Beyond Science

科学以外：

Buddhism goes beyond modern science in its acceptance of a wider field of knowledge than is allowed by the scientific mind. Buddhism admits knowledge arising from the sense organs as well as personal experiences gained through mental culture. By training and developing a highly concentrated mind, religious experience can be understood and verified. Religious experience is not something which can be understood by conducting experiments in a test-tube or examined under a microscope.

The truth discovered by science is relative and subject to changes, while that found by the Buddha is final and absolute: the Truth of Dhamma does not change according to time and space. Furthermore, in contrast to the selective theorizing of science, the Buddha encouraged the wise not to cling to theories, scientific or otherwise. Instead of theorizing, the Buddha taught mankind how to live a righteous life so as to discover Ultimate Truth. By living a righteous life, by calming the sense, and by casting off desires, the Buddha pointed the way through which we can discover within ourselves the nature of life. And the real purpose of life can be found.

Practice is important in Buddhism. A person who studies much but does not practise is like one who is able to recite recipes from a huge cookery-book without trying to prepare a single dish. His hunger cannot be relieved by book knowledge alone. Practice is such an important prerequisite of enlightenment that in some schools of Buddhism, such as Zen, practice is put even ahead of knowledge.

The scientific method is outwardly directed, and modern scientists exploit nature and the elements for their own comfort, often disregarding the need to harmonize with the environment and thereby polluting the world. In contrast, Buddhism is inwardly directed and is concerned with the inner development of man. On the lower level, Buddhism teaches the individual how to adjust and cope with events and circumstances of daily life. At the higher level, it represents the human endeavor to grow beyond oneself through the practice of mental culture or mind development.

Buddhism has a complete system of mental culture concerned with gaining insight into the nature of things which leads to complete self-realization of the Ultimate Truth--Nibbana. This system is both practical and scientific, it involves dispassionate observation of emotional and mental states. More like a scientist than a judge, a meditator observes the inner world with mindfulness.

佛教虽然被排除在科学的大门之外，却是最有科学精神的。佛教的学识不仅从感官获得，也从心灵获得。在训练和发展高度专注心灵力量的同时，佛教让我们了解到这世间的一切，并非能够从实验室里的试管或显微镜中获得。科学所获得的真理，经常在更动，而佛陀所证悟的是绝对和究竟的真理，并不因为时间或空间而转变。还有，与科学相比较下，佛陀不鼓励信徒执着于理论、现象或其它，佛陀教导人类根据真理、抑制感官的欲望而过正常的生活。佛陀所指示的是我们每个人都能透过自己的努力而获得自然而有意义的生活。

实践对佛教徒来说是很重要的，一个人光懂得理论而不去实践，就好像是熟读食谱却无法烹煮一样，书本的知识无法解决他的飢饿。实践对觉悟而言是非常重要的，在佛教的很多宗派中都很重视实践。

在以科学精神为指导原则下，科学家们为了自己的私欲，过度开拓或滥用资源，对生态环境造成不平衡和污染。而佛教却着重于心灵的发展，对现实生活来说，佛教指示个人如何调整和应付日常生活所面对的事实，对精神生活来说，佛教指引人类如何透过心灵的发展来超越自己。佛教有一套完整的系统来协助心灵的调御，让人们洞察自然和觉悟究竟的真理──涅槃。这个系统是实际和科学化的，透过理智来观察浮动的心识，以正念来观察内心的世界，这种做法和科学的治学精神一样。