16. The Message
16. 神聖訊息

September 1, 1925

1925 年 9 月 1 日

My Blessed Mureeds,

我蒙福的門徒們：

There often arises a question in the mind of a faithful devotee of the Cause. One thinks, “If one would know Murshid better,” or, “If one would understand the Message more fully.” Is it not enough for my true mureeds to know that Murshid is a servant of God and humanity, whose privilege it is to have sincere friends like you to stand by him in his strife?

一位忠誠奉獻於這神聖事業的人，心中常會生起一個問題。有人會想：「如果能更了解穆希德（Murshid）就好了。」或者：「如果能更充分地理解這神聖訊息就好了。」對我真正的門徒而言，知道穆希德是神與人類的僕人，而他所享有的殊榮，就是有像你們這樣真誠的朋友，在他的奮鬥中與他並肩而立，難道還不夠嗎？

And in answer to the question of what the Message is, I would say that it is not in particular dogmas which I would call the Message, nor is it certain new doctrines which are given to you which I would call the Message. There are no moral principles preached here to name them as the Message.

至於「神聖訊息是什麼」這個問題，我會說，我所稱為神聖訊息的，並不是某些特定的教條；也不是傳授給你們的某些新教義，我會稱之為神聖訊息。在這裡所宣講的，也不是一些可以被稱為神聖訊息的道德原則。

The Message should be regarded in two aspects.

神聖訊息應從兩個面向來看。

1. The one aspect is that, in spite of all culture and progress, humanity is going backwards, and that lacking is the absence of true idealism. It is a shadow of idealism which pulls man down towards the earth.
   第一個面向是：儘管有了所有的文化與進步，人類卻正在倒退；而所欠缺的，正是真正的理想主義。那將人向下拉向大地的，只是理想主義的一道影子。
2. The real idealism is a ladder that helps man to reach that purpose for which the world was created. If in the form of devotion, in the form of philosophy, in the form of mysticism, there is anything given by this Message, it is the ideals which ennoble souls, and which make souls realize their origin, which is divine aristocracy.
   真正的理想主義是一座梯子，幫助人抵達這世界被創造的那個目的。這神聖訊息若以奉獻的形式、哲學的形式、祕學的形式給予了任何東西，那便是那些使靈魂變得高貴的理想，使靈魂認識到自身的本源——那神聖的高貴性。

A man unconscious of that noble spirit which is in him remains poor with all the wealth and position he may have. The lack of rest and peace which we find in the world today, and which is continued in spite of all different efforts being made to bring about peace, shows what is lacking, what is absent in humanity.

一個沒有覺察到自己內在那高貴精神的人，無論擁有多少財富與地位，仍然是貧乏的。今日我們在世界上所見的不得安息與缺乏和平，儘管人們以種種不同的努力試圖帶來和平，卻仍持續存在；這正顯示出人類所欠缺的是什麼、所缺少的是什麼。

It is not necessary that an idealist must be impractical, that an idealist must be dreamy, that an idealist must be imaginative. One can have practical sense, one can have common sense, one can do all things in the world that are necessary and yet be idealistic; that is the lesson to be learned today.

一個理想主義者並不必然是不切實際的，也不必然愛作夢，更不必然耽於想像。一個人可以有實際的判斷力，可以有常識，可以做世上一切必要的事，同時仍然懷抱理想；這正是今日需要學習的功課。

The more we study the life of many with wealth and position, with rank, with power, at the end of examination we see them too small for all they have; they are most limited, with closed eyes. And when one sees with open eyes one will see that they are the ones who are dreamy, who sleep, and whose imaginations are worthless.

我們愈深入觀察許多擁有財富與地位、身分與權力之人的生活，最後便愈會看見：相較於他們所擁有的一切，他們本身顯得太過渺小；他們極其受限，雙眼緊閉。而當我們睜開眼睛去看，就會發現真正活在夢中的正是他們；是他們在沉睡，是他們的想像毫無價值。

No one who has seen human nature with the x-ray of his heart will deny the fact that there is some spirit in many people today which is not allowed to mature. And that is the spirit of idealism, a spirit which helps one to go upwards, to rise, a spirit which helps one to express that nobleness which is divine in man. If the Sufi Message takes the form of an esoteric school, through all these forms it has to give one and the same thing: to give the ladder to mankind to climb upwards.

凡是曾以心的 X 光透視人性的人，都不會否認一項事實：今日許多人內在有一種精神，未被容許成熟。那就是理想主義的精神，一種幫助人向上、提升的精神，一種幫助人表達出人之內那神聖高貴性的精神。即使蘇菲神聖訊息採取祕學學院的形式，它透過所有這些形式所要給予的，始終是同一件事：給人類一座向上攀登的梯子。

And you will ask, “How shall I define what idealism is?” The ideal is something which one keeps before one’s eyes, something which is not easily reached, something which is not easily touched, but which one can always see and keep before one, and try one day to reach. The person who has the ideal naturally has sentiments, his imaginations are graceful, his thoughts wonderful, his actions beautiful, his atmosphere magnetic. For it is the ideal which makes life worth living.

而你們會問：「我要如何定義什麼是理想主義？」理想，就是我們始終放在眼前的某樣事物；它不容易抵達，不容易觸及，但我們總能看見它，把它放在眼前，並努力有一天抵達它。擁有理想的人，自然會有情感；他的想像優美，思想美好，行動美麗，而他的氛圍具有磁性。因為正是理想，使生命值得活下去。

If all that the earth can give one, one has, and not the ideal, one will soon be tired of it. No doubt, this keeps man living, when he thinks, “I have not money,” or, “I have not power,” or, “I have not something else.” And when he is waiting, in that waiting either he is striving or struggling in order to get it, and that makes him live and pass time. But if he dives deep into the secret of life he will find that even such things which one has not got, if they were at one’s disposal, even then one would not be satisfied.

如果一個人已擁有大地所能給予的一切，卻沒有理想，他很快便會對這一切感到厭倦。毫無疑問，當一個人想著：「我沒有錢」，或「我沒有權力」，或「我還缺少其他某樣東西」時，這些念頭會使他繼續活下去。而在等待之中，他或是努力，或是奮鬥，好得到那些東西；這使他活著，也讓時間得以度過。然而，如果他深入生命的祕密，就會發現，即使那些自己尚未得到的東西全都任他取用，他仍然不會滿足。

There is only one way for life to be worth living, and that is that there should be someone to look up to, that there is something before one to attain to, there is something that one can hope to gain or to attain. And in this way, from one thing to another thing, one arrives at the throne of God, the ideal which is worth attaining, which is the only ideal worthwhile.

只有一種方式能使生命值得活下去，那就是：有一個人值得我們景仰，有某樣東西在前方等待我們抵達，有某樣事物是我們可以盼望獲得或達成的。如此，從一樣事物到另一樣事物，我們終將抵達神的寶座——那值得抵達的理想，也是唯一真正值得追求的理想。

The sign of life is enthusiasm; the sign of life is aspiration; the sign of life is hope. And if one has not got any of this, life is not worth living. Only hope to realize something which is worthless makes life worthless. Something which is passing makes life mortal. The aspiration of something which is dense turns one to denseness. A higher aspiration ennobles the soul, producing out of it all virtues which belong to man.

生命的徵象是熱忱；生命的徵象是向上追求；生命的徵象是希望。如果這些一樣也沒有，生命便不值得活。若所盼望實現的只是毫無價值之物，生命也會變得毫無價值。追求會消逝的事物，使生命落入必朽。渴望粗重之物，使人也趨向粗重。更高的追求則使靈魂變得高貴，從中生出一切屬於人的美德。

Take for instance, two persons. One person has everything in life to make him happy, and he is without an ideal before him. The other person has nothing in his life to make him happy, but there is an ideal before him. It is this person who is living, and the other person is dead with all he has. That shows that there is a side in man’s being — call it spirit — which remains unsatisfied with all that one has attained in one’s lifetime. The satisfaction of the spirit, which is the deepest being of man, lies only in the pursuit of the ideal.

舉兩個人為例。一個人在生命中擁有足以使他快樂的一切，卻沒有一個理想在前方。另一個人在生命中沒有任何足以使他快樂的事物，但他面前有一個理想。真正活著的是後者；前者儘管擁有一切，卻是死的。這顯示人的存在中有一個面向——姑且稱之為「靈」——無論一生中獲得多少成就，都仍不會因此滿足。靈是人最深層的存在，而靈的滿足，只存在於對理想的追尋之中。

With all progress that humanity makes, idealism neglected will show at each step towards progress a great lack, and nothing can substitute that lack. If there is anything that fills the gap, if there is anything that makes a bridge between God and man, it is the ideal. Naturally optimism comes when there is an ideal. Pessimism vanishes when there is an ideal. A new hope springs, and that hope brings a new life, when there is an ideal. And when there is a hope, willpower naturally develops. There is no hope without desire, and there is no desire without a will. All things change in one’s life as soon as one has placed before oneself an ideal.

無論人類取得多少進步，只要忽略了理想主義，在每一步進展之中都會顯露出巨大的欠缺，而沒有任何東西可以取代這份欠缺。若有什麼能填補這道空缺，若有什麼能在神與人之間架起橋樑，那就是理想。有了理想，樂觀自然生起；有了理想，悲觀便會消失；有了理想，新的希望便會湧現，而那希望帶來新的生命。當有了希望，意志力自然會發展。沒有渴望，就沒有希望；沒有意志，也就沒有渴望。一旦我們在自己面前立起一個理想，生命中的一切都會開始改變。

There cannot be a greater ideal than the thought of serving humanity in the path of God, in the path of truth. It is in this ideal that we all unite in the Sufi Movement, and in working for the Message. It is this ideal that we have to carry out. If it was not for this ideal then it would not be necessary to work for the furtherance of the Cause. One would have taken his practices, would have sat in solitude, would have tried to develop himself.

沒有比這更崇高的理想：在神之道上、在真理之道上服務人類。正是在這個理想之中，我們所有人在蘇菲運動裡合而為一，共同為神聖訊息工作。這就是我們必須實踐的理想。若不是為了這個理想，就沒有必要為推進這神聖事業而工作。一個人大可以領受自己的修持，獨自靜坐，努力發展自己。

I was often amused to hear from people saying, “I would be very glad to render services to the Cause, as soon as I have attained spirituality.” That means in return for the spiritual bliss the individual will give his service to the Cause. It is a good bargain. In reality, it is through service that we go higher, and it is through service that we attain that bliss which we wish to attain.

我常覺得有趣，聽見有人說：「等我獲得靈性之後，我會非常樂意為這神聖事業服務。」這意思是，這個人要以自己的服務，交換靈性上的至福。這倒是一筆好交易。事實上，是透過服務，我們才得以向上提升；也是透過服務，我們才獲得自己所渴望的那份至福。

It is not necessary to wait until we become spiritual. For what is spiritual?

我們不需要等到自己變得有靈性之後才開始。因為，什麼叫作「有靈性」呢？

• The ordinary meaning of being spiritual is to have spirit within us; we have it.
  
  「有靈性」最一般的意思，就是我們內在有靈；而我們本來就有。

• The other meaning of being spiritual is to rise to perfection. That can be accomplished by forgetting one’s own spiritual progress, by doing all the service which one can for others; it naturally makes one spiritual.
  
  「有靈性」的另一層意思，是提升至圓滿。而這可以藉由忘掉自己的靈性進展，盡自己所能為他人服務來完成；這自然會使一個人變得有靈性。

The person who waits and says, “I will do things when I am spiritual, and once I have become spiritual I shall do wonders,” it is just like saying, “I will be generous when my ship comes.” But who knows when the ship will come? Who knows when he will be spiritual?

一個人若只是等待，並說：「等我有了靈性，我才要開始做事；一旦我有了靈性，我就會成就非凡之事。」這就像是在說：「等我的船進港，我就會慷慨。」然而，誰知道那艘船什麼時候會來？誰知道他什麼時候才會變得有靈性？

Spirituality is not attained by saying, “I will be spiritual one day.” One must begin to do all one can for others; it is in this way that one gains spirituality. It is not by thinking that one will be spiritual, it is by forgetting about it that one will arrive at that stage.

靈性並不是靠著說「總有一天我要變得有靈性」而獲得的。我們必須開始盡自己所能為他人做事；正是以這種方式，一個人才獲得靈性。不是藉由想著自己將會變得有靈性，而是藉由忘掉這件事，一個人才會抵達那個境界。

There is no need for a person to worry about being spiritual; to be spiritual is to be natural. It is unnatural not to be spiritual. How can a spirit not be spiritual? Is man his body, or is he his soul? The man is his soul; then naturally he is spiritual to begin with. He has forgotten it. I have seen many people worrying over it, and they do not know what it is that they worry about. What is that they expect to attain?

一個人不需要為自己是否有靈性而擔憂；有靈性，就是自然。沒有靈性才是不自然的。一個靈怎麼可能沒有靈性？人是他的身體，還是他的靈魂？人就是他的靈魂；那麼，他從一開始自然就是靈性的，只是他忘記了。我見過許多人為此憂慮，卻不知道自己究竟是在憂慮什麼。他們到底期待獲得什麼呢？

No doubt, where there is an ideal, naturally the soul is uplifted. The greater the ideal, the greater the power. The higher the ideal, the higher the soul is lifted. The one who has a perfect ideal of God before him, he is always drawn towards perfection. He need not trouble or worry about it. He only has to hold the ideal before him and he will be lifted up.

毫無疑問，凡有理想之處，靈魂自然會受到提升。理想愈偉大，力量就愈大；理想愈崇高，靈魂也被提升得愈高。若一個人始終將神的圓滿理想放在自己面前，他便會不斷被吸引向圓滿。他不需要為此煩惱或憂慮；他只需要始終把這個理想放在眼前，自然就會被提升。

It is this upliftment which is called liberation.

正是這種提升，被稱為解脫。

God Bless You.

願神祝福你們。

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