業感

　　Karmic Consequences

　　今天，我去拜訪了一位據說有現代華佗之稱的中醫。在經過一番故弄玄虛的檢查折騰之後，“華佗”給我開了藥。並苦口婆心地再叁叮囑，除了他的藥，其他的藥一律不能服用。繼而又以不可一世的神情，對西醫的治療方式和理論進行了全方位的抨擊。

　　Today I visited a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine reputed to be a modern Huatuo. Having me first go through a deliberately mystifying examination, the “Huatuo” then handed me his prescriptions. He repeatedly cautioned me that I should adhere to his medicines only; any other formulas should absolutely be avoided. He then went on in a brassy manner to denigrate Western medicine in all aspects of theory and treatment modality.

　　聽著他滔滔不絕的演說，頓生許多感慨：對于同一病症，中西醫常會有不同的說法，《金匮要略》言：“夫人禀五常，因風氣而生長，風氣雖能生萬物，也能害萬物，如水能浮舟，也能覆舟。若五髒元真通暢，人即安和。客氣邪風，中人多死。”由此可見，中醫所認爲的疾病之因，多由經絡受邪及九竅壅塞所致。而西醫則認爲是人體細胞免疫力下降所致。雖然二者說法不一，但我們卻應該承認其皆有道理，不能隨意肯定一方而貶斥另一方。

　　As he talked gushingly, many thoughts ran through my mind. Chinese medicine and Western medicine usually interpret the same disease in different ways. In Synopsis of Golden Chamber it says: “Human beings with the five elements are nurtured by external climate chi. The climate chi that sustains the growth of all living things, however, can also turn around to cause harm, just as the water that bears the boat is the same one that swallows it. When positive chi flows smoothly throughout the five major organs of the human body, health and peacefulness follow. When the internal chi is weakened or invaded by external foul chi, then illness or even death ensues.” Thus Chinese medicine regards the blockage of nine vital points and the disturbance to the energy channels as the major causes of illness. Western medicine, on the other hand, holds the weakened cellular immunity of the human body as the culprit. Although these viewpoints are different, we should acknowledge that each has its own merit, and not haphazardly take one side while belittling the other.

　　這就如同佛教與科學的世界觀有著天壤之別一樣，很多人對這一點始終百思不得其解，最後以其缺智乏慧的分別念，想當然地推導出一個自以爲是的結論：因爲佛教理論所說的須彌山、四大部洲與科學相違，所以佛教是有悖于真理的。

　　Similarly, there is a huge difference in the perception of the universe between Buddhism and science. Many people, failing to find a definitive answer after long pondering, eventually resort to their wisdom-less, conceptual thinking. They presumptuously conclude that because the Buddhist”s description of Mount Meru and the four continents disagrees with modern scientific findings, Buddhism is contradictory to the truth.

　　其實這與中醫和西醫的理論不相同的道理一樣，稍微懂一點佛教理論的人都知道，這其中的奧妙與不同人的業力有關，比如同樣是榴蓮，有的人視之爲美味，有的人則認爲它奇臭無比；同樣一個女人，有人認爲貌若天仙，有人卻認爲無異于無鹽再世。

　　In fact, such deviations are similar to the differences between theories of Chinese and Western medicine. Anyone with some understanding of the Dharma knows that the profound secret of perception lies in the unique predisposition of each inpidual. The fruit durian, for instance, is an absolute delicacy to some people, but to others it is totally repugnant; a woman could be seen by some as beautiful as the pine goddess, while to others she might as well be the incarnate of ugly Wu Yan.

　　作爲凡夫，對不清楚的問題應該詳細觀察之後再下結論，不要因妄加誹謗而造下口業，否則後果不堪設想。《百業經》中因造口業，而感于地獄中于舌耕田之苦的公案，我想凡是看過的人，都不會不引起一番思索吧！

　　As ordinary beings, we should not make hasty conclusions on uncertain issues without prior thorough investigation. Do not slander recklessly. Otherwise, the negative action of speech will result in unimaginable karmic consequences. The Sutra of One Hundred Stories on Karmas describes many cases of people who, through verbal misdeeds, are reborn in hell and suffer from the horror of their tongues being ploughed as the farmland. Koans like this, I bet, will make the readers do some hard thinking!

　　壬午年正月初十　　

　　2002年2月22日

　　10th of January, Year of RenWu

　　February 22, 2002