the custom of] clothing and government of the people thought was made possible’, the so-called ‘Five Proprieties’ of the Hua Xia civilization gradually took form.

以五礼之首的吉礼来说，祭祀就是守道的一种仪轨，祭祀有三类：天神、地祇和人鬼。天神称祀，地祇称祭，宗庙称享。在古代，祭祀有严格的等级。天子祭天神地祇，诸侯大夫祭山川，士庶只能祭自己祖先和灶神。清明节、端午节和重阳节是传统的祭祖日。

The first among the Five Proprieties is the Propriety of Auspiciousness. Worship and the offering of sacrifices is a ritual for staying on the Dao. There are three kinds of objects of worship and sacrificial offering: the divine gods, the earthly deities, and the humans and the ghosts. We worship the divine gods, make offerings to the earthly deities, and make sacrifices in the temples. In ancient times, there was a strict hierarchy for worship and the making of sacrificial offerings. The Son of Heaven worshipped the divine beings and the earthly deities; the dukes and ministers, the mountains and the rivers; and the common people, only their own ancestors and the god of the stove. The Qing Ming, Duan Wu, and Chong Yang are traditional festivals for the worshipping of one’s ancestors.

祭祀本是低级生命与高级生命之间的交流感应，然而今天的人们一提及祭祀，却完全没有这个概念，许多人还误以为那是巫婆神汉的文化。其实不然，在一些令人产生敬畏之心的词语里，我们体悟到的 多是生命升华的洗礼。譬如：礼祠即以礼祭祀；礼诵即礼佛诵经。

Worship and the making of offerings were originally the interaction and mutual resonance between a lower and a high life-form. However, people now are completely clueless with regard to this concept whenever worship and the making of offerings is mentioned. Many still mistake that as the culture of witches and clairvoyants. In fact, it is not. In some of the phrases that arouse a sense of respect and reverence in us, what we experience mostly is a baptism of the sublimation of life. For example, ritualistic worship is to rely on the rules of propriety to worship and make sacrificial offerings, and ritualistic chanting is to pay respects to the Buddha and chant the sutras.

作为祭器和礼器，玉器大致有璧、璋、琥、琮、圭和璜六类，常常在国家祭祀中，用作祭天和祭神等等。以玉作器，礼天地四方：以苍璧礼天，以黄琮礼地，以青圭礼东方，以赤璋礼南方，以白琥礼西方，以玄璜礼北方。

Instruments made of jade to be used in worship and the making of offerings can be of generally six kinds: Bi, Zhang, Hu, Cong, Gui, and Huang. They have often been used in state worshipping ceremonies for the making of offerings to heaven and deities.

我们今天着重讲璧、琮、圭和璜。

Today, our emphasis will be on the bi, the cong, the gui, and the huang.

首先讲璧，“苍璧礼天”。璧表天，表无形。琮里面有一个洞，璧当中也有一个洞。这个洞就代表“道”，用现代词汇可以叫“虫洞”，也可以说是超越时空的一个隧道，是低级文明和高级文明之间的一个通道。

We will talk about the bi first – ‘[using] the pale bi to pay respects to heaven’. The bi represents heaven, and that which is without form. There is a hole in the cong, and one in the bi as well. This hole represents the ‘path’. To employ a modern term, we can call it a ‘wormhole’, that is to say, a tunnel through which time and space can be transcended. It is a link-way that connects a less advanced civilization to a more advanced one.

其次讲琮，黄琮礼地，琮表地，表有形。如果把琮放大一些，有点像我们佛教的宝塔，但是琮是中空的。玉琮天圆地方，传递了上古 的宇宙观，代表有形与无形之间可以互换，用当代量子力学观点讲， 就是物质与能量可以互换。

Next, we talk about the cong. The yellow cong is for the paying of respects to the earth. The cong represents the earth, and that which has form. If we enlarge the cong, it will become a little like a Buddhist stupa.  However, the cong is hollow at the centre. The jade cong is round at the top and square at the bottom as a symbol of ancient cosmology. It represents the interchangeability of forms and the formless. To explain it using quantum physics, this means that matter and energy are interchangeable.

再次讲圭，圭表君。玉圭，锐上方下。西周时期许多诸侯朝觐周王时，都手持一件重要的礼器——圭。

We next go on to talk about the gui. The gui represents the lord. The jade gui is pointed at the top and square at the bottom. In the Western Zhou period, many of the dukes had all carried this important instrument in their hands when they attended court to see Emperor Zhou.

为什么在皇帝面前，要捧着这个礼器？它就是一个密码，一个人天相应和人天合一的科技密码。

Why did one need to carry this instrument in front of the emperor? It was a secret code; a technical code for the mutual resonance between man and heaven, and the unison of man and heaven.

最后讲璜，璜表亲，有血缘关系的宗亲眷属。半壁曰璜。璜之形， 仿彩虹，呈倒挂状，以玄璜礼北方。

Lastly, we talk about the huang. Huang represents kin – clansmen and relatives who are linked by blood-ties. Half a bi is called a huang. The shape of the huang is an imitation of that of a rainbow. It is hung upside down. A hanging huang is used to pay respects to the North.

所以，四大礼器就代表了天地君亲。

As such the four great ritualistic instruments represent heaven, earth, the lord, and kin.

怎么样来面对天地君亲？我今天就带来一个远古时代的出土文物，这是一条龙，首尾相接，形成一个璧的形状。远古时代的璧玉，已经雕刻得非常精美。璧表“天”，这个天不是像空气一样的天。它是全信息的，可以是六维、七维、八维或者十维，相当于我们现在讲 的大数据或者云计算的概念。

How are we to treat heaven, earth, the lord, and kin? Today, I have brought along an artifact unearthed from the ancient times. It is a dragon, with its head joining its tail to form the structure of a bi. In the ancient times, jade carving of bi was already very exquisite and splendid. The bi represents heaven. This heaven is not like the sky which is void. It is all-encompassing; it can be six-dimensional, seven-dimensional, eight-dimensional, or ten-dimensional – similar to the concepts of big data and cloud computing we have now.

古人讲“天网恢恢, 疏而不漏”，我们的起心动念，在“天”的大数据库里都会刻下痕迹。

People in ancient times said, ‘The net of heaven is large and extensive; its meshes may be coarse but it lets nothing through.’ When our mind is aroused or when ideation arises in us, a trace will be left in the big data storehouse of heaven.

比如说“慎独”，一个人独处时自己的行为也要谨慎不苟，不要以为你在房间里胡思乱想，不会有人知晓。虽然没有摄像头，但是人的修为不能松弛。中国人的道德来自于“道”，所以这个“天”是活灵活现的，是充满勃勃生机的。

Let us talk about ‘vigilant solitude’ for instance. When one is alone, one has to be watchful, vigilant and austere. Do not assume that no one will ever know your wildest thoughts and wishes when you are in your own room.  Although there are no cameras in the room, you should not slack in your personal cultivation. Morality of the Chinese comes from the Dao. ‘Heaven’ here is therefore a vibrant manifestation, and it is full of life.

玉璧和玉琮，当中为何皆有一洞？

Why is there a hole in the centre of both the jade bi and the jade cong?

这个洞就代表“道”，你可以说是虫洞，也可以说是超时空的一个隧道，低级文明与高级文明之的一个通道。讲到这里的时候，大家是否有些启发，何谓中国的“中”？

This hole represents the Dao. You can say it is wormhole, or a passage that transcends time and space that links a less advanced civilization with a more advanced one. When we reach this part, has everyone been inspired to wonder about the character Zhong (‘middle’ as in ‘middle kingdom’)?

中就是那个“洞”，玉璧和玉琮当中那个洞，仿佛世俗社会与神圣世界有一条无形的线贯通着，低级生命与高级生命之间可以相互来往，相互沟通。

Zhong is that hole, that hole in the jade Bi and the jade Cong. It is as if a formless thread has linked the mundane world to the world of the divine sages, so that there can be interaction and communication between the lower and the higher life forms.

中国人以龙的传人为荣，龙从云，龙是踏云而行。可以这么说，人类有可能来自高级文明，我们祖先的智慧更接近那些高等智慧, 更接近宇宙的真相。在人类的起源上，佛陀在《起世经》中，详细宣讲了宇宙的形成和发展以及人是如何来到地球上的。人类来自于光音天，最初可以在天地间来去自由，每个人身上有光明，能量场非常大。当时的地球，地表有许多地肥，有人就拿手沾一点品尝，觉得味道不错。久而久之，吃得多了，体重增加，再也飞不起来，就留在了地球上。

The Chinese are proud to be the heirs of the dragon. The dragon follows after the clouds. It treads on the clouds as it moves. It can be said that humanity came from an advanced civilization. The wisdom of our forefathers was more similar to those with advanced intelligence and closer to the truth of the universe. As to the origins of humanity, the Buddha explains in detail in the Agganna Sutta how the universe has formed and come to be, and how man has arrived on earth. Humans came from Light Sound Heaven. In the beginning, they could travel freely between the earth and the heavens. Everyone emitted light from their body, and had great energy fields. As there was much grease on the surface of the earth then, someone had picked up the grease to try it and found that it did not taste bad. As time went by, everyone ate too much of the grease and put on weight such that they had to remain on earth since they could not fly anymore.

所以，无论华夏文明，还是其他文明，我们人类肯定不是猴子变的。现在世界上一百多位著名的生物学家和生命学家，都否认人是从猴子变来的。

Therefore, whether it is the Hua Xia or another civilization, we certainly did not change from the monkey. Presently, there are more than 100 biologists and life scientists who all reject the idea that man came from the monkey.

地球生命在三维空间里实现着有序的遗传，每个人都有心性，心性有智慧能量。如果一定要用唯物主义来区分的话，心性极其细微，我们或许可以用物理概念，把它理解为能量场，能量团或者能量因子等等。

Life on earth perpetuates in an orderly manner within three-dimensional space. Everyone has the nature of a mind which possesses wisdom and energy. If we have to analyze it through the perspective of a materialist, the nature of the mind is extremely subtle. We could perhaps employ the concepts of physics to understand it as an energy field, an energy sphere, an energy factor, and so forth.

现在我们获得的知识有些已经过时，比如生物学，在达尔文进化论的基础上又有了很大发展，物理学也有了许多新的理论观点。我们今天谈论的很多概念，都可以跟现代科学理论接轨。

Some of the knowledge we have now is already outdated. Like in biology, a lot of great development has been made based on Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. There have been many new theories and perspectives in physics as well. The many concepts we have talked about today are all consistent with modern science.

古人为什么重戴冠

Why did the ancients put so much emphasis on headgear?

古人好威仪，所以重冠。冠很重要，不像现在很多人以散发为时尚，古人没有散发的，而是束发，犯罪的人才散发。

As the ancients valued valour and dignity, much emphasis was placed on headgear. Headgear used to be very important, unlike now when many deem it fashionable to spot disheveled hair. People of ancient times did not spot disheveled hair. They tied up their hair. Only criminals had their hair undone.

古戏中可以见到这样的场景，一个人犯了罪，大堂之上，头冠“啪” 一声被打掉，头发散乱后开始甩，为什么？表示奇耻大辱，比要他的命还羞耻。头发如果散掉，代表你已经降格到人面兽心的层次，降格到动物的层次。散发是低级生命的状态，要把它盘起来束发向上，才是向道的状态。

We often see such scenes in old opera: a person who has committed a crime has his headgear smacked off from him in the hall of a magistrate’s court, and he then goes on to fling his hair in a circular motion. Why is that? It represents the suffering of a great insult that is much worse than the taking of one’s life. When one’s hair is undone, it means that one has fallen down to the level of somebody who appears human but has the mind of a beast, or the level of an animal. Having one’s hair undone is the state of being of the lower lives; tying up one’s hair in an upward fashion symbolizes the aspiration towards the Dao.

孔门七十二贤人之一的子路，身死卫国时说：“君子死，冠不免。”在生命最后的关头，我可以死，但必须戴着冠，古人的自我道德约束可见一斑。

When he was dying in the State of Wei, Zi-lu, one of the seventy-two disciples of Kong-Zi, said, ‘The superior person dies with his headgear on.’ In the last moments of one’s life, one could give up one’s life, but one needed to still have his headgear on. Such was the moral self-discipline people of the ancient times displayed.

帝王之冕

The Imperial Crowns of Emperors and Kings

我们上面提到的冠，古人称之为“头衣”。头衣主要有冠、冕、弁、帻四种。

冕为帝王所属。我们普通老百姓戴的不叫冠也不叫冕。《说文》云： 古者黄帝初作冕。冕，相当于帝王的礼帽，至南北朝以后，作为礼冠， 冕为帝王专用。前段时间，我在参观山东省博物馆时，看到过至今全国保存最完整的一个冕，据说是朱元璋第九子之物。乍看之下，王与皇的帽子差不多，但其实区别非常大。

古王者之冕，头顶上的那块长方板称为“綖”, 前“圆”表“天”，后“方”表“地”；“綖”之前端缀有珠玉帘,“天地之间”垂下来的是“道”，旒表道；这两边中间各有一根线垂块玉，下至耳边，表示耳朵要时刻保持着回光返照；帽子圆筒的前面有一只金蝉，金蝉代表生命，“金蝉脱壳”意指转凡成圣的生命蜕变，完成了生命升华。古代帝王戴着冕，坐于天地正气间，以示他始终处于“道” 的状态。皇帝“冠冕”，安住在这种状态里；大臣“抱璧”，也要安住在这种状态里。

The ancients call the headgear we have mentioned previously ‘headdress’. Headdress mainly consisted of guan (冠 aristocratic crowns), mian (冕 imperial crowns), bian (弁 headpieces), and ze (帻 turbans). 

The imperial crown belonged to the royalty. The ordinary folk wore neither aristocratic nor imperial crowns. It is mentioned in Shuo Wen Jie Zi that ‘the mian was first used by the ancients during the time of Emperor Huang’. The mian was the headdress of emperors and kings. Until after the time of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it became the ceremonial crown. The mian was specifically for emperors and kings. When I was visiting the Shandong Provincial Museum previously, I saw by far the most well-preserved mian in our country. It is said to belong to the ninth son of Zhu Yuan-Zhang (the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty). On first look, the headgear of kings and emperors appear similar, but there is in fact a very big difference. The rectangular panel at the top of the mian of ancient kings is called yan (綖), the front of which is curved to represent heaven, and the back straight to represent earth. A veil of jade pearls hangs from the front of the yan to represent the Dao which flows from within heaven and earth. The liu (旒) represents the Dao. From the middle of each of the sides of the yan hangs a piece of jade on a string that reaches the ear, representing the need for one’s ears to be constantly in reverse contemplation. On the front of the rounded cap is a golden cicada which represents life. The shredding of the shell of the cicada represents the metamorphosis into the divine from the ordinary in the perfection of the sublimation of one’s life. Donning their mians, the ancient emperors and kings sat at the spirit of righteousness between heaven and earth, to show that they were always in a state of the Dao. Wearing the imperial crown, the emperor abided in such a state; carrying with them jade ornaments, the court officials also needed to abide in such a state.

或许我们也可从炼气功的角度，感受一下那是什么样的能量。非礼勿视，非礼勿听，非礼勿言，符合于礼，礼就是“天地大道”。南无阿弥陀佛！南无阿弥陀佛！南无阿弥陀佛！ ……我们出家人每天要念几千声几万声，为什么？因为“南无阿弥陀佛”就是“道”，无量光无量寿是超越时空的，是永恒的。“南无”就是皈依的意思， 我要皈依永恒，我的生命可以进入永恒的状态。处在皈依永恒状态的人，上可以报国家恩、国土恩和众生恩，下可以报自家老祖先的恩，可以光宗耀祖。

一个人的精神力量可以让世界和平、国泰民安，这是形而上的能量。诸如股票涨了、黄金多了，这种形而下的能量炽盛反而会乱人心！唐朝有位庞蕴居士，素有东土维摩之称，他说：“世人爱真金，我爱刹那静。金多乱人心，静见真如性。”

From the perspective of one who trains in qigong, we are perhaps able to feel what kind of energy that is. Not looking at that which is contrary to propriety, not listening to that which is contrary to propriety, and not saying things that are contrary to propriety – this is to be in accordance with li. Li is the Great Dao of heaven and earth. ‘Namo Buddha Amitabha! Namo Buddha Amitabha! Namo Buddha Amitabha!’ We monastics need to chant this several thousand or several tens of thousand times every day. Why? This is because ‘Namo Buddha Amitabha’ is the Dao. Infinite light and infinite life transcends time and space, and is eternal. ‘Namo’ has the meaning of ‘taking refuge’ - one wants to take refuge in eternity so that one’s life enters into a state of everlastingness. One who has sought refuge in a state of eternity is able to repay debts of gratitude owed to one’s state, one’s fatherland, and myriad beings on the one hand; and those owed to one’s ancestors on the other. One is able to bring glory to one’s ancestors and one’s clan. The spiritual energy of one person can bring peace to the world, one’s state, and the people of one’s state. This is energy which is metaphysical. When non-metaphysical energies like the rise in stock prices and gold are ablaze, they tend to befuddle the mind! During the Tang Dynasty, there was a lay follower by the name of Pang Yun who was known as Vimalakirti of the East. He said, ’People of the world love pure gold, while I the quietude of the moment. Gold in abundance befuddles the mind; the nature of true suchness is seen in quietude.’

髻簪

Hair buns

过去女子头发上为什么有饰物？

Why did women of the past wear accessories in their hair?

古代女子将头发盘至头顶挽髻，所谓“髻挽巫山一段云”，插以各种金玉簪钗，这些饰物会发出声音，表示在一颦一笑抬首举眉间，都要轻轻缓缓。耳上还带着坠子，表示“耳朵不要乱听”。人的耳朵比眼睛还重要。眼睛看到的，早就忘掉；耳朵听到的，多少年都记得。

Women in ancient times rolled up their hair into a topknot – this was known as ‘a topknot to attract a soufflé of clouds from Wizard Mountain’ – and pinned on it all kinds of hair sticks made of gold and jade. These accessories made noises, which meant that when one was either frowning or smiling, or when one was raising one’s head to look up, one had to be delicate. Dangling earrings were a symbol that they should not be listening improperly. The human ear is more important than the eye. What the eye sees, one soon forgets; what the ear hears, one will still remember it many years later.

佛教讲：三门清净绝非虞，众等归依增福慧。眼睛、耳朵和口称为三门，三门如果清净，这个人的生命质量和幸福指数肯定很高。口，守口如瓶；耳朵，返闻闻自性；眼睛，不要东看西看。我刚出家的时候，师父就告诉“三门守好，好修行”。耳朵不要东听西听，烦恼从中生。嘴不要乱说，你现在还没智慧，一张口就愚痴，让人笑话。

In Buddhism, it is said, ‘When the three gates – of the eye, ear, and mouth – are in repose and taintlessness, all contention and worries will be put to an end. Blessings and merits will be accumulated when all take refuge in and rely on [the Triple Gems].’ The eye, ear, and the mouth are known as the ‘three gates’. When the three gates are in repose and taintlessness, one’s quality of life and happiness index will be high. The mouth needs to be tight like the opening of a bottle, the ear to be constantly listening in reverse to one’s self-nature, and the eye to not be looking everywhere. When I had just renounced the householder’s life, my master told me to ‘guard the three gates well and practice diligently’, that the ear should not be listening to this and that because mental afflictions will be given rise to, and that the mouth should not speak carelessly because one still lacked wisdom and would be mocked at if one should have opened one’s mouth to display ignorance.   

在书信落款处，古时常题“敬请方家指正”。“方家”就是规矩，希望懂得规律又通晓大道的人给我指正，别贻笑大方。而出家人也称“方外之人”。老子的《道德经》，不过五千言；孔夫子，述而不著；《孟子》，三万七千言。这些古圣贤都是方家，都是大智者。古人的生命为什么要这样？

In ancient correspondence, it was often written in the signing-off part: ‘I respectfully invite fang jia (the learned) to correct my mistakes.’ Fang jia constituted the rules – one hoped for those who knew the rules and who were accomplished in the Great Dao to point out one’s mistakes so that one would not be mocked at by everybody else. Monastics are also known as ‘those outside of the fang (the sphere of worldly affairs)’. Lao-Zi’s Dao De Jing is a mere five thousand characters; Kong-Zi transmitted [the ancient teachings] but did not author [any works himself]; and Meng Zi is thirty-seven thousand characters in length. These ancient sages were all fang jia, and had great wisdom. Why were the lives of the ancient people like that?

我们生命中有非常重要的事情要做，大家刚才看到的玉璧，没头没尾，上面雕刻着龙。记不记得我讲过玉璧当中的那个洞，你能不能再回到中国的“中”，圆中的那道“|”？你回得去，就进入了时空隧道，回到宇宙的高级文明世界，那才是你的本事！那才是人生之大事！

There are very important things we need to do in our lives. There was neither a beginning nor an end to the jade disc that we have just seen previously. On it is carved a dragon. Do you remember that hole in the centre of the disc I mentioned? Can you go back to the character zhong of zhong guo which I mentioned and the vertical stroke in that character?  If you are able to go back, you will be entering a time-travelling tunnel to return to a highly advanced civilization in the universe. That is because you are capable! That is life’s most important matter!