Journal

9May '18 By Bill M. Mak

Oldest extant horoscope diagram: P. Oxy. 235

Greek horoscope in Oxyrhynchus papyrus P. Oxy. 235. Although its content was dated to 15/22 CE by Neugebauer and Van Hoesen, the papyrus itself may be dated considerably later, possibly third century or later. Despite the question of material dating and the contradictory astronomical data as Alexander Jones has pointed out, this specimen remains nonetheless one of the oldest horoscope diagrams extant. This radial-type Greek horoscope survived in a handful of Byzantine documents, but earlier specimens translated into other languages are found preserved in Japan (as Buddhist horoscopes in Chinese) and in various Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand (as Greco-Indian horoscopes).

A sketch of this horoscope was reproduced in Neugebauer and Van Hoesen (1959). Greek Horoscope, pp. 18–19. The original photo has not been published to my knowledge. The photo here is reproduced here (courtesy of Jones from Neugebauer’s archive) from Mak, Bill. 2018. “The First Two Chapters of Mīnarāja’s Vṛddhayavanajātaka.” Zinbun 66 (48), p.7:

http://hdl.handle.net/2433/230620

More on Oxyrhynchus astronomical papyri:
Jones, Alexander. 1999. Astronomical Papyri From Oxyrhynchus : (P. Oxy. 4133-4300a). Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society.
Jones, Alexander. 2007. “Astrologers and their Astronomy.” In Oxyrhynchus: a city and its texts. London: Egypt exploration Society.

8Mar '18 By Bill M. Mak

智慧法師與翁靜晶：當今漢傳佛教流弊的冰山一角

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翁女士揭發定慧寺事件後，以正信佛教徒的身份，視破邪顯正為己任，到處打擊本地佛教界各種流弊，引起各界對佛教現狀的關注。就打擊本地佛教流弊，像翁女士的做法，對佛教究竟是利還是弊？

這個問題本來是沒有值得爭議的地方。因為錯就是錯，犯法就是犯法。像定慧寺女住持釋智定假結婚和對骨灰龕處理的不妥行徑，根本就是違法行為，所以根本沒有情有可原的說法。

女主持跟信徒爭吵，還惡形惡相的說出什麼「你們欺負出家人，欺負大陸人。。。正義去哪裡？」的話，言下之意就是我是法師，我還是中國大陸的人，有理無理都不是你們在家眾，或是香港人可以欺負的！

犯了法的女主持被窮追猛打，逼進窮巷，唯有以亂語自辯，本來不用理會。但她說話的語氣，多少表現出佛教界裡，甚至社會上的一些潛在矛盾，值得我們思考。

中國人，香港人，不管什麼背景，犯法就是犯法。這樣「你們」「我們」的說法是分化僧俗二眾，兼破壞中港關係的無賴行為。這種敗類，就算不是佛教徒也必須嚴懲，何況是穿著僧服的，實在有毀佛門尊嚴。

佛陀的教化本來就是主張「一切如是觀」。處理問題的第一步就是要認識問題，問題認識便要嚴正處理，以後才能解決。佛聯會發出聲明說有關人士「並非其會員」，「事前事後沒有其相關資料」，言下之意就是事不關己。不過涉事人都是寶蓮寺出家的，還有過去都有跟寶蓮寺公開來往，一句沒有關係就算，實在難以服眾。就算沒有正式的法律關係，也得做個果斷明確，與其一刀兩斷，執行家法，逐出佛門的聲明。隱瞞、淡化等做法並不是慈悲，只會讓事情留下尾巴。

網上流傳智慧法師與翁靜晶的一段影片，看來應該是在智慧法師沒有同意下記錄下來的。其實就是偷拍。談到定慧寺和當事人時，智慧法師說「自己已經傻了，不能分別真假」。這先不說，但法師接著跟翁居士說一句，「你是佛弟子嗎？是佛弟子的話就不要做這種有損佛門的事情。」法師說這番話意思無非是以長輩身分，告誡翁居士揭發佛門醜事的舉動，其實有損佛教顏面。家醜不出外傳嘛。本地佛教本來要面對的挑戰已經夠多了，現在佛教徒還給自己添負面消息，豈非添亂？

智慧法師的說法，相信也是老一輩本地佛教徒的立場，就是閒事不管，各自修行，反正因果業報都不是別人管得來的，做好本分就好了，佛教主張慈悲圓融，不走激進路線，大事化小，小事化無云云。不過，作為一個長輩甚至扮演領導角色的人，團體問題出現，卻沒有在其能力範圍內把問題解決，其實就是一種畏懼、怕事懦弱和不承擔的表現。現在本地佛教出現各種流弊，本地佛教領導階層責無旁貸。不把問題及時解決，就是為問題繼續惡化製造條件。要解決這些複雜的問題，當然會惹出牽連，所以執行人必須膽色過人，秉正嚴明。沒有這份勇氣和眼光，最後不要當領導。

作為本地佛教界的領導，因為各種原因沒有帶頭把問題解決，反而只是關心「佛祖顏面」，難怪有人終於忍無可忍，像翁居士直腸直肚的人跑出來為民請命，給正信佛教徒還個公道。

翁居士能夠做的，也許僅此而已。不過破而不立，在現實生活中是行不通的。亂象橫生，歸根到底都是正信佛教底氣不足。本來佛教教育就是一個大問題。甚麼是正信佛教？若是其他宗教，是正是邪，都有個權威的說法。不明之處，總有權威人士主持大局，總不會亂，這才算是個成熟的宗教團體。像梵蒂岡就敏感話題上要舉辦會議，為廣大天主教徒發表澄清，達賴喇嘛也經常要出來為藏傳佛教說句公道話一樣。試問漢傳佛教有什麼標準？哪個山頭的算是權威？佛學院的高僧給大家解說，還是隨便讓個熱心人引經據典？沒有正式皈依三寶的也算佛教徒嗎？皈依了三寶，但是不屬於任何佛教團體的也算佛教徒嗎？擁有什麼知識的佛教徒才算是正信的佛教徒？以漢傳佛教而言，懂得念心經，念大悲咒就算是個正信佛教徒嗎？再說出家眾，穿了袈裟，拿著戒牒的就都是高僧大德嗎？在家眾都要無條件服從，頂禮並叩頭三拜出家眾嗎？僧侶需要具備什麼條件才能當法師？法師和寺院的事情，誰來監管？出了問題，誰來撥亂反正？

出了像定慧寺這樣的事情，大家才意識到問題只是冰山一角。衝破問題的第一道關口，發現當今漢傳佛教在制度上和實踐層面上的各種弊病，這才是當今佛教徒需要認真思考之處。

16Nov '17 By Bill M. Mak

Seeing “things”? Lowell’s “Mars Canal Map” and Times report on “Life on Mars” (1906)

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The idea that Mars is not just a star or a planet like others began when the 17th century Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini discovered with his telescope the rotation period of Mars (24h 40′) similar to Earth’s, as well as its unusual surface markings. Two centuries later another Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli claimed in 1877 to have discovered a network of “canali” (channels, not canals) and seas on Mars. Inspired by Schiaparelli, American amateur astronomer Percival Lowell published a book in 1906 titled “Mars and its Canals” which won him acclaims and awards up to his death in 1916, along with some critics. Lowell claimed to have discovered over 550 canals along with “oases” which served as nodes as the planet’s irrigation system. The idea of life and civilization in Mars was so popular that Lowell’s claims went largely unchallenged in public despite no astronomers could actually observe them. His claims were disproved definitively only after the 1960s when NASA spacecrafts captured the true images of the planet.

More on Lowell and his contempories: https://qz.com/…/when-reporters-accidentally-wrote-science…/

First image: “Explore Mars Trek” from https://mars.nasa.gov/maps/

How did Lowell in 1906 see all the Martian canals and oases which never existed? And how did other scientists a century ago accept his claims despite they could not observe them?

It is amazing how our mind can make us see all kind of things. The Buddhists like to tell the story of the “rope” and the “snake”. Or inversely, not seeing things which are staring in your face, like all the holocaust denials, Nanking-massacre denials, climate change denials and the “alt-facts” these days…