Part Six

　　This World And Other Worlds

　　Chapter 16 Realms of Existence

　　第六篇

　　此世界與他方世界

　　第十六章 環境與生存

　　The Origin of the World

　　宇宙的起源

　　”There is no reason to suppose that the world had a beginning at all. The idea that things must have a beginning is really due to the poverty of our thoughts.” (Bertrand Russell)

　　我們無法假定宇宙有一個起點。認爲宇宙有起點，是因爲我們的想像力貧乏。─羅素─

　　There are three schools of thought regarding the origin of the world. The first school of thought claims that this world came into existence by nature and that nature is not an intelligent force. However, nature works no its own accord and goes on changing.

　　有叁種不同的思想派系涉及宇宙的緣起，它們是：一、認爲宇宙的存在來自于它的本體，這種本體是非智力性的，但是，由于本體自我不斷的繼續運作，使所有的事物都起了變化。

　　The second school of thought says that the world was created by an almighty God who is responsible for everything.

　　二、認爲宇宙是萬能的「神」所創造的，「神」創造了宇宙和宇宙的一切事物。

　　The third school of thought says that the beginning of this world and of life is inconceivable since they have neither beginning nor end. Buddhism is in accordance with this third school of thought. Bertrand Russell supports this school of thought by saying, ”There is no reason to suppose that the world had a beginning at all. The idea that things must have a beginning is really due to the poverty of our thoughts.”

　　叁、認爲宇宙的緣起是不可思議的，它無始無終。佛教的宇宙觀是屬于第叁種，西方大哲學家羅素也這麼認爲：「我們無法假定宇宙有一個起點。認爲宇宙有起點，是因爲我們的想像力貧乏。」

　　Modern science says that some millions of years ago, the newly cooled earth was lifeless and that life originated in the ocean. Buddhism never claimed that the world, sun, moon, stars, wind, water, days and nights were created by a powerful god or by a Buddha. Buddhists believe that the world was not created once upon a time, but that the world has been created millions of times every second and will continue to do so by itself and will break away by itself. According to Buddhism, world systems always appear and disappear in the universe.

　　現代科學家認爲，在數億萬年以前，剛冷卻的地球是沒有生命的，生命緣起于海洋。佛教從來沒有宣稱這世界、太陽、月亮、星星、風、雨、晝、夜，是「神」所創造。

　　佛陀認爲宇宙不是過去任何一個時刻的創造，世界在每一秒鍾都有數以百萬計的創造。世界本身在不停的創造，也在不停的毀滅。佛教認爲宇宙體系經常出現，也會自己消失。

　　H.G. Wells, in A Short History of the World, says ”It is universally recognized that the universe in which we live, has to all appearance, existed for an enormous period of time and possibly for endless time. But that the universe in which we live, has existed only for six or seven thousand years may be regarded as an altogether exploded idea. No life seems to have happened suddenly upon earth.”

　　曆史學家H.G.威爾在他的著作《世界簡史》裏提到：「一般的了解，我們所居住的地球在久遠的年代已經存在了，它也可能永遠的存在，沒有終極點。……人類生存在地球已經有六、七千年的曆史了，這也許是一個爆炸性的觀念。在這以前人類好像不曾出現在地球。」

　　The efforts made by many religions to explain the beginning and the end of the universe are indeed ill-conceived. The position of religions which propound the view that the universe was created by god in an exactly fixed year, has become a difficult one to maintain in the light of modern and scientific knowledge.

　　很多宗教用來解釋宇宙的緣起和終結的都是一些拙劣的構思。在宗教立場，認定宇宙是「神」在某一特定的時間作創造的構思，在科學昌明的今天，已經站不住腳了。

　　Today scientists, historians, astronomers, biologists, botanists, anthropologists and great thinkers have all contributed vast new knowledge about the origin of the world. This latest discovery and knowledge is not at all contradictory to the Teachings of the Buddha. Bertrand Russell again says that he respects the Buddha for not making false statements like others who committed themselves regarding the origin of the world.

　　今天的科學家、曆史學家、生物學家、人類學家以及一些思想家，都在努力的探溯和發掘宇宙緣起的新知識。在最近發現的新知識中，並沒有和佛教思想相互矛盾。羅素說：他敬重佛陀，是因爲佛陀沒有犯下有如其它宗教的有關宇宙緣起的錯誤。

　　The speculative explanations of the origin of the universe that are presented by various religions are not acceptable to the modern scientists and intellectuals. Even the commentaries of the Buddhist Scriptures, written by certain Buddhist writers, cannot be challenged by scientific …

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