..续本文上一页n the flames, turning his eyes away from the crucifix that was held up to him, the victim of theological stupidity and self-applauding intolerance—the martyr for freedom of thought.
It was and still is the common daily testimony of the sense of sight of every being that the sun does move round the earth. And yet, that sense of sight, that common sense, that general opinion, that pine revelation, that biblical authority, were clearly mistaken and false.
The same happens even nowadays and might happen ever and ever again. What was only yesterday proved by science and tested in practice, is overthrown today by some newer theories equally proved and tested and universally accepted … till tomorrow some more advanced theories are brought forward, explaining the same facts quite differently, but more logically and more according to the truth.
Does truth change
If by truth is meant (as it is defined in philosophy) the harmony between consciousness and the known object, then truth will change with any increase or decrease of knowledge; then there will be degrees of truth, of objective truth in which the object becomes better known, or of subjective truth in which knowledge becomes clearer. If truth, on the other hand, is taken in itself, it must be said to have no existence at all; for if an object is not related to any knowing mind, in which would then exist its truth
Moreover, we usually call a thing true, if it corresponds with the idea we have formed of it; but our ideas themselves, according to which we judge the truth of things, are formed from impressions of those selfsame objects.
Thus it will be seen that a general or even universal agreement of opinion is no sign of proof of the truth.
To say then that the voice of nature, if there would be any such thing, cannot err is neither induction, i.e., a conclusion from inpidual experience to a general truth or principle, nor deduction, i.e., an application of a universal characteristic to inpidual cases. It is merely bad logic based on sentiment rather than on reason.
In this way we have disposed of external evidence in favour of the soul-idea in two ways, namely in so far as we have shown that the existence of a soul is not the universal opinion, and even if it were so, it would prove nothing.
It may be true that all people at all times believe in existence after death; even we Buddhists accept this doctrine; but existence after death does not involve a permanent existence after death, nor the existence of a permanent soul. Even the Hindus, who believe in transmigration of soul as opposed to the soulless rebirth in Buddhism, do not really believe in inpidual, permanent souls; for according to Vedaanta the soul after transmigration through many lives in sa.msaara will be re-united, re-absorbed in Brahman from where it was emanated in the beginning of its wandering. There its inpidual existence will have come to an end.
External evidence thus having failed, we come to a whole series of arguments alleged to be proofs from internal evidence.
Internal evidence means evidence that manifests itself not directly in its existence, but only indirectly through the manifestation of action. Thus, e.g. when a car-tyre goes flat we may safely conclude that there must be a hole somewhere in the tube, even if we cannot discern it with the eye. For, if there were no hole, the air could not have escaped.
Similarly from the working of the intellect we may draw some conclusions with regard to the nature of the intellect.
Everything is received according to the nature of the receiver. Water, e.g., takes the shape of the glass tumbler in which it is contained. Colours can only be perceived by the sense organ of sight; sound only by the ear etc.
Now the …
《Touching the Essence - Six Lectures on Buddhism》全文未完，请进入下页继续阅读…