2. The Heart Quality
2. 心的品質

There are people who look at life through their brain, their head, and there are others who look at life through their heart. Between these two points of view there is a vast difference; so much difference that something that one person can see on the earth the other sees in heaven, something that one sees as small the other sees as great, of something that one sees as limited the other sees the unlimitedness. These two persons become opposite poles; it is as if one is looking at the sky, the other at the earth.

有些人透過大腦、透過頭腦來看人生，也有些人透過心來看人生。這兩種觀點之間有著極大的差異；差異之大，以至於一個人在地上所看見的，另一個人卻在天上看見；一個人視為渺小的，另一個人視為偉大；一個人看見的是有限，另一個人看見的卻是無限。這兩種人就像成了彼此相反的兩極；彷彿一個人仰望天空，另一個人卻低頭看著大地。

No one will admit that he looks at things with his head; everyone will say, “I look at life with my heart.” If he knew what it is to look at life from the heart, the best person in the world would say, “I have not yet learned to look at life from the heart. I would like to know how to do it, I would like to learn it.”

沒有人會承認自己是用頭腦看事情；每個人都會說：「我是用心看人生。」然而，如果一個人真正知道什麼叫做從心來看人生，即使是世上最好的人也會說：「我還沒有學會如何從心來看人生。我想知道該怎麼做，我想學會它。」

One might say that emotional and devotional people are flying in the clouds, while others with their reason and logic are standing on the earth. Yes, it is true. But angels ride on clouds; if the soul has the angelic quality the clouds are its sphere, not the earth.

有人也許會說，感性而虔敬的人飛在雲端，而那些運用理性與邏輯的人則站在地上。是的，確實如此。然而，天使乘雲而行；如果靈魂具有天使的品質，那麼雲端才是它的領域，而不是大地。

Now one may ask, “Where is the place for practicality in life?” Yes, but what one calls practical in everyday life and one is very careful about — what is it, how long does it last, what is it worth? No doubt it is true that man is born on earth to bear the weight of his physical body and with it its needs: a roof over his head and a piece of bread to sustain him. If that is all there is to think about, man makes a great mistake if he devotes all his life to what he calls practicality, practical life, and never thinks of the heavenly treasure that is hidden in the heart of man.

這時有人也許會問：「那麼，人生中的實際層面又置於何處？」的確如此；但是，人們在日常生活中所謂的「實際」，並且如此小心翼翼看重的東西——它究竟是什麼？能維持多久？又有多少價值？毫無疑問，人出生在世上，必須承擔肉身的重量以及肉身的種種需要：頭上要有一片屋頂，也要有一口麵包維持生命。然而，如果人生所要思考的僅僅是這些，那麼，一個人若將全部生命都奉獻給自己所謂的「實際」、所謂的「實際生活」，卻從未想到隱藏在人心之中的天上寶藏，那便犯下了一個極大的錯誤。

The heart of man can be likened to water. Either it is frozen and then it is snow, or it is water and then it is liquid. When it is frozen it has turned into a crystal; when it is liquid it is in running order, and it is natural for water to be running.

人心可以比作水。它若凍結，便成了冰雪；它若仍是水，便保持流動。當它凍結時，它化為結晶；當它維持液態時，它便能流動，而水的本性原就是流動。

Salt Water
鹹水

Then there are two principal kinds of water: salt water and sweet water. The sea which is quite contented in itself, indifferent to everything else, has salt water because it is independent of anything else. It gives health, happiness and pleasure to those who walk along it, because it represents perfection. It asks nothing from anyone, it rises and falls within itself, it is independent, it is immense. In that way it shows perfection. But with that independent perfection its water is not sweet, and the ascetic who has closed his heart, with the perfection of God and with the realization of truth is like the sea, independent, indifferent to all things. His presence heals people, his contact gives them joy, gives them peace, and yet his personality is uninteresting: the water of the sea is salt water.

水主要又分為兩種：鹹水與淡水。大海完全自足，對其他一切漠然以待；它的水是鹹的，因為它不依賴任何其他事物。它帶給沿海而行的人健康、幸福與喜悅，因為它代表著圓滿。它不向任何人索求什麼，它的潮起潮落都在自身之中；它獨立而浩瀚。它以這樣的方式展現圓滿。然而，在這種獨立的圓滿之中，它的水並不甘甜。同樣地，一位封閉了自己的心、已觸及神之圓滿並證悟真理的苦行者，就像大海一般，獨立而對萬事漠然。他的臨在能療癒人，他的接觸能帶給人喜悅與安寧；然而，他的人格卻並不令人親近：因為海水是鹹的。

When the sea is calm it is a pleasure to travel on it, and when the sea is rough there is no worse illness than seasickness. So is the powerful mind, the mind of a soul that has touched perfection: it is with tranquility, calmness and peace that this mind gives everyone a way into it, as the sea lays itself with open heart before those who journey on it. Ships and boats pass through it, those who journey enjoy their traveling. But when the sea is disturbed by the wind, by storm, it is perfect in its annoyance, it can shake boats and steamers. And so the mind of the sage can have an effect upon all things in nature; it can cause volcanic eruptions, it can cause disasters, revolutions, all manner of things once its tranquility is disturbed.

大海平靜時，在其上航行是一種享受；但當大海洶湧時，沒有什麼比暈船更難受。同樣的情形也存在於強大的頭腦之中，存在於一個靈魂已觸及圓滿之人的頭腦之中：當這個頭腦處於安定、平靜與安寧時，它便向每一個人敞開道路，如同大海敞開自己的心，迎接航行其上的人。船隻穿越其中，旅人享受著航程。然而，當大海受到風與暴風雨的擾動時，它的震怒也是完全的，足以撼動船隻與輪船。同樣地，聖哲的頭腦也能對自然界的一切產生影響；一旦他的寧靜受到擾動，它可以引發火山爆發，可以造成災難、革命，以及各式各樣的事件。

Knowing this nature of the sage’s heart and knowing the great powers that a man who has touched divine perfection possesses, people in the East regard closely the pleasure and displeasure of the sage. They think that to annoy a sage is like annoying the whole of nature, to disturb his tranquility means to shake the whole universe. A storm in the sea is a very small thing, whereas the heart that has touched perfection, if once upset, can upset the whole universe.

正因了解聖哲之心的這種本性，也知道一個觸及神聖圓滿的人具有何等巨大的力量，東方人對聖哲的歡喜與不悅格外慎重。他們認為，惹怒一位聖哲，就如同擾怒整個自然界；擾動他的寧靜，就意味著撼動整個宇宙。海上的一場暴風雨其實算不了什麼；然而，一顆已觸及圓滿的心，一旦受到擾動，卻足以擾動整個宇宙。

Sweet Water
淡水

The water of the river is sweet. It is sweet because it is attracted to the sea, it is longing to reach the sea. The river represents the loving quality, a quality that is seeking for the object it loves. A heart that loves God and His perfection is likened to the river that seeks the sea. It is therefore that the personality of the seeker is more pleasant than the personality of the one who is contented with what he knows. There is little danger in traveling on the river, there is great joy in swimming in the river, and there is a fine scenery along it to look at. So it is with the personality which is like the river: that running of the feeling of sympathy, that continual running, means a living sympathy. The river helps the trees and plants and the earth along it. So does the kind, sympathetic person whose feeling is liquid: everywhere he goes he takes with him that influence which nourishes, which helps souls to flourish and to progress.

河流的水是甘甜的。它之所以甘甜，是因為它受到大海的吸引，渴望抵達大海。河流代表的是愛的品質，是一種追尋所愛對象的品質。一顆愛神、愛祂之圓滿的心，就如同一條尋向大海的河流。因此，尋求者的人格往往比安於自己已有認知之人的人格更令人親近。航行在河流上的危險很小，在河中游泳有很大的喜悅，而沿岸還有優美的景色可供欣賞。像河流一樣的人格也是如此：那不斷流動的體恤之情，那持續不息的流動，意味著一種活生生的體恤。河流滋養沿岸的樹木、植物與土地；同樣地，一個仁慈而富有體恤、情感如水般流動的人，無論走到哪裡，都會帶著一種滋養的影響力，幫助靈魂蓬勃生長、不斷前進。

The Stream
小溪

Then one sometimes sees a little stream. It runs, it is not a river, it is a small little stream running, and it is even more beautiful to look at for it expresses modesty, it expresses fineness of character, it expresses purity. For always the water of a little stream is pure. It expresses the nature of an innocent heart, the heart that cannot be prevented from being sympathetic, from being loving, by any experience of the world which makes water turn bitter. The bitter experience has not touched it, and it is pure and clear. It inspires poets, it uplifts a composer, it quenches the thirst of the thirsty one, it is an ideal spot for a painter to paint. With its modesty it has purity and with its purity it has life.

有時，人會看見一條小溪。它不停流動；它不是河流，只是一條細細流淌的小溪，然而看起來甚至更加美麗，因為它表現出謙遜、性情的細緻與純淨。小溪的水總是清澈純淨。它表現的是一顆純真之心的本性；無論世間有多少足以使水變苦的經驗，都無法阻止這顆心去體恤、去愛。苦澀的經驗尚未觸及它，因此它清澈而純淨。它能啟發詩人，提升作曲家的靈感，為口渴的人解渴，也是畫家最理想的寫生之處。它因謙遜而純淨，又因純淨而具有生命。

The Little Pool
小水池

There is also the water of a little pool. It is sometimes muddy, sometimes dirty. Why? Because of its narrowness, because it is small. In the same way the narrowness of the heart has always mud in it. Because it is narrow and because it is not deep enough, all the elements of the earth enter it and take away its purity.

還有小水池裡的水。有時混濁，有時污穢。為什麼？因為它狹小，因為它的範圍有限。同樣地，狹隘的心中總會有泥濘。正因為它狹窄，而且不夠深，大地上的各種雜質都會進入其中，奪去它的純淨。

The Large Pool
大水池

Then there is the water of a large pool, where water-lilies grow, where little fishes swim, where the sun is reflected and the moonlight produces a beautiful vision, where one would like to sit and look at it because it expresses to everyone that sees it the liquid nature of the heart, the heart that is not frozen, the heart that is like water. It is still, it is calm, it can make one’s heart tranquil to sit by its side. One can see one’s reflection in it, for it is calm, it is tranquil.

然後還有大水池裡的水。水面上生長著睡蓮，小魚在其中游動；太陽映照其上，月光也在水面形成美麗的景象。人會想坐在池畔凝望著它，因為它向每一個看見它的人展現了一顆如水之心的本性：一顆沒有凍結的心，一顆像水一樣的心。它安靜而平和；坐在它身旁，自己的心也會隨之寧靜。人可以在其中看見自己的倒影，因為它平靜而安定。

The Spring
泉水

The water of the spring is most healing and most inspiring because it comes from above and falls on to the earth; that is the character of the inspirational mind. The heart that, like a spring, pours out water in the form of inspiration-be it in poetry, be it in music, in whatever form-has beauty, it has a healing quality, it can take away all the worries, anxieties, difficulties and troubles of those who come to it. Like the water of the spring it not only inspires but it heals. Then there is a fountain that rises and falls in so many drops. It is man-made as the personality also is man-made. When man has made a personality, then the feeling that rises from the heart through that personality is like the fountain: each drop falling from it comes in the form of a virtue.

泉水最具有療癒與啟發的力量，因為它從上方湧出，落向大地；這正是充滿靈感之頭腦的特質。一顆如泉水般將靈感不斷湧出的心——無論以詩歌、音樂或任何其他形式呈現——都具有美，也具有療癒的品質；它可以帶走來到它面前之人的一切憂慮、焦躁、困難與煩惱。如同泉水，它不只帶來啟發，也帶來療癒。還有一種噴泉，向上湧起，又化成無數水滴落下。噴泉是人所造的，正如人格也是人所塑造的。當一個人塑造出自己的人格之後，從心中升起、再透過這人格流露出來的情感，就像一座噴泉：每一滴落下的水，都化為一種美德。

Water Vapor
水蒸氣

The water that rises from the sea towards the sky in the form of vapor represents the aspiration of the heart. The heart that aspires upward, that wishes to reach upward, that heart shows the quality of vapor. It is the heart of the devotee, of the seeker, the heart of the one who is always conscientiously seeking the higher ideal, touching the higher principles. In the form of clouds that heart of aspiration forms itself and pours down just like the rain, bringing celestial beauty in the form of art, poetry or music, or of anything that is good and beautiful.

從大海以蒸氣形式升向天空的水，代表著心向上的嚮往。一顆仰望高處、渴望向上抵達的心，便展現出水蒸氣的品質。這是虔敬者的心，是尋求者的心，是那始終真誠追尋更高理想、觸及更高法則之人的心。這顆充滿嚮往的心凝聚成雲，又如雨一般降下，以藝術、詩歌、音樂，或任何善與美的形式，將天上的美帶到人間。

Sulphury Water
硫磺泉水

There are hearts that have been impregnated with fire for a long, long time; there comes a sulphury water from them, purifying and healing. The heart has gone through fire, it has gone through suffering and therefore it can heal those who suffer.

有些心長久以來一直受到火的浸透；從這樣的心中流出的，就如硫磺泉水一般，具有淨化與療癒的力量。這顆心曾經穿越烈火，曾經歷經苦難，因此它能夠療癒那些正在受苦的人。

Chemicals in Water
水中的化學物質

There are hearts with many different qualities, like water may contain different chemical substances: those who have suffered, those who have gone through the test of patience, those who have contemplated. These hearts all represent one or the other kind of the water that heals and so do the personalities. Persons who have had deep experiences of any kind-of suffering, of agony, of love, of hate, of solitude, of association, of success, of failure-all have a particular quality, a quality which has a particular use for others.

心也有許多不同的品質，就像水中可能含有不同的化學物質：那些曾經受苦的人，那些通過耐心考驗的人，那些曾深入觀想的人。這些心都代表著某一種具有療癒力量的水，而由它們形成的人格也是如此。凡是深刻經歷過某種人生經驗的人——無論是痛苦、煎熬、愛、恨、孤獨、與人相處、成功或失敗——都會具有某種特殊的品質，而這種品質對他人有其特定的作用。

Knowing this we will come to this conclusion: “Whatever has been my life’s destiny, my heart through sorrow or pain, through joy or pleasure, has prepared a chemical substance that serves a certain purpose for humanity. And I can only give that chemical substance for the use of humanity if I can keep my heart awake and open.” Once the heart is closed, once it is frozen, once it has turned from a warm heart into a stone, the person is no longer living. It does not matter what he has gone through, for even the worst poison can be of some use. There is no person therefore, however wicked, who is of no use, if only he knows that there is one condition for being useful to humanity, and that is to keep the heart open.

理解了這一點，我們便會得出這樣的結論：「無論我的人生有著什麼樣的命運，我的心都已經透過悲傷與痛苦、透過喜悅與歡樂，製成了一種能為人類發揮某種作用的化學物質。而只有當我能讓自己的心保持清醒與敞開時，我才能將這種化學物質提供給人類使用。」一旦心關閉了，一旦心凍結了，一旦一顆溫暖的心變成了石頭，這個人便不再真正活著。無論他曾經歷過什麼，都已無關緊要，因為即使最猛烈的毒藥也可能具有某種用途。因此，無論一個人多麼邪惡，都不是全然無用的；只要他明白，若要對人類有用，有一個必要條件，那就是讓心保持敞開。

Spiritual Attainment
靈性成就

Now coming to spiritual attainment: this is something that we can never absorb through the head; it can only be received through the heart. Let two persons listen to the teachings of a teacher, one with his heart and the other with his head. The latter will think, “Is it so, or is it not so? And how is it, if it is so? How can it be, and if it is, why is it?” And there is never an end to the “why.” The other person will listen with his heart; both logic and reason are at his disposal, but they do not trouble him. His heart is open, he listens to it and the quality of the heart is such that whatever falls upon an open heart becomes instantly revealed. When one says, “I cannot understand you” it is just like saying, “I have closed my heart to you”; there is no other reason for not understanding. And when one says, “I have understood it all,” it means the heart was open; that is why one has understood.

現在談到靈性成就：這是我們永遠無法透過頭腦吸收的東西，只能透過心來領受。假設有兩個人聆聽一位老師的教導，一個人用心聽，另一個人用頭腦聽。後者會想：「真是這樣嗎？還是不是這樣？如果是這樣，究竟怎麼會如此？這怎麼可能？如果真是如此，又為什麼？」這樣的「為什麼」永遠沒有盡頭。另一個人則用心聆聽；邏輯與理性同樣都可供他運用，但它們不會困擾他。他的心是敞開的，他用心聆聽；而心的品質就是如此：任何落入一顆敞開之心的事物，都會立即顯明。當一個人說：「我無法理解你」，其實就像是在說：「我已經向你關閉了我的心。」不理解並沒有其他原因。而當一個人說：「我全都明白了」，這表示他的心是敞開的；正因如此，他才能明白。

Understanding, therefore, does not depend upon the head, it depends upon the heart. By the help of the head one can make things more clear, they become intelligible, one can express them better, but understanding must begin to come from the heart, not from the head. Besides, with his head a person says, “Yes, it must be so because I think so, but with his heart he says, “it is so because I believe it to be so.” That is the difference: in one person there is doubt, in the other conviction.

因此，理解並不取決於頭腦，而取決於心。藉助頭腦，一個人可以把事情弄得更加清楚，使它變得可以理解，也能表達得更加明確；然而，真正的理解必須從心開始，而不是從頭腦開始。此外，當一個人用頭腦時，他會說：「是的，一定是如此，因為我是這樣想的。」但當他用心時，他會說：「它就是如此，因為我確信它如此。」這就是兩者的差別：一個人心中有懷疑，另一個人心中有確信。

In an Eastern language there is a word which is very difficult to translate: iman. It is not exactly faith or belief – the nearest word one can find for it is conviction, a conviction that cannot be changed by anything, a conviction that does not come from outside. One always seeks for conviction, one asks, “Will anybody convince me, will this thing convince me?” Nothing convinces, nobody convinces. Conviction is something that comes from one’s own heart and it stands above faith and belief, for belief is the beginning of the same thing of which faith is the development and conviction the culmination.

在某個東方語言中，有一個很難翻譯的詞：iman。它並不完全等同於信心或相信；最接近的詞是「確信」——一種任何事物都無法動搖的確信，一種並非來自外界的確信。人總是在尋找確信，總會問：「有人能說服我嗎？這件事能讓我確信嗎？」然而，沒有什麼事物能使人確信，也沒有人能使另一個人真正確信。確信是從自己的心中升起的，它高於信心與相信；因為相信是同一件事的開始，信心是它的發展，而確信則是它的圓滿。

What is spiritual attainment? Spiritual attainment is conviction. A man may think, “Perhaps it is so”; he may think about the best doctrine or about the highest idea that there is, and he will think, “it is so-perhaps.” But there is “perhaps” attached to it. Then there is another person who cannot use the word “perhaps” because he does not think about it; he cannot say, “It may be so” when he knows that it is so. When a person arrives at the stage where the knowledge of reality becomes his conviction, then there is nothing in the world that will change it. If there is anything to attain to, it is that conviction which one can never find in the world outside; it must rise from the depth of one’s own heart.

什麼是靈性成就？靈性成就就是確信。一個人也許會想：「或許是這樣。」他可以思考世上最好的教義，也可以思考最高的理念，最後仍會想：「或許，它是如此。」其中始終還附帶著一個「或許」。然而，另一個人卻無法使用「或許」這個詞，因為他並不是在思考它；當他知道事情就是如此時，他不可能說：「也許是如此。」當一個人抵達某個階段，對實相的認知成為他的確信，那麼世上再沒有任何東西可以改變它。如果真有什麼值得成就，那便是這份確信；它永遠無法在外在世界中找到，只能從自己內心深處升起。

Man Is His Heart
人的本質在於心

The scientists say that the body is formed around the heart; from the mystical point of view it is symbolical that the personality is formed around the heart. For a materialist the heart is a piece of flesh hidden in the breast; for the mystic the heart is the center around which the personality is formed. Consciously or unconsciously man loves to hear the word “heart” and if we asked a poet to leave the word “heart” out of his poems he would never succeed to satisfy himself or others. Few people think about it and yet almost all poets who have appealed to humanity have used the word “heart” most. For what is man? Man is his heart. And what is heart? Heart is man: a dead heart – a dead man, a living heart – a living man.

科學家說，身體是環繞著心臟形成的；從神祕主義的觀點來看，這象徵著人格也是環繞著心形成的。對唯物主義者而言，心只是一塊藏在胸中的血肉；對神祕主義者而言，心則是人格形成所環繞的中心。無論自覺或不自覺，人總喜歡聽見「心」這個字。如果我們要求一位詩人在詩中完全不用「心」這個字，他永遠無法使自己或別人感到滿足。很少有人真正思考過這件事，然而，幾乎所有曾打動人類的詩人，最常使用的字就是「心」。因為，人究竟是什麼？人就是他的心。那麼，心又是什麼？心就是人：死去的心，就是死去的人；活著的心，就是活著的人。

People look for phenomena, for something wonderful, something surprising, something that amuses them. If only they knew that the greatest surprise and wonder can be found in their own heart. If there is anything that can tune man to a higher pitch or to a lower pitch, that can loosen the strings of his soul or tune them to the right note, it can only be done by the tuning of the heart. The one who has not reached his heart cannot reach God, and the one who has not reached the heart of his fellowman has not reached him. People may become friends, they may become acquaintances, relations, they may become connected through industry, political friendship, partnership in business or any collaboration, and yet they may be separated. Nearness in space does not bring the nearness of real friendship. There is only one way of coming near to one another and that is by way of the heart.

人們總在尋找奇異現象，尋找令人驚嘆、出乎意料、足以娛樂自己的事物。殊不知，最大的驚奇與奇蹟，其實就存在於自己的心中。如果有什麼能將一個人調到更高或更低的音準，能使他靈魂的琴弦鬆弛，或將它調到正確的音調，那只能透過心的調音來完成。尚未抵達自己內心的人，便無法抵達神；尚未抵達他人之心的人，也尚未真正抵達那個人。人們可以成為朋友，可以彼此相識、建立關係，也可以因工作、政治上的友誼、商業夥伴關係或任何形式的合作而連結在一起，然而彼此仍可能是分離的。空間上的接近，並不會帶來真正友誼的親近。人與人之間只有一條真正靠近彼此的道路，那就是心的道路。

If there is anything most wonderful in heaven or on earth it is the heart. If there is anywhere a phenomenon, a miracle to be found it is in the heart. When God Himself is to be found in the heart what else is there that is not in it?

如果天地之間有什麼最奇妙的事物，那就是心。如果世上有任何奇異現象、任何奇蹟可以尋得，它就在心中。既然神自己都能在心中尋得，那麼還有什麼是不在心中的呢？

As the Nizam of Hyderabad, the mystic poet,” said, “They speak of the largeness of the sea, the largeness of the ocean, the largeness of the land – if only they knew how large is the heart that accommodates them all!”

正如海德拉巴的尼扎姆，那位神祕主義詩人所說：「人們談論海有多麼廣大、洋有多麼浩瀚、大地有多麼遼闊——如果他們知道，那顆能容納這一切的心究竟有多麼廣大！」

The greatness of man, the smallness of man does not depend upon outer things. Be he rich or poor, whatever be his position in life, whatever his rank, if his heart is not great he cannot be great. And no matter what be his circumstances, if the heart is still great it remains great. It is the heart that makes man great or small.

一個人的偉大或渺小，並不取決於外在事物。無論他貧窮或富有，無論他在生活中處於什麼位置、具有什麼地位，如果他的心不偉大，他就不可能真正偉大。同樣地，無論他的處境如何，只要他的心依然偉大，他便依然偉大。真正使人偉大或渺小的，是他的心。

Types of Hearts
各種不同的心

One may see hearts of different qualities: there is a golden heart, a silver heart, a copper heart and there is an iron heart.

人可以看見具有不同品質的心：有金子般的心、銀子般的心、銅一般的心，也有鐵一般的心。

• The golden heart shows its color and its beauty; it is precious and at the same time it is soft.
  
  黃金般的心展現著它的色澤與美麗；它珍貴，同時也柔軟。

• The silver heart shows itself inferior compared to the golden heart; yet it is of silver that the current coins are made, so it is useful.
  
  白銀般的心與金子般的心相比，顯得稍遜一籌；然而，流通的貨幣正是由銀所製，因此它有實際的用途。

• There is the heart of copper of which pennies are made, and pennies are useful in everyday life; one has to use them more than gold and silver. Copper is hard and strong; it needs many hammerings to bend and shape it, to make something out of it.
  
  還有銅一般的心。銅可以製成便士，而便士在日常生活中十分有用；人們甚至比使用金銀更加頻繁地使用它。銅堅硬而強韌，需要經過一次又一次的錘打，才能將它彎曲、塑形，製成有用的器物。

• And then there is the iron heart which must be put into the fire before one can do anything with it. When in the glowing fire the iron has become hot then one can make something out of it. But how long does the heat of the fire last with it? A very short time! The blacksmith must be always ready; as soon as the fire begins to glow he must make something of it, for if he lets the moment go the iron will turn cold.
  
  然後還有鐵一般的心。必須先把鐵放進火中，才能對它有所加工。當鐵在熾熱的火中燒紅之後，人才能將它鍛造成某種形狀。但是，火的熱度能在鐵中維持多久？只有極短的時間！鐵匠必須時刻準備著；一旦鐵被燒紅，就必須立刻鍛造，因為稍縱即逝，鐵便又會冷卻下來。

• Besides these different aspects there is a heart of rock, and there is a heart of wax. The heart of rock must be broken, it must be cut in order to make something out of it; nothing reaches it, cold or heat, sun or water have little effect upon it.
  
  除了這些不同的心之外，還有岩石般的心，也有蠟一般的心。岩石般的心必須被敲開、被切割，才能從中塑造出什麼；幾乎沒有什麼能深入其中，寒冷或炎熱、陽光或水，對它都只有很小的作用。

• The heart of wax melts as soon as it is heated. You can shape it without breaking it; it is soft, you can turn it any way you like.
  
  蠟一般的心只要一受熱便會融化。你不必打碎它，就能將它塑造成形；它是柔軟的，可以依你的意思改變形狀。

• There is also the heart of paper you make a kite with. It flies and goes up; if the wind is in the north it goes to the north, if the wind is in the south it goes to the south. You can control it as long as the wind does not blow it out of your hands and as long as the wind is strong enough to hold it in the sky. But when there is no more wind it will drop down, and so you will try it again-like a kite.
  
  還有紙一般的心，就像做成風箏的紙。它會飛翔、會升上天空；風往北吹，它就往北，風往南吹，它便往南。只要風沒有強到把它從你手中吹走，而且風力仍足以讓它停留在空中，你就還能控制它。然而，一旦風停了，它便會掉下來；於是你又再試一次——就像放風箏一般。

Are these sufficient examples for the heart of man? There are numberless hearts, each different in quality, and once we begin to look at them and to distinguish their peculiarities and qualities we begin to see a living phenomenon, a miracle, every moment of our life. Is there anything we can compare the heart with?

這些例子足以說明人心了嗎？心的種類其實不計其數，每一顆都有不同的品質。一旦我們開始觀察它們，辨認它們各自獨特的特性與品質，我們便會在生命的每一刻，看見一個活生生的奇異現象、一個奇蹟。究竟有什麼能真正與心相比呢？

It is something that dies and then lives again, something that is torn and can be mended again, something that can be broken and be made whole again, something that can rise and something that can fall, and after falling can rise again, and after rising can fall instantly if it was to fall. There is a heart that can creep and a heart that can walk; there is a heart that can run and a heart that can fly. We cannot limit the various actions of the heart. Imagine how the heart can be illuminated in a moment and how it can be darkened in a moment, how the heart becomes a maze for us to enter without ever being able to get out again, how it can become confusion and how it can become paradise. If one asked: Where is the soul? Where can we see the soul manifest to view? Where is paradise? Where is heaven? Where is joy and pleasure? If one asked: Where is love? Where is God? We can answer each of these questions by saying: it is in the heart.

心是一種會死去、又能重新活過來的東西；是一種被撕裂之後還能再次縫合的東西；是一種破碎之後又能重新完整的東西。它能升起，也能墜落；墜落之後可以再度升起，而升起之後，如果它注定要墜落，也可能在一瞬間落下。有的心只能匍匐，有的心能行走；有的心能奔跑，有的心則能飛翔。我們無法限制心所能展現的種種活動。試想，一顆心如何能在一瞬間被照亮，又如何能在一瞬間陷入黑暗；心如何能成為一座迷宮，使我們走入其中，再也找不到出口；它如何能成為混亂，又如何能成為天堂。如果有人問：靈魂在哪裡？我們在哪裡能看見靈魂顯現？樂園在哪裡？天堂在哪裡？喜悅與歡樂在哪裡？如果又有人問：愛在哪裡？神在哪裡？我們可以對每一個問題都回答：就在心中。

imagine how wonderful and at the same time how obscure to our view! If we call the heart the spark of fire then we can see its different aspects: as sympathy in the form of heat, as longing in the form of fire, as affection in the form of glow, as devotion in the form of flame, as passion in the form of smoke that blinds the eyes.

試想，心是何等奇妙，卻又同時何等難以看清！如果我們把心稱為一點火星，那麼便能看見它不同的面貌：體恤以溫熱的形式呈現，渴望以火的形式呈現，深情以光熱的形式呈現，虔敬以火焰的形式呈現，而激情則化為遮蔽雙眼的煙霧。

That which gives courage to stand firm in the battlefield, that which enables man to struggle throughout his life, that which gives him the strength to endure all that comes and strengthens him to have patience – what is it? It is the heart. If the heart fails, man falls, if the heart rises, man rises.

那使一個人在戰場上有勇氣堅定站立的力量，那使他能在人生中持續奮鬥的力量，那使他有能力承受一切遭遇、又使他具有忍耐的力量——那究竟是什麼？就是心。心若衰敗，人便倒下；心若升起，人也隨之升起。

When the heart is directed towards one ideal, one object, one point, it develops, but when the heart goes from one point to another it is weakened, for then the fire element of the heart dies. For instance, a little spark can be brought to a blaze if one blows upon it, but the flame is put out by the wind. Why? Because blowing directs the air to one single spark, but the wind goes all around it and extinguishes the flame.

當心專注於一個理想、一個對象、一個焦點時，它便會成長；但當心從一個焦點轉向另一個焦點時，它就會被削弱，因為心中的火元素於是逐漸熄滅。譬如，一點小小的火星，只要對著它吹氣，就能使它燃起烈焰；然而，一陣風卻可能將火焰吹滅。為什麼？因為吹氣是把空氣集中導向那一點火星，而風卻從四面八方吹來，反而使火焰熄滅。

When man begins to say, “I love everybody” you can be sure he loves nobody. But when he says, “I love my mother, my father, my son, my daughter, my friend, or my beloved,” then you can believe that he has taken his first step on the path of love. Can anyone in the world claim love and at the same time know love? The moment one knows what love is one loses the claim. One can only say, “love” as long as one does not know what it is. Before saying, “love” one must first show it by jumping into the fire.

當一個人開始說：「我愛所有人」，你幾乎可以確定，他其實誰也不愛。然而，當他說：「我愛我的母親、我的父親、我的兒子、我的女兒、我的朋友，或我的所愛」，那麼你才可以相信，他已經在愛的道路上踏出了第一步。世上有誰能一面自稱擁有愛，一面又真正懂得愛？一旦真正知道愛是什麼，人便不再宣稱自己有愛。只有在尚未知道愛是什麼時，人才能輕易說出「愛」。在說「愛」之前，人必須先以投身火中來證明它。

As Amir Minai, the great Hindustani poet, says, “Your first initiation in the order of lovers is to become nothing.” And another poet says, “Oh love! You have taught me that lesson first which many others learn at the end.”

正如偉大的印度斯坦詩人阿米爾‧米奈所說：「你在愛者之道上的第一次啟蒙，就是化為無有。」另一位詩人則說：「愛啊！你最先教會我的這一課，許多人卻要到最後才學會。」

When a person says, “If you will be good to me, I will be good to you; if you will be kind to me, I will be kind to you; if you will be nice to me, I will be nice to you; if you will respect me, I will honor you” – it is like saying, “If you will give me ninepence, I will give you a shilling.” It is business. When a person says, “I wish there was somebody who loved me, a friend, someone,” he is very mistaken. He will never be loved; he may wait for eternity. Love never asks love of someone else; love is more independent than anything else. It is love which makes one independent.

當一個人說：「你若善待我，我就善待你；你若對我仁慈，我就對你仁慈；你若對我好，我就對你好；你若尊重我，我就敬重你。」這就像是在說：「你給我九便士，我就給你一先令。」這是一樁交易。當一個人說：「但願有人愛我，有一個朋友、有某個人愛我。」他就大錯特錯了。他永遠等不到真正的愛；即使等到永恆也一樣。愛從不向別人索求愛；愛比任何事物都更加獨立。真正使一個人獨立的，正是愛。

There is love that is like an infant. It must be taken in the arms, it cannot stand; if it is not taken in the arms it cries. It is not mature, it is not developed, it is not yet love. There is love which is like a wobbling child that has not yet learned to walk. It likes to walk but it likes to hold the cupboard, the chair, the table, someone else, in order to go so far. That love too is undeveloped. Then there is love that stands on its own feet and walks by itself. That is independent love, and you can depend upon it.

有一種愛像嬰兒一樣。必須有人把它抱在懷裡，因為它還站不起來；如果沒有人抱，它就哭泣。這樣的愛尚未成熟、尚未成長，還不能稱為真正的愛。也有一種愛像剛學走路、步履蹣跚的孩子。它想要走路，卻總要扶著櫥櫃、椅子、桌子，或依靠另一個人，才能向前走。這樣的愛也尚未成熟。然後，有一種愛能用自己的雙腳站立，能自己向前走。那才是獨立的愛，也是你能夠信賴的愛。

Love shows its quality by constancy. Where there is no constancy there is no love. People have wrongly understood the meaning of love; very often they do not know it. The real meaning of love is life itself, the feeling of life, the feeling: I live. That feeling itself is love. So what is love? Love is God. And what is God? God is love.

愛透過恆常不變展現它的品質。沒有恆常，就沒有愛。人們誤解了愛的意義；很多時候，他們根本不知道愛是什麼。愛真正的意義就是生命本身，是生命的感受，是「我活著」這個感受。這份感受本身就是愛。那麼，愛是什麼？愛就是神。神又是什麼？神就是愛。

As long as one is involved in selfish thoughts and actions in life one does not understand the meaning of love. Love is sacrifice, love is service, love is regard for the pleasure and displeasure of the beloved. That love, once it is understood, can be seen in all the different aspects of life: love for those who depend upon one, for those with whom one comes in contact in one’s everyday life, love for those of one’s country, of one’s race, for humanity. It can expand even to such an extent that there can be love for every little creature in the world, for the smallest insect. This expansion is like a drop of water expanding into an ocean. Man-limited as he is-the more he sympathizes the more he expands and the further he reaches heavenward: thus he can become as great as the Absolute.

只要一個人在生活中仍陷於自私的思想與行動，他就無法理解愛的意義。愛是犧牲，愛是服務，愛是在意所愛者的喜與不喜。一旦理解了這樣的愛，便能在生命各個不同的層面看見它：愛那些依賴自己的人，愛日常生活中與自己接觸的人，愛自己的國家、自己的種族，愛全人類。愛甚至能擴展到如此廣大的程度，使人能愛世界上的每一個微小生命，甚至最細小的昆蟲。這種擴展，就像一滴水逐漸擴展成一片海洋。人雖然有限，但他的體恤越廣，自己也就越擴展，越能向天上伸展；如此，他便能變得如絕對者一般廣大。

Therefore, instead of teaching the lesson of indifference, as many mystics have done, the Sufis have learned the lesson of love, of devotion, of sympathy, and have called it the cultivation of the heart. It is known by the word suluk, which means the loving manner. What we call refined manner is only a manner behind which there is no life. When manner is directed by the heart quality then it becomes living manner, the manner that comes from love, and all such attributes as kindness, gentleness, tolerance, forgiveness, mercy and compassion -they all spring from this loving manner.

因此，蘇菲並不像許多祕士那樣教導超然淡漠，而是學習愛、虔敬與體恤的功課，並將之稱為「心的培養」。這也以 suluk 一詞來表示，其意為「愛的行止」。我們所謂文雅的舉止，往往只是一種外在形式，背後並沒有生命。然而，當一個人的舉止受到心的品質引導時，它便成為有生命的行止，成為從愛而來的行止；仁慈、溫柔、寬容、寬恕、慈悲與憐憫等種種品質，全都從這愛的行止中生起。

The great teachers and prophets, and the inspirers of humanity of all times have not become what they were by their miracles or wonder-workings; these belong to other people. The main thing that could be seen in them was their loving manner. Read the lives of the prophets. First of all see the way Jesus Christ had with all those who came to him. When sinners who were condemned and expelled by society were brought to the master, he received them with compassion. He was not on the side of those who accused them, he was on the side of the accused. That was loving manner. The fishermen could never understand the master-even the most educated men would not have understood him, let alone the fishermen. Yet the master lived with them, moved with them and won their hearts in the end. That is loving manner.

歷代偉大的老師、先知，以及啟發人類的人，並不是因為行奇蹟或展現神異能力才成為他們所成為的人；那些事情其他人也可能做到。他們身上最主要、最值得看見的，是那份愛的行止。讀一讀先知們的生平。首先看看耶穌基督如何對待所有來到他面前的人。當那些遭社會譴責、排斥的罪人被帶到聖師面前時，他以慈悲接納他們。他沒有站在控告者那一邊，而是站在被控告者這一邊。這就是愛的行止。那些漁夫根本不可能理解聖師——即使受過最高教育的人都未必能理解他，更何況是漁夫。然而，聖師與他們共同生活，與他們同行，最後贏得了他們的心。這就是愛的行止。

Think of the Prophet whose beloved daughter was killed by an Arab, and when this man was brought before him and said, “will you forgive me?” the Prophet forgave him. When his worst enemies were brought before him in rows, arrested, waiting his command, he was king, conqueror and judge, the one who could do anything he liked to them. When they asked, “What are you going to do with us, Prophet?” he said, “You are my brothers. God may forgive you. I pray for you.”

想想那位先知，他摯愛的女兒被一名阿拉伯人殺害；當這個人被帶到他面前，問道：「你願意原諒我嗎？」先知原諒了他。當他最兇惡的敵人成排地被捕、帶到他面前，等待他的命令時，他既是王者、征服者，也是審判者，可以任意決定如何處置他們。當他們問：「先知啊，你準備如何處置我們？」他回答：「你們是我的弟兄。願神寬恕你們。我為你們祈禱。」

The compassion of Buddha went to every living creature, to the smallest insect; this shows the expansion of his love. Remember therefore that for higher attainment on the spiritual path study is secondary; all knowledge of occult and psychic law, all magical powers, are secondary. The first and most important principle is the cultivation of the heart quality.

佛陀的慈悲遍及每一個生命，甚至最微小的昆蟲；這展現了他的愛擴展到何等廣大的程度。因此要記得，在靈性道路上追求更高的成就時，研讀只是次要的；所有關於神祕學與靈能法則的知識，以及一切神奇能力，也都是次要的。首要而最重要的原則，是培養心的品質。

One may ask: How to cultivate the heart quality? There is only one way: to become selfless at each step one takes forward on this path, for what prevents one from cultivating the loving quality is the thought of self. The more we think of our self the less we think of others, and as we go further the self grows to become worse and worse. In the end the self meets us as a giant which we had always fought; and now at the end of the journey the giant is the stronger. But if from the first step we take on the path of perfection we struggled and fought and conquered this giant which is the self, it could be done only by the increasing power of love.

有人也許會問：要如何培養心的品質？只有一條路：在這條道路上每向前踏出一步，都變得更加無私；因為阻礙我們培養愛之品質的，正是對自我的念頭。我們越多想到自己，就越少想到別人；而隨著我們繼續向前，自我便愈發膨脹，情況也變得愈來愈糟。到了最後，自我會像一個巨人般出現在我們面前——那個我們一路上始終與之搏鬥的巨人；而在旅程終點，此時的巨人反而變得更加強大。然而，如果我們從踏上圓滿之路的第一步開始，就不斷與這個名為「自我」的巨人奮戰並將它克服，那麼能做到這件事的，唯有不斷增長的愛之力量。

What do I mean by love? It is such a word that one cannot give one meaning. All attributes like kindness, gentleness, goodness, humbleness, mildness, fineness, are names of one and the same thing. Love therefore is that stream which when it rises falls in the form of a fountain, and each stream coming down is a virtue. All virtues taught by books or by a religious person have no strength and life because they have been learned; a virtue that is learned has no power, no life. The virtue that naturally springs from the depth of the heart, the virtue that rises from the love-spring and then falls as many different attributes, that virtue is real. There is a Hindustani saying, “No matter how much wealth you have, if you do not have the treasure of virtue, it is of no use.” The true riches is the ever increasing spring of love from which all virtues come.

我所說的愛究竟是什麼？這是一個無法只賦予單一意義的字。仁慈、溫柔、善良、謙卑、和善、細緻等等品質，其實都是同一件事的不同名稱。因此，愛就像一道水流；當它向上湧起，又如噴泉般落下時，每一道落下的水流都化為一種美德。所有從書本或宗教人士那裡學來的美德，都缺乏力量與生命，因為它們只是學習而來的；學來的美德沒有力量，也沒有生命。唯有那從心的深處自然湧出的美德，那從愛之泉升起、又化為種種不同品質落下的美德，才是真實的美德。印度斯坦有一句話說：「無論你擁有多少財富，如果沒有美德的寶藏，一切都毫無用處。」真正的富有，是那不斷增長的愛之泉；所有美德，都從這泉水中湧出。

---