6. The Four Ways People Take
6. 人生的四條道路

There are four different ways people take in their lives.

人生中，人們會走上四種不同的道路。

1. Making Wealth
累積財富

One way is the way of material benefit. By profession, by occupation, business, or industry, a person wants to make money. Something is to be said both for and against this ideal. Against it may be said that while working for money one very often loses the right track, thought, and consideration. One easily overlooks the rights of others when one is working for money. And what is to be said for it is this: that it is after all those who possess wealth who can use wealth for the best purpose. All charitable institutions, hospitals, schools, colleges, are raised by charitable people who have given generously to such organizations. There is therefore nothing wrong in earning money and in devoting one’s time to it, as long as the motive is right and good.

其中一條，是追求物質利益的道路。透過專業、職業、商業或產業，一個人希望賺取金錢。對於這樣的理想，有支持它的一面，也有反對它的一面。從反面來說，一個人在為金錢努力時，往往會偏離正確的道路，失去應有的思考與顧念。人在為金錢工作時，很容易忽略他人的權利。但從正面來說，畢竟正是那些擁有財富的人，才有能力將財富用於最好的目的。所有慈善機構、醫院、學校、大學，都是由慷慨捐助這些組織的慈善人士所建立。因此，賺取金錢、投入時間於其中，本身並沒有什麼不對，只要其動機是正當而良善的。

2. Duty
責任

Another aspect is duty. One considers that one has a duty to one’s community, town, or country; one does some social work, one tries to do good to others and considers it one’s duty. It may be that one has a duty towards one’s parents; one may be looking after one’s mother and sacrifice one’s life for her, or for one’s wife and children. There is great merit in this also. No doubt what speaks against it is that very often such lives are spoiled, and they have no chance to do anything worth while in the world; but if it were not for the dutiful the world would be devoid of love and affection. If the wife had no sense of duty towards her husband, nor the neighbor towards his friend, then they would be living like creatures of the lower creation. It is the sense of duty that makes man greater than other beings; that is why we admire it. Heroes who give their lives for their country are not doing a small thing. It is something great when a person gives his life for the sake of duty. Besides duty is a great virtue.

另一條道路是責任。一個人認為自己對所屬的社群、城鎮或國家負有責任；他從事一些社會工作，努力為他人行善，並認為這是自己的責任。也可能一個人對父母負有責任；他或許照顧自己的母親，為她犧牲一生，或為妻子與孩子犧牲自己。這同樣具有很大的價值。當然，從反面來說，這樣的人生往往可能因此受到限制，使一個人失去在世上成就其他有價值之事的機會；然而，如果世上沒有那些忠於責任的人，這個世界便會失去愛與情感。假如妻子對丈夫沒有責任感，鄰人對朋友也沒有責任感，那麼人就會像較低等的造物一樣生活。正是責任感，使人比其他生命更為崇高；因此我們才會敬重它。那些為國家獻出生命的英雄，所做的絕不是一件小事。一個人為了責任而獻出生命，是一件偉大的事。而且，責任本身就是一種偉大的德行。

At the time of the last war there was a young woman who was always displeased and in disagreement with her husband and she was always wanting a separation. When the call to arms came, her husband went to the battlefield, and he hoped that in his absence she would find someone else. As the war went on she thought that while her husband was fighting she would enrol as a nurse.

上一次戰爭期間，有一位年輕女子，她總是對丈夫感到不滿，兩人意見不合，她也一直想要分開。當徵召入伍的命令來臨時，她的丈夫上了戰場；他希望自己不在的期間，她能找到另一個人。隨著戰爭持續，她想到，既然丈夫正在作戰，自己也可以去登記成為護士。

And it happened that near the place where she was working, the husband was wounded; he lost his eyes, and she became his nurse. When she saw him in that condition she was astonished that it had so come about that she was to be his nurse. She had just received a letter containing a proposal of marriage, but she tore it up and changed her mind in an instant; she said, “Now that he has lost his eyes and that he is helpless, I shall remain his wife, I shall take care of him all his life.”

事情恰巧發生了：就在她工作的地方附近，她的丈夫受了傷；他失明了，而她成為照顧他的護士。當她看見丈夫處在那樣的境況時，她十分驚訝，事情竟如此發展，使她成了照顧他的護士。她當時才剛收到一封向她求婚的信，但她將信撕碎，頃刻之間改變了心意。她說：「如今他已經失明，又無力照顧自己，我要繼續做他的妻子；我要照顧他一生。」

Duty, the sense of duty, is a great virtue; and when it is perfected and deepened in the heart of a man it wakens him to a greater and higher consciousness. In that way people have accomplished noble things. The great heroes have lived a life of duty.

責任，以及責任感，是一種偉大的德行；當它在人心中逐漸臻於完善並深化時，便會喚醒一個人，使他進入更廣大、更高的意識。人們正是藉由這樣的方式，成就了高貴的事。偉大的英雄所過的，正是一種盡責的人生。

The sense of duty comes from idealism. The greater his ideal of duty the greater the man. According to the Hindus the observers of duty are considered religious, because Dharma, the Sanskrit word which means religion, also means duty.

責任感來自理想。一个人對責任所抱持的理想愈高，他自身也愈偉大。依印度人的觀點，恪守責任的人被視為具有宗教精神，因為梵文 Dharma 這個意指「宗教」的詞，同時也有「責任」之意。

3. Make the Best of the Present
善用當下

The third purpose one chooses in life is to make the best of the present. It is the point of view of Omar Khayyam who told one to “Drink the cup of life just now.” There is a quatrain in the Rubayat where he says:

人在生命中所選擇的第三種目的，是善用當下。這正是歐瑪・開儼（Omar Khayyam）的觀點，他告訴人們：「此刻就飲下生命之杯。」《魯拜集》（Rubayat）中有一首四行詩，他如此寫道：

O my Beloved, fill the cup that clears
Today of past regrets and future fears.
Tomorrow! why, tomorrow I may be
Myself with yesterday’s sev’n thousand years!

噢，我的摯愛者，請斟滿那只酒杯，
洗去今日對往昔的悔恨與對未來的恐懼。
明日！為何還說明日？到了明日，我也許
已與昨日的七千年同歸過往！

It is the point of view of the person who says, “If I was great in the past, what does it matter? The past is forgotten. And the future who knows what will come out of it? No one knows his future. Let us make the best of this moment, let us make life as happy as we can.” It is not a bad point of view. It is a philosophical point of view. Those who adhere to it are happy and give happiness to others.

這是一種這樣的觀點：「即使我過去曾經偉大，那又有什麼重要？過去已被遺忘。而未來會如何發展，又有誰知道？沒有人知道自己的未來。讓我們好好運用這一刻，讓生命盡可能地幸福。」這並不是一種不好的觀點。這是一種具有哲思的觀點。抱持這種觀點的人，自己能夠幸福，也能將幸福帶給他人。

No doubt all these different points of view have a wrong side also. But when we look at their right side there is something in it to appreciate.

毫無疑問，所有這些不同的觀點也都有其偏差的一面。然而，當我們看見其中正確的一面時，每一種觀點都有值得欣賞之處。

People nowadays use a phrase: “He is a jolly good fellow.” In songs and on different occasions this phrase is used to show appreciation for that tendency of mind which tries to make this moment happy. It is difficult, very difficult, and not everyone can manage to do it; for life has so many conflicts, so many troubles. One has to face so many difficulties in life that to be able to keep on smiling is not everyone’s achievement. In order to keep smiling a person must either be very foolish and not feel or think about anything, but just close both his eyes and his heart to the world, or a person must be as high as the souls meant by the story of the miracle of Christ walking upon the water. There are some who sink and some who swim, and others who walk over the water. Those who are drowned in life’s misery are those who cannot get out of it; they are tied down in the depths of life; they cannot get out and they are miserable there; they are the ones who sink. Then there are others who are swimming; they are those who strive through the conflicting conditions of life in order some day to reach the shore.

如今人們常說一句話：「他真是個快活的好人。」在歌曲中以及各種場合裡，人們用這句話來讚賞一種心態：努力使眼前這一刻成為快樂的一刻。這很困難，非常困難，並不是每個人都做得到；因為生命中有如此多的衝突、如此多的困擾。我們在生命中必須面對那麼多困難，因此能夠始終保持微笑，並不是人人都能做到的。若要一直保持微笑，一個人要不是十分愚鈍，什麼也不感受、什麼也不思考，只是對世界閉上雙眼，也關閉自己的心；要不然，他的靈魂就必須達到很高的境界，如同基督行走水面這個神蹟故事所象徵的那些靈魂。有些人沉下去，有些人游泳，還有一些人行走在水面之上。那些淹沒在生命苦難中的人，是無法從苦難中脫身的人；他們被困在生命的深處，無法離開，只能在其中受苦；這些就是沉下去的人。另外還有一些人在游泳；他們努力穿越生命中彼此衝突的種種處境，希望有一天能抵達岸邊。

There are, however, others who walk upon life. Theirs is the life which is symbolically expressed in the miracle of Christ walking upon the water. It is like having in the world and not being of the world, touching the world and not being touched by it. It needs a clear perception of life, keen intelligence and thorough understanding, together with great courage, strength, and bravery. By this I do not mean to say that the man who makes the best of each present moment is the same as the man whom we call happy-go-lucky, the simple man. That man is the one who lives in another world; he is not aware of life’s conditions, he is not awake to the conflicting influences of life; if he is happy it is not surprising, for he is happiness himself. I mean those who are awakened to life’s conditions, those who are tender and sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others. For them it is very difficult to go on living and at the same time to keep smiling. If a man can do it, it is certainly a great thing.

然而，還有一些人是行走於生命之上的。他們的人生，正是以基督行走水面的神蹟象徵性地表達出來。那就像是活在世上，卻不屬於這世界；接觸世界，卻不被世界所觸動。這需要對生命有清楚的洞察、敏銳的智慧與透徹的理解，同時也需要極大的勇氣、力量與膽識。我這樣說，並不是指善用每一個當下的人，就等同於我們所說那種無憂無慮、凡事不放在心上的單純之人。那樣的人彷彿活在另一個世界；他不了解生命的處境，也尚未覺察生命中彼此衝突的種種影響。他若是快樂，並不令人意外，因為他自身彷彿就是快樂。我所指的，是那些已經覺察生命處境的人，是那些對他人的思想與感受溫柔而敏銳的人。對他們而言，一面繼續生活，一面仍能保持微笑，是非常困難的。若一個人能做到這一點，那確實是一件偉大的事。

4. Preparing for the Future
為未來作準備

The fourth aspect is that of those who think, “What is life on earth after all! Is it not only a few days to pass somehow?” The day ends, the months and the years pass, and so time slips by. One comes to the end of life before one has expected it, and the whole past becomes like a dream in the night. Ask a man who has lived a hundred years, “What do you think about life on earth?” He will say, “One night’s dream, my child, it is no longer than that. “

第四種道路屬於那些如此想的人：「世上的生命究竟算得了什麼！不過就是設法度過短短幾日，不是嗎？」一天結束了，月復一月，年復一年，時間就這樣流逝。還沒有料想到，生命便已走到盡頭，而整個過去都變得如同夜裡的一場夢。若問一位活了一百歲的人：「你怎麼看世上的生命？」他會說：「孩子，不過是一夜之夢，沒有比這更長。」

If that is all there is to life, then those who consider it thus will realize they should think about the hereafter. Just as some think, “While we are able to work we must strive in order to make provision for our old age that we may be more comfortable”, so those who think of the hereafter say, “Life is short, it is nothing but an opportunity. We must prepare something so that later we shall have the benefit of it.” Maybe there will be some who have the right understanding, while others make too much of it and have a wrong conception of the hereafter; yet the wise ones who believe that they must use the time and opportunity which is given to them in this life to prepare for the next one, have accomplished a great deal. It is something to admire.

如果生命所包含的就只是這些，那麼如此看待生命的人便會明白，自己應當思考來世。就像有些人會想：「趁我們還能工作時，必須努力為晚年預作準備，這樣年老時才能過得較為安適。」同樣地，那些思考來世的人會說：「生命很短，它不過是一個機會。我們必須有所準備，好使日後能從中受益。」有些人也許對此有正確的理解，另一些人則可能把它看得過重，對來世形成錯誤的觀念；然而，那些明智的人相信，自己必須善用今生所給予的時間與機會，為下一個生命作準備，而他們也因此成就了許多。這是值得敬佩的。

It is said that the earth and the sky and space do not accommodate a person who does not answer life’s demands, although for exceptional souls there are exceptional laws, for the lives of exceptional beings cannot be explained in ordinary terms. One may ask what will be the future of those who have not fulfilled the demand of life; will they have to come back to learn their lesson once more? We must all learn our lesson right now. Life is lived right now, its demand is right now, and we must answer it right now. At every moment we are asked to perform a certain duty, to fulfil a certain obligation; and to become conscious of this and to do it in the most fitting and right manner, that is the true religion.

據說，對於不能回應生命要求的人，大地、天空與空間都沒有容納他的地方；不過，對於非凡的靈魂，自有非凡的法則，因為非凡生命的道路無法用一般的尺度來解釋。有人也許會問：那些未能履行生命要求的人，將來會如何？他們是否必須再回來一次，重新學習自己的功課？我們都必須此刻就學習自己的功課。生命是在此刻活著的，生命的要求就在此刻，而我們也必須在此刻回應它。每一個片刻，我們都被要求履行某一項責任、完成某一項義務；能夠覺察這一點，並以最合宜、最正確的方式去完成它，這才是真正的宗教。

We understand life’s demands by understanding life better. There are some who do not answer life’s demands because they do not know what life asks of them; and there are others who do not answer life’s demands although they do know. When the demands of the outer life are different from what the inner life asks of us, we should fulfil the demands of the outer life without neglecting those of the inner life, as it is said in the Bible, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.”

我們愈能理解生命，也就愈能理解生命向我們提出的要求。有些人之所以沒有回應生命的要求，是因為他們不知道生命要求自己做什麼；也有另一些人，雖然知道，卻仍然沒有回應。當外在生命的要求與內在生命對我們的要求不同時，我們應當履行外在生命的要求，同時不忽略內在生命的要求。正如《聖經》所說：「凱撒的歸給凱撒，神的歸給神。」

We have to become like the ebb and flow. This is a symbolical expression. A certain thing is accomplished at one time by sympathy, and at another time by indifference; one situation we must meet by taking interest in it, in another situation we must become indifferent, not concerned with it. If in a sea there were always ebb and no flow, or always flow and no ebb, then this would be a dead sea. The living sea is both inhaling and exhaling; thus in everything we do in life, we should be able to meet every situation and event with the manner that the situation demands.

我們必須變得如同潮汐的退與漲。這是一種象徵性的說法。有些事情，在某個時候需要藉由同理來完成，在另一個時候則需要藉由淡漠；面對某種處境，我們必須投入關心，而面對另一種處境，我們卻必須保持淡漠，不受它牽動。如果一片海永遠只有退潮而沒有漲潮，或永遠只有漲潮而沒有退潮，那便是一片死海。活著的海既吸氣，也呼氣；同樣地，在生命中所做的一切事情上，我們都應當能以每一個處境本身所要求的方式，來面對不同的處境與事件。

These are the four different ways people take in order to accomplish the purpose of their lives:

這就是人們為了實現人生目的而採取的四條不同道路：

1. making wealth,
2. being conscientious in their duty,
3. making the best of every moment of life,
4. and preparing for the future.

1. 累積財富，
2. 盡心履行自己的責任，
3. 善用生命中的每一個當下，
4. 為未來作準備。

All these four have their good points. And once one realizes this there is no need to blame anyone for having taken another path than our own for the accomplishment of life’s purpose. By understanding this one becomes tolerant.

這四條道路都有各自的可取之處。一旦明白這一點，我們便無須因為別人選擇了與自己不同的道路來實現人生目的，而責怪任何人。藉由這樣的理解，我們便能生出包容。

---