An Interview with Professor Wang Zhicheng
辨喜在中国
——访浙江大学王志成教授
ALAN HUNTER （艾伦•亨特）
Alan Hunter currently works at the Centre for the Study of Forgiveness and Reconciliation at Coventry University, U.K. He was formely Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at Leeds University. He has contributed articles to The Vedanta Kesari on the Culture and Civilization of Various nations. In 2000, Alan and his wife Joy opened a centre known as Sarada Vedanta Centre'' in Coventry, UK.
艾伦•亨特目前在英国考文垂大学“仁和研究中心”工作，他原先是利兹大学“中国研究”的高级讲师。在不同的国家，他写了许多关于Kesari吠檀多文化的文章。在2000年，艾伦和他的妻子乔伊在英国考文垂大学向公众开放了一个叫做“ Sarada吠檀多”的中心。
One of the outstanding scholars and translators of contemporary China, Professor Wang Zhicheng of Zhejiang University, agreed to undertake the translation and to find a publisher. Readers of Vedanta Kesari might be interested to know why Professor Wang undertook this great task, and so I interviewed him as follows:
王志成是浙江大学的教授，是当今中国优秀的学者和翻译家之一，他同意吠檀多方面文章的翻译工作，并寻找合适的出版社。Kesari吠檀多的爱好者们也许会有兴趣知道，为什么王教授愿意接受这个艰巨的任务，于是，我对他进行了采访，如下：
Question: When did you come into contact with Indian philosophy?
Answer: In the early 1990s, I read the Bhagavad Gita and some works by Shankara, some were available in Chinese but most in English. I enjoyed Shankara''s philosophy, but I found the Gita especially spiritual and philosophical. And what surprised me was that at that time I was having certain difficulties in my personal life, and I found that I could solve them by studying the Gita! So I had the personal experience that it was a kind of guide in life, not just an abstract philosophical book.
问：你是什么时候接触印度哲学的？
答：在上个世纪90年代早期，我在阅读《薄迦梵歌》和商羯罗的著作的时候就开始了，那时候这方面的中文书籍不是很多，大多数是英文著作。我被商羯罗的哲学所吸引，而对《薄迦梵歌》中所传达的精神哲学更加着迷。当时，也正值我的个人生活遭遇了某种困境，我惊奇地发现，通过对《薄迦梵歌》的研习，却可以解决它。所以，就我的个人经验而言，它首先是我个人生命的某种指南，而绝非仅仅限于一种晦涩的哲学书籍。
Question: Have you had any spiritual experiences? Or is it mainly an interesting theory for you? Or professional interest?
Answer: I would say that I have not been ''successful'' in any religious study, not in the way that some monks, for example, seem to be successful. But what I do is read the scriptures carefully, try to understand them and perhaps, just a little, go beyond the words into a deeper level of meaning. But I do not accept any scriptures really literally, nor will I let my judgment be overwhelmed. I want to remain a free thinker. Incidentally, I don''t see why this kind of deep thinking should be any kind of contradiction to socialism. We can still retain our belief in justice and other values.
问：你是否有过一些灵性的体验，或者大部分是出于一种理论兴趣？也或者，仅仅是出于一种专业需要？
答：我得说，我从来不会轻易地把宗教性研修中的“成功”——比如，以僧人们的方式来修行——就视之为成功。我所要做的就是小心翼翼地阅读经典，尝试着去超越语言的表层去理解——甚至只要有一点点可能——它们的深层次义蕴。我既不会照字面上去理解和接受经典，也不会让自己的判断凌驾于它。我情愿自己保持着自由思想者的身份。顺便提一句，我不明白为什么这么一种深刻的思想，会被认为与社会主义矛盾，其实，我们仍旧可以保留自己对正义或其他种种价值观的信念啊！
Question: What did you think when I asked you if you would translate Vivekananda?
Answer: Actually I was quite nervous because I was already too busy! But when I started to read Vivekananda, I found: what an amazing book! It is an easy, clear statement of profound philosophy. He expresses himself directly and truthfully. Yoga and meditation are rather abstruse, difficult topics with thousands of different explanations and mystical ideas. I find that Vivekananda just cuts through all the confusion, and explains things in an honest way that most people could understand. So the first thing is clarity, and I find the second thing is energy. He writes with a lot of energy, and one can feel it when one reads also.
问：在我询问你是否愿意翻译辨喜（Vivekananda）著作的时候，你当时是怎么想的？
答：事实上，当时我心里也十分忐忑，因为我已经太忙了！但是，当我一开始阅读辨喜（Vivekananda）的著作，我立刻知道这是一本神奇无比的书！他用的是一种流畅和明晰的语调来传达深奥的思想，他直接地、真诚地来言说着他自己。瑜伽和静心本是极为复杂深奥的主题，有着几千种不同的解释和神秘的概念，而他却用一种恳切的使得大多数人都能够明白的方式来解说。所以，从书中我发现的第一个特征就是清晰；第二个特征便是极富活力（生机勃勃？）——他带着弥漫的精力来书写，读者在阅读的时候也就自然会感觉到这一点。
Question: Is Vivekananda known at all in China?
Answer: Until now, barely known at all. But we do have an excellent Chinese name for Vivekananda; we follow the same model as when we translate Buddhist monks'' names. There is a Chinese Buddhist term ''Bian'' which means ''spiritual discrimination'' or ''Viveka''; and another term ''Xi'', which is a direct translation of ''ananda'' or bliss. And the word ''Fashi'' means monk or spiritual teacher. Put together, it becomes ''Bian Xi Fashi'', which is very convenient for Chinese people to remember and pronounce, of course they can also read a transliteration of the original name. We already have names in Chinese for the two Hindu gods Rama and Krishna, so we simply put them together with an honorific title to give ''Sri Ramakrishna''.
问：在中国，辨喜为人所知吗？
答：直至目前，几乎没人知道。但是我们用最好的汉字来传达他的名字，我们遵循着我们在翻译佛教的和尚法名时用的方式，在中国，佛教的概念“Bian”（辨），意味着“精神的洞察”，也即Viveka；而另外一个概念“Xi”（喜），则直接来自于“ananda”，或者“喜悦”，而“Fashi”这一概念，则意味着修士，或者说精神导师。综合一起，就成为：“Bian Xi Fashi”(辨喜法师)，这非常便于中国人去记忆和发音，当然，他们也能够阅读原来名字的音译。在中国，我们已经有两个印度神的名字：罗摩和克利希纳，所以我们可以直接把他们合为“Sri Ramakrishna”（室利•罗摩克利希纳）的名字，以示尊崇。
Question: In China, to those who practise yoga, is it well-known?
Answer: Yes, in a general sense, mind-body cultivation it is extremely popular. There are several strands to it. First, you know in Chinese tradition there is Buddhist meditation, which thousands of Chinese practise as part of their daily life, apart, of course, from the monks who practise intensively in the monasteries and mountains. Then, there are Chinese traditions like martial arts, health exercises, and breathing exercises. Many young people practise hatha-yoga for health. But it happens that when people start to practise slow breathing, or yoga postures, or meditation, sometimes their way of thinking starts to change also. Then they may continue their practice for other reasons, they start to read more about the philosophy and even change their way of life.
问：在中国，这些是否被那些修习瑜伽者们所知？
答：是的，一般来说，关于身心方面的修行特别盛行。有这么几种情况：第一，你知道中国有佛教的冥思传统，除了在寺庙和深山里的和尚们集中修行以外，大量的中国人也把这个作为他们日常修行的一部分；另外还有中国的传统武术、一些五禽戏健身法以及调息吐纳练习等，许多年青人修习瑜伽气功是为了健康的目的。但是有些时候，一旦人们开始进入慢呼吸训练，或者瑜伽体势，或者冥思状态，他们的思维方式也就有了变化，然后，他们也许就会为了别的原因继续修习，他们开始阅读更多的哲学著作，甚至从此改变了他们的生活方式。
Question: Who are the teachers?
Answer: Some people learn from books or videos or DVD, and there have been some good programmes on the television. Also, teachers have come from India, some Chinese have gone to India to learn yoga and come back to teach. For meditation, some people may go to monks to ask for advice.
问：谁是他们的老师呢？
答：有些人从书籍，或者录象，或者DVD学，也有许多好的节目在电视里面；有一些老师来自于印度，一些中国人去印度学习瑜伽，然后回来当老师的也有。对于冥思，有些人也可能会去寺庙里获得有益的建议。
Question: Does the Chinese government have any objection to these activities?
Answer: No, not at all as far as I know. Two reasons: one, we basically have religious freedom in China, unless somebody uses religion to stir up tensions or disorder. Second, the great majority of people don''t take these activities as religion anyway; they are more like a spiritual-mental practice, a way of thinking, or a way of keeping healthy and happy.
Apart from that, Chinese culture very much appreciates the ''cultivation of character'', which is basically a humanist idea although it can be applied within any religion. The idea is that from childhood on, one should train oneself to be honest, hardworking, kind to others, generous, tolerant and so on. We all admire people who can undertake this kind of character self-improvement.
问：那么，中国政府会反对这些行为吗？
答：不会，据我所知根本不会。有两个原因：首先，在中国，我们拥有宗教自由，除非一些人利用宗教去激发社会的不安和混乱；第二，不管如何，绝大多数人不会把这个当成宗教，它们更接近于心意训练，一种思维方式，或者，是一种保持健康和快乐的方式。
除此而外，中国文化非常讲究修身养性，这主要是基于一种人道主义理念，虽然它可以存在于任何一个宗教内部。这种理念从孩提时代就已经开始，一个人应该真诚、坚强、善待他人、慷慨大度、宽容忍让等等，我们所有人都崇敬那些能够在这方面提升自己品性的人！
Question: How do you think the Chinese feel about Indian spirituality and will they accept it in the future?
Answer: China has for thousands of years been a multi-cultural and multi-religious nation. I don''t think that will ever change. In China, people are free to be non-believers, or to be Confucianist, Buddhist, Taoist, Christian or whatever. So I think that the spirit of India will also find a place in China. But probably not many people will be interested in the Hindu formal religion and ceremonies as such.
问：你认为中国人对于印度精神文化的看法如何？在将来，他们会接受它吗？
答：中国是一个拥有几千年的多元文化和多元宗教的国家，我不认为这一点将会改变。在中国，人们可以自由选择信仰，可以成为儒家信徒，可以皈依佛教，道教，基督教，也可以成为无信仰者，或者其他什么宗教。所以，我认为印度精神也可以在中国找到它的地位。但很可能没有多少中国人会对印度的宗教形式和仪式发生兴趣。
Question: Have you heard about aspects of Vedanta like mantra and initiation?
Answer: I have heard about them, but mainly as a theory, and my understanding would have been influenced by the Gita and by Buddhist texts. On a simple, physical level, I think that chanting could make one''s mind settle down and become quieter. And then one could observe that one''s thinking is chaotic, and perhaps by observing more closely and making the chanting more subtle, one could adjust to a more clear level of consciousness. That is just how I understand it.
About initiation, we also have it within Chinese Buddhism, a kind of spiritual heritage from former great teachers, passed down through generations. I think some family members may just receive it as a kind of family tradition, but serious people do go for it to obtain a deeper understanding of spiritual life. I guess it may be similar to the Hindu culture.
问：你有没有听过一些说法，关于吠檀多的表面类似于颂歌，以及开始接受它的某种动机？
答：我听说过一些说法，但是大体上是作为一种理论存在。而我的理解已受《薄迦梵歌》和佛教经典的影响。在纯粹的物理层面，我想那些圣咏是能够让一个人的心灵变得放松、变得宁静的，这时，一个人就可以观照到他处在浑浊状态的思想，可能随着这种观照的愈加深入，而那些圣咏也变得更加微妙，这时，一个人就可以让他的意识显得愈加清澈。这就是我的理解。
至于说到启动源头，我仍然把它放在中国佛教面，佛教是由过去的一些伟大师父而来的精神传统，一个个世代传递着。我想，一些家庭把它接受下来仅仅是作为一种家族习惯；而另一些认真严肃的人是把它作为一种精神生命的深度理解来寻求它的。我猜想，这可能很接近于在印度文化中的情形了。
Question: What appeals to you about Vedantic philosophy?
Answer: I appreciate several aspects. One of my main interests is inter-religious co-operation, and I think Vedanta is very useful in this respect. It seems quite clear to me that as people experience--or try to experience--an Ultimate or a God, they are going to have many different experiences. Even if what they are searching is one and the same, their process of search is based in different languages, with different culture, different words, music, art, architecture, different theology and so on. It is inevitable that their spiritual experiences will be different. This has been recognized in China for thousands of years, and Vedanta acknowledges the same.
Now, today especially we live in a globalized world, and we have to live very closely together and try to co-operate with each other and respect each others'' beliefs. We need a high level of tolerance. So my idea is that when people of different faiths come together, yes by all means we should have a dialogue, we should exchange ideas, compare notes and discuss our different experiences. But we should never criticize any other persons'' beliefs or try to persuade them that ours are better.
There are so many conflicts between religions today, even between different sects within the same religion! We need a much more tolerant approach, and Chinese culture and Vedanta both provide models for that.
问：吠檀多哲学里面的什么东西在吸引着你？
答：有这么几个方面：我的主要兴趣之一是关于“宗教合作”，就这一点来考虑，我认为吠檀多是非常有效的。人们经验——或者要去经验——终极实在、或者神，他们将获得不同的体验，对我而言，这一点十分清楚。甚至他们正在寻找唯一者或相似者，他们的寻找过程也是基于不同的语言，携带不同的文化，不同的词汇、音乐、艺术、建筑，不同的神学等等。他们的精神体验也必将是不一样的。几千年来，这一点在中国一直被认为是理所当然的事，而印度的吠檀多也是这么确认。
现在，尤其是今天我们生活在一个全球化的世界，我们的生活不得不紧紧相依，也就应该彼此合作，尊重彼此的信仰，我们需要高度的宽容。所以我的想法是，当不同信仰的人们走到一起，我们必须想方设法建立起对话，我们应该交换思想，比较理念，讨论不同的经验，但是我们不应该批判任何他人的信仰，或者说服他人相信我们的信仰比他们的更好。
今日，在宗教之间——甚至在同一宗教的不同教派之间——有着那么多的冲突！我们需要更多的宽容和方法，而在这里，中国文化和吠檀多文化两者都能够提供典范。
Question: Finally can you tell us something about the publication of Vivekananda that you have just completed?
Answer: It is published by Zhejiang University Press in 2006. I think they have printed 5000 copies, and can print more if it sells out. About 320 pages long, it has three introductory chapters especially written by Alan Hunter [the interviewer], and some 200 pages of Swami Vivekananda''s texts, all translated into modern Chinese. It is printed on good quality paper, and has four photographs: two of Swami Vivekananda, and one each of Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi. The book sells for about 30 yuan in China (around US $ 3 in 2006) per copy, and people outside China could buy it for about $5 by mail order. One of the best things is that the President of the Ramakrishna Order, Revered Swami Gahananandaji, wrote an interesting preface especially for the publication, which we have also translated and included.
As mentioned above, many Chinese are interested in meditation, so in 2005 we also translated the Patanjali Yoga- sutras, with commentary by Swami Prabhava-nanda and Christopher Isherwood and an introduction by Alan Hunter. This appeared in a handy paperback format, the first edition of which was sold out within a month.
问：最后，你能否告诉我们，你们已经完成的关于辨喜作品的出版情况？
答：2006年在浙江大学出版社出版后，我想它们已经印刷了5000册，如果销售完毕，我们还要增印，大概320来页，还特别邀请了艾伦•亨特（即采访者）写的三章导论，还有200来页的辨喜原著，所有的文字都被翻译为现代汉语。它以上好的纸张来印刷，而且加了四张照片：两张是辨喜像，另外两张各是室利•罗摩克利希纳像和室利•莎拉达•兑维像。每本书的定价是30元左右人民币（相当于2006年的3英镑），海外人士可以花5英镑通过信函订购。其中一件最值得纪念的事情，就是“罗摩克利希纳传道会”的会长——尊敬的斯瓦米•加哈阿南达（Swami Gahanananda）特意为此写了一个饶有趣味的序言，这一序言也被我们译成中文并放在卷首。
正如前面已经提到的那样，许多中国人对冥思感兴趣，于是，在2005年我们也翻译了钵颠遮利（Patanjali）的《瑜伽经》，同时还附上斯瓦米•帕拉瓦南达（Swami Prabhava-nanda）和克里斯多夫•伊舍伍德的评注和艾伦•亨特的介绍，这本书以一种诱人的简便平装本的形式面世，而首版已经在一个月内就销售一空。
辨喜在中国
——访浙江大学王志成教授
ALAN HUNTER （艾伦•亨特）
Alan Hunter currently works at the Centre for the Study of Forgiveness and Reconciliation at Coventry University, U.K. He was formely Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at Leeds University. He has contributed articles to The Vedanta Kesari on the Culture and Civilization of Various nations. In 2000, Alan and his wife Joy opened a centre known as Sarada Vedanta Centre'' in Coventry, UK.
艾伦•亨特目前在英国考文垂大学“仁和研究中心”工作，他原先是利兹大学“中国研究”的高级讲师。在不同的国家，他写了许多关于Kesari吠檀多文化的文章。在2000年，艾伦和他的妻子乔伊在英国考文垂大学向公众开放了一个叫做“ Sarada吠檀多”的中心。
One of the outstanding scholars and translators of contemporary China, Professor Wang Zhicheng of Zhejiang University, agreed to undertake the translation and to find a publisher. Readers of Vedanta Kesari might be interested to know why Professor Wang undertook this great task, and so I interviewed him as follows:
王志成是浙江大学的教授，是当今中国优秀的学者和翻译家之一，他同意吠檀多方面文章的翻译工作，并寻找合适的出版社。Kesari吠檀多的爱好者们也许会有兴趣知道，为什么王教授愿意接受这个艰巨的任务，于是，我对他进行了采访，如下：
Question: When did you come into contact with Indian philosophy?
Answer: In the early 1990s, I read the Bhagavad Gita and some works by Shankara, some were available in Chinese but most in English. I enjoyed Shankara''s philosophy, but I found the Gita especially spiritual and philosophical. And what surprised me was that at that time I was having certain difficulties in my personal life, and I found that I could solve them by studying the Gita! So I had the personal experience that it was a kind of guide in life, not just an abstract philosophical book.
问：你是什么时候接触印度哲学的？
答：在上个世纪90年代早期，我在阅读《薄迦梵歌》和商羯罗的著作的时候就开始了，那时候这方面的中文书籍不是很多，大多数是英文著作。我被商羯罗的哲学所吸引，而对《薄迦梵歌》中所传达的精神哲学更加着迷。当时，也正值我的个人生活遭遇了某种困境，我惊奇地发现，通过对《薄迦梵歌》的研习，却可以解决它。所以，就我的个人经验而言，它首先是我个人生命的某种指南，而绝非仅仅限于一种晦涩的哲学书籍。
Question: Have you had any spiritual experiences? Or is it mainly an interesting theory for you? Or professional interest?
Answer: I would say that I have not been ''successful'' in any religious study, not in the way that some monks, for example, seem to be successful. But what I do is read the scriptures carefully, try to understand them and perhaps, just a little, go beyond the words into a deeper level of meaning. But I do not accept any scriptures really literally, nor will I let my judgment be overwhelmed. I want to remain a free thinker. Incidentally, I don''t see why this kind of deep thinking should be any kind of contradiction to socialism. We can still retain our belief in justice and other values.
问：你是否有过一些灵性的体验，或者大部分是出于一种理论兴趣？也或者，仅仅是出于一种专业需要？
答：我得说，我从来不会轻易地把宗教性研修中的“成功”——比如，以僧人们的方式来修行——就视之为成功。我所要做的就是小心翼翼地阅读经典，尝试着去超越语言的表层去理解——甚至只要有一点点可能——它们的深层次义蕴。我既不会照字面上去理解和接受经典，也不会让自己的判断凌驾于它。我情愿自己保持着自由思想者的身份。顺便提一句，我不明白为什么这么一种深刻的思想，会被认为与社会主义矛盾，其实，我们仍旧可以保留自己对正义或其他种种价值观的信念啊！
Question: What did you think when I asked you if you would translate Vivekananda?
Answer: Actually I was quite nervous because I was already too busy! But when I started to read Vivekananda, I found: what an amazing book! It is an easy, clear statement of profound philosophy. He expresses himself directly and truthfully. Yoga and meditation are rather abstruse, difficult topics with thousands of different explanations and mystical ideas. I find that Vivekananda just cuts through all the confusion, and explains things in an honest way that most people could understand. So the first thing is clarity, and I find the second thing is energy. He writes with a lot of energy, and one can feel it when one reads also.
问：在我询问你是否愿意翻译辨喜（Vivekananda）著作的时候，你当时是怎么想的？
答：事实上，当时我心里也十分忐忑，因为我已经太忙了！但是，当我一开始阅读辨喜（Vivekananda）的著作，我立刻知道这是一本神奇无比的书！他用的是一种流畅和明晰的语调来传达深奥的思想，他直接地、真诚地来言说着他自己。瑜伽和静心本是极为复杂深奥的主题，有着几千种不同的解释和神秘的概念，而他却用一种恳切的使得大多数人都能够明白的方式来解说。所以，从书中我发现的第一个特征就是清晰；第二个特征便是极富活力（生机勃勃？）——他带着弥漫的精力来书写，读者在阅读的时候也就自然会感觉到这一点。
Question: Is Vivekananda known at all in China?
Answer: Until now, barely known at all. But we do have an excellent Chinese name for Vivekananda; we follow the same model as when we translate Buddhist monks'' names. There is a Chinese Buddhist term ''Bian'' which means ''spiritual discrimination'' or ''Viveka''; and another term ''Xi'', which is a direct translation of ''ananda'' or bliss. And the word ''Fashi'' means monk or spiritual teacher. Put together, it becomes ''Bian Xi Fashi'', which is very convenient for Chinese people to remember and pronounce, of course they can also read a transliteration of the original name. We already have names in Chinese for the two Hindu gods Rama and Krishna, so we simply put them together with an honorific title to give ''Sri Ramakrishna''.
问：在中国，辨喜为人所知吗？
答：直至目前，几乎没人知道。但是我们用最好的汉字来传达他的名字，我们遵循着我们在翻译佛教的和尚法名时用的方式，在中国，佛教的概念“Bian”（辨），意味着“精神的洞察”，也即Viveka；而另外一个概念“Xi”（喜），则直接来自于“ananda”，或者“喜悦”，而“Fashi”这一概念，则意味着修士，或者说精神导师。综合一起，就成为：“Bian Xi Fashi”(辨喜法师)，这非常便于中国人去记忆和发音，当然，他们也能够阅读原来名字的音译。在中国，我们已经有两个印度神的名字：罗摩和克利希纳，所以我们可以直接把他们合为“Sri Ramakrishna”（室利•罗摩克利希纳）的名字，以示尊崇。
Question: In China, to those who practise yoga, is it well-known?
Answer: Yes, in a general sense, mind-body cultivation it is extremely popular. There are several strands to it. First, you know in Chinese tradition there is Buddhist meditation, which thousands of Chinese practise as part of their daily life, apart, of course, from the monks who practise intensively in the monasteries and mountains. Then, there are Chinese traditions like martial arts, health exercises, and breathing exercises. Many young people practise hatha-yoga for health. But it happens that when people start to practise slow breathing, or yoga postures, or meditation, sometimes their way of thinking starts to change also. Then they may continue their practice for other reasons, they start to read more about the philosophy and even change their way of life.
问：在中国，这些是否被那些修习瑜伽者们所知？
答：是的，一般来说，关于身心方面的修行特别盛行。有这么几种情况：第一，你知道中国有佛教的冥思传统，除了在寺庙和深山里的和尚们集中修行以外，大量的中国人也把这个作为他们日常修行的一部分；另外还有中国的传统武术、一些五禽戏健身法以及调息吐纳练习等，许多年青人修习瑜伽气功是为了健康的目的。但是有些时候，一旦人们开始进入慢呼吸训练，或者瑜伽体势，或者冥思状态，他们的思维方式也就有了变化，然后，他们也许就会为了别的原因继续修习，他们开始阅读更多的哲学著作，甚至从此改变了他们的生活方式。
Question: Who are the teachers?
Answer: Some people learn from books or videos or DVD, and there have been some good programmes on the television. Also, teachers have come from India, some Chinese have gone to India to learn yoga and come back to teach. For meditation, some people may go to monks to ask for advice.
问：谁是他们的老师呢？
答：有些人从书籍，或者录象，或者DVD学，也有许多好的节目在电视里面；有一些老师来自于印度，一些中国人去印度学习瑜伽，然后回来当老师的也有。对于冥思，有些人也可能会去寺庙里获得有益的建议。
Question: Does the Chinese government have any objection to these activities?
Answer: No, not at all as far as I know. Two reasons: one, we basically have religious freedom in China, unless somebody uses religion to stir up tensions or disorder. Second, the great majority of people don''t take these activities as religion anyway; they are more like a spiritual-mental practice, a way of thinking, or a way of keeping healthy and happy.
Apart from that, Chinese culture very much appreciates the ''cultivation of character'', which is basically a humanist idea although it can be applied within any religion. The idea is that from childhood on, one should train oneself to be honest, hardworking, kind to others, generous, tolerant and so on. We all admire people who can undertake this kind of character self-improvement.
问：那么，中国政府会反对这些行为吗？
答：不会，据我所知根本不会。有两个原因：首先，在中国，我们拥有宗教自由，除非一些人利用宗教去激发社会的不安和混乱；第二，不管如何，绝大多数人不会把这个当成宗教，它们更接近于心意训练，一种思维方式，或者，是一种保持健康和快乐的方式。
除此而外，中国文化非常讲究修身养性，这主要是基于一种人道主义理念，虽然它可以存在于任何一个宗教内部。这种理念从孩提时代就已经开始，一个人应该真诚、坚强、善待他人、慷慨大度、宽容忍让等等，我们所有人都崇敬那些能够在这方面提升自己品性的人！
Question: How do you think the Chinese feel about Indian spirituality and will they accept it in the future?
Answer: China has for thousands of years been a multi-cultural and multi-religious nation. I don''t think that will ever change. In China, people are free to be non-believers, or to be Confucianist, Buddhist, Taoist, Christian or whatever. So I think that the spirit of India will also find a place in China. But probably not many people will be interested in the Hindu formal religion and ceremonies as such.
问：你认为中国人对于印度精神文化的看法如何？在将来，他们会接受它吗？
答：中国是一个拥有几千年的多元文化和多元宗教的国家，我不认为这一点将会改变。在中国，人们可以自由选择信仰，可以成为儒家信徒，可以皈依佛教，道教，基督教，也可以成为无信仰者，或者其他什么宗教。所以，我认为印度精神也可以在中国找到它的地位。但很可能没有多少中国人会对印度的宗教形式和仪式发生兴趣。
Question: Have you heard about aspects of Vedanta like mantra and initiation?
Answer: I have heard about them, but mainly as a theory, and my understanding would have been influenced by the Gita and by Buddhist texts. On a simple, physical level, I think that chanting could make one''s mind settle down and become quieter. And then one could observe that one''s thinking is chaotic, and perhaps by observing more closely and making the chanting more subtle, one could adjust to a more clear level of consciousness. That is just how I understand it.
About initiation, we also have it within Chinese Buddhism, a kind of spiritual heritage from former great teachers, passed down through generations. I think some family members may just receive it as a kind of family tradition, but serious people do go for it to obtain a deeper understanding of spiritual life. I guess it may be similar to the Hindu culture.
问：你有没有听过一些说法，关于吠檀多的表面类似于颂歌，以及开始接受它的某种动机？
答：我听说过一些说法，但是大体上是作为一种理论存在。而我的理解已受《薄迦梵歌》和佛教经典的影响。在纯粹的物理层面，我想那些圣咏是能够让一个人的心灵变得放松、变得宁静的，这时，一个人就可以观照到他处在浑浊状态的思想，可能随着这种观照的愈加深入，而那些圣咏也变得更加微妙，这时，一个人就可以让他的意识显得愈加清澈。这就是我的理解。
至于说到启动源头，我仍然把它放在中国佛教面，佛教是由过去的一些伟大师父而来的精神传统，一个个世代传递着。我想，一些家庭把它接受下来仅仅是作为一种家族习惯；而另一些认真严肃的人是把它作为一种精神生命的深度理解来寻求它的。我猜想，这可能很接近于在印度文化中的情形了。
Question: What appeals to you about Vedantic philosophy?
Answer: I appreciate several aspects. One of my main interests is inter-religious co-operation, and I think Vedanta is very useful in this respect. It seems quite clear to me that as people experience--or try to experience--an Ultimate or a God, they are going to have many different experiences. Even if what they are searching is one and the same, their process of search is based in different languages, with different culture, different words, music, art, architecture, different theology and so on. It is inevitable that their spiritual experiences will be different. This has been recognized in China for thousands of years, and Vedanta acknowledges the same.
Now, today especially we live in a globalized world, and we have to live very closely together and try to co-operate with each other and respect each others'' beliefs. We need a high level of tolerance. So my idea is that when people of different faiths come together, yes by all means we should have a dialogue, we should exchange ideas, compare notes and discuss our different experiences. But we should never criticize any other persons'' beliefs or try to persuade them that ours are better.
There are so many conflicts between religions today, even between different sects within the same religion! We need a much more tolerant approach, and Chinese culture and Vedanta both provide models for that.
问：吠檀多哲学里面的什么东西在吸引着你？
答：有这么几个方面：我的主要兴趣之一是关于“宗教合作”，就这一点来考虑，我认为吠檀多是非常有效的。人们经验——或者要去经验——终极实在、或者神，他们将获得不同的体验，对我而言，这一点十分清楚。甚至他们正在寻找唯一者或相似者，他们的寻找过程也是基于不同的语言，携带不同的文化，不同的词汇、音乐、艺术、建筑，不同的神学等等。他们的精神体验也必将是不一样的。几千年来，这一点在中国一直被认为是理所当然的事，而印度的吠檀多也是这么确认。
现在，尤其是今天我们生活在一个全球化的世界，我们的生活不得不紧紧相依，也就应该彼此合作，尊重彼此的信仰，我们需要高度的宽容。所以我的想法是，当不同信仰的人们走到一起，我们必须想方设法建立起对话，我们应该交换思想，比较理念，讨论不同的经验，但是我们不应该批判任何他人的信仰，或者说服他人相信我们的信仰比他们的更好。
今日，在宗教之间——甚至在同一宗教的不同教派之间——有着那么多的冲突！我们需要更多的宽容和方法，而在这里，中国文化和吠檀多文化两者都能够提供典范。
Question: Finally can you tell us something about the publication of Vivekananda that you have just completed?
Answer: It is published by Zhejiang University Press in 2006. I think they have printed 5000 copies, and can print more if it sells out. About 320 pages long, it has three introductory chapters especially written by Alan Hunter [the interviewer], and some 200 pages of Swami Vivekananda''s texts, all translated into modern Chinese. It is printed on good quality paper, and has four photographs: two of Swami Vivekananda, and one each of Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi. The book sells for about 30 yuan in China (around US $ 3 in 2006) per copy, and people outside China could buy it for about $5 by mail order. One of the best things is that the President of the Ramakrishna Order, Revered Swami Gahananandaji, wrote an interesting preface especially for the publication, which we have also translated and included.
As mentioned above, many Chinese are interested in meditation, so in 2005 we also translated the Patanjali Yoga- sutras, with commentary by Swami Prabhava-nanda and Christopher Isherwood and an introduction by Alan Hunter. This appeared in a handy paperback format, the first edition of which was sold out within a month.
问：最后，你能否告诉我们，你们已经完成的关于辨喜作品的出版情况？
答：2006年在浙江大学出版社出版后，我想它们已经印刷了5000册，如果销售完毕，我们还要增印，大概320来页，还特别邀请了艾伦•亨特（即采访者）写的三章导论，还有200来页的辨喜原著，所有的文字都被翻译为现代汉语。它以上好的纸张来印刷，而且加了四张照片：两张是辨喜像，另外两张各是室利•罗摩克利希纳像和室利•莎拉达•兑维像。每本书的定价是30元左右人民币（相当于2006年的3英镑），海外人士可以花5英镑通过信函订购。其中一件最值得纪念的事情，就是“罗摩克利希纳传道会”的会长——尊敬的斯瓦米•加哈阿南达（Swami Gahanananda）特意为此写了一个饶有趣味的序言，这一序言也被我们译成中文并放在卷首。
正如前面已经提到的那样，许多中国人对冥思感兴趣，于是，在2005年我们也翻译了钵颠遮利（Patanjali）的《瑜伽经》，同时还附上斯瓦米•帕拉瓦南达（Swami Prabhava-nanda）和克里斯多夫•伊舍伍德的评注和艾伦•亨特的介绍，这本书以一种诱人的简便平装本的形式面世，而首版已经在一个月内就销售一空。