人性为什么无可挽救地贪婪堕落？而这正是人类历史上所有悲剧的根源（中英文版）

我不过对于我们一般人来说，释迦牟尼的方法不尽情理很难接受，遁入佛门只是些万念俱灰看破红尘的人，青灯枯火也不是一般人可以忍受得了的生活，也没有几个人想去修道成佛，远离生死轮回之苦。从佛教自唐朝传入中国算起，至今己经有一千多年，这一千多年来，佛教并没有将我们这个社会改变多少，浊世依然是昏昏浊世，红尘依旧是滚滚红尘，我们这个浊世红尘依然以固有的方式运转着，并延续至今。当然为什么中国社会是一个世俗社会，宗教在中国的影响力为什么很小？这个问题学者也见仁见智，莫衷一是，我个人认为是儒家这种世俗学说造成的，儒家也祭天祭祖有朦胧的原始宗教崇拜，但是儒家总体上还是不问鬼神的，属于世俗学说，而且儒家这种异常成熟的世俗学说，使中国的王权超乎寻常的稳固、强大，除了佛教、道教这些逃避世俗的宗教外，其他深刻影响社会的外来宗教如基督教、伊斯兰教等很难融入中国社会。那么在这个世俗社会里我们的真实生活是怎样呢？我们芸芸众生，当然正如释迦牟尼所言有着无数的，无法逃避的烦扰、痛苦，抛开每个人一些私密的感受不论，生老病死之苦谁也摆脱不了，没有人敢说自己是完全幸福、快乐的。只是我们世俗的人生与释迦牟尼指示的相反，恰恰是通过感官带来的快感来淡化人生的烦扰、痛苦，从中找到生活的乐趣，并以此作为我们人生的支柱。

功名利禄、酒色财气这才是我们世俗生活的全部，感官给我们带来声、色、味、美食、性、名誉这些快感，释迦牟尼认为这些快感使我们远离人生的真谛，应当与它们彻底了断，可实际上它们却成了我们生活的全部，这些快感使我们淡忘了人生的烦扰、痛苦，在这些快感中我们渡过了每一天，每一时，每一刻，这么说虽然有些刻薄，不过事实上似乎确实如此。与西方人经常上教堂，经常祷告祈求上帝，寻求圣灵充满不同，我们红尘俗世有自己的生活方式，就是通过这些感官快感来淡忘人生的痛苦与烦恼。我们贪婪地品尝可口的美食，将今天所受的批评抛于脑后，醉人的美酒，使我们淡忘了明天堆积如山的工作，在美妙的音乐声中我们忘掉了客户的刁难，在情人的怀抱里我们暂时忘记了资金上巨大的压力，很多时候我们不知道为什么会沉湎于美食、美酒、美色、美乐，为什么无法抵抗它们的诱惑，其实就是为了逃避，逃避更深刻、更沉重的烦扰与痛苦。

大作家古龙号称浪子，也许只有浪子才能真正地体味人生，那么我们就来了解下他的人生。古龙好色、好酒、好美食，在常人眼里人生的享乐他一样都没落下，也许，这就是古龙最悲最痛之处，这个世界没人理解他，弦断与谁听。古龙是近一百年来华语作家中我最钦佩的一位，他的文字灵性、灵动，有如天上的华彩，也许正是因为极度天才造成他‘相识遍天下，知交无一人’，无人理解他内心极度的空虚与痛苦，人们以为他好色、好酒、好美食，可他自己很清楚自己是在逃避，逃避更深的痛苦与悲哀。他在小说中写道，“你若以为酒只不过是一种可以令人快乐的液体，你就错了。你若问我，酒是什么呢？那么我告诉你，酒是种壳子，就像是蜗牛背上的壳子，可以让你逃避进去。那么，就算有别人要一脚踩下来，你也看不见了。”①他的小说中表达这种想法的句子还有很多，古龙临终前的最后一个星期，林清玄去看他，古龙给他写了一幅字，“陌上花开，可以缓缓醉矣，忍把浮名，换了浅斟低唱。”他说，“过去开杯痛饮，是要掩饰内心的空虚，现在看到陌上的花，也可以醉了。”②

古龙是个天才，是个浪子，他极端敏感，但敢做敢说，他真实地说出了自己的想法，可是扪心自问我们难道不也跟他一样吗？只是我们远没有古龙天才与敏感，也没有他的勇气进行自省，其实我们无法抗拒美酒、美食、美色、美乐的诱惑，难道不也是在逃避，逃避无穷无尽的烦恼与痛苦，只是我们自己没意识到或者不敢说出罢了。我们试图摆脱贫困，摆脱被瞧不起的命运，每天忙忙碌碌于通往成功的大道上，渴望成功，渴望财富，渴望比别人优越的生活，享受高人一等的快感。在这条通往成功的大道上，越走压力越大，压力越大烦恼也越多，我们就用美酒、美色、美食、美乐来冲淡这些。庆幸的是我们终于成功了，于是我们更加纵情于美酒、美色、美食、美乐，更加陶醉于其中，乐不思蜀，离开它们生活马上失去光彩，索然无味。我们已经离不开城市，离不开夜生活，已经无法适应乡村的宁静平淡，无法体会寂寞孤独，我们甚至已经无法一个人独处静坐，只要一独处静坐、空虚、无聊、烦扰、痛苦马上铺天盖地而来。于是我们只能继续奔波于通向成功的大道上，追求更大的成功，用更多的快感来充斥自己，尽情享乐，在快感中忘记人生的烦恼、痛苦，直至我们无法追求，无法享乐的那天。这就是我们解决烦扰、痛苦最简单、最直接的办法，它无需佛教森严的守戒修行，也无需基督教散尽家财的兄弟之爱，只需追求成功，享乐至死，这就是我们真实的世俗生活，真正的人生。

我们从佛教释迦牟尼人类烦恼、痛苦的本质出发论述至此，绕了一圈之后，是不是发现我们来到了基督教最基本的观点，人性贪婪堕落、好逸恶劳。基督徒认为，人带着原罪来到世界因而常有深深的罪恶感，他们常因这种罪恶感而痛苦不堪。这种罪恶感在基督徒眼里不是空洞的，而是真实的，就是许多淫荡、邪恶的行为与想法，不只包括这些严重不道德的行为与想法，而且还包括我们之前提到的种种享乐，纵欲狂欢等行为，甚至只是想法。一般基督徒会为享乐，纵欲狂欢的行为懊悔不已，而且对于一些虔诚的基督徒来说，甚至不能出现这些想法，他们会为有这样的想法而痛苦不堪，他们认为出现享乐，纵欲狂欢的想法，就是因为人类的原罪，而这些是背离上帝教诲的不良倾向，都会给他们带来罪恶感，痛苦，所以从本质上说，基督徒也认为人来到尘世就是为了承受痛苦，赎罪，所以才有救赎。奥古斯丁在忏悔录中，通过极力忏悔自己曾经的放浪形骸来减轻痛苦，路德也被这些罪恶感压迫得几乎崩溃，可他只是一个修道士，一个不谙世事、干干净净的修道士，但也为会出现这些享乐，纵欲狂欢的想法，这些原罪而痛苦不堪，正是这种无以名状的痛苦逼迫他产生了新教教义。于是在中世纪遍布欧洲每一个角落的忏悔室里，天主教徒们向神父倾吐罪过或者只是一些罪恶的想法，来释放罪恶感，减轻痛苦。但是由于人类的原罪与烦恼、痛苦一样是必然存在的，根本无法消解，所以天主教徒们向神父忏悔完之后，回去又继续享乐，纵欲狂欢或者其他罪恶的想法与行动，过一阵子又跑来忏悔，如此周而复始地度过自己的一生。（我这里使用天主教徒是因为这些正是天主教的弊端，也正因为此才有后来的新教，新教要求教徒发自内心地终生行善。）

对基督徒来说，他们认为即使享乐，纵欲狂欢这种行为或者想法也是原罪，更不用说其他罪恶了，因而常常有深深的罪恶感，因而痛苦不堪。而对我们东方人来说，是希望通过享乐，纵欲狂欢来摆脱与生俱来的烦扰、痛苦，因而更加的痛苦不堪。当然对于双方的来说，人生都是贪婪堕落，痛苦不堪的，也许东西方文明原本就是相通的，而且可以这么说任何文明走到极处都是相通的。但是基督教对于人性贪婪堕落，人类原罪带来的痛苦不是通过了断尘缘的修行来解决，也不是完全通过忏悔，忏悔只是一种辅助手段，而是在世俗生活中通过对上帝的信仰，通过兄弟之爱，通过贯穿一生的善行，通过相信自己复活审判时，可以被拣选进入天堂，回到永生、永恒的依甸园，而达到一种圆满幸福的境界来淡化自己的烦恼、痛苦，这是基督教解决我们人生烦恼、痛苦的方法，也是一种比佛教更易让人接受，更有效的方法。对于基督教我们后面章节将有大量的讨论，这里就暂且谈论这些，主要就是使大家知道基督教与佛教对人生的看法本质上是相通的，只是解决的方法不同而已。注：

①引用自《七种武器》珠海出版社，古龙著

②引用自网络

However, for most of us, it’s hard to accept Sakyamuni’s method. Only those who are disillusioned, all ideas are dashed, and see through the earthly world, tired of earthly life, escape into Buddhism. The monastic life as dull as ditchwater is not a life that ordinary people can endure. Few people want to practice Buddhism and stay away from the pain of the cycle of life and death. It has been more than a thousand years since Buddhism was introduced into China in the Tang Dynasty. For these years, Buddhism has not changed our society much. The bustling world is still a confused bustling mundane world, and the red dust is still rolling red dust. Our earthly world still runs in an inherent way and continues today. Of course, why is Chinese society a secular society, and why does religion have little influence in China?

Scholars have different opinions on this issue. I personally think it owes to the secular theory of Confucianism. Confucianism also worships heaven and ancestors and has hazy primitive religious worship. However, Confucianism does not touch on ghosts and gods; it belongs to the secular theory all in all. Moreover, this extremely mature secular theory of Confucianism makes China’s kingship more stable and powerful than other countries. Except for Buddhism and Taoism, which escapes from the secular world, it is difficult for other foreign religions, such as Christianity and Islam, to profoundly impact and integrate into Chinese society. Therefore, what is our real life in this secular society? Of course, as Sakyamuni said, all of us have countless unavoidable troubles and pain. Regardless of everyone’s private feelings, no one can get rid of the pain of birth, old age, illness, or death. No one dares to say that he is completely happy and blissful. However, our secular life is contrary to Sakyamuni’s instructions. It is precisely through the pleasure brought by the senses to dilute the annoyance and suffering of life, find the fun of life, and take it as the pillar of our life.

Fame, rank, and wealth; wine, women, avarice, and pride — these cardinal vices are the whole of our secular life. Our senses bring us the pleasures of sound, color, taste, food, sex, and reputation. Sakyamuni believes that these pleasures make us far away from the real meaning of life and should be completely cut off. But, in fact, they have become the whole of our life. These pleasures make us forget the annoyance and suffering of life. We spend every day, every time, every moment in these pleasures. Although depicting Chinese in this way is mean, it seems true. Westers often go to church, pray to God and seek the filling with the Holy Spirit; by contrast, our mortal world has its own way of life. We forget the trouble and pain of life through these sensual pleasures. We greedily taste delicious food and neglect the boss’s criticism today. Intoxicating wine makes us ignore the mountain of work tomorrow. In the beautiful music, we disregard the spites of customers. In lovers’ arms, we temporarily forget the huge pressure on capital. We often don’t know why we indulge in food, wine, beauty, and music and why we can’t resist their temptation.In fact, it is actually an evasion to escape deeper, heavier annoyance and suffering.

The great writer Gu Long is known as a prodigal son. Maybe only a prodigal son can really sense life, so let’s learn about his life first. Gu Long is fond of lust, wine, and food. In the eyes of ordinary people, he has not missed any enjoyment of life. Perhaps this is the saddest and most painful to Gu Long. No one in the world understands him, and he can’t find a bosom friend. Gu Long has been one of my most admired Chinese writers in the past 100 years. His writing is spiritual and smart, like the colorful clouds in the sky. Perhaps because of his extreme genius, he “was known all over the world but had no friends.” No one understands his acute emptiness and pain. People think he took pleasure in wine, women, and song, but he knew he was in evasion, escaping the sharp pain and sorrow. He wrote in his novel, “if you think wine is just a happy liquid, you are wrong. If you ask me, what is wine? Then I tell you, wine is a kind of shell, just like the shell on the back of a snail, which can let you escape. So, even if someone tramps on it, you can’t see it. “① There are many words expressing this idea in his novels. In the last week before Gulong’s death, Lin Qingxuan went to see him. Gulong wrote him a notion, ” Flowers on the fields are now in full bloom, you can get drunk slowly, and exchange fame for singing softly and chanting gently.” He said, “in the past, I drunk heavily to hide my emptiness. Now I can be intoxicated when I see the flowers blooming on the field.”②

Gulong is a genius and a prodigal son. He is extremely sensitive, but he dares say and dares to do, truly speaking out his mind. If we retrospect ourselves, will we find that we are the same as him on the flight from reality? But we are far from Gu Long’s genius and sensitivity and lack the courage to introspect. In fact, we can’t refrain from the temptation of wine, food, beauty, and music. Aren’t we also escaping from endless troubles and pain, but we ourselves don’t realize or daren’t to say it out. We try to throw off poverty and free ourselves from the fate of being despised. We are busy on the road to success every day, eager for success, yearning for wealth, longing for a better life than others, and enjoying the pleasure of being superior to others. On this road to success, the more you go, the more pressure you have, the more pressure, and the more troubles. We always wash them down with wine, beauty, food, and song. Fortunately, we finally succeeded, indulging more in wine, beauty, food, and song and gaining more intoxicated. We can’t leave them. Without them, our life immediately lost luster and became dull and bland. We can’t live without the nightlife of the city. We can’t adapt to the tranquility and insipidity of the countryside and can’t experience loneliness and solitude. We can’t even sit alone. As long as we sit alone, emptiness, boredom, troubles, and pain immediately blot out all around us. Therefore, we can only continue to rush on the road to pursue more success and get more wins. We fill ourselves with more pleasure, enjoy more entertainment, and forget the trouble and pain of life in the pleasure until the day we can’t pursue and enjoy.This is the simplest and most direct way to release the trouble and pain. It does not need the strict discipline of Buddhism nor the brotherly love of Christian who cost all their money. It only needs to pursue success and enjoy ourselves until death. This is our real secular life and genuine worldly life.

Of course, here, I dramatize the lives of some big people in our secular society who pursue fame and wealth and whose material desires flow everywhere.In fact, their lives have nothing to do with most of us. We ordinary people just live plain small days, day by day, abide by the ancient virtues of the Chinese people, support our families, respect the old and help the young. We have not read the “Four Books and The Five Classics”, do not understand the moral philosophy, and never know the contents of the Bible. Still, we have the traditional moral virtues flowing on this yellow land that comes from the depths of our hearts, subconsciousness, and the universe. In fact, these virtues also lie in every corner of the world and every society. For example, in the following chapters, we will discuss the moral philosophy of Aristotle in ancient Greece, which is far away from China. Aristotle’s philosophy also comes from the traditional virtue in the polytheistic society of ancient Greece and is also the moral code observed by most ordinary people. Aristotle believes that life is the golden mean and nothing can be excessive. How simple, familiar, and kind is it! Because what Aristotle said is also the common view of our society and the whole of humans. Life is painful in essence, but God has also granted us wine, food, and song. Why not drink a bit, eat a few delicious foods, listen to some ditty and enjoy our little life? As long as we are not in excess and don’t indulge in it. But for most of us, the pressure of supporting our family makes us impossible to live in that.

Christians believe that even the behaviors or idea of enjoyment, excessive indulgence is an original sin, not to mention other sins, so they often have a deep sense of guilt and pain. For Easterners, We hope to get rid of the inherent trouble and pain through pleasure and indulgence, so it gives us more painful inevitably. But, of course, life is greedy, degenerate, and painful for both. Maybe the eastern and Western civilizations are interlinked, and it can be said that any civilization is interlinked in the extreme end. However, for Christianity, The pain caused by original mortal sin , human nature greedy and degenerate ,is not resolved through the practice of breaking the red dust, nor is it completely through repentance. Repentance is only an auxiliary means. in secular life, Christian believe that they can be selected to enter heaven,Returning to the eternal garden of Eden and reaching a state of complete happiness to dilute our troubles and pain through the belief in God, through the brotherly love, through the good deeds throughout life, and through the belief in their own resurrection and judgment.is not only a Christian method to solve our troubles and pain in life, but also a more acceptable and effective method than Buddhism.We will have a lot of discussion on Christianity in the following chapters. Let’s talk about these for the time being, mainly to make everyone know that Christianity and Buddhism have the same views on life in essence, but the solutions are different.Note:

Note:

①Gu Long “seven weapons”, written by, Zhuhai publishing house

② Reference from network