身體意識、存在焦慮與轉為道用──白居易詩的疾病書寫與自我治療

Physical consciousness, existential anxiety and transforming into the Dharma path─Bai Juyi’s poems about illness and self-treatment

本文透過存在心理治療學、知覺現象學與佛學「轉一切為道用」的理論來探討白居易詩的疾病書寫。發現白居易詩不只大量流露出強烈的身體意識，而且仔細地描寫各種病徵與身體精微的變化，一方面專注地知覺著他的身體，一方面又以本體模式（ontologicalmode）去探問存有的本質狀態，隱現出他深沉的存在焦慮與覺察。因而他不斷宣說自己萬事不關心，以價值結構崩解後的漠然冷淡去迴念轉心，全然投向佛法醫王的價值重構中，為疾病開立了自我治療的處方，同時建構了疾病難以取代的道用價值。白居易面對疾病所啟動的轉心工夫，是肯定並善加利用生病的三個價值，第一個是疾病讓人得閒；第二個是得以從世俗的迷妄中回歸生命的基本面貌，第三個是討回被自己遺忘的身體，從而接受疾病，面對它、讚許它，進行了一場又一場成效良好的心理治療。白居易更進一步以「轉患病為道用」的積極作為，來促進他修持契道的究竟目標。尤其透過等持禪定的修持，增上其靜慮的工夫，達到空明無邊的道境。另外，也因為心的寧靜祥和、寬坦明暢，而改變身體的疾病。所以白居易晚年總能將患病視為幸運之事，而且會藉由「無病常稱病」來實踐佛法「憶念死亡」的工夫，展開空性、正念的修持，以治療無止盡的輪迴痼疾，這又是身體意識與疾病意識更深層次的治療意義，同時也使轉患病為道用成為遍在的工夫。 This study explores the illness written in Bai Juyi’s poems through existential psychotherapy, perceptual phenomenology and ＂transforming everything into the Dharma path＂ theory. We found Bai Juyi used a lot of physical consciousness and carefully described the symptoms and subtle physical changes in his poems. He focused on sensing his body and explored the essence of the existence based on ontological mode, revealing his profound presence of anxiety and awareness. He constantly declared that he did not care about everything and then transformed the mental indifference after the collapse of the value structure into the reconstruction of the value of the Dharma, created a self-treatment therapy of illness while constructing the value of transforming into the Dharma path that is hard for illness to replace. Bai Juyi’s turning illness effort is active and makes use of the three values of disease. The first is the condition lets people get idle; the second is to return from the mess of everyday living back to the fundamental outlook of life; the third is to get back the once forgotten body, to accept, face, and praise illness, leading to a well-performed psychological treatment. Bai Juyi further takes the positive action of ＂transforming illness＂ to reach his goal of polishing his mind. Especially through the practice of meditation and deliberately peaceful effort to achieve the emptiness. Moreover, the calmness and peacefulness of the mind affect the body's illness. Bai Juyi in his later years always considers being sick as lucky, and practices the Dharma’s ＂remember the death＂ teaching via a ＂claim ill when illness-free＂ concept. He starts a journey of practicing emptiness and mindfulness to treat endless cycle of chronic illness. This trip not only indicates a deeper level of treatment using the physical consciousness and sickness awareness but also transforms the illness into the practice of Dharma as regular.

This study explores the illness written in Bai Juyi’s poems through existential psychotherapy, perceptual phenomenology and ＂transforming everything into the Dharma path＂ theory. We found Bai Juyi used a lot of physical consciousness and carefully described the symptoms and subtle physical changes in his poems. He focused on sensing his body and explored the essence of the existence based on ontological mode, revealing his profound presence of anxiety and awareness. He constantly declared that he did not care about everything and then transformed the mental indifference after the collapse of the value structure into the reconstruction of the value of the Dharma, created a self-treatment therapy of illness while constructing the value of transforming into the Dharma path that is hard for illness to replace. Bai Juyi’s turning illness effort is active and makes use of the three values of disease. The first is the condition lets people get idle; the second is to return from the mess of everyday living back to the fundamental outlook of life; the third is to get back the once forgotten body, to accept, face, and praise illness, leading to a well-performed psychological treatment. Bai Juyi further takes the positive action of ＂transforming illness＂ to reach his goal of polishing his mind. Especially through the practice of meditation and deliberately peaceful effort to achieve the emptiness. Moreover, the calmness and peacefulness of the mind affect the body's illness. Bai Juyi in his later years always considers being sick as lucky, and practices the Dharma’s ＂remember the death＂ teaching via a ＂claim ill when illness-free＂ concept. He starts a journey of practicing emptiness and mindfulness to treat endless cycle of chronic illness. This trip not only indicates a deeper level of treatment using the physical consciousness and sickness awareness but also transforms the illness into the practice of Dharma as regular.