---
title: 第十六章 環境與生存 Chapter 16 Realms of Existence
description: "This World And Other Worlds"
---

Part Six

This World And Other Worlds

Chapter 16 Realms of Existence

第六篇

此世界與他方世界

第十六章 環境與生存

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)

我們無法假定宇宙有一個起點。認為宇宙有起點，是因為我們的想像力貧乏。─羅素─

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.

有三種不同的思想派系涉及宇宙的緣起，它們是：一、認為宇宙的存在來自于它的本體，這種本體是非智力性的，但是，由于本體自我不斷的繼續運作，使所有的事物都起了變化。

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

二、認為宇宙是萬能的「神」所創造的，「神」創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、認為宇宙的緣起是不可思議的，它無始無終。佛教的宇宙觀是屬于第三種，西方大哲學家羅素也這麼認為：「我們無法假定宇宙有一個起點。認為宇宙有起點，是因為我們的想像力貧乏。」

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.

現代科學家認為，在數億萬年以前，剛冷卻的地球是沒有生命的，生命緣起于海洋。佛教從來沒有宣稱這世界、太陽、月亮、星星、風、雨、晝、夜，是「神」所創造。

佛陀認為宇宙不是過去任何一個時刻的創造，世界在每一秒鍾都有數以百萬計的創造。世界本身在不停的創造，也在不停的毀滅。佛教認為宇宙體系經常出現，也會自己消失。

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.'

歷史學家H.G.威爾在他的著作《世界簡史》里提到：「一般的了解，我們所居住的地球在久遠的年代已經存在了，它也可能永遠的存在，沒有終極點。……人類生存在地球已經有六、七千年的歷史了，這也許是一個爆炸性的觀念。在這以前人類好像不曾出現在地球。」

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.

很多宗教用來解釋宇宙的緣起和終結的都是一些拙劣的構思。在宗教立場，認定宇宙是「神」在某一特定的時間作創造的構思，在科學昌明的今天，已經站不住腳了。

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.

今天的科學家、歷史學家、生物學家、人類學家以及一些思想家，都在努力的探溯和發掘宇宙緣起的新知識。在最近發現的新知識中，並沒有和佛教思想相互矛盾。羅素說：他敬重佛陀，是因為佛陀沒有犯下有如其它宗教的有關宇宙緣起的錯誤。

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 thinking in regard to this question. The Buddha did not waste His time on this issue. The reason for His silence was that this issue has no religious value for gaining spiritual wisdom. The explanation of the origin of the universe is not the concern of religion. Such theorizing is not necessary for living a righteous way of life and for shaping our future life. However, if one insists on studying this subject, then one must investigate the sciences, astronomy, geology, biology and anthropology. These sciences can offer more reliable and tested information on this subject than can be supplied by any religion. The purpose of a religion is to cultivate the life here in this world and hereafter until liberation is gained.

一般宗教對宇宙是緣起，只是接受了推理性的解說，因此，不為現代科學知識份子所接受。甚至佛學者所注釋的經典，也被科學家質疑。佛陀並沒有浪費他的時間在這個課題，他保持沉默的理由是，佛教的價值在于獲得心靈的解脫和智慧，宇宙的緣起並不重要。然而，一個人如果堅持要研究這個科目，他就必須深入的探討與科學、生物學、地理學和天文學。這些科目能提供比佛教更多也更有參考價值的材料。佛教的價值在于培養今世和來世的生活情操，一直到解脫。

In the eyes of the Buddha, the world is nothing but Samsara--the cycle of repeated births and deaths. To Him, the beginning of the world and the end of the world is within this Samsara. Since elements and energies are relative and inter-dependent, it is meaningless to single out anything as the beginning. Whatever speculation we make regarding the origin of the world, there is no absolute truth in our notion.

在佛陀眼里，這世界只有生死不斷循環的「輪迴」。對佛陀而言，宇宙的起點和終點都在「輪迴」之內，因為物質與能源不斷的相互依賴而存在，尋找出宇宙的起點和終點，是一件沒有意義的事。實際，所有一切有關于宇宙緣起的思想都是空談泛論，不是究竟的或絕對的真理。

'Infinite is the sky, infinite is the number of beings,

「虛空無盡，眾生無數。

Infinite are the worlds in the vast universe,

宇宙中有無數的世界。

Infinite in wisdom the Buddha teaches these,

佛陀教導我們，

Infinite are the virtues of Him who teaches these.'

智慧無盡，道德也無盡。」

(Sri Ramachandra)

─ 斯里.拉瑪詹德拉─

One day a man called Malunkyaputta approached the Master and demanded that He explain the origin of the Universe to him. He even threatened to cease to be His follow if the Buddha's answer was not satisfactory. The Buddha calmly retorted that it was of no consequence to Him whether or not Malunkyaputta followed Him, because the Truth did not need anyone's support. Then the Buddha said that He would not go into a discussion of the origin of the Universe. To Him, gaining knowledge about such matters was a waste of time because a man's task was to liberate himself from the present, not the past or the future. To illustrate this, the Enlightened One related the parable of a man who was shot by a poisoned arrow. This foolish man refused to have the arrow removed until he found out all about the person who shot the arrow. By the time his attendants discovered these unnecessary details, the man was dead. Similarly, our immediate task is to attain Nibbana, not to worry about our beginnings.

一天，木傖伽子(Malunyaputta)要佛陀向他解釋宇宙的緣起，如果能令他滿意，他就願意追隨佛陀。其實，佛陀並不強迫任何人追隨他，因為真理是不需要任何強迫性的支持。佛陀對木傖伽子的問題保持沉默不給予他面的回答。對佛陀而言，回答這個問題是在浪費時間，人們不應該關注于過去的問題，而是應該關心未來的解脫。為了讓木傖伽子明白這個道理，佛陀對他開示道：

「有一天，一位愚癡者被毒箭射中，他拒絕醫生的診治，他要先找出箭鏃的毒素，當他還沒有完成他的想像，就已經毒發身亡了。」

我們最迫切的任務是如何通往涅槃，而不是爭執于宇宙的緣起。