若找不到答案，百年不过是场漂泊

若找不到答案，百年不过是场漂泊

世界包括有限和无限两个层面。我们多半活在有限的层面，追逐五欲六尘、名闻利养，而哲学、宗教是探讨无限的层面。

The world has two dimensions: finite and infinite. Most of the time, we live in a finite dimension, pursuing the Five Desires and the Six Dusts, seeking fame and fortune, while philosophy and religion explore the infinite dimension.

有限的层面包括时间和空间。从时间来说，体现在有始有终。比如人生的几十年，包括一切生命的存在，都有开始有结束。短的朝生暮死，长的百千万年，相比地球的存在，实在微不足道。但即使地球、太阳系、银河系的存在，乃至天文数字般漫长的时光，也不过是无限中的一个过程。

The finite dimension includes time and space. In terms of time, it is reflected in the fact that everything has a beginning and an end. For example, the lifespan of human beings is only several decades, and the life of all living beings has a beginning and an end. For those short-lived beings, from the cradle to the grave is but a day’s journey. For those long-lived beings, their lifespan may be millions of years. However, when compared with the time that the Earth has been around, their lifespans are too insignificant to mention. However, even the existence of the Earth, the Solar System, and the Milky Way galaxy, along with any astronomically long durations, are merely fleeting processes within the vast expanse of the infinite.

生从何来，死往何去？在有限的生命之外，究竟是什么样的存在？那些巨大的未知是什么？如果生命没有无限性，只是从生到死的片段，哪怕能活亿万年，在究竟意义上，也是没有价值的。

Where were we from before birth, and where are we going after death? What kind of existence is there outside the scope of a finite life? What are those great unknowns? If life is not infinite but merely a fragment from birth to death, then it is worthless even if we can live for billions of years.

虽然当下的存在有其价值，但从结果回望的话，如果宇宙都要毁灭，现前这一点价值，能否和终将毁灭的虚无相抗衡？如果不探讨生命的无限性，不找到答案，我们是无法安然活着的。

Although the existence of the present has its value, if you look back at the end of the universe, can this value compete with the annihilation that is destined to come? Certainly, we cannot live peacefully without exploring the infinity of life and without finding the answers.

从空间来说，人的存在同样微不足道。在浩瀚宇宙中，银河系是微不足道的；在银河系中，太阳系是微不足道的；在太阳系中，地球是微不足道的……更何况，每个人只是地球七十多亿人口之一。

In terms of space, human existence is also insignificant. In the vast universe, the Milky Way is insignificant; in the Milky Way, the Solar System is insignificant; in the Solar System, the Earth is insignificant. Not even to mention, a person is only one of more than seven billion people on Earth.

面对动辄几十亿、乃至百千万亿光年的时空，不知大家会不会有发狂的感觉？因为宇宙实在太大了，作为蝼蚁般渺小的个体，活着的意义究竟是什么？

Contemplating spacetime which is tens of thousands of billions of light-years can make us go crazy. If the universe is so big and we are as small as ants, what exactly is the meaning of our lives?

但佛法告诉我们，心的本质就是宇宙的本质。生命中除了有限的层面，还有无限的层面。如果没有这样的答案，我觉得人是很难自处的。所以对无限性的追问，可以开阔视野，让我们找到生命的意义所在。

Nevertheless, Buddha Dharma tells us that the essence of the mind is that of the universe. In addition to the finite dimension of life, there is an infinite dimension. Without such an answer, I think many people would not know how to position themselves. Therefore, the questioning of infinity not only broadens our horizons but also allows us to find the meaning of life.

作者：济群法师

By Master Jiqun