us wiser, less agitated, more thoughtful and readier to appreciate our lives. However,

減少焦慮、思慮更周全，並準備好欣賞我們的人生

the way it has gone about this has been intriguingly different. In the East, Philosophy has taught

然而，東西方哲學思想達成這個目標的方式則大相逕庭。在東方，哲學思想傳授的方式

its lessons via tea drinking ceremonies, walks in bamboo forests, contemplations of rivers.

包括品茶、竹林漫步或是在河流邊沉思

Here are a few ideas to offer us the distinctive

以下有幾點可以讓我們分辨

wisdom of a continent and enrich our notions of what philosophy might really be. ONE: Life

亞洲大陸的不同智慧思想，讓我們更了解哲學思想究竟是甚麼。一：一切生存是苦

is suffering. The first and central 'noble truth' of the Buddha is that life is unavoidably about misery.

這是佛陀提出的第一個也是最主要的「真諦」，人生在世無法避免不幸

The Buddha continually seeks to adjust our expectations so we will know

佛陀不斷地試圖調整我們的期望，如此我們才會知道該期待什麼

what to expect: sex will disappoint us, youth will disappear, money won't spare us pain.

性慾會使我們受挫；沒有永遠的年輕；金錢無法避免我們痛苦

For the Buddha, the wise person should take care to grow completely at home with the ordinary

對佛陀來說，賢人應該小心地與世上普遍存在的混亂一同成長

shambles of existence. They should understand that they are living on a dunghill. When baseness

他們應該要了解自己生活在一個糞堆之上，當卑鄙

and malice rear their heads, as they will, it should be against a backdrop of fully vanquished

與惡意襲來，它們也的確如此，它會在完全沒有希望的前提下襲來

hope, so there will be no sense of having been unfairly let down and one's credulity

所以不會有因為不公平而產生的失望感與輕信他人後的背叛感

betrayed. That said, the Buddha was often surprisingly cheerful and generally sported

據說，菩薩經常以高興的樣子呈現，並普遍展露出

an inviting, warm smile. This was because anything nice, sweet or amusing that came

迷人的、溫暖的微笑。這是因為所有好的、和藹的、有趣的事物

his way was immediately experienced as a bonus; a deeply gratifying addition to his original

都會藉此立刻體現出來；對身處的蕭瑟處境深感欣慰

bleak premises. By keeping the dark backdrop of life always in mind, he sharpened his appreciation

將生命中黑暗的一面銘記在心，他以更加強烈的感激之心

of whatever stood out against it. He teaches us the art of cheerful despair.

來對抗這一切。他教導我們如何達到絕望中快樂的境界

TWO: Mettā (pali): Mettā is a word which, in the Indian language of Pali, means benevolence,

二：慈 (巴利語)：Mettā 屬於古印度巴利語，為「慈」之意，有慈悲

kindness or tenderness. It is one of the most important ideas in Buddhism. Buddhism recommends

仁慈與柔情的意思。是佛教重要的思想之一。佛教認為

a daily ritual meditation to foster this attitude (what is known as mettā bhāvanā). The meditation

每天例行的打坐冥想可以培養出慈的態度 (也就是慈心)。

begins with a call to think very carefully every morning of a particular individual with

慈心的冥想要求每日早晨為某個特定的人認真地思索

whom one tends to get irritated or to whom one feels aggressive or cold and – in place

那個人可能是會讓你惱怒的人、或是好鬥的人、或是冷漠的人，然後—取代普遍會有的

of one's normal hostile impulses – to rehearse kindly messages like 'I hope you

敵意衝動—默誦一些仁慈的訊息，像是「我希望你得到平靜。」

will find peace' or 'I wish you to be free from suffering'. This practice can

或是「我希望你從苦難中脫離。」。這樣的練習

be extended outwards ultimately to include pretty much everyone on earth. The background

可以不斷向外擴大，最終能夠包括地球上的大多數人。其背後的假設是

assumption is that our feelings towards people are not fixed and unalterable, but are open

我們放送給人們的感情並非固定不變的

to deliberate change and improvement, with the right encouragement. Compassion is a learnable

而是在正確的激勵之下，能夠任意變動與改善的。佛教徒告訴我們同情是個可學習的

skill the buddhist tell us – and we need to direct it as much towards those whom we love as those we are tempted

能力，我們需要平等地將同情放送至那些我們愛的以及我們想要

to dismiss and detest. THREE: Guanyin Guanyin is a saintly female figure in East Asian Buddhism

拋棄及憎恨的人。三：觀音。觀音在東亞佛教中是個聖潔的女性象徵

strongly associated with mercy, compassion and kindness. She occupies a similar role

象徵寬恕、同情與仁慈。她在佛教的地位

within Buddhism as the Virgin Mary within Catholicism. There are shrines and temples

就如同天主教中的聖母瑪莉亞。中國到處都有供奉觀音的寺廟

to her all over China; one, in the province of Hainan, has a 108 metre statue of her (it's

在海南省中有一尊觀音菩薩，高達 108 公尺

the fourth largest statue anywhere in the world). Guanyin's popularity speaks of the

(這是世界上第四大的雕像) 觀音的知名度說明了

extent to which the needs of childhood endure within us. She is, in the noblest sense, 'mummy'.

我們內心某種程度上仍舊保有孩提時代的需求。觀音是，有一種尊貴感的「媽媽」

Across China, adults allow themselves to be weak in her presence. Her gaze has a habit

綜觀中國，成年人允許他們自己在觀音面前表現脆弱的一面。觀音的凝視通常

of making people cry – for the moment one breaks down isn't so much when things are

會使人們哭泣，這樣崩潰的時刻並不會太多，只有當事物太過艱難

hard as when one finally encounters kindness and a chance to admit to sorrows one has been

而終於遇到一個仁慈的心、一個機會可以承認悲傷

harbouring in silence for too long. Guanyin doesn't judge. She understands that you

以及無聲許久時。觀音不會對你審判，她了解

are tired, that you have been betrayed, that things aren't easy, that you are fed up:

你已感到疲憊、你曾經遭受背叛、所有的事物都不容易、你感到厭倦

she has a measure of the difficulties involved in trying to lead a remotely adequate adult life.

觀音知道要長久維持一個適當的成人生活有多困難

FOUR: Wu Wei (Chinese): Not making an Effort Wu Wei is a Chinese term at the heart

四：無為 (中文)：順其自然。無為

of the philosophy of Daoism. It is first described in the Tao Te Ching, written by the sage Lao

是道家的中心思想。首先出現在聖人老子

Tzu in the 6th century BC. Wu Wei means 'not making an effort', going with the flow,

在西元前 6 世紀所著的道德經。無為代表「順其自然」，順勢而為

but it doesn't in any way imply laziness or sloth. It suggests rather an intentional

但並非怠惰、懶惰的意思。無為暗示了在審慎思考並了解需求之後

surrender of the will based on a wise recognition of the need, at points, to accede to, rather

有意的放棄自己的意志

than protest against, the demands of reality. As Lao Tzu puts it, to be wise is to have

也就是同意而非反抗現實的需求。如同老子所述，要變得賢明

learnt how one must sometimes 'surrender to the whole universe'. Reason allows us

就要學會一個人有時候必須向世界萬物低頭。理智使我們

to calculate when our wishes are in irrevocable conflict with reality, and then bids us to

衡量何時我們的願望與現實存在極大衝突，並讓我們

submit ourselves willingly, rather than angrily or bitterly, to necessities. We may be powerless

欣然地而非憤怒或痛苦地接受什麼才是必然的。我們或許無力

to alter certain events but, for Lao Tzu, we remain free to choose our attitude towards

改變某些事，但對老子而言，我們仍舊可以自由選擇要以何種態度面對它們

them, and it is in an unprotesting acceptance of what is truly necessary that we find the

且那是無怨無悔地接受何為真正必然的事件，我們可以發現

distinctive serenity and freedom characteristic of a Daoist. FIVE: Bamboo as Wisdom

道家獨特的寧靜與自由的本性。五：竹象徵智慧

East Asia has been called the Bamboo Civilization, not merely because bamboo has been widely used

東亞過去被稱做竹文化，並不僅是因為日常生活中經常使用竹子

in daily life, but also because its symbolic qualities have been described and celebrated for hundreds of years in the philosophy of Daoism.

也是因為它在數百年來道家思想中被用來象徵一個人的高雅品格

Bamboo is, surprisingly, classified

竹子，令人訝異地，被歸類為

as a grass rather than a tree, yet it is tall and strong enough to create groves and forests.

草本植物而非木本植物，雖然它又高又壯，足以成蔭成林

Unlike a tree trunk, the stems of bamboo are hollow, but its inner emptiness is a source of its vigour.

與樹幹不同，竹子中間是空的，但中空的內在是它的力量來源

It bends in storms, sometimes almost to the ground, but then springs back resiliently.

它會在風暴中彎曲、有時幾乎要彎到地上了，但會很有韌性地回彈

We should, says Lao Tzu, 'become as bamboo already is.' The greatest painter of bamboo

我們應該，如老子所說：「如竹一般」。最偉大的竹繪家

was the Daoist poet, artist and philosopher Zheng Xie of the Qing Dynasty. Zheng Xie is

是清朝的道家詩人、藝術家與哲人，鄭燮。

said to have painted eight hundred pictures of bamboo forests and saw in them a perfect

鄭燮據說畫了八百幅竹林描繪並從中看出了

model of how a wise person might behave. Beside one pen and ink drawing of bamboo, he wrote

一個智者如何行事的完美典範。除了竹子的水墨畫，他用優雅的書法提了一首詩

in elegant script: 'Hold fast to the mountain, take root in a broken-up bluff, grow stronger

「咬定青山不放鬆、立根原在破岩中。

after tribulations, and withstand the buffeting wind from all directions'. It was a message

千磨萬擊還堅勁，任爾東西南北風。」這是一首

addressed to bamboo but meant, of course, for all of us. SIX: Kintsugi

描寫竹子的詩，但，當然，對我們所有人都頗具深意。六：金繕

Since the 16th century, Zen Buddhist philosophy in Japan has been alive to the particular beauty and

從西元 16 世紀，日本的禪宗思想注意到被修復過後的事物

wisdom of things which have been repaired. Kintsugi is a compound of two ideas: 'Kin'

其背後存在的獨特美感與智慧。金繕是兩個概念的複合字：「金」

meaning, in Japanese, 'golden' and 'tsugi' meaning 'joinery'. In Zen aesthetics,

在日本意味，「黃金」，「繕」，意思是「修復工藝」。在禪宗美學中

the broken pieces of an accidentally-smashed pot should never just be tossed away, they

不小心打破的壺、罐，不應直接扔掉

should be carefully picked up, reassembled and then glued together with lacquer inflected with a luxuriant gold powder.

應該將它們小心翼翼的撿起，重新拼湊並以加了許多金粉的漆黏起來

There should be no attempt to disguise the damage, the

無需嘗試掩藏器具的損傷

point is to render the fault-lines beautiful and strong. The precious veins of gold are

重點就是要顯現修復線的美與堅韌。器具上的寶貴金色紋理

there to emphasise that breaks have a rich merit all of their own. It's a profoundly

強調所有的破壞都有其珍貴價值。這猶如給我們當頭棒喝

poignant idea because we are all in some way broken creatures. It's not shameful to need repair;

因為我們在某種程度上都是不完整的人。需要修復並不羞恥

a mended bowl is a symbol of hope that we too can be put together again and

一個修補後的碗，象徵我們人類也能被再次拼湊

still be loved despite our evident flaws.

儘管我們有明顯的缺點，也能被喜愛

We partnered with Skillshare today and they have given us an amazing offer to pass on to you.

我們今天與 Skillshare 合作，它們提供了相當好的優惠要給你

The first 500 people to sign up using the link in the description will recieve a 2 month free trial.

前 500 位登入資訊欄連結的人，將會收到 2 個月的免費試用

If you haven't heard of Skillshare before it's home to thousands of classes in Graphic design, animation, web development, music photography, design and more.

如果你還沒聽過 Skillshare，這是個有許多關於圖像設計、動畫、網站設立、影音、設計等課程的網站

You can learn how to do just about anything. Is there a project you have been dreaming of completing but just aren't sure if you have the skills to do it?

你可以在這學到任何東西。你有想要完成的企劃，但又不確定是否具備這項能力完成它嗎？

Why not start right now and sign up at the link below.

為何不從現在開始，登入下面的連結吧！