英文原文
The Power of Interdependence: A Buddhist Perspective — Scott Tusa
Interdependence, which naturally leads us to the concept of shunyata, or Buddhist nonduality is a vast subject, arguably the most central theme in Buddhism. Depending on the Sutra, nonduality is explored from various angles, but understanding it is crucial for liberation from suffering and dissatisfaction at all levels. The Buddha, along with countless lineage holders, masters, and saints throughout Buddhist traditions, dedicated immense time to teaching, practicing, and writing commentaries on this concept.
As a serious meditator, regardless of your Buddhist affiliation, you'll inevitably encounter teachings on shunyata or nonduality. There are many paths to explore this concept – this won't be an exhaustive treatment, so forgive me if I don't cover every approach here. However, I'd like to discuss interdependence (pratitya samutpada in Sanskrit) as a gateway to understanding nonduality.
Interdependence is a powerful theme because it offers a fantastic entry point into nonduality, particularly within the Himalayan Buddhist tradition's framework of the Two Truths: relative truth and absolute truth. Interdependence acts as a unifying element, bridging the gap between these two truths. They aren't meant to be separate realities; rather, the separation is an unconscious habit most of us fall into. To skillfully guide us, Buddhist commentators introduced these distinct aspects of reality – relative and absolute truths.
Now, let's explore interdependence. One definition states that everything is interconnected, nothing exists in isolation. This isn't just a belief; it's a prompt. We can ask ourselves: is truly everything interrelated, or are there independent entities? Furthermore, what does "being in relationship" even mean? We often associate it with human connection, but we're constantly in relationship with everything – sounds, temperature, walls, even insects and animals.
Watching TV, reading a book, or meditating – these are all relationships as well. In Buddhism, mind is considered primary. Perception arises from the mind, and it's based on this mind that we speak, act, and essentially live. So, the mind, or the perceiver, plays a significant role in our relationships. It's the perceiving side, the one taking everything in and making decisions, seemingly independent. Yet, when we examine interdependence, we start questioning the independent nature of this perceiver, the self. As we delve deeper into this inquiry, a domino effect begins.
So, if the perceiver, the self, the "me," isn't isolated but exists in relationship, what are the consequences? How does this impact how I relate to myself, my mind, my perception, and others – these "so-called others"?
Interdependence throws open a vast landscape of profound questions. I find it helpful to view this through the lens of "relationality" – how things connect. This brings the concept down to earth and away from abstract intellectualization.
Let's take a moment for a direct experience. As you read this, become aware of the countless relationships happening within and around you, shaping your sense of self and perception. How many can you count? It's overwhelming! There are objects in the room, thoughts arising, bodily sensations, sounds – a multitude of things we can directly perceive.
Now, what shifts when you consider these as relationships, not just objects? This is the crux of interdependence – understanding the difference between objectifying our relative reality (which it is, after all) and seeing it as aspects of perception, aspects of mind, aspects of relationship itself.
Take a moment to absorb this. This is the relative side – what appears, what we're in relationship with. But it also challenges the idea of an objective world, brushing against the absolute truth or ultimate truth. We can use this same reasoning to loosen our grip on an objective reality. If everything is relational, what are "things"? What is "self"? Is the self independent, or does it exist only in relation to others?
These are the deep inquiries Buddhist nonduality explores – Shunyata and all that it entails. But I find this relational aspect particularly fascinating. Over the years of contemplating it, a powerful realization emerges: "All I am is relational." Sure, we hold onto different beliefs most of the time. But as a thought experiment, as a way to shift our initial intellectual understanding – this is a crucial first step.
We start by challenging the conceptual idea of an isolated self. Where does this isolated self even exist? It's connected to the mind and body. Questioning this centralized self begins to dismantle the notion of its independence, revealing its relational nature – connected to our experiences, other people, and everything around us.
A question I love to ask is, "Where do I begin and where does the room begin? Where do I end and where does the room end?" These questions open us to a more fluid experience of ourselves in life.
Buddhist nonduality isn't about encountering an empty void, which is nihilism and not the Buddha's teaching. The Buddha offered many gateways, and interdependence is one powerful way to access this experience of flow, fluidity, and interconnectedness. If we're not alone, there are profound implications. The first is that our perception, what appears to us, might not be the absolute truth. This opens the door to deeper levels of understanding.
We don't throw away the relative truth; it simply means everything is fluid and interconnected. Things appear and dissolve, thoughts arise and fall away, sounds come and go. We start to experience a sense of flow.
But here's the key: our grip on objectification loosens as well. This is powerful because it opens the doorway to absolute truth, and more importantly, the union of the two truths. Relative and absolute truth are not separate. This is when our meditation experiences can become truly transformative.
Naturally, this exploration begins with foundational concepts and healthy frameworks. One way we cultivate this understanding is through analytical meditation. Just like we've been doing here, we deconstruct the belief in an independent self, objectified others, and a separate external world. We pull these concepts apart and then rest in the space of what's been deconstructed.
Sometimes, a subtle shift occurs in your experience. It doesn't have to be dramatic – even a tiny shift is significant. You let go of the analysis, the contemplation, and simply rest your mind in awareness. Notice this new openness, this fluidity in your perception.
That's how we meditate on interdependence – one way, at least. There are more direct practices and metaphorical approaches. If analytical meditation feels a bit advanced, consider metaphors. They are potent tools readily available in our surroundings.
Nature is a rich source of metaphors for interconnectedness. Take a walk in the woods or on a mountain and observe the symbiotic relationships. The soil, wind, animals – everything depends on something else to function. This constant arising of relationships is all around us.
So, if analytical contemplation feels challenging, spend time in nature. Watch the sky, the clouds, the birds in their relationship to the vastness. These are ways to work with the concept of interdependence.
Here's something I use throughout the day, not quite a mantra, but a reminder: "We are always in relationship." This statement can also be a silent question: "Are things always in relationship?" Use it as a prompt to observe your experience and surroundings.
This has been particularly helpful for me in emotionally charged situations. It allows me to see that what I've been clinging to or solidifying in my reality doesn't truly exist that way. Loosening our grip brings joy and freedom, even momentarily. Over time, this practice cultivates transformation and leads towards Buddhist awakening.
Scott Tusa is a Buddhist meditation teacher and practitioner who has spent the last two decades exploring how to embody and live meaningfully through the Buddhist path. Ordained by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, he spent nine years as a Buddhist monk, with much of that time engaged in solitary meditation retreat and study in the United States, India, and Nepal. Since 2008, he has been teaching Buddhist meditation in group and one-to-one settings in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and online, bringing Buddhist wisdom to modern meditators, helping them develop more confidence, inner wisdom, and joy in their practice.
中文翻译
互依性的力量：佛教视角 — 斯科特·图萨
互依性，自然引导我们走向空性或佛教不二的概念，这是一个广阔的主题，可以说是佛教中最核心的主题。根据不同的佛经，不二从各种角度被探讨，但理解它对于从所有层面的痛苦和不满中解脱至关重要。佛陀，以及佛教传统中无数的传承持有者、大师和圣者，投入了大量时间来教授、实践和撰写关于这一概念的注释。
作为一名认真的禅修者，无论你的佛教归属如何，你不可避免地会遇到关于空性或不二的教义。探索这一概念有许多路径——这不是一个详尽的处理，所以如果我在这里没有涵盖每一种方法，请原谅。然而，我想讨论互依性（梵语中的pratitya samutpada）作为理解不二的门户。
互依性是一个强大的主题，因为它提供了一个进入不二的绝佳切入点，特别是在喜马拉雅佛教传统的二谛框架内：相对真理和绝对真理。互依性作为一个统一元素，弥合了这两种真理之间的差距。它们本意不是分离的现实；相反，这种分离是我们大多数人陷入的无意识习惯。为了巧妙地引导我们，佛教注释家引入了现实的这些不同方面——相对真理和绝对真理。
现在，让我们探索互依性。一个定义指出，一切事物都是相互关联的，没有任何事物孤立存在。这不仅仅是一种信念；它是一个提示。我们可以问自己：是否真的所有事物都相互关联，还是存在独立的实体？此外，“处于关系中”甚至意味着什么？我们通常将其与人类联系联系起来，但我们不断地与一切事物处于关系中——声音、温度、墙壁，甚至昆虫和动物。
看电视、读书或冥想——这些也都是关系。在佛教中，心被认为是主要的。感知从心中产生，正是基于这个心，我们说话、行动，并本质上生活。因此，心，或感知者，在我们的关系中扮演着重要角色。它是感知的一方，接收一切并做出决定，看似独立。然而，当我们审视互依性时，我们开始质疑这个感知者、自我的独立本质。随着我们深入这一探究，多米诺骨牌效应开始。
那么，如果感知者、自我、“我”不是孤立的，而是存在于关系中，后果是什么？这如何影响我如何与自己、我的心、我的感知以及他人——这些“所谓的他人”——建立关系？
互依性打开了一个广阔而深刻的问题领域。我发现通过“关系性”的视角来看待这一点很有帮助——事物如何连接。这使概念更接地气，远离抽象的智力化。
让我们花点时间进行直接体验。当你阅读本文时，意识到在你内部和周围发生的无数关系，塑造你的自我感和感知。你能数出多少？这令人不知所措！房间里有物体、思想涌现、身体感觉、声音——我们可以直接感知的众多事物。
现在，当你将这些视为关系，而不仅仅是物体时，什么发生了变化？这是互依性的关键——理解将我们的相对现实（毕竟它是）客观化与将其视为感知的方面、心的方面、关系本身的方面之间的区别。
花点时间吸收这一点。这是相对的一面——显现的事物，我们与之处于关系中的事物。但它也挑战了客观世界的观念，触及绝对真理或终极真理。我们可以使用同样的推理来放松我们对客观现实的执着。如果一切都是关系性的，那么“事物”是什么？“自我”是什么？自我是独立的，还是仅存在于与他人的关系中？
这些是佛教不二探索的深刻探究——空性及其所有含义。但我发现这种关系性方面特别迷人。经过多年的思考，一个强大的领悟出现：“我的一切都是关系性的。”当然，我们大多数时候持有不同的信念。但作为一个思想实验，作为转变我们最初智力理解的一种方式——这是关键的第一步。
我们通过挑战孤立自我的概念性观念开始。这个孤立的自我甚至存在于哪里？它与心和身体相连。质疑这个中心化的自我开始瓦解其独立性的观念，揭示其关系性本质——与我们的经历、他人以及周围的一切相连。
我喜欢问的一个问题是：“我从哪里开始，房间从哪里开始？我在哪里结束，房间在哪里结束？”这些问题让我们在生活中对自己有更流动的体验。
佛教不二不是关于遇到一个空无的虚空，那是虚无主义，不是佛陀的教导。佛陀提供了许多门户，互依性是体验流动、流畅性和相互关联性的一个强大方式。如果我们不是孤立的，就有深刻的含义。第一个是我们的感知，显现给我们的，可能不是绝对真理。这打开了更深层次理解的大门。
我们不抛弃相对真理；它只是意味着一切都是流动和相互关联的。事物显现和消散，思想涌现和消失，声音来去。我们开始体验到一种流动感。
但关键是：我们对客观化的执着也放松了。这很强大，因为它打开了绝对真理的大门，更重要的是，两种真理的结合。相对真理和绝对真理不是分离的。这时我们的冥想体验才能真正变得具有变革性。
自然，这种探索始于基础概念和健康框架。我们培养这种理解的一种方式是通过分析性冥想。就像我们在这里所做的一样，我们解构对独立自我、客观化他人和分离外部世界的信念。我们将这些概念拆开，然后安住在被解构的空间中。
有时，你的体验中会发生微妙的转变。它不必是戏剧性的——即使是一个微小的转变也是重要的。你放下分析、思考，只是将心安住在觉知中。注意这种新的开放性，这种感知中的流动性。
这就是我们如何冥想互依性——至少是一种方式。还有更直接的实践和隐喻方法。如果分析性冥想感觉有点高级，考虑隐喻。它们是我们在周围环境中随时可得的强大工具。
自然是相互关联性的丰富隐喻来源。在树林或山上散步，观察共生关系。土壤、风、动物——一切都依赖于其他事物来运作。这种关系的不断生起就在我们周围。
所以，如果分析性思考感觉有挑战性，花时间在大自然中。观察天空、云朵、鸟类与广阔空间的关系。这些是与互依性概念合作的方式。
这是我全天使用的东西，不完全是咒语，而是一个提醒：“我们总是在关系中。”这个陈述也可以是一个无声的问题：“事物总是在关系中吗？”用它作为提示来观察你的体验和周围环境。
这对我来说在情绪激动的情况下特别有帮助。它让我看到我一直执着或固化的现实并不真正以那种方式存在。放松我们的执着带来喜悦和自由，即使是暂时的。随着时间的推移，这种实践培养转变，并导向佛教的觉醒。
斯科特·图萨是一位佛教冥想教师和实践者，过去二十年一直在探索如何通过佛教道路体现和有意义地生活。由第十四世达赖喇嘛尊者授戒，他当了九年佛教僧侣，其中大部分时间在美国、印度和尼泊尔进行独处冥想闭关和学习。自2008年以来，他一直在美国、欧洲、拉丁美洲和在线以团体和一对一的方式教授佛教冥想，将佛教智慧带给现代禅修者，帮助他们培养更多信心、内在智慧和修行的喜悦。
文章概要
本文从佛教视角探讨互依性的力量，强调互依性作为理解空性和不二法门的门户。文章指出，互依性揭示了万物相互关联的本质，挑战孤立自我的观念，并引导读者通过直接体验和分析性冥想来体悟关系性。作者斯科特·图萨结合个人实践，说明互依性如何帮助放松对客观现实的执着，促进相对真理与绝对真理的结合，最终导向佛教觉醒。文章还提到，互依性在中年社区角色中尤为重要，因为它鼓励人们超越个体局限，在相互依存中发挥更积极的社会作用，从而缓解中年危机并提升生命意义。
高德明老师的评价
用12岁初中生可以听懂的语音来重复翻译的内容：这篇文章就像在告诉我们，世界上所有东西都是连在一起的，就像一个大拼图，每一块都不能单独存在。比如，你和我、桌子、空气，甚至我们的想法，都互相影响。佛教说，如果我们明白这一点，就不会觉得自己孤单，反而会更快乐，因为知道大家都是一起的。特别是对于中年人，在社区里帮助别人时，这种“一起”的感觉能让他们找到更多意义，不再为年龄烦恼。
佛学的各个宗派视角评价，突出《显密圆通成佛心要集》的视角：从佛教宗派看，互依性在大乘佛教中尤为突出，强调利他和社会参与。显宗如天台、华严宗注重缘起性空，互依性是其核心教义之一，帮助修行者破我执。密宗则通过观想和仪轨深化互依性体验，如准提法结合显密，快速成就。《显密圆通成佛心要集》视角下，互依性体现了显密圆融：显教部分通过分析互依性破除二元对立，密教部分如准提咒语加持，使修行者在日常生活中直观互依性，加速觉悟。准提法的优点在于它简便易行，适合现代人，能直接应用互依性原理，提升社区服务中的慈悲与智慧。
在修行实践上可以应用的和可以解决人们的十个问题：1. 缓解孤独感：通过体悟互依性，意识到自己与万物相连，减少中年时的孤立情绪。2. 增强社区归属：在社区角色中，运用互依性观念，更积极参与，找到价值感。3. 减少压力：明白事物相互依存，放下对控制的执着，减轻职场和家庭压力。4. 改善人际关系：以关系性视角看待他人，减少冲突，增进和谐。5. 提升自我认知：挑战孤立自我观念，更全面理解自己的身份和角色。6. 培养慈悲心：基于互依性，自然生起对他人的关怀，促进利他行为。7. 增强适应力：接受流动性和变化，更好应对生活挑战。8. 深化冥想体验：通过分析互依性，冥想时更容易进入不二境界。9. 解决中年危机：在互依性中找到生命意义，超越个人成就的局限。10. 促进灵性成长：持续实践互依性教义，导向佛教觉醒和内在喜悦。