恶人谷

话说我日前去开神经大会-----本次开会手忙脚乱，星期五上火车，星期二还在做实验，最后的开会帖子做到星期四晚上九点多，到家十点多，基本上打包行李花了半个小时不到，居然只忘了带梳子，自拍肩膀一 ----- 言归正传，神经大会。
本次大会首次开始一个叫做科学与社会对话系列讲座，第一讲就请了著名的美国人眼里东方智慧的化身：达赖喇嘛。我老好奇心无比旺盛，坚决要去看活的达赖，于是排了一个半小时的长队，占据了一个比较靠前的位置，距离讲台大约50米多，占了位置还有快一个小时演讲才开始，苦苦等待中看前后左右的神经科学家们，大家们好像都没有在讲英文，十分奇怪。坐的不耐烦站起来看风景，只见老大一个大厅，能装3万人，我老目光所及都坐满了。想起来刚刚溜出来的那个讲座演讲人说：我知道我的竞争对手乃是达赖，所以努力准备云云。正跟那儿感慨，突然看见一群喇嘛进来了，着金红两色袈裟，十分鲜亮。我以为达赖快出来了，于是坐下，然后过了半小时，继续东张西望，突然感觉厅里骚动，有人悄声说：他来了，他来了！只见又有喇嘛过来，这次这个喇嘛没有消失在前排人群中，而是上了讲台。鼓掌声响起来，前排有人站起来挡住我老人家视线，我老赶紧也站起来，踮着脚尖看活的达赖。活的达赖跟书上印的照片差不多一个样子，上了讲台，他右手掌向几个方向切了几下招呼听众，同时点头弯腰微笑，那么两秒钟还是挺有感觉的。接下来演讲开始，开场白是藏文。这是我第一次听藏文，觉得这种语言真是高原的产物，声音从肚子里出来，非常有权威感----当然这也可能是达赖他经常用权威的语气说话的原因。同时上台的还有一个白发但是长相年轻的翻译，应该是藏人，对达赖毕恭毕敬，随时准备听他命令的样子。开场白过后，达赖开始用英文演讲，于是他说他小时候特喜欢天文学，稍微大一点开始喜欢工程机械，后来又开始对生物学感兴趣，最后终于说道他现在又对神经科学产生了由衷兴趣。我很迷惑，不知道他这一大套跟神经大会有什么关系 ------- 本来以为他会讲和尚打坐训练思想呢。后来智慧的化身总结到：要有一个开放的思想。我老人家恍然大悟，原来他老人人家的逻辑是：虽然他是智慧化身，不需要关心科学进展，但是他还是关心科学进展的。他继续说道：我教导说如果我们的传统教导跟现代科学不符合的话，我们还是要研究一下证据，如果证据支持现代科学，那么我们还是要改写我们的传统教导的。听到这里我开始感觉达赖他老人家统共不了解他的听众，也就他是达赖，说哈都有人听。到这里我开始走神，心里突然对他老人家的肢体预言有了大不敬的联想；东张西望时发现我的左邻居然在打盹儿！
终于讲完了，开始提问题，一个问题是他如何看动物研究，他说：只要是为了全人类的利益，不是无谓的牺牲，牺牲的时候要对动物保持敬意和同情，就可以。我老人家心说：但凡亲手做动物实验的都这样吧，还需要智慧化身教导？接下来有若干无聊问题。后来终于有一个有关时政的问题递了上来：你认为美国公立学校应不应该教“智力设计”----就是上帝造人创世纪的最新正确说法。达赖说：“美国公立学校应该怎么办？” 一摊双手，双臂一挥，“我不知道，我不知道！”我感慨说他还真是滑溜，再来感慨混口饭吃真不容易，谁都不能得罪。走出会场时一路思考这一下午究竟是浪费还是不是浪费，最后觉得好歹是看见活的了，就算不浪费吧。
当然达赖演讲吸引了无数神经科学家们，接下来在各个场合听到对这个演讲的讨论，我于是有兴听到如下高论：他浑身散发着和平安详的气息。当被问及对美国学校“智力设计”的争论，他说我不知道，我不知道。但是他说那个话的时候，其实在暗示：你们有这个问题，你们需要自己解决它，我什么话都不说，你们得自己想出来一个解决方法。他是多么的有智慧啊！
我被这番高论震的目瞪口呆之余，感叹道：beauty is in the eyes of the beholder； wisdom is in the head of the intepreter。

小白回来啦。

回来了。

写得真好看

到这里我开始走神，心里突然对他老人家的肢体预言有了大不敬的联想

我对这个联想很感兴趣哎

说得不都是废话嘛。 达赖出场费是多少啊？ 我好奇是不是比Paris Hilton高。

啊，白金你也来了，这次神经大会好多人啊，我有两个朋友来了住我家住了一晚上，然后第二天去开会，我跟另一个朋友去chinatown吃饭，无数人都在排队，都是开会的人，估计dc的chinatown就没这么热闹过~~~~~~~

[quote]2. Our Faith in Science (NYT)

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By TENZIN GYATSO (His Holiness the Dalai Lama)
The New York Times
November 12, 2005

Washington

SCIENCE has always fascinated me. As a child in Tibet, I was keenly curious about how things
worked. When I got a toy I would play with it a bit, then take it apart to see how it was put
together. As I became older, I applied the same scrutiny to a movie projector and an antique
automobile.

At one point I became particularly intrigued by an old telescope, with which I would study the
heavens. One night while looking at the moon I realized that there were shadows on its surface. I
corralled my two main tutors to show them, because this was contrary to the ancient version of
cosmology I had been taught, which held that the moon was a heavenly body that emitted its own
light.

But through my telescope the moon was clearly just a barren rock, pocked with craters. If the
author of that fourth-century treatise were writing today, I'm sure he would write the chapter on
cosmology differently.

If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will have to change. In my view,
science and Buddhism share a search for the truth and for understanding reality. By learning from
science about aspects of reality where its understanding may be more advanced, I believe that
Buddhism enriches its own worldview.

For many years now, on my own and through the Mind and Life Institute, which I helped found, I
have had the opportunity to meet with scientists to discuss their work. World-class scientists
have generously coached me in subatomic physics, cosmology, psychology, biology.

It is our discussions of neuroscience, however, that have proved particularly important. From
these exchanges a vigorous research initiative has emerged, a collaboration between monks and
neuroscientists, to explore how meditation might alter brain function.

The goal here is not to prove Buddhism right or wrong - or even to bring people to Buddhism - but
rather to take these methods out of the traditional context, study their potential benefits, and
share the findings with anyone who might find them helpful.

After all, if practices from my own tradition can be brought together with scientific methods,
then we may be able to take another small step toward alleviating human suffering.

Already this collaboration has borne fruit. Dr. Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist at the
University of Wisconsin, has published results from brain imaging studies of lamas meditating. He
found that during meditation the regions of the brain thought to be related to happiness increase
in activity. He also found that the longer a person has been a meditator, the greater the activity
increase will be.

Other studies are under way. At Princeton University, Dr. Jonathan Cohen, a neuroscientist, is
studying the effects of meditation on attention. At the University of California Medical School at
San Francisco, Dr. Margaret Kemeny has been studying how meditation helps develop empathy in
school teachers.

Whatever the results of this work, I am encouraged that it is taking place. You see, many people
still consider science and religion to be in opposition. While I agree that certain religious
concepts conflict with scientific facts and principles, I also feel that people from both worlds
can have an intelligent discussion, one that has the power ultimately to generate a deeper
understanding of challenges we face together in our interconnected world.

One of my first teachers of science was the German physicist Carl von Weizs

咦，礼拜天跟个我认识的老太太吃中饭，她也去开了这个会，她也去听了达赖喇嘛，然后她很失望，说没什么insight. 但是第二天在纽约时报上读到达赖的文章，跟他的演讲差别很大，估计是翻译写的。

喇嘛教，藏传佛教，其实满原始的。最近给一兄弟启蒙了些人肉大饼的事情，启蒙后干就是怎么他就成智慧化身了。