“The Scientific Basis and Application of Meditation“004《冥想的科学基础与应用》连载004

四

我们知道，病分为很多种：第一是身病。比如，有些人很懒，老是坐着不动。他的肩周、颈椎就容易出现问题。治这种病，该从身入手。第二是心病。如焦虑、恐惧、易怒等，治心病，就得从心入手。第三是心病导致身病，身病又影响心病，抑郁症就是这样。

这里，我重点说一下抑郁症。在《冥想的科学基础与应用》中，崔东红教授也用了很大的篇幅，专门写了冥想在抑郁症中的应用。可见，抑郁症已成了现代人的常见病，不再是一个陌生的词汇了。

生活中，当一个人忽然有一些东西想不通，比如身体突然得病，或是受到其他刺激，就会变得非常抑郁。抑郁到一定程度，他的内分泌就会受到影响，变得紊乱，那么，他就会变得更加抑郁。而且，抑郁症很难治，时好时犯，很难根治，这种恶性循环会一直进行下去，所以，抑郁症患者的死亡率非常高。许多自杀的人，生前都患有严重的抑郁症，只是很多人不知道而已。

比如，我们熟知的歌星张国荣，在事业的顶峰之时，本该尽情地歌唱、尽情地享受人生，却因为某种不满足，患上了严重的忧郁症，后来他就自杀了，直到今天，人们回想起他的时候，仍然唏嘘不已。生前，他是个完美主义者，对生活要求很高，即便万千宠爱于一身，也仍然不满足，因此他所感受到的，是一种地狱般的痛苦。他到处寻找解除这种痛苦的方法，也把希望寄托在别人身上，但唯独没有叩问自己的心灵，没有在自己的心内寻找救赎之法。

当抑郁症患者一旦向内求，有了真正的信仰之后，那就不一样了，他就能凭借信仰的力量，慢慢消解自己的心病。心病一旦消解，人体的自我修复功能——或者一种外力——就会慢慢修复身体的毛病。许多时候，信仰之光一旦出现，生命中的黑便没了。

我的很多读者，最早认识我的时候，其实都是一些生病的人，或者心理疾病，或者身体疾病。其中有一位读者，笔名叫老报人，他原是一家知名报社的总编辑，退休之后，患了非常严重的忧郁症，并且长期失眠，而且导致了最后失去了活下去的希望。有那么两年的时间里，他生不如死，到处求医，花了不少钱，也被骗了很多钱。那时候每天想的事情就是，如何以一种比较适合自己的方式离开这个世界，那时他的家人因此和他一起陷入了深深的痛苦当中，为此他还留下了遗书和绝笔。后来，偶然的机缘，他读到了我的“光明大手印”系列图书，非常喜欢，连续看了八遍，慢慢地，他的抑郁症就好了，心结打开了。之后，他像怀春少女一般，焕发出不可抑制的生命激情，写了很多文章，也编了好多书，像我的精语集《特别清凉》，就是由他主编的。同时，他还做了很多事情，终于战胜了顽疾。

但是，我的朋友张万雄，却没有老报人这样幸运。我曾在《痛说张万雄之死》文章中，专门写过他的故事。生前，他是武威的一个法官，患有严重的抑郁症，一直得不到很好的救治，最后在一个冬季的深夜跳楼自杀了。他就不信佛，也不信神，什么也不信，他没有信仰，我也曾试图想改变他，但他除了喜欢我的小说外，对“光明大手印”系列著作不感兴趣，也不接受我的思想。最终，当心中的黑暗完全吞噬了他的时候，他便走上了不归路。

当然，也有人患了抑郁症之后，相信心理学，甚至依赖于精神类药物。但他们不知道，心理医生可以告诉他病因和对治方法，却无法帮他根治问题。只要“病根”还在，烦恼就会以各种方式出现，你根本无法解决所有的问题。有的人在服用精神类药物时，还出现了许多副作用。例如，一些人为了治疗焦虑症，服用某种西药，结果心脏就出了问题。因此，我们在借助科学，向外寻找解决方法的同时，也不能忘记向内寻找烦恼的原因，也就是调心，让心灵焕发出本有的智慧光明。这二者都有积极意义，不能互相替代。当然，我并不是否认心理学的价值。心理学本身很好，我也从心理学中学到了很多东西，但是我始终明白，真正的心理学应该首先参悟自己的心。

其实，真正能让一个人得到救赎的，不是神佛，也不是心理医生，而是他自己真正的明白。只有他敢于坦然面对自己的灵魂，愿意以一种正确的方法来改变自己的心灵时，他才能真正得到解脱。其他心外之法，就像西医开给你的止痛药一样，或许能让你在当下好过一点，舒服一些，但当你再次受到外来刺激时，就会旧病复发，甚至病入膏肓，不可救药。

所以，世上万法，只有从心性入手，才会得到究竟的改善。单纯的技术，永远代替不了大道。

**Four**

We know that there are many types of illnesses. The first is physical illness. For example, some people are very lazy and always sit without moving, leading to issues with their shoulders or cervical spine. To treat this type of illness, one should start by addressing the body. The second is mental illness, such as anxiety, fear, and irritability. To treat mental illness, one must start with the mind. The third type is when mental illness leads to physical illness, and the physical illness, in turn, affects the mind—depression is an example of this.

Here, I would like to focus on depression. In “The Scientific Basis and Application of Meditation,” Professor Cui Donghong devoted a significant portion to writing about the application of meditation in treating depression. It shows that depression has become a common illness in modern society and is no longer an unfamiliar term.

In life, when someone suddenly cannot come to terms with something—such as suddenly falling ill or experiencing other stimuli—they may become deeply depressed. When depression reaches a certain level, their endocrine system may become disordered, which in turn makes them even more depressed. Moreover, depression is difficult to cure, with symptoms that come and go, making it hard to completely eradicate. This vicious cycle can continue indefinitely, which is why the mortality rate for depression patients is very high. Many people who commit suicide suffered from severe depression, although many are unaware of it.

For instance, the well-known singer Leslie Cheung, at the peak of his career, should have been singing and enjoying life to the fullest. However, due to some dissatisfaction, he developed severe depression and later committed suicide. To this day, people still sigh with regret when they think of him. In life, he was a perfectionist with high expectations, and despite being adored by millions, he was still unsatisfied. The pain he felt was like a hellish torment. He searched everywhere for a way to relieve this pain, placing his hopes in others, but he never sought to question his own heart or find redemption within himself.

Once a person with depression starts looking inward and develops true faith, things change. With the power of faith, they can slowly dissolve their mental illness. Once the mental illness is resolved, the body’s self-healing function—or perhaps an external force—will gradually repair the physical ailments. Often, once the light of faith appears, the darkness in life disappears.

Many of my readers were initially suffering from either physical or mental illnesses when they first became acquainted with me. One of these readers, who goes by the pen name “Old Reporter,” was once the editor-in-chief of a well-known newspaper. After retiring, he suffered from severe depression and chronic insomnia, ultimately losing the will to live. For about two years, he was living a life worse than death, seeking treatment everywhere, spending a lot of money, and being scammed out of much of it. Every day, he thought about how to leave this world in a way that suited him, and his family was deeply pained by his condition. He even left behind a will and a final letter. Later, by chance, he came across my “Great Bright Seal” series of books, which he loved and read eight times in a row. Gradually, his depression was cured, and his mental knots were untied. After that, he blossomed with an uncontrollable passion for life, writing many articles and compiling many books. For example, my collection of sayings, “Especially Cool,” was edited by him. He also accomplished many other things and ultimately overcame his illness.

However, my friend Zhang Wanxiong was not as fortunate as the Old Reporter. I once wrote an article titled “Painful Discussion of Zhang Wanxiong’s Death,” specifically telling his story. In life, he was a judge in Wuwei and suffered from severe depression, which he never received adequate treatment for. Eventually, one winter night, he jumped to his death. He didn’t believe in Buddhism, gods, or anything else. He had no faith. I tried to change him, but apart from liking my novels, he had no interest in the “Great Bright Seal” series of books and did not accept my ideas. In the end, when the darkness in his heart completely consumed him, he took the path of no return.

Of course, some people, after developing depression, turn to psychology or even rely on psychiatric drugs. But what they don’t realize is that while a psychologist can tell them the cause of their illness and suggest treatment methods, they cannot help them completely cure the problem. As long as the “root of the illness” remains, worries will manifest in various ways, and you won’t be able to solve all the problems. Some people even experience many side effects while taking psychiatric drugs. For example, some people take certain Western medications to treat anxiety, only to end up with heart problems. Therefore, while we seek scientific solutions externally, we must also look inward for the causes of our worries—that is, to regulate the mind and let the mind radiate its inherent wisdom and light. Both approaches have positive significance and cannot replace each other. Of course, I’m not denying the value of psychology. Psychology is excellent, and I have learned a lot from it, but I always understand that true psychology should first involve comprehending one’s own mind.

In fact, what truly allows a person to find redemption is not gods or Buddhas, nor psychologists, but their own true understanding. Only when they dare to face their soul with composure and are willing to change their mind in the right way can they truly achieve liberation. External methods, like the painkillers prescribed by Western medicine, may make you feel a little better or more comfortable at the moment, but when you are again subjected to external stimuli, the old illness may recur, and the condition may become so severe that it becomes incurable.

Therefore, in the world, only by addressing the nature of the mind can one achieve ultimate improvement. Simple techniques can never replace the great path.