真正科学就是佛教

TRUE SCIENCE IS JUST BUDDHISM

戒、定、慧，这是科学、哲学的一个根本。

Precepts, concentration, and wisdom are the fundamentals of science and philosophy.

各位善知识：我也没有读过科学，也没有读过哲学，所以对于这个science（科学）、philosophy（哲学），都是一个门外汉。今天你们各位要求讲这个题目，这真是强人所难。虽然如此，我略说几句，是不科、也不学、也不哲的话。

All Good and Wise Advisors: Since I never studied science or philosophy, I am an outsider to these subjects. You are really giving me a difficult task by asking me to speak on these subjects. Nevertheless, I will say a few unscientific and unphilosophical words.

什么叫科学？什么叫哲学？这两个名词都很抽象的，为什么呢？科学是属于慧性，哲学是属于理性。这慧性和理性没有一个进步，也没有一个退步，它都是宛然存在的，在圣不增，在凡不减。

What is science? What is philosophy? These two terms are very abstract. Science deals with wisdom, and philosophy deals with reason. As for wisdom and reason, there is no progress and no retreat in them. They exist in completion, with neither more in sages, nor less in ordinary people.

什么叫慧学？慧学就是“戒定慧”这个“慧”。你想要有真正的智慧，首先必须要有定力，才能分辨是法、非法，善法和不善法；你想要有定力，先要持戒。持什么戒呢？这个戒，就是止恶防非的，我们“诸恶不作，众善奉行；自净其意，是诸佛教。”这属于慧性。说“诸恶不作”，谁都知道，那有什么慧性？“众善奉行”，也谁都知道，怎么又能讲得上慧性呢？你若能“诸恶不作”，就是个戒力；你若“众善奉行”，就是个慧力。你有戒力了，中间产生一种定力；定力可以支配这个慧力，这个慧性，智慧之性。

What is the study of wisdom? It refers to the wisdom in the threefold study of precepts, concentration, and wisdom. If you want to have real wisdom, you must first have concentration. With concentration you can distinguish true dharmas from false dharmas and good dharmas from bad dharmas. To obtain concentration, you must first observe the precepts. What are the precepts? The precepts guard against wrongdoing. We should follow the saying:

Do no evil, practice all good, and purify your own mind.

That is the teaching of the Buddhas.

This is considered wisdom. You say, "Everyone understands the principle of doing no evil. How can that be wisdom?" "Anyone can understand the principle of practicing only good. How is that wisdom?" If you can do no evil, then you have the power of the precepts. If you practice only good, then you have the power of wisdom. Once you have the power of precepts, the power of samadhi arises. The power of concentration can regulate the power of wisdom, the nature of the wisdom.

谈起这个科学，我是门外汉，可是我说几句行家话。科学，是无穷无尽的。五百年以前，人家就懂得科学。在中国来说，三千年以前已经有人懂得科学。轩辕黄帝发明指南车，这是在四、五千年以前就发明了；直至今日，东、西方还是根据指南针来判定方向，这都是一种科学的产品。中国的科学，在周朝以前，很早已经有火炮、火药；可是那时候，不用它来打仗、作战，用它来鸣炮举声，这表示事情的隆重。那时候中国就有科学的发展，乃至于墨子那时候，就发明飞机，但它的名词不叫飞机，叫飞雁。

I am an outsider to science, but I will say a few "professional" words. Science is limitless and inexhaustible. Five hundred years ago, people already understood science. Over three thousand years ago, there were already people in China who understood science. Xuan Yan, the Yellow Emperor, invented the compass four or five thousand years ago, and it is still being used today to tell direction in both the East and the West. Such things are the products of science. Very early on in Chinese science, before the Zhou Dynasty, they had cannons and gunpowder, but they didn't use them in warfare. They would just set off the cannons a few times to celebrate important occasions. Science was already developing in China then, and by the time of Mocius, the plane was already invented. Instead of calling it a plane ["flying machine" in Chinese], they called it a "flying goose."（待续 To be continued）