28. Steps in the Spiritual Journey
28. 靈性旅程的步程

1. Regard the Customs
顧及沿途的規矩

The first condition of this journey is conscientiousness in regard to the customs on the way. For instance when one has to walk long distances one gives up all unnecessary burdens. We have to give up so many things in life in order to make this journey. We unconsciously make our life heavy for ourselves; and while outwardly it may not seem difficult, yet when we begin to journey inwardly we realize how difficult it is to carry a heavy load. When we have to travel on foot every little responsibility we take upon us, and every little habit, weigh upon us, little things which in everyday life we would never think about. We have become more and more addicted to comforts, more and more intolerant towards environment, more and more sensitive to jarring influences. Instead of becoming stronger we have become weaker every day, so that when it comes to journeying and facing the difficulties which we find on the journey, it becomes very difficult indeed.

這趟旅程的第一個條件，是認真顧及沿途應有的規矩。譬如，當我們必須徒步走很長的路，就會放下所有不必要的負擔。為了踏上這趟旅程，我們在生命中也必須放下許多事物。我們常在無意間使自己的生命變得沉重；從外在看來也許並不覺得困難，可是一旦開始向內旅行，就會發現背負沉重的行囊是多麼艱難。當我們必須徒步前行時，每一項攬在身上的小小責任、每一個細微習慣，都會成為重量；這些事在日常生活中，我們往往根本不會留意。我們愈來愈依賴舒適，愈來愈不能忍受周遭環境，也愈來愈容易受到不和諧的影響。原本應當日益強壯，我們卻一天比一天脆弱；因此，當真正開始這趟旅程，必須面對路上的種種困難時，就會感到格外艱難。

Everyone at all periods of the world’s history who has tried to proceed on the spiritual path has met with difficulties. The moment he starts on this path he has more difficulties than the average person; from all sides come greater and greater temptations on his way, temptations which perhaps had never come before. The moment he takes this path temptations of all kinds come. He is tested and tried at every step he takes. Besides, if he does not keep himself in hand, he is taken to task very seriously. Others are not taken to task so seriously, and this is natural. When a child breaks a glass one overlooks it, but when the maid does it one asks why she did it, why was she not more careful. For a grown-up person is responsible. The one who takes the spiritual path is responsible; that is why more is exacted from him. He has to answer for everything he does, either to himself or to life.

在人類歷史的每一個時代，凡試圖走上靈性道路的人，都曾遭遇困難。他一踏上這條道路，所面對的困難便往往比一般人更多；愈來愈大的誘惑從四面八方出現在他的路上，其中有些甚至是過去從未出現過的。就在他走上這條道路的那一刻，各種誘惑都來了。他每向前一步，都會受到考驗與試煉。此外，如果他不能好好掌握自己，也會受到十分嚴格的責問。別人不會受到同樣嚴格的要求，這是很自然的。孩子打破一只玻璃杯，我們也許不以為意；但若是女傭打破了，我們就會問她為什麼會這樣，為什麼不能更小心。因為成年人要為自己的行為負責。走上靈性道路的人也是如此；正因為他承擔了責任，對他的要求也就更高。他所做的每一件事，都必須有所交代——不是向自己交代，就是向生命交代。

We have many debts to pay in our lives, debts we do not always know of. We only know our money debts, but there are many others: of the husband to his wife and of the wife to her husband; of the mother to the child and of the child to the mother; the debts to pay to our friends and acquaintances, to those who stand above us and to those who are dependent upon us. There are so many different kinds of debts we have to pay; and yet we never think about them.

我們一生中有許多債需要償還，其中許多甚至是我們自己沒有意識到的。我們通常只知道金錢上的債，然而除此之外還有許多別的債：丈夫對妻子的，妻子對丈夫的；母親對孩子的，孩子對母親的；我們對朋友與相識之人的，對那些位居我們之上的人，以及對那些仰賴我們之人的。生命中有如此多不同的債需要償還，而我們卻很少想到它們。

In ancient times even those not taking the spiritual path, for instance noblemen and warriors, had the law of chivalry, and there were strict rules about paying one’s debts. The ancient people thought, “My mother has brought me up from infancy, she has sacrificed her sleep, rest, and comfort for me and loved me with a love which is beyond any other love in this world, and she has shown in life that mercy to me which is the compassion of God.” The child thought a great deal about the debt it owed to its mother.

在古代，即使是不走靈性道路的人，例如貴族與武士，也有騎士精神的規範，其中對於償還所欠之債有著嚴格的要求。古人會這樣想：「我的母親從襁褓之中將我撫養長大，她為我犧牲睡眠、休息與舒適，以一種超越世間其他一切愛的愛來愛我；她在生命中向我展現的慈悲，正如神的憐憫。」因此，孩子會深深記得自己對母親所負的恩義。

Someone went to the Prophet Mohammed and asked him, “Prophet, you said there is a great debt to be paid to one’s mother. Suppose that I gave my mother all that I have earned, would that pay her back?” The Prophet said, “No, not in the least. If you served her your whole life, even then you could not pay the debt of what she has done for you in one day. She brought you up with the thought always in her mind that even when she was gone you would live; she has not only given her service and heart and love to you, but also her life. That you will live after her, that has been all her thought. And what is your thought? If you are a kind and good person your thought is, ‘So long as my poor mother is living, I will take care of her to the end; one day she will die, and then I shall be free.’ It is a different thought from her thought.”

有一個人去見先知穆罕默德，問他：「先知，你說人對母親負有極大的恩義。假如我把自己一生賺得的一切都給母親，這樣能償還她嗎？」先知回答：「不能，連一點也不能。即使你一生都服侍她，也無法償還她一天之中為你所做的一切。她撫養你時，心中始終想著：即使有一天她不在了，你仍要繼續活下去。她給你的不只是她的照料、她的心與她的愛，她也把自己的生命給了你。她所有的心念，都是希望你在她離去之後仍能活下去。而你的心念是什麼呢？如果你是一個仁慈善良的人，你想的是：『只要我可憐的母親還活著，我就會一直照顧她到底；有一天她去世了，我也就自由了。』這與她的心念是不同的。」

This is only one example; but there are many other debts, to our neighbors, to strangers, to those who depend upon us or who expect from us some help, some counsel, a word of advice, some service. They are all debts we have to pay. There is also much to pay to God, but God can forgive. The debt to the world, however, must not be forgotten before entering upon the spiritual path. The spirit feels a great release when it pays its debts as it goes further. Do people think of these simple things nowadays? As soon as a person starts thinking about spiritual matters the first question is what occult books shall he read in order to obtain the key to the path. He never thinks about these little things and how much depends upon them. But there is a condition that must be fulfilled, and that condition is our consideration for every soul.

這只是一個例子；除此之外，我們還負有許多別的債：對鄰人、對陌生人，對那些仰賴我們的人，以及那些期待從我們這裡得到一些幫助、一些勸告、一句指引或某種服務的人。這些都是我們需要償還的債。我們對神也有所虧欠，但神能夠寬恕。可是，在踏上靈性道路之前，我們不能忘記自己對這個世界所負的債。當我們一邊向前走、一邊償還這些債時，靈便會感受到極大的釋放。如今，人們還會想到這些簡單的事嗎？一個人一開始想到靈性的事，第一個問題往往是：「我應該讀哪些玄祕學的書，才能取得這條道路的鑰匙？」他從未想到這些微小的事，也沒有想到有多少事情其實取決於它們。然而，有一個條件必須先得到滿足，那就是我們對每一個靈魂的顧念。

We may ask, “What if they don’t deserve it, what if they are not worthy of it?” It is not our concern whether they deserve it or not. We should not think about it. When there is money to be paid to a money-lender it must be paid whether he deserves it or not. And so it is on the spiritual path. Those we have to pay we must pay, in the way of attention, service, respect. All that is due to anyone, we have to pay. In the first place, apart from spiritual realization, we feel such a release at having paid our debt to everyone to whom it is due. It opens for us the light of the soul, straightening and illuminating the way, so that the confusion one always feels when striving to progress spiritually disappears.

我們也許會問：「如果他們不值得呢？如果他們配不上呢？」他們值不值得，並不是我們需要考慮的事。我們不必去想這個問題。如果欠了放款人的錢，就必須償還，不論那個人值不值得。同樣地，在靈性道路上也是如此。凡是我們有所虧欠的人，我們都必須償還，以關注、服務與尊重來償還。凡應當給予任何人的，我們都應當給予。首先，即使暫且不談靈性的證悟，當我們將所欠的一一償還給應當償還的人時，本身就會感受到極大的釋放。這會為我們開啟靈魂之光，使道路變得平直而明亮；如此一來，我們在努力追求靈性進展時經常感受到的混亂，也會逐漸消失。

2. Develop the Tendency to Trust
培養信任的傾向

We can now understand what is the next step on the spiritual path. It is to develop our tendency to trust. A person who wants to go along the spiritual path should have a greater desire to trust than the average man. No doubt the world is going from bad to worse today. Promises have no value. A ten-cent stamp is valued more than a word of honor. Since this is the state of the world it is difficult for a person to develop the tendency to trust. But when we begin to tread the spiritual path trust is the first thing necessary.

現在我們可以理解，靈性道路上的下一步是什麼：培養我們信任的傾向。一個想走上靈性道路的人，應當比一般人更願意去信任。毫無疑問，今日的世界似乎每況愈下。承諾已不再有多少價值，一枚十美分的郵票甚至比一句以信譽作保的話更受重視。在這樣的世界中，要培養信任的傾向確實不容易。然而，一旦我們開始踏上靈性道路，首先不可或缺的便是信任。

Very often a person says, “I would like to trust people, but people are not worthy of trust.” It may be practical to think about it like this in business, but when it comes to another kind of life, social life or the life of spiritual attainment, we should not look at it in this way. We can only develop the tendency to trust others by being ready to undergo every loss.

人常常會說：「我很願意信任別人，可是別人並不值得信任。」在商業往來中，這樣考慮或許有其實際之處；但到了另一種生命領域——人與人之間的生活，或追求靈性成就的生命——我們就不應以這樣的方式看待事情。只有當我們準備好承受可能發生的任何損失時，才能真正培養信任他人的傾向。

It is not always foolish to trust. On the contrary, it is the wise one who trusts more than the foolish one. Besides it is not a weakness to trust, it is a strength; the one who has less trust is weak, and every day makes him weaker. The one who does not trust people outside will soon not be able to trust his own relatives, his own friends; and finally that distrust develops to such an extent that he does not trust himself. That is the end.

信任並不總是愚蠢的。恰恰相反，智者往往比愚者更能信任。況且，信任不是軟弱，而是一種力量；愈缺乏信任的人愈是脆弱，而每一天都會使他更加脆弱。一個無法信任外界之人的人，不久之後也會無法信任自己的親人與朋友；最後，不信任會發展到連自己都不能信任的程度。到了那裡，也就走到了盡頭。

There is a story of a great Sufi who in his early life was a robber. Once there was a man travelling through the desert in a caravan and he had a purse full of coins. He wanted to entrust them to someone because he heard that robbers were about.

有一個故事，說的是一位偉大的蘇菲，他早年曾是一名強盜。有一次，一個人隨著商隊穿越沙漠，身上帶著一袋裝滿錢幣的錢袋。他聽說附近有強盜出沒，因此想把錢袋託付給某個人保管。

He looked around and some way off he saw a tent, and a man was sitting there, a most distinguished looking man. So he said, “Will you please keep this purse, for I am afraid that if the robbers come they will take it.” The man said, “Give it to me, I will keep it.” When the traveller came back to the caravan he found that robbers had come and taken all the money of his fellow-travellers, and he thanked God that he had given his purse to someone to keep. But when he returned to that tent he saw all the robbers sitting there and among them was this most dignified man dividing the spoils. He realized that this was the chief of the robbers and thought, “I was more foolish than all the others, for I gave my money to a thief! Who can be more foolish than that!” And he was frightened and backed away.

他環顧四周，看見不遠處有一頂帳篷，裡面坐著一位儀表非常不凡的人。於是他走上前說：「能不能請你替我保管這個錢袋？我害怕強盜來了會把它搶走。」那人說：「交給我吧，我會替你保管。」旅人回到商隊時，發現強盜果然已經來過，把其他旅伴的錢全都搶走了。他感謝神，慶幸自己早已把錢袋交給別人保管。然而，當他回到那頂帳篷時，卻看見所有強盜都坐在那裡，而那位最有威儀的人正坐在其中分配贓物。他這才明白，那個人原來就是強盜首領，心想：「我比其他人還愚蠢，竟然親手把錢交給了強盜！還有誰比我更蠢呢！」他嚇了一跳，便慢慢向後退去。

But as soon as the thief saw him he called to him and said, “Why are you going, why did you come here?” He said, “I came here to get my purse back, but I found that I had given it to the very band from which I wanted to protect it.” The chief said, “You gave me your purse, is it not so? You entrusted it to me, and it was not stolen from you. Did you not trust me? How can you expect me to take it from you? Here is your purse, take it.” This act of trustworthiness impressed the robbers so much that they followed the example of their chief. They gave up robbery. It moved them to the depths of their hearts to feel what trust means. And in his later days this chief accomplished great spiritual work.

可是那名強盜一看見他，立刻把他叫住，問：「你為什麼要走？你到這裡來做什麼？」旅人回答：「我是來取回錢袋的，可是我發現，我竟把它交給了那群我原本想避開的強盜。」首領說：「你的錢袋是你交給我的，不是嗎？你把它託付給我，它並不是從你手上被搶走的。你不是信任了我嗎？既然如此，你怎麼會認為我會把它從你手中奪走？這是你的錢袋，拿去吧。」這份守信的行為深深感動了其他強盜，他們於是跟隨首領的榜樣，放棄了強盜的生活。當他們真正感受到「信任」所意味著什麼時，內心深處都受到了震動。而這位首領在後來的人生中，也完成了重大的靈性工作。

This shows that by distrusting people we perhaps avoid a little loss, but the distrust that we have sown in our heart is a still greater loss.

這說明了：不信任別人，或許可以使我們避開一些小小的損失；然而，我們因此種在自己心中的不信任，卻是更大的損失。

3. Finding a Guide
找到一位引導者

The third step in the inner life is to find someone whose guidance we can trust. We might find a spiritual teacher as great as an angel, and yet if we have no trust, he can do very little for us. Besides if we found in our life a spiritual guide who did not prove trustworthy, our loss would be smaller than the loss of the teacher. The loss of that teacher would be far greater. Nevertheless, the whole of the spiritual progress under the guidance of a teacher depends upon the extent of our trust in his guidance. Without this trust all the teachings and practice of occult laws will amount to nothing.

內在生命的第三步，是找到一位我們能夠信任其引導的人。我們可能遇見一位如天使般偉大的靈性老師，可是如果我們沒有信任，他能為我們做的仍然很少。另一方面，假如我們在人生中遇到一位最後證明並不值得信任的靈性引導者，我們所受的損失，仍然小於那位老師自己的損失；老師所失去的會大得多。然而，在老師引導之下的一切靈性進展，都取決於我們對他的引導有多少信任。缺少這份信任，所有的教導，以及對玄祕法則的修習，都不會有真正的成果。

People seeking after truth should know the place of the teacher in their lives, the importance of a spiritual guide and of his guidance; they should value it and consider it sacred. If that knowledge is not there, then nothing is there and they are like lost sheep. Moreover the tendency of going from one thing to another, from one teacher to another, is an offence to the teacher, to God, and to oneself; in this way one accomplishes nothing.

追尋真理的人應當明白老師在自己生命中的位置，也應當了解靈性引導者及其引導的重要性；他們應當珍惜它，並視之為神聖。如果沒有這樣的認識，那麼其他一切也都失去了根基，人便如同迷失的羊。此外，總是不斷從一樣事物轉向另一樣、從一位老師轉向另一位老師，既有負於老師，也有負於神與自己；以這樣的方式，不可能真正有所成就。

Many wonder why it should be necessary to seek the guidance of someone else in order to arrive at spiritual attainment. If a person is self-sufficient, if he is satisfied and guided by the light from within he need not seek any such personality. But I have never seen a child born who had already learnt how to speak and who never needed help from his mother or father. And just as it is necessary for an infant to learn how to speak from someone, so also one must learn the heavenly language from someone who knows it.

許多人疑惑，為什麼要獲得靈性的成就，非得尋求他人的引導不可。如果一個人已能自足，內在已然圓滿，並受到內在之光的引導，那麼他自然不需要尋找這樣的人。然而，我從未見過一個孩子一出生便已經會說話，完全不需要父母的幫助。正如嬰兒必須向某個人學習說話一樣，我們也必須從懂得天上語言的人那裡，學習那天上的語言。

In my youth my interest in the spiritual path was great, and I came in contact with the teacher by whom I was destined to be initiated. And one thing my teacher said was, “No matter how great a teacher comes, once you have received this initiation, this blessing from my hands, your faith may not change.” Having had a modern education I wondered what to think about this. I did not doubt but I asked myself what does it mean? But with every step further in my life I found out more surely that this alone is the right way.

年輕時，我對靈性道路懷有極大的興趣，也遇見了那位注定要為我啟蒙的老師。我的老師曾對我說過一句話：「無論日後出現多麼偉大的老師，一旦你已從我手中接受了這份啟蒙、這份祝福，你的信念便不可改變。」由於我受的是現代教育，當時不免思索自己應當如何理解這句話。我並沒有懷疑，只是不斷問自己：這究竟意味著什麼？然而，隨著生命一步步向前，我愈來愈確定，唯有如此才是正確的道路。

When the mind is disturbed, when a person is distrustful and he goes first to one teacher and then tries another method, what can one find in him? There is no ideal there. In a university one may study first under one professor and then under another, and so on. That is all right for a university; it is a different kind of education; but when it comes to spiritual education, idealism is necessary.

當頭腦動盪不安，一個人心懷不信任，先去找一位老師，接著又嘗試另一種方法，那麼在他裡面還能找到什麼呢？其中已沒有一個真正的理想。在大學裡，我們可以先跟隨一位教授學習，再轉到另一位教授門下，如此繼續下去。對大學教育而言這沒有問題，因為那是另一種教育；但到了靈性教育，便需要有對理想的忠貞。

In a village there was once a young peasant who was known to be a great seeker after truth. A great teacher came to that village, and it was announced that for whoever came into the presence of this teacher, the doors of heaven would be opened, and he would be admitted without having to account for his deeds. The peasants were very excited about this, and they all went to the teacher except this young man. The teacher said, “Everyone from the village came to me except that young man; I shall go to him myself.” So he went to the cottage of this young man and said, “What is it? Is it that you are antagonistic to me, or that you doubt my knowledge? What is it that has kept you from coming to see me?” And he said, “There was nothing that kept me back except this one thing: I heard the announcement that everyone in your presence would be admitted to heaven without question. And I do not seek this admission, because although I had a teacher once I do not know where he is, in heaven or in hell. If I went to heaven and he was in the other place it would be terrible for me! Heaven would become hell for me. I would rather be with my teacher wherever he is.”

從前有一個村莊，村裡有個年輕農夫，以熱切追尋真理而聞名。有一天，一位偉大的老師來到村裡。人們宣告說，無論是誰，只要來到這位老師面前，天堂之門便會為他敞開；他不必為自己做過的一切交代，就能進入天堂。村民們聽了都十分興奮，紛紛前去見老師，只有這名年輕人沒有去。老師說：「全村的人都來見我了，唯獨那個年輕人沒有來；我要親自去找他。」於是，他來到年輕人的小屋，問道：「這是怎麼回事？你對我有所敵意嗎？還是你懷疑我的學識？究竟是什麼使你不願來見我？」年輕人回答：「沒有什麼阻止我，只有一件事。我聽見人們宣告，只要來到你面前，就可以毫無疑問地進入天堂。可是我並不追求這樣的資格。因為我曾經有一位老師，而我現在不知道他究竟在天堂還是在地獄。如果我去了天堂，而他卻在另一個地方，那對我而言才真正可怕！天堂也會變成地獄。無論我的老師在哪裡，我寧願和他在一起。」

That is the ideal of the seekers after truth about their spiritual teacher. And that idealism enables them to progress and gain the confidence of their teacher. Today the tendency is different. A pupil begins to weigh and measure the teacher before he has started on the spiritual path. He wants to know whether the teacher fits in with his idea or whether he does not fit in, and if the teacher does not fit in with his idea he does not come to learn. But when it comes to teaching it is quite different; they say they are seeking a teacher, but they believe they are teachers themselves. It is this attitude which is keeping thousands of people back.

這就是追尋真理的人對靈性老師所懷抱的理想。正是這份對理想的忠貞，使他們能夠向前進展，也能贏得老師的信任。今日的傾向卻不同。學生甚至還沒有真正踏上靈性道路，就已開始衡量、評判老師。他想知道老師是否符合自己的想法；如果老師不符合他的想法，他便不來學習。然而，一談到教導別人時，情形又完全不同了：他們嘴上說自己正在尋找老師，心裡卻相信自己才是老師。正是這種態度，使成千上萬的人停滯不前。

It is not only the faith and devotion one has for one’s teacher which counts, but also the effacing of one’s self, because the teacher’s work is like that of a goldsmith who melts the gold and then makes an ornament out of it. Therefore the teacher has to test and to try, to mold and to melt before he can use the pupil for a better purpose. If a pupil cannot give himself to that molding, then he will have a difficult time.

重要的不只是我們對老師所懷的信念與奉獻，還包括逐漸淡去對有限自我的執著。因為老師的工作，就像金匠先將黃金融化，再把它製成一件飾物。因此，在學生能被用於更高的目的之前，老師必須考驗他、試煉他，塑造他，也使他熔化。如果學生無法把自己交付給這樣的塑造，他的道路就會非常艱難。

One might ask if it is not weakness to be so passive. Yes, if one were passive from weakness it would be weakness. But if one is passive from will-power then it is strength, for it requires great strength to dominate one’s own self. One’s self has a silent influence as is shown in the story of Daniel. It was the power of his self that tamed the lion. But it is easy to tame a lion compared with the taming of one’s self. One’s self can be horrible, more horrible than a lion. One may think, “How I have melted, how gentle, how thoughtful I have become!” but then there may be moments when one acts quite differently, to one’s own astonishment. Really to dominate the crude nature is a melting process; then when the gold is melted one can turn it into any ornament one likes.

有人也許會問，如此被動難道不是軟弱嗎？是的，如果一個人因軟弱而被動，那的確是軟弱；但如果這份被動來自意志力，它反而是一種力量，因為要掌握自己的有限自我，需要極大的力量。這個有限自我具有一種無聲的影響力，正如但以理的故事所顯示的。他內在的力量馴服了獅子。然而，與馴服自己的有限自我相比，馴服一頭獅子反而容易得多。有限自我可以十分可怕，甚至比獅子還要可怕。我們也許會想：「我已經熔化了多少啊，我變得多麼溫和、多麼體貼！」然而，有時候我們卻會突然做出完全不同的事，甚至連自己都感到驚訝。真正掌握自身粗獷的天性，本身就是一個熔化的過程；當黃金真正熔化之後，才能將它製成任何所需的飾物。

4. The Path of Power
力量之道

And when we go still further on the spiritual path it becomes the path of power, of concentration. The mind is just like a restive horse that will not stay quiet, that cannot be controlled. Once a person begins to practice concentration he finds an even greater difficulty in making his mind obey. As long as he does not try he is unaware of this, but the moment he begins he realizes how very difficult it is to concentrate the mind.

當我們在靈性道路上繼續向前，它便進入力量之道，也就是專注之道。頭腦就像一匹焦躁不安的馬，無法安靜，也難以駕馭。一旦開始練習專注，我們便會發現，要使頭腦服從竟是更加困難的事。只要沒有真正嘗試，我們便不會意識到這一點；然而一開始練習，就會發現要讓頭腦真正專注，是多麼困難。

In concentration lies the secret of all things. What is meant by concentration is the change of identification of the soul, so that it may lose the false conception of identification and identify itself with the true self instead of the false self. This is what is meant by self-realization. Once a person realizes his self by the proper way of concentration, of contemplation, of meditation, he has understood the essence of all religions. Because all religions are only different ways that lead to one truth, and that truth is self-realization.

一切事物的祕密，都蘊藏在專注之中。所謂專注，是靈魂所認同之對象的轉變，使它放下錯誤的自我認同，不再認同那虛假的自我，而轉向與真實的自身本性相認。這就是所謂「對自身本性的證悟」（self-realization）。當一個人透過正確的專注、觀想與冥想，而證悟自身本性時，他便理解了所有宗教的核心。因為一切宗教，都只是通往同一個真理的不同道路；而那個真理，就是對自身本性的證悟。

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