人類的未來

　　The Future of Humankind

　　◎宣化上人一九八五年二月九日

　　開示于加拿大溫哥華

　　Lecture by Venerable Master Hua at University of British Columbia

　　Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on February 9, 1985

　　在現今科技與物質文明都這麼發達的時代裏，我們該得好好想一想，並問問自己，這可是個適于人居的好時候？

　　In this era, when technology and materialism flourish, we want to take a careful look at the thinking of the times and ask ourselves whether or not this is a good age to live in.

　　科技使人生活得到改善，人當然認爲它是好的，可我們也得明白俗語所謂「樂極生悲」的道理。

　　Science has made great advances in technology and that certainly counts as good. But we should also realize the truth in the saying,

　　"Anything taken to the ultimate point

　　transforms into its opposite."

　　即科學進步雖是好事，不過好事反而也會招來禍事，眼前電視就是一個現成的例子！

　　In the case of technological advances, good things also beckon misfortune.

　　我知道有人，會反對我對電視的評語，而說：「法師，你怎麼愈活愈回去了呢？你真是個老骨董啊！你太趕不上時代了。」

　　Let”s look at television, for example, I know people will object to my analysis of the TV, saying "Dharma Master, you”re a throwback to another age. You”re an anachronism. You”re out of step with the times.

　　雖然如此，我還是認爲電視對人的生活確實構成了威脅，你可知道，它簡直就是一個食人魔！

　　"Nonetheless, in my opinion, the television is a menace to human life. The television is a man-eater. Did you know that

　　看看現在的孩子吧！他們不做功課，只會坐在電視機前面，眼睛巴著螢幕，任由電視把他們的精氣神一點一點地吸光榨幹。

　　Look at children these days. Instead of doing their schoolwork, they sit in front of the TV set. They”re glued to the screen, and it eats up their very life-force. The children might as well be dead, because they will never learn the basic principles of being good people. They only learn how to stare at the television.

　　那電視到底教了孩子什麼呢？就是一切你所能想得出的各種奇怪而顛倒的行徑。他們很少從電視上學到有價值的東西，反而是對那一些邪惡有害的東西，一教便會。這樣一來，不出多久，他們就會學遍一切人所能幹得出來的壞事了。

　　And what does the TV teach them

　　 Every kind of strange and freakish behavior you can imagine. They learn precious little of value. The kids very quickly learn to enact the evil and harmful lessons they watch. In no time at all, they learn all the bad things that people can do.

　　在電視尚未發明以前，這個食人魔是收音機，它也會吸幹人的精氣神。在收音機流行的時代，人的耳朵老是粘著收音機，把什麼都給忘了，忘了吃，忘睡，忘了日常生活的一切事情。現在電視也把我們迷到不知何去何從的地步了！

　　Before television came into the world, the people-eater was radio. Radios sucked up humans” life-force. People used to stick a radio in their ear and completely forgot everything else. Radios made us forget about eating, sleeping, and the ordinary events of life. Now the television has confused us to the point of not knowing whether we”re coming or going.

　　接續電視而來的是電腦。

　　中文說它是「電腦」，那麼以後應該還會有電眼、電耳、電舌頭、電鼻子、電身體，無論這六種器官中的哪一個，都可以隨我們的意思給模造出來(就像錄音機)，再通上電就成了。

　　Computers have followed along right after the television.

　　In Chinese, the word for computer translates literally into "electric brain". In the future there will be electric eyes, as well as electric ears, electric tongues, electric noses and electric bodies. Every one of the six organs will have disposable modules, likes cassettes, and will gain an electric boost.

　　從此，眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意都將電腦化，甚至連「意」也會和「萬事通電腦記憶銀行」搭上線。

　　Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind will be computerized. Even the mind will tie in organically with "know-it-all computer memory banks."

　　這是個當人的好時期嗎？

　　絕對不是，這正是人類史上的黑暗時期。

　　Is this a good time to be a person

　　Impossible! This is a dark age in human history.

　　生在這個愚癡的時代，人的智慧都給物質偷走了，沒有一個人真正稱得上有智慧，因爲我們的自性光明全被物質蒙蔽了。

　　In this benighted era, our wisdom has been stolen away by material things. Nobody has any natural wisdom to speak of. Our inherent brightness has been replaced by products and goods.

　　一旦我們以物質代替智慧，人將變得呆滯遲鈍，像白癡一樣。那個時代，智慧不見了，人都不做有益的事。

　　And once we substitute things for wisdom, then people will grow up blank, like idiots. Wisdom will become outmoded. People will no longer serve any useful function.

　　你們要切記我說的：將來的人會退化成廢物！你們說這個問題嚴不嚴重？

　　Mark my words: in the future, people will become obsolete. Would you say this is a serious proble…

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