受美军方嘉奖的美国医生谈祈祷所带来的现代医学之新时代

laoguo

译者:
从丹尼伯克雷的第二本书《天堂教我的七堂课》中，得知劳瑞•杜西医师（Larry Dossey）之后，对其产生兴趣。遂访问了他的网站，准备翻译一篇访谈他的文章。他作为一名医师，从１９６９年就获得美国军方嘉奖。具体他有些什么成果感兴趣的可以自己看看。
下面会谈的URL在这里：http://www.dosseydossey.com/larry/QnA.html


A Conversation About the Future of Medicine
一次关于未来医学的会谈

Micke Crockett Lymphoma survivor and fly fisherman
提问方：一名淋巴癌幸存者及飞毛饵钓鱼爱好者

Micke Crockett：
Inyour new book, Reinventing Medicine, you describe three periods inmedicine: Eras I, II, and III. Please tell us about them.
在你的新书《医学的再发现（Reinventing Medicine）》里，你提到了医学的三个时期：时代１，时代２和时代３，请给我们解释一下。

  Larry Dossey：（劳瑞•杜西）
These eras describe the periods through which medicine has progressed since the second half of the 19th century.   
这三个时代描述了，自从１９世纪后半以来的，医学发展的时期。

Era I, which can be called"mechanical medicine" and which began roughly in the 1860s, reflectsthe prevailing view that health and illness are totally physical innature, and thus all therapies should be physical ones, such assurgical procedures or drugs. In Era I, the mind or consciousness isessentially equated with the functioning of the brain.
时代１，被称为“机械医学”，大约起于１８６０年代，那反映了当时普遍的观点，就是：健康和疾病本质上完全是物理的，所以，所有的疗法应该是物理疗法，例如外科的过程或药品。在时代１，精神或意识，本质上被视为，是与大脑的机能相等的。

Era II began to take shape in the period followingWorld War II. Physicians began to realize, based on scientificevidence, that disease has a "psychosomatic" aspect: that emotions andfeelings can influence the body's functions. Psychological stress, forexample, can contribute to high blood pressure, heart attacks, andulcers. This was a radical advance over Era I.
时代２在第二次世界大战之后，开始具体化。基于科学实验，医生们开始认为，疾病有一个“受心理影响”的面向：就是说，心理和感情能影响身体机能。比如说，心理压力能导致高血压，心脏发作，以及溃疡。这比起时代１是一个本质上的进步。
  The recently developing Era IIIgoes even further by proposing that consciousness is not confined toone's individual body. Nonlocal mind -- mind that is boundless andunlimited - is the hallmark of Era III. An individual's mind may affectnot just his or her body, but the body of another person at a distance,even when that distant individual is unaware of the effort. You canthink of Era II as illustrating the personal effects of consciousnessand Era III as illustrating the transpersonal effects of the mind.
最近发展起来的时代３就走的更远了，它提议：意识，并不仅仅限于一个个体的肉体之内。非局限的（nonlocal）心／精神－－－心／精神是无限的，是不受限制的－－－是时代３的显著特征。一个个体的心／精神不仅仅能影响到他或她自己的身体，还能影响到远处另外一个人的身体，甚至当那个远处的个体并没有觉察到这个（来自远方个体的心／精神的）努力。你可以认为，时代２说明了个人的意识所产生的影响，而时代３则是说明了非个人（超越个人）（transpersonal）的，心／精神的影响。

It's important to remember that these eras are not mutually exclusive;rather they coexist, overlap, and are used together, as when drugs areused with psychotherapy, and surgery is used with prayer.
重要的是要记得，这些时代并不是互相排斥的，而是共存的，重叠的，并且是被在一起所使用的，就比如，药品被与心理疗法一起使用，以及，手术被与祈祷一起使用。


Micke Crockett：
What do these eras mean for the future of medicine?
这三个时代，对于未来的医学意味着什么？

Larry Dossey：（劳瑞•杜西）
They can help us make sense of theconfusion within medicine. By drawing attention to the effects ofconsciousness, they can help us move beyond the exclusive use ofmechanical, physical measures in treating illness.
这能帮助我们理解医学上的困惑。通过对意识所起到的效果给予注意，就能帮助我们在治疗疾病的过程中，跨越那些，机械的，物理的专门的措施。

The most interesting era, in myview, is Era III. The evidence supporting Era III implies that thereare no boundaries to consciousness, that it is infinite in space andtime. If our minds are unbounded, then they must unite or come togetherat some level. This means that in some sense we are literally one. Theimplications of this unity are profound. If our minds are connected,then we can, and do, share any and all experiences. All the joys andsorrows of life can be mutual affairs. This means we are never alone,which relieves the twin burdens of loneliness and isolation, two majorfactors in illness.
最有意思的时代，在我看来，就是时代３。支持时代３的证据暗示了：意识，是没有边界的，在空间和时间之内，意识是无限的。如果我们的心／精神是无限的，那么，在某种程度上，它们就必定是联合，或者是汇集到一起的。（译注：这句话看似推导的很强硬，实际上是符合数学逻辑的，因为，一个无限加上另外一个无限，就还是无限，按照《一的法则》里面的一句话，意思就是：只有一种无限，如果有多种无限，那么其中每一个无限还能算作无限吗？所以我理解，时间的无限也好，空间的无限也好，意识的无限也好，最后都是汇集成一个无限，这就是我所理解的《一的法则》的“一”的意思），这意味着，在某种意义上，我们是－－就按照字面含义的－－１个（东西）。
这个统一，其含义深远。如果我们的心／精神是连在一起的，那么我们就能够，也确实就是在，共享任何所有一切的经验。生命中所有的苦乐，是能够相关的／相互作用的，这意味着我们从来没有孤单过，但要除掉：寂寞和孤立这对双胞胎，这对双胞胎是疾病的主要原因。
（译注：最后一句话，我理解劳瑞•杜西想要说：我们不是孤单的，而一旦我们寂寞和孤立，就会容易生病。所以，寂寞和孤立容易导致生病这件事情本身就证明了：我们是连在一起的，是不孤单的）

The biggest payoff of Era IIIconcerns our destiny. If our mind is nonlocal and boundless, then it isinfinite in time. Therefore, the death of the body does not mean thatconsciousness ceases to exist; something about us endures. Era III,therefore, carries with it the promise of immortality, which is a curefor the "disease" that has caused more suffering for humans than anyother: the fear of death.
时代３的最大的成果，是关系到我们的命运。如果我们的心／精神是非局限的，是无限的的话，那么，心／精神在时间中就是无限的，所以，肉体的死亡并不意味着意识的停止存在，我们的一些东西是持续存在的。
所以说，时代３，带给了我们：不死，这个保证。这个保证，是一个对－－对死亡的恐惧－－这个“疾病”的治愈，而这个“疾病”已经给人类带来了，比其他疾病更加多的苦痛。

Micke Crockett：
How did you become interested in the effects of prayer?
你是怎么开始对祈祷的效果感兴趣的？

Larry Dossey：（劳瑞•杜西）
I grew up in a deeply religious environmentin central Texas, where people prayed all the time; but I threwreligion overboard when I went off to college and fell in love withscience. I had no interest in prayer again until, during my practice ofinternal medicine, I occasionally began to bump into patients who hadhorrible diseases and who received no medical treatment - yet theirillnesses went away following prayer. One patient I encountered duringmy first year in medical practice had terminal lung cancer for which notreatment was given; members of his church prayed nonstop for him andthe cancer totally disappeared. I did not take these cases seriously,however, until the mid-80s, when I discovered the existence ofscientific studies, dealing with humans and animals, showing theeffects of prayer. After years spent researching this evidence, Ibecame convinced that it is one of the best-kept secrets in medicine.
我出生在有很深的宗教信仰环境的得克萨斯洲中部，那里的人们不停的祈祷；但是，当我进入大学，陷入对科学的热恋之后，我抛弃了宗教。我不再对祈祷有任何兴趣，直到之后我的内科实习的时候。
我开始偶尔碰到一些病的非常可怕的病人，他们被认为医学上治不好了－－但是，他们的疾病在祈祷之后不见了。在我医学实习的第一年，我遇到了一个病人，处于肺癌晚期，也没有被给予任何治疗，他的教会的教友们不停止的为他祈祷，然后癌症完全消失了。
但是，实际上，我并没有认真的对待这些案例，直到８０年代中期，当我发现了实实在在的一些科学的研究，显示了对于人和动物，祈祷所起的效果。在花费了几年研究这些证据之后，我开始确信，这是医学上被最好的保守了的秘密之一。

Micke Crockett：
Can you cite specific research that supports your theory that prayer can help people heal?
你能例举一些，能证明你所说的－－祈祷能帮助病人治愈－－这个理论的研究吗？

Larry Dossey：（劳瑞•杜西）
In 1998, Dr. Elisabeth Targ and hercolleagues at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco,conducted a controlled, double-blind study of the effects of "distanthealing," or prayer, on patients with advanced AIDS. Those patientsreceiving prayer survived in greater numbers, got sick less often, andrecovered faster than those not receiving prayer. Prayer, in thisstudy, looked like a medical breakthrough.
在1998年，Elisabeth Targ博士和她的同事们，在加利福尼亚洲旧金山的和平医疗中心，进行了受控制的，双方向遮蔽的（译注：具体见后面的说明），关于“远程治疗”或者祈祷，对晚期艾滋病病人的效果的研究。那些接受了祈祷的病人，比没有接受祈祷的病人，存活了更多的天数，并且常常是病的轻，恢复的要快。在这项研究里，看起来祈祷是一个医学的突破。

In 1988, Dr. Randolph Byrdconducted a similar study at San Francisco General Hospital involvingpatients with heart attack or severe chest pain. He found that patientsreceiving prayer did much better clinically than those who did not.
在1988年，Randolph Byrd博士，在旧金山综合医院进行了一项类似的研究，围绕心脏发作，或者严重胸痛的患者。他发现在临床上，受到祈祷的病人要比没有受到的要更好一些。

Currently, Dr. Mitchell Krucoff at DukeUniversity Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, is studying theeffects of prayer on patients undergoing cardiac procedures such ascatheterization and angioplasty. Patients receiving prayer have up to100% fewer side effects from these procedures than people not prayedfor.
目前，北卡罗莱纳州，都汉姆的杜克大学医疗中心的Mitchell Krucoff 博士，正在研究祈祷对于，正在接受－－例如导管插入手术或血管形成手术等－－心脏手术的病人的效果，受到祈祷的病人在手术中所受到的副作用，几乎１００％的要少于没有受到祈祷的病人。

These are impressive double-blind studies, meaning that no one knowswho is receiving prayer and who isn't. This eliminates or at leastreduces the placebo effect, which is the power of suggestion orpositive thinking. However, the studies I find most impressive are notdone on humans. For example, when bacteria are prayed for, they tend togrow faster; when seeds are prayed for, they tend to germinate quicker;when wounded mice are prayed for, they tend to heal faster. I likethese studies because they can be done with great precision, and theyeliminate all effects of suggestion and positive thinking, since we canbe sure the effects aren't due to the placebo effect. Mice, seeds, andmicrobes presumably don't think positively!
这些都是令人印象深刻的双方向遮蔽的研究，也就是说没有谁知道，谁正在受到祈祷，或谁没有受到。这消除了或者说至少减少了安慰的效果－－也就是暗示或者正面积极想法的力量。
实际上，我觉得这些研究中最令人印象深刻的是，并不是对于人。例如，当细菌受到了祈祷，它们倾向于成长的更快；当种子受到了祈祷，它们倾向于发芽更快；当受伤的老鼠受到了祈祷，它们倾向于恢复的更快。我喜欢这些研究（译注：指以动物为对象的研究），因为这些研究能在非常精确的条件下被完成，并且消除了任何暗示或者正面积极想法的影响。因为我们能确信，这些效果并不是归功于安慰的效果。老鼠，种子，细菌想必不会有什么积极的想法吧。

Micke Crockett：
How do you see these concepts being incorporated into the current medical model?
你怎么看这些概念被结合到当前的医学模式？

Larry Dossey：（劳瑞•杜西）
My wife and I were recently invited toconsult with a large hospital in a major city. The CEO and a fewphysicians on the staff had become aware of the evidence supporting thehealth effects of religious devotion and prayer. How, they asked,should they respond to this evidence? Should they relegateresponsibility to the clergy or to hospital chaplains? Should thephysicians and nurses play an active role? A meeting was held thatinvolved prominent leaders of the community. One woman stated, "If Iwere sick and came to this hospital, and you didn't offer me some formof spiritual support, I would be very angry!"
最近，我的妻子和我被邀请去一个大城市的大医院去做咨询。医院的ＣＥＯ和少数员工中的医生们，已经开始觉醒于那些支持－－信仰心和祈祷对健康的影响－－的证据。他们问：“他们应该怎么应对这些证据？”，他们应该把责任委托给圣职人员，或者医院的牧师吗？医生和护士还要不要完成他们的角色？
（在那个大医院，）一个包括这个团体里的顶级医生参加的会议被召开了。一个女士声明说：“如果我生病了，来到这个医院，并且你们没有给我一些精神形式上的支持，我会非常生气的！”

This illustrates the situation ourhealing institutions face. The public, by and large, wants spiritualsupport to be available. A survey on the East Coast found that 75% ofhospitalized patients believed their doctor should be concerned abouttheir spiritual welfare; and 50% wanted their physician to pray notonly for them, but with them. In response to the evidence showing apositive role of prayer and religious practices on health, nearly 50medical schools currently offer courses in this area. The fact that ouryoung doctors are now learning about these issues is an importantindicator of where we are headed.
这例证了我们的治疗体系所面临的状况。公众们，大体来说，是希望精神支持，是可以被利用的。根据一项在东海岸所做的调查，有７５％的被送入医院治疗的病人们相信，他们的医生应该对他们精神上的安宁给予关心。并且５０％的病人需要他们的医生，不仅仅是为了他们而祈祷，还要和他们一起祈祷（pray with them）。
为了响应这些所显示出来的，证明了祈祷和宗教仪式对健康有正面影响的证据，有近５０所学校,目前开设了关于这个领域的课程。我们的年轻的医生正在学习这些内容－－这个事实就是一个重要的象征，象征了我们处于什么样的先头位置。

But Era III interventions do not have to be physically located inhospitals. Recall that prayer and positive intentions are nonlocal;they work at a distance. Evidence suggests that they are as effectivefrom the other side of the earth as at the bedside. This means that laygroups, off site, can successfully employ these methods; we don't haveto depend on doctors and hospitals to provide them. Even so, I dobelieve physicians should take a greater lead in Era III medicine.Perhaps they may choose to pray for their patients. Or, at least, theymight mention the importance of these factors, which could encouragepatients to "cover their spiritual bases" in their own ways: forexample, asking friends to pray for them or placing their names onvarious prayer lists in the community.
但是，时代３没有必要应该被明显的定位在医院里，请回想一下刚才所说的，祈祷和正面的意图是非局限性（非本地的），它们是能在远方起作用。这证据暗示了，即使是远在地球的另外一边也会有效，就跟在床边一样。这意味着，专家小组（lay groups），或不在现场，也能成功的采用这些方法；我们不需要必须依赖医生和医院来提供这些东西。
但是，就算这样，我还是坚信医生们应该在医学的时代３中起到大的带头作用。也许，他们会选择为他们的患者祈祷。或者至少，他们也许会（向病人们）提到这些因素的重要性，这能够鼓励病人们以他们自己的方法去“涉及到他们的精神的基础”，例如，去请求朋友们为他们祈祷，或者把他们的名字放在社区的各种各样的祈祷列表里。

The important thing is tohonor the data supporting the benefits of spirituality in health,instead of continuing to ignore them. As we move forward, however, wemust be very careful not to use this evidence as a pretext for pushingour private religious views onto people who are sick. I have seen a fewexamples of shameless evangelizing during illness, which I deplore.Above all, we must avoid making people feel as if they are spiritualfailures if they get sick or don't heal, as if illness were punishmentfor sin.
重要的是要尊重这些数据－－这些数据支持了，精神的东西对健康所带来的好处，而不是持续的去忽略这些数据。但是，当我们前进的时候，我们必须非常小心，不要将这些证据当作是一个借口，来将我们自己的宗教观点强加在病人身上。我已经看到过少数的，在病人生病期间不知羞耻的传福音的例子，对此我感到悲叹。比什么都重要的是，我们必须避免让人们感到，好像是，如果他们生病了或者没有治愈，是因为他们精神上的失败，就好像疾病是对罪恶的惩罚。

Micke Crockett：
What sort of reactions have your ideas met with in the medical establishment and among practitioners of different religions?
你的想法在医疗机构，以及不同信仰的开业医生之中，遇到了什么样的反响？

Larry Dossey：（劳瑞•杜西）
There is intense interest among physicians.I cannot keep up with the invitations to speak about these issues atmedical schools and hospitals. This is a dramatic change from fiveyears ago, reflecting a growing acknowledgment of the evidence thatsupports a role for spirituality in health. Of course, there are a fewdoctors who think this wrong, who believe we're trying to drag medicineback into the Dark Ages, but this is a minority point of view.
在医生中引起了强烈的兴趣，对来自医学校和医院的，要我去做关于这些内容的演讲的要求，我简直应接不暇。这是从五年前开始的戏剧性的变化，这反映了，对这些－－证明精神性对健康所扮演的角色－－证据的承认，是在增加。当然，是有少数医生认为这是错的，他们相信我们正在试图把医学拉回到“黑暗时代”，但是这只是少数派的观点。

Modern medicine is one of the mostspiritually malnourished professions that has ever existed. Doctorsneed their spiritual needs to be met, just like anyone else. This isanother reason most physicians are sympathetic to these developments.The response from nurses tends to be, "What took you so long?" Nurses,by and large, understand intuitively the role of spirituality inhealing. I am immensely grateful for their support. The response of thetheological community is 95% positive, although a small minoritydoesn't like that the experiments show that the prayers of allreligions appear to be effective.
现代医学，在曾经存在过的职业当中，是在精神上最营养不良的职业之一。医生们需要让他们的精神需求被满足，就如同任何其他人一样。这是大多数医生们对这些研究兴致勃勃地另外一个原因。而从护士们来的反应是倾向于说：“是什么让你们花了这么长时间”（译注：指护士早就知道精神的重要性），护士们，基本上直觉的明白，精神在健康上所扮演的角色。我真的是无限感激她们所给予的支持。９５％来自神学上的团体们的反响都是正面的，当然，有少数派不喜欢，因为这个实验显示了所有的宗教上的祈祷看来都是有效果的。

Micke Crockett：
What is the currentattitude about alternative medicine held by the orthodox medicalcommunity? How is the popularity of alternatives affecting themainstream?
正统医学团体对于替代医疗，当前所持有的态度是什么？影响主流的替代（疗法）现在的流行程度如何？
Larry Dossey：（劳瑞•杜西）
Surveys show that a large majorityof conventional physicians are interested in alternative therapies andwant to know more about them. As an indicator of this widespreadinterest, the Journal of the American Medical Associationdevoted a special issue to alternative medicine in 1998; and the greatmajority of the nation's 125 medical schools have courses inalternative therapies. Most physicians are stunned by the extent towhich their patients have responded to alternative therapies. Nearlyhalf of adults in the US seek out some type of alternative therapyevery year; this exceeds the combined number of office visits to familydoctors, internists, pediatricians, and gynecologists. Currently, mostphysicians are trying to understand why this is happening, and this isprompting a healthy reexamination of medicine in general.
根据调查显示，大多数传统医生对替代疗法感兴趣，并且希望知道的更多。作为这种普遍的关心的迹象之一，就是，美国医学协会杂志在1998年特别为替代医疗发行了一期增刊；并且绝大多数的１２５所国立医科大学都有替代疗法的课程。大多数医生吃惊于他们的病人接受替代医疗的程度。
在美国，每年几乎有一半的成年人在寻找某种类型的替代疗法，这个数字超过了，去家庭医生、内科医生、小儿科医生、妇科医生那里正式看病的次数的总和。目前，大多数的医生在试图去理解，为什么会发生这样的事情，并且，这些是在促进一般的医药健康的重新检讨。

Micke Crockett：
What is the mostimportant issue in health care today? What will the hospital look likein the future? What will training be like?
今天在健康护理上最重要的问题是什么？未来医院看起来会像什么？训练看起来又会如何？

Larry Dossey：（劳瑞•杜西）
The major challenge we face is howto spiritualize and humanize medicine, how to infuse it with acompassionate quality that answers to our inner needs as well as to theneeds of our physical bodies. The good news is that this challenge isbeing met. In the future, high-tech medicine will remain with us andwill become even more prominent. But in addition, psychological andspiritual approaches to healing will assume a substantial position.Healers will take their places in surgery suites, coronary care units,and emergency rooms, as they are already beginning to do in somehospitals. As a result, it will feel different to be a patient. Onewill know that "the system" cares about the soul as well as the body.Fantasy? Hardly. These changes are already penetrating some of themajor hospitals in the country.
我们面对的最主要挑战是，如何将医学，精神化和人性化，如何在医学之中注入仁慈／同情的性质，来应对我们内在的需求，就如同应对我们肉体的需求一样。好消息是这个挑战已经被我们面对了。
在将来，高科技医疗会仍然和我们在一起，并且会变得更加突出。但是，除此之外，心理和精神治疗的方法应该会占据相当的位置。（精神）治疗者们将在手术室、冠心病医护单位、以及紧急救护室占有他们的一席之地，因为已经有一些医院开始在做了。作为一个结果，病人将感到不同。人们将会知道，这个“医疗系统”照看心灵和照看身体一样好。这是空想吗？不，一点也不是。这些改变已经渗透到了这个国家的一些主要的医院。

Micke Crockett：
What applications, beyond medical practice, can Era III thinking have, in our culture at large and in our private lives?
除了医疗实践以外，在我们的全体文化和我们的私人生活之中，时代３的想法能有些什么样的应用？

Larry Dossey：（劳瑞•杜西）
The foundation of Era III isnonlocal mind -- mind that is infinite, eternal, immortal. As nonlocalmind becomes a living reality for more people, we could become akinder, gentler culture. Nonlocal mind leads to what I call the GoldenRule of Era III: "Do good unto others because they are you!" Why?Because, as I said earlier, nonlocal mind is unlimited and boundless,which means that minds can't be walled off from each other. In somesense, at some level, we are each other.
时代３的基础是“非局部的心灵”－－心灵是无限的，永恒的，不朽的。随着“非局部的心灵”对于大多数人来说，变成一个活生生的现实，所以我们的文化会变得更友好和温和。“非局部的心灵”引导出我所称为的“时代３的黄金律”：“对别人要行善，因为别人就是你！”为什么？因为，如我前面所说的，“非局部的心灵”是无限的和没有限制的，这意味着，心灵是不可能被用围墙，与他人隔开。在某种意义上，在某种程度上，我们互相都是对方。

Taking nonlocal mind seriously can, as Idescribe in Reinventing Medicine, widen the dimensions of theconsciousness. We can tap into sources of wisdom beyond ourselves andbeyond the present. Creative breakthroughs and prophetic knowing becomeordinary in the context of nonlocal mind. Empathy and compassion floweras a result of our felt linkage with one another. And the awareness ofimmortality, as I've described, takes the pressure off living anddying. This will not happen automatically, however. We have to do ourshare and set our biases and prejudices aside. These are urgentmatters. As Andre Malraux said, "The twenty-first century will bespiritual or it will not be at all."
如我在《医学的再发现（Reinventing Medicine）》书中所提到的，认真接受“非局部的心灵”，能开阔意识的次元。我们能够领略到，超越我们自己，超越现在，的智慧源头。创造性的突破和预言性的了悟，将在“非局部的心灵”的环境下变的稀松平常。心灵相通和同情之花，是作为一个，我们感觉到的与其他人连接的结果。如我所提到的，对（意识）不朽这件事情的认识，将除去生活和死亡的压力。但是，这些不会自动发生。我们必须做好自己的事，抛弃我们的偏见和成见。这是非常紧急的。因为正如安德烈·马尔罗（Andre Malraux）所说的：“二十一世纪将是灵性的世纪，要不然就是一点也不灵性的世纪”。


译注：安德烈·马尔罗（André Malraux，1901年1月3日－1976年11月23日），法国著名作家、文化人，曾任戴高乐时代法国文化部长，且被提名诺贝尔文学奖候选人，代表作小说人的价值 （另译：人类境况）

－完－
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
译者:也许很多相信气功中医等传统智慧的中国人扫一眼这类文章就会跳过，他们以为这不就是东方的智慧吗？错！
是东方的智慧没错，可并不是他们所理解的一般的东方的智慧。目前被一般大众所熟悉的，是被扭曲了的东方的智慧！
目前大家怎么理解气功？大家说那是一种“唯物基础”的气功，也就是说，必须要有气，没有气就不行。这种理解造成了什么？就和我老妈常说的一样，我老了，没气感，所以练气功不大行了。
一般人都相信高功夫的人能干这干那，为什么，人家有气啊。
你怎么不行？我不行啊，我没气啊。
你看，一下子就把自己理所当然的给堵死了。

气，是物质性的，但是，气的产生，并不是物质性的，而是意念性的，意志性的，精神性的，心性的。

当理解了意识的超越时间，超越空间的，无限的性质之后，人家老外理所当然的就推导出了，“既然是无限，那么这些个无限就必然是连在一起的”，这句话是符合数学逻辑的，
并且，“既然意识可以超越时间，那么就意味着人的肉体死亡之后，意识也不会消失”，这是第二句理所当然能够推理出来的结论。

光这两个结论，就能解放多少人的心智啊！
我们是一体的
我们死后意识不会消失

这就是本质之中的本质。

所以说，这篇国外医师的论点，早已超越了，被一些中国人自大一点维护的，所谓被扭曲了的中国的传统文化。
醒醒吧，自满于东方神秘文化的国人们。