Part Six

　　This World And Other Worlds

　　Chapter 16 Realms of Existence

　　第六篇

　　此世界与他方世界

　　第十六章 环境与生存

　　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)

　　我们无法假定宇宙有一个起点。认为宇宙有起点，是因为我们的想像力贫乏。─罗素─

　　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.

　　有三种不同的思想派系涉及宇宙的缘起，它们是：一、认为宇宙的存在来自于它的本体，这种本体是非智力性的，但是，由于本体自我不断的继续运作，使所有的事物都起了变化。

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

　　二、认为宇宙是万能的「神」所创造的，「神」创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.”

　　三、认为宇宙的缘起是不可思议的，它无始无终。佛教的宇宙观是属于第三种，西方大哲学家罗素也这么认为：「我们无法假定宇宙有一个起点。认为宇宙有起点，是因为我们的想像力贫乏。」

　　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.

　　现代科学家认为，在数亿万年以前，刚冷却的地球是没有生命的，生命缘起于海洋。佛教从来没有宣称这世界、太阳、月亮、星星、风、雨、昼、夜，是「神」所创造。

　　佛陀认为宇宙不是过去任何一个时刻的创造，世界在每一秒钟都有数以百万计的创造。世界本身在不停的创造，也在不停的毁灭。佛教认为宇宙体系经常出现，也会自己消失。

　　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.”

　　历史学家H.G.威尔在他的着作《世界简史》里提到：「一般的了解，我们所居住的地球在久远的年代已经存在了，它也可能永远的存在，没有终极点。……人类生存在地球已经有六、七千年的历史了，这也许是一个爆炸性的观念。在这以前人类好像不曾出现在地球。」

　　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.

　　很多宗教用来解释宇宙的缘起和终结的都是一些拙劣的构思。在宗教立场，认定宇宙是「神」在某一特定的时间作创造的构思，在科学昌明的今天，已经站不住脚了。

　　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.

　　今天的科学家、历史学家、生物学家、人类学家以及一些思想家，都在努力的探溯和发掘宇宙缘起的新知识。在最近发现的新知识中，并没有和佛教思想相互矛盾。罗素说：他敬重佛陀，是因为佛陀没有犯下有如其它宗教的有关宇宙缘起的错误。

　　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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