248. The Union of Mind and Matter; Harmony between Flesh and Spirit

二四八、心物合一靈肉和諧

1 What Zhuangzi[36] said about the societal phenomena over two thousand years ago, that “the system of the Dao was about to be torn into fragments under the sky” is shockingly still repeating itself, even now, in the highly developed civilization of the twentieth century.

1 時至今日,兩千多年前莊子所說「道術將為天下裂」的景象,竟已公然呈現於高度文明的二十世紀。

2 The culprit of the matter is the separation of mind and matter. Once separated, it is almost impossible for them to become merged again. The separation causes Schizophrenia, moral collapse, confused identities, loss of standards, feelings of emptiness, overflow of material desires, as well as grave disasters occurring in many places, with no end in sight.

2 一切問題的死結,就是心物分而難再合,導致精神分裂,道德崩潰,認知紛亂,標準全無,心靈空虛,物慾氾濫,禍亂深重,尚無已時。

3 All that took place in the past two or three hundred years is becoming history and is still waiting to be judged. People’s pursuit of material enjoyment today will have a direct effect on everyone’s life and existence for the next one or two hundred years and more generations to come. It is of utmost importance, and what is needed the most, is that everything should begin with the union of mind and matter.

3 過去二、三百年種種往事,正一步步走入歷史,尚待裁判。現在的每一個人的物質追求,自然會直接影響今後一、二百年及無數後代人的生活與生存。而最重要、最需要的一點,就是一切要從心物合一開始。

4 As Einstein said: “To know that what is impenetrable for us really exists and manifests itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, whose gross forms alone are intelligible to our poor faculties. This knowledge, this feeling: that is the core of the true religious sentiment.”

4 正如愛因斯坦所說:「能夠知道有些事情確是我們無法理解的。承認自然本身就是最高的智慧,最為光華耀目的美。以我們淺陋的知識來說,僅能理解其最原始的型式。這樣的知識,這樣的情感,便是虔誠的宗教感的中心。」

5 Based on my personal shallow thought, what the scientist said “the core of the true religious sentiment” is the union of religious philosophy and science. In other words, the essence of the union of mind and matter.

5 依我個人淺見,這位偉大科學家所指「宗教感的中心」,就是宗教哲學與科學相結合,也就是心物合一的本質所在。

The Eighth Members Meeting of the Religious Philosophy Association, March 10, 1991

宗教哲學研究社第八次社員大會-民國八十年三月十日

[36] Zhuang Zhou, more commonly known as Zhuangzi, was an influential Chinese Daoist philosopher around 4th BCE during the Warring States period.