Postscripts And Acknowledgments
Hello, friends.
When translating transcriptions of the talks at AJ Hotel Hsinchu into
English, our editing and translating groups deliberate on every phrase and term in order to make them
clearer to English readers. For example, in “The results of karma exist, but not the doer
thereof in Buddhism 2”, we mentioned the light of a star
explosion we see now is actually taken place in the past, in the Ming Dynasty. And
it is impossible for us to go back to
the scene of the Ming Dynasty to
make some change of it since all have changed with time
and space. We finally settled on the term “time and space” after
intensive discussion and long deliberation. To me, “time and space”, is not merely a handy
Chinese idiom, but a term chosen after
long deliberation. It connotes constant changes.
南禪朋友好!
為了把安捷飯店講課內容翻譯成英文，我們的編輯群到達隻字必究的地步！例如 : 討論時空的表達方式，在1-3篇提到星星的爆炸在明代，縱使現代可以用望遠鏡得知，但還有一個明代的空間可供我們回去嗎？答案肯定沒有！我認為時間跟空間是一起變化的，時空不是我順手寫出的中文慣用詞，而是熟慮過後的用詞！
Buddhism believes in reincarnation from the past life to the next life.
However, the selves in all our rebirths, past, present, and future won’t be the
same and the bygone past life won’t exist forever, either. Every present self varies
with Nidānas and thus, the statement life can be permanent and unchangeable is
not established in Buddhadharma. As for why bothering to discuss the bygone past
life, that is another issue.
再說佛法承認人的過去世及延伸的今生，但前世的自己跟今生的自己決不會是一樣的，每一個現存的今生都會因爲緣的改變而跟過去大大不同，不是活過前世就永遠存在，不起變化的生命也不是佛法。而已經過去的前世又為什麼還要提出？這是另一個題目。
In addition, the “no” in Nāgārjuna’s Eight Negations manifests all arises
according to Nidānas and elaborates non-fixedness according to the nature of Nidānas,
the possibility of a single cause giving rise to multiple results. When
Mūlamadhyamakakārikā being introduced to the western world, as “no/negation” refers
to negative sentences, westerners think it is about ideological denial of everything.
However, in my opinion, the “no” in Eight Negations advocates to rectify our ingrained
misconceptions and has nothing to do with negative sentences or emptiness.
還有，龍樹八「不」論述「不」字義的解釋是沒有固定，也是因緣條件而有的意義，因緣所生不能做「唯一有」的理解所以用「不」闡述。《中論》傳入西方，西洋認為「不」是否定句，西洋人認為「不」字是思想否定ㄧ切的意義，而據我個人所理解的八「不」思維，是用來破除思想錯誤的代表字！絕非只是否定句跟無而已！
“Zero” was initially considered a meaningless idea before it was
well-acquainted. It is similar with śūnyatā. Śūnyatā, refering to the unfixed
nature of all things, should not be degraded into hymns for academic researches
because it does count in spiritual practice. Buddhist practitioners can practice
to deal with problems with the notion human body and its psychological functions
arise depending on the coming together of Nidānas. Nowadays, academic Buddhist research
starts with Eight Negations’ 4 pairs of hymns (e.g. no arising nor ceasing) and
get stuck in their definition of negation. However, Eight Negations are meant to correct the
misconceptions of permanence and the static nature of things. To me, cultivating śūnyatā as a spiritual discipline to build up conception
of anattā and thus to see through my ignorance is what Buddhism learning really
values in.
如同0還沒被認識時，也曾歸於無意義！佛法的「空」是賦予修行意義的，藉由條件的成立問題說明人的肉體與精神就修行角度應該如何去進入與應對，而不是變成學術研究的偈語而已，學術研究從八不四句偈（例如：不生不滅）下手，一直在否定句裡糾纏！我個人則是追求能否藉其八不概念進而破解自我(無我)的認知問題，或許無我的認知建立了才是一種至高的佛法價值。
In addition, “A withered tree leaning on a frozen crag; for three winters
there hasn’t been any warmth.” is far beyond a Chinese Buddhist hymn. Instead
of merely humming a verse, a Zen master tries to express the direct perception and
the level of his attainment in his spiritual practice. In fact, all Zen hymns are.
像「三冬無暖氣，枯木倚寒巖，」也不是一句中文的形容詞而已！它是華人修行者自我表達他已經到達的境界說明，如果只當中文的詞彙來做解釋，那肯定是離題太遠的！所有的禪師語句都是在說明他們到達的境界，而不是在吟一首詩，如當詩詞解釋，只恐誤煞老僧！
Editing and transcribing the talks are harder than composing them, and proves
to be harder than we have anticipated. We thank Jean Yi-chun Lin for editing
and proofreading Chinese transcriptions, CEO of Nan Zen Life Education
Foundation, Sophia Fang-chun Kuo for Chinese and English proofreading, Hui-tun
Chuang and Grace Jui-hsin Tsai for English translation, and laymen of Nan Zen
Life Education Foundation and Nan Zen Hermitage for their long-term support.
With all the help, my interpretations of śūnyatā, based on my long-term efforts
on Buddhadharma, are able to be presented. We also pay homage to Master
Yáng-sān Kōng-zhào of Nan Zen Hermitage for her data collection and analysis.
May Buddhadharma benefit all it reaches.
May enlightenment, wisdom and good fortune be with you.
Master Ban
Translated by Ken Kraynak
至於中文的編輯，錄音檔的修改比直接寫書困難，這是始料未及的！謝謝林怡君老師的投入校稿，協助我把口語轉成文字稿。基金會執行長郭芳純的中、英校稿，蔡瑞欣老師，莊惠惇博士的英文翻譯。
更感謝南禪生命教育基金會及南禪精舍居士們長年的背後支持，讓我研究的佛法推及世人眼前，修行也是十年寒窗，道業二十載沉浮！
在此記念南禪精舍揚三空照法師，感念她查詢資料的貢獻！
願佛法所及處能有益於世人！
大家福慧增長！
半寄
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