To save yourself is to save the world

To save yourself is to save the world

Xuemo

 Transcendence is that we jump out from the outside world, which we are so obsessed with and, it means we need to surpass the world in order to achieve our spiritual pursuit and freedom finally. Let’s express it in this way, this world is like a pool and the transcendence is the lotus in the pool. A beautiful lotus grows up from the pool and this is the transcendence. When you became a lotus, overlooking the whole pool, you would see lots of lotus seeds in the pool and they will also become lotuses one day. But these seeds are so stuck in the mud and can’t sprout for some reasons. At this moment, the lotus feels lonely. It hopes every seed can surpass the mud and sewage. When its wish can’t be realized, the loneliness comes. This is the loneliness we are talking about. The human history is full of wisdoms of transcendence. Sometimes, we call it as “Romanticism”. But in fact, the romanticism can’t substitute for the transcendence, for the transcendence is beyond all the definitions. All the definitions and the substantives in literatures can’t represent transcendence. Transcendence is that, the freedom of your soul can’t be restrained by outside world. And meanwhile, everything from the world becomes nutrition to the soul of the creating subject. With the nutrition of the world, the soul becomes profound, compassionate, and magnanimous for everything. We can start talking about transcendence, only when the world brings plenty of nutrition and numerous possibilities to the soul.

I have been in the pursuit of transcendence all the time. Later I found out that, there are differences in transcendence and freedom, between the views from the westerner and Mahamudra. What are the differences? I come to France this time and saw lots of people on strike. Why? Since people on strike rely on policy, law and lots of social security to change their own fate and many other things. It is all right. They ask for the right and they take the right as a condition for their happiness and freedom. Chinese do it in a different way. We always turn back to our own, our inside. Mahamudra thinks, transcendence has nothing to do with the world outside and it is about the mind. When a man dissolves greediness, stupidity and, hatred, his inside light will emerge; when a man dissolved the “I”, ego, and when he achieved advocated by Christ, he would probably achieve freedom. A German philosopher wrote a book, named “You and I.” He thought there were two solutions for a human being to achieve immortality. First one is self-dissolving. We dissolve our greediness and stupidity and hatred and melt our small self into the boundless universe and nature, then freedom is achieved. Second one is that, your mind becomes as boundless and plentiful as the universe, and as versatile and all-inclusive as nature, the freedom is then made possible. We, Chinese are after the second way. We are always working with our own mind. We are taming our desire, in order to win the world. We don’t invade or plunder the world, in order to fulfill ours desires. We don’t enforce our ‘truth’ on the world, in order to realize the so-called freedom. We don’t do it. In Chinese philosophy, main theme is always about shaping the soul of one himself. The soul is “ling-hun” in Chinese; ling means spirituality, which the literature really goes after. Spirituality and soul, don’t have much to do with materials. The happiness, freedom, relief, all of these, depend on your own mind, when your basic needs for survival are fulfilled. In our point of view, some of westerner, they are living better life right now. They eat good food, dress well and live in a beautiful environment. But it is odd that lots of people feel miserable. We can’t understand where the miserableness comes from. In my hometown, which is a place like sea of song, we have large collection of various songs. Every song is just like a spray in sea, and nobody knows how many songs actually there are. When we eat millet congee, Man-Tou, and corn, we feel so happy. Why? Because the nature offers so many things to us and we are grateful that we can survive on them. Of course we feel happy about it. And we fully enjoy them and are grateful for the great offering from the nature and we don’t need to take other things any more. We don’t occupy the sea to ourselves, when we have our cups of water to keep us alive. We enjoy our apples, and leave bananas and other fruits to the others, or leave them to our offspring. We don’t feel it necessary to take over all of them and pile them in our own backyard. So the freedom of the oriental is to dissolve the greediness, stupidity and hatred in their own minds. He keeps happy, no matter how the world changes. This is the essence and spirit of Chinese. There was a masterpiece from ancient China, named: Dream of Red Mansions, by Cao Xue-Qin. He used to starve from time to time. He loved drinking, but couldn’t afford it. Even under such condition, his mind achieved freedom and he wrote a marvelous work, “Dream of Red Mansions”, which was full of spiritual wisdom. There was another novel, “Journey to the West”. It is a story that a monk went on a long journey, for Buddhism scriptures. Actually, this story implies the spiritual pursuit of Chinese. It is a journey of soul, a journey of life. A man was born with its animal aspect, full of desire, stupidity and hatred. He walked towards the West, step by step, and realized his transcendence. For Chinese, the West is a sacred and holy place. During the journey, he ran into trouble with many ghosts and demons, which were actually his own greed that’s from inside instead of from outside. Each of us needs to face desire within ourselves, in the path to transcendence. The final transcendence can only be realized, until a man truly tames his own desire. You can see this kind of transcendence wisdoms all over the Chinese philosophy, literature and culture. Chinese names this wisdom as “Tao”, Tao is the wisdom of natural principle and it is the wisdom for living in harmony with the world. When a man possesses this wisdom, he will accomplish transcendence. There is a Chinese saying: having heard the Way in the morning, one may die content in the evening.

So, in the oriental Mahamudra culture, the pursuit is mostly about the meaning of life. What do you live for? A writer should ask why he would write. This is the meaning of living. Even thousands of years ago, in China, there were some sages who had asked this question, Lao-Zi, Confucius, Poet Qu Yuan. When the greatest poet in Chinese history, Qu Yuan, couldn’t find any reason to live, he gave up his meaningless life. Because he thought when meaning for his life was gone, life didn’t make sense any more. It becomes the most spiritual wisdom in Chinese culture.

In western China, there is an animal, fox, which always worship the moon. When the moon comes out, it worships the moon with Zuo-Yi and Kowtow in reverence. It hopes it can shine like a moon and light up the world one day. We call a fox, immortal and fairy fox. It is quite similar to the immortal of the westerner. It refers to a subject with spiritual wisdom, after transcendence. Meanwhile Chinese gives name to those people who muddle along from day to day, as dawdler, “Hun-Shi-Chong”. Hun-Shi means dawdling or muddling along. Chong, means worm. It refers to the people that live as numb and muddling as worms. Chinese attaches great importance to the meaning of life. A writer should focus on the meaning of his writing.

 Maybe, only with this kind of spiritual pursuit, human being can live happier, more freely, and clever. The ultimate purpose of literature is to bring the freedom and happiness to human, as the same as the purpose of religion, philosophy and other cultures. Without this purpose, literature doesn’t make any sense. Therefore, I think the good literary works requires two essential qualities: first, it is better to have it, than not to have it in this world; second, it is better to read it, then not to read it. The good works should meet these two requirements and otherwise, it is not good.

Lot of people says: Xuemo, literature can’t save the world. I say, yes, sometimes literature can’t even save the author. Like Si Ma-Qian, Dostoevsky, the tyrants could always send some excellent writers to the guillotine. Literature couldn’t do anything about it. But I think, the incapability of the literature is only temporary, because time swallowed and buried the lives of Nicholas and other tyrants quickly, but works of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky last over time. Most of the times, what literature saved was only the author. But when everyone can have it done for himself, the world is saved. So I have a firm opinion that, no matter who he is, the reader or the author, what he can save is only he himself. He can accomplish his transcendence in the process of self-saving. So the world would be saved when everybody saved himself. Since the time is up, this is the end of my speech, thank you.

Selected from Xuemo’s speech at French Academy

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拯救自己就是拯救世界

雪漠

超越就是从你非常在乎的外部这个世界中跳出来，超越这个世界，这才谈得到灵性和自由。换一句话说，这个世界好像一个池塘一样，超越就是池塘里的莲花。从池塘里长出非常美的莲花，这才叫超越。当你已成为一朵莲花，俯视这个池塘的时候，你发现这个池塘里有很多的莲子，它们都可能成为莲花。但是，因为某种原因它们不得不陷在淤泥中不能发芽。这时，那朵莲花可能会孤独。它希望所有的莲子都能从污泥之中、淤泥之中超越出来。当它不能实现这种愿望的时候，孤独随之产生。孤独就是这样一种东西。人类历史上，充满了超越的智慧，有时候我们称之为浪漫主义。但事实上，这种“主义”仍然不能代替那种超越。因为超越是超越了一切概念的。所有的名词，所有文学中的主义，都不是超越。超越是这个世界上的一切都不能限制自己心灵的自由。同时，这个世界上的一切，又都成了创作主体的心灵营养。世界可以让那颗心灵长大，可以让它丰富，可以让它博爱，可以让它包容一切。整个世界为这个创作主体，提供了无数的营养和无数的可能性的时候，这个时候才谈得到超越。

我一直在寻找超越。后来我发现，大手印文化认为的超越和自由和西方人所说的超越和自由不太一样。为什么不太一样呢？这次我到法国来的时候，我发现法国好多人在罢工。为什么呢？因为罢工的许多人，把改变自己的命运、改变自己的好多东西的机会，寄托在一种政策、法律、许许多多的保障中。这是对的。他们要求的这种权利，是作为自己得到幸福和自由的一个条件。中国人不是这样，中国人永远把目光转向自己的内心。大手印文化认为，超越跟外部世界没有关系，超越在于心灵。当一个人消除贪婪、愚昧、仇恨的时候，当人类心灵的本有光明焕发出来的时候，当人消解了我、小我，而实现了耶稣所提倡的博爱的时候，他就可能得到自由。有一个德国哲学家写过一部书，名字叫《我和你》。他认为人类实现不朽有二种可能：第一种消解自我。当整个博大的宇宙和大自然，消解自己贪婪、愚昧、仇恨的时候，自由可能产生；另外一种就是当自己的心灵包容整个宇宙和自然界的时候，自己的心像宇宙一样博大、丰富，像大自然一样宽容、无所不包的时候，也可能实现自由。中国人追求的自由是后一种。就是他永远面对的是自己的心灵，他以战胜自己的欲望来赢得世界，而不是靠掠夺世界和侵略世界来实现自由；或者是要把自己认为的某种真理强加给这个世界，去实现某种所谓的自由。我们不是这样的。中国哲学中，永远是以塑造自己的灵魂为主。这个“灵魂”的“灵”字就是今天我们谈到的“灵性”，文学真正追求的正是这个东西。灵性和灵魂跟物质的关系不大，当人类基本的生存条件满足之后，幸福、自由、解脱都取决于自己的心灵。西方许多人，在我们看来他们的生活已经很好了。他们肚子里有很好的食物，身上有很好的衣服，还有这么美的环境，很奇怪，却有很多人感到痛苦。我们很难理解这种痛苦来自何处。我的家乡是歌声的海洋，我们那边的歌很多很多，每一首歌都像大海的浪花一样。谁也不知道歌的曲目究竟有多少。我们吃着小米粥、馒头、玉米这类的东西，我们觉得很快乐。为什么？因为大自然给了我们很多东西，能够让我们生存，我们当然很快乐。这时候，除了享受快乐和明白之外，我们不会去掠夺别的东西。当我们用这一杯水能维持生命的时候，决不去掠夺别的大海；当有一个苹果吃的时候，我们就把香蕉和其他水果让给别人去吃、留给子孙去吃。我们觉得没有必要把它全部掠夺过来，放在自己的家中。所以，东方人的自由，永远是消除自己内心的贪婪、愚昧和仇恨。他永远不去管这个世界怎么样，他活得照样很快乐。中国文学本质的东西、灵性的东西也是这一点。中国古代有个名著叫《红楼梦》，作者曹雪芹，他有时候肚子也吃不饱的，他爱喝酒，但常常没有酒喝。就是在这样的条件下，他的心灵却得到了巨大的自由，写出了非常好的《红楼梦》，里面充满了灵性的智慧。中国还有部小说叫《西游记》，讲的是一个僧人取经的故事。实际上这个故事，代表着中国人对灵性的求索之旅，它是一次灵魂的旅途、生命的旅途。一个人从动物性的人，生下之后，充满着欲望、愚昧、仇恨，然后他为了实现自己的人生超越，一步步向西天走去。注意，西天在中国人的概念中，代表着圣地。走去的过程中间，他遇到了许许多多的妖魔鬼怪。其实这是他自己的贪婪，这个不来自外面。我们每一个人，在实现自己超越的过程中，必然要面临自己内心的欲望。当一个人真正降服欲望的时候，才能实现终极的超越。所以，在中国哲学中、中国文学中、中国文化中都充满了这种超越的智慧。中国人把这种超越称为“道”，道德的道。这种“道”是一种大自然的规律，是与这个世界和谐相处的一种智慧。当一个人拥有这种智慧的时候，他就实现了超越。中国人常常说，我早上明白了这个真理，晚上死去的时候，也很满足了。

所以，东方的大手印文化中这种灵性的东西，更多地是追求一种活着的理由。我们为什么活着？一个作家要追问为什么要写作？这就是活着的理由。中国几千年前的一些古代的哲人，都在追问这个东西，老子、孔子、诗人屈原都在追问。当中国第一位最伟大的诗人屈原找不到活着的理由的时候，他就放弃生命不活了。因为，他觉得自己存在的理由消失之后，存在是没有意义的。这种东西成为中国文化中最有灵性的智慧。

在中国西部，有一种动物——狐狸，它老是拜月亮。当月亮出来的时候，它就向这个月亮作揖、磕头，有一种敬畏，希望自己能像月亮那样放出光明，照亮这个世界。中国人把这种动物叫神仙、狐仙，这个神仙的“仙”和西方人的“神”很相似，也代表着一种超越之后、充满着灵性智慧的主体。而同时，中国人又将不明白活的理由的人，称为“混世虫”，即是浑浑噩噩过日子的虫子。所以，中国人特别强调活着的理由。一个作家写作的时候，要非常注重写作的理由。

也许，正因为有了这样一种精神追求，人类才能活得更快乐、更明白、更自由。文学跟宗教、哲学、其他文化的目的一样，终极目的就是给人类带来一种自由和快乐。离开了这个目的，文学就没有意义。所以，我认为好的文学，必须具足两点：第一，世上有它比没有它好；第二，人类读它比不读好。做到这两点的时候就是好文学，做不到这两点的时候就不是好文学。

好多人说：雪漠，文学它拯救不了世界。我说，是的，文学有时连作家也拯救不了。比如司马迁，比如陀斯妥耶夫斯基，暴君的屠刀总能把一些优秀的作家送上断头台。但是我认为文学的无力是暂时的。因为，那岁月、时光很快地让一些像尼古拉这样的暴君的生命消失，但托尔斯泰、陀斯妥耶夫斯基这类作家的作品却超越了时间留了下来。更多时候，文学拯救的只是作家自己本身。不过，当每个人都能从文学中拯救自己的时候，就等于拯救了世界。所以，我始终认为，无论读者也罢，作家也罢，拯救的永远是他自己。他是在拯救自己的过程中实现了超越。不过，当这个世界上，谁都能拯救自己的时候，也就拯救了世界。因为时间关系，我就说到这里。

――选自雪漠在法兰西学院的演讲

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