清花之“庄周梦蝶”解

来源: 清花瓷于 2009-03-12 16:06:42 [档案] [博客] [旧帖] [给我悄悄话] 阅读数 : (7963 bytes)

本帖于 2010-09-28 08:04:20 时间, 由超管论坛管理编辑

《庄子·蝶梦》中有一段妙语：“昔者庄周梦为蝴蝶，栩栩然蝴蝶也，自喻适志与，不知周也。俄然觉，则蘧蘧然周也。不知周之梦为蝴蝶与，蝴蝶之梦为周与？周与蝴蝶则必有分矣。此之谓物化。”

从前有一天，庄周梦见自己变成了蝴蝶，一只翩翩起舞的蝴蝶。自己非常快乐，悠然自得，不知道自己是庄周。一会儿梦醒了，却是僵卧在床的庄周。不知是庄周做梦变成了蝴蝶呢，还是蝴蝶做梦变成了庄周呢？换句话见：蝴蝶和庄周，哪个是真实的，哪个是梦境哪？

清花之见：庄周和蝴蝶，其实一个是人的显意识，一个是潜意识，两者都可以是真实的，也可以是虚幻的，看环境，时间和地点。我们大部分时候是所谓清醒的，理性的，阳光的，实际的，匆忙的，尤其是大白天，在人堆里。这样的时候，我们是“庄周”，这样的时候，我们谈天说地，聊天下大事，这个时候的异性，只可能是我们的朋友。

但是换一个环境，时间或地点，我们可能就是蝴蝶，是感性的，深情的，暧昧的，浪漫的，性感的，诱惑的，比如说在浪漫月色了，在烛光中，玫瑰花香里。这时候，我们需要爱，异性，需要翩翩起舞。

这两者可以说都是真实的，也可以说都是不真实的，但是两者合一才是最最真实的。如果两个异性之间可以自由自在的成就两种角色的转换，那么其即是真爱。这里也顺便回答了观局者的问题。不过这种爱需要有天时，地利，人和的配合，是极其稀有珍贵的。天时地利是外在因素，人和是内在因素，之人的悟性慧质等。

可惜很多时候，人情世故，或天时，地利，人和的因素不能同时具备，我们就不可以有这样的转换，所以我们辗转反侧，所以我们郁郁而终，所以我们屈就，或是完全忘记我们作为纯粹的人的蝴蝶型的一面。

全文共用了20分钟，还有很多想写，但是实在没有时间了。再聊。

下面是英文版的“庄周梦蝶”解，写得不错，和我谈的角度也不同。
First Lesson: Oneness

　　By connecting himself with the butterfly, Chuang Tzu is pointing out that all living things are united by the life force within them. The drive to survive and thrive in us is the very same drive that also exists in everything from the largest creatures to the smallest insects. When we recognize this, we can begin to see ourselves as part of nature rather than apart from nature.

　　Chuang Tzu has chosen the butterfly deliberately to emphasize this point. In terms of appearance, the butterfly seems as different from a human being as anything can be. Nevertheless, at a fundamental level it is exactly like us - a manifestation of life, and therefore of the Tao, in the material world.

　　If we can say that about a butterfly, then we can say that about anything. Therefore, one of the most basic truths in the world is that all are one.

　　Second Lesson: Life is Like a Dream

　　Chuang Tzu also points out in this story that a dream can seem every bit as real as our waking existence. All the sights and sounds, feelings and emotions in the dream can be just as vivid and intense as our experience in reality.

　　This lesson is an exercise in detachment in two areas of life: emotional obsessions and material obsessions. The key to this lesson is the realization that if we can see how dreams can seem completely real, then we can also see how reality can be just like a dream.

　　Third Lesson: Awakening Awareness

　　Becoming fully awake is a powerful metaphor in spiritual cultivation. The word "buddha" literally means someone who has become fully awakened. Compared to this true state of wakefulness, our everyday consciousness resembles sleep, and everything we consider real in life turns out to have no more reality than a dream that fades into nothingness.

　　This may be difficult to understand. After all, at this very moment you probably feel very much awake. Why would anyone say you are asleep when you know you aren't?

　　The truth is that almost everyone operates at a low level of awareness most of the time. Consider the last time you locked a door, walked away, and then had to go back to double-check because you couldn't be sure you actually locked it. Or, think of the last time you walked into a room and couldn't remember why you went in there. Were you looking for something? If so, what was it? Chances are you had to retrace your steps just to reconnect with your original intent.

　　If you've ever had experiences similar to the above, then you already understand Chuang Tzu's point. As we go through the motions in day-to-day existence, we seem to be sleepwalking most of the time. Once in a while we have a moment of clarity, like a sleeper awakening just enough to check the alarm clock, and then we go right back into slumber.

　　How can we become more fully awake? This is something that requires persistent effort. Tao cultivators who focus on this aspect of life would consistently practice being present. Through diligent repetition, they develop the habit to always ask themselves "What exactly am I doing right now?" and "What exactly is going on around me right now?" People who do this invariably make surprising discoveries. They catch themselves doing things that make little sense, or they suddenly become aware of something significant and obvious that somehow eluded their notice before. The more they practice this, the better they get at it, and being in the moment becomes a more natural and much more frequent occurrence.

　　Fourth Lesson: Transformation

　　The last lesson from Chuang Tzu is also the most important. The butterfly in the story is crucial, because it represents joyous freedom - a liberating state of spirituality where one transcends fears, just like the butterfly flying free of the limitations imposed by gravity. A Tao cultivator who achieves this freedom becomes an unbounded individual, not held back by emotional or material attachments that tie most people down.

　　The transformation that Chuang Tzu speaks of in this story, in conjunction with the butterfly, form a powerful imagery that represents the complete process of Tao cultivation. We start out making slow progress, learning one lesson after another, just like the caterpillar crawling slowly, eating its way through leaves.

　　After sufficient accumulation of knowledge over a period of time, the mind begins processing the information to extract wisdom for the soul. This is a time of meditation, reflection and quietude, much like the fully grown caterpillar going into the chrysalis stage.

　　Then, the magical metamorphosis begins. Miniature wings, almost imperceptible, expand rapidly to become much larger. A spectacular transformation takes place, and the stunning creature that emerges from the chrysalis bears no resemblance to its former self. The child has become the adult.

　　In the same way, someone who goes through the metamorphosis of the Tao has become a new person. The Tao cultivator has transformed into a sage. The wings of spirituality have expanded to become much larger, much more colorful and beautiful.

　　Now we can see even more clearly that Chuang Tzu chose the butterfly with careful deliberation. It is also quite obvious now why the butterfly has come to represent Chuang Tzu in Chinese culture. Every piece of the puzzle fits together so well that it simply cannot be any other way.

　　Is Chuang Tzu telling us with this story that we all have the potential to turn into the butterfly?

　　Yes, but not without going through the larval and pupal stages. To jump directly into the butterfly stage can only be a dream that soon comes to an end. If you encounter people who claim to be enlightened, be especially cautious, because in all likelihood they are merely caterpillars no different from you and me. They may be convinced they are the butterfly, but that’s because they are dreaming.

　　What Chuang Tzu has given us is a glimpse of what we can achieve through Tao cultivation. If we have patience, diligence and faith as we seek and consume nutritious leaves, then the day will come when we go into the chrysalis and eventually emerge from it. That is when we will know... that the joyous freedom of the butterfly is no longer a dream!