9-7. Class for Mureeds (7)
給門徒的課程 (7)

The Word That Was Lost
失落之言

This idea belongs to the inner cult of all ages, and in the secret teaching there is this teaching about the word that was lost. Very few at present know, or at least seem to know, the meaning of it. There is not much difference in belief between the mystic and the materialist; there is very much difference in the ideal. For instance, the scientist, the materialist who seeks for the source of the whole creation comes to the same conclusion, that there is only one source of the life of variety, the composition and decomposition of atoms. And both the mystic and the materialist come at the end of the path to the same thing, truth. It is chiefly in the ideal that the two differ.

這個觀念屬於歷代的內在修持傳統，而在祕傳教導中，也有關於這「失落之言」的教導。如今很少有人知道，或至少看起來很少有人知道，它究竟意味著什麼。祕士與唯物論者在信念上其實沒有太大的差別；真正相差甚遠的是他們的理想。例如，科學家、唯物論者若追尋整個創造的源頭，最後也會得到同樣的結論：萬象的生命只有一個源頭，也就是原子的組合與分解。而祕士與唯物論者走到道路的盡頭時，也都來到同一件事：真理。他們之間的差異，主要是在理想上。

The materialist thinks all this consciousness and intelligence that one sees in man is the natural development of life. Whether it is the consciousness of the rock or the stone, of a tree, of a plant, or the consciousness of man, all is the same. The mystic says, “That is not so.” The consciousness and intelligence are the same as the unlimited consciousness or intelligence, only they are put in different channels, and from that intelligence that existed in the beginning the rest has come. Picturing the unlimited consciousness or intelligence as the ocean, the consciousness or intelligence of man is like a drop compared to the ocean.

唯物論者認為，我們在人身上所看見的一切意識與智能，都是生命自然發展的結果。無論是岩石或石頭的意識、樹木或植物的意識，還是人的意識，全都是一樣的。祕士卻說：「並非如此。」這些意識與智能，其實就是那無限的意識或智能，只是被導入不同的管道；而其餘的一切，都是從那起初便已存在的智能而來。若把無限的意識或智能想成海洋，那麼人的意識或智能，相較於海洋，就像其中的一滴水。

Therefore the materialist sees the intelligence of man as the natural development of humanity, while the mystic sees it as the divine essence, as one, as the source of all things. In the belief of the mystic it is not only man that is seeking for something, it is the plants, the animals, even the rocks and mountains: all look for something. Man who analyzes life, distinguishes one object as a thing, another entity as a being. This way divides life into so many aspects, so many things, but in reality it is one. Therefore he sees intelligence in living beings only. But though it is especially developed in man, there is a mind also in animals, in plants, in a tree; each mind is a particle of the unlimited intelligence.

因此，唯物論者把人的智能看成是人類自然發展的結果，而祕士則把它視為神聖的本質，視為一，視為萬物的源頭。在祕士的信念中，不只是人在尋找某種東西；植物、動物，甚至岩石與山岳，也都在尋找某種東西。人分析生命時，會把一個對象區分為「事物」，把另一個存在區分為「生命」。如此一來，生命就被分割成許多層面、許多事物，但實際上它是一體的。因此，人只在有生命的存在身上看見智能。然而，儘管頭腦在人身上發展得格外充分，動物、植物和樹木也都有頭腦；每一個頭腦，都是那無限智能的一個微粒。

Often an animal thinks more than man, only one can say that an animal is not so much developed. According to the mystic mind exists also in plants and trees; in rocks and mountains mind is hidden somewhere. Mind is working in all things imperceptibly, in all things that man only recognizes as objects. Comparison between two minds shows a vast difference between them, but it is difficult to define it. Some will have experienced in life how plants often respond to influences, especially to the human beings around them: how they often wither in a home where there is distress or disturbance or disharmony, and often live longer where there is harmony. And when their owners understand plants, they become responsive to love and harmony and sympathy; often plants feel the absence of these qualities. The condition of a person’s mind can be seen in its effect on the plants in his surroundings.

動物往往比人想得更多，只能說動物還沒有發展到那樣的程度。依祕士的觀點，植物與樹木也有頭腦；在岩石與山岳之中，頭腦則隱藏在某處。頭腦以人所無法察覺的方式，在萬物之中運作，包括那些人只認作物體的事物。比較兩個頭腦時，可以看出它們之間有極大的差異，但這種差異很難加以界定。有些人在生命中或許已經體驗過，植物經常會對各種影響有所反應，尤其會回應周遭的人：在充滿痛苦、不安或不和諧的家中，它們往往會枯萎；在和諧的地方，卻常常活得更久。當照料它們的人懂得植物時，植物會回應愛、和諧與共感；而當這些品質缺席時，植物往往也感受得到。一個人的頭腦處於什麼狀態，可以從它對周遭植物造成的影響中看出來。

The human being is so much absorbed in his own affairs that he sees no further than he sees. Generally mankind is too unaware of the condition of others; very often man does not know even the condition of those who are near and dear to him. If it were not so, there could not be some nations happy and comfortable while people in other countries are starving and dying by millions.

人如此全神貫注於自己的事情，以至於眼光再也超不出自己所看見的範圍。一般而言，人類對他人的處境實在太缺乏覺察；人甚至往往連自己至親至愛之人的情況都不了解。若非如此，就不可能有一些國家的人過著幸福舒適的生活，而其他國家卻有數以百萬計的人正在挨餓與死亡。

This can be seen in the ancient fables. There is a fable which tells that there once was an argument between a man and a lion about whose life was more important, man’s fate or the lion’s. When they voted, it proved that each had said his own was more important.

這一點可以從古代的寓言中看出來。有一則寓言說，從前有一個人和一頭獅子爭論，究竟誰的生命比較重要，是人的命運比較重要，還是獅子的命運比較重要。等到他們投票時，結果證明雙方都認為自己的比較重要。

This fable proves that the reason is that man is unaware of the secret of his own being: what he needs is to interest himself in the life of the beings in another phase of evolution before he can come to the fundamental basis, the consciousness of his own being. If you have ever been far away in the forests or the mountains, far away from all population, you will know that there comes, consciously or unconsciously, a feeling of romance: the wind that repeats the sound that comes from the trees and the rock, the murmur of the water running, all are wanting to get back something that has been lost. This feeling comes to human beings even in the pleasure of everyday life.

這則寓言說明，原因就在於人並未覺察自身存在的祕密：在他能夠抵達那最根本的基礎，也就是對自身存在的意識之前，他需要先對處於其他演化階段的眾生之生命產生興趣。如果你曾經深入森林或山中，遠離所有人群，你就會知道，有一種浪漫的感受會有意識或無意識地升起：風反覆傳來樹木與岩石的聲響，流水發出潺潺低語，一切彷彿都想找回某個曾經失落的東西。甚至在人日常生活的歡樂之中，這種感受也會出現。

Then there is a joy that opens something in us, then there comes this yearning; and that feeling one feels on every side in the wilderness, in the forest. There comes the feeling of longing, the deep yearning of the heart, the searching for something that has been lost. When we look at the beings living around us, we see the same thing. For instance, look at the birds and contemplate their restless flight, the ceaseless roaming of animals in the forest. The first thought that might come is that they are searching for food. But he who has a deeper insight into nature certainly will feel the restlessness sooner or later, the searching for that which is lost.

有時，一份喜悅會在我們之中開啟某樣東西，而後這份渴望便升起；在荒野與森林的四面八方，都可以感受到這種感覺。一種思念之情升起，一種發自內心深處的渴望，一種對某個失落之物的尋找。當我們看著周遭的生命，也會看見同樣的情形。例如，看看鳥兒不安定的飛翔，觀察森林裡動物永不停息的遊走。最先浮現的念頭也許是：牠們正在尋找食物。但真正對大自然有更深洞見的人，遲早一定會感受到那份不安，那份對失落之物的尋找。

There is the same tendency in human beings. Although the human being has much interest in life through his various occupations and various moods, he finds a thousand and one excuses for his restlessness, for his depression. And illusion is so much developed in man that a reason always comes at his command. There is always someone that will say to a poor man, “It is sad for you that you are not rich.” Someone comes and says, “You look depressed. I know there is so much sorrow, that is the reason.” But reason is always at his command and is employed without, and so man cannot find the real reason that is within. That reason is suppressed beneath all the reasoning, and man seeks more than the animal kingdom does to get back something that has been lost.

人也有同樣的傾向。雖然人在生命中有各種事情可以投入，也有各式各樣的心情，但他總能為自己的不安、自己的低落找出千百種理由。而幻象在人身上發展得如此深，以至於理由總是隨手可得。總會有人對一個窮人說：「你不富有，真是令人難過。」又有人來說：「你看起來很低落。我知道，你有那麼多悲傷，這就是原因。」可是理由總是任由人取用，而且總被用來向外解釋，因此人找不到那個真正位於內在的原因。那個原因被壓在所有推理與理由之下，而人比動物界更加努力地想找回某個失落的東西。

Nowadays life never gives man a moment to be quiet that he might have time to ponder upon the true cause of his constant unhappiness. Also it keeps him in an illusion, always looking outward, and he can never find the cause outside himself. It is as if he were looking for the moon on earth, though the moon is in the sky. But then you may ask, “What has man lost?” And the answer is God Himself. That perfect intelligence that is in every being, that intelligence that the Vedanta calls “Light.” The verses of Qur’an say, “God is light, Nur,” which means that the light of God is immanent in the world of names and forms, in all that exists in this world of variety. In this world of variety different forms of activity are producing different results. And man in this life of illusion has yet the same intelligence, which he can realize in its perfection in that state of consciousness where he can be aware of his own perfection.

現代生活從不給人片刻安靜，讓他有時間去思索自己持續不快樂的真正原因。它也使人一直停留在幻象之中，不斷向外觀看，而他永遠不可能在自己之外找到那個原因。這就像一個人在地面上尋找月亮，而月亮其實在天空中。接著你也許會問：「人失去了什麼？」答案就是：神本身。那存在於每一個生命中的完美智能，也就是吠檀多所稱的「光」。《古蘭經》的經文說：「神是光，是 Nur。」意思是，神之光內在於名相的世界之中，內在於這個萬象世界的一切存在之中。在這個萬象世界裡，不同形式的活動產生不同的結果。而活在幻象中的人，依然具有同一個智能；當他進入那能夠覺知自身圓滿的意識狀態時，便能體悟這智能的圓滿。

The religions, the mystics, the philosophers of all ages give the key to the secret. That is what the Sufi Message is bringing back to humanity. Christ has said it so beautifully: “Be ye perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” And the yearning of every soul is for the realization of that perfection that is the longing consciously or unconsciously of everything, of every being in this world. There is one thing in the whole creation which is like an alarm clock, set for certain time to make a sound so that one may awaken. That clock sounds through all the activity of evolution, and when this is touched, man is wakened by the alarm. That was the word that was lost, and it has its echo in the longing.

歷代的宗教、祕士與哲學家都提供了開啟這個祕密的鑰匙。這也正是蘇菲神聖訊息正在帶回給人類的。基督曾如此美麗地說：「你們要成為圓滿，正如你們在天上的父是圓滿的。」而每個靈魂所渴望的，都是對那份圓滿的體悟；這也是世間萬事萬物、每一個生命有意識或無意識的渴望。在整個創造之中，有一樣東西就像一只設定好時間的鬧鐘，到了某個時刻便發出聲響，好讓人醒來。這只時鐘透過演化的一切活動發出聲響，而當這一點被觸及時，人便被這聲警鈴喚醒。那就是失落之言，而它的回聲就在這份渴望之中。

And now you will ask, “How can one listen, how can one find it?” That word rises from one’s own heart, re-echoing in everything in this universe. If it does not rise from one’s own heart it cannot be heard in the outer world. And you may ask, “What is the sign, what makes it rise? Who can hear it?” And the answer comes, “As soon as this word rises in your own heart, you touch God, you touch perfection. And then one begins to understand the divine tongue; the secret that was closed for so long seems to be revealed.”

現在你會問：「我們要怎麼聆聽，又要怎麼找到它？」那個「言」從我們自己的心中升起，並在宇宙的一切事物中迴響。如果它沒有從自己的心中升起，就不可能在外在世界聽見它。你也許還會問：「它的徵兆是什麼？是什麼使它升起？誰能聽見它？」答案是：「當這個言從你自己的心中升起時，你便觸及了神，也觸及了圓滿。於是，我們開始理解神聖的語言；那個封閉了如此漫長歲月的祕密，彷彿終於被揭開了。」

Ancient stories, the stories in the Bible, tell of men speaking with trees, with running water; of sounds coming from the rock. A man without patience will not stop to listen. He hurries on; he is ready to laugh at such a thing. But there is nothing surprising or impossible in this. This world which is around us sounds continually; the word re-echoes in all things. It is a true picture. The word re-echoes in all things, only man must be aware of his privilege, of their underlying oneness. The whole treasure of the universe is in the understanding of the mystical idea.

古老的故事以及《聖經》中的故事，都曾說到人與樹木交談、與流水交談，也說到聲音從岩石中傳出。沒有耐心的人不會停下來聆聽。他匆匆趕路，甚至準備嘲笑這種事情。但其中沒有任何令人驚訝或不可能之處。我們周遭的這個世界不斷發出聲音；那個言在萬物之中迴響。這是一幅真實的圖景。那個言在萬物之中迴響；只是人必須覺察自己的這份特權，也覺察萬物底層的一體性。宇宙全部的寶藏，都蘊藏在對這個神祕觀念的理解之中。

Friends, this lack of religion, this increasing of materialism, by what is it caused? It is caused by the lack of knowledge of religion; it is the spirit of religion that is lost. Mankind cannot be tuned all one way. The form does not matter, it is nothing without the spirit. What is wanted? What is wanted is to understand each other’s faith, to respect each other’s ideal, to regard that which is dear to our fellow man and to the other creatures. The attempt to make the whole world believers of one faith would be — if it could succeed — as if all men had the same face; it would become a very uninteresting world.

朋友們，宗教的缺乏，以及日益增長的唯物主義，究竟是什麼造成的？是因為人缺乏對宗教的認識；失落的是宗教的精神。人類不可能全都被調成同一個音調。形式並不重要；形式若沒有精神，就什麼也不是。我們需要的是什麼？需要的是理解彼此的信仰、尊重彼此的理想，並尊重那些對我們的同胞以及其他生命而言珍貴的事物。試圖讓全世界都成為同一信仰的信徒——即使這件事真能成功——就如同讓所有的人都長著同一張臉；那將會是一個非常乏味的世界。

The work that the Sufi Message has to accomplish, therefore, is to bring that idea of the mystics: that it is the spirit, not the form, that matters, and that one should leave the belief of others out of the question. To understand their belief, to come to the realization of the word that was lost, the seeking of every soul, that man may be enabled to respect that picture of oneness, and so to hear the word that was lost, to hear it sounding again in his own heart.

因此，蘇菲神聖訊息所要完成的工作，就是把祕士的這個觀念帶來：真正重要的是精神，而不是形式；我們不應去議論他人的信仰，而應理解他們的信仰，進而體悟那個失落之言——每個靈魂都在尋找的那個言——使人能夠尊重這幅一體性的圖景，從而聽見那失落之言，再次在自己的心中響起。

Mastery
自我掌握

If you are the master of a great factory and all the machines go by your will — when you come home, are you happy, restful, and peaceful? You may be the master of a whole army, or of a whole nation, or of many nations — when you are at home, are you peaceful and happy? No. This shows us that another mastery is needed. One man may be the master of a whole army, and if he has a stroke of paralysis, all his mastership is gone, and he can do nothing. This shows us that this mastership is very passing. The mastery of the self is needed. It is not more difficult than the other. But as much will, as many years as a man gives to be master of a factory, he will never give to this. Because the results are much less tangible. A factory means so many pounds tomorrow. The results of the other are much subtler, much less perceptible.

如果你是一座大工廠的主人，所有機器都依你的意志運轉——當你回到家時，你是否幸福、安適而平靜？你也許能統領整支軍隊，或掌管一個國家，甚至許多國家——但當你回到家時，你是否平靜而幸福？不。這讓我們看見，我們需要的是另一種掌控。一個人也許能統領整支軍隊，但如果他突然癱瘓，他所有的掌控權便都消失了，什麼也做不了。這讓我們看見，這種外在的掌控是非常短暫的。真正需要的是「自我掌握」。它並不比前者更困難。然而，一個人為了成為工廠的主人，願意投入那麼多意志、那麼多年的時間，卻不會同樣投入在自我掌握上。因為它的成果遠沒有那麼具體可見。一座工廠意味著明天可以得到多少英鎊；而自我掌握的成果則細微得多，也更不容易察覺。

The mastery is taught to those who are born to be masters, to those who are inclined for this way, by repose and by the control of the activity which keeps every thing in this universe in movement. This mastery is very difficult to gain in the world. At every step it becomes more difficult. But you cannot run away to the caves of mountains. You must stand where you are. If you ran away and lived in the caves of mountains, the attractions of the world would draw you back again. The taste which has been used to different food and nice food would not be satisfied with the leaves and fruits.

自我掌握，是教給那些天生具有這種傾向、願意走上這條道路的人；它藉由安歇，以及對那股使宇宙萬物持續運動的活動力加以節制而習得。在世間要獲得這份自我掌握非常困難，每向前一步，都會變得更加困難。但你不能逃到山中的洞穴裡。你必須站在自己所在之處。如果你逃走，住進山洞裡，世間的吸引力仍會再次把你拉回來。已經習慣各種食物與美味佳餚的味覺，不會滿足於樹葉與果實。

If you read the life of Shiva, the lord of all the yogis, you will see that after a long, long time — sixty years of yoga — he was tempted. Rishi Vishnamitri after forty years of yoga in the wilderness was tempted by the fair ones from Indra, the decree of whose court has always been to hinder the advancement in spirituality of the rare ones. Though Machandra was a very great yogi, he was tempted and taken away from the desert by Mahila, a Hindu queen, to her court, and there he was married and made a king, and among the flattering surroundings and luxurious environments he lost all his great powers achieved in the heart of the wilderness.

如果你讀過濕婆——一切瑜伽士之主——的生平，就會看到，即使經過非常非常漫長的時間——六十年的瑜伽修行——他仍然受到誘惑。仙人毗濕婆密多在荒野修行瑜伽四十年之後，也受到因陀羅派來的美女誘惑；而因陀羅宮廷的法令，向來就是要阻礙那些極少數人在靈性上的進展。馬昌德拉雖是一位非常偉大的瑜伽士，也受到誘惑，被一位印度教女王瑪希拉帶離荒漠，前往她的宮廷；他在那裡結婚並成為國王，而在充滿奉承與奢華的環境中，他失去了自己在荒野深處所獲得的一切巨大力量。

It is easier to gain mastery in the wilderness, away from all temptations, but the mastery that you gain in the world is of much more value. The former can be upset by a slight stroke, while the latter, achieved in the crowd, will last forever. It is very difficult. When you are thinking of God, someone comes and says, “You did not come to my birthday party yesterday. That was very bad. Now tomorrow there is the wedding of my brother, and you must come.” Now you are wanting to think of God, and the thought comes, “What present could I take?” You are sitting in your meditation, and someone comes and says, “You must come to the dinner at the club. Many interesting people will be there, and you must come.”

在荒野中，遠離一切誘惑，要獲得自我掌握比較容易；然而，在世間所獲得的自我掌握，價值要大得多。前者可能因為輕微的一擊便被動搖，後者卻是在群眾之中成就的，因此能夠長久持續。這是非常困難的。當你正在想著神時，有人走來對你說：「你昨天沒有來參加我的生日聚會，真是太不好了。明天我哥哥要結婚，你一定要來。」你原本想著神，接著腦中便浮現：「我該帶什麼禮物去呢？」你正坐著冥想，又有人走來說：「你一定要來參加俱樂部的晚宴。那裡會有很多有趣的人，你一定得來。」

The world will always be calling you away, because whatever a person does, he wants to take his friend with him. If he gambles, he will say, “Come, we will gamble, we will enjoy together.” If he drinks, he will say, “Come on, drink with me.” If he goes to the theater, he will say: “Come with me. We will go to the theater. We shall enjoy it.” So the world, busy with its selfish, unimportant occupations, will surely drag one toward itself. This can only be overcome by the will. A person must have a will, and he must have confidence in his will.

這個世界總是不斷呼喚你離開，因為無論一個人在做什麼，他總想把朋友也一起帶去。如果他賭博，他會說：「來吧，我們一起賭，一起享受。」如果他喝酒，他會說：「來啊，跟我一起喝。」如果他去劇院，他會說：「跟我來吧。我們去看戲，一定會很開心。」因此，這個世界忙著那些自私而不重要的活動，必然會把人拉向它自身。要克服這一點，只有靠意志。一個人必須有意志，也必須對自己的意志有信心。

This idea is pictured by Hindu poets as a swimmer swimming against the tide. They picture the world as bhava sagara, the sea of life. And the swimmer in it is the mystic who attains to perfection by swimming against the tide and arriving in the end on the shore of perfection. In all our business and occupations we should keep our thought fixed on God. In Italy you will see that at every corner of the road there is a statue or a picture of Mary with Christ. It is put there to remind people, to keep their thought on God. In Russia I have seen in every house the picture of Christ and Mary. In India I have seen a merchant sitting in his shop with his goods and his money and his accounts about him, and in some place there is a little statue of a god or goddess. In the Islamic countries, where there are no pictures, they perform the namaz five times a day, bowing to the ground and repeating the names of God.

印度詩人把這個觀念描繪成一個逆流而游的泳者。他們把世界描繪成 bhava sagara，也就是「生命之海」。而在其中游泳的人就是祕士，他逆流而游，抵達圓滿，最後登上圓滿的彼岸。在我們所有的事務與活動中，都應當讓自己的思想專注於神。在義大利，你會看到每一個街角都有聖母瑪利亞與基督的雕像或畫像。它們被放在那裡，是為了提醒人們，使人的思想保持在神之上。在俄羅斯，我曾看見每一戶人家都有基督與瑪利亞的畫像。在印度，我曾看見商人坐在店裡，四周是貨物、金錢和帳冊，而某個地方則擺著一尊小小的神祇雕像。在伊斯蘭國家，由於沒有圖像，人們每天行五次禮拜，俯身至地，反覆念誦神的聖名。

Someone once came to a friend of my murshid and said to him, “Every time that I am at my practices and I wish to think of God, a thousand thoughts come and I cannot think of God.” He said, “Why is that?” He said, “Because I cannot control my thoughts.” He said, “You recognize another than God, you do not recognize God. You do not think that whatever comes before you is God and nothing but God, but you think that only God is God and all other is other. But you do not know there is no other than God. Whatever comes before us we should recognize as God. Whatever thought comes, we should say that it is nothing but God. Then in all our business, whatever it is, we shall see only God.”

有一次，有個人來到我的穆希德（Murshid）的一位朋友那裡，對他說：「每當我做修持、想要憶念神時，成千上萬個念頭就會冒出來，使我無法想著神。」他問：「為什麼會這樣？」那人回答：「因為我無法掌握自己的念頭。」他便說：「你承認有某種不是神的存在，所以你並沒有真正認出神。你不是認為凡來到你面前的一切都是神，而且除了神以外別無他物；你認為只有神是神，而其他一切都是『其他』。但你不知道，除了神之外並沒有任何『其他』。無論什麼來到我們面前，我們都應認出那就是神。無論什麼念頭升起，我們都應說，它無非就是神。這樣一來，無論我們從事什麼事務，都只會看見神。」

Our mistake is that we take the responsibility for the sake of the responsibility, and recognize our cares and our business, losing the thought of God. The Sufis, in order to awaken their group to this idea, considering their life as a journey toward the spiritual goal, recite, “Hosh bar dam, nazar bar qadam, khalwat dar anjuman,” meaning, “Let the breath be God-conscious at each swing; watch thy steps and realize who walks, keeping thine eyes lowered that the tempting world may not attract them; realize thyself alone amidst this crowd of the world of variety.”

我們的錯誤在於，只為了承擔責任而承擔責任，把憂慮與事務都認作自己的，於是失去了對神的憶念。蘇菲祕士把生命視為朝向靈性目標的旅程；為了喚醒團體對這個觀念的覺知，他們會誦念：「Hosh bar dam, nazar bar qadam, khalwat dar anjuman。」意思是：「讓每一次呼吸都覺知著神；看顧你的腳步，體悟究竟是誰在行走；垂下你的雙眼，使充滿誘惑的世界無法吸引它們；在這萬象世界的群眾之中，體悟自身獨處於其中。」

Q. Is a busy life in the world a hindrance or a help on the path towards spiritual perfection?

問：在世間忙碌的生活，對走向靈性圓滿的道路而言，是阻礙還是幫助？

A. The life in the world, which brings a person into contact with all sorts of undesirable people and affairs, makes spirituality more difficult; but at the same time it affords a test of the will and the spirituality. You may be more spiritual in a cave in the mountains, in silence and in solitude, but there you will never be able to test your spirituality, whether it is strong enough to bear the contact of the contrary vibrations.

答：世間生活會使一個人接觸各種令人不悅的人與事情，因此使靈性修持變得更加困難；但與此同時，它也提供了考驗意志與靈性的機會。在山中洞穴裡，在寂靜與獨處之中，你也許會顯得更有靈性；然而在那裡，你永遠無法檢驗自己的靈性是否真的足夠堅強，能承受與相反振動的接觸。

To be ready for all responsibilities and all activities, to have family and friends and cares, to pay attention to friends to serve friends and enemies, to say to the worldly person, “I can do all that you do, and more than all that you do;” and at the same time to remain spiritual, this is the greatest spirituality. To be without cares or occupations may make spirituality easier, but when the mind is not occupied, very undesirable thoughts and desires come. It is mostly those who have no work and no occupation who lead an undesirable life. Those who have an occupation or who have a master whom they must please have less opportunity of following what is not desirable.

準備好承擔一切責任、參與一切活動；有家人、有朋友、有牽掛；照顧朋友，服務朋友，也服務敵人；並且能對世俗之人說：「你能做的，我全都能做，而且我能做得比你更多。」同時卻依然保持靈性——這才是最大的靈性。沒有牽掛或工作，也許會使靈性修持比較容易；可是當頭腦無事可做時，許多非常不理想的念頭與欲望便會出現。往往正是那些沒有工作、沒有事情可做的人，較容易過著不理想的生活。那些有工作可做，或有一位自己必須努力使其滿意的主人之人，反而比較少有機會去追隨那些不理想的事物。

Inner Guidance
內在引導

It is the natural tendency of every human being, when he is in a difficulty, to seek guidance, to ask the advice of someone, either of an elderly person or of some friend or relation. People even ask of fortunetellers. However proud a person may be, if he has the opportunity of asking, he will ask as a joke what will happen in his life.

每一個人在遭遇困難時，都會自然而然地尋求引導，向某個人請教，也許是年長者，也許是朋友或親戚。人甚至會去問算命師。不論一個人多麼驕傲，只要有機會可以問，他也會半開玩笑地問一問，自己的人生將會發生什麼事。

There are two things: intelligence, the faculty of knowing, and the knowledge that has been acquired and stored. The intelligence is capable of knowing, but it has no knowledge; the knowledge is gathered from without, from all the experience of the world and of life. Every individual has his accumulated store of experience, and so has every family, every nation, and every race. And it is this store of experience that is the stock of knowledge of that family, nation, or race. Therefore we say that this nation is like this and that nation is like that.

這裡有兩樣東西：一是智能，也就是「能知」的能力；另一個則是已經取得並累積下來的知識。智能具有認知的能力，卻沒有知識；知識則是從外界收集而來，來自對世界與生命的一切經驗。每一個人都有自己累積的經驗，每一個家庭、每一個民族、每一個種族也同樣如此。正是這些累積下來的經驗，構成那個家庭、民族或種族的知識庫存。因此我們才會說，這個民族是這樣，那個民族是那樣。

The Sufi says this whole universe was made in order that God might know Himself. The seed wished to realize what it is, what is in it, and therefore became the tree.

蘇菲祕士說，整個宇宙之所以被創造，是為了讓神能夠認識自己。種子想要體悟自己是什麼、自己裡面有什麼，因此它成為了樹。

Sometimes a person asks someone else for guidance, someone living on earth or one who has passed to the other side; sometimes he asks a saint or sage. Whoever is asked can give knowledge only according to the extent of his knowledge. From that store of knowledge that he has gathered, his advice is given. When a person turns for guidance to God, to the inner Being, then all light and all knowledge are his for his guidance.

有時，一個人會向別人尋求引導，可能是仍活在世上的人，也可能是已經去到另一邊的人；有時，他會求問聖者或賢哲。無論求問的是誰，對方都只能依照自己所擁有的知識程度提供知識。他所給出的建議，是從自己累積的知識庫中而來。然而，當一個人轉向神、轉向內在的存在尋求引導時，那麼一切的光與一切的知識，都可以成為他的引導。

“But,” people say, “how can we attach ourselves with the inner Being, so as to have that guidance?” When the mind is fixed upon anything, then the person becomes linked to that, a current is established between him and it. It may be called the guidance of God or the guidance of the self. If we look within, God is nearer to us than our mind and our body, because He is that life in which as is said in the Bible, we live and move and have our being.

但是人們會說：「我們要如何與內在的存在連結，才能得到那樣的引導？」當頭腦專注在某件事物上時，人便與它建立了連結，兩者之間形成一道流。這可以稱為神的引導，也可以稱為自我的引導。如果我們向內觀看，神比我們的頭腦和身體離我們更近，因為祂就是那生命；正如《聖經》所說，我們在其中生活、行動、存在。

The soul has within it the inner faculty of guidance, pointing to the person what to do, which way to go. But often a person does not perceive it, he is in confusion. Many are in confusion and remain in confusion all their life, not knowing what they should do in life. This is because he does not hold to that desire that he has. He desires one thing, and then another wish comes and he lets it go.

靈魂本身具有內在的引導能力，會向人指出該做什麼、該往哪個方向走。然而，人往往察覺不到它，於是陷入混亂。許多人都處於混亂之中，甚至一生都留在混亂裡，不知道自己這一生究竟應該做什麼。這是因為他沒有堅守自己原有的渴望。他渴望一件事，接著另一個願望又出現了，他便把原來的渴望放掉。

It is just as if a cook were cooking a good dish and were intent upon it, but the housemaid said to him, “A splendid procession is just passing; you ought to see that,” and he leaves the dish and goes to look at the procession. Then the dish is spoiled.

這就像一個廚師正在專心烹調一道好菜，女傭卻對他說：「外面正有一場盛大的遊行經過，你應該去看看。」於是他丟下那道菜，跑去看遊行，結果那道菜便毀了。

The guidance from the outer knowledge and the guidance from the inner intelligence are both necessary. If the inner light were enough, then man would never have been created; he would have been an angel.

來自外在知識的引導，以及來自內在智能的引導，兩者都是必要的。如果內在之光本身就已經足夠，那麼人根本不需要被創造；他原本就可以是一位天使。

This is explained in a story in the Qur’an, in which it is told that when God intended to create man He first told the angels of His intention. They said, “O Lord, why wilt Thou create this being, who will shed blood and cause destruction on the earth? Are not we enough to praise Thee and serve Thee? We are everlastingly occupied in Thy praise and service.”

《古蘭經》中的一則故事解釋了這一點。故事說，當神打算創造人時，祂首先把這個意圖告訴天使。天使們說：「主啊，祢為何要創造這種生命？他們會在地上流血、造成毀滅。難道由我們來讚美祢、服侍祢還不夠嗎？我們永遠都在讚美祢、服侍祢。」

Then, when man had been created, God asked him, “What is this and this and this?” And he knew the names of all things, of mountain, tree, and stream, and all things on the earth. God said to the angels, “Do ye know the names of all these things?” And they were obliged to confess, “Lord, we do not know the name of anything on earth. We know only Thy praise.”

後來，人被創造出來之後，神問他：「這個是什麼？這個呢？還有這個呢？」而人知道萬物的名稱，知道山、樹、溪流，以及地上一切事物的名稱。神便問天使：「你們知道這一切事物的名稱嗎？」天使只得承認：「主啊，我們不知道地上任何事物的名稱。我們只知道如何讚美祢。」

The meaning of this story is that experience on earth is needed to acquire knowledge. Without it, only the capacity for knowledge is there. If a man wishes to become a doctor, an architect, an engineer, a poet, a musician, and he studies and acquires all the knowledge of the science or art but does not seek the inner guidance, then he will have all knowledge of the rules, but no inspiration, no gift, no power. The contrary mistake has often been made by mystics, who have thought that the inner light is enough, the inner knowledge, without any learning of the external world.

這個故事的意思是，人需要在地上的經驗，才能獲得知識。若沒有這些經驗，就只有認知的能力存在。如果一個人想成為醫師、建築師、工程師、詩人或音樂家，他學習並獲得了那門科學或藝術的一切知識，卻不尋求內在引導，那麼他將知道所有規則，卻沒有靈感、沒有天賦、沒有力量。祕士則經常犯相反的錯誤，以為只要有內在之光、內在知識就足夠，而不需要學習任何外在世界的知識。

There was in India the great poet Kabir, who came of a family of weavers and spoke the language of the weavers, which is full of the commonest expressions. His book is written in that language and with those words. I do not know how he would be appreciated in the West. In India, where they have always had a great esteem for the people of high knowledge, it is held to be as one of the great blessings of God.

印度曾有一位偉大的詩人卡比爾（Kabir）。他出身於織工家庭，說的是織工所使用的語言，其中充滿最尋常的日常用語。他的著作就是用這樣的語言與字詞寫成。我不知道在西方，人們會如何評價他。然而在印度，人們向來極為敬重具有高度學識的人，而卡比爾卻被視為神所賜予的一大祝福。

The secret of the inner guidance is that on whatever the desire of the soul is fixed, to that the way is cleared and all hindrances are swept aside. If you unswervingly desire anything or to become anything, that you will become. Whether you desire to become an angel or a deva or to be at the feet of God or even more, that you will become. Whatever the self desires, that is its destiny.

內在引導的祕密就在於：靈魂的渴望無論堅定地指向什麼，那條道路就會為它敞開，一切障礙也會被掃除。如果你毫不動搖地渴望某件事，或渴望成為某種存在，你終將成為那樣。無論你渴望成為天使、天神（deva），或渴望來到神的足下，甚至渴望更多，你都會成為那樣。自我所渴望的，就是它的命運。

Therefore one person thinks, “I should go to the war; I should give my life for my nation,” and that is his destiny. And another thinks, “I should not hurt even an insect; I should lead a most harmless life,” and this is his goal.

因此，有一個人想：「我應該上戰場；我應該為我的國家獻出生命。」那就是他的命運。另一個人則想：「我甚至不應傷害一隻昆蟲；我應該過一種絕不傷害任何生命的生活。」那就是他的目標。

God bless you.

願神祝福你。

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