22. The Freedom of Soul (1)
22. 靈魂的自由（1）

1. Desire for Freedom
對自由的渴望

Freedom is such that it is desired by every creature. From this we see that it is the soul’s tendency and the spirit’s longing to become free. Animals and birds, however carefully educated and tended by us, still have the instinct to avoid being confined.

自由是每一個生命都渴望的。由此我們可以看出，趨向自由是靈魂的本性，也是靈的渴望。動物與鳥類，無論我們如何細心地馴養和照料，仍然本能地想避免受到拘束。

Where does the desire for freedom begin? Its beginning is explained in a very beautiful way in some of the ancient stories.

對自由的渴望從何而來？一些古老的故事，以非常美麗的方式說明了它的起源。

The stories from the Hebrew and Arabic scriptures tell us that when God made Adam He commanded the spirit to enter the body of Adam, which he had made out of clay and water. When the spirit was commanded to enter, it refused, saying, “No, I will never become a captive in this dark prison, I who have always been free, dwelling anywhere without bondage, without barrier. I will never become captive in this place.” Then God said to the angels, “Sing.” And when they sang, the spirit fell into ecstasy, it became intoxicated by the beauty of the singing. While in this state of intoxication it did not know whither it was going, and thus it was that it entered the required place. So when Adam opened his eyes, the spirit was there; Adam was alive.

希伯來與阿拉伯經典中的故事告訴我們，神創造亞當時，命令靈進入亞當的身體；那身體是祂以泥土與水所造的。當靈受命進入其中時，它拒絕了，說：「不，我絕不願成為這座黑暗牢獄中的囚徒。我一向都是自由的，可以隨處而居，不受束縛，也沒有阻隔。我絕不願被囚禁在這裡。」於是神對天使說：「歌唱吧。」當天使開始歌唱，靈便進入狂喜之中，沉醉於歌聲的美。在這沉醉的狀態裡，它不知道自己正往哪裡去，於是就這樣進入了那個指定之處。因此，當亞當睜開眼睛時，靈已在其中；亞當便有了生命。

Rumi said, “The bamboo flute, which appeals to you so much mourns over its separation from its home, the original bamboo.” In Persia and in India the reed flute is taken from the tree; so it says, “I am taken away from my source, my home; made into a piece instead of the whole which I was at first.” And this pain in its heart is the only thing that appeals to the heart of those who listen. It touches them and moves them to listen to its longing. There is a very beautiful truth in this.

賈拉魯丁・魯米說：「那如此打動你的蘆笛，正在為自己與故鄉、與原本的蘆葦分離而哀嘆。」在波斯與印度，蘆笛是從蘆葦上截取下來的；因此它彷彿在說：「我離開了我的源頭、我的家；我原本是一個整體，如今卻成了被截下的一段。」而它心中的這份痛，正是最能觸動聆聽者之心的東西。它觸動他們，使他們傾聽其中的渴望。這裡蘊含著一個非常美的真理。

2. The Tragedy of Life
生命的悲劇

When we inquire into the tragedy of life, the very first of all causes is this separation from freedom. This tragedy can be seen in all kinds of people. From rich to poor, from the most illiterate to the most educated, every one has this grudge. Maybe one confesses it while another does not, but the grudge is in everybody’s mind just the same: that he has entered this objective world. For this entry seems to be the cause of all the tragedy of life, the tragedy that man’s spirit cannot be satisfied; it cannot have lasting happiness, as long as he stays in it.

當我們探究生命的悲劇時，所有原因之中，最初的一個就是與「自由」分離。這種悲劇存在於各式各樣的人身上。從富有到貧窮，從最沒有受過教育的人到學識最豐富的人，每個人心中都有這份不滿。有人承認，有人不承認，但這份不滿同樣存在於每個人的心裡：人來到了這個外在的世界。因為進入這個世界，似乎正是一切生命悲劇的起點；人的靈在其中無法得到滿足，只要仍停留其中，就無法擁有持久的幸福。

But if you ask someone you meet what the cause of his life’s tragedy is, he may say, “O, that I long to have more money; I am very poor, and without resources I am so unhappy.” Another person may say, “O, I have everything I want, but my relatives are quarrelsome and very unkind to me.” Another says, “I have everything I want but good health.” A fourth says, “I have everything, but I long to have a certain peace.” Another, “I long to accomplish this art; that big purpose in life; not having done so makes me unhappy.”

然而，如果你問一個遇見的人，他生命中的悲劇究竟來自何處，他也許會說：「唉，我希望自己有更多錢；我很窮，沒有資源，所以如此不快樂。」另一個人也許會說：「唉，我想要的都有了，可是我的親人總在爭吵，而且對我很不友善。」又有人說：「我什麼都有，只缺健康。」第四個人說：「我什麼都有，但我渴望某種安寧。」另一個人則說：「我渴望完成這門藝術，實現生命中那個重大的目標；因為還沒有做到，所以我不快樂。」

And if you were to supply to each his life’s need, giving money to the poor man, harmony to the man without harmony, position to the man who has not got it, a beautiful palace to the one who longs for that, health to him who has it not, then see how long he would remain happy! It would be only for that moment when his desire was fulfilled, and then he would again feel the hunger for he knows not what. He asks his mind, “What more do I want?” and his mind says, “You feel so unhappy.” And as soon as he asks, “For what?” his mind answers that he cannot have that which he seeks.

如果你真的滿足每一個人生命中的需要：給窮人金錢，給失去和諧的人和諧，給沒有地位的人地位，給渴望宮殿的人一座美麗的宮殿，給失去健康的人健康——那麼看看，他的幸福究竟能持續多久！不過就是願望實現的那一刻而已；之後，他又會感到一種自己也不知道究竟為何物的飢渴。他問自己的頭腦：「我還想要什麼？」頭腦對他說：「你還是這麼不快樂。」而當他再問：「是因為什麼？」頭腦便回答，是因為他仍得不到自己所追求的東西。

It is in this way that all through his life a man runs after things which are not the real desire of his soul. Sometimes he thinks it is his bodily appetites and passions which demand satisfaction, sometimes that it is his intellectual powers; but even if they were satisfied he would still find himself unhappy. “Perhaps”, he thinks, “it is wealth, position, or honors that are lacking.” Or he thinks, “It is not that I have not got the things I need, but I have not enough of them.” If he has a motor-car, he is unhappy because he has no chauffeur.

人就這樣終其一生追逐著並非靈魂真正渴望的事物。有時他以為，是身體的欲求與激情需要得到滿足；有時又以為，是自己的智性能力需要施展。然而即使這些都得到滿足，他仍會發現自己並不快樂。他想：「也許我缺少的是財富、地位或榮譽。」或者他想：「並不是我沒有自己需要的東西，而是擁有得還不夠多。」如果他有了一輛汽車，他又會因為沒有司機而不快樂。

His mind, his reason, always puts forward some other cause for his unhappiness rather than the real one, in order that he may be kept in illusion all his life; in order that all his life he should run after things which are not the real aim of his soul. Throughout his whole life he seeks after things, trying first this, then that. One day he buys this, another that, and after getting these things he still thinks, “O, there is still something else, that is why I am unhappy”; and as long as he has not got it, he considers that is the cause.

他的頭腦、他的理性，總會為他的不快樂提出另一個原因，而不是真正的原因，使他終其一生留在幻象之中；使他一輩子追逐著那些並非靈魂真正目標的東西。他一生都在尋找，一會兒嘗試這個，一會兒嘗試那個。今天買了這樣東西，明天又買了另一樣；即使得到了，他仍然想：「唉，一定還少了什麼，正因如此我才不快樂。」只要那樣東西還沒有得到，他就會認為那正是原因。

If he has ten things he wants twenty; if he acquires twenty he seeks thirty; if he has thirty he desires fifty; and so on. Indeed if he had thousands and billions, he would want a kingdom; after that a whole universe; and if the whole universe were given him, his heart would not be satisfied, because the demand of his soul has still not been understood. He goes through life mourning and sorrowing for things he cannot get, not understanding in what lies true gain and true loss.

如果他有十樣東西，便想要二十樣；有了二十樣，又追求三十樣；有了三十樣，就想要五十樣，如此不斷下去。甚至當他已擁有成千上萬、億萬的財富，他還會想要一個王國；再往後，甚至想要整個宇宙。即使整個宇宙都給了他，他的心仍不會滿足，因為他依然沒有明白靈魂真正的要求。他一生都在為那些得不到的事物哀嘆悲傷，卻不明白真正的得與失究竟在何處。

Therefore, when a seer or one who has realized life looks at this world, he sees that however old a person may be — aged, young, middle-aged — he is still like a child. Children become very unhappy because they have not got, or cannot get a toy, a toy to which grown-ups would not attach any importance. To the seer, the desires of ordinary grown-up people are also like toys. The things that matter to the world do not matter to him. This is the sign that he has realized the aim of his soul.

因此，當一位有洞見的人，或一位已經了悟生命的人觀看這個世界時，他會看到，不論一個人的年紀如何——年老、年輕或中年——仍然像個孩子。孩子會因為沒有得到、或得不到一件玩具而非常不快樂，而那件玩具在成年人眼中根本無關緊要。對有洞見的人而言，一般成年人的種種欲望也如同玩具。世人所看重的事，在他眼中已不再重要。這正是他已經明白自己靈魂之目標的標誌。

For the aim of his soul is freedom. Freedom is the soul’s true nature. It is a captive in mind and in body. The whole tragedy of the soul is its captivity. Words such as Nirvana, or Mukti, salvation, or liberation — all these names are those of the one aim or ideal of the soul throughout our whole life; yet hardly anyone knows what it is he aims at. All that he does know is that there is such a longing, that there is this hope constantly there.

因為靈魂的目標就是自由。自由是靈魂真正的本性，而靈魂卻被囚禁在頭腦與身體之中。靈魂全部的悲劇，正在於它受到囚禁。涅槃（Nirvana）、解脫（Mukti）、救贖（salvation）、釋放（liberation）——這些不同的名稱，都指向我們一生之中靈魂所追求的同一個目標、同一個理想；然而幾乎沒有人真正知道自己所追求的是什麼。他只知道，內在始終有著這樣一份渴望，這樣一份希望。

Everyone wakes in the morning as if he were expecting something. Everyone goes to bed with the thought, “Perhaps tomorrow or the day after tomorrow I shall obtain my heart’s desire.” With some the desire is for a position, or a friend; with others it is a hope. Everyone is looking out as if waiting for that something to come.

每個人早晨醒來時，都彷彿在期待著什麼。每個人入睡時都帶著這樣的念頭：「也許明天，或者後天，我便會得到心中所渴望的。」有人渴望的是某個地位，或某位朋友；有人懷抱著某種希望。每個人都向外張望，彷彿等待著某樣東西到來。

There is a familiar saying, “Wait till my ship comes home.” Every soul is waiting for his ship to come, not knowing what that ship will bring, or what sort of ship it is. Still, every soul is looking for “my ship”; every soul is unconsciously waiting for the coming of “my ship.” One person thinks it is the prospering of trade, another of business, another thinks it is the coming of power or position, but everyone believes the ship will come!

有一句大家熟悉的話：「等我的船回港。」每個靈魂都在等待自己的船到來，卻不知道那艘船會帶來什麼，也不知道它究竟是一艘什麼樣的船。然而，每個靈魂都在尋找「我的船」；每個靈魂都在無意識中等待「我的船」到來。有人認為那是買賣興隆，有人認為是事業成功，又有人認為是權力或地位的到來；但每個人都相信，那艘船總有一天會來！

The ship is different according to whether it is pictured by the mind or the body or the soul. The ship of the soul is its freedom. Indeed, freedom is the real object in all aspects of life; if the desire is for wealth, that is nothing but a desire for freedom from poverty; if the desire is for power, that is nothing but a desire for freedom to act as one wishes; the ideal of every soul is freedom, freedom to work, freedom to act, freedom to think, freedom in every direction.

這艘船會呈現不同的樣貌，要看描繪它的是頭腦、身體，還是靈魂。靈魂所等待的船，就是它的自由。事實上，在生命的一切層面中，自由才是真正的目標。若一個人渴望財富，那不過是渴望免於貧困的自由；若渴望權力，那不過是渴望能依自己的意願行動的自由。每個靈魂的理想都是自由：工作的自由、行動的自由、思想的自由，以及各個方向上的自由。

Not knowing that this is the heart’s real desire, from the first day of his creation till today, man has always neglected the true freedom, because of his pursuit of freedom in the external life. That has been his mistake. In spite of the little freedom he has thus gained he finds himself captive still; he has still failed to gain that complete joy and peace which his soul longs for.

人不知道這才是心真正的渴望，因此從受造的第一天直到今日，始終因為在外在生活中追求自由，而忽略了真正的自由。這正是他的錯誤。儘管他因此得到了一點點自由，卻仍然發現自己受到囚禁；他依舊未能得到靈魂所渴望的那份完整的喜悅與安寧。

Freedom for the body would be the freedom of walking in gardens, of moving about wherever it wished. But that would not be freedom for the mind. The mind would still be captive. Suppose the mind has freedom, freedom of thought, of understanding, of imagination, of actions, even then the soul would still be captive. But if the soul is free the mind is free, and the body also is free.

對身體而言，自由也許是在花園裡行走，可以隨心所欲地四處活動。但那並不是頭腦的自由；頭腦仍然受到束縛。即使頭腦有了自由——思想的自由、理解的自由、想像的自由、行動的自由——靈魂依舊可能受到囚禁。然而，如果靈魂是自由的，頭腦便自由了，身體也同樣自由。

3. Swept Away
被席捲而去

How do we attain to this freedom? In the Sanskrit language there is very expressive word for freedom: Taran, which means “liberation”, “swimming”, or “floating.” And it is such a beautiful idea that both these things, swimming and liberation, are alike in their nature.

我們要如何達到這樣的自由？梵文中有一個非常傳神的字來表達自由：Taran，它有「解脫」、「游泳」或「漂浮」的意思。這是一個極美的意象，因為游泳與解脫在本質上確實十分相似。

How true it is, as the Eastern poets have always said, “Life is a Bhavasagara, an ocean into which all things are drawn, fall and are absorbed.” It sweeps away all the plants and trees, animals and birds, and all that lie in the path of the flood; all are borne away into the ocean. Such is the force and power of the ocean.

東方的詩人一直說：「生命是一片生死之海（Bhavasagara）；萬物都被牽引其中，落入其中，並被它吸納。」這句話是多麼真實。洪流所經之處，一切草木、動物、鳥類，以及所有擋在洪水路徑上的事物，都被席捲而去，帶入海中。海洋的力量正是如此強大。

Similarly, this life sweeps away all the trees and plants, animals and men. Everything that we see is here only for the moment, and then is swept away. There is always a certain period after which the things that seemed so enduring have all disappeared. Our ancestors, if they came back, would not recognize the country, the houses, the trees, the manners; everything would be different. All that was familiar to them has been swept away. That is the story of this life. That is why it is called Maya, the illusion created before us like a dream in the night. In the morning, it has all gone. All the happiness, unhappiness, pleasures, horrors, whatever we experience in the night, we perceive in the morning to have been a dream.

同樣地，這生命也席捲一切草木、動物與人。凡我們所看見的，都只在這裡停留片刻，之後便被帶走。總有一段時間過去之後，那些原本看來如此長久的事物，全都消失不見。我們的祖先若能回到世上，將認不出這片土地、這些房屋、樹木與風俗；一切都已不同。他們曾經熟悉的一切，都已被席捲而去。這就是生命的故事。因此它被稱為 Maya（幻象），如同夜裡呈現在我們眼前的一場夢。到了早晨，一切都消失了。夜裡所經歷的一切幸福、不幸、歡樂與恐懼，到了早晨我們才明白，原來只是一場夢。

The whole of creation, when we come to think of it, is not in the end what we have thought it was: manners, customs, faces, everything changed. That is the condition of life. It is just like the sea. The tide comes, and it sweeps all before it, flowers, fruit, and all. Therefore life is pictured by the thinkers of the East as an ocean into which everything is swept.

當我們真正思索整個受造界時，最後便會發現，它並不是我們原先以為的樣子：風俗、習慣、面孔，一切都在改變。生命的情形正是如此。它就像大海，潮水一來，眼前的一切都被捲走——花朵、果實，以及所有其他事物。因此，東方的思想者把生命描繪成一片海洋，一切都被席捲其中。

The miracle of Christ walking on the water is understood by mystics as teaching a mystery. Walking on water expresses the same idea which in Sanskrit is called Taran — to float or swim. To float or swim one must have one’s head above water. The water which sweeps us away we avoid, to preserve that existence which our soul longs to save. Our body is alive as our mind is alive and as our soul is alive; and it does not want to be non-existent, but it desires to continue to exist. However unhappy or feeble a man may be, his life is too dear to him to sacrifice. Suicide is only possible under great stress of emotion. All work, all struggles are in order to live. All fights, all disagreements, all money-seeking, all comfort-seeking, are in order to live. All through life it is one struggle to live, yet the true life is not realized.

基督行走在水面上的神蹟，在祕士看來，是在傳達一個奧祕。行走於水面，所表達的正是梵文 Taran 所指向的同一個意象——漂浮或游泳。要漂浮、要游泳，就必須讓頭保持在水面之上。我們設法不讓自己被水流捲走，是為了保存靈魂渴望維繫的存在。我們的身體想活著，頭腦想活著，靈魂也想活著；它不願不存在，而渴望繼續存在。無論一個人多麼不幸、多麼虛弱，生命對他而言仍如此珍貴，難以捨棄。只有在極大的情緒壓力之下，人才可能走向自殺。一切工作、一切掙扎，都是為了活下去。一切爭鬥、一切衝突、一切對金錢的追求、一切對舒適的追求，也都是為了活下去。人的一生都在努力求生，卻沒有真正認識什麼才是真正的生命。

Christ, from first to last, teaches the reality of eternal life. His only lesson was “life.” It is the desire of the soul to live; and that life is the real life. Man keeps imagining that his life is for eating delicious dishes, for making merry, or for being comfortable for the time being. But when the body has gone, how will he live? What will become of his comforts? When the mind is not there, how will he satisfy the mind? To live in the body or the mind is to live in vehicles upon which one becomes dependent but which must pass, and be no more.

基督自始至終所教導的，都是永恆生命的真實。他唯一的教導就是「生命」。活著是靈魂的渴望，而那樣的生命才是真正的生命。人不斷以為，生命就是享用美食、尋歡作樂，或讓自己暫時過得舒適。然而，當身體不在了，他要如何活下去？那些舒適又將如何？當頭腦也不在時，他又要如何滿足頭腦？活在身體或頭腦之中，就是活在一些我們逐漸依賴的載具之中；然而這些載具終究會消逝，不復存在。

Therefore the lesson that we must learn is how to swim, how to float, how to prevent ourselves from sinking in the flood of death or mortality. How shall we avoid that?

因此，我們必須學習的功課，就是如何游泳、如何漂浮，如何不讓自己沉沒在死亡與無常的洪流之中。我們要如何避免沉下去呢？

The answer is found when we understand that man is travelling in a boat; and the boat is heavily laden. The storm comes on, and the one who is rowing says to the man, “The storm is severe, your luggage is very heavy; the best thing will be for you to save your life by throwing one of your bundles into the water.” The man says, “O, that bundle contains things I have collected all my life, and I cannot throw it out.” “Well,” says the boatman, “if you cannot throw it out you will drown.” And when he has thrown out one bundle, perhaps the storm becomes greater, and maybe then the last bundle has to be thrown away as well. And he says, “O, this one I can never part with; it contains things I have collected all through my life; they are souvenirs, and you want me to throw them away; things from my grandfather and my great-grandfather, do you really want me to throw them away?” The other says, “If not, you also will go. If you want to save your life, throw that last bundle away too!”

當我們明白人正乘船而行，而船上又載著沉重的行李時，答案便出現了。暴風雨來臨，划船的人對乘客說：「風暴太猛烈了，你的行李又太重；要保住性命，最好的辦法就是把其中一包行李丟進水裡。」乘客說：「唉，那一包裡裝的，都是我一輩子收集來的東西，我不能把它丟掉。」船夫說：「那麼，如果你不丟，就會淹死。」當他終於丟掉一包，也許風暴變得更加猛烈，於是連最後一包也必須拋棄。他說：「唉，這一包我絕不可能捨棄；裡面都是我一生收集的東西，全是紀念物，而你竟要我把它們丟掉！其中還有我祖父、曾祖父留下的東西，你真的要我把它們全部扔掉嗎？」船夫回答：「如果不扔，你自己也會一起沉下去。若想保住性命，連最後這一包也得扔掉！」

That is what death does with mankind. It says, “You are so interested in your vehicle which you call your body”, and so first of all he sends disease. The person who thinks so much of his body is always ill. That is the first step. He is very conscientious about his body, saying, “This is the one thing I must keep well preserved.” He goes on thinking of it too much. And so he feels ill, and in the end he has to throw both bundles away, body and mind.

死亡對人類所做的，正是如此。它彷彿說：「你如此執著於這個稱為身體的載具。」於是首先送來疾病。過度掛心自己身體的人，總覺得身體有病。這是第一步。他對自己的身體極其在意，說：「這是我一定要好好保存的東西。」他不斷過度地想著身體，於是總覺得不舒服；到了最後，身體與頭腦這兩包行李都必須放下。

Others will say that they do not care for their body, but only for their mind. They take care of their own imaginations, their own standards of thinking, “What you say is wrong, what I say is right.” They are occupied with thoughts, with pursuits, with arguments, saying, “Am I right? Are you? Is she?” And they are all the time in doubt and constant worry of mind; all the time occupied in a struggle about something which is really nothing. To the seer it matters nothing. And then the tide, death, comes, and they are swept away; the mind goes, the body goes, and the soul returns to its own source. This is a picture of mortality when mind departs from body with the impression of death.

另一些人會說，他們並不在乎身體，只在乎頭腦。他們守著自己的想像、自己的思考標準：「你說的是錯的，我說的才是對的。」他們忙於思想、追求與爭辯，不斷問著：「我是對的嗎？你是對的嗎？她是對的嗎？」他們始終活在懷疑與頭腦不斷的憂慮中；總在為一些其實無關緊要的事情掙扎。對有洞見的人而言，這些都不重要。然後潮水——死亡——來臨，他們便被席捲而去；頭腦離去，身體離去，而靈魂回到自己的源頭。這便是無常的圖景：頭腦帶著死亡的印象離開身體。

4. The Parable of the Parrot
鸚鵡的寓言

There is a story which explains this subject very well. It is of a king who had a parrot which he loved so much that he kept it in a golden cage, and always attended to it himself. The king and queen both paid such great attention to the parrot that everyone in the palace was jealous of it.

有一個故事，非常能說明這個主題。有一位國王養了一隻鸚鵡，他非常愛牠，把牠養在金籠子裡，而且總是親自照料。國王與王后都對這隻鸚鵡百般呵護，以至於宮裡每個人都嫉妒牠。

One day the king was about to go into the forest where the parrot came from, and he said to it, “My pet, I have loved you, and kept you with all the care and attention and fondness that I could; and I should like very much to take any message you wish to your brothers in the forest.” The parrot said, “How kind of you to have offered to do this for me. Convey to my brothers in the jungle that the king and queen have done their very best to make me happy, a golden cage, all kinds of fruits, and nice things of all sorts; and they love me so much. But in spite of all the attention they give me I long for the forest, and the desire to dwell among you, free as I used to be before, always possesses my mind. But I see no way out of it, so pray send me your goodwill and your love. One only lives in hope. Perhaps some day my wish will be granted.”

有一天，國王準備前往這隻鸚鵡原本生活的森林，便對牠說：「我的小寶貝，我一直很愛你，也盡我所能細心照料、呵護你。如果你有什麼話想帶給森林裡的兄弟，我很樂意替你傳達。」鸚鵡說：「您願意為我這樣做，真是太好了。請告訴森林裡的兄弟們，國王和王后已經盡了一切努力讓我快樂：給我金色的籠子，各種水果，以及各式各樣美好的東西；他們也非常愛我。然而，不論他們對我多麼呵護，我仍然渴望森林，心裡始終想回到你們中間，像從前一樣自由地生活。但我看不見任何脫身的方法，所以請把你們的善意與愛送給我。活著只能懷抱希望；也許有一天，我的願望會實現。」

The king went into the forest, and approached the tree from which the parrot was taken and said to the brothers of the parrot, “O parrots, there is one whom I have taken from among you to my palace; and I am very fond of him, and he receives all the attention I can give. This is your brother’s message.” They listened to the message very attentively, and one after the other dropped to the ground and seemed dead.

國王來到森林，走近當初帶走鸚鵡的那棵樹，對牠的兄弟們說：「鸚鵡們啊，我曾從你們之中帶走一位到我的宮殿。我非常喜愛牠，也盡我所能地照顧牠。這是你們兄弟託我帶來的話。」牠們非常專注地聽完這段話，接著一隻又一隻從樹上墜落地面，看起來都死了。

The king was depressed beyond measure. Spellbound, he could not understand what it was that he had said that should have affected the feelings of those parrots so much. The loving parrots could not bear his message. And he thought, “What a sin I have committed, to have destroyed so many lives.” He returned to his palace, and went to his parrot, and said, “How foolish, O parrot, to give me such a message that as soon as your brothers heard it, one after another they dropped down, and all lay dead before me.”

國王悲傷至極。他驚愕得說不出話來，不明白自己究竟說了什麼，竟如此強烈地觸動那些鸚鵡。那些深愛牠的鸚鵡竟承受不了這個消息。他心想：「我犯了多大的罪，竟害死了這麼多生命。」他回到宮殿，來到自己的鸚鵡面前，說：「鸚鵡啊，你怎麼會要我傳這樣的話？你的兄弟們一聽見，就一隻接著一隻掉到地上，全都死在我眼前。」

The parrot listened to this, and looked up gently to the sky, and then fell down too. The king was even more sad. “How foolish I was! First I gave his message to them and killed them, and now I give their message to him and kill him also.” It was all most bewildering to the king. What was the meaning of it all?

鸚鵡聽完，輕輕抬頭望向天空，接著也倒了下去。國王更加悲傷。「我多麼愚蠢！先是把牠的話帶給牠們，害死了牠們；現在又把牠們的消息帶回來，連牠也害死了。」這一切令國王困惑不已。究竟是什麼意思？

He commanded his servants to put his dead parrot on a gold tray, and bury him with all ceremony. The servants took him out of the cage with great respect, and loosed the chains from his feet; and then, as they were laying him out, the parrot suddenly flew away and sat upon the roof.

他命令僕人把死去的鸚鵡放在金盤上，以隆重的儀式安葬。僕人們懷著敬意將牠從籠子裡取出，解開牠腳上的鎖鏈；正當他們準備把牠安放好時，鸚鵡忽然飛了起來，停在屋頂上。

The king said, “O parrot, you betrayed me.” The parrot said, “O king, this was the aim of my soul, and it is the aim of all souls. My brothers in the jungle were not dead. I had asked them to show me the way to freedom, and they showed me. I did as they told me, and now I am free.”

國王說：「鸚鵡啊，你竟然欺騙了我。」鸚鵡說：「國王啊，這正是我靈魂的目標，也是所有靈魂的目標。我在森林裡的兄弟們並沒有死。我曾請牠們告訴我通往自由的道路，而牠們已經示範給我看。我照著牠們教我的去做，現在我自由了。」

5. Practice Crucifixion and Resurrection
釘十字架與復活的實踐

There is a sura in the Qur’an which says: Mutu kubla anta mutu, which means, “Die before death.”

《古蘭經》中有一節說：「Mutu kubla anta mutu」，意思是：「在死亡之前死去。」

A poet says, “Only he attains to the peace of the Lord who loses himself.”

一位詩人說：「唯有失去自己的人，才能抵達主的安寧。」

God said to Moses, “No man shall see Me, and live.” To see God we must be non-existent.

神對摩西說：「沒有人看見我還能活著。」要看見神，我們必須不再以自我而存在。

What does all this mean? It means that when we see our being with open eyes, we see that there are two aspects to our being: the false and the true. The false life is that of this body and mind, which only exists as long as the life is within. In the absence of that life the body cannot go on. We mistake the true life for the false, and the false for the true.

這一切究竟意味著什麼？它的意思是，當我們睜開眼睛真正看見自己的存在時，便會看到我們的存在具有兩個面向：虛假的與真實的。虛假的生命，是這個身體與頭腦的生命；它們只有在生命仍在其中時才能存在。一旦那生命離去，身體便無法繼續存在。我們卻把真實的生命誤認為虛假的，又把虛假的誤認為真實的。

Dying is this: when there is a fruit or something sweet and good to taste, the child comes to its mother and says, “Will you give it me?” Although it would have given pleasure to the mother to eat it, she gives it to the child. The eating of it by the child is enjoyed by the mother. That is death. She enjoys her life in the joy of another. Those who rejoice in the joy of another, though at their own expense, have taken the first step towards true life. If we are pleased by giving another a good coat which we would have liked to wear ourselves, if we enjoy that, we are on the first step. If we enjoy a beautiful thing so much that we would like to have it, and then give that joy to another, enjoying it through his experience, we are dead; that is our death; yet we live more than he. Our life is much vaster, deeper, greater.

所謂「死去」是這樣的：有一顆水果，或某樣香甜可口的東西，孩子來到母親面前說：「可以給我嗎？」雖然母親自己吃也會感到快樂，她卻把它給了孩子。孩子吃下它時，母親也從孩子的喜悅中感到快樂。這就是死亡。她在另一個人的喜悅中享受自己的生命。那些即使自己有所犧牲，仍能因別人的喜悅而喜悅的人，已經向真正的生命跨出了第一步。如果有一件好外套，本來我們自己也很想穿，卻因為把它送給別人而感到快樂；如果我們能享受這份快樂，那便已踏出了第一步。如果一件美好的東西使我們如此喜愛，以至於自己也想擁有，卻把這份喜悅讓給另一個人，並透過他的經驗而享受它，那麼我們已經死去了；那就是我們的死亡。然而此時，我們反而比他活得更多。我們的生命變得更加廣闊、深邃而偉大。

Seemingly it is a renunciation, an annihilation, but in truth it is a mastery. The real meaning of crucifixion is to crucify this false self, and so resurrect the true self. As long as the false self is not crucified, the true self is still not realized. By Sufis it is called Fana, annihilation. All the attempts made by true sages and seekers after real truth are for the one aim of attaining to everlasting life.

表面看來，這是一種捨棄、一種消融；但實際上，它是一種真正的掌握。釘十字架真正的意義，是把這個虛假的自我釘上十字架，使真實的自我得以復活。只要虛假的自我還沒有被釘上十字架，真實的自我就仍未被認識。蘇菲稱此為 Fana，也就是「消融」。真正的聖哲以及尋求真理的人所作的一切努力，都只有一個目標：抵達永恆的生命。

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