从当今社会的医学角度看佛法
文／澳洲宝林禅寺英文研经班学员 Jacques Joubert
Recently, two events have been flashed around the world, and, for a medical practitioner such as myself, have shown proof that there is beyond the seen world, outside the concepts of scientific materialism, a realm that can influence our physical beings as well as our minds.
The first was the recent documentation of an aged Tibetan Lama, who died in New Zealand, and for a period of over two weeks, although clinically dead as certified by the medical and community authorities, showed no evidence of physical decomposition. The second was a French Catholic nun who had severe, incapacitating Parkinson’s Disease, and after making aspirations to Pope John Paul, was totally cured. For a medical practitioner, both the physical changes to the body after death, and the effects of Parkinson’s Disease can be easily evaluated.
Although there are no rational explanations for these conditions, both these events have their foundations in deep spiritual traditions. The first one is Buddhist, with years of contemplation and mind training underpinning the lama’s life; the other Christian, where faith and positive aspirations play a central role. But both point to a similar truth, and it is that truth which draws one as a student and disciple to come regularly to the Bao Lin Chan Monastery in Melbourne where the ancient wisdom and practices of Chan are presented at the dharma talks.
These two events lead to a discussion of a whole new science which is developing and gaining ground at the most prestigious universities in the United States and Europe. The information that is currently coming from the scientific community is that through studying the effects of the ancient practices of Buddhism in the laboratory, scientists are now demonstrating that the invisible part of ourselves, our mind or consciousness, can affect the brain in a way that can be objectively measured. Mental processes and positive emotions as advocated by the Buddha actually have beneficial effects on our immune system, and produce an interaction between brain and heart. For the first time, the inner world is being exposed to scrutiny, and what was always thought not to be measurable is being measured in the laboratory.
The area of enquiry is called contemplative neuroscience. The neuroscientists are investigating the neuroscientific underpinnings of contemplative practices, mainly in the Buddhist context, and in particular, to see how the brain can be transformed through the engagement with purely mental practices. Professor Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin says that the brain is the one organ that is built to change in response to experience, which means the intentional deployment of mental strategies can result in an enduring change to both the structure of the brain as well as the mental state. Although not directly stated, Buddhist practices such as committing to memory The Eight Realizations of Great Beings hint at such an effect. Scientific evidence indicated that there appears to be a two-directional interaction between the mind and the external world through the medium of the brain. This may have enormous consequences in terms of physical and mental health as well as a significiant effect on society as a whole.
Genes are proteins that are present in all cells of the body. They influence how different body parts, including the brain, function. Recent scientific evidence has shown that these genes can be affected by experience. Experience (“inner actions” such as thoughts and emotions, and “outer actions” such as words) can change how these genes operate. This has important implications for brain function. It has been stated that there is no more effective way to introduce changes in the brain than through behavioral interventions. This resonates with the fundamental concepts and practices of Buddhism. More than three thousand years ago, Buddhism used the laboratories of the mind to research ways of living more harmoniously and happily. One of the pivots for this is the two noble truths that were promulgated by the Buddha, namely that there is suffering, and that there is a way to end suffering. In the past, both psychology as well as neuropsychology have focussed on the study of negative states of mind. Now, we are turning to one of the most important positive emotions, one that can effectively change not only individual lives but also societies.
The focus of scientists was on compassion. The objects of study were long-term practitioners, mainly monks, who had systematically cultivated compassion over years. They were considered the “expert” in this area. Lay people with one-week’s experience were studied as a comparison group. The evocation of “non-referential” compassion—where love and compassion permeates the whole mind, with no object to focus on, was the object of meditation. Using functional MRI studies, it revealed that the long-term practitioners showed dramatically different patterns of increased activity on the functional MRI compared to the novice meditators. It means by inference that cultivating compassion causes something to take place in the brain. On the personal level, effects of meditation can be enormous and easily measurable with instruments. There is potential for populations to be affected in positive ways with these techniques.
These findings are not the only reason why Chan practice at Bao Lin is, for myself as a medical practitioner, a worthwhile undertaking. They also indicate, however, that the practices are powerful ways to influence not only our minds, but, through our minds, our brains, which can hopefully produce permanent, positive changes that will help us to reduce suffering in ourselves and others.
（近来，有两个事件在现代资讯的传播下传遍全球。对身为医生的我而言，这是一种证据，证明在科学唯物的观念外，的确有一个肉眼看不见的领域，影响着我们的生理与心理。
第一个事件是：一位年老的西藏喇嘛在纽西兰往生，虽然已开立了死亡证明，但过了两个多星期，色身竟然没有腐坏的迹象。第二个事件是：一位法国天主教修女罹患了严重的帕金森氏症，举步维艰，在她向约翰保罗教皇祈祷许愿之后，竟然完全痊愈了。身为医生，对人死后人体数小时内产生的物理变化，以及罹患帕金森氏症的症状，是很容易评断的。
在这两个事件中，我们无法对这种特殊的现象提出合理的解释，但这事件中的主角都有深厚的宗教传统作为基础：前者是佛教徒，喇嘛的生活有着经年的观行与心念的训练；后者是基督徒，信心与祈愿扮演了核心角色。两件事都意味着相似的真理，因此，我来到了宝林禅寺，在禅修课里学习亘古的智慧与禅修。
这两个事件引发欧美最负盛名的几所大学展开全新科学领域的探讨，此项探讨正在发展并愈来愈有进展。讯息显示，科学家们在实验室里研究佛教修行的成效，验证了我们的心与意识，这个无法眼见的部分，以某种方式影响着脑部，而且能够客观地测量出来。不仅如此，我们心念的运作和正向的情绪──如同佛陀所倡导的一样──对身体的免疫系统的确有正面的影响，并使得脑部与心脏产生互动作用。这是首次对于过去无法测量、而现今可以在实验室里测量出的内在世界，作彻底的检视。
这个领域称为“冥想神经科学”。神经科学家们正在进行以修观为基础的研究，以佛教为主，并以目前神经科学最先进的技术与观念，特别观察脑部如何透过纯粹的心智训练得到改变。威斯康辛大学的Richard Davidson教授说，脑部竟然是个可依经验而改变反应的器官，也就是说，刻意运用心理策略，可以持续地改变脑部的结构和精神的状态。虽然佛法没有直接说明，但修行方法中如背诵《佛说八大人觉经》，就隐涵了这种功效。现在的科学证据显示：透过脑部为媒介，心与外在世界似乎有着双向互动。若真如此，这些研究对于身心健康可能有重大的效用，对于整个社会也有相当大的影响力。
基因，是遍布全身所有细胞的蛋白质，影响着身体每个部位的运作，包括脑在内。最新的研究报告指出，基因是会受经验影响的。经验──包含内在活动，如：念头和情绪，以及外在的活动，如：语言、文字──能改变基因的运作。这一点对脑部功能有着重要的意义。“据载，没有任何一项已知的方法，比干预行为更能有效地改变脑部。”这一点呼应了佛教的基本观念和修行方法。三千多年前，佛教就已使用这个心的实验室，探究活得更和谐、更快乐的方法，其主轴之一在于佛陀所教导的苦谛与灭苦之道二个真理。过去，心理学和神经心理学一直着墨在负面心念的研究，如今，这盏探照灯转向了，照到最重要的正向情绪之一，如果我们有效地运用这种正向情绪，将可以改变个人乃至整个社会。
科学家们的焦点放在“慈悲观”。这项研究的对象是长期的修行者──主要是僧侣，他们多年有系统地修习慈悲观，在这个领域被视为专家。另一组用作研究比较的是，只修一周慈悲观的居士。这种慈悲观是将爱与慈悲充满心中，并没有所观的对象。利用核磁共振研究显示：长期修行者与初学者比较起来，有显著的不同，在共振仪上的图像出现较多的活动纪录。以此推论，修慈悲观会导致脑部发生某些改变。禅修的成效极大，又可以轻易地用物理仪器测量出来，若能把禅修的法门推广出去，将能对广大的群众产生正面的效益。
虽然上述的这些医学成果，仅是我参加禅修的理由或与宝林结缘的原因之一，但它确实指出，我们所学习的禅修法门，不仅是影响这念心的有力方式，并且，透过心念的转变，我们的脑部也会产生永久性的、良好的结构变化，以帮助我们减轻自身与一切众生的苦恼。）
|
|