So why is it called bardo (lit. middle yin)? Just now I said that in Chinese, this is also justified. Everything is relative. On one side, there is the obviously visible and tangible, called yang; on the other is the invisible and intangible called yin. Therefore, the middle existence is also called the “middle yin” or bardo, which we commonly call “ling-hun, 靈魂,” the spirit-hun or soul. For example, in Xu's account earlier, the ‘soul’ went out, he felt ‘something’ go out. Because he is Chinese, his thinking is affected by education and concepts and he calls this ‘something’, ling-hun, which is also a hypothetical name. This is what it is commonly called in Chinese, but not in Buddhist culture. The so-called linghun is very sensitive, knows almost everything, knows everything, has feelings, and has perception, but he is not a physical thing.

In regards to the source of Chinese characters for ling-hun, 靈魂, the character for hun, 魂, is made up of the character for "ghost"鬼next to the character for "cloud"云. Ghosts are within the yin realm and are invisible whereas gods are in the yang realm and are visible. If we study these two characters carefully, both ghost 鬼and god 神are both related to land, to cultivated fields 田specifically. Within the character for ghost, the field has lines that extend down into the ground representing the yin aspect of electrical current going down into the ground. On the top, there is one hair-like stroke representing the hairs on your head standing up. This is the composition of the character for the word ghost 鬼. In the character for the word god 神, in the middle of the right side is the field. On the left side is "shi," 示 meaning reveal or manifest, which belongs to the heavens. Above and below the field are lines of extension that become "shen"申. This is the composition of the character for the word "god." When you add a line going upward from the character "tian" 田, which represents the land, it is called "you" 由which means budding—things are starting to grow up toward the light in the field. If there are lines going both upward and downward from the field, this is the base of the character for the word "shen" 申, stretch or reach—reaching all directions, everywhere above and below. Add the character for reveal/manifest next to this, what the heavens manifest or reveal is called god 神.

On the right side of the character for hun, 魂, is the character for ghost [which contains the character for cloud on the lower right hand side]. If ghosts are connected downward but not upward, why add a cloud? This is the abbreviated character of cloud. One could say, they are just like clouds and mist, which seem to exist and seem to be nothing. They are blurry and vague so they are called hun.

There is a difference between hun 魂and po 魄. The “po" is material and physical. We have physical energy, qi. Just like in the north when we breathe in cold air, we breathe out white breath. Po are substantive, are material; hun do not have substance. They are invisible, and nebulous like clouds. Hun-po 魂魄are two different things. When a person gets a fright, in literature this is described as "the hun has flown and the po have scattered." The hun flies out, the spirit of consciousness has left the body. As well, the body, the po, are frightened; the person pees their pants and trembles. It is the function of the physical body. The four great elements are in discord, and have somewhat separated. This is what is called "the hun has flown and the po have scattered."

So, if you look at ancient Chinese characters, every character has its scientific reasoning. Advocating simplified characters has created a big mess.


以上內容節錄自《Betwixt and Between: Life, Death, and Rebirth》南懷瑾（Master Nan Huai-Chin）講述；Pia Giammasi 譯‧南懷瑾文化事業有限公司出版／白象文化代理經銷
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