【文化释说英文有声书】第三篇 佛教具有重大的普世价值（三）

三、佛教具有重大的普世价值

Three – There are great and important universal values to be found in Buddhism

记者：其实这真的非常好, 因为之前我们往往注重的是什么, 是智商。那我们传统文化呢？教育大家注重的是情商, 那现在大家也应该重视起来, 如何把智商跟情商结合好, 齐头并进地进行教育。

Journalist: This is in fact very well because what we have always emphasized on before was intelligence quotient. What about our traditional culture? It teaches everyone to focus on emotional quotient. Then everyone should need to also focus on this now: how to combine the two in the best way to carry out our educational work.

传喜法师：佛教在这方面有突出的特质, 就像有记者采访一些著名的科学家, 探究他们为什么会关心佛教, 甚至去学习佛教？他们这样回答，因为在人类的历史上, 智慧达到的高度和慈悲所展现的胸怀上, 没有谁能超过释迦牟尼佛。释迦牟尼佛，智慧圆满, 慈悲的情怀也圆满。就像您刚才提到的智商和情商, 智商就是你观察问题的高度, 情商是你能够站在别人角度考虑问题的高度。

Master Chuan-xi: There are outstanding characteristics to be found in Buddhism in respect of this. It is like when some journalists interviewed a few renowned scientists to find out why they were so interested in Buddhism such that the latter even took up practice. They had the same answer: it is because in the course of human history, no one can hold a candle to Buddha Sakyamuni in terms of how he had demonstrated the highest form of wisdom and the biggest heart for compassion and loving-kindness. For Buddha Sakyamuni, not only was his wisdom full and perfect, his compassion and loving-kindness was also impeccable. Just like intelligence quotient and emotional quotient you mentioned just now – intelligence quotient refers to whether you are able to look at a problem with insight, while emotional quotient refers to whether you are able to look at a problem from the perspective of others.  

记者：如果说我们在教育方面, 让智力教育跟我们传统文化、跟佛学的情商教育结合起来, 那学生就不会存在我们这种暴力行为的现象。

Journalist: If, say we are able to merge the teaching of intelligence quotient with the teaching of emotional quotient found in traditional culture and Buddhism that would put a stop to the occurrence of violence in schools.

传喜法师：至少可以很大程度上减少暴力现象。其实校园暴力事件, 除了社会影响恶劣, 最大的受害者还是他自己。多么令人痛惜，年轻人本可以通过修养, 让生命变得更有质量。

Master Chuan-xi: At the least, this will greatly minimize the occurrences of such phenomena. In fact, beside the detrimental social effects of an act of school violence, the one to be harmed the most is the perpetrator himself. How very lamentable is that. A person of youth could have let his life become one of quality through proper cultivation.

记者：：那接下来呢, 用一个问题回应上一个问题。法师您认为 , 我们现在的学生学习传统文化, 对他们的人生有什么样重要意义呢？

Journalist: To employ another question in response to the last question: what now then? Master, what important meaning for life do you think there is for our students to study traditional culture nowadays?

传喜法师：意义是显而易见的。如果一个孩子建立了正确的行为准则，正确的人生观和世界观, 有了高尚圆满的目标, 人生几十年的实践，他就会实现从因到果的丰收，所有行为都会向正确的方向发展。反之，一个人没有建立起正确的人生观和世界观, 他的人生是盲目的, 随波逐流的，甚至可能会给社会制造很多麻烦。

Master Chuan-xi: The meaning is obvious and readily seen. If a child should have established a proper standard of conduct, possesses a correct personal as well as world outlook, and adopts a morally upright ideal, he will enjoy the bountiful harvest of a wholesome cause after having put these into practice for the first few scores of his life. Therefore, his conduct will tend to develop in the correct direction. On the other hand, one shall be blind in life if he has not set up a correct personal as well as world outlook – he goes with the waves and might even create many problems for society.

传统文化正是指路明灯，给迷惘的人指出生活的方向。就像我们在山东大学讲《中庸》一样, 明白“中庸”的涵义, 他自然会做君子。“中”即是道 ,“庸”是对道的遵守。你看汉字的“人”，一撇一捺, 也可以理解为一阴一阳。阴阳交汇, 相互支撑，然后就变成道。道的人格化就是人, 道的生命轨迹也是人。

Traditional culture is the light that illuminates the path for us. It provides those who are lost and confused in life with a direction. Like what we have mentioned during the talk on The Doctrine of the Mean in Shandong University, one who is able to grasp the meaning of the mean中庸will naturally become a gentleman. 中 (centeredness) is the Dao while 庸 (ordinariness) is to abide by the Dao. If you look at the Chinese character人 (human) in which there are two strokes, you can also understand it to mean yin and yang - crossing and supporting each other to then become the Dao. The human is the personification of the Dao, and is also the life trajectory of the Dao.

中国传统文化其实就是道的文化, 非常奥妙, 即包括对生命内在规律的认知，也包括对宇宙规律的认知，两者和谐统一。西方科学虽然发达, 特别量子物理学发展后, 西方世界开始认识到我们东方的学问非常高级, 乃至对现代科技都有极大的启迪。

In fact, the traditional culture of the Chinese is the culture of the Dao. This is very sublime and profound. It is the harmonious coming together of the awareness of one’s internal life rhythm and the awareness of the rhythm of the universe. Although their science is well-developed, the Western world has started to realize especially after they have made progress in quantum physics that the knowledge of the Eastern world is so very advanced such that even modern science and technology can draw great inspiration from it.

记者：其实我们的国家这种文化不单单能影响我们国人, 也能够影响全世界、全人类。中国文化对世界经济, 对世界未来的发展方向, 会产生影响。所以, 我们不光要在国内弘扬传统文化, 还要把我们传统文化发扬到世界范围, 其实是对人类的一个贡献。

Journalist: In fact, such a culture like ours does not only affect us, but it is also able to affect the whole world and the whole of humankind. Chinese culture will have an effect on world economics as well as its future development. As such, not only do we need to propagate traditional culture in our country, we need to also spread it to the world. This is, in actual fact, a contribution to humankind.

传喜法师：中国是人类文明古国之一, 我们是古老华夏文明的直接传承者。既然是世界公认的悠久文明, 我们就要有使命感来继承和弘扬它, 去造福国人, 造福世界, 造福人类。比如说, 人可以转凡成圣，这是一个非常有社会意义的话题。一个人能够自觉, 就会形成自我规范的道德体系。个体生命的改变不容小觑，人与人，人与社会，乃至国与国之间的秩序，都会得到相应的改善。乃至法律或者法规，多了一层道德保障。我发现在 21 世纪, 人类都在思索这个问题, 西方很多智者也认识到中国的古老文明对当今世界的重大意义, 所以我们一直坚持认为, 佛教在当今社会具有意义重大的普世价值。

Master Chuan-xi: China is one of the oldest human civilizations. As the direct heirs of this ancient Hua Xia civilization and since it is being recognized by the world to be one with a long history, we should have a sense of mission to inherit it and propagate and spread it to bring benefits to our countrymen, the world, and humankind. Take for instance the subject of the transformation from being human to being sagely. This is something that has a lot of meaning to society. A person capable of self-awareness will be able to form a system of self-discipline. These changes in an individual’s life should not be overlooked. They will also bring about corresponding changes in the order between individual and individual, individual and society, and even nation and nation. Furthermore, morality will act as an extra line of protection to reinforce legal laws and regulations. We find in the 21st century that humans are all pondering over this question. Many wise people from the West have also realized how greatly important the ancient Chinese civilization is to our modern world. As such, we have always steadfastly felt that there are great and important universal values for modern society to find in Buddhism.

记者：社会各界都在大力弘扬我们传统文化, 所以对我们来说更要不遗余力地去弘扬它。法师您认为我们现在的年轻人应该怎么样正确认识或者看待佛学, 不至于让他们产生一些误解, 能正确认识佛学跟他们的学习并不冲突, 还会对他们有帮助呢？

Journalist: Each and every segment of our society is putting in great efforts to propagate and spread our traditional culture. Therefore, the more we should spare no effort to propagate it. Master, how do you feel our youth should get to know or treat Buddhism correctly so that they will not have any misunderstanding and realize that it does not conflict with what they have learned, and that it even is of benefit to them?

传喜法师：佛教文化不仅造福了古人, 也正在造福着我们当今社会。每个生命都有强烈的自我认知，一是对未知的恐惧；二是对幸福的渴望。佛教文化恰恰就是生命的说明书，让我们明了幸福是什么, 什么可以带来幸福；痛苦是什么，怎样可以避免痛苦。种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆，因果观念真实不虚。如果能够戒恶修善, 清净身口意, 就像摘到甜蜜的果实一样, 我们可以摘取人生的幸福果实。

Master Chuan-xi: The culture of Buddhism has not only brought blessings to the ancients, modern society is benefiting from it as well. There is a strong sense of the notion of self in every life – firstly, there is a fear of the unknown, and secondly, a yearning for happiness. Buddhism is just so a manual for life which lets us understand what happiness is, what will bring about happiness, what is suffering, and how to prevent suffering.  As a man sows, so shall he reap – the law of cause-and-effect is true and undoubtable. If one is able to refrain from evil and do good, and purify his body, speech and mind - like having harvested a sweet fruit, one is able to enjoy the crop of happiness in life.

幸福可以指日可待, 可以当下塑造, 甚至我们的相貌都是可以通过心灵的苏醒来改善。相貌好, 财富观好, 人缘好, 这些都可以通过修行来达成, 幸福的人生是自己可以把握的。佛教帮助我们开发智慧, 这是其他学问很难讲到的，不管物理学多么发达, 生命的这种特质它关照不到, 也认识不到。

We can expect to have happiness in the future or it can be created in the present moment. Through a spiritual awakening, even our appearances can be changed for the better. When our appearance is good, the outlook for our wealth will also improve and we will have cordial relations with people. We can achieve all these through practice. We are capable of creating a happy life for ourselves. The Buddha helps us to discover our wisdom – something rarely mentioned in other branches of knowledge. No matter how advanced the physical sciences may get, they will never be able to shed light on this unique quality of life, nor will they ever get to know it.

特别对年轻人来说, 如果很早接触到佛教的智慧, 会少走很多弯路。我们并没有多少资本能走弯路, 人生短短几十年, 摔倒后再爬起来就已经付出很大代价了。年轻人少走弯路, 就会转化成为社会财富，这是国家之大幸啊！我们常说, 老年人学佛了, 他的孩子就不用操心了；年轻人学佛了, 父母就不用操心了。

For the youths especially, if they get to know Buddhist wisdom very early on, they will spare themselves many unnecessary meanderings. We do not have much to waste on going about life without aim. Life is but a few score years short. We would have already paid a hefty price once we have picked ourselves up after a fall. The result from less meandering by the youths will transform into wealth for that society. This is most fortunate for a nation. We always say that when the elderly practise Buddhism, their children should have no more worries; when young people practise Buddhism, there is no more need for their parents to worry.

记者：幸福的人生是靠我们自己修来的。法师您对我们这个现代社会佛教文化的发展, 有什么看法？

Journalist: A happy life has to be the result of our own efforts during practice. Master, what are your opinions on the developments in the Buddhist culture of this modern society of ours?

传喜法师：中国的佛教文化受旧思维模式的影响还很大, 很多人一提到佛教，会不自觉地想到迷信两个字。佛教是积极的, 佛教是智慧的，这样的社会共识还没有达成。所以在中国, 还是要借助媒体, 努力消除对佛教的误解, 还佛教以本来面目。

Master Chuan-xi: Chinese Buddhist culture is still very much influenced by the old way of thinking. Many people will instinctively associate it with superstition as soon as Buddhism is mentioned to them. Buddhism is optimistic and it is about wisdom. Such a collective social understanding has not yet been reached. As such, we still need the help of the media to work hard at eliminating this misunderstanding towards Buddhism so that its original nature can be known.

佛教文化具有的高瞻远瞩的智慧, 是信息时代所需要的“定海神针”。中国的佛教需要更多的智者来解读, 让我们的社会能够享用到佛教的智慧。历史上, 佛教文化流行的时代，都是社会鼎盛的时代。文化是有能量的,一个人有精神风貌, 他所释放的社会能量非常强大。学佛的人越来越多, 越来越多的人变成了菩萨, 社会充满了佛菩萨,当然就是鼎盛的时代。

The wisdom found in Buddhist culture has a vision which is insightful and far-reaching. It is the bedrock this information age needs to prevent everything from descending into chaos. There needs to be more people of knowledge to understand and interpret Chinese Buddhism so that our society is able to enjoy the benefits that its wisdom can bring. Historically, prosperous times in societies coincided with periods in which Buddhist culture became popular. The energy one emits into society will be extremely powerful and great if one is spiritually endowed. The more the number of people who practise Buddhism, the more the number of people who will turn into Bodhisattvas. When society is full of Bodhisattvas, it will certainly be a golden age.