In Western philosophy, life is valued as a precious gift given only once to each individual. However, in Buddhism, the concept of life transcends the present and encompasses an infinite past and an endless future. This current lifetime is merely a fragment of the continuous stream of life. Consequently, life is not considered unique to each individual, and we should not focus exclusively on this particular lifetime. Instead, we should pay attention to the cycle of birth and death.
从西方哲学的视角，认为生命对每个人来说只有一次，格外珍贵。而佛教认为，生命不仅有现在，还有无穷的过去和无尽的未来，今生只是生命长河的一个片段。所以人生并不是独一无二的，也不只是关注这一生，更要关注生命的轮回。
Buddhism believes that such a life is fundamentally illusory, but it still exists. In fact, our current human form not only exists but is extremely precious and can be easily lost.
佛法认为，缘起生命的本身是虚幻的，但虚幻并不是没有。就像我们现在这个人身，不仅存在，而且非常宝贵，难得易失。
How can we use it well? From the Buddhist perspective, life’s value lies in attaining enlightenment. Among the six realms, only humans have the rationality to examine the truth of life and reveal their Buddha-nature through cultivation.
怎么才能用好它？从佛法角度说，其价值就在于走向觉醒。因为在六道中，只有人的身份才有理性，才能审视生命真相，并通过修行开启内在觉性。
Our current existence is characterized by ignorance – we do not know who we are, where we came from, where we will go after we die, the meaning of life, or the truth about the world.
我们的生命现状是无明的，不知道我是谁；不知道生从何来，死往何去；也不知道生命的意义是什么，世界的真相是什么。
Because of our lack of wisdom, we hold many misconceptions about ourselves and the world, leading to various afflictions. These afflictions cause us to view ourselves and the world through a distorted lens, which in turn creates even more afflictions. Our life thus remains trapped in this cycle of confusion and affliction.
因为没有智慧，我们对自己和世界充满误解，从而制造种种烦恼；然后带着这些烦恼看自我，看世界，制造更多的烦恼。生命就在这样的迷惑、烦恼中不断轮回。
Learning Buddhism makes us recognize that suffering is the fundamental nature of this kind of life. Do you want to change it? Do you want to be free from suffering? And what happens after you make that change?
学佛就是让我们去认识：这种生命的本质是痛苦的——你想不想改变，想不想摆脱？改变之后又是什么？
Buddhism tells us that behind our misconceptions lies an awakened life that connects with all things in the universe. To attain the highest value of life, we must recognize the infinite behind the finite, which can only be achieved through our current human existence. Therefore, the significance of this dependently-originated life is immense, and we must use it well.
佛法告诉我们，在迷惑背后，还有觉醒的生命。这个生命是和天地万物相通的，和整个宇宙相通的。认识到有限背后的无限，才能实现生命的最高价值。而改变的唯一途径，是依托现有人身，所以这个缘起的生命意义重大，我们要用好它。
摘自《人工智能时代，人类何去何从》
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Excerpted from:
In the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Where Is Humanity Headed? by Master Jiqun
