1-4. Philosophy (4)
1-4. 哲學 (4)

1. The Aim of Life (1)
生命的目的 (1)

This is the question that every-one asks, as soon as the intelligence develops, “Why am I here? What is the object of my life?” Every being has a different idea of what is the aim of life. Some] think that the aim of life is to be virtuous and by the practice of virtue to be happy. But then, what is virtue? That which may seem to us very virtuous may not seem virtuous to others. What in one case is virtue, in another case may be sin. What seems outwardly very virtuous, inwardly may be very different.

當人的理解力開始發展時，每個人都會問這個問題：「我為什麼在這裡？我的生命有什麼目的？」每個人對生命的目的都有不同的想法。有些人認為，生命的目的在於培養德行，並藉由實踐德行而獲得幸福。然而，什麼是德行？在我們看來很有德行的事，在別人眼中未必如此。在一種情況下被視為德行的事，在另一種情況下卻可能成為罪。外表看來很有德行，內在的實情也可能完全不同。

If someone is sitting with a rosary on the steps of a sanctuary, the world will say, “He is very virtuous.” If another is walking in the slums, or sitting in the cafes, he may be inwardly very virtuous, but from the mere fact of his walking in the slums, the world will never say that he is virtuous. There are the lovers of God, and there are the sellers of God. If there is one with a rosary and a long beard, sitting in the shrine, all the world will go to him, a holy being. He makes a show, a trade, of his piety. And there are the lovers of God. They do not make any profession of love of God. He says, “Inwardly be a friend and outwardly it does not matter.” This manner is little found in the world.

如果一個人手持念珠，坐在聖所的階梯上，世人會說：「他是個很有德行的人。」另一個人若走在貧民區，或坐在咖啡館裡，他內在或許其實很有德行；然而僅僅因為他出入貧民區，世人便絕不會說他是個有德行的人。世上有愛神的人，也有販賣神的人。若有一個人手持念珠、留著長鬍鬚，坐在聖殿裡，所有人都會前去找他，把他視為聖者。他把自己的虔敬拿來展示，甚至拿來做買賣。可是也有真正愛神的人，他們並不宣稱自己愛神。有人說：「內在成為朋友，外在如何並不重要。」這樣的態度，在世上很少見。

We see that the lovers in the beginning of their love, hide their love. She does not take his name before others. He does not take her name before others. How much more will he who begins to love God hide his love from others. He does not speak the name of God. Some think that the aim of life is power. But we see that some desire power and others do not at all desire it. It is impossible that the aim of God, of Life, should be that which is not desired by some. And, if power were the aim of life, the most powerful should be always happy.

我們可以看見，戀人在愛情初萌芽時，往往會把自己的愛藏起來。她不在別人面前提起他的名字，他也不在別人面前提起她的名字。那麼，一個才開始愛神的人，又會多麼想把自己的愛隱藏起來，不讓別人知道。他甚至不說出神的名字。有些人認為生命的目的是力量。然而我們看見，有些人渴望力量，有些人卻完全不渴望。神的目的、生命的目的，不可能是一件並非所有人都渴望的事。況且，如果力量真是生命的目的，那麼最有力量的人理應永遠是最幸福的人。

The tiger, the lion are the most powerful animals. If we go in the jungle where the tigers are, we see that the tiger is always restless, always moving up and down. His power is so great that it leaves him no rest.

老虎和獅子是最有力量的動物。若我們進入有老虎出沒的叢林，便會看見老虎總是不安，不停地來回走動。牠的力量如此強大，反而使牠無法安歇。

If we go amongst the lambs, who are weak, innocent, helpless, we see that the lambs are playing. One lamb never wants to tight with another. If you frighten it, it hangs its head, it hides itself. If you feed it, it comes at once and eats, it trusts you. When it sleeps, it sleeps quietly.

如果我們走到羔羊之中，這些羔羊柔弱、純真而無助，我們會看見牠們自在地玩耍。羔羊從不想和另一隻羔羊爭鬥。你若嚇牠，牠便垂下頭躲起來；你若餵牠，牠立刻走過來吃，信任著你。牠睡覺時，也安安靜靜地睡著。

In the jungle where the tiger and the lion are, all night long there is roaring. The tiger will not let another tiger be near him. If another tiger comes, they will fight until one is killed and one is left. By day, if you go near them, you will see that the breath is always coming and going quickly. The breath that makes others quiet and calm, gives him no rest. He has no peace, no calm, no rest. Go to the tigers cage and see.

在有老虎和獅子的叢林裡，整夜都可以聽見吼聲。老虎不容許另一隻老虎靠近自己；若另一隻老虎出現，牠們便會爭鬥，直到其中一隻死去，只剩下一隻。白天若走近牠們，你會看見牠們的呼吸總是急促地進出。那原本能使其他眾生安靜平和的呼吸，卻不能使牠安歇。牠沒有安寧，沒有平靜，也沒有休息。到老虎的籠子旁看看，就會明白。

If power were the aim of life, the most powerful nations should be the happiest. Is this so? Some think that pleasure is the aim of life, to eat, drink, and make merry, for tomorrow we die. This is every person’s idea when he finished his school education. “Let us be gay and merry, for tomorrow we may be dead.” But he can never be satisfied. If today we go to a cafe, tomorrow we want to go to a much grander restaurant. If today we go in the bus, tomorrow we want a motorcar of our own. We want all the theaters, all the restaurants, to amuse ourselves in. And who has the health for all this enjoyment, or his pocket always full? The kings, the rich people, fail. How short a time the pleasure lasts. It is not possible that something so short, so imperfect, should be the aim of God.

如果力量是生命的目的，那麼最強大的國家理應是最幸福的。事實是如此嗎？有些人認為享樂就是生命的目的：吃喝玩樂，因為明天我們就可能死去。人完成學校教育之後，常會有這種想法：「讓我們盡情歡樂吧，因為明天我們可能就死了。」可是，人永遠無法因此得到滿足。今天去了咖啡館，明天便想去更豪華的餐廳；今天搭公車，明天便想擁有自己的汽車。我們想去遍所有劇院、所有餐廳，讓自己盡情享樂。然而，誰有足夠的健康去承受這一切享受？又有誰的口袋能永遠裝滿金錢？連國王和富人也做不到。享樂所能持續的時間何其短暫。如此短促、如此不圓滿的事物，不可能是神的目的。

Turning now to the traditions, we find that the Qur’an says, “Know thyself and know God “, and another Sura, “Know God in nature.” But in nature we find nothing perfect, nothing that we can call God, no perfect man, no perfect woman. If he is very learned, he is not brave. If he is very brave, he knows nothing. If he has great imagination, he will not know how many pence there are in a shilling, and he is defective in this way. If she is beautiful, she has no intelligence or learning. If she has learning, she has no beauty. If she has a very great personality, she has no intelligence. If she has much intelligence, she has no charm of personality.

現在轉向傳統的教導，我們發現《古蘭經》說：「認識你自己，便認識神。」另一章則說：「在自然中認識神。」然而我們在自然中找不到任何真正圓滿的事物，找不到任何能稱為神的存在，也找不到圓滿的男人或圓滿的女人。一個人也許學識淵博，卻不勇敢；也許非常勇敢，卻毫無學問；也許具有豐富的想像力，卻連一先令有多少便士都不知道，因此在這方面有所欠缺。一個女人也許美麗，卻缺少理解力或學識；也許有學識，卻沒有美貌；也許有極為出眾的風範，卻欠缺理解力；也許理解力很強，卻又缺少風範的魅力。

In what nature, then, can we see God? In your nature, in the ego, in the self. How can we see God in the ego? If, leaving the tradition, we see with our scientific view, we see that this self consists first of all, of flesh and blood, bones and skin and the breath that keeps all together. The breath is the life. When the breath is gone out of the body, the life is gone. The breath has formed the body.

那麼，我們究竟能在什麼樣的本性中看見神？就在我們自己的本性裡，在個體自我裡，在自身之中。我們怎麼可能在個體自我中看見神？若暫且放下傳統的說法，以科學的眼光來看，首先我們會看見，這個自身由血肉、骨骼、皮膚，以及把這一切維繫在一起的呼吸所構成。呼吸就是生命。當呼吸離開身體，生命也就離去了。是呼吸形成了身體。

And what is the breath? The breath is the sound. When it is heavy, it is a sound that our ears can hear. When it is light, it is a fine sound that our ears cannot hear. When a person is fast asleep, we hear the snoring, the breath. If you go near a horse or a cow and listen attentively, after a little while you will hear a fine sound, the breath. This shows us that the breath is the sound and that by the sound all has become. This is why by the Hindus it is called Wada Brahma, the sound-God. In the Qur’an it is said, “Kun faya Kun”, “Be, and it became.”

那麼，呼吸又是什麼？呼吸就是聲音。當呼吸粗重時，它成為我們耳朵可以聽見的聲音；當呼吸輕細時，它便是一種我們耳朵聽不見的微細聲音。一個人熟睡時，我們會聽見他的鼾聲，也就是呼吸的聲音。如果你走近一匹馬或一頭牛，仔細傾聽，過一會兒便會聽見一種細微的聲音，那就是牠的呼吸。這使我們看見，呼吸就是聲音，而萬物皆由聲音而成。因此印度人稱之為 Wada Brahma，即「聲音之神」。在《古蘭經》中則說：「Kun faya Kun」——「有，於是便有了。」（譯註：意為「一聲令下，存在即顯現」）

But besides the breath if we look into ourselves, we see that there is something else. There is something that witnesses the breath. That is the consciousness which, in its individual aspect, we call soul. Then a person knows through his intellect that he is an invisible being. Then he says to his soul, “You have been so long deluded by this body. You have thought that you are the body. You are not. You are an invisible being.”

然而，除了呼吸之外，當我們向內觀看自己，還會發現另一樣東西。有某種存在正在見證著呼吸。那就是意識；在它個體化的一面，我們稱之為靈魂。於是，人透過理智明白，自己其實是一個不可見的存在。他便對自己的靈魂說：「這麼長久以來，你一直被這個身體所迷惑。你以為自己就是身體。你不是。你是一個不可見的存在。」

But then the thought comes, “Perhaps I am not an invisible being. Perhaps it is an imagination. If I were an invisible being I could go to Russia, I could go to New York. I cannot go to Russia or New York, I must take the steamer and the train. If I want news, I must send a telegram.”

然而接著又會生起一個念頭：「也許我根本不是什麼不可見的存在，也許這只是想像。如果我真是一個不可見的存在，我應該可以直接去俄羅斯，也可以去紐約。可是我做不到；我要去俄羅斯或紐約，還是得搭輪船、坐火車。我要得到消息，還是得發電報。」

This is the perfection of which the Gospel speaks. “Be ye perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect”, means this: that the spirit is conscious of the body, and the body is conscious of the spirit. When this is so, then man is perfect. The soul gives him everlasting life, the body becomes the means of experience for him. But men are either conscious of the body only or if they are conscious of the spirit they are conscious of the spirit only. How to become conscious of the spirit?

這就是《福音書》所說的圓滿。「你們要完全，像你們在天上的父完全一樣」，所指的便是：靈能覺知身體，而身體也能覺知靈。當兩者如此相通時，人便達到圓滿。靈魂賦予他永恆的生命，而身體則成為他經驗生命的媒介。然而，人往往不是只覺知身體，就是在覺知靈時只覺知靈。那麼，我們要如何覺知靈呢？

Our great Sufi poetess, Zeb-un-Nissa, says, “Thou art a drop in the ocean. But if thou wilt hold the thought of the ocean, thou wilt be the same.”

我們偉大的蘇菲女詩人 Zeb-un-Nissa 說：「你是海洋中的一滴水；但若你心中持守著海洋，你便會與海洋相同。」

If we are conscious only of our self, we are like the animal, seeking all for ourselves, taking all for ourselves. There are some who are conscious of their little group, or of their family. Their family, their little group adores them. There are some who are conscious of their nation. Their nation adores them. Their nation’s welfare is their welfare, their nation’s downfall is their downfall. Some, the Masters, have the whole humanity always before their eyes. They are conscious of the whole humanity. They think, “If I have not eaten, but my brother has eaten, it is all right. It I have had nothing, but my brother has had, it is all right.” By the consciousness of the whole, the soul gains its freedom. It is not bound to any place or any condition. The more we open ourselves, the more we fulfil the aim of life.

如果我們只覺知自己，就像動物一樣，一切只為自己追求，一切只為自己取得。有些人的覺知擴展到自己的小團體或家庭，他們的家庭與小團體便敬愛他們。有些人的覺知擴展到自己的國家，他們的國家便敬愛他們；國家的福祉就是他們的福祉，國家的衰敗就是他們的衰敗。而有些人，也就是那些大師，始終把整個人類放在眼前。他們覺知的是整個人類。他們會想：「即使我沒有吃東西，只要我的弟兄吃了，就沒有關係；即使我什麼也沒有，只要我的弟兄擁有，就沒有關係。」藉由對整體的覺知，靈魂獲得自由，不再受任何地方或任何境況所束縛。我們愈向整體敞開自己，就愈能實現生命的目的。

I myself have known in Hyderabad a judge, who was sitting all day in the law-courts, and at luncheon heard a boy singing in the street. In India the boys are very fond of singing in the street. The boy was singing a very vulgar song. The judge sent for the boy and made him sing the song. He made him sing it a second time, and then a third time, and again and again, a great many times. The song was a very common song. The words were not made by a poet, and the music was not made by a musician. It was a lover singing to a girl, “You look at me as if you would eat me up,” a very vulgar expression. The judge saw all day how in the world each one tries to devour the other, to get the best of him, and the song moved him so much that from that day he took a life of retirement. He gave everything away, and became a dervish.

我在海德拉巴曾認識一位法官。他整天坐在法庭裡，有一天午餐時聽見一個男孩在街上唱歌。在印度，男孩們很喜歡在街頭唱歌。那孩子唱的是一首很粗俗的歌。法官把男孩叫來，請他把那首歌再唱一遍；接著又要他唱第二遍、第三遍，一次又一次，唱了許多遍。那只是一首極普通的歌，詞不是詩人寫的，曲也不是音樂家作的。歌裡是一個戀人對女孩唱道：「妳看著我的樣子，好像要把我一口吃掉。」這是一句非常粗俗的說法。這位法官整天所看見的，正是世上每個人都試圖吞噬別人、占別人的上風。這首歌深深觸動了他，從那一天起，他便過起退隱的生活，把一切都捨了出去，成為一名蘇菲行者（dervish）。

So that the judge interpreted that the world, the girl, looks at him as if it will eat him up. That means, the attractions and temptations of the world are such that finish a person’s life before he could awake to realize the truth of his life. But this is not the true aim of life. The aim of life is liberation. That illumination only is important. That only is worth while. The time of life, all the effort should be given for that, to realize, to recognize God Who is within.

因此，這位法官把那女孩理解為這個世界：世界注視著他，彷彿要把他吞噬一般。也就是說，世間的吸引與誘惑如此強烈，以致一個人的一生可能在他尚未醒來、尚未認識生命的真相之前，就已經耗盡。然而，這並不是生命真正的目的。生命的目的是解脫。唯有那份啟明真正重要，也唯有它值得我們付出。生命的時間與所有努力，都應當用在這件事上：去證悟、去認出那位內在的神。

A Hindu poet, Hali, says,”O eyes longing to see God, look within, the God Whom you worship everywhere is within.”

印度詩人哈里（Hali）說：「渴望看見神的雙眼啊，向內觀看吧；你在各處所敬拜的神，就在你裡面。」

That means, the eyes should be turned inward, to see God within ourselves. Man’s aim should be to recognize that God. and by realizing Him, be free. To realize his life, independent and immortal, free from death and decay, free from the troubles and cares and sorrows of the world.

這意味著，我們的眼睛應當轉向內在，在自己之內看見神。人的目的，應當是認出那位神，並藉由證悟祂而得到自由；認識自己生命的本質是獨立而不朽的，超越死亡與衰朽，也超越世間的煩惱、憂慮與悲傷。

2. The Aim of Life (2)
生命的目的 (2)

Life itself directs man towards its aim, and it is man’s fault when he cannot realize his life’s aim. It is a confusion that arises on the awakening of the soul after man is born on this earth, by seeing the world of variety. He becomes puzzled and cannot make up his mind towards a certain direction with certainty, thinking that that is the right path for his journey. Therefore from youth to age, very often, man keeps in this puzzle. He sometimes thinks that the spiritual path is his path, sometimes that the commercial path is his path, sometimes the political, sometimes one, sometimes another. But at the same time this is not the fault of life or of that guiding spirit which is constantly guiding. In reality in the cradle and as an infant man begins to be shown his path in life, the way is shown in childhood. Confusion arises as man grows up, by his becoming attracted by various things in life, and then he does not know what is what, what is right, what wrong.

生命本身一直在引導人朝向它的目的；當一個人無法認出自己生命的目的時，問題往往出在他自己。人出生在這個世界之後，靈魂開始甦醒，卻因看見這個充滿多樣性的世界而產生迷惑。他陷入困惑，無法確定自己究竟應當朝哪個方向前進，也無法確信哪一條才是自己旅程真正的道路。因此，從年輕直到年老，人往往始終困在這個疑惑之中。有時他覺得靈性道路是自己的路，有時覺得經商才是自己的路，有時又認為政治才是自己的路；一下是這一條，一下又是另一條。然而，這既不是生命的錯，也不是那始終在引導我們的靈出了錯。事實上，人在搖籃裡、還是嬰兒時，就已經開始被指引著自己生命的道路；兒童時期，那條路就已經顯現。困惑是在人成長之後產生的，因為他受到生命中種種事物的吸引，於是再也分不清什麼是什麼、什麼是對、什麼是錯。

No doubt the first impression the world gives is the impression of falsehood. The child opens his eyes in truthfulness, and the first impression is that of falsehood. That confuses him, and he begins to take the course of denying even what is right and is against every religious truth. This is the revolt not of one person but of thousands and millions. The child denies, because the first impression is that of falsehood. He grows up in it and does not know what is right and what wrong, and sometimes this confusion lasts till the end of life.

毫無疑問，人最初從這個世界所感受到的，往往是言行與真實並不一致。孩子初來到這個世界時，本是單純而真誠的，然而他很快便看見，眼前的世界並不總是如人們所說的那樣真實。這使他感到困惑，於是漸漸走向否定，甚至連原本正確的事與宗教中的真理，也一併加以否定。這並不是某一個人的反叛，而是千千萬萬人都會出現的反應。孩子之所以開始否定，正是因為他最初接觸這個世界時，看見了這種表裡不一。他在這樣的環境中長大，漸漸分不清什麼是對、什麼是錯；而這份困惑，有時甚至會一直持續到生命的終點。

On this subject, of distinguishing what is the object of a person’s life, Sa’adi has a very instructive verse: “Every soul that comes on earth comes with a light already kindled in him for his work on earth”, and if he does not know it, it is the fault of the world that surrounds him, not the fault of nature and the spirit.

關於如何辨認一個人生命的目的，薩迪（Sa’adi）有一句極具啟發性的詩：「每一個來到世上的靈魂，內在都已點燃了一盞光，照亮他在世上的工作。」如果他沒有認出這盞光，那是因為周遭世界遮蔽了他，而不是自然或靈本身出了差錯。

If you inquire into the greatest and worst tragedy in life you will find there is no greater tragedy than this. All the happiness, all the wealth, all that this world can give is all nothing. The soul is constantly striving to find its way, and when the soul finds its way closed, all that the world can offer is nothing. All this gives us an illusion, -power, possession-, we think that the person possessing these, is blessed. But nothing the world can offer can suffice. What really suffices is the blessing of Heaven, that light by which man begins to see his path in life.

如果你探問生命中最大、最深的悲劇是什麼，你會發現，再沒有比這更大的悲劇。所有幸福、所有財富，以及這個世界能給的一切，在這面前都算不了什麼。靈魂始終在努力尋找自己的道路；而當靈魂發現自己的道路被封閉時，世間所能提供的一切都毫無意義。力量、財產這些東西帶給我們幻象，使我們以為擁有它們的人就是有福之人。然而，世間沒有任何東西真正足以滿足靈魂。真正足以滿足我們的，是來自天上的祝福，是那道使人開始看見自己生命道路的光。

Before we judge the attitude of another person we must stop and think what right we have to judge whether he is going the right way or a wrong way. We can only judge ourselves as to whether we are going a right way or a wrong way, when we can see our own way before us. As Jesus Christ has said, “Judge not.” According to the ideas of the Hindus there are four seeming objects toward which man generally feels attracted, feeling that this is his way: Dharm, Ardh, Karm, Moksha .

在評斷另一個人的態度之前，我們必須先停下來想一想：我們有什麼權利判斷他走的是正路還是錯路？只有當我們能看清自己面前的道路時，我們才能判斷自己究竟走在正確還是錯誤的方向。正如耶穌基督所說：「不要論斷。」依照印度人的觀念，人通常會被四種看似是生命目的的方向所吸引，並以為那就是自己的道路：Dharm、Ardh、Karm、Moksha。

1. Dharm, duty. A person sometimes gives his whole life and all he has for someone he loves, a brother, a sister, mother, father, son or daughter, a prophet, teacher, inspirer, someone towards whom he considers he has a duty. For the nation, in war, he gives his life; that he considers his virtue. Perhaps the same way may be a right, desirable good and virtuous path for one, for another the same path is wrong. But has anyone the right to call the path of another wrong? However evolved a man may be, has he the right to judge the way of another? He cannot have the right to do so, for everyone has to solve his own puzzle in life.
   
   Dharm，責任。有時，一個人會把自己的一生以及所擁有的一切，都奉獻給他所愛的人：兄弟、姊妹、母親、父親、兒子或女兒，也可能是一位先知、一位老師、一位啟發他的人，或任何他認為自己對其負有責任的人。在戰爭中，他甚至會為國家獻出生命，並把這視為自己的德行。也許同一條道路，對一個人來說是正確、可取、良善而有德性的，對另一個人而言卻可能並不適合。然而，任何人有權說別人的道路是錯的嗎？無論一個人進化到多高的程度，他有權評斷另一個人的道路嗎？他沒有這個權利，因為每個人都必須解開自己生命中的謎題。

2. Ardh, earth, all that the earth can offer, wealth, possessions, position or power, all that the world can give, a person works for it, strives for it. He thinks, “This is the wide way, the practical way, the other does not know the wise way, the right way!” And if we can see the other side, the greatest charities come from those who have worked in this way and then given. How can one judge and say that is not the right way. Perhaps that way by which one has risen to that position or wealth from which he commands for the generality of humanity cannot be called wrong.
   
   Ardh，大地，也就是大地所能提供的一切：財富、財產、地位或力量，所有這個世界能給人的東西。有人為此工作、為此努力。他會想：「這才是寬廣的道路、實際的道路，別人根本不知道什麼才是明智、正確的道路！」然而，如果我們看見事情的另一面，就會發現世上許多最偉大的慈善事業，正是來自那些先沿著這條路取得財富，之後又願意給出去的人。那麼，我們又怎能評斷說這不是正確的道路？也許正是藉由這條道路，一個人才能升到某種地位或取得某種財富，使他有能力為廣大人群做出貢獻；那麼，這條道路便不能簡單地稱為錯誤。

3. The way of happiness, comfort, pleasure. A person who seeks after happiness, pleasure, comfort, very often thinks of others, for such a one at least understands about others’ wants. One who is sleeping in the forest on stones does not know what the world wants, but that person who seeks for happiness can share his happiness with others. A person who is torturing himself cannot share happiness with others, because he is torturing himself. If we can see from this point of view, tolerance and forgiveness will arise in us towards all.
   
   幸福、舒適與享樂的道路。一個追求幸福、享樂與舒適的人，往往也會想到別人，因為這樣的人至少能理解別人也有自己的需要。一個睡在森林石頭上的人，並不知道世人需要什麼；然而追求幸福的人，至少有可能把自己的幸福與別人分享。一個不斷折磨自己的人無法與他人分享幸福，因為他自己正在受苦。若我們能從這個角度來看，心中便會對所有人升起寬容與寬恕。

4. That to which all religious, pious people advance, Moksha. They strive for some reward, some happiness in a future life. They think, “If the life in this world is discouraging, if our devotion, our service cannot be of use here, in the hereafter there will be a reward.” To whatever religion, to whatever faith they belong, so long as they are keeping to their path, no doubt they are accomplishing something, perhaps more than the person who is awaiting a reward to-morrow. Think of the patience they have and the good deeds they do. And while a person who does good and expects a reward here may leave the good path, on the contrary he who expects a reward hereafter keeps on his path.
   
   所有宗教虔敬之人所朝向的道路，Moksha。他們為未來生命中的某種回報、某種幸福而努力。他們想：「如果今生令人失望，如果我們的虔敬與服務在這裡不能得到回報，那麼在來世必定會有賞報。」無論他們屬於哪一種宗教、哪一種信仰，只要能持守自己的道路，毫無疑問，他們都正在成就某些事，甚至可能比那些只等著明天就得到回報的人走得更遠。想想他們所具有的耐心，以及他們所行的善事。一個行善而期待今生回報的人，可能因得不到回報而離開善的道路；相反地，一個期待來世回報的人，卻可能因此一直堅守自己的道路。

The words of Christ, “Judge not,” come to help us in probing the depth of this problem. The more insight we have the more we see that the paths are according to temperaments. One goes on one path, one on another, but all are going towards one goal. The goal is not different, the path is different. And those disputes and fights between people of different religions, each saying, “My path is right,” how can that be right, how can that be the idea of Christ? As soon as we have judged a person we have broken, not only the teaching, but the life of Christ. He not only taught, he lived it. People with all different kinds of faults were brought to him, to all he showed tolerance and forgiveness. He said, “Call me not good.”

基督所說的「不要論斷」，幫助我們更深入地探究這個問題。我們的洞見愈深，便愈能看見，道路之所以不同，是因為人的氣質不同。一個人走這條路，另一個人走另一條路，但所有人都朝向同一個目標。目標並沒有不同，不同的是道路。不同宗教的人彼此爭辯、衝突，每一方都說：「我的道路才是對的。」這怎麼可能是正確的？又怎麼可能符合基督的精神？當我們開始論斷一個人時，我們違背的不只是基督的教導，也違背了基督的一生。他不只如此教導，也如此活著。各種有著不同過失的人被帶到他面前，他對所有人都展現寬容與寬恕。他甚至說：「不要稱我為善。」

The greatest responsibility we have in life is to find out our own path, our own object in life, instead of bothering about others. Suppose a person has a better object in life, if he happens to be our friend, we need not pull him back. If a person has what seems to be a worse object, let him have it, we need not pull him towards us. If it seems to us at the moment a wrong object, never mind, even from a wrong object, perhaps, he has his lesson to learn. We learn in life much by our faults and mistakes. If a person falls, he learns by his fall. If a person has thought of an object wrongly, if the object is followed sincerely, surely in the end he must arrive at the goal towards which the soul directs every individual.

我們在生命中最大的責任，是找出自己的道路，找出自己生命的目的，而不是忙著干涉別人的道路。假如一個人的生命目的比我們所追求的更高，而他正好是我們的朋友，我們沒有必要把他拉回來。假如另一個人追求的目標在我們看來似乎比較低，也讓他去追求，不必硬把他拉向我們這邊。即使我們此刻覺得他的目標是錯的，也沒有關係；也許正是透過這個錯誤的目標，他有自己的功課需要學習。我們在生命中，往往正是透過自己的過失與錯誤學到許多事。一個人跌倒，便從跌倒中學習；一個人即使錯誤地理解了自己的目標，只要他真誠地追隨它，到最後，他必然仍會抵達靈魂始終引導每一個人前往的那個目標。

One thing must be understood. It is that as a rule man shows childishness in his nature. That childishness is dependence. He wants another person to tell him what is his object in life, what is good. In the first place, another person has no right to tell him. And if, by chance, that person happens to be his father, mother, or teacher, then the first duty of that person must be to awaken in him the spirit of realizing what is his life’s aim, instead of telling him. “This is your life’s aim,” for the soul is free. Jelal-ud-Din Rumi says, “The soul is imprisoned in the mortal body, and its constant aim is to be free and to experience that liberty which is its very nature.” And as long as a person in the position of a father, or mother, or teacher, or guardian has not understood this one principle, that every soul must be free to choose, he really does not understand how to help another.

有一件事必須明白：一般而言，人的本性裡帶著一種孩子氣，而這種孩子氣表現在依賴之中。他希望別人告訴自己生命的目的是什麼、什麼才是好的。首先，別人並沒有權利替他決定。即使那個人恰好是他的父親、母親或老師，那個人的首要責任，也應當是喚醒他內在的能力，使他自己認出生命的目的，而不是直接告訴他：「這就是你生命的目的。」因為靈魂本質上是自由的。賈拉魯丁・魯米說：「靈魂被囚禁在必朽的身體之中，而它始終的目的，就是獲得自由，並經驗那本就是它自身本性的自由。」只要一個身為父親、母親、老師或監護人的人，還沒有理解這個原則——每一個靈魂都必須擁有選擇的自由——他其實就還不真正懂得如何幫助另一個人。

Besides the childish nature there is another fault in human nature. It seems a natural fault, no doubt. Man generally does not know what is the matter with him. If you ask a physician he will tell you that out of a hundred patients hardly one knows what is the matter with him. They leave it to the physician to find it out, which is an impossible thing. No other person can know one’s own want, pain, ambition, desire, one’s constant longing. The work of one who helps, advises, guides another must be to make that person capable of knowing himself. A thorough physician will make that person capable of telling, of perceiving, of realizing what is really the matter with him. As long as man has not fully realized what is the matter he cannot be really helped.

除了這種孩子氣之外，人性中還有另一個弱點；毫無疑問，這似乎也是一種很自然的弱點。一般而言，人並不知道自己究竟出了什麼問題。若你問一位醫生，他會告訴你，一百個病人當中，幾乎沒有一個真正知道自己的問題在哪裡。他們把這件事交給醫生去找答案，但這其實是不可能的。沒有任何其他人能真正知道一個人自己的需要、痛苦、抱負、欲望，以及那始終存在於內在的渴望。因此，一個幫助、建議或引導別人的人，他真正的工作，是使那個人有能力認識自己。一位真正透徹的醫生，會使病人逐漸能夠說出、感受到、認清自己真正的問題所在。只要一個人還沒有充分認出自己的問題，他就無法真正得到幫助。

And finally, what does this subject teach and suggest to us? That we must cultivate in ourselves that sense which can realize our need, our trouble, our work, our aim. No doubt the different objects, whether they be good or seem bad, are passing objects. The true object is the one object and goal of all souls, whether they be good or seem to be evil, whether they be wise or seem to be foolish, there is that inward longing and the soul’s impulse towards the one single goal, the achievement of the spiritual ideal. A Hindu poet says, “There is nothing in the world which will satisfy you perfectly, although there are things which will satisfy you momentarily.” Therefore the perfect satisfaction, or the final satisfaction, remains always dependent upon the spiritual ideal. And what does it matter by which name it is called, whether God or Bhagwan? He is the one Spirit, by Whom and in Whom we live and move.

最後，這個主題究竟教導我們、提醒我們什麼？就是我們必須在自己內在培養出一種感受力，使我們能認出自己的需要、自己的困境、自己的工作，以及自己的目的。毫無疑問，各種不同的目標，無論看來是好還是不好，都只是暫時的目標。真正的目的，是所有靈魂共同的那一個目的、那一個終點。無論一個人是善的，或看來是惡的；是有智慧的，或看來是愚昧的，內在都有著同一份渴望，也都有著靈魂朝向唯一目標的驅力——成就靈性的理想。一位印度詩人說：「世上沒有任何事物能使你得到完全的滿足，雖然有些事物可以使你得到片刻的滿足。」因此，完全的滿足、最終的滿足，始終取決於靈性的理想。至於我們用什麼名字稱呼祂——神也好，薄伽梵（Bhagwan）也好——又有什麼關係？祂就是那唯一的靈，我們藉祂而活，也活在祂之中。

And if we take that spiritual ideal as our recognized aim, that ideal will help us in all our wants and needs and all our troubles, and at the same time it is that ideal that will raise us from the denseness which at times keeps one bound. It does not matter by what way the soul is progressing, whether by devotion, by religion, or by another way, as long as that spiritual ideal is before us we have really that port before us to which all boats go, that peace, constant happiness, that Friend never separated, that Father, always a Father here and in the hereafter, that Mother, the Mother of all humanity, that Ideal of perfect beauty. And keeping that ideal before us, that in our heart that ideal may be reflected, is really the best method of accomplishing the real object of human life.

如果我們把那個靈性的理想明確認作自己的目的，那個理想便會在我們所有的需要、所有的匱乏與所有的困境中幫助我們。同時，也正是這個理想，使我們從那時常束縛著我們的稠密狀態中提升出來。靈魂究竟循著哪一條道路前進並不重要，無論是經由虔敬、宗教，或其他道路；只要那個靈性的理想始終在我們眼前，我們便真正看見了所有船隻最後都要抵達的港口——那份安寧，那恆常的幸福，那永不分離的朋友，那在今生與來世始終都是父親的父，那位母親、全人類的母親，以及那圓滿之美的理想。把這個理想始終放在眼前，使它得以映照在我們心中，正是實現人類生命真正目的的最好方法。

3. The Journey Towards the Goal
朝向終極目標的旅程

“Every being is from God and will return unto Him.”

「每一個存在都來自神，也將回歸於祂。」

This Sura of the Qur’an tells us the fact that for all, good and bad, wise and foolish, believers and unbelievers, pious and infidel, there is one goal in the end, that which has been the origin of all. You may call it God, consciousness or the first cause of all causes. Also the above Sura explains that the journey from the original source to the manifestation is as necessary as the return from manifestation to the origin. Either by an effort or without it the circle will be accomplished by both willing and unwilling, developed and undeveloped, the difference only lies in time, in sooner or later, which seems not different and yet it makes a vast difference.

《古蘭經》的這一章告訴我們一個事實：無論善人或惡人、智者或愚者、信者或不信者、虔敬者或不虔敬者，最終都有同一個目標——那萬有最初的源頭。你可以稱之為神、意識，或一切原因背後的第一因。上述這段《古蘭經》經文也說明，從最初源頭走向顯現的旅程，與從顯現回歸源頭的旅程同樣必要。無論是否付出努力，無論願意或不願意，無論已發展或尚未發展，這個圓環終究都會完成；差別只在時間，在於早一些或晚一些。這個差別看似微小，實際上卻極其巨大。

The various aspects of the manner of reaching or attaining can be described as a person journeying on foot, or on horseback, or on a bicycle, or in a motor, or in the electric train, or in a balloon, or he may reach his destination in an airplane. There is no fixed period for the time of arriving, for some it needs but a moment of time for their upliftment, while for others a thousand such lives would not be sufficient. The speed of accomplishment depends alone on the proportion of one’s illumination. Generally speaking there are five paths chosen by the seekers after truth: devotion, morality, wisdom, power and annihilation.

抵達或成就的不同方式，可以比喻為一個人徒步旅行、騎馬、騎腳踏車、乘汽車、搭電氣火車、坐熱氣球，或乘飛機抵達目的地。抵達所需的時間沒有固定標準；有些人只需要一瞬間便能得到提升，另一些人即使經歷一千個這樣的生命，也仍不足夠。成就的速度，完全取決於一個人啟明的程度。一般而言，追尋真理的人會選擇五條道路：虔敬、德行、智慧、力量，以及消融。

Although each one of them is equally important and necessary, yet the attainment of self-realization is necessary, and without self-realization they are not of great use for perfection. Of course one helps the other, the heartfelt devotion causes morality to spring forth in the nature, and the development of morals illuminates a person, making him wise and it is wisdom which gives unchallengeable power and it is that power which fights against delusions and conquers the mortal self.

雖然這五者都同樣重要而且必要，然而，對自身本性的證悟仍是不可或缺的；若缺少了對自身本性的證悟，它們對於達到圓滿便沒有多大的作用。當然，這幾條道路彼此扶持：發自內心的虔敬會使德行從人的本性中生起；德行的發展使人得到啟明，因而成為有智慧的人；智慧則賦予一種無可撼動的力量，而正是這股力量與幻象交戰，並克服那個必朽的有限自我。

This Sura explains that the original source, the true self of all the selfs has journeyed through different planes in order to manifest in the universe, and its necessary re-action is the journey back towards the goal. Therefore man, beast bird, insect, all things and beings are attracted to Him. All are journeying toward the goal unconsciously, with the exception of man, and yet man has to go also without the knowledge of his journey for some time through life until he has found the true cause of his life’s miseries. There is an innate yearning for something comforting, agreeable and beautiful, but at first man seeks the object to satisfy his yearning among the seeming objects on earth. This goes on until at each earthly attainment he experiences either a momentary satisfaction or a disappointment for certain. He then chooses the freedom from dependence upon the objects without and seeks the true object which always attracted and which was within himself.

這段《古蘭經》經文說明，那最初的源頭、所有自身背後真正的本性，為了顯現在宇宙之中，曾穿越不同的層次；而其必然的回應，就是再度朝向終極目標而行。因此，人、走獸、飛鳥、昆蟲，以及一切事物與一切眾生，都受到祂的吸引。萬有都在無意識中朝向那個目標前進；人看似是例外，但在人生最初的一段旅程中，他其實也同樣在不知道自己正在前往何處的情況下前行，直到他終於發現自己生命種種痛苦真正的原因。人的內在天生就有一份渴望，追尋某種能帶來安慰、愉悅與美的事物；然而一開始，人總是在世間那些看似真實的對象之中，尋找能滿足這份渴望的東西。這會持續下去，直到他在每一次世間的獲得之後，不是只得到片刻的滿足，就是終究遭遇失望。於是，他開始選擇擺脫對外在事物的依賴，轉而尋找那個始終吸引著自己、而且一直就在自己內在的真正目標。

God bless you.

願神祝福你。

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