? ?佛陀認(rèn)為，人生就是“苦”的根源狸捕，這個(gè)論斷在佛學(xué)（佛學(xué)指去掉佛教的上層建筑——業(yè)報(bào)热幔，剩下的佛陀對(duì)于人生的系統(tǒng)思考乐设，按照馮友蘭先生的觀點(diǎn)，這種思考的本質(zhì)是一種哲學(xué)绎巨，故稱為佛學(xué)）當(dāng)中的地位近尚，相當(dāng)于“世界是物質(zhì)的”在馬克思主義哲學(xué)中的地位，它們都是各自哲學(xué)系統(tǒng)的地基场勤。
? ?那么戈锻，什么是“苦”？既然人生是痛苦的和媳，佛陀如何解釋人生之中的快樂格遭？這對(duì)于我們理解經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)當(dāng)中的核心概念“稀缺”有什么樣的啟示？
? ?“苦”對(duì)應(yīng)的梵文詞留瞳，"duhkha"拒迅，有兩層意思：首先，“苦”即“痛苦”她倘，是身體疼痛或是精神折磨璧微；其次，“苦”還指一種有欲望而不滿足的狀態(tài)硬梁。痛苦不常有前硫，而不滿足常有。
? ?如果“苦”是一種不滿足的狀態(tài)靶溜，那么快樂就是一種欲望滿足的狀態(tài)开瞭，它是短暫的：飽餐一頓后懒震，想著下一頓；得到愛人的關(guān)愛嗤详，想要更多親密接觸个扰；習(xí)得了新的知識(shí)技能，想要精進(jìn)葱色。人終將處于一種不滿足的狀態(tài)递宅，也就是“苦”。
? ?但佛陀并不“朋克”苍狰，并不是悲觀主義的办龄，也并不勸人自我毀滅，也不會(huì)有哪個(gè)信佛的人或是出家人在外面勸人自我終結(jié)以擺脫“苦”淋昭，佛陀認(rèn)為俐填，死并不能終結(jié)“苦”，反而自我毀滅是對(duì)“苦”的一種否認(rèn)翔忽。
? ?我們來看一下經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)當(dāng)中的“稀缺”英融。在古典經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)看來，經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)的研究有著多重用途的稀缺資源的安排與使用方式歇式。從佛學(xué)的角度出發(fā)驶悟，對(duì)“稀缺”我個(gè)人有著以下的理解：
? ?稀缺資源的存在是絕對(duì)的。經(jīng)濟(jì)活動(dòng)的主體是人材失，而人生就是“苦”的根源痕鳍，沒有人處于一種絕對(duì)滿足狀態(tài)。如果人人都絕對(duì)滿足龙巨，那任何資源都無所謂稀缺笼呆。既然不滿足的狀態(tài)是絕對(duì)存在的，那么可以說所有人想要的東西的總和一定會(huì)大于目前市場(chǎng)上存在的所有東西恭应，不論一個(gè)人的貧富貴賤抄邀，對(duì)待稀缺的資源不會(huì)有雙贏，而只能有舍棄權(quán)衡昼榛。
Buddhism and Economics: What is "Scarcity"?
Buddha says: Life is duhkha. This argument in Buddhism is as cardinal as the argument, 'This world is based on Matter', in Marxian philosophy, and both two lay the very foundations of their respective philosophical systems.
? ?What is duhkha? How does Buddha account for pleasure? Will the understanding of "duhkha" shed light on the economic term "scarcity"?
? ?The Sanskrit word "duhkha", suggests (1) suffering, the physiological pain or mental distress; (2) a state of unsatisfactoriness caused by deferred wishes and unmet plans. Suffering is an acquaintance at most, while unsatisfactoriness is a good old friend who we come across very often.
? ?If duhkha indicates an unsatisfied state, then pleasure suggests a transient, satisfied state: we wish for a feast after a course; we long for more intimacy after receiving love from our beloved ones; we want to sharpen our new skills after mastering them. Wishes will never be fulfilled, and that is the underlying meaning of duhkha.
? ?Pessimistic and "punk" as Buddha might seem to be, Buddha never ever points a path to self-destruction, and Buddhists, be they religious or not, would ever teach a self-termination lesson in order to escape from the eternal duhkha. Rather, Buddha holds that no one could get away from duhkha via death; self-destruction negates the truth of duhkha.
Let's take a brief look at the term "scarcity" from economics. From a classical economics perspective, economics is the study of the use of scarce resources which have alternative uses. Personally, I have some new understanding of "scarcity":
??Scarce resources are absolute. The subjects of economical activities are human and not a single person is fully satisfied. Had everyone fulfilled his or her wishes in an absolute sense, it wouldn't matter whether any resource is scarce or not. What everybody wants add up to is more than there is, for the same rationale behind applies. This implies that there are no easy win-win, but painful trade-offs and that is the same for both the affluent and the impoverished.
