文以载道

02.

《道德经》第一章：“道可道，非常道；名可名，非常名。”最初一读不知所云。《中庸》开篇：天命之谓性。首先什么是“天命”？不少人考试会不及格，过不了这一关。后来发现，《道德经》该倒过来，从第八十一章学起，学到最后你就明白第一章是什么意思了，至少也从第二章学：“天下皆知美之为美，斯恶已；皆知善之为善，斯不善已。”还能找个入处。

The first chapter of Dao De Jing says, ‘The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao, the name that can be named is not the eternal name.’ On the first reading, we are at a complete loss as to what is being said. The opening passage of The Doctrine of the Mean says, ‘What Heaven ordains is known as ‘nature’.’ First of all, what is it that Heaven has ordained? Most people fail the test because of the difficulty here. It is only later that they find out the Dao De Jing should be read in reverse, with Chapter 81 as the beginning. You will then find in the end of your practice what is meant by the first chapter. At the very least, start from the second chapter: ‘when the people of the earth all know beauty as beauty, there arises (the notion of) ugliness; when the people of the earth all know good as good, there arises (the notion of) evil.’ A point of entry can still be found.

孔老夫子就特别慈悲，《论语》第一句：学而时习之，不亦悦乎？学生跟着老师，跟着懂“道”的老师，天天学“道”，这是很快乐的事情。开头不讲“道”，而是说：学生跟着有“道”的人学习“道”，是一件很快乐的事情。这个“学”与“习”也是在说和老师一同参悟天地之大道。

Confucius is especially compassionate. The first sentence in The Analects: says, ‘To study and practice what one has studied, is this not a pleasure?’  When a pupil follows a teacher who knows the Dao, and learns the Dao from him daily, it is something very pleasurable. Right from the beginning, the Dao is not spoken of. Instead, it is said it is a pleasure for a pupil to follow a person who knows the Dao and to learn the Dao from him. This ‘learning’ and ‘practicing’ also mean that the pupil is in contemplation of the Great Dao of heaven and earth together with the teacher, gaining enlightenment as the common goal.

第二句：有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎?“朋”，从仓颉造字来分析，是两个“月”，比喻品行优良且志趣相投的结交者；若依“道”学的角度来认识这两个“月”却不尽相同。从中庸上来说，第一个“月” 就是天命，是真理的本体，第二个“月”是对真理的学习，一个是客观一个是主观，但客观是百分之百的真理，是“道”；第二个“月” 是对“道”的探索，是接近真理的人。所以这两个“月”在一起是指有追求道德的人自远方来见面，这是天底下最开心的事。佛教讲“道友第一亲”，“道友”即可指“朋”，在这里特指修“道”的人，跟着有“道”的人学习“道”的学问，道友相逢，是很快乐的事。

The second sentence says:‘When friends come from distant places, is this not joyful?’ The character for ‘friend’ (朋) - when we analyze with the Cangjie Character Input Method - consists of two ‘moons’ (月), which signify the coming together of two people who are both wholesome in character and conduct, and who share the same aspirations and interests. Seen from the perspective of one who studies the Dao, the two moons are not completely the same. From the viewpoint of the Doctrine of the Mean, the first月represents that which heaven bestows – the essence of truth; while the second is the study and practice of the truth. One is objective while the other subjective. That which is objective is the complete truth - the Dao. The second月 is exploration of the Dao – those who try to reach the truth. So the coming together of the two月stands for the arrival from afar of one who pursues virtues and morality - this is the most joyful thing in the world. In Buddhism, it is said that the thickest of relations is one’s companion in the Dao. One’s companion in the Dao can also be referred to as a friend. Here, it is meant specifically that one who practices the Dao follows another person who knows the Dao to learn from him. When two companions in the Dao meet each other, it is a very joyous occasion.

《论语》其实很适合拍成电影，由此可以想象一个生活化的场景：一群学生跟着一个有“道”的人——通达“天命”的人学习，这也是人生中最为快乐的事。反过来，孔夫子说：得天下英才而教授之，乃人生一大乐也。老师得到好学生，好学生跟着好老师，又是这样一幅人生画面。并非自己闭门造车，而是“有朋自远方来”，是有“道” 的人天涯若比邻。

The Analects can be easily made into a movie, especially with the following everyday scene: a group of disciples following after a person who knows the Dao – one who can apprehend heaven’s ordinance. This is also the happiest moments in one’s life. Confucius said in reversal, ‘To be a teacher to the talents of the world, this is one of life’s greatest pleasures.’ For a teacher to have a good disciple, and a good disciple to follow after a good teacher, that is an everyday scene easy to picture. One does not keep one’s knowledge to oneself. Instead, ‘when friends come from distant places’, they are like one’s neighbours although they come from afar as they bring the Dao with them.

就像王羲之笔下的《兰亭序》，群贤毕至，曲水流觞，吟诗歌赋，是天地间多自在的一件事啊！所以，《论语》是以生活化的场景开始的。佛教的《金刚经》也有同样的描述。午时，释迦牟尼佛着衣持钵，入于舍卫国大城，次第乞食。写了一个现实生活中的人，到了吃午饭的时候，手里捧着一个钵，入到城中，挨门挨户乞讨。斋饮过后，再把钵洗净放好。

It is like The Preface of the Orchid Pavilion by Wang Xizhi: as a group of noblemen congregate, they write poetry and sing, with wine bowls flowing along the winding stream. That is one of the most carefree things to do in the world! Therefore, The Analects begins with an everyday scene. The Buddhist Diamond Sutra has also the same manner of description: it is noon and Buddha Sakyamuni, in his robes and with his alms-bowl in his hands, enters the great city of Sravasti to beg for alms orderly from house to house. This describes how a person in real life, come noon and time to eat, enters a city with his alms-bowl in his hands to beg for food from house to house. When he is done with his meal, he washes his alms-bowl and returns it to its proper place.

印度人都是光脚的，大家吃过饭了，把脚洗一洗，盘腿坐下来，不能没事干，因为佛教里说：食存五观，“计功多少，量彼来处；忖己德行，全缺应供；防心离过，贪等为宗；正事良药，为疗形枯；为成道业，故受此食。”首先吃饭就很惭愧，因为这是别人的劳动成果，我凭什么吃？这就是佛教吃饭的正念。

Most Indians go around barefoot. When everyone has eaten, they will wash their feet and sit with legs crossed. They should not be idling around because in Buddhism, it is said that one should be engaged in the Five Contemplations when eating: to reflect on how many meritorious deeds one has done, and to think about where the food has come from; to reflect on how one has behaved morally and conducted oneself to deserve such food offerings; to not let one’s mind go astray in the event of which one gives in to feelings like greed (for food); to rightly view food as medicine for the impermanent physical body; and to view food as just physical sustenance to help one to accomplish on the path to enlightenment. The first thing to do when eating is to repent because this food is the result of the labour of someone else: what has one done to deserve it? This is the rightful frame of mind to have when a Buddhist eats.

吃过了之后，还是问“道”，释迦牟尼的弟子须菩提起身出来，偏袒右肩，跪下合掌，请问佛陀。这依然是非常普通平凡的生活场景，充满了画面感，拍电影可以拍出镜头感，而不是说释迦牟尼佛头顶一个光环，就是伟大的。 

After the meal, one still has to make enquiries on the Dao. Subhuti, Buddha Sakyamuni’s disciple, stands out from the others, bares his right shoulder, kneels down and brings his hands together to request the Buddha to teach. This is still very much a common everyday scene which one can picture easily. It can be readily put on screen. It does not mean that there has to be a halo around the Buddha’s crown in order to demonstrate his greatness.

因为面对的人物不一样，须菩提就祈问佛陀：您也托钵入城乞食，也吃饭、洗碗，也坐。您是佛，我们是弟子，我们也跟您一样，为什么我们没有成佛呢?

Faced with someone who is different from the rest, Subhuti asks of the Buddha, ‘Like us, you also carry with you your alms-bowl to go into the city to beg for food. You eat, wash your alms-bowl, and sit just like us. We are the same as you. Why is it that we have not obtained Buddhahood?’

请问佛跟凡人、老师跟徒弟到底有什么不一样？是因为老师觉悟得不一样，内心的领悟不一样，对天命的理解不一样，他领悟的是“天命之谓性”，佛叫阿耨多罗三藐三菩提，中国话叫无上正等正觉。换成现代统计学的概念，就是佛陀已经百分之百地通达天命。我们呢? 盲人摸象。科学探索告诉我们，宇宙由普通物质、暗物质、暗能量组成。人类通常观测到的是普通物质，这些普通物质只占宇宙的5%，暗物质占25%，暗能量占70%。我们对宇宙的真相只知其 5%，95% 的宇宙真相是未知的。佛，深知宇宙真相，了悟宇宙大道。完全通达“天命之谓性”的，只有佛、圣贤和那些证悟正等正觉的老师。

Why is there a difference between the Buddha and the ordinary worldling, or the teacher and the disciple? This is because the teacher has made a different realization – what he has experienced internally is different, and what he has understood of the ordinance of heaven is different. He has discovered that ‘what heaven ordains is known as ‘nature’’; this, the Buddha calls it samyaksambodhi (‘perfect wisdom’). In Chinese, it is known as ‘unsurpassable perfect enlightenment’. To explain it in present statistical terms, it means that the Buddha has a 100% understanding of the ordinance of heaven. And how about us? We are like the blind feeling the elephant. Discoveries made in the sciences tell us that the universe is made of ordinary matter, dark matter, and dark energy. What humans mostly observe is ordinary matter which makes up only 5 percent of the universe. Dark matter makes up 25 percent of the universe while dark energy 70 percent. We know of only 5 percent of the reality of the universe while 95 percent of it is unknown. The Buddha has profound knowledge of the reality of the universe, and knows and understands the great Dao of the universe. Only the Buddha, the noble sages, and those who have gained perfect enlightenment, fully comprehend ‘what heaven ordains is known as ‘nature’’.

“率性之谓道”，明白的人不违背于“天命”，时时与天命合一，这就是他生命的轨迹，是法轨，佛教里叫皈依佛。佛是圆满的人，法是真理是规则，是我们的人生要按照这个法规去行持。所以，“修道之谓教”。

Accordance with this nature is known as the Dao’ – one who comprehends does not go against Heaven’s ordinance and is in union with it at every single moment. Such is the trajectory of his life - the way of the Dharma, which in Buddhism is known as taking refuge in the Buddha. The Buddha is the perfect human being, and the Dharma the epitome of truth. We are to lead our lives and conduct ourselves according to the course of the Dharma. As such, ‘practising the Dao is known as ‘cultivation’’.

作为一个领悟“道”的人，一个遵循着“道”的人，他会帮助别人也来了解“道”，叫“修道之谓教”，教化就这样产生了。就像有人问我：“我们去极乐世界干吗呢？是不是没事就在那里乐？”或者说，有人学问很高，他是天天陶醉在自己的学问里，还是会去帮助别人？这就能看出人性里本有的优良品德。

A person will also help others understand the Dao when he himself has realized and follows it. This is ‘practising the Dao is known as cultivation’. Cultivation and transformation are thus given rise to. Just like someone who has asked me, ‘Why do we want to go to the Pure Land? Is it because so that we can do nothing there and just be happy?’ There are also those who are very highly learned – would they indulge in their own knowledge every day or would they be helping others? From this, we can see whether they have the moral wholesomeness humans originally possess.

社会上的大多数人，都属于“修道之谓教”，我们有了文字、教科书，本来“道”是不可言说的，甚至中国禅宗里说：不立文字，教外别传，言语道断，心行处灭。“道”是不可言说的，但仍勉强去说，就是因为不忍众生苦，不忍心众生不明白大“道”的状态，徒生徒死，毫无意义，甚至自己造作恶业，害己害人，祸乱社会。这就是圣人教化的心怀，是仁慈的心怀，佛教称之为慈悲。

Most people in our society ‘practise the Dao [and in so doing are engaged in what] is known as cultivation’. Although it has even been said in Chinese Chan Buddhism that the Dao is not based on the written word, is a special transmission apart from the Buddha’s teachings, is beyond language, and transcends mental fabrications; once we have the written word and textbooks, attempts have been made anyway to speak on it even though it could not be spoken of. This is because one cannot bear to let myriad beings suffer, have them not understand the state of the great Dao, go through meaningless rebirths and deaths, create bad karma to harm not only themselves but others as well, and bring misfortune and chaos to society. This is the good intention of the sages who teach and transform – an intention which is borne out of a sense of humanity and kindness, which in Buddhism is called loving-kindness and compassion.

03.

佛教讲，一切众生皆具佛性。《中庸》里说“天命之谓性”，意思是每个众生都有不可剥夺的“性”，如果你能明白它，就能依止它；“率性之谓道”，你能依着天命而行，就叫“道”;“修道之谓教”，你把这种学问去告诉给别人，就叫“教”，它是“立体”的。古人，言简意赅，高度“立体”，不是平面或二维、三维的思维。中国的学问，包括“天”，也不是我们现在想的那个物理的“天”，不是主观愚昧的“天”。

It is said in Buddhism that all myriad beings possess Buddha-nature. In The Doctrine of the Mean ‘what that Heaven ordains is known as ‘nature’’ means that every myriad being has a nature that cannot be taken away, and if you understand it, you will be able to rely on it. ‘Accordance with this nature is known as the Dao’ means that it is Dao when you are able to conduct yourself according to what Heaven has ordained. ‘Practising the Dao is known as ‘cultivation’’ means that when you have related this knowledge to other people, there is ‘cultivation’, and it is something with ‘depth and scope’. What the ancients have said is terse but profound in meaning; it has much ‘depth and scope’, and it is neither two nor three-dimensional thinking. Knowledge in China includes ‘heaven’, not the physical sky that we think it is, which is subjective and dull.

儒教既然讲到这些，为什么我们中国还需要佛教呢？因为就对“天”而言，佛教认识得更透彻，“天”随个人不同的业力有不同的解读，不同的业力有不同的果报。

Since Confucianism talks about these, why is it that China still needs Buddhism? This is because the understanding of ‘heaven’ in Buddhism is more thorough. ‘Heaven’ is seen in different light by different people with different karmic actions. A different karmic action leads to a different result.

我们一般认为“天”是空的，对鸟来说，却是它的高速公路；我们认为时间上一天就是一天，但佛教所说的四大天王，那里的一昼夜相当于我在人间的 50年。对四天王而言，他们管人间的风雨，大气的循环，日月的运行；三十三天即帝释天，他的业报跟四天王又不一样。那里的一昼夜，相当于我在人间100年。

We usually perceive ‘heaven’ to be a void. To the birds, it is a highway. Temporally, we perceive a day to be a day; but a day for the Four Heavenly Kings in Buddhism is equivalent to 50 years in human terms. The Four Heavenly Kings are tasked with overseeing the climatic cycles of wind and rain, and the movement of the sun and the moon. In Trayastrimsa Heaven, also known as the Heaven of Sakra, the karma of the beings there are different from those of the Four Heavenly Kings. A day there is equivalent to 100 years of our time.

如果说，一座山能够成为中华文化的局部缩影，在中国唯有泰山。泰山对中国来说，传说是玉皇大帝的儿子管泰山，泰山之顶可以通天。所以我们人间历代统治者，有资格的皇帝才可以“登泰山诰天”皇帝一方面自己体解大道，“明明德”，第二还要“止于至善”，照拂天下百姓苍生，施仁德于人间，令风调雨顺,五谷丰登，呈昌盛之相，鼎盛之相，才有资格来诰天。

If there is any mountain that could be a representation in miniature of Chinese culture, there is only Mount Tai in China. To the Chinese, Mount Tai is fabled to have been assigned to the care of the son of the Jade Emperor. Its summit leads directly to heaven. That was why only the rulers of the human world in the past - emperors who were qualified – could ‘ascend Mount Tai to seek an audience in heaven’. On the one hand, the emperor understood the Great Dao himself, and could ‘make luminous one’s bright virtues’; on the other, he had to ‘stop only at perfect wholesomeness’, take care of all living things under the sky, spread benevolence and virtues among the humans, let there be good weather and fruitful harvest, and present a picture of boom and prosperity. Only then could he be qualified to ‘seek an audience in Heaven’.

泰山是国山，是中华民族精神的象征，是炎黄子孙的精神丰碑。数千年来，共有 84 位帝王曾来泰山封禅，秦朝之前有 72 位，据说秦朝之后有 12 位皇帝登过泰山，以表自己不负天意，令百姓安居乐业，四海升平。

Mount Tai is a national icon, a symbol of the spirit of the Chinese people, and also a spiritual emblem of the descendants of Emperors Yan and Huang. For the last few thousands of years, there had been a total of 84 emperors who had held the ritual of receiving the mandate from heaven in Mount Tai, 72 of them before the Qin Dynasty. It has been said that the 12 who did so after the Qin Dynasty ascended Mount Tai to show that they did not want to go against the will of Heaven, and that they had wanted their subjects to live and work in peace and for the world to be free from strive.

而我们现在的社会状态，虽身处“大明湖”，却不“明”了。有几个知“道”的？不知“道”就叫无明，无明就产生轮回、痛苦。

With the present state of our society, we are not ‘illuminated’ although we find ourselves in the Lake of Great Illumination. How many know the Dao? Not knowing the Dao is ‘ignorance’ (unilluminated), and ignorance gives rise to the cycle of rebirth and death, and suffering.

今天我们在这样一个时空、天时地利来讲“道”，探索“观澜知源” 这个主题,不亦悦乎？

今天来讲这个话题，是为了大家都来做中流砥柱，我们大家共同努力，力挽狂澜。中华民族的文化重建，要从废墟中开始，首先要把问题研究清楚。《论语》《大学》《中庸》《道德经》到底讲的是什么?

At such a juncture in time and space today, various favourable conditions have made it possible for us to talk about Dao, and to explore the theme of ‘observing the ripples to seek out the source of a water’. Is not that something to be happy about? 

We are going to talk about this theme so that everyone can be a ‘rock standing firm in the middle of a flowing stream’. Let us all work hard together to stop the strong currents. The restoration of Chinese culture begins from within the rubble. We have to first study the problem clearly. What is it that The Analects, The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, and The Dao De Jing are talking about ultimately?

佛经讲的是什么？如果仅仅是着于文字，有时反而容易偏离于“道”。

佛教有句话：依文解义，三世佛怨。

What do the sutras talk about? If it is merely a matter of literal interpretation, it is sometimes easy to stray from the Dao. There is s saying in Buddhism: the Buddhas of the past, present, and future will be displeased if one interpretes [their words] literally.

“汝果学诗乎?功夫在诗外。”但形而上的“道”，真的无迹可循吗？不是。所以前面才有了那个场景：“学而时习之，不亦悦乎？”有通达大“道”的人，有追寻“道”的人，就跟着边学边实践，理论加实践，真是快乐的人生。

‘Do you desire to learn poetry? Effort should be directed outside of the poetry.’ However, are we really not able to detect any traces of metaphysical Dao? That is why we mentioned the scene previously: ‘To study and at due times practice what one has studied, is this not a pleasure?’ To follow someone who can apprehend the Great Dao, and who pursues the Dao, and to learn from and at the same time practice with him - there is application on top of theory; it is truly a happy life.

在座的诸位，有到过我们寺庙的，一看简直就是共产主义。很难想像，一个寺庙不开公司不产生经济价值，也没发文凭，为什么生活在这里的人这么开心呢？连狗、猫、小白兔、老鼠、牛羊、孔雀、麻雀都开心。因为这里是探索“道”、实践“道”的地方。

Every one of you seated here who have been to my monastery will see that life there is exactly like communism. It is hard to imagine that no company has been set up, no economic systems have been established, and no certificates have been awarded, why are the people who lead their lives there so happy? Even the dogs, the cats, the mice, the cows and goats, the peacocks, and the sparrows are happy. This is because it is where we explore and put into practice the Dao.

有人探索“道”，请问那些高级文明、高智慧的诸天神，通达道义的老祖先高兴不高兴？高兴。所以《中庸》说：天命之谓性，率性之谓道，修道之谓教。这里面暗含了很多意思。

When someone is exploring the Dao, would all those deities with advanced civilization and higher intelligence, and our great ancestors who could apprehend the meaning of the Dao be happy about it? They would be. Therefore, The Doctrine of the Mean says, ‘What Heaven ordains is known as ‘nature’; accordance with this nature is known as the Dao; practising the Dao is known as ‘cultivation’.’ Much is hidden in meaning here.  

《道德经》曰：上士问道，勤而行之；中士问道，若存若亡；下士问道，大笑之。不笑不足以为道。下士要是不笑就不是道了，因为下士无法理解道。所以下面就是：道也者，不可须臾离也，可离，非道也。是故君子戒慎乎其所不睹，恐惧乎其所不闻。

The Dao De Jing says, ‘When men of superior mental capacity hear the Dao, they diligently live in accordance with it; when men of mediocre mental capacity hear the Dao, they seem to believe and yet be sceptical; when men of inferior mental capacity hear the Dao, they break into loud laughter - if it were not laughed at, it would not be the Dao.’ If the men of inferior mental capacity do not laugh, it would not be the Dao that they have heard. This is because they have no way of understanding the Dao. Therefore, it is said later that: ‘That which is called Dao cannot be separated from for an instant. What can be separated from is not the Dao. Therefore, the noble man is cautious in a place where no one observes him, and apprehensive in the place where no one hears him.’

理学家对此有很多解释，暂且不讲，我来讲一下我的看法。如果没有领悟“道”，人们是戒慎恐惧的。天地有大道，但是我不懂，我会生恐惧之心。没有人来传播“道”，耳朵里听不到“道”，这是人间不祥之气啊！所以很多佛教国家讲，一个地方没有了出家人、没有了修“道”的人，是天地不祥之相。

Let us not for the moment mention the many explanations offered by the Neo-Confucianists for this. Let me talk about my view. If a person does not realize the Dao, he will be cautious and apprehensive. There is the Great Dao in the universe; but I will be apprehensive if I do not understand it. When there is no one to spread the Dao, and no one to listen to the Dao, there is a sense of foreboding in the air! As such, it is said in many Buddhist countries that if a place should be empty of monastics and people who practise the Dao, it is an ominous sign of things to come.

“莫见乎隐，莫显乎微，故君子慎其独也。”一个追求大道的人，不要跟自己的愚痴作伴，那是无明又不求甚解的，应该跟有道的人一起，应该听有道的人讲解大道。

‘Nothing is more visible than the hidden, and more apparent than the subtle. Therefore, the noble man is cautious when he is alone.’ One who pursues the Great Dao does not want his own foolishness as companion, for that is being ignorant and nonchalant. He should be in the company of people who possess the Dao, and should be listening to them speaking on it.