Friday, 14 November 2014

The Umbrella Movement marks a coming of age for Hong Kong’s “princess” generation



Lily Kuo & Heather Timmons November 14, 2014
protester of the Occupy Central movement, sits on a divider used by demonstrators to block the main road leading to the financial Central district in Hong Kong October 9, 2014
Not just sitting pretty.(Reuters/Tyrone Siu)
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HONG KONG—Willis Ho, 23, is probably not what you picture when you think of a democracy protester who has been arrested three times in the last four months. In a light blouse, shorts and flip flops, she has her hair pulled back in a neat bun and is wearing circle contact lenses that give her a doe-eyed look. “I don’t care how people see me, or about my crime record,” Ho told Quartz. “If we are doing civil disobedience, it is something correct.”
Ho, a philosophy major at Hong Kong’s Lingnan University and part of one of the student groups behind the demonstrations, the Hong Kong Federation of Students, grew up near Mong Kok, the most combative of the city’s pro-democracy protest sites. She’s spent most nights on the streets for the past seven weeks, not counting the one she spent in jail after storming the government headquarters in late September. She isn’t alone—thousands of young women are a core part of the protests, organizing everything from food and water distribution to communications—and also appearing on the front lines.
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Ho speaking at protests in Hong Kong.(Willis Ho)
In fact, young women are playing a greater role in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests than any other political event since the city’s return to China from British control in 1997, according to social scientists, former student activists, and academics studying the demonstrations. These include stay-at-home mothers ferrying in supplies, secondary students spearheading art projects, environmentalists running the massive recycling efforts, medical students staffing the first aid tents, and goggles-wearing agitators. “When it comes to extreme situations like pepper spray or strong reaction by police, there are no differences between male and female,” Ho said. “Even though it’s dangerous, they go to the front lines because they know that Hong Kong belongs to all of us.”
Their passionate participation belies a demeaning nickname applied to Hong Kong’s young women in recent years: “gong nui.” It literally means “Hong Kong girl” but in practice describes a “princess” who is “self-absorbed, demanding and materialistic” and suffers from the so-called “princess syndrome.” For most young women in Hong Kong, the tag was always unfair, but the Umbrella Movement has thoroughly upended the insult.
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A protester sits under a tent as she helps to block an area around the government headqu
A protester in Admiralty.(Reuters/Carlos Barria)
On the ground and in the tents
The main protest site at Admiralty in the center of the city is well-organized hive, with tents in rows, a recycling center, study corner, a library, and constantly expanding art exhibits.
Women who have been at the protests say they’re sometimes relegated to support roles—running logistics, keeping things clean and, when confrontations have happened, sticking in the background or playing peacemaker.
But, mostly they say, they don’t care. “Men enjoy protecting women,” explained Jennie, a petite 20-year-old wearing a face mask, a camouflage t-shirt, pink lipstick and perfectly applied eyeliner. Whatever the role, she said she’s committed. “If there’s a movement in the future, I will join too,” she said. Women have the “same voice and the same vote,” she said, and are going to share their opinions.
On many occasions, male protest organizers and pro-democracy lawmakers have completely dominated the media spotlight:
Women at the protests shrug that off too. “The role of women here is to decide the direction of this movement, same as the men,” said Shek, 20, a long-haired, apple-cheeked protester who was part of a small group camped outside the nearby government headquarters. Like many of young protesters here, male and female, she still lives with her parents. They’re glad she’s participating, she adds, even going so far as to bring her supplies and soap.
Women are often more passionate supporters of the cause. “Some of these women are willing to fight with their last breath, and I have not heard the guys say the same thing.” said W.W., a 30-year-old man wearing a plastic rain poncho who seemed to be the informal leader of a group of protesters guarding a makeshift blockade outside the government headquarters. “They’re the first to step up and help out.”
A generation finds its voice
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Women at the Umbrella Movement protests.(Quartz/Heather Timmons)
When student activists took their seats across from government officials Hong Kong during a televised debate on Oct 21, there was only one woman protester present—Yvonne Leung, a 21-year-old government and politics student, wearing dark, thick rimmed glasses and a plain black t-shirt with the words “Freedom now.” Still, she confidently pressed officials, all but one of them men decades her senior.
“It is the Hong Kong government who is giving up its responsibility. It has the constitutional duty to fight for a democratic reform proposal for Hong Kong and then pass it to the legislature to vote,” she said, speaking quickly and forcefully, arguing against the government’s oft-cited claim that reversing Beijing’s strict rules on how Hong Kong will elect its top official would be unconstitutional. “You should not sit and do nothing,” Leung concluded. After she spoke, cheers erupted from the thousands of demonstrators watching the talks live on television from the Admiralty protest site.

“Even though it’s dangerous, they go to the front lines because they know that Hong Kong belongs to all of us.”

It is a stark contrast to what the city was watching just two years ago, when Hong Kong’s most popular television show, “Bride Wannabe,” followed five unmarried Hong Kong women as they endured cosmetic surgery, life coaches, and vapid advice in an attempt to get themselves married off.
Seventeen-year-old Agnes Chow, a former spokesperson for Scholarism, one of the main student groups organizing the protests, told Quartz she believes that one consequence of the Umbrella Movement is that more women will take up leadership roles in Hong Kong’s male-dominated political sphere.
“Everyone is kind of equal here. So many females have already taken a role in the protests,” she said, speaking outside of government offices where protesters had camped out. “Definitely. I think women can have higher participation.”
More opportunities, and more pressure, than ever before
Hong Kong women in their late teens and early twenties have it, in many ways, better than any women in the history of the city. Over 26% of the Hong Kong women over the age of 60 didn’t even go to primary school, according to the 2013 census (pdf, pg. 85), compared to 8% of the men, which reflects the huge numbers of immigrants from China when girls were not educated. Higher education, even a generation ago, was a luxury.
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A protester reacts as she is dragged away by police after storming in government headquarters in Hong Kon
A protester being arrested after storming the government headquarters in September.(Reuters/Bobby Yip)
“My mother is one of eight,” explained Gigi, a PhD student at the Admiralty protest. “The first child was clever, but she was a girl, and the family was poor. She gave up her chance to be educated for her brother, and he went to [Hong Kong University], became a translator and is quite rich,” she said. He emigrated to Canada. His older sister lives in Hong Kong and married a taxi driver. Today, that wouldn’t happen, she said—in fact, her parents blessed her studies, despite the fact that she has two younger brothers. “I’m taking the resources of my family,” she said.
In this current academic year, 54% of Hong Kong’s college undergraduates are female (census, pg. 97), as are about half of the post-graduates.
Hong Kong ranks third in East Asia in terms of female participation in the workforce at 50.9%, a figure that’s boosted by foreign domestic workers, or “helpers” that take care of children and elderly family in wealthier families—one in every eight households has a helper. And unmarried women are now participating in Hong Kong’s workforce at a greater rate than unmarried men:
Just as in the protests, though (and just like in most of the rest of the world), that doesn’t mean women are getting the top jobs, or making as much money as men. Women in Hong Kong earn 20% less than their male counterparts (compared to 16% less globally), make up 11% of the directors on its publicly traded boards, and ran none of the 40 largest Asia Pacific companies based in Hong Kong last year.
They’ve also been shouldering the blame for the city’s quickly diminishing birth rates, which are transforming Hong Kong into a city that will be 50% senior citizens in less than 30 years. Hong Kong’s decreased fertility can be blamed on an “increase in spinsterhood,” the government said, citing the rising age of marriage for women (and overlooking the fact that man are getting married later too, and at an even older age).
Still better than the Mainland
The United Nations gender development index, which looks at health, education and living standards, ranks Hong Kong about the same as the Netherlands and Singapore on the basis of equality between men and women, while mainland China ranks considerably lower, at about the level of Mexico and Cyprus.

“The people don’t want the woman to stand…the family, they will be horrified.” – Emily Lau, head of the Hong Kong Democratic Party.

In mainland China, the percentage of women in the National People’s Congress, the country’s nearly 3,000-member national legislature, a figure that remained virtually unchanged at 21.2% from 1978 (p. 137) to 2012, but increased slightly last year to 23%. Women make up less than 10% of officials ministerial rank or higher, a figure that hasn’t changed since 1982 (p. 139) and there has never been a woman in the Politburo Standing Committee, China’s top governing body, since the communist republic was established in 1949.
In Hong Kong, things are better, but not great—out of 70 Legislative Council (LegCo) members, only 11 are women or about 16%. Women make up just 14% of the 1,162 member Election Committee responsible for naming the city’s top executive as of the end of 2013, according to the Hong Kong election commission.
By contrast, in Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines, at least 20% of lawmakers are women. Both the governments of South Korea and Thailand have been led by women, yet Hong Kong has never seen a woman nominated for the city’s top political office of chief executive.
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A woman meditates at a protest site after clashes between anti-occupy Central demonstrators and pro-democracy protesters near the government
A woman meditates behind a barricade facing police in central Hong Kong.(Reuters/Carlos Barria)
Women in Hong Kong are often held back by family members, according to Emily Lau, the first woman to be elected to LegCo in 1991. “The reason is that the people don’t want the woman to stand,” Lau told Quartz. “The family, they will be horrified. They think, this is not something for you. You’ve got housework, you’ve got the elderly, the baby, and everything to look after. How can you go and stand for election? If a man were to stand, they would not think the man would have all [these obligations].”
Exhaustion, sexism and assault
Few expected the Umbrella Movement protests to last this long, and the pressure has weighed heavily on some of the young female participants. Just three weeks after the Umbrella Movement started, Chow stepped down as the group’s official spokesperson, citing physical and psychological exhaustion. “I’m sorry, but I’m only seventeen years old,” she said in a public resignation message.

The undercurrent is there, the gender expectation that for women their role belongs at home.

In some cases, it is difficult for the young women involved in the democracy movement to be seen as more than symbols of femininity. Photos circulate that compare Chow and Leung, the student negotiator, in terms of their potential as a wife or girlfriend, and one article on the male-dominated web forum Hong Kong Golden asks readers to vote in the “democracy goddess election,” writing “First on the list is Agnes Chow, who is not only brave and a leader, but also really adorable.” (Chow also has a Facebook page dedicated to her that calls her the “goddess of democracy.”)
“Solidarity has not emerged at the protests beside that of class,” Cheng Sealing, an expert on gender and activism at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told Quartz. “The focus on women as sex objects and to incorporate that into political language and everyday speech is quite common … you have to ask how women can be properly seen as leaders and not always associated as a sexualized symbol.”
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Student leaders Yvonne Leung and Agnes Chow (right.)(Hong Kong Golden)
Gender has become an issue for those protesting against the umbrella movement as well. Female protesters have been sexually assaulted by anti-occupy residents; one video of a woman being violently grabbed by an older man went viral. “It suddenly exposed that level of hostility to girls and young women, ” said Maya Wong, a researcher in Hong Kong for Human Rights Watch. “The undercurrent is there, the gender expectation that for women their role belongs at home. If they stand up in public, they should stand back.”
There are women at the protests that are pushing back against these images. Last month, the Hong Kong chapter of Slutwalk held an event to raise awareness of rape culture and also protest against the assault on protesters. In Mong Kok, the site of most of these attacks, demonstrators set up an area for female protesters to practice self defense.
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In Mong Kok, protesters set up a small “Girls pump up area.”(Cheng Sealing)
For women of older generations, these protests signal progress. Heidi Lung, 60, spoke with Quartz while standing with her 25-year-old daughter among a crowd of protesters in Admiralty as student leaders prepared to speak on stage. “In my generation in the 1960s, most of the people were always pro-government. But now, this younger generation, they make use of the internet and gather a crowd,” she said. “It’s much easier for this generation to speak out.”

HOME TRUTHS
Another way to look at America’s least affordable housing markets
Zainab Mudallal11 hours ago
Single family homes for sale are seen in San Marcos, California.
A bargain?(Reuters/Mike Blake)
News flash: houses in Silicon Valley are expensive. Really expensive.
The latest report by real estate agent Coldwell Banker on prices of family homes found across the US found, for the second time in three years, that the average house in Los Altos, California, is the priciest in the country, at nearly $2 million.
Coldwell Banker’s annual report compares four-bedroom, two-bathroom homes of a similar size across nearly 2,000 cities. Property markets in and around Silicon Valley are prominent at the top of the rankings, a source of angst for residents priced out of the tech cluster.
For the same price as a place in Los Altos, a buyer could get no fewer than 30 homes in Cleveland, the cheapest market tracked by Coldwell Banker—a different one for just about every day of the month. (Quartz did some similar calculations last month, with equally eye-opening results.)
Few will argue that Silicon Valley’s property market is anything but frothy, but affordability is in the eye of the beholder. The average household in Los Altos makes more than $235,000 a year, according to the latest Census Bureau figures. Although the typical four-bedroom house in the city is more than eight times larger, the gap is even bigger as you travel closer to San Francisco (including within the city itself) and down the coast to areas like Santa Barbara, near Los Angeles:
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By contrast, in the well-to-do Chicago suburb of Winnetka and hedge fund-heavy enclaves of Greenwich and Westport, Connecticut, near-million dollar homes are only around three-to-four times the average family’s income. That ratio is about the same as in Lithonia, Georgia and Scranton, Pennsylvania, which are among the cheapest housing markets in the country:
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So while it goes without saying that homes in Silicon Valley and Southern California are less affordable than in places like Scranton and Cleveland, that doesn’t mean that buying a house in some of the cheapest housing markets—according to sticker prices—is that much easier for the people who actually live and work there.
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Wednesday, 12 November 2014

 登錄 用掌上論壇訪問本站,擁有更好閱讀體驗 百家鳴 > 武俠夢迴 > 武俠綜合 發帖| [武學武術] 君子動手 — 趙式慶 看295|回0|收藏 樓主 戲雪 只看他 2014-5-7 09:00:01 http://thehousenews.com/society/ ... %E5%BC%8F%E6%85%B6/ 君子動手 — 趙式慶 2014-5-5 6:14:02 Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on sinaweiboShare on email  [size=1em]功夫,兩個字,一橫一直。 [size=1em]電影《一代宗師》不單金句處處,人人變了隱世高手、滿口哲理。電影也塑造了一個已經逝去的中國武林,令人婉息傳統終究敵不過時代,功夫,是否就只有留在自己的歲月裏? [size=1em]今天的香港,口頭復興中國傳統文化的人比比皆是,至少可趕上政治潮流,但真正身體力行,動念之餘又動手的,很少! [size=1em]趙式慶是其中之一。自幼習洪拳,唸哲學及文化人類學,整理及研究中國武術,保存南方拳術傳統,與師傅林鎮輝將工字伏虎拳拳譜重新整理成英文出版。他說要重新建立中國武術的人文精神,「克己復禮」。訪談期間,我能感受到他的身體力行,是個謙厚的知識人,又是個沉實的武者。 [size=1em]整理:蕭家怡;圖:張綺貞、由受訪者提供 [size=1em]讀:讀書好 趙:趙式慶 [size=1em]讀: 我想把今次訪問的焦點放在兩方面,第一是武術本身,它是中國人一種獨特的修習方式,我們將之稱為功夫,實則是與佛教有關的,所以我想先談功夫本身的知識傳承,究竟有何獨特?第二就是談在文字知識在整個傳承過程中的重要性。開始時想讓讀者先了解你的背景,你是在甚麼時候開始習武的? [size=1em]趙: 我在八歲開始習武。其實剛開始時我是學騎馬的,但碰巧媽媽因為意外受傷而認識了一個懂武術的跌打師傅,傾談之下令她覺得小朋友騎馬的風險大,易受傷,所以希望我能放棄,又故作民主地要我在騎馬和武術之間二擇其一。須知道,那年代的小孩都是看李小龍和成龍的電影長大的,當然會選打功夫啦! [size=1em]讀: 一開始已經是學洪拳? [size=1em]趙: 小時候對這些根本毫無概念,也不知道門派是甚麼,所以第一個師傅當時也不是教中國武術,而是空手道,一直到大約十八歲左右,他才轉教我其家傳的中國武藝, 所以我跟隨第一個師傅學的內容很廣泛,更涉獵到一點南方的佛家拳。 [size=1em]讀: 那在這過程中,你是一開始就對武術感興趣抑或是經過階段的? [size=1em]趙: 有階段的,剛開始時一點興趣都沒有,有的也只是陶醉於幻想功夫的英雄形象。你能想像一個八歲的小朋友,面對紮馬和一些舊式訓練方法時的情況,加上要求嚴格, 姿勢不標準時會被罰掌上壓等,根本不可能萌生甚麼興趣,到十六歲左右,就真的開始感興趣了。 [size=1em]讀:是八十年代的時間嗎?你應該在唸高中? [size=1em]趙:對!八十年代,其實我十二、三歲時已經到英國唸書, 也停了學習武術,但到十六歲的暑假回港時,我想重新學習武術,所以透過爸爸的秘書找回第一位師傅, 此後跟隨他學習多年,一直到了廿七、八歲時,我在中文大學唸人類學碩士(編按︰趙式慶為英國Durham University哲學系畢業生),本來是想繼續我一直有跟進的北方少數民族研究,但發現香港跟中國遠北地區、內蒙、黑龍江邊緣等地區的聯繫不多,加上中大人類學的研究方向都是以都市人類學為主,不能為我這個研究題目提供太大幫助,心想既然如此,就轉個與香港較近題目吧!我大約是在2005年唸碩士的,當時讀了很多人類學的文章,亦認識了不少武術界的前輩,就如我現在的其中一位老師馬明達教授也是在當時認識的。 [size=1em]讀: 所以你當時是有意識地要將武術與學術研究領域接連。那麼你的研究題目是甚麼? [size=1em]趙:是的,由轉題目後就是有意識在做這件事。其實我那時候的題目跟現時做的事很相似,就是「南方民藝在歷史文化上的變遷」,直至今天,方向依然沒變,只是內容變得豐富,但我始終覺得,站在香港的立場,這題目非常值得研究。 [size=1em]讀: 在整個習武的過程中,你覺得武術在知識傳遞的方式上有何獨特? [size=1em]趙:我覺得這很關乎師傅和門派,各有不同,某程度上可以說是個人化,但某程度上亦與門派相關,因為會因門派、拳種而異,如太極拳的理論基礎相對較好,而南方的一些拳種的理論基礎相對不太複雜,這些都會影響師傅如何教授徒弟,以及整個傳承的模式。北方的部分拳種,如形意、太極、八卦等,有不少由清末民初傳下來的古譜,如果你要繼承這門武藝,這些古譜都是必讀的;反而洪拳有沒有這些拳譜呢?很遺憾,我們現時所見,最古老的都是林世榮在三十年代出版那些,由此可見當中差別之大。 [size=1em]讀: 所以南方拳術較注重師徒間的傳承,而沒有一套系統化的知識體系,又或是這套體系存在於人當中。 [size=1em]趙: 從近兩年的研究得知,整個南中國,尤其是沿海區域裏, 福建武藝的歷史根源,特別文字研究方面,是比較紮實的。以白鶴拳為例,有不少拳譜都是清代遺留下來的,但廣東地區基本上找不到了。 [size=1em]透過閱讀這些拳譜,你能發現它早期的理論基礎非常完備和成熟,而且自成一格,與北方有顯著差異。 [size=1em]發明傳統 [size=1em]讀: 在功夫的傳授中,你有否留意到哪些部分是很中國式,或跟中國文化有密切關係,與學跆拳道和泰拳是不同的呢? [size=1em]趙: 我覺得最核心的部分是,今天所說的現代武藝,不論是跆拳道、泰拳、柔道、空手道等,都已經是現代體育化的武藝,而中國的武術很大程度都是未完全體育化的,仍然維持民間的傳承模式︰以師徒間的傳承作為主要的傳承方法。 [size=1em]讀: 就是說跆拳道和空手道等都已經是一種體育項目,就算師承、門派不同,但它已經發展出一套共同的標準和綱領去衡量水平,反而中國武術本身,其傳播方式則跟幾百年前的沒有分別。 [size=1em]趙: 其實這是個很複雜的問題。以前我也覺得香港保留了很多傳統的傳承模式,但我最近發覺所謂傳統,實際上是在不同時代經過重新塑造的,以香港的武館為例,不少訓練方法是受到近一百年西洋體育運動衝擊而形成的現象,例如練套路的訓練方法,在農村時代並不常見,因為南方多械鬥,人們重視的是「打」、技擊,這也不代表從前沒有套路,但它何時變得重要呢? [size=1em]我發現是在精武體育會出現以後,它當時提倡武操,就是通過操練去提供人身體的基本素質,所以「操」這個練習方式其實是個新的概念,甚至李小龍也會質疑。於是,我們在區分傳統與非傳統時,是有很多重不同的層次需要解構。 [size=1em]讀:要看你扣連上哪一個時代,例如我們學蔡李佛的小梅花拳、扯拳等,可能都是後來發明的「傳統」。 [size=1em]趙: 對!就如我近來也挖掘一些洪拳的練習方法,例如拍沙包、拍綠豆袋、指上壓、提酒埕等,這些都是大家練南拳時必練的功夫,但現在有多少個門派在堅持呢?就我所見,非常的少。 [size=1em]讀: 我記得讀書時代學蔡李佛時,真的需要練指上壓的,因為蔡李佛有虎爪。 [size=1em]趙: 但你想想現在還有人練指上壓嗎?很少了。這可能與今天 [size=1em]的社會愈來愈脫離技擊需要有關,七十年代以後,傳統武術發展甚至已經離開擂台,今天的中華武術還有散打,但散打跟傳統武術基本上已經脫節,已經自成一格,成為一種新的運動,或曰武術運動。 [size=1em]讀:你在習武的過程中,會否有一個判斷,覺得它應該向普及運動,如恆宇仁龍拳、跆拳道等全民運動的模式發展,抑或回歸傳統,以技擊、門派、武館、師徒傳承的方式走下去。 [size=1em]趙:甚至門派也是一個新的概念,只要回看一百年前南中國的門派,就知道數量比今天少很多,很多都不以派別為自居,如李家拳、周家螳螂,但在嚴謹意義上都不是我們現時所言的門派,更不像今天會仔細的分門別派,而且,這種分門派的情況在香港尤其明顯,這跟香港的社會環境有關。 [size=1em]讀:是因為要「搵食」所以要建立branding嗎? [size=1em]趙:的確是一種branding,其實這些師傅很聰明,懂得如何將自己跟其他人區別開來,強調自己由名人傳授,所以香港的門派特別多。我們發現南中國的很多門派都是由農村時代的械鬥誕生,但門派形成,真正開宗立派就是到了城市後的事。 [size=1em]讀:所以創立門派,是代表他想在那裏立足,然後收徒弟、開醫館,確立一套自己的傳承方法。 [size=1em]趙:無錯!這其實很有趣,因為很多時候,大家都不會質疑這件事,會覺得傳統是一定存在的。 [size=1em]我還想回答你剛剛提到,那個關於中國武藝發展方向的問題。先不說我的立場與觀點,我想分享我的研究。我觀察過其他人在過去的做法,二十世紀初的沖繩島很受日本的風氣影響,當時日本剛成立全國性的武道館,是一個協會,現時要變成日本武藝要符合很多要求,一定要屬於甚麼甚麼流、要分段等等,但這些要求在當時都是沒有的,空手道、唐手都沒有這些的。 [size=1em]那時候的師傅有兩個不同的立場,有的覺得要保留傳統,維持前人的一套教授方式;有的則堅持要簡化,認為要將之普及就一定要制度化,通過考核,而且這考核不單單應用於學生,老師也需要考核,要有證書和規格化的比賽模式等,兩邊各執一詞,但亦有一些很特別,而且為數不少的師傅,覺得若要發展這門武藝就一定要普及化,不然學的人會愈來愈少,因為我們跟傳統的生存條件、空間的關係愈來愈割裂,如果連學的人都沒有,根本不能談承傳,所以先要鋪網、廣收,所以當他白天在學校時,就會簡易化,但與此同時,假如他不在學校教授時,則要保留傳統、一絲不苟。 [size=1em]道與術 [size=1em]讀:當他自己work as a school時,則以傳統方式去傳承,反之則跟隨最主流的一套,所以你認為是可以兩條腿走路。 [size=1em]趙:甚至多條腿走路亦可,不一定限於這兩者,因為我們還可以提升。日本的昇華在於明治維新時期,將過去的「術」都變成「道」,而中國則是由武道變武藝,再變成武術,漸走下坡。我們現在要做的則是將它扭轉,由武藝變成武學,所以要做的事也是多方面的,包括學術研究,要理解中國傳統武藝的內容,當中的人文精神和核心價值是甚麼,但這些都不會有人再談論,大家只在意「邊個打得」、技擊,但中國武術是否只有「打得」呢? [size=1em]再深一個層面就是如何將武術與中國傳統人文精神與主流文化、教育制度等融合,我覺得這些方面都可以向日本借鏡。做到這層面以後,下一步就是普及化,而我認為這是必需的,除了是因為能有較大的發展空間外,更重要的是能保留武術的實用性,因為今天已經不可能再「打」了,會被人報警拉走的! [size=1em]讀:但其實七十年代時還會有人在公園「講手」。 [size=1em]趙:八、九十年代也有,但現在已經沒有了,不過如果想將武術某程度上的實用性保留,就一定要通過比賽,但香港傳統武術的一大弊病就是大家都關起門,沒有一個標準去比衡,同時大家也不會去想這回事,覺得如果要比的話,就戴個拳套用hit boxing的賽例去打就是,但這能打出中國武術嗎?我就覺得不可以了。 [size=1em]讀:所以就有人說李小龍是MMA之父。 [size=1em]趙:對!李小龍作了一個很大的突破,不過民間武藝始終有個很大的弊病,就是大家停留在拳上面,但中國武藝千百年來都是以器械為主的,其魅力亦絕不止南拳北腿能呈現, 我們有短兵、長兵、射箭,都是軍事訓練來的。但這些在今天的民間,甚至整個中國大陸都已經式微了。所以我希望重新挖掘古代的技擊方法、比賽方法,但在安全的情況下去進行。 [size=1em]讀: 開始進入了核心問題,就你剛剛所言,這其實關係到中國傳統文化進入現代社會後的一種格格不入,這情況不止發生在武術範疇,而是在各方面。你看我們經歷過五四運動,徹底反傳統、全盤否定,這想法一直到後來的文化大革命而走至極端,甚至連孔廟也打爛,但我們也找不到出路,由傳統主義、打倒滿清,一直到最激進的文化大革命都走過了,最終也不能找到。 [size=1em]很多人說傳統阻礙了中國發展,所以要否定它,但到今天,你會發現它是個農業文明的產物,與今天的工業或都市文明結合時,會出現很多不適應的情況。你在推廣的過程中有這樣的感受嗎?最大的阻礙又是甚麼? [size=1em]趙: 我覺得你說中了核心。我們的傳統文化從主流社會的層面開始都不受重視,如果你不從基礎教育推行,它根本就不能發展,大家沒有機會接觸時就不可能有興趣,非常簡單的一個道理,以琴棋書畫在教育制度中的地位已經能夠反映出我們對它的不重視,反觀日本、韓國能如此盛行,就是因為國家從一個高的權力位置去推行、重視。 [size=1em]讀: 你覺得尚武精神需要由國家政策層面帶動,才能令它的社會地位提升? [size=1em]趙: 如果由國家的力度去做,就會是名正言順,所以應該由他們作主導,但當他們不作主導時,例如在香港這個比較自由、相對民主的空間,我覺得民間能做的也很多,小至於學校,你以一間學校作試點,只要你能做好,都能慢慢擴散開去。 [size=1em]讀: 我舉例,很多中產父母會寧願把子女送去學恆宇仁龍拳, 因為能夠分等級、有證書、更可以作為課外活動的證明, 但反過來說,他們應該不會把子女送到九龍城的武館去學詠春,一來覺得那地方古靈精怪,二來是詠春不能夠將這活動轉化成課外活動的指標。 [size=1em]趙: 所以就正如我剛剛所言,要普及化地推廣,就必先建立一個制度。 [size=1em]讀: 換言之,你接受日本與韓國的做法?因為跆拳道的歷史其實很短,大約在五十年代由一個韓國將軍推廣,但現在已經是奧運項目。 [size=1em]趙: 一定程度上接受,因為這做法好壞參半。若論從一個國家民族儀式,甚至將韓國文化向世界推行,這方面有重大意義,但從傳統文化角度,首先如你所言,跆拳道是一種新的東西,其次是作為一種武術,但從甚麼角度你能繼續把它視作武術呢? [size=1em]中國武藝千百年來都是以器械為主的,其魅力亦絕不止南拳北腿能呈現,我們有短兵、長兵、射箭,都是軍事訓練來的。但這些在今天的民間,甚至整個中國大陸都已經式微了。 [size=1em]讀:它是一種新的武術! [size=1em]趙: 甚至要問句,它稱得上武術嗎?武術的指標是甚麼?你練習跆拳道後會有自衞能力嗎?這點我很質疑。簡單而言, 在一個赤手空拳的情況下,你要傷敵就必須用手,但跆拳道是不能用手的,而用腳踢的效果其實也不是太好,所以很難說清。 [size=1em]讀: 中國文化在現代要進化的困境,就是我們不知道自己要保留些甚麼,要不全面肯定,要不全面否定,找不到一個知識基礎的整理。 [size=1em]趙: 這問題其實你也曾在著作中闡釋得很好,八十年代後,香港的所謂中產階級是愈來愈少,批判聲音已不復見,都是一面倒的好與不好,缺乏了中間的聲音,但中間的地帶才是能發展的地方。 [size=1em]所謂文化、傳統,並不是一成不變的。你看看中國不同時代的書法、畫畫、武術等,一直都在變,一定要適應時代,與時俱進,不然就會跟社會脫節。 [size=1em]讀: 談談第二個問題。我有一個看法,就是中國很多傳統文化的知識論不發達,我們為甚麼把它稱作武術呢?就是因為它停留了在一個術的層面。術就是技擊,但道卻不同,是先於、高於術的,涉及哲學和理論層面,是一個框架。 [size=1em]日本的茶道其實是中國唐宋時期傳過去的,正正是它有一個道,能將整套知識傳承下去,甚至變成一個school,在發展過程中依然有人能突破,但始終都在框架之內。不止茶道,柔道、弓道、劍道也如是,我覺得這其實是一種很傳統的中國思想,但這些在今天的中國都不復見,這種轉變在清朝尤其明顯,因為它是外族政權,整個文化形態都由此轉變,所以,我們今天的各種文化都缺少了其相應的知識體系,根本不知能從何繼承、批判。 [size=1em]趙: 所以我們今天的工作就是重新建立武學的知識體系,因為大部分傳統拳師、師傅對武術的了解,多數限於其門派以內,很少能有一個高層面的文化認識,但中國武術的歷史和文化呢?他們講不到,原因是他們沒有受過這方面的訓練,但這不能責怪他們,因為從來沒有人做過這些學問, 所以我們將武術變成武學,令它成為一個學科。 [size=1em]讀: 其實,精武體育館當年算是踏出了第一步嗎? [size=1em]趙: 曾經在做這件事。五十年代的中央國術館曾經有系統地將中國的體育運動變成一個國家民族的知識體系,張之江在1928年已經開始做,但遺憾的是,它跟國民黨有不可切割的關係,所以五十年代後就拋棄了這個很有價值的嘗試。尚武精神的衰落讀: 你留意到中國的尚武精神在近代已經完全消失嗎? [size=1em]趙: 二十世紀初,尚武精神與民族精神、國家救亡連結,其實一直到五十年代,由於國術館的推進,仍然有不少人在談論尚武精神。中國政變後,某程度上這種尚武精神其實繼續在香港、台灣發展,但已經不再是國家政策層面的高度,然後慢慢推進,這跟香港的殖民政府有關,台灣的情況我就不太清楚了。 [size=1em]讀: 可能是與戒嚴體制有關。但我的意思是,那段要追回的路很長,已經空白了這麼多年。 [size=1em]趙: 其實空白的年份不止這樣短。從歷史來看,中國武文化的衰退其實早於宋代開始。 [size=1em]讀: 或者這樣說,中國由器物層面出發,物質上的文明由宋代開始衰落,已經開始不再有工具書,慢慢降級到藝的層面。 [size=1em]趙: 其他文化的情況我不太了解,但很清楚的一點是由宋代開始,中國出現重文輕武的現象,這與之前都有很有差別, 因為儒家傳統中講求文武兼備、六藝。 [size=1em]其實,一直到明清時期,都能體現到這種中國傳統文化的精神,戚繼光、俞大猷等抗倭將軍本身都是文武兼備的,甚至王陽明、王守仁等是可以帶兵的,所以你可以看到明清之際這傳統仍然存在,有些文人受到王陽明的儒學思想影響,我甚至認為,這很接近孔子本身的傳統儒學精神。但遺憾的是,它並未能在國家層面得到重視,立為國學,反而一直被壓在朱熹的理學之下。諷刺的是,日本明治維新的主要推動力量正正就來源於王守仁。 [size=1em]  [size=1em]讀: 其實日本自大化革新,派出遣唐使,學生、僧人等到中國後將古典中國文化的傳統帶回日本,反而能將它保存好, 以茶道為例,那套對美學追求依然停留在古典中國年代, 而且對維持傳統的意識也較強。其實她在明治維新時也曾全面西化,也要求武士剃頭剪髮、不准佩劍上街,最後就如電影《最後武士》一樣,武士要維護他們的傳統而起來造反,所以日本也有過類似的掙扎! [size=1em]趙: 因為她始終是島嶼文化,當然她有過掙扎,但時間較短。我最近在看一本書,是關於日本的武士和武士道精神,當中提出了一個很好的觀點︰ [size=1em]日本從有「日本」這概念開始,一直到近代、現代,武士道、武士道的核心價值等其實不斷在變,我們今天所言的武士道精神「犧牲」也是很近代的,甚至是明治維新以後才出現這種比較極端的武士道精神,這過程中唯一不變的是天皇主義、神道思想,雖然有過不同將軍統治,天皇依然是高高在上的,但中國的天子則不然,改朝換代後,你把天子殺掉也沒有所謂,所以中國人與日本人看待神聖這回事是很不同的。 [size=1em]讀:由明入清這期間的殺戮,對漢族文化的影響很大。 [size=1em]趙:或是或非,因為從武術的角度而言,清代是中國傳統武術一個很重要的時期,一個匯編的時期,在此之前,有很多內容是很雜的,不少統一化都是在清代完成,以弓箭為例,就是在清代統一的。 [size=1em]讀:是因為清代的考試制度? [size=1em]趙:對!中國傳統的摔跤都是透過清代的相撲而定型,這個則是因為其皇家摔跤制度,與考試無關。因為清本身是個尚武的民族,所以從官方層面而言,清代的武術發展甚至比明代還要好,但明代也很特別,因為有一班民間學者和軍旅中的將軍,他們都是文武兼備,軍事方面有戚繼光、俞大猷,民間的有吳殳、程沖斗,他們做了不少武術匯編的出版,是我們今天最精煉的武術著作,所以明代的發展不在官方,但民間的力量對武術貢獻很大。 [size=1em]讀:這是因為明代皇權弱,特別是抗倭時期都是靠地方軍隊,所以他們是因應實際需要而發展的,但你會覺得清代保留了尚武精神在旗人的圈子內嗎? [size=1em]趙:其實由乾隆開始,他一直要求滿人要保留滿語、騎射文化,已經看得出他有危機感,由於我對少數民族有研究,知道乾隆覺得旗人中最標榜的是索倫人,他們不是滿人,但算是旗兵,也就是我們今天所說的鄂溫克人。 [size=1em]清兵當年攻打新疆時,在一些很重要的戰役中,是要等待這些索倫兵,哪怕他們只有幾百人,可見其厲害。 [size=1em]讀:說回武術。你剛剛說傳承時要先找到核心價值,那你從武學中看見中國文化實際要傳承的核心價值是甚麼? [size=1em]趙:我覺得有兩件事。其一是務實主義,今天的香港或大陸,很多人都是務虛,可以把話說得很動聽但經不起事實考驗,中國武術一個很大的弊病就是這樣,口中在說怎樣發功、發力,但卻不會願意落場試,這種失真的務虛文化並不是武術,因為真正的武術是要實踐; [size=1em]第二就是通過實踐去鍛煉出堅毅、勇果的精神,這也是我想將古代儒家文化中仁、勇的關係重現,兩者不能脫離,但今天中國已經不是這樣,孔子對此看得很透徹︰「仁者必有勇,勇者不必有仁」。 [size=1em]讀:那另一難處會否是,文武合一、仁勇合一的理念只存在於貴族階層,而當農民政權建立後,貴族階層消失,這理念也隨之破落? [size=1em]趙:我覺得不止貴族,更嚴重的是沒有了士人,但這是一個社會基礎來的。 [size=1em]讀:而你剛剛所說的,將武術提升成為理論體系這件事,其實是要由士人來做的,因為他們既有理論又有實踐,但士人的氣質已經因為科舉而完全改變,讀書為做官、讀書也只讀與考試有關的書。所以我覺得中國文化在現代化的過程中,我們其實是在承受幾百年來衰落的結果,也因為這樣,復興的難度很大。 [size=1em]趙:所以復興時必須是選擇性的,我們得清楚需要保留甚麼、放棄甚麼,傳統武術如是,是否所有冠上傳統名號的都要保留呢?我覺得不是。 [size=1em]讀:具體說,真正要保留、傳承,並要將它推廣的是甚麼? [size=1em]趙:其實從教育、教化的角度而言,武術能灌輸給人的精神才是最重要,我覺得現時很多練武的方法都比不上那套精神。具體而言,我舉個例,不是單指某一門派,而是極端化的情況,在今天的體制之下,練得好的話不會有人變得好勇鬥狠,但練得不好就會變成自我吹捧、浮誇,完全脫離實踐,但我覺得如果我們可以將武術與儒家思想有更好的結合,練得愈好,人的品格愈高,亦不會濫用武。其實就是我剛剛所說的仁與勇的關係,兩者不可割裂。 [size=1em]讀:那麼你覺得由傳媒推廣抑或由教育體系入手會較快捷? [size=1em]趙:應該兩者兼行。 [size=1em]讀:但以香港學生學鋼琴為例,考獲八級或以上證書的人不少,但卻很少是喜歡音樂,所以這種中產社會的功利心態會否造成文化傳承的障礙? [size=1em]趙:剛開始時不可以考慮這些,而應該在乎數量,讓大家能有機會接觸,而每個人對這事的興趣、悟性不同,可能教一百個人,九十九個都沒有興趣,但只要有一個人有,就已經足夠,不過現在的情況是,他們連接觸的機會都沒有。 [size=1em]讀:中產家長會覺得武術易令孩子受傷,加上又不會有助於報讀學校,這種功利的心態令他們為子女挑選課外活動時,其實是以利益出發,而不是興趣。 [size=1em]趙:我不是想批評任何一個人,但香港一窩蜂的風氣較多,會以自己眼光判斷喜好、對錯的人較少,然而,只要我們試行一次,可能大家都會受落,然後會一窩蜂的參與,你不能排除這可能呀!而且年輕一代考慮這問題時,着眼的地方是它是否夠「型」,所以傳統武術在這方面仍有很大的改進空間,特別從流行文化的角度而言,功夫電影、武俠小說、漫畫等都很普及,大家都在文化上接受這回事,但流行文化中的形象跟功夫群體的現況卻有很大落差,也就是說,我們有很大的空間,去將這件事變「型」。 [size=1em]原刊於《讀書好》 我讀古龍 Powered by Discuz! X2.5 首頁|標準版|精簡版|電腦版

Monday, 10 November 2014

還剩下呼吸

還剩下呼吸
陶傑
/壹週刊 坐看雲起時 2014-11-07/
香港佔中運動,方擺過滿月酒,當初充滿憤怒和悲情的抗爭,竟然增添了一點喜氣洋洋的氣氛。

佔中有如出海游泳,無論游的是自由式、蛙式、背泳,游到過了浮台,橫過了紅波仔的界線,太陽下山的時候,總要回到沙灘沖身換衣服。香港佔中運動在世界上造成巨大效應,為香港形象煥然一新的改革,加上全民意識的覺醒,都令人刮目相看。

佔中之前,香港的年輕人是低頭手機遊戲族,看的是八卦週刊,玩的是動漫和網絡交友,只對明星和新宿的飲食有興趣,對人生並無遠大理想。原來錯了。香港下一代雖然有時沉迷於享樂,也多疏於歷史,但人性中對於自由和善美的追求,那一顆心像火山一樣,岩漿埋在心底,總有爆發的一日。

佔中運動不可能令中方接納公民提名,人大決定也不會更改。佔中運動沒有成功,可能也不會成功,但不成功卻勝利了。「成功」( Success)與勝利( Triumph),看上去像同義詞,卻是不一樣的觀念。佔中一個月,達不到令人大收回或更改決定的目標( Goal),但實現了民主散花深入民心的遠大宗旨( Objective)。

在國際政治學上, Goal和 Objective是兩個不同的概念。 Goal是出門上車,指定去到某一站。 Objective是出門旅行,到哪一站不重要,最重要是呼吸了新鮮空氣,在外面走了一趟,心曠神怡,開了眼界回來。
佔中雖不成功,但勝利了。因為國際媒體對香港發出了罕見的敬意。西方輿論和民間,對香港下一代打破了成見。過去二十年,我在外國生活,與外國朋友講起中國和香港。因為受到天安門事件影響,西方的政客、記者、作家,對於天安門的一代中國年輕人,有無限浪漫的偏愛。但對於香港人,西方民間總認定是殖民地,人權意識的尊嚴地位,反而比中國大陸低一級,一向予以蔑視。

譬如華語電影。西方的影評人推崇陳凱歌和早期的張藝謀。西方知識分子只承認中國大陸才有文藝,而香港只懂得打打殺殺的拳腳功夫。西方人提起香港,只記得一個孔武有力的李小龍。他們認為香港是殖民地,香港人思想是萎靡的,口腔是發達的,四肢玩起功夫時是靈巧的,但大腦是低層次的。換言之也比動物求生的本能是略高半級的。

但香港的佔中運動,以在「時代週刊」的封面為首,突然顯示西方對香港的支持。西方社會認為:香港的下一代擁有了以昂山素姬和她的追隨者同等的尊嚴形象。

有此「成就」,當然也與特區政府有關。中方已經明令解決佔中問題,是梁特府的分內事。但佔中拖得愈久,意外贏得的花紅竟然是梁特府不斷的出洋相和語無倫次。不錯,梁振英個人可能是因為佔中,某些激進人士要他下台,反而得到中方為保面子的全力支持,但特區政府的公務員,以及警方形象,公信力掃地,未來兩年多,正如自由黨田北俊準確形容:香港陷於無法管治。

梁特首可以一路撐到任滿。但二○一六年,由於梁班子拒絕為立法會普選上一台階,到時功能組別一半議席頑固保留,親中保皇陣營如民建聯和工聯會,這許多年累積選票本錢的幾位大哥大姐和他們的愛徒,還如何能在街頭拉票?梁振英個人得利,卻等同二○一六年親中政黨,可能在選票的前線崩盤。泛民正好也要多謝梁振英,屆時可以凝聚民憤,保住本來瀕臨崩潰的票倉。

香港進入後佔中時代,與以前不一樣了。正如還沒有發明手機的時候,用固網電話手撥鍵盤,與今日 iPhone 6,全球一指接通。正如從黃包車到法拉利一樣的飛躍。香港絕處逢生,反佔中而住在羅便臣道家中有兩個小女孩學鋼琴而又準備送去英國寄宿學校的所謂中產階級,可以不理,跑不掉的基層下一代,似乎還清醒,香港還沒有死。至少心臟停了,大腦還沒有死亡。香港,你要繼續呼吸下去。

Saturday, 8 November 2014

100 Greatest Jazz Albums

吴冠中:我把四季用来等你【画美的令人窒息】 2014-11-04 吴冠中 微水墨 【 春 】 细雨如织,细数回忆的时间,似乎也变得很长很长,如同从未断线的雨丝,无止无休。 在冬天之末,春天之始,手捧一片新绿,眼前的黑瓦白墙,也似乎生动了几分。 太湖石上写不尽的春光,却隐在墙角之下。只是不知,你会不会走过这道门? 草长莺飞的季节,如果春天欢喜,这一片姹紫嫣红会有多么美丽? 通幽的小径中,你寻到了什么样的风光?其实,门前的树也开满了花。 小亭的一角,绿树红花点燃了整个院子,却只有鱼儿噙香而醉。 我眺望的街头,你的身影会不会突然出现? 【 夏 】 夏天来了,这个多雨的季节。纷杂而至的记忆,似乎也带着潮湿的味道。 人来人往的街道中,是谁的雨伞甩出了朵朵莲花? 我追寻的影子,眨眼间便隐于一片渺茫的水汽中。是谁扔下的石子,溅起了水花? 青石小路上,风干了淋漓的小雨,也风干了潮湿的回忆。 热闹的拱桥上,却没有任何多余的故事。 莲叶张开了手掌,鱼儿们欢快的穿梭其中,忙着捉迷藏。 【 秋 】 我在黄叶上写上你的名字,然后一片片埋进土里,装进记忆。 野渡无人舟自横,小小的岸边,小舟带着陈年的记忆,静静的等待。 小舟从此逝,沧海度余生。我曾以为,渺茫的烟波会是最好的归宿。 海市蜃楼般的风光,明知是虚幻,却为何念念不忘? 窗前的故事,稀稀落落的掉进了水里。红色窗扉依旧,只是再也没有了听故事的人。 岸边的黄叶,请告诉秋天,我的思念。 停车坐爱枫林晚,霜叶红于二月花。原来秋天,可以比春天更热闹。 【 冬 】 下雪了,我们曾相约一起看雪,最后却都食言了。 落雪了,纷纷的白色花朵,是冬天的礼物么? 树上挂满了白色的花朵,这样的冬天,好像会魔法。 银装素裹的世界里,只有这袅袅而起的炊烟,带着生命一些活力。 从入冬开始,我就期盼一场漫天大雪。湮灭过去,也湮灭回忆。 微水墨”艺术公众号打造10万人阅读量,和全国5000家画廊建立联系,与多位知名书画家树立合作关系。如果你喜欢书画,就不要错过这个账号。添加微信公众号:weishuimo2014(<<长按复制) 如果你有好的内容,或优秀的艺术家推荐,请把资料发到我们邮箱:weishuimo@qq.com。 为了更好地艺术交流,请添加我们私人号18664841231 推广 微水墨合作画廊:广东红棉画廊 网址:http://www.gdhmhl.com 点击“阅读原文”进入 Read moreReport
http://wk.baidu.com/view/1e43e6264b35eefdc8d33390?pcf=2

Friday, 7 November 2014

旺角「密宗上師」祭關帝?──漢藏佛教的關帝信仰 第345期明覺 文:侯松蔚 2014-11-05 Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on sinaweibo Share on email Share on google 旺角佔領人士供奉的關帝聖像(圖:Kally Kwan) 旺角佔領現場臨時架設的「關帝廟」(圖:Kally Kwan) 佛、道、民間都敬關帝 佔領中環、佔領旺角是近期香港的全城焦點,大家也知道佔領人士在旺角架設了關帝的神龕。2014年10月27日,《蘋果日報》一篇名為〈關二哥出巡 鎮惡佑民〉的新聞中, 1報導「旺角集會留守者於今晚六時,請來一位法號羅卓森定的密宗上師作法,然後請關帝出巡……」然而,從照片可見,那位所謂「密宗上師」的服飾,只是藏傳佛教的居士戒衣,並非真正上師。 姑勿論那位居士為何要在旺角關帝像前修法,關帝信仰的確並存於佛教、道教、民間信仰這三個不同的界別中,而且佛教內漢、藏兩大傳承都崇拜關帝。既然關帝是漢地三國名將關羽,源於印度的佛教為何會敬奉他呢? 隋代高僧感化關帝 宋‧釋志磐《佛祖統紀》載,天台宗鼻祖智者大師(538─597)有意於荊州玉泉山建寺,但當地有深廣大潭,平地狹隘,令他頗為猶豫。大師於一株巨木下禪定,忽然天昏地暗,風雨怒號,百鬼來襲,巨蟒張口,但大師不為所動,反而心生悲憫道:「你做的都是招感生死之業,為何貪著現在僅餘的福報而不懇切懺悔?」 大師說完後,異象頓然消失,雲開月明,兩個像王者般威武的人在前面出現,年長的留著一綹豐厚的長鬚,年少的則清秀俊美。前者向大師表明,他就是關羽,生前壯志未酬,然以其貞烈,死後受生為此山之王。他得知大師欲於山中建寺後,即承諾與兒子關平襄助。 七天後,大師出定,發現大潭已被填為平地,並已建成瑰麗殿宇。大師領眾入居,日夜說法。某天關羽再次出現,說:「弟子今日獲聞出世間法,願洗心易念,求受戒品,永為菩提之本。」大師遂為他授予五戒。 關羽受戒即成為佛弟子,從此他就被漢傳佛教視作護法神,尊稱為「伽藍菩薩」或「伽藍尊者」。「伽藍」乃梵語音譯,意譯「寺院」、「僧園」。《七佛八菩薩大陀羅尼神咒經》載有十八位伽藍神,大抵關帝信仰在漢地太深入民心,他遂變成漢地最主要的伽藍護法。 關帝與大寶法王 漢族英雄變成漢地的大護法,不足為奇,但何以藏族也供奉關帝呢? 十五世紀初,噶瑪噶舉派領袖──第五世大寶法王德新謝巴(Karmapa Dezhin Shegpa,1384─1415)被明成祖迎請至南京駐錫三年, 2其後法王把關帝信仰帶回其本寺──楚布寺,該派自此出現關帝的儀軌,並稱他爲「噶瑪漢神」(Karma Gyanag。Karma是該派的名稱,Gyanag則是漢地或漢族)。 格魯派大師遇上關帝 格魯派第五世班禪善慧智(Penchen Lama Lozang Yeshe,1663-1737)在其著作中提及,曾獲得一位紅臉者的協助,後者更發願擔任護法神。 後來,章嘉國師‧遊戲金剛(Cangkya Khutukhtu Rolpe Dorje,1717—1786)途經四川襄陵山,夢見一名紅色大漢邀請他到山頂的華麗房舍,並以多種食物招待。紅色大漢說:「從此地以下的漢地都屬於我管轄,給我布施食物者在西藏也有不少,特別是後藏的老年高僧一再供給我飲食。從今天起,我做你的保護者,明日你在途中將遇小難,我可排除。」翌日,章嘉國師的侍者被森林裡的猴子拋擲石頭打傷。除此以外,一路平安。 在北京期間,章嘉國師患上痛風,修法無效,連乾隆皇帝派來的名醫也束手無策。當時一位大德用圓光術找出病因,看見國師身邊擁聚了很多巨型蜘蛛,這時一名威風凜凜的紅臉大漢手持寶劍,將那些蜘蛛趕走。當晚,章嘉國師夢見一個紅臉人對他說:「傷害您身體的那些小鬼已被我驅逐。」「你居住何處?」「我住在皇宮前面大門外右方。」次日,國師叫侍者前去察看,發現被稱為前門的城門外,正正有一座關帝廟。3 以上故事出自《章嘉國師若比多吉傳》,作者土觀‧善慧法日(Thu'u Kwan Lozang Choekyi Nyima,1737—1802)認為上述的紅臉者、紅色大漢,就是關帝;而一再供給他飲食的「後藏老年高僧」,即班禪大師。 土觀又撰《三界伏魔大帝關雲長歷史及祈供法‧激勵事業雨流之雷聲》,從名號推斷關帝即藏傳佛教本有的護法「舅臣伏魔金剛」,這護法也是班禪大師一直供奉的;又謂關帝即大紅司命主或尊贊護法神,因為後兩者都是紅色身,傳說也是來自漢地。 鬼神、護法與佛教 一般人心目中,善人死後可能成為神,而神仙是長生不死的。不過,正統佛教認為「神」只是六道中的天道眾生,即使天界的壽命很長,但終須一死,死後仍須繼續輪迴。何況,某些民間所謂的「神」,連天人也不是──死後被人供奉的、請神降靈下來的,多數只是鬼道或阿修羅道的眾生。 這些鬼神由於前生福報或靈性修持所感,擁有一點小神通,可以滿足人們短暫的世間需求,卻無法幫助我們解脫,因為他們自己也身陷輪迴之中;而且鬼神仍充滿貪、瞋、痴、妒、慢等煩惱,今天對其禮拜獻供而獲得幫助,明天不慎惹毛了他們便會遭到報復……總之,世間鬼神不堪作為究竟的依靠。 唯有佛法僧三寶,斷盡煩惱,具足功德,解脫輪迴;以無量慈悲、智慧、方便善巧,引導眾生同登彼岸,故佛教徒只會皈依三寶。《大般涅槃經》有言:「皈依於佛者,是真優婆塞,終不更皈依,其餘諸天神。」 眾生平等,佛教不許皈依鬼神,只是教人不要怪力亂神,並非拒絕度化天道和鬼道。佛經記載許多鬼神,都信受佛法,並發願守護聖教,此即佛教供奉護法的原因。護法又分為佛菩薩示現的「出世間護法」(智慧護法)、鬼神眾生的「世間護法」,前者仍是可皈依的對象,後者則只可視為較有勢力的善友,向他請求協助無妨,但不可全心依止,否則即違犯皈依戒。 漢藏佛教多視關帝為世間護法,雖然也有藏傳高僧指關帝乃古佛或菩薩示現,但一般仍以世間護法禮儀來恭敬他比較穩妥。第十七世大寶法王烏金欽列多傑(Ogyen Thrinle Dorje)《神州鐘鳴‧伽藍尊者之事蹟及其供奉儀軌》寫道: 「皈依三寶的佛弟子來說,也承認此護法,並准許為了利益眾生而施行供奉,但要知道的是,光是供奉不能解脫。另外,對於彼神果位尚未觀察之前,馬馬虎虎的皈依是不可以的,而真正的皈依處是尊聖三寶,其中能予真救護的是法寶。佛陀也不能製造我人的解脫,因此釋尊說:『自己是自己的救護,他人不能救助』。『人』不能給予究竟的快樂,只有『法』才能幫助出離輪迴。」 1 http://hk.apple.appledaily.com/realtime/breaking/20141027/53066619 2 〈第五至第八世大寶法王的奇聞〉http://mingkok.buddhistdoor.com/cht/news/d/41622 3事後章嘉國師說,據講唸誦十萬遍咒語便能解脫一切病魔,他唸了千萬遍仍不見效,並非本尊不佑助,而是他沒有菩提心和空性見來達致這種果效。土觀大師指「這無疑是對我們這些欲得非分之福的妄想者敲響的警鐘」,很值得密宗行者反思。