Beyond Science

　　科學以外：

　　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 inpidual 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.

　　佛教雖然被排除在科學的大門之外，卻是最有科學精神的。佛教的學識不僅從感官獲得，也從心靈獲得。在訓練和發展高度專注心靈力量的同時，佛教讓我們了解到這世間的一切，並非能夠從實驗室裏的試管或顯微鏡中獲得。科學所獲得的真理，經常在更動，而佛陀所證悟的是絕對和究竟的真理，並不因爲時間或空間而轉變。還有，與科學相比較下，佛陀不鼓勵信徒執著于理論、現象或其它，佛陀教導人類根據真理、抑製感官的欲望而過正常的生活。佛陀所指示的是我們每個人都能透過自己的努力而獲得自然而有意義的生活。

　　實踐對佛教徒來說是很重要的，一個人光懂得理論而不去實踐，就好像是熟讀食譜卻無法烹煮一樣，書本的知識無法解決他的飢餓。實踐對覺悟而言是非常重要的，在佛教的很多宗派中都很重視實踐。

　　在以科學精神爲指導原則下，科學家們爲了自己的私欲，過度開拓或濫用資源，對生態環境造成不平衡和汙染。而佛教卻著重于心靈的發展，對現實生活來說，佛教指示個人如何調整和應付日常生活所面對的事實，對精神生活來說，佛教指引人類如何透過心靈的發展來超越自己。佛教有一套完整的系統來協助心靈的調禦，讓人們洞察自然和覺悟究竟的真理──涅槃。這個系統是實際和科學化的，透過理智來觀察浮動的心識，以正念來觀察內心的世界，這種做法和科學的治學精神一樣。