Watching the Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Spiritual Beliefs and Universal Wisdom. Adeline Mah Yen
Чтение книги онлайн.

Читать онлайн книгу Watching the Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Spiritual Beliefs and Universal Wisdom - Adeline Mah Yen страница 3

Название: Watching the Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Spiritual Beliefs and Universal Wisdom

Автор: Adeline Mah Yen

Издательство: HarperCollins

Жанр: Биографии и Мемуары

Серия:

isbn: 9780007386888

isbn:

СКАЧАТЬ rel="nofollow" href="#fb3_img_img_b18bc2b6-921e-5c4d-af5d-8d1760293615.png"/>) by the general public was restricted because only the emperor (and his appointees at the Bureau of Astronomy) had the right to study the stars. The importance of mathematics in the study of science was never recognised in Imperial China. Mathematics was considered a waste of time since it did not help one to pass the examinations. Potential Chinese Keplers, Galileos and Newtons were busy memorising Confucian texts. Mathematical language based on the Hindu-Arabic numerical system was not generally adopted until the twentieth century. During my father’s youth in the twenties and thirties calculations were still being carried out on the abacus because Chinese numbers (like Roman numerals) lack two essential elements: zero and position, both of which are implied on the abacus but become invisible when the numbers are transcribed on to paper in Chinese characters. Without an adequate numerical alphabet, mathematical thought could not advance and science could not develop.

      During the nineteenth century, the Industrial Revolution freed man from the drudgery of manual labor, but the information revolution taking place now will cause far more radical revisions, because it is unleashing the power and expanding the dimension of man’s minds.

      In terms of material wealth and scientific progress, achievements in the west have been undisputedly awesome in the last two hundred years. But, has western prosperity brought westerners inner contentment and genuine satisfaction? When desire for money takes precedence over human relationships, can one be truly happy?

      Throughout the world people are yearning for spiritual inspiration as well as for a purpose to their lives. Nowhere is this search more urgent than in China where, since the death of Mao, people have become increasingly desperate to find religious meaning and substance. The success of cults such as Falun Gong reflects this hunger. Many are seeking alternatives to materialism, science, Communism and the institutional religions.

      When I was eleven years old my parents placed me in a Catholic convent in Hong Kong as a boarder. Soon I came under the influence of Catholic nuns and was quoting the Bible. During one of my rare visits home I discussed my newfound faith with my grandfather (Ye Ye) and he compared our respective beliefs.

      ‘As a Chinese from the old school, I have always had difficulty sticking to any one religion,’ Ye Ye said. ‘Even though I believe in reincarnation because I am a Buddhist, I honour my ancestors and read the I Ching and the Tao Te Ching

. All my educated friends behave similarly.

      ‘Unlike Muhammadans or Christians, we Chinese have trouble with the western view that there is only one true God. Why can’t Muhammad be accepted as a prophet as well as Moses? Why does one belief have to exclude another? Why can’t all the religions merge together and become one?

      ‘As a boy, your father got into big trouble with an American firm once because he wrote on his job application form next to “Religion?”: “Catholic, but willing to become Methodist as well, if necessary.” The manager summoned him into his office and called him a “rice Christian”, ready to turn his back on Catholicism for a job with a Protestant firm.

      ‘ “Why must there be only one true sect?” your father protested. “Why can’t I be a Catholic as well as a Methodist? Why can’t I be both?”

      ‘But the American manager was angry and your father didn’t get the job. So he moved to Tianjin and worked for me instead.’

      In the following chapters I shall outline the differences between east and west on a number of fundamental topics. Because some Chinese words are non-existent in English, just as various English words are absent in Chinese, the only way in which to grasp certain concepts that are unique to China is by leaping across national barriers and allowing for the possibility that truth may be reached in a language other than one’s own.

      One Chinese book which will open realms of thought beyond the usual western parameters of perception is the I Ching. Other ideas that play dominant roles in Chinese thinking are Confucianism, Taoism and Zen Buddhism. I illustrate traditional concepts such as qi, feng shui and yin/yang with incidents from my personal life. In each case I hope to bridge the cultural divide between east and west, so that westerners will be able to understand the Chinese way of thinking, discover its roots and see how they resemble or differ from their own. Having spent my first fourteen years in China, and the rest of my life in England and America, I can understand the mind set of both world views.

      When my father sent me to study in England in the 1950s, there were few Chinese students in Europe or America. Nowadays, more and more are migrating to the west in search of education, freedom, prosperity and happiness. Deregulation of telecommunications, growth of international trade, ease of air travel and the Internet will ensure increasing contact between east and west. Many childless would-be parents from America are adopting unwanted Chinese baby girls. Intermarriage is also on the rise. My own son married a Brazilian woman whose parents came from Austria and they have an adorable baby boy. The destiny of such infants will write a new chapter in the future relationship between China and the west.

      What will that destiny be? The proverb shou zhu dai tu

teaches us that change is the only constant. To that, I will add also the universal human yearning for truth and wisdom. For me, this yearning has no borders; it is as urgent a need in America as in China. Given that, and my spiritual and emotional citizenship in both countries, I have written Watching the Tree to present many traditional Chinese beliefs to my fellow constituents: the students of the world.

      Religion and spirituality are ambiguous words with widely differing interpretations. Watching the Tree attempts to deal with these terms on a scientific and rational basis, without dogma or superstition. The great German philosopher Martin Heidegger once wrote, ‘Whatever and however we may try to think, we think within the sphere of tradition.’ But what if I were to introduce to western readers a new and entirely different tradition? Could their thoughts become transformed and undergo fresh and radical change?

      Philosophy starts with wonder and knowledge is power. Aristotle said, ‘All men by nature desire to know.’ Indeed, Chinese and Westerners alike are all searching for rational and intelligent answers. Somewhere it is written that every Chinese wears a Confucian thinking-cap, Taoist robe and Buddhist sandals. Like my two previous books, Watching the Tree is autobiographical and gives you a glimpse into a Chinese mind. You can see the basis of my personal philosophy and the reason why I think the way I do. I hope it will provide you with an introduction to eastern thought, one that you can use as a stepping stone on your individual path towards the development of your own beliefs.

      Enjoy! I wish you happiness.

       2 Light at the End of the Tunnel

      

PI JI TAI LAI

      Like many Chinese scholars, my grandfather (Ye Ye) was an ardent follower of the I Ching. He viewed it as his Bible: a book of wisdom as well as a book of divination. A few months after his death from diabetes, I came across his copy of the I Ching and a small bundle of sticks wrapped together in a piece of red silk. At first I thought the sticks were chopsticks but they were too thin even though they were all of equal length. Later I discovered that they were stalks from the yarrow plant.

      We were living in Hong Kong and I had been allowed to come home СКАЧАТЬ