26. “Superhuman” and Hierarchy
26. 「超人」與階序

August 10, 1926
1926 年 8 月 10 日

Beloved Ones of God,
神所摯愛的人們：

I will speak this evening on the subject of what is called “superhuman.” The difference between human and superhuman is not the difference of their nature, it is the difference of man’s conception. That which man cannot comprehend appears to him superhuman. It is human, but because he cannot comprehend it, he calls it superhuman. It is the same thing as saying, “the other world.” A world which is around him, which is within him, which surrounds him and in which he moves and makes his life and yet he is not aware of it, that world he calls “the other world.” It is this very world, but because he cannot comprehend it he calls it the other world.

今晚我想談談所謂「超人」這個主題。人與超人之間的差別，並不在於兩者的本性不同，而在於人的理解不同。凡是人所無法理解的，在他看來便是超人的。它其實仍是人的，只因他無法理解，便稱之為超人。這就像所謂的「另一個世界」。那個世界就在他周圍，也在他之內；它環繞著他，他在其中活動、生活，卻沒有察覺它的存在，於是他稱那個世界為「另一個世界」。其實就是這個世界，只因他無法理解，便稱它為另一個世界。

It is the same thing with heaven, that which is within man in the form of different planes, different spheres, the spheres which his consciousness touches knowingly or unknowingly so often in twenty-four hours. And yet he calls them heaven, something that he cannot approach, something that he does not know. In reality it is within him, it surrounds him, it is around him, he is in heaven and heaven is in him. It is the same thing with the word “superhuman.” We call it superhuman because that part of a human being is beyond man’s comprehension. Man looks for mystery, and he is himself a mystery.

天堂也是如此。它以不同層面、不同領域的形式存在於人之內；在一天二十四小時之中，人的意識有那麼多次有意或無意地觸及這些領域。然而他卻稱它們為天堂，好像那是他無法接近、也不了解的事物。其實天堂就在他之內，環繞著他，也在他四周；他在天堂之中，天堂也在他之中。「超人」這個詞也是一樣。我們之所以稱其為超人，是因為人的那一部分超出了人的理解。人四處尋找奧祕，而他自己就是一個奧祕。

And now we come to the question of hierarchy. The notion of a spiritual hierarchy has existed in all different religions and has been believed by all mystical and esoteric institutions of all ages. And today humanity is so far away from that ideal. Yet they cannot form any institution, whatever it may be, without a certain hierarchy. Even the kitchen and dining room cannot be managed without a chef. Nor can a factory be managed without a supervisor. Nor can an army exist without a commander and generals and colonels.

現在我們來談階序的問題。靈性階序這個觀念存在於各種不同的宗教之中，歷代所有祕士與祕傳團體也都相信它。今日的人類卻已離這個理想非常遙遠。然而，無論建立什麼樣的組織，都不可能完全沒有某種階序。即使是廚房與餐廳，沒有廚師也無法運作；工廠沒有主管，也無法管理；軍隊若沒有指揮官、將軍與上校，也不可能存在。

No doubt, man is against this idea, but at the same time he cannot change it. He will change names, names of different ranks, and names of offices; but he cannot change the inner principle of hierarchy. It is impossible to change it. And why is man rebelling against it today? Is it because he has become wiser? No. It is because he has become more proud. The wiser he becomes, the more he will understand that it is natural.

毫無疑問，人反對這個觀念，但同時他又無法改變它。他可以更換名稱，更改各種位階與職位的名稱；但他無法改變階序內在的原則。這是不可能改變的。那麼，今日的人為什麼要反抗它？是因為他變得更有智慧了嗎？不是。是因為他變得更驕傲了。一個人愈有智慧，就愈能明白這是自然的。

And when we look at nature — and especially that nature which shines in heaven and which is the sign of the whole construction of the entire world, of the universe — that gives us the proof of this fact, that all the planets are not the same. There is a hierarchy among the stars and planets, and there are influences of stars and planets upon one another, and in this way the whole cosmic system is built. The Creator has made it so, and man can never change it. What he can change is the names, which he is readily doing, which he is interested in doing every day.

當我們觀看自然，尤其是那顯耀於天空、顯示整個世界與宇宙結構的自然時，它便向我們證明了一項事實：所有行星並不相同。恆星與行星之間存在著階序，也彼此相互影響，整個宇宙系統就是如此建立起來的。造物主使它成為如此，人永遠無法改變它。人所能改變的只是名稱；而這正是他樂於去做、每天都很有興趣去做的事。

As it is necessary in worldly things, so in spiritual things it is necessary also. And on that basis the religions — whether the Christian religion or the Jewish religion or the Muslim religion or the Hindu religion — on that hierarchical basis the religions have been built. And not only the religions but the esoteric schools, where from beginning to end there is the thought of equality, where there is the thought of raising the consciousness of each man to the highest degree of the perfectly democratic institution, even there to begin with there is hierarchy. But then there is a hierarchy of initiations and of initiators, a hierarchy which is intended, which is made to do its work. And all such dispositions as that of the saint and of the master and of the prophet belong to that hierarchy of the initiates.

如同世俗事務需要階序，靈性事務也同樣需要。宗教就是建立在這個基礎上；無論是基督宗教、猶太教、伊斯蘭教或印度教，都是建立在這種階序的基礎上。不只是宗教，就連祕傳學派也是如此；這些學派從頭到尾都抱持平等的思想，都希望將每一個人的意識提升到最高程度，是完全民主的團體，但即使如此，一開始仍然存在著階序。其中有啟蒙的階序，也有啟蒙者的階序；這種階序有其目的，是為了完成它所要完成的工作。而聖者、聖師與先知等各種位階，都屬於受啟蒙者的這個階序。

Now this hierarchy can be seen in traditions in two different forms: the Hindu and Buddhist form, and the form which belonged to Jerusalem, that of Christianity, of Judaism, and of Islam. There are two divisions of the Hindu form. One division is the claim of godhead; for instance, Mahadeva, Shiva, claimed to be the godhead. And so it was with Rama, and the same with Krishna. And then there was another division, that of Buddha. Buddha did not claim to be the godhead. His claim was that he found the key to the mystery of life, that he found the road to perfection, that he found the remedy to the disease of the soul; that was his claim. No doubt, it was most democratic in its essence. He showed to every person that the key is in himself, that the mystery is in himself, that the road he can find within if he will look for it. And Buddha was destined to serve the world in this manner.

在各種傳統中，我們可以看見這種階序有兩種不同形式：一種是印度教與佛教的形式，另一種則屬於耶路撒冷的傳統，也就是基督宗教、猶太教與伊斯蘭教的形式。印度的形式又可分為兩類。其中一類是對神格的宣稱；例如大天神濕婆宣稱自己就是神，羅摩如此，克里希納也是如此。另一類則是佛陀。佛陀並未宣稱自己是神。他所宣稱的是：他找到了生命奧祕的鑰匙，找到了通往圓滿的道路，也找到了治癒靈魂疾病的方法。這就是他的宣稱。毫無疑問，其本質是極為民主的。他向每一個人指出：鑰匙就在自己之內，奧祕就在自己之內；只要願意尋找，道路也能在自己之內找到。而佛陀注定以這種方式服務世界。

And when we come to the prophets of the Near East, we find that Christ, Moses, and Muhammad, and besides these three all other prophets who came time after time, did not claim to be godheads. Their claim was that they represented the spiritual hierarchy. Even that was not the claim, that was the interpretation. The claim was that of service to God’s message. No doubt, it is the church and it is the religion of afterwards which made different interpretations of Jesus Christ’s words. For instance, in calling upon God as the father, he was interpreted as being the son, but especially different from other children of God.

而當我們來到近東的先知時，可以看到基督、摩西、穆罕默德，以及除了這三位之外歷代相繼而來的其他先知，都沒有宣稱自己是神。他們所宣稱的，是自己代表靈性的階序。其實，連這也不是他們自己的宣稱，而是後人的詮釋。他們真正所宣稱的，是為神的訊息服務。毫無疑問，是後來的教會與宗教對耶穌基督的話作出了不同的詮釋。例如，當他稱神為父時，人們便將他詮釋為「子」，而且是特別不同於神其他兒女的那一位子。

The son was separated from other children of God, claiming that the son was different. But in the words of Jesus Christ you will not see this. You will see it in the words of those who have interpreted it in this form. But if it had not been done in this way the church would not have been built, because mankind would not have understood the depth of the Master’s mission. Therefore the claim was necessary, distinction was necessary. If the world had been ripe to understand the Master’s mission, distinction would not have been necessary. They would have raised the Master to the top of their heads. But even that special distinction people did not understand. What did they do in the end with the Master?

於是，「子」被與神的其他兒女區分開來，被說成是不同的。然而，在耶穌基督自己的話中，你看不到這樣的說法；你會在那些如此詮釋他話語之人的言詞中看到它。但若不是如此，教會便無法建立起來，因為人類無法理解聖師使命的深度。因此，那樣的宣稱是必要的，那樣的區別也是必要的。如果當時的世界已成熟到足以理解聖師的使命，就不需要這種區別了。他們本會把聖師高高頂戴在頭上。然而，即使有了這種特殊的區別，人們仍然沒有理解。最後，他們是怎麼對待聖師的呢？

Nevertheless, all the prophets of the Beni-Israel claimed themselves only to be the prophet, someone who brought the message of God. Either it was brought to the king, or to the people, or to a community, whether a large community or a small community. And you can see in the message distinctly where he says, “I am His servant, who is engaged to bring His message to humanity.” He never spoke about godhead. Besides, in the words of Jesus Christ, as well as of other prophets, you will always see the idea of God raised high, and they themselves always kept back.

儘管如此，以色列子民的所有先知都只自稱為先知，也就是帶來神之訊息的人。這訊息可能是帶給君王、帶給人民，或帶給某個群體，不論那是大群體還是小群體。在這些訊息中，你可以清楚看到先知所說的：「我是祂的僕人，受命將祂的訊息帶給人類。」他從不談論自己具有神格。此外，在耶穌基督以及其他先知的言詞中，你總會看到神被高高舉起，而他們自己總是退居其後。

But by this I do not wish to say that this was a good manner, or the other way of the Hindus was better or worse. I only wish to say that, because the people of India were of that nature and character and temperament, if that claim were not held before them by the master they would not have believed him, they would not have listened to him. They did not want at that time a servant of God. They wanted God Himself standing before them, that they could see Him. Perhaps the same claim, if it was made in Jerusalem, would have a hard time. There the claim was different, and not, “I am the servant of God,” but, “I am the prophet of God.” That was the claim there. Because the people there were in that condition, in that particular stage of evolution, the message was given in that way. But the spirit of the message was the same, the central theme of the message was the same. There was no difference.

但我並不是要說，這種方式是好的，而印度教的另一種方式較好或較壞。我只是想說，由於印度人民具有那樣的本性、性格與氣質，如果聖師沒有向他們提出那樣的宣稱，他們就不會相信他，也不會聽他的話。在那個時代，他們要的不是神的僕人，而是神本身站在眼前，讓他們能夠親眼看見祂。或許，同樣的宣稱若出現在耶路撒冷，就會遭遇很大的困難。在那裡，宣稱的形式不同；不是「我是神的僕人」，而是「我是神的先知」。那裡所作的是這樣的宣稱。因為那裡的人處在那樣的狀態、那個特定的演化階段，所以訊息便以那樣的方式傳遞。然而，訊息的精神是一樣的，訊息的核心主題也是一樣的，並沒有差別。

The world changes from its infancy to childhood, from childhood to youth, from youth to middle age, and from middle age to old age. Naturally, therefore, the manner, the method by which the message is given changes also. The manner of this time is no claim, but the Message. As it was prophesied by the Prophet Muhammad, “After me there will not be a claim, but the message itself will be the proof, not the claim.” And therefore those who have risen after the time of Muhammad and claimed to be prophets have had a bad time. They had a bad time for the very reason that the real message was not allowed to be given in that form. It was not meant that it should be given in that form, with claims. The message should prove itself to be the message, and need no claim.

世界會從嬰兒期進入童年，從童年進入青年，從青年進入中年，再從中年進入老年。因此，自然而然地，訊息傳遞的方式與方法也會隨之改變。這個時代的方式，不再是宣稱，而是訊息本身。正如先知穆罕默德所預言的：「在我之後，不再有宣稱；訊息本身將成為證明，而不是宣稱。」因此，在穆罕默德之後興起、並宣稱自己是先知的人，都經歷了艱難。他們之所以遭遇艱難，正是因為真正的訊息已不再被容許以那種形式傳遞。訊息原本就不是要以帶著宣稱的形式傳遞。訊息應當由它自己證明它就是訊息，而不需要任何宣稱。

And now many today are apt to understand the message of God to be transmitted in the same way as the message of the mediums. And there are some who understand the message in the same way as they understand an obsession: that a man who is obsessed by a philosopher begins to speak a philosophy, and when his obsession has gone, then he cannot speak about it. And it is true, too. There are persons who will speak most intelligently on philosophy, on metaphysics, at the time when they are obsessed. And when the obsession has gone, they are left just like a horse without a rider, because when they speak they are not themselves.

如今，許多人很容易把神的訊息理解成像靈媒傳來的訊息一樣。也有人用理解附身的方式來理解訊息：一個人若被某位哲學家的靈附身，便開始談論哲學；一旦附身的狀態消失，他就再也說不出那些內容。這種情形的確存在。有些人在附身時，談論哲學與形上學可以極其精闢；但當附身消失之後，他們便像一匹失去了騎手的馬，因為先前說話的時候，那並不是他們自己。

I have known of a girl in Bombay, who never learned Persian in her life, nor Arabic, but there used to come a condition upon her when she would speak in Arabic and Persian. And the parents were so surprised that they brought learned men who understood Persian and Arabic, and she discussed with them on philosophical and metaphysical subjects for hours, and so wonderfully that very often she defeated them in the debate. And yet when that influence went from her, she could not even understand one word of Persian.

我曾知道孟買有一個女孩，她一生從未學過波斯語，也沒有學過阿拉伯語，但她有時會進入一種狀態，在那個狀態中，她能說阿拉伯語和波斯語。她的父母非常驚訝，於是請來精通波斯語與阿拉伯語的學者。她能與他們連續數小時討論哲學與形上學，而且精彩得令人驚異，甚至經常在辯論中勝過他們。然而，當那股影響離開她之後，她甚至連一句波斯語都聽不懂。

That has nothing to do with the prophetic message. God does not take hold of a certain body and obsess a certain body in order to give His message to the world. These two things are quite different; an obsessed person is quite different from the message of the prophet. This must be distinctly understood.

這與先知的訊息毫無關係。神並不佔據某一個人的身體，藉由附身於某個身體來把祂的訊息傳給世界。這是兩件完全不同的事；一個被附身的人，與先知所帶來的訊息完全不同。這一點必須清楚明白。

And then there is another point, that of the medium who tunes himself into a negative state, where any soul can take hold of his body for a moment and begin to speak through him. Sometimes the medium says right, sometimes the medium says wrong, sometimes true things and sometimes things which are false. But it has nothing to do with the prophetic message; it is the abuse of the name of the prophetic message. When the medium uses it there is a mediumistic message, and when an obsessed person uses it there is a message of obsession. But now one might ask, “What is the nature of God’s message?” As many souls as God has created, so many methods God can use to deliver His message.

還有另一種情形，就是靈媒把自己調整到一種被動的狀態，使任何一個靈魂都可能暫時佔據他的身體，開始透過他說話。靈媒有時說得對，有時說得錯；有時說的是真實之事，有時則是虛假的。但這與先知的訊息毫無關係；若把它稱作先知的訊息，就是濫用了先知訊息這個名稱。由靈媒傳出的，是靈媒訊息；由被附身者傳出的，是附身訊息。那麼，有人也許會問：「神的訊息究竟具有什麼樣的本質？」神創造了多少靈魂，祂就能運用多少種方式來傳遞祂的訊息。

And for man to say that in this manner or in that manner the message comes, or for man to analyze that the message must come in this form or in that form, is the greatest mistake. I do not mean to say that the prophets did not hear the Voice of God, for God can talk louder than thunder. I do not mean to say that the prophet did not talk with God, as Moses did on Mount Sinai, because the personality of God can be more concrete in the eyes of the prophet than any other person existing in the world when once he is in communion with God. As you will read in the Gayan, “Make God a reality, and God will make you the truth.”

如果人說，訊息一定是以這種方式或那種方式而來；或者人試圖分析，認為訊息必須以這一種或那一種形式而來，這就是最大的錯誤。我並不是說先知沒有聽見神的聲音，因為神說話的聲音可以比雷聲更加響亮。我也不是說先知沒有與神交談，就像摩西在西奈山上所做的那樣；因為當先知一旦與神相通時，在他的眼中，神的人格可以比世上任何一個人的存在都更加具體。正如你在《Gayan》中所讀到的：「使神成為真實，神便使你成為真理。」

But the words that have come from the depth of the heart of the prophets, they were words of God just the same. The prophets did not have to hear the word of God through their physical ears in order to say, “This is the word of God.” The prophet is the mouthpiece of God. The depth of his heart is the throne of God, and therefore every word that is spoken in the prophetic mission by prophets of any age is a living word, and it is the message.

然而，那些從先知內心深處湧現的話，同樣也是神的話。先知並不需要透過肉身的耳朵聽見神的話，才能說：「這是神的話。」先知是神的代言者。他內心的深處就是神的寶座，因此，任何時代的先知在其先知使命中所說的每一句話，都是活生生的話，也就是訊息。

But then again there comes a question. In the sacred books of the Muslims there are two kinds, one called the Quran and the other called the Hadith. The Quran is supposed to be the word of God, and the Hadith is supposed to be the word of the Prophet. And one might ask, “What is the reason of it?” The reason is one of consciousness. At one moment the consciousness of the Prophet has reached to such a height that the word that comes from the mouth of the Prophet cannot be the word of the Prophet, it can only be the word of God. But then there are other moments when the consciousness has come down, just as the thermometer goes up and down. That is the condition.

接著又出現另一個問題。在穆斯林的神聖典籍中，有兩類，一類稱為《古蘭經》，另一類稱為聖訓。《古蘭經》被視為神的話，而聖訓則被視為先知的話。有人或許會問：「為什麼會有這樣的區別？」原因在於意識。在某一時刻，先知的意識提升到如此之高，以至於從先知口中說出的話，不可能只是先知自己的話，而只能是神的話。但也有其他時刻，先知的意識會下降，就像溫度計的刻度有升有降。情形就是如此。

One might say, “Why must there be such a condition, why can it not be still?” Nothing living can be still. Can water be still? If it is still it is no more water. The water must rise and fall. Can air be still? If the air be still the end of the world will come. Can fire be still? If fire be still, it would be extinguished. Even the earth does not stand still, it allows the plants and trees to grow. Therefore the soul of the prophet, which must be life itself, cannot be in a still position. The consciousness must go higher, as high as possible, and then come down. And therefore this moving action will make the prophet say the word of God one moment and his own words the next. It is therefore that Muhammad knew the time when he was saying the word of God. And there were other times when he felt quite a human being, one like everybody, and what he said were words of wisdom, but he called them, “the words of the Prophet.” And in this way the Hadith was distinguished from the Quran.

有人也許會說：「為什麼必須有這樣的狀態？為什麼不能保持靜止？」凡是有生命的事物，都不可能靜止。水能靜止嗎？如果水完全靜止，它就不再是水了。水必須有升有降。空氣能靜止嗎？如果空氣完全靜止，世界就要走到盡頭了。火能靜止嗎？如果火靜止了，它就會熄滅。就連大地也並非靜止不動，它讓植物與樹木生長。因此，先知的靈魂既然必須是生命本身，就不可能停留在一個靜止的狀態。意識必須升高，升到它所能達到的最高處，然後再下降。正因有這樣的起伏運動，先知可能在某一刻說出神的話，而下一刻說出自己的話。因此，穆罕默德知道自己什麼時候說的是神的話。也有其他時刻，他覺得自己完全就是一個人，和每個人一樣；那時他所說的是智慧之語，但他稱它們為「先知的話」。聖訓便是如此與《古蘭經》區分開來。

Then one finds the same thing in the ancient Hindu scriptures: there are the Puranas and there are the Vedas. Both are sacred scriptures, but one scripture, the Vedas, are called the words of God, and the Puranas are considered the sacred words given by the Master Valmiki. And therefore in all ages it is distinguished. And it gives us a key to the prophetic mission. That key is that the prophet is not obsessed, the prophet is not mediumistic; the prophet is a human being. And yet the consciousness of the prophet may rise to that height from where it brings the sense which is put into words through which the mystery of life is interpreted.

我們也可以在古代印度的經典中看到同樣的情形：有《往世書》，也有《吠陀》。兩者都是神聖經典，但《吠陀》被稱為神的話，而《往世書》則被視為由聖師瓦爾米基所傳下的神聖言語。因此，在每一個時代，這兩者都有所區分。這也給了我們一把理解先知使命的鑰匙。這把鑰匙就是：先知不是被附身的人，先知也不是靈媒；先知是一個人。然而，先知的意識能夠升至那樣的高度，從那裡帶回某種意涵，再將它化為言語，生命的奧祕便透過這些言語得到詮釋。

God Bless You.
願神祝福你們。

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