本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛在印度的《優婆尼沙經》裡面，有一個非常古老、非常優美的寓言。
This is an ancient and very fine teaching from the Upanishads.
[The teaching as presented here is loosely paraphrased from the Twelfth and Thirteenth Khandas of the Sixth Prapathaka of the Khandogya-Upanishad. While the presentation is embellished with the addition of some annotations, the essence of the teaching remains true to the original.]
有一個兒子名字叫作「史維特凱圖」，父親烏達拉卡是一個偉大的聖人，他問父親說：「爸爸，我是誰？存在我裡面的是什麼？我嘗試又嘗試，我靜心又靜心，但總是無法找到它。」
There was a son named “Svetaketu,” whose father Uddalaka was a great holy sage. The son asked his father: “Father, who am I? What is inside of me? I’ve tried and tried, stilled my mind again and again, but I always fail to find it.”
烏達拉卡必須創造出一個設計，他說：「你到那邊的樹上摘下一個果實。」
Uddalaka must create a plan, he said: “Go over to the tree and pick a fruit.”
小孩跑過去，從樹上摘下一個小小的果實。
The child ran over and picked a small fruit from the tree.
父親說：「現在將它切開，你在裡面看到什麼？」
The father said: “When you cut it open, what do you see inside?”
小孩子說：「有很多小小的種子。」
The child said: “There are many tiny seeds.”
父親說：「你挑一個種子，然後將它切開來，看看它裡面有什麼？」
The father said: “Pick a seed, when you cut it open, what do you see inside?”
小孩子說：「什麼都沒有。」
The child said: “There is nothing.”
父親說：「這棵大樹是從那個什麼都沒有而來的，在種子的中央存在著空無，你將它切開，裡面什麼東西都沒有，從那個空無產生出這棵大樹的存在，你的情況也一樣，史維特凱圖。那個就是你，你就是那個，史維特凱圖。」
The father said: “This great tree came from that nothing. In the void at the center of the seed, when you cut it open there was nothing. From that void, this great tree came into being. Your circumstances are the same. It is you, and you are it, Svetaketu.”
你也是那個存在於種子核心的空無，除非你在裡面找到這個不存在，否則將無法達到可靠的真理，可以在理論上探討，可以將它哲學化，但是你將無法真正瞭解。
You are also the void in the center of the seed. Unless you find this non-existence inside, you will not be able to attain the truth. You can inquire into the theory and philosophize about it, but you will not be able to properly understand it.
那個小孩子去冥想他的空無，然後變得非常寧靜。他沈思，享受這個空無，非常深刻地去感覺它，但是之後有一個問題再度升起，幾天之後，他再度來到父親那裡說：「我可以感覺，但是事情仍然沒有非常清楚，它們還是很模糊，就好像霧包圍著每一樣東西。我可以看到每一樣東西都是由空無產生出來的，但是空無怎麼跟東西混合在一起？存在怎麼跟空無混合在一起？存在怎麼跟不存在混合在一起？它們的確似非而是。」
The child went to meditate on his void and became very tranquil. He was lost in thought and savored this void, and had a profound feel for it. But afterwards, another question arose. A few days later, he once again went to his father and said: “I can feel it, but it is not clear. It is still vague, as if everything were shrouded in fog. I can see that everything comes from the void, but how does the void blend in with everything? How does existence and nonexistence merge? Indeed, it appears as though they couldn’t become One with each other.”
父親說：「你端一杯水來。」
The father said: “Bring a cup of water.”
小孩子去拿了一杯水。
The child went and brought a cup of water.
然後，父親說：「現在去拿一些鹽來。」
Afterwards, the father said: “Now bring some salt.”
他將鹽拿來，父親說：「將它們混合在一起。」
After he brought the salt, the father said: “Now mix them together.”
鹽溶入水裡，父親說：「現在你能夠將鹽和水分開嗎？」
As the salt dissolved into the water, the father said: “Now can you separate the salt from the water?”
小孩子說：「不可能，我甚至看不到鹽跑到哪裡去了。」
The child said: “I cannot even see where the salt went.”
父親說：「你嘗嘗它。」小孩子嘗了，它是咸的。
The father said: “Taste it.” The child tasted the water, and it was salty.
父親說：「你看，就像這樣，你或許無法決定什麼是存在，什麼是不存在，它們就像鹽和水一樣，互相溶入對方，你可以嘗它，然後就知道水裡含有鹽，現在你或許無法分開它們，事實上沒有人能夠分開他們，因為他們是分不開的。」
The father said: “You see, it is like this, perhaps you cannot determine what exists and what does not exist. They are like the salt and water dissolving into one another. You can taste it and then know that the water contains salt. Perhaps now you cannot separate them, and actually no one can, because they are inseparable.”
----------
This is a teaching about the true essence of one’s being, the True Self (or True Nature or Buddha Nature). It is seemingly imperceptible and nonexistent, yet it exists within all sentient beings. It is what gives sentience or awareness to living beings. The Heart Sutra also states that void and non-void are One, that the true essence embodies both void and non-void. It can be said that the evolution of life is to realize this true essence. Having realized it, one can evolve or transcend to a higher state of being such as what Buddha has achieved. When we received Dao, the door to our true essence was opened. Now it is up to us to awaken to our True Nature: to cultivate, to manifest and to realize it. Only then can we transcend.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
This is an ancient and very fine teaching from the Upanishads.
[The teaching as presented here is loosely paraphrased from the Twelfth and Thirteenth Khandas of the Sixth Prapathaka of the Khandogya-Upanishad. While the presentation is embellished with the addition of some annotations, the essence of the teaching remains true to the original.]
有一個兒子名字叫作「史維特凱圖」，父親烏達拉卡是一個偉大的聖人，他問父親說：「爸爸，我是誰？存在我裡面的是什麼？我嘗試又嘗試，我靜心又靜心，但總是無法找到它。」
There was a son named “Svetaketu,” whose father Uddalaka was a great holy sage. The son asked his father: “Father, who am I? What is inside of me? I’ve tried and tried, stilled my mind again and again, but I always fail to find it.”
烏達拉卡必須創造出一個設計，他說：「你到那邊的樹上摘下一個果實。」
Uddalaka must create a plan, he said: “Go over to the tree and pick a fruit.”
小孩跑過去，從樹上摘下一個小小的果實。
The child ran over and picked a small fruit from the tree.
父親說：「現在將它切開，你在裡面看到什麼？」
The father said: “When you cut it open, what do you see inside?”
小孩子說：「有很多小小的種子。」
The child said: “There are many tiny seeds.”
父親說：「你挑一個種子，然後將它切開來，看看它裡面有什麼？」
The father said: “Pick a seed, when you cut it open, what do you see inside?”
小孩子說：「什麼都沒有。」
The child said: “There is nothing.”
父親說：「這棵大樹是從那個什麼都沒有而來的，在種子的中央存在著空無，你將它切開，裡面什麼東西都沒有，從那個空無產生出這棵大樹的存在，你的情況也一樣，史維特凱圖。那個就是你，你就是那個，史維特凱圖。」
The father said: “This great tree came from that nothing. In the void at the center of the seed, when you cut it open there was nothing. From that void, this great tree came into being. Your circumstances are the same. It is you, and you are it, Svetaketu.”
你也是那個存在於種子核心的空無，除非你在裡面找到這個不存在，否則將無法達到可靠的真理，可以在理論上探討，可以將它哲學化，但是你將無法真正瞭解。
You are also the void in the center of the seed. Unless you find this non-existence inside, you will not be able to attain the truth. You can inquire into the theory and philosophize about it, but you will not be able to properly understand it.
那個小孩子去冥想他的空無，然後變得非常寧靜。他沈思，享受這個空無，非常深刻地去感覺它，但是之後有一個問題再度升起，幾天之後，他再度來到父親那裡說：「我可以感覺，但是事情仍然沒有非常清楚，它們還是很模糊，就好像霧包圍著每一樣東西。我可以看到每一樣東西都是由空無產生出來的，但是空無怎麼跟東西混合在一起？存在怎麼跟空無混合在一起？存在怎麼跟不存在混合在一起？它們的確似非而是。」
The child went to meditate on his void and became very tranquil. He was lost in thought and savored this void, and had a profound feel for it. But afterwards, another question arose. A few days later, he once again went to his father and said: “I can feel it, but it is not clear. It is still vague, as if everything were shrouded in fog. I can see that everything comes from the void, but how does the void blend in with everything? How does existence and nonexistence merge? Indeed, it appears as though they couldn’t become One with each other.”
父親說：「你端一杯水來。」
The father said: “Bring a cup of water.”
小孩子去拿了一杯水。
The child went and brought a cup of water.
然後，父親說：「現在去拿一些鹽來。」
Afterwards, the father said: “Now bring some salt.”
他將鹽拿來，父親說：「將它們混合在一起。」
After he brought the salt, the father said: “Now mix them together.”
鹽溶入水裡，父親說：「現在你能夠將鹽和水分開嗎？」
As the salt dissolved into the water, the father said: “Now can you separate the salt from the water?”
小孩子說：「不可能，我甚至看不到鹽跑到哪裡去了。」
The child said: “I cannot even see where the salt went.”
父親說：「你嘗嘗它。」小孩子嘗了，它是咸的。
The father said: “Taste it.” The child tasted the water, and it was salty.
父親說：「你看，就像這樣，你或許無法決定什麼是存在，什麼是不存在，它們就像鹽和水一樣，互相溶入對方，你可以嘗它，然後就知道水裡含有鹽，現在你或許無法分開它們，事實上沒有人能夠分開他們，因為他們是分不開的。」
The father said: “You see, it is like this, perhaps you cannot determine what exists and what does not exist. They are like the salt and water dissolving into one another. You can taste it and then know that the water contains salt. Perhaps now you cannot separate them, and actually no one can, because they are inseparable.”
----------
This is a teaching about the true essence of one’s being, the True Self (or True Nature or Buddha Nature). It is seemingly imperceptible and nonexistent, yet it exists within all sentient beings. It is what gives sentience or awareness to living beings. The Heart Sutra also states that void and non-void are One, that the true essence embodies both void and non-void. It can be said that the evolution of life is to realize this true essence. Having realized it, one can evolve or transcend to a higher state of being such as what Buddha has achieved. When we received Dao, the door to our true essence was opened. Now it is up to us to awaken to our True Nature: to cultivate, to manifest and to realize it. Only then can we transcend.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net