5. The Purpose of Life (2)
5. 生命的目的（2）

Every intelligent person comes to a stage in his life, sooner or later, when he begins to question himself as to what purpose there is in life, in being on earth. “Why am I here? What am I to accomplish in life?” he asks. No doubt the moment this question has arisen in a person he has taken his first step in the path of wisdom; before, whatever he did, not being conscious of his life’s purpose, he remained discontented. Whatever be his occupation, life’s condition in life, whether he is wise or foolish, learned or illiterate, there is always discontent. He may have success or failure, but the desire that his life’s purpose should be accomplished remains, and unless it is accomplished a person cannot be satisfied. That is why many people who are successful in business, doing very well in their profession, comfortable in their domestic life, and popular in society, yet remain dissatisfied because they do not know the purpose of their life.

每一個有智慧的人，遲早都會在人生中來到一個階段，開始問自己：生命究竟有什麼目的？來到世上又是為了什麼？他會問：「我為什麼在這裡？我這一生要完成什麼？」毫無疑問，當一個人心中生起這個問題時，他便已踏上智慧之路的第一步。在此之前，無論他做什麼，由於尚未意識到自己生命的目的，他始終無法滿足。不論他的職業是什麼、生活處境如何，不論他聰明或愚笨、受過教育或目不識丁，內心總有一份不滿足。他可能成功，也可能失敗，但那份想要完成自己生命目的的渴望始終存在；除非這個目的得以完成，否則一個人無法真正滿足。因此，許多人即使事業成功、工作表現出色、家庭生活安適，在社會上也廣受歡迎，內心仍舊感到不滿足，因為他們不知道自己生命的目的。

After knowing the purpose of life we may be handicapped by many things, we may lack means, but the conditions will be favorable to go forward, in spite of all. When someone has found his life’s purpose, no matter how difficult life is for him nor how many hindrances he has to contend with, from that moment there is nothing he will not withstand, no sacrifice he will not make, nothing he will not endure. He will wait with patience all his life, and if he does not succeed in this life he will wait even till the hereafter, happy because he is accomplishing his life’s purpose. When a person knows, “I am here for this particular purpose”, that knowledge in itself gives a great strength of conviction.

在知道生命的目的之後，我們仍可能受到許多事物的限制，也可能缺乏所需的條件，但儘管如此，情勢仍會有利於我們向前。當一個人找到自己生命的目的之後，無論生活多麼艱難，無論有多少阻礙需要面對，從那一刻起，沒有什麼是他不能承受的，沒有什麼犧牲是他不願作出的，也沒有什麼是他不能忍耐的。他會用一生耐心等待；即使今生未能成功，他甚至願意等到來世，心中仍然喜悅，因為他正在完成自己生命的目的。當一個人知道：「我是為了這一特定目的而來到這裡」，這份認知本身便會帶來強大的信念。

There is a story told of the Prophet Mohammed. At the time when the Prophet, who was born for that particular purpose in life, felt a kind of restlessness, a dissatisfaction with everything in life, he thought he had better go into the forest, into the wilderness, into the mountains and sit there alone to get in touch with himself, to find out why there was that yearning after something he did not know. He asked his wife if she would allow him that solitude which his soul longed for, and she agreed. Then he went into the wilderness and sat there for days together. And when the vibrations of the physical body and mind, which are always upset and in turmoil in the midst of the world, calmed down, and when his mind became quiet and his spirit was tranquil, when the heart of the Prophet became restful, he began to feel in touch with all nature there, the space, the sky, the earth; and then it seemed as if everything was talking to him, as if the water and the clouds were talking. He was in communication with the whole world, with the whole of life.

有一個關於先知穆罕默德的故事。先知原是為了生命中那個特定目的而生；然而有一段時期，他感到一種不安，對生命中的一切都無法滿足。於是他想，最好走進森林、荒野和山中，獨自坐在那裡，與自己接觸，弄清楚為什麼心中總渴望著某種自己尚不知道的事物。他問妻子，是否願意讓他擁有靈魂所渴望的那份獨處，她答應了。於是他走進荒野，一連數日坐在那裡。當肉身與頭腦的振動——它們身處世間時總是受到擾動、處於紛亂之中——逐漸平息，當他的頭腦安靜下來、他的靈歸於寧靜，當先知的心安定下來時，他開始感到自己與那裡的一切自然相連，與空間、天空、大地相連。接著，彷彿一切都在向他說話，彷彿水與雲都在說話。他與整個世界、與生命的整體相互交會。

Then the word came to the Prophet: “Cry out in the Name of thy Lord.” This is the lesson of idealism: not only being in touch with nature, but idealizing the Lord. In these days there is the great drawback that when people become very intelligent they lose idealism. If they want to find God they want to find Him in figures. There are many who would rather meditate than worship, than pray. In this way there has always been conflict between the intellectual person and the idealistic person. The Prophet was taught as the first thing to idealize the Lord; and when the ideal he thus made became his conception of God, then in that conception God awakened.

然後，有話語臨到先知：「奉你的主之名呼喊。」這便是理想主義的教導：不只是與自然相接觸，也要以主為理想。今日有一個很大的缺憾，就是當人變得非常理智時，往往也失去了理想主義。如果他們想尋找神，就想在數字與數據中找到祂。許多人寧願冥想，而不願敬拜，也不願祈禱。於是，理智型的人與抱持理想的人之間，向來存在著衝突。先知首先受到的教導，便是以主為理想；而當他如此建立的理想成為他對神的觀念時，神便在那個觀念之中甦醒。

And he began to hear the voice saying, “Now you must serve your people, you must awaken in your people the sense of religion, the ideal of God, the desire for spiritual attainment, and the wish to live a better life.” Then he knew that it was now his turn to accomplish all those things that the prophets who had come before had been meant to accomplish.

接著，他開始聽見一個聲音說：「現在你必須服務你的人民；你必須在他們心中喚醒宗教感、對神的理想、追求靈性成就的渴望，以及過更好生活的意願。」於是他明白，現在輪到他去完成那些先前的先知們所受命完成的事。

We are all born in this world to accomplish a certain purpose, and as long as a man does not know this purpose he remains ignorant of life; he cannot call himself a living being. A machine has no choice, it cannot find its life’s purpose, but an individual is responsible to a great extent. Very often out of weakness a man gives in to something which otherwise he would have refused to accept. This weakness comes through lack of patience and endurance, lack of self-confidence, and lack of trust. A person who does not trust in Providence, who cannot have patience, who cannot endure, will take what comes at the moment; he will not wait till tomorrow. Perhaps the purpose of his life would have opened up before him if he had had more power of endurance, more self-confidence, more trust in Providence. But when he possesses none of these things he is just Like a machine. He is not pleased with what comes in life, he is grudging every day, he is confused; and yet he goes on like a horse which is not willing to go on, but is yoked to the cart and has to go on. The first knowledge we must gain is the knowledge of the purpose of our life.

我們每一個人來到這個世界，都是為了完成某個目的；只要一個人還不知道這個目的，他對生命便仍是無知的，甚至不能真正稱自己是一個活著的人。機器沒有選擇，也不可能發現自己生命的目的；然而一個人對自己的人生，在很大的程度上負有責任。人常常因為軟弱，而向某件原本會拒絕接受的事屈服。這種軟弱來自缺乏耐心與忍耐力，缺乏自信，也缺乏信賴。一個不信任神意、沒有耐心、無法忍耐的人，只會接受眼前出現的事物；他不會等到明天。也許，只要他有更多的忍耐力、更多的自信，也更信任神意，他生命的目的便會在他面前展開。然而，當這些他一樣也沒有時，他就如同一部機器。他對生命中發生的事並不滿意，天天心懷不平，內心混亂；但他仍舊繼續走下去，就像一匹不願向前、卻被套上車轅而不得不走的馬。我們首先必須獲得的知識，就是對自己生命目的的認識。

It is a great pity that education as it is today pays very little attention to this question. Children, youths, and grown-ups all go through life toiling from morning till evening, studying or working, and at the same time not knowing what purpose they have to accomplish. Among a thousand persons there may be one exception, but nine hundred and ninety-nine are placed in a situation, whether they desire it or not, where they are working just like a mechanism, a machine put in a certain place which is made for it and where it must work. Out of a hundred perhaps ninety-nine are discontented with the work they are doing. Either it is their environment that has placed them there, or it is because they must work for their living, or because they have the idea that they should first gather what they need. By the time they have gathered the means to be able to do something in life, the desire of accomplishing something is gone.

令人十分惋惜的是，今日的教育對這個問題幾乎沒有給予多少注意。兒童、青年與成年人，一生從早到晚辛苦地讀書或工作，同時卻不知道自己究竟要完成什麼目的。在一千個人之中，或許有一個例外；其餘九百九十九個人，不論自己是否願意，都被置於某種處境裡，像機械一樣工作，如同一部機器被安放在為它安排好的位置，只能在那裡運作。一百個人之中，或許有九十九個對自己所做的工作感到不滿。可能是環境把他們放在那裡，也可能因為他們必須工作維生，又或者他們認為自己應該先把所需的條件準備齊全。可是等到他們終於累積了足以在生命中做些事情的條件時，那份想要有所完成的渴望，卻已經消失了。

It is a great drawback that in spite of progress individuals often have no opportunity to accomplish something they desire. Many youths never realize this; they think, “We must do that work and that is all”; and they have no time to think about the purpose of their particular life. Thus hundreds and thousands of lives are wasted. In spite of all the money they make their hearts are not satisfied, for it is not the wealth one gains that can give that satisfaction.

這是一個很大的缺憾：儘管時代不斷進步，人卻常常沒有機會完成自己真正渴望的事。許多年輕人從未意識到這一點；他們只想著：「我們就是得做這份工作，如此而已。」他們沒有時間去思考自己這一生特有的目的。於是，成百上千的生命就這樣被浪費了。無論他們賺了多少錢，內心仍然無法滿足，因為一個人所獲得的財富，並不能帶來那份滿足。

On hearing from the Prophet that all things and beings were created for a certain purpose, someone said, “O Prophet, I cannot understand why mosquitoes were created!” And the Prophet answered, “They were created so that you may get up quickly at night and engage yourself in prayer!”

有人聽先知說，一切事物與眾生的受造都有一定的目的，便說：「先知啊，我實在不明白，蚊子為什麼會被創造出來！」先知回答：「牠們被創造出來，是為了讓你晚上趕快起床，好去祈禱！」

Everything is created with a purpose, in order that we may use it for its purpose. And so it is with people. Sa’di says, “Every being is created for a purpose, and the light of that purpose is already kindled in his soul.” As we need blacksmiths and goldsmiths and farmers and others, so we need philosophers and mystics and prophets. That creates the harmony, just as we need sharp and fiat in music. If it were not so there would be no beauty, for beauty is created through variety.

萬物的創造都有其目的，好讓我們依照它的目的來運用它。人也是如此。薩迪（Sa’di）說：「每一個生命都是為了一個目的而被創造，而那個目的之光早已在他的靈魂中點燃。」正如我們需要鐵匠、金匠、農夫以及各種不同的人，我們也需要哲學家、祕士與先知。正是如此才形成和諧，就像音樂中需要升音，也需要降音。若非如此，便不會有美，因為美正是由多樣性所創造。

When we look at life with a philosopher’s view we see that every person is like one note in this symphony of life; that we all make this symphony of life, each contributing the music which is needed in that symphony. But if we do not know our own part in the symphony of life, naturally it is as if one of the four strings on the violin is not tuned, and if it is not tuned it cannot give the music which it should produce. So we must each produce that part for which we are born. If we do not contribute what we are meant to and what we should contribute, we are not in tune with our destiny. It is only by playing that particular part which belongs to us that we shall get satisfaction.

當我們以哲學家的眼光看生命時，便會看見每一個人都像生命交響樂中的一個音符；我們共同構成這首生命的交響樂，每個人都為它貢獻其中所需要的音樂。但如果我們不知道自己在這首生命交響樂中的角色，就如同小提琴的四根弦中有一根沒有調準；而一根弦若沒有調準，就無法發出它原本應當發出的音樂。因此，我們每個人都必須奏出自己生來所要奏出的那一部分。如果我們沒有貢獻自己原本要貢獻、也應當貢獻的部分，我們便與自己的命運失去了調和。只有奏出真正屬於自己的那個部分，我們才會得到滿足。

Maybe many people will not think as I do, for instance those who believe strongly in pacifism, in the peace ideal. They will say, “Is it not madness that anybody should make a war!” But everything one does, though it may look better or worse, yet belongs somewhere in the scheme of life, and we have no right to condemn it. The principal thing for every individual is to become conscious of the duty for which he is born.

也許許多人不會同意我的看法，例如那些深信和平主義、抱持和平理想的人。他們會說：「任何人發動戰爭，難道不是瘋狂嗎！」然而，每一件人所做的事，無論看起來較好或較壞，在生命整體的安排中都有它的位置，而我們沒有權利加以譴責。對每一個人而言，最重要的是意識到自己生來所要承擔的職分。

There are in reality two purposes of life. One is the minor, the other is the major purpose of life. One is the preliminary, and the other is the final purpose. The preliminary purpose of life is just like a stepping-stone to the final one. Therefore one should first consider the preliminary purpose of life.

事實上，生命有兩個目的。一個是較小的目的，另一個是較大的目的；一個是初步的目的，另一個是最終的目的。生命的初步目的，就像通往最終目的的一塊踏腳石。因此，我們首先應當思考生命的初步目的。

In the East there are various stories told about sages and saints who have awakened someone to the purpose of his particular life; and the moment that person was awakened his whole life changed. There is an account in the history of India, of the life of Shivaji. There was a young robber who used to attack travellers passing along the way where he lived and he robbed from them whatever he could. And one day before going to his work he came to a sage and greeted him and said, “Sage, I want your blessing, your help in my occupation.” The sage asked what his occupation was. He said, “I am an unimportant robber.” The sage said, “Yes, you have my blessing.” The robber was very pleased, and went away and had greater success than before. Happy with his success he returned to the sage and greeted him by touching his feet and said, “What a wonderful blessing it is to be so successful.” But the sage said, “I am not yet satisfied with your success, I want you to be more successful. Find three or four more robbers and join together and then go on with your work.” He joined with four or five other robbers who went with him and again had great success. Once more he came to the sage and said, “I want your blessing.” The sage said, “You have it. But still I am not satisfied. Four robbers are very few. You ought to form a gang of twenty.” So he found twenty robbers. And eventually there were hundreds of them.

在東方，有許多關於聖哲與聖者的故事，說他們如何喚醒一個人，使他認識自己這一生特有的目的；而一旦那個人被喚醒，他整個生命也隨之改變。印度歷史中有一則關於希瓦吉（Shivaji）的故事。有一個年輕的強盜，常在自己居住地附近襲擊過路的旅人，把能搶的東西都搶走。有一天，在他準備出去「工作」之前，來到一位聖哲面前向他致意，說：「聖哲，我希望得到你的祝福，也希望你幫助我的事業。」聖哲問他的事業是什麼。他回答：「我不過是個不起眼的強盜。」聖哲說：「好，你有我的祝福。」強盜非常高興，離開之後，果然比以前更加成功。他因自己的成功而欣喜，又回到聖哲那裡，俯身觸摸他的雙足致敬，說：「這祝福真是奇妙，竟讓我如此成功。」然而聖哲說：「我對你的成功還不滿意，我希望你更加成功。去找三、四個強盜，和他們聯合起來，再繼續你的工作。」於是他找來四、五個強盜一起行動，再一次大獲成功。他又來見聖哲，說：「我想得到你的祝福。」聖哲說：「你已經有了。但我還是不滿意。四個強盜實在太少，你應該組成一個二十人的隊伍。」於是他找來二十個強盜。最後，追隨他的人多達數百。

Then the sage said, “I am not satisfied with the little work you do. You are a small army of young men, you ought to do something great. Why not attack the Mogul strongholds and push them out, so that in this country we may reign ourselves?” And so he did, and a kingdom was established. The next move of the robber would have been to form an empire of the whole country. But he died. Had he lived Shivaji would have formed an empire. The sage could have said, “What a bad thing, what a wicked thing you are doing. Go in the factory and work!” But the sage saw what Shivaji was capable of. Robbery was his first lesson, his a b c. He had only a few steps to advance to be the defender of his country, and the sage realized that he was going to be a king, to release his people from the Moguls. The robbers did not see it, the young man did not think about it. He was pushed into it by the sage. The sage was not pushing him into robbery; he was preparing him for a great work.

然後聖哲說：「我對你所做的這點小事仍然不滿意。你們已經是一支由年輕人組成的小軍隊，應該去做一件大事。為什麼不去攻打蒙兀兒人的要塞，把他們趕出去，讓我們自己治理這個國家？」於是他照做了，一個王國也由此建立。這個強盜下一步原本就會建立統治整個國家的帝國，但他去世了。如果希瓦吉活得更久，他便會建立一個帝國。那位聖哲原本也可以說：「你做的事情多麼糟糕、多麼邪惡。去工廠工作吧！」然而聖哲看見了希瓦吉真正具有的能力。搶劫只是他的第一堂課，是他的入門功課。他只需要再向前幾步，便能成為自己國家的守護者；而聖哲看出，他將成為一位君王，使自己的人民脫離蒙兀兒人的統治。那些強盜沒有看見這一點，那個年輕人自己也沒有想到。是聖哲將他一步步推向那裡。聖哲並不是把他推向搶劫，而是在為一項偉大的工作預備他。

Why in the East is the greatest importance given to a teacher in the spiritual path? For this reason: as Hafiz has said, “If your teacher says, “Sprinkle your prayer-rug with wine”, do it.” A prayer-rug is a holy object; wine is considered unwholesome; but Hafiz continues, “For the knower knows best which way to go.” For instance if a person wishes to collect wealth, his whole mind is absorbed in it. He may be told, “No, that is not a good thing. What is wealth after all? It is unreal, useless. You ought to be devotional, spiritual!” But his mind will not be there. He cannot be spiritual. He is concentrated on that particular thing, and because he cannot collect the money he wants he is unhappy. If one forces upon him spirituality, religion, devotion, prayer, they will not help him. Very often people in place of food give water, and in place of water give food. That is not good. Spirituality comes in its time. But the preliminary purpose is what a man will contribute to the world as the first step before awakening to spiritual perfection.

為什麼在東方的靈性道路上，人們如此重視老師？原因就在這裡。正如哈菲茲（Hafiz）所說：「如果你的老師說：『把酒灑在你的祈禱毯上。』那就照做。」祈禱毯是神聖之物，而酒被視為不潔；但哈菲茲接著說：「因為知者最清楚該走哪一條路。」例如，一個人若一心想累積財富，他整個頭腦便都投入其中。別人可能告訴他：「不，那不是好事。財富究竟算什麼？它既不真實，也沒有用。你應當虔敬一些，追求靈性！」然而他的心根本不在那裡。他無法變得有靈性。他正全心集中於那一件事，而正因為無法累積自己想要的財富，他感到不快樂。如果硬把靈性、宗教、虔敬與祈禱加在他身上，這些都幫不了他。人常常在對方需要食物時給水，需要水時卻給食物。這並不好。靈性有它到來的時候。而生命的初步目的，則是一個人在覺醒於靈性圓滿之前，首先要對這個世界有所貢獻。

All the great teachers of humanity have taught that preliminary purpose of life in their religions. Whatever teachings they have given to their followers, their motive has been to help them to accomplish that first purpose in life. For instance when Christ called the fishermen he said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” He did not say he would make them more spiritual. That was the first step. He wanted them to accomplish the first purpose of life; the next purpose was to become more spiritual. To the teachers of spiritual knowledge who look at it in this way, their first duty is to show someone how to accomplish the first purpose of life. When they have done this, then they show the second purpose.

人類所有偉大的老師，都曾在他們的宗教中教導生命的這個初步目的。無論他們給予追隨者什麼教導，其用意都是幫助他們完成生命中的第一個目的。例如，基督召喚那些漁夫時說：「跟從我，我要使你們成為得人的漁夫。」他並沒有說要使他們變得更有靈性。這是第一步。他希望他們先完成生命的第一個目的；接下來的目的，才是變得更有靈性。對那些以這種方式看待生命的靈性知識老師而言，他們首先的責任，是向一個人指出如何完成生命的第一個目的。當這一點完成之後，他們才向他指出第二個目的。

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