28. Divine Guidance
28. 神聖引導

Divine Guidance

神聖引導

August 24, 1926

1926 年 8 月 24 日

Beloved Ones of God,

神所摯愛的諸位：

I will speak this evening on the subject of divine guidance. Since man seeks complexity in life, he always turns simple things into complex things. And the less simple man becomes, the more complex life becomes. It is because man himself becomes complex that the life becomes complex before him. All such beliefs as that in a guardian angel leading a person on life’s path, or a spirit guide helping one along life’s path, these are complex beliefs and they take one to complexity. One has already seen that the divine guidance appeared in one’s infancy in the form of one’s mother, in the form of one’s father, in the form of those who have taken care of one in life, and yet one does not believe in divine guidance unless it be pictured in a complex manner.

今晚我要談的是神聖引導。由於人在生命中追求複雜，總是把簡單的事變成複雜的事。而人愈不簡單，生命就變得愈複雜。正因為人自己變得複雜，生命在他面前才變得複雜。像是相信有守護天使在人生道路上引領一個人，或有靈性嚮導在人生道路上幫助一個人，所有這些都是複雜的信念，也把人帶向複雜。其實我們早已看見，在幼年時，神聖引導以母親的形式、父親的形式，以及生命中照顧我們之人的形式出現；然而，除非把神聖引導描繪成某種複雜的樣子，我們便不相信它。

If instead of telling you this I were speaking about attracting spirit guides, there would be thousands of persons listening to this lecture. But because God’s message comes in simple words and it makes easy all that is difficult, and simple all that is complex, it is therefore that the seekers after complexity keep away. If it can easily be achieved they do not think that it is truth; they think that truth must be realized by hard working. But if they want to work hard, there are many factories, there are so many industries where they can work hard. For seeking divine truth the less you work the better it is, the more peaceful you become and the more easily it comes.

如果我不是告訴你們這些，而是在談如何吸引靈性嚮導，那麼會有成千上萬的人來聽這場演講。但是，因為神的訊息以簡單的話語而來，使一切困難的變得容易，使一切複雜的變得簡單，所以那些追求複雜的人反而遠離了。如果一件事很容易就能達成，他們便不認為那是真理；他們認為真理必須靠艱苦努力才能證悟。但是，如果他們想艱苦工作，有許多工廠，也有那麼多產業可以讓他們艱苦工作。尋求神聖真理時，你愈少用力愈好；你愈平靜，它就愈容易到來。

Divine guidance can be recognized in five different aspects.

神聖引導可以從五個不同的面向被辨認出來。

1. Intuition
直覺

One aspect and the principal aspect is intuition. It comes to the lower creation in the form of instinct, and to the human race it comes in the form of intuition. Be it inspiration, be it vision, be it revelation, it is one and the same. It is intuition, developed in different degrees. From childhood intuitively a child begins to see what is wrong for it and what is right for it. And only when the child becomes so obstinate that it does not feel even the intuition, at that time the child begins to grow.

其中一個面向，也是最主要的面向，就是直覺。它在低等造物中以本能的形式出現，而在人類之中則以直覺的形式出現。無論是靈感、異象，或啟示，都是同一回事。那都是直覺，只是發展的程度不同。孩子從小便憑直覺開始知道，什麼對自己是不對的，什麼對自己是對的。而只有當孩子變得如此固執，以至於連直覺都感覺不到時，那時孩子便開始成長。

But children apart, we see the same element, the same current of divine guidance, coming in the form of instinct in the lower creation. One sees that the animals and birds will not touch anything that will make them ill or that will bring death. They know their enemy’s voice, even when they are young. The sound of the lion is known by a little rabbit.

撇開孩子不談，我們也看見同樣的元素、同一道神聖引導的流，在低等造物中以本能的形式出現。我們可以看見，動物和鳥類不會碰觸會使牠們生病或帶來死亡的東西。即使年幼，牠們也認得敵人的聲音。一隻小兔子就知道獅子的聲音。

They say that the physicians of the ancient times learned so much from the bear, the bear who under different conditions, when it was ill, found different herbs to cure itself. And those who used to study nature in ancient times found the effects of different herbs in the forest by the help of these animals. The monkey is supposed to know so much about medicines that even when it is not well and when it is necessary that it must fast, it fasts. Man is afraid to fast for three days, but a monkey does.

據說，古代的醫師從熊身上學到了很多；熊在不同的情況下生病時，會找到不同的草藥來治療自己。而古代那些研究自然的人，也藉著這些動物，在森林中發現不同草藥的功效。據說猴子非常懂得藥物，以至於當牠身體不適，而有必要禁食時，牠就會禁食。人害怕禁食三天，但猴子卻會這麼做。

And I myself have seen a dog that fasted on Thursday every week. We used to call that dog “Brahman.”

而我自己曾見過一隻狗，每個星期四都禁食。我們以前稱那隻狗為「婆羅門」。

Intuition disappears when a person has no confidence in his intuition. When a person does not hear the voice that comes from within, then intuition begins to retire from there. If not, it belongs to the heart of man; it is natural for man to be intuitive. It is not necessary that some persons have intuition and others have not. No one can exist without a soul, and intuition is the nature of the soul. Therefore those who do not feel intuition have only lost that faculty, that faculty has become buried. It does not mean that they never had the intuitive faculty.

當一個人不信任自己的直覺時，直覺便會消失。當一個人不聽那從內在而來的聲音時，直覺便開始從那裡退去。若非如此，直覺本就屬於人的心；具有直覺對人而言是自然的。並不是有些人有直覺，而另一些人沒有。沒有人能夠沒有靈魂而存在，而直覺正是靈魂的本性。因此，那些感覺不到直覺的人，只是失去了那項能力，那項能力被埋藏起來了。這並不表示他們從來沒有過直覺的能力。

2. Examples
例證

And now the other aspect of knowing, of seeing the divine guidance, is in the form of examples. The one whose faculty of intuition becomes blunted, the next thing he can do is to observe such examples as will be of use, of guidance in his life, as they are sent before him. He is sent to such places and brought to such people or put in such conditions that the example that he may take will be a source of guidance for him.

現在，另一個認識、看見神聖引導的面向，是以例證的形式出現。當一個人的直覺能力變得遲鈍時，他接下來所能做的，就是觀察那些被送到他面前、能在生命中對他有所幫助並給予引導的例證。他被送到某些地方，被帶到某些人面前，或被置於某些處境之中，好讓他從中取得的例證成為他的引導來源。

For instance, a person who has some little inclination of gambling, when he is brought to Monte Carlo and sees those who have lost every penny that they had, he has there an example for himself. The divine guidance has sent him that example. And yet what generally happens? He does not see them; he does not look at those who have lost, he looks at those who have gained. In that way he builds his hope.

例如，一個稍微有些賭博傾向的人，當他被帶到蒙地卡羅，看見那些輸掉身上每一分錢的人時，他就在那裡得到了一個給自己的例證。神聖引導把這個例證送到他面前。然而，通常發生的是什麼？他看不見那些人；他不去看那些輸掉一切的人，卻去看那些贏錢的人。於是，他便以此建立起自己的希望。

Do you think that a person who loves to drink would look at a person who has become drunken, who has fallen in the street? He never looks at him. One might think, “Perhaps he is ashamed of himself.” No, it is not so. He does not want to remind himself that he will have such a condition to meet, such an experience to meet. He turns his head and goes away from there. But what he would like to see is four persons sitting comfortably at a table, drinking and enjoying themselves nicely. A good example of the same he would like to see.

你以為一個愛喝酒的人，會去看一個喝得爛醉、倒在街上的人嗎？他從來不看。有人也許會想：「或許他是為自己感到羞愧。」不，並不是如此。他只是不想提醒自己，有一天他也會遇上這樣的狀況、這樣的經驗。他轉過頭，從那裡走開。但是，他喜歡看見的是四個人舒舒服服坐在桌旁，喝酒，愉快地享受著。他想看的是同一件事的好例子。

But what does divine guidance do? It sends bad examples before him. He is brought often and often before bad examples, that he may see and learn from them. And yet man does not learn from them very often.

然而神聖引導做的是什麼？它把壞的例子送到他面前。他一次又一次被帶到這些壞的例子面前，好讓他看見，並從中學習。然而，人往往並不從中學習。

3. Spoken
言語

And when the keen observation is also blunted, so that he can no longer keenly observe life, then he turns his back to examples shown before him. Then the third aspect of divine guidance is to speak.

而當敏銳的觀察力也變得遲鈍，使他再也不能敏銳地觀察生命時，他便會背對那些呈現在他面前的例證。這時，神聖引導的第三個面向，就是開口說話。

• It may speak in the words of a child;
  它可能透過孩子的話語說話；
• It may speak in the words of a foolish person;
  它可能透過愚人的話語說話；
• It may speak in the words of a servant;
  它可能透過僕人的話語說話；
• It may speak in the words of a neighbor;
  它可能透過鄰人的話語說話；
• It may speak in the words of a friend;
  它可能透過朋友的話語說話；
• It may speak in the words of a foe.
  它可能透過敵人的話語說話。

And when the eyes are closed and when the ears are closed also, then even the third way of divine guidance also becomes fruitless.

而當眼睛閉上，耳朵也閉上時，即使神聖引導的第三種方式，也變得毫無作用。

I have heard a friend say, “Each time my groom told me not to go riding, if I went I had an accident.” That groom was not a wise man, but what came from him was the voice of the Spirit of Guidance. He was innocent, he said it innocently.

我曾聽一位朋友說：「每一次我的馬伕叫我不要出去騎馬，如果我還是去了，就會發生意外。」那個馬伕並不是一個有智慧的人，但從他口中而來的，卻是引導之靈的聲音。他很單純，也只是很單純地說出那句話。

It is automatic that a person may say something to you, and that is the voice of God. Very often friends take the place of divine guidance, and they tell you something. That is the best, when friends tell you. When strangers take the place of divine guidance and tell you, that is worse. And what is still worse is when your enemies tell you.

這是自然而然發生的：一個人可能對你說了某件事，而那就是神的聲音。很多時候，朋友會代替神聖引導的位置，告訴你一些事情。由朋友告訴你，是最好的。當陌生人代替神聖引導的位置來告訴你時，那就比較糟。而更糟的是，由你的敵人來告訴你。

4. Reward
報償

Besides these three ways, there is the fourth way, and that is the way of temptation, in other words, the way of reward. For all the good one does, all that one does that is right, there comes a reward in some form or other, in the form of wealth, in the form of fame, in the form of success, in the form of popularity, in some form or other. In the form of sympathy, friendship, love, comfort, in some form or the other, reward comes. And that reward teaches you to keep on that path and not to go astray from there.

除了這三種方式之外，還有第四種方式，那就是誘惑的方式，換句話說，就是報償的方式。對於我們所做的一切善事、一切正確的事，都會以某種形式得到報償——可能是財富、名聲、成功、受人歡迎，或其他某種形式。也可能以同情、友誼、愛、安適，或其他某種形式而來。報償會到來。而那份報償教導你繼續走在那條道路上，不要偏離它。

But at that time reward is most blinding. As soon as one thinks, “I am rich,” one becomes intoxicated. And then it is quicksilver, it runs away quickly. And when one thinks, “I should have learned my lesson before,” it is too late. In the same way one becomes intoxicated by friendship, love, sympathy, that is given to one. One abuses it; one does not value it; one does not appreciate it. The end is that it disappears, and then one begins to realize, “I had wealth, more than wealth, and then I lost it.” And then it is too late.

但是在那個時候，報償最容易使人盲目。一旦我們心想：「我有錢了」，便會陶醉其中。接著它就像水銀一樣，很快便流走了。而當我們想到：「我早該學到這個教訓」，已經太遲了。同樣地，一個人也會被所得到的友誼、愛與同情灌醉。他濫用它；不珍惜它；也不懂得感激它。最後，它消失了，這時他才開始明白：「我曾經擁有財富，甚至比財富更多，而我失去了它。」而那時已經太遲了。

Health is the same way. As long as one enjoys good health one never thinks what a privilege, what a blessing it is. It is afterwards, when it no longer exists, that one begins to realize, “What have I lost!” Life, as Omar Khayyam says, is a wine press, and every good thing that comes, comes just like a wine. It is a reward; but this reward may intoxicate a person, and a person may forget to appreciate it and to be grateful for it. With the mere fact of his forgetting that privilege, the reward is taken away from him, and then he begins to value it and appreciate it, when he is empty-handed.

健康也是如此。只要我們享有良好的健康，就從來不會想到，那是多麼大的恩典，多麼大的祝福。等到後來，健康不再存在時，我們才開始明白：「我失去了什麼！」正如奧瑪・海亞姆所說，生命是一座榨酒機，而每一件到來的美好事物，都如同酒一般到來。那是一份報償；然而這份報償也可能使人陶醉，使人忘記珍惜它、感謝它。只因他忘記了這份恩典，報償便從他手中被取走；而後，等到他兩手空空時，他才開始珍惜它、感激它。

5. Punishment
懲罰

The fifth way of divine guidance is the way of punishment, in the form of a loss in business, in the form of a loss of friendship, in the form of a loss of health and strength, in the form of a loss of happiness and joy. Then a lesson is taught, and that becomes very difficult.

神聖引導的第五種方式，是懲罰的方式：可能以生意上的損失、友誼的失去、健康與力量的失去、幸福與喜悅的失去而出現。這時，一個教訓被教給了我們，而那就變得非常艱難。

Very often a person says, “How cruel God can be.” But one does not know that four methods were used first, and when all those four methods were not understood by man then the fifth method was used. It is most kind of God; it is the greatest compassion, that four opportunities were given. If one would learn; if one would understand. And when one has lost the four opportunities, then the fifth opportunity is given. It is an opportunity, too.

人常常會說：「神怎麼能如此殘酷。」但我們不知道的是，前面已經先用了四種方法，而當人對那四種方法全都無法理解時，第五種方法才被使用。這是神最大的仁慈；給了四次機會，是最大的慈悲。如果人願意學習；如果人願意理解。而當一個人失去了那四次機會之後，第五次機會便被給予。那也是一次機會。

No matter in what form a punishment comes, as Tagore says, “It is the tuning of the string; the string of the violin is tuned.”

無論懲罰以什麼形式到來，正如泰戈爾所說：「這是在為琴弦調音；小提琴的弦正在被調準。」

And while tuning, the string stretches, but it is brought to its proper tone. The punishment in one’s life is the same. No matter what its form, when it comes, it comes to raise man’s consciousness. There are many punishments which we can see and recognize, and there are many punishments which we cannot see and recognize. And there are many punishments which are in the form of reward, and yet they are worse punishments, and no one recognizes it. But at the same time, what is the punishment? The punishment of the God of compassion is a reward too.

而在調音時，琴弦會被拉緊，但它也因此被帶到正確的音高。生命中的懲罰也是如此。無論它以什麼形式出現，當它到來時，都是為了提升人的意識。有許多懲罰是我們能夠看見並辨認的，也有許多懲罰是我們無法看見、無法辨認的。還有許多懲罰以報償的形式出現，然而它們卻是更嚴厲的懲罰，而沒有人認得出來。但同時，懲罰究竟是什麼？慈悲之神的懲罰，也是一份報償。

God Bless You.

願神祝福你們。

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