..续本文上一页的不仅是是人类的生命，而是全体有情众生的生命。这种尊敬有情众生的思想体系，并非仅是为了对我们有用处，作为一种工具或达到目的之手段。由此尊敬生命之原则产生了慈悲无私之观念，而成为我们行动的指导原则。因此就基因工程而言，即必须排除任何将人类生命或非人类的有情生命作为工具之使用。如果我有时间，我会报告一些生物科技公司为了追求利润，以骇人的方式使用无情的生命，很不幸有时亦使用人类和其他有情的生命作为其工具。
Four aspects of the Buddhist paradigm are somewhat different than the dominant paradigm of Scientism and many of the paradigms that we find within Christian theology. The first aspect that I”d like to mention is Ahimsa**, which is particularly appropriate to our gathering here today. Ahimsa means nonharming; it is the principle of respect for the intrinsic value of the life of all sentient beings, not just human life. This paradigm respects sentient beings not merely for their usefulness to us as tools or means to ends. Out of this principle of respect for life comes the notion of selfless compassion as a guiding principle in our actions, so that, in terms of genetic engineering, it would exclude any instrumental use of human or nonhuman sentient life. If I had time, I would go into the horrific instrumental use of nonsentient life, and sometimes unfortunately human and other sentient life, in the pursuit of profit by biotech companies.
第二点我要讨论的是超觉；超觉与全人类发展出世智慧和解脱之潜能有关。超觉是无法用科学术语加以叙述的。从科学主义的观点而言，也没有方法可说明超觉所具有的意义。
The second aspect I”d like to discuss is transcendence. Transcendence refers to the potential of all human beings for developing spiritual wisdom and liberation. Transcendence cannot be couched in scientific terms. Nor is there any way to talk meaningfully about transcendence from the point of view of Scientism.
第三点，佛教的思想体系，是其了解到宇宙是一个开放的系统。与之对比不同的是科学方法，其运作于假设的，人为的，及封闭的系统，如此去假定其具备某些有意义，但不完全且非完善的相应于「眞实」的世界。以佛教思想体系的观点来看，毫无疑问的科学方法因其先天的限制，而无法评估在一个开放的系统内，这个世界的生物被遗传工程改造后，所可能引起的影响范围。像这样使用科学的思想体系是不可能有确定可靠的风险评估的。
The third aspect of the Buddhist paradigm is the understanding that the cosmos is an open system. In contradistinction, the scientific method operates within hypothesized artificial and closed systems, that are assumed to have some meaningful, but incomplete and imperfect, correspondence with the "real" world. From the viewpoint of the paradigm of Buddhism, it is clear that scientific methodology cannot, because of its inherent limitations, assess the full extent of the possible effects of genetically engineered alterations on living creatures in a world that is an open system. Thus no certainty or reliable risk assessment is possible using the scientific model.
最后第四点，于此佛教思想体系中我要指出的，是其不同于笛卡尔哲学的本质。换句话说就是我们的心和精神影响着我们的身体；而我们的身体也影响着我们的心和精神：我们的身、心、精神是「不二的」。究竟而言，三者彼此不可分开，而且性质上亦无不同。因为身、心、精神互相牵连，互相影响，佛教思想体系的道德是根源于因果报应，故其强调净化三者之重要性。
The fourth and final aspect of this paradigm that I would like to mention is its non-Cartesian nature. In other words, our minds and spirits affect our bodies, our bodies affect our minds and spirit, and body, mind, and spirit are nondual. Ultimately, they are neither mutually distinct, nor qualitatively different. Because body, mind, and spirit interrelate with one another and affect one another, the karmabased ethics of the Buddhist paradigm stresses the importance of the purification of all three.
由于时间的限制，我对于佛教思想体系四个方面非常简要的解释，希望能令您了解其与当今世界主流思想体系是非常地不同的。
I hope that you have been able to follow this explanation, which has been very brief because of our time constraints, of these four aspects the Buddhist paradigm, which is so different from the mainstream paradigms of the modern world.
最后我希望各位能花一点时间，思考这种可能性的存在，由于身、心、精神三者互相关联，而且本源上是不二的，因而基因工程可能会不利地影响到有情生物完成其超觉与解脱的潜能。因为科学只能处理物质界，科学实验或科学方法是没法评估这种风险的。若基因工程即使仅有一点点的可能性，会严重影响到人类的精神性与达到超觉的潜能，这已是一件非常令人担忧的事了。我想你们很多人会同意我的看法。
Finally, I would like you all to take a moment to reflect upon the possibility, which exists because of the interrelation and ultimate nonduality of body, mind, and spirit, that genetic engineering may adversely influence the potential of sentient beings to achieve transcendence and liberation. Because science deals only with the physical realm, no scientific experiment or methodology can possibly assess this kind of risk. Even if there is only a relatively small possibility of genetic engineering having a serious effect on the nature of the human spirit and its potential for transcendence, I think many of you will agree with me that it is a very serious cause for concern.
《佛教与生物科技 Buddhism and Biotechnology》全文阅读结束。