林中斌 部落格 / Blog Chong-Pin Lin

How Does a Buddhist Monk Face Death?

一位佛教僧侶如何面對死亡

紐約時報 2020年2月26日

accessed March 6, 2020

How Does a Buddhist Monk Face Death?

一位佛教僧侶如何面對死亡

紐約時報 2020年2月26日

以下是美國Emory大學哲學系教授George Yancy對參與美國Emory大學「靜坐科學及慈悲倫理中心」的喇嘛Geshe Dadul Namgyal的訪問。主題是對死亡的看法。

在下摘錄喇嘛所說的精彩部分如下：

● “the habits of self-obsession, the attitude of self-importance and the insistence on a distinct self-identity separate us from the whole of which we are an inalienable part.”

我們迷戀自我的習慣，我們認為自己重要的態度，我們堅持自己特殊而有別於其他人的想法，把我們和其他人分開來，卻不知道在肉眼看不見的層次上我們和其他人(甚至和其他有感情的生靈)是相連的，是不可分割的。(CPL:這點量子物理已經在科學上無言的點示了)

● “If we learn to celebrate life for its ephemeral beauty, its coming and going, …We will then appreciate its message of being in a constant process of renewal and regeneration …, like … the mountains, stars, and even the universe itself undergoing continual change and renewal. This points to the possibility of being at ease with… the fact of constant change, while at the same time making the most sensible and selfless use of the present moment.”

如果我們學會歡慶生命雖然短暫仍然美好，有來有去，我們就會欣賞生命其實不斷的在更新不斷的再生，就像山嶺、星球、甚至宇宙自己不斷的在變化更新。這個道理告訴我們可以從容的看待一切的變化，卻同時把握目前，做最明智而無私的運用。

● “things are connected and mutually affect one another, both in negative and positive senses,… We should recognize the destructive elements within us — our afflictive emotions and distorted perspectives …When do they arise? What measures would counteract them? We should also understand the constructive elements or their potentials within us and strive to learn ways to tap them and enhance them.”

所有的事物和個人都相互影響，方式有好有壞。我們應該知道自己內在有破壞性的情緒和對事物扭曲的認知，也要知道它們如何浮現，更要知道我們如何消除它們。我們也應該曉得自己內在有建設性的因子，還有建設性的因子巨大的潛力。我們要學習如何開啟這些能量，並且加強它們。

● “When we fail to look at death for what it is — as an inseparable part of life — and do not live our lives accordingly, our thoughts and actions become disconnected from reality and full of conflicting elements, which create unnecessary friction in their wake. We could mess up this wondrous gift or else settle for very shortsighted goals and trivial purposes, which would ultimately mean nothing to us.”

當我們沒看清楚死亡的真面目--那就是死亡是生命不可分割的一部分--我們就沒有根據真相而生活。我們的想法和行為就和生命的真相脫離了，於是生活充滿矛盾，造成無必要的摩擦。我們就把生命這美好的禮物糟蹋了，於是追求短視的目標，和無意義的目的。這些努力到頭來對我們毫無好處。

● “Death also represents renewal, regeneration and continuity,…In one of the sutras, the Buddha extols meditation on death as the supreme meditation.

死亡也代表更新、再生、和連續持續。在某經典禮，佛陀推崇對死亡的冥想是冥想的極高層次。

●Professor Yancy: “in Plato’s “Apology,” Socrates suggests that death is a kind of blessing that involves either a “dreamless sleep” or the transmigration of the soul to another place.”

Yancy教授說：在柏拉圖《申辯篇》裡, 蘇格拉第說死亡是一種恩典，它可能是「無夢的睡眠」或是靈魂向他處的轉移。

● “In the Buddhist tradition, particularly at the Vajrayana level, we believe in the continuity of subtle mind and subtle energy into the next life, and the next after that, and so on without end. This subtle mind-energy is eternal; it knows no creation or destruction. For us ordinary beings, this way of transitioning into a new life happens not by choice but under the influence of our past virtuous and non-virtuous actions. (CPL: This statement implies that through practice, we can, to a degree, choose our next life.)”

在佛教的傳承裡，尤其是「菩薩乘」，我們相信深層的意識和能量會跟著我們進入下一輩子，然後再下一輩子….如是無止境的跟隨我們。這個深層的意識和能量是永久不滅的，它無始也無終。對我們一般人來說，我們如何進入下一輩子，由不得我們挑選，而取決於我們今生和以前所造的善業或惡業。(CPL：這句話意味著如果我們修練可以有能力選擇如何進入下一輩子)

● “So if they cultivate compassion and insight in this life by training in positive thinking and properly relating to others, then one would carry those qualities and their potential into the next. They would help them take every situation, including death itself, in stride. So, the sure way to address fear of the afterlife is to live the present life compassionately and wisely which, by the way, also helps us have a happy and meaningful life in the present.”

所以，如果我們今生培養慈悲心、培養對真實人生的認識，自我訓練正能量的思維，學習如何與人正面的相處互動，我們就能把這些好的特質和潛力帶入下一輩子。這些特質會幫我們大方從容地處理各種人生的狀況，包括死亡。因此，處裡對死亡的恐懼最可靠的辦法是在這一輩子用慈悲和智慧過活。如此，生命自然是快樂的，有意義的。

林中斌 試摘譯 2020.3.9

敬請賜教

How Does a Buddhist Monk Face Death?

https://www.nytimes.com/…/…/opinion/buddhist-monk-death.html accessed March 9, 2020

If we learn to celebrate life for its ephemeral beauty, its coming and going, we can make peace with its end.

By George Yancy

Photographs by Devin Yalkin

Mr. Yancy is a professor of philosophy and an author.

• Feb. 26, 2020

This is the first in a series of interviews with religious scholars from several faiths — and one atheist — on the meaning of death. This month’s conversation is with Geshe Dadul Namgyal, a Tibetan Buddhist monk who began his Buddhist studies in 1977 at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, India, and went on to earn the prestigious Geshe Lharampa degree in 1992 at Drepung Loseling Monastic University, South India. He also holds a master’s degree in English Literature from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. He is currently with the Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics, Emory University. This interview was conducted by email. — George Yancy

George Yancy: I was about 20 years old when I first became intrigued by Eastern thought, especially Buddhism. It was the transformation of Siddhartha Gautama to the Buddha that fascinated me, especially the sense of calmness when faced with competing desires and fears. For so many, death is one of those fears. Can you say why, from a Buddhist perspective, we humans fear death?

Dadul Namgyal: We fear death because we love life, but a little too much, and often look at just the preferred side of it. That is, we cling to a fantasized life, seeing it with colors brighter than it has. Particularly, we insist on seeing life in its incomplete form without death, its inalienable flip side. It’s not that we think death will not come someday, but that it will not happen today, tomorrow, next month, next year, and so on. This biased, selective and incomplete image of life gradually builds in us a strong wish, hope, or even belief in a life with no death associated with it, at least in the foreseeable future. However, reality contradicts this belief. So it is natural for us, as long as we succumb to those inner fragilities, to have this fear of death, to not want to think of it or see it as something that will rip life apart.

We fear death also because we are attached to our comforts of wealth, family, friends, power, and other worldly pleasures. We see death as something that would separate us from the objects to which we cling. In addition, we fear death because of our uncertainty about what follows it. A sense of being not in control, but at the mercy of circumstance, contributes to the fear. It is important to note that fear of death is not the same as knowledge or awareness of death.

Yancy: You point out that most of us embrace life, but fail or refuse to see that death is part of the existential cards dealt, so to speak. It would seem then that our failure to accept the link between life and death is at the root of this fear.

Namgyal: Yes, it is. We fail to see and accept reality as it is — with life in death and death in life. In addition, the habits of self-obsession, the attitude of self-importance and the insistence on a distinct self-identity separate us from the whole of which we are an inalienable part.

Yancy: I really like how you link the idea of self-centeredness with our fear of death. It would seem that part of dealing with death is getting out of the way of ourselves, which is linked, I imagine, to ways of facing death with a peaceful mind.

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Namgyal: We can reflect on and contemplate the inevitability of death, and learn to accept it as a part of the gift of life. If we learn to celebrate life for its ephemeral beauty, its coming and going, appearance and disappearance, we can come to terms with and make peace with it. We will then appreciate its message of being in a constant process of renewal and regeneration without holding back, like everything and with everything, including the mountains, stars, and even the universe itself undergoing continual change and renewal. This points to the possibility of being at ease with and accepting the fact of constant change, while at the same time making the most sensible and selfless use of the present moment.

Yancy: That is a beautiful description. Can you say more about how we achieve a peaceful mind?

Namgyal: Try first to gain an unmistaken recognition of what disturbs your mental stability, how those elements of disturbance operate and what fuels them. Then, wonder if something can be done to address them. If the answer to this is no, then what other option do you have than to endure this with acceptance? There is no use for worrying. If, on the other hand, the answer is yes, you may seek those methods and apply them. Again, there is no need for worry.

Obviously, some ways to calm and quiet the mind at the outset will come in handy. Based on that stability or calmness, above all, deepen the insight into the ways things are connected and mutually affect one another, both in negative and positive senses, and integrate them accordingly into your life. We should recognize the destructive elements within us — our afflictive emotions and distorted perspectives — and understand them thoroughly. When do they arise? What measures would counteract them? We should also understand the constructive elements or their potentials within us and strive to learn ways to tap them and enhance them.

Yancy: What do you think that we lose when we fail to look at death for what it is?

Namgyal: When we fail to look at death for what it is — as an inseparable part of life — and do not live our lives accordingly, our thoughts and actions become disconnected from reality and full of conflicting elements, which create unnecessary friction in their wake. We could mess up this wondrous gift or else settle for very shortsighted goals and trivial purposes, which would ultimately mean nothing to us. Eventually we would meet death as though we have never lived in the first place, with no clue as to what life is and how to deal with it.

Yancy: I’m curious about what you called the “gift of life.” In what way is life a gift? And given the link that you’ve described between death and life, might death also be a kind of gift?

Namgyal: I spoke of life as a gift because this is what almost all of us agree on without any second thought, though we may differ in exactly what that gift means for each one of us. I meant to use it as an anchor, a starting point for appreciating life in its wholeness, with death being an inalienable part of it.

Death, as it naturally occurs, is part of that gift, and together with life makes this thing called existence whole, complete and meaningful. In fact, it is our imminent end that gives life much of its sense of value and purpose. Death also represents renewal, regeneration and continuity, and contemplating it in the proper light imbues us with the transformative qualities of understanding, acceptance, tolerance, hope, responsibility, and generosity. In one of the sutras, the Buddha extols meditation on death as the supreme meditation.

Yancy: You also said that we fear death because of our uncertainty about what follows it. As you know, in Plato’s “Apology,” Socrates suggests that death is a kind of blessing that involves either a “dreamless sleep” or the transmigration of the soul to another place. As a Tibetan Buddhist, do you believe that there is anything after death?

Namgyal: In the Buddhist tradition, particularly at the Vajrayana level, we believe in the continuity of subtle mind and subtle energy into the next life, and the next after that, and so on without end. This subtle mind-energy is eternal; it knows no creation or destruction. For us ordinary beings, this way of transitioning into a new life happens not by choice but under the influence of our past virtuous and non-virtuous actions. This includes the possibility of being born into many forms of life.

Yancy: As a child I would incessantly ask my mother about a possible afterlife. What might we tell our children when they express fear of the afterlife?

Namgyal: We might tell them that an afterlife would be a continuation of themselves, and that their actions in this life, either good or bad, will bear fruit. So if they cultivate compassion and insight in this life by training in positive thinking and properly relating to others, then one would carry those qualities and their potential into the next. They would help them take every situation, including death itself, in stride. So, the sure way to address fear of the afterlife is to live the present life compassionately and wisely which, by the way, also helps us have a happy and meaningful life in the present.

To follow this series of monthly interviews with religious scholars (and one atheist) on death, or read all previous Stone essays, visit us here. Professor Yancy’s introductory essay to the series can be found here.

George Yancy is the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Philosophy at Emory University. His latest book is “Backlash: What Happens When We Talk Honestly About Racism in America.”

Devin Yalkin is a freelance photographer in New York. The photos featured in this article were taken at the Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta.