1. Love, Harmony, and Beauty
1. 愛、和諧與美

How the words “love”, “harmony”, and “beauty” delight the heart of everyone who hears them! One may wonder what it can be in these words that is able to exert such a natural power upon the human soul.

「愛」、「和諧」與「美」這幾個字，何以能使每一個聽見它們的人心生喜悅！我們不禁會問，這些字裡究竟有什麼，能對人的靈魂產生如此自然而深刻的力量。

The answer is that if there is anything in life which appeals to the human soul, it is love and beauty. If one asks, “And what besides those?” then the answer is, “There is nothing else.” Why is this? Because they are the very nature of life. Love is the nature of life, beauty is the outcome of life, harmony is the means by which life accomplishes its purpose, and the lack of it results in destruction.

答案是，如果生命中有什麼能真正觸動人的靈魂，那就是愛與美。若有人問：「除此之外還有什麼？」答案便是：「沒有別的了。」為什麼？因為它們正是生命的本性。愛是生命的本性，美是生命的結果，和諧則是生命達成其目的的途徑；缺少和諧，便會導向毀壞。

When we reflect upon this whole creation we cannot but see that its purpose is to express an ideal of love, harmony, and beauty. Love could not have manifested itself if there were nothing to love, eyes could not have seen if there were nothing to see. What could love have done if there were no beauty? Love would have been silent. Love can only be said to exist after it has passed from silence into expression.

當我們思索整個創造，就不能不看見，它的目的在於表達愛、和諧與美的理想。若沒有可愛的對象，愛便無從顯現；若沒有可看的事物，眼睛也無從觀看。若沒有美，愛又能做什麼呢？愛將保持沉默。只有當愛從沉默進入表達之後，我們才能說愛真正顯現了。

Now comes the question: what has made beauty? The answer is that it is love that has made beauty. When a Sufi calls you “Beloved ones of God” he has this idea in his mind. Whatever God has created, He has created out of His love, He has created to be loved by Him, and therefore whatever He has created and all His creatures are His beloved ones.

於是問題來了：是什麼造就了美？答案是：愛造就了美。當一位蘇菲稱你們為「神所愛的人」時，他心中所懷的正是這個意思。凡神所創造的，都是出於祂的愛而創造；祂創造它們，是為了愛它們。因此，祂所創造的一切，以及祂所有的受造物，都是祂所愛的。

We human beings have our prejudices; we like one, dislike another; we consider one worthy of high esteem, and another only worthy of low esteem, but to God they are all alike; they are His creation. It is just as it would be for a poet to have the little scrap of paper on which his song is written thrown away, or lost and not esteemed. How could he sing without his voice? So it is with the Creator; He cannot be pleased when His little scraps of paper are not appreciated.

我們人有自己的偏見；我們喜歡這個人，不喜歡另一個人；認為一個人值得高度尊敬，另一個人卻只配受到輕視。然而對神而言，他們都是一樣的；他們都是祂的創造。這就像一位詩人，看見寫著自己詩歌的小紙片被丟棄、遺失，或不受珍惜一樣。他若沒有自己的聲音，又如何歌唱呢？造物主也是如此；當祂的一張張小紙片不被珍惜時，祂又怎會喜悅？

God is love, and He has created man out of His love. How then can He be pleased if one has hatred or prejudice against a fellowman, because one forgets that however unworthy he may seem to be, he is nevertheless the beloved one of God? He has created him in order to love him. Therefore God, the Father and Mother of all beings, is equally pleased with all His creatures.

神就是愛，而祂出於自己的愛創造了人。那麼，若一個人對自己的同胞懷有仇恨或偏見，神又怎會喜悅？因為我們忘了，無論那個人看來多麼不值得，他仍然是神所愛的。神創造他，就是為了愛他。因此，神——一切眾生的父親與母親——同樣愛著祂所有的受造物。

But is not one thing more beautiful than another, one person more than another, in either external or internal being? What is the reason of this?

然而，無論就外在或內在而言，難道不是有些事物比另一些更美，有些人也比另一些更美嗎？這又是為什麼？

The reason is found when we consider the work of an artist, of a poet, of a composer of music, of a writer. We can see that one composition is much more beautiful than another. One picture may perhaps be the best the artist has painted in all his life. The poet may wonder, “Have I written this verse? where can it have come from? It is so superior to all the others; it is marvelous how these words came to me.’

當我們想到藝術家、詩人、作曲家或作家的作品時，就能找到其中的原因。我們可以看見，一件作品可能遠比另一件更美。一幅畫或許是那位畫家一生中最好的作品。詩人甚至可能驚訝地問自己：「這首詩真是我寫的嗎？它究竟從哪裡來的？它遠勝過其他作品；這些文字竟會來到我心中，實在奇妙。」

Just as we see this in the individual, so also do we see it in the work of the Creator. At the same time, love is the only power that has created, or that can create.

正如我們在個人身上看見這種情形，在造物主的作品中也是如此。同時，愛是唯一曾經創造、也唯一能夠創造的力量。

In this way God becomes the lover and the manifestation or object of love at the same time. In Sanskrit this is called by mystics Shiva and Shakti, or Purusha and Prakriti, or Ishwara and Maya, these three pairs of words. The one part is love, and the other part is beauty. Love has created beauty in order that it may be able to love. God is love; that is why He is called the Creator. The lover alone has the power to create, and that which he creates is for the purpose of receiving his love.

如此一來，神同時成為愛者，也成為愛的顯現或對象。在梵文中，祕士以三組名稱來表達這一點：Shiva 與 Shakti、Purusha 與 Prakriti、Ishwara 與 Maya。一方是愛，另一方是美。愛創造了美，好使自己能夠去愛。神就是愛；因此祂被稱為造物主。唯有愛者具有創造的力量，而他所創造的，是為了承受他的愛。

The Prophet has said, “God is beautiful, and He loves beauty.”

先知曾說：「神是美的，祂愛美。」

Now the word “beautiful” does not refer to the form of God. God is formless. He has no personality until He manifests Himself to Himself. Therefore it is not His personality which is beautiful, for God is beyond that which in the ordinary sense of the word is called personality.

這裡所說的「美」，並不是指神的形體。神是無形的。在祂向自己顯現之前，祂並沒有可顯現出的個別風貌。因此，美的並不是神的個別風貌，因為神超越了我們通常所謂的個人風貌。

What then is the source of God’s beauty? God is beautiful because He has created beauty.

那麼，神的美從何而來？神之所以美，是因為祂創造了美。

If there were no beauty in God, there could have been none in His manifestation. If there were no beauty in the thought of the poet, he could not write beautiful verse; if there were no beauty in the thought of the artist, he could never have painted the picture. One cannot see the beauty in the heart of the painter except in the beauty of the picture he has made. It is not only the picture which is beautiful, the heart of the painter was beautiful first.

若神之中沒有美，祂的顯現之中也不可能有美。若詩人的思想中沒有美，他便寫不出美麗的詩句；若藝術家的思想中沒有美，他也不可能畫出美麗的圖畫。我們無法直接看見畫家心中的美，只能從他所畫出的作品裡看見它。並不只是畫作本身美麗；在那之前，畫家的心先已有了美。

Consequently we become able to see the beauty not only in manifestation, but also before it was manifested; and before it was manifested it existed in love. In other words, we can see that the beauty was hidden in love; beauty is hidden in love, and the beauty that love has before it to love is its own beauty. Therefore, to whatever extent beauty is beautiful, so is love beautiful; even more so, for the Creator is more beautiful than the thing He has created.

因此，我們便能看見，美不只存在於顯現之中，也存在於尚未顯現之前；而在顯現之前，它存在於愛之中。換句話說，美原本隱藏在愛裡；美就在愛之中，而愛面前那個使它得以去愛的美，其實正是愛自身的美。因此，美有多美，愛也就有多美，甚至更加美，因為造物主比祂所創造的事物更美。

All things that we make are the work of our hands. We are their creator, and we are greater than our hands. So it is with love. Love is greater than beauty, became love is the creator of the beauty that love loves in its life.

我們所製作的一切，都是雙手的作品。我們是它們的創造者，而我們本身又大於自己的雙手。愛也是如此。愛大於美，因為愛正是美的創造者，而這美也正是愛在生命中所愛的。

No doubt by loving, love becomes limited, limited as beauty; but then that is the purpose of love. If there were no beauty, His love could not have realized the latent joy of its own nature. The joy of its existence would die out.

毫無疑問，當愛開始去愛時，它便受到限制，以美的形式受到限制；然而這正是愛的目的。若沒有美，祂的愛便無法體驗其自身本性中潛藏的喜悅。如此一來，它存在的喜悅便會消失。

As soon as we can think in this way, we come to see that the lover is vaster, incomparably vaster than the object he loves. The real love, the real beauty, is in the lover. The object that he loves is much smaller, although for the moment the lover is not aware of the difference. The lover thinks, “You are the object before which I bow. You are the object of which I think day and night, before which I am helpless. You are the object that I admire, that I adore.” Yet he does not realize the vastness of his love, and indeed, strictly speaking, love is vaster than the lover.

一旦我們能如此思考，便會看見，愛者遠比他所愛的對象廣大，兩者甚至無可相比。真正的愛、真正的美，都存在於愛者之中。他所愛的對象其實小得多，只是此刻愛者尚未察覺其中的差別。愛者想著：「你是我俯首的對象。你是我日夜思念、使我無能為力的對象。你是我所讚歎、所敬愛的對象。」然而，他並未察覺自己愛的廣大；嚴格說來，愛甚至比愛者本身更廣大。

When people begin to learn the lesson of love they are apt to be frightened at the pain and difficulties and troubles which they will have to face on behalf of love. When they compare their condition with that of the beloved, they think the beloved is much better off than they:

當我們開始學習愛的功課時，往往會因為愛所帶來的痛苦、困難與磨難而害怕。當愛者把自己的處境與所愛的人相比時，常會覺得對方比自己幸福得多：

“The one who takes my thought, who gives me pain, who wounds my heart, is much happier. When I compare myself with the beloved I think he is much the happier.” And they go on thinking, “If I were the beloved it would be much better.”

「那個佔據我心思、帶給我痛苦、使我的心受傷的人，卻比我幸福得多。當我把自己和所愛的人相比，我總覺得他快樂得多。」於是他又想：「如果我是那個被愛的人，那就好多了。」

Every soul experiences that thought, but once he has risen above it, then he begins to know love. The soul that has not escaped from this fails to realize the fullness of love.

每一個靈魂都會經歷這樣的念頭；然而，一旦超越了它，他才開始真正認識愛。若靈魂無法擺脫這種心態，便無法體會愛的圓滿。

There is another side to love, and that is selfishness, and the lover must escape from this. The true lover says,

愛還有另一面，那就是自私，而愛者必須從其中解脫。真正的愛者會說：

“I will give everything, I will endure all things, all tortures, all torments that may have to be faced in life. I will bow in humility before whatever befalls me. I will give all that I have. I will bear all things, believe all things, hope for all things, and endure all things.”

「我願意付出一切；生命中無論必須面對什麼折磨與痛苦，我都願意承受。無論遭遇什麼，我都願謙卑俯首。我願付出自己所有的一切。我願凡事包容，凡事相信，凡事盼望，凡事忍耐。」

But the other side of love says,

然而，愛的另一面卻會說：

“Are you crazy? Have you lost your senses? You are foolish. Why this complaining? See how happy the beloved is. Be happy Like him, and be in his exalted position, instead of in this humility and degradation. Enter into this greatness and not into that destruction!”

「你瘋了嗎？你失去理智了嗎？你真愚蠢。為什麼要這樣哀嘆？看看你所愛的人多麼快樂。像他一樣快樂吧，去到他那崇高的位置，不要留在這種卑微與受辱之中。進入那樣的尊榮，而不要走向毀滅！」

Then he [the selfish lover] proceeds to reason, and at length he understands. The one thing leads to destruction, the other promises safety. But in destruction there is the hand of God, while in safety there is the hand of Satan. All things that are selfish are taught by that power and by that knowledge which is the enemy of mankind. Satan is an enemy because he leads man away from the purpose of his life. He seeks to make the lover change places with the beloved and say, “Your position is better than mine; now I would like to be like you.” And perhaps he will wait all his life to gain that coveted position, and it never comes because the beloved would not surrender the wealth when the chance was there.

於是他〔那自私的愛者〕開始推理，最後似乎明白了：一條路通向毀滅，另一條路則承諾安全。然而，在毀滅之中有神的手，在安全之中卻有撒旦的手。一切出於自私的事，都是由那與人類為敵的力量與知識所教導的。撒旦之所以是敵人，是因為它使人偏離生命的目的。它企圖讓愛者與所愛的人交換位置，使愛者說：「你的處境比我的好；現在我也想成為你。」於是，他或許終其一生都在等待得到那個渴望的位置，卻始終得不到，因為當機會存在時，所愛的人並不會交出他所擁有的財富。

The life of a person is quite changed after being melted in the fire of love. The fire of love will exalt him so that his power will even influence animals and birds; the wise and foolish will be attracted to him alike. Once he is purified, burned in the fire of love, he will become the attraction of every soul, of every being, invisible as well as visible. It is only the advice of Satan that keeps him from that. The master is he who suffers. We often reflect upon how Jesus Christ washed the feet of his disciples. What beauty there is in that service, in that humility! Should we find that beauty in a proud man? Could a proud man win the hearts of the world for centuries and centuries? The proud man is led by Satan; he becomes egoistic, selfish, cold; everyone in his presence will freeze, for his presence is like ice and cannot impart comfort.

一個人在愛的火焰中熔化之後，他的生命便會完全改變。愛的火會使他提升，以至於他的力量甚至能影響動物與鳥類；有智慧的人與愚昧的人都同樣會受到他的吸引。一旦他在愛的火焰中被焚燒、得到淨化，他便會吸引每一個靈魂、每一個眾生，無論有形或無形。只有撒旦的勸告會阻止他走到這一步。真正的主人，是那承受苦難的人。我們常會想到耶穌基督為門徒洗腳。那樣的服侍、那樣的謙卑之中，有著何等的美！我們能在驕傲的人身上找到這種美嗎？一個驕傲的人，能夠數百年、數百年地贏得世人的心嗎？驕傲的人受撒旦引導，變得自我中心、自私而冷漠；每個人在他面前都會感到寒冷，因為他的存在如同冰一般，無法給人溫暖與安慰。

But how forgiving is he who has been through all suffering! Was there anything else in Christ’s life but forgiveness and tolerance? Always forgive, always tolerate, he said. It was became the love in the heart of the Master was so great that it appealed to everyone. Love was all the philosophy that his fishermen could understand, and if love were placed before philosophy and religion how devoted would the devotees become. The animals and the birds would be attracted by the power of man’s heart aflame with love. As it is, man only frightens love away at the least suspicion of its appearance, and so love never wants to come nearer.

然而，一個經歷過所有苦難的人，是多麼能夠寬恕！基督的一生除了寬恕與寬容，還有別的嗎？他說：永遠寬恕，永遠寬容。正因大師心中的愛如此廣大，它才能觸動每一個人。愛就是那些漁夫門徒所能理解的全部哲學；如果把愛置於哲學與宗教之前，追隨者將會多麼虔敬。甚至動物與鳥類，也會受到一顆燃燒著愛的人心之力量所吸引。然而實際上，人只要稍微察覺愛的出現，便把它嚇跑，因此愛再也不願靠近。

How often is the word “love” used in everyday life for what is nothing but an amusement, a pleasure, a pastime, a degraded thing. Love is so much higher. It is not a thing that you can give to a person, or of which a person may say, “I can develop it.” He cannot learn it, he cannot study it in a book; there is only this one thing to be done: to allow it to grow in the heart.

在日常生活中，「愛」這個字多麼常被用來指稱其實只是消遣、享樂、娛樂，甚至低下的東西。愛遠比這些崇高。它不是一樣你可以交給別人的東西，也不是一個人可以說「我能培養它」的東西。愛不是學得來的，也無法從書本裡研讀而來；我們能做的只有一件事：讓它在心中生長。

A person cannot live without his heart, and the heart cannot exist without love. However loveless and cold a person seems to be, however wicked and cruel, he nevertheless has love, though it is hidden. There is a thick wall built round it. It has no means of coming out; it is continually kept within this shell, and it is uneasy and restless. That is why man becomes cold and unhappy, always wanting he knows not what, because he does not understand the only true inclination. The power of love has become captive in a thick shell, a shell of coldness, the frozen part of love, and this shell refuses outlet to the stream of love, the divine power which seeks to emerge through the heart.

人不能沒有心而活，而心也不能沒有愛而存在。無論一個人看來多麼沒有愛、多麼冷漠，無論他多麼邪惡或殘酷，他的內在依然有愛，只是愛被隱藏了。它的周圍築起一道厚牆，沒有出口，只能不斷被困在這層外殼裡，因此變得不安、躁動。這就是為什麼人會變得冷漠而不快樂，總是不知道自己究竟還缺少什麼，因為他不明白自己唯一真正的傾向。愛的力量被囚禁在厚厚的外殼之中；那是冷漠的外殼，是愛被凍結的部分。這層外殼不讓愛的河流流出，而那股愛的河流，正是渴望透過心湧現的神聖力量。

When a man does not give this love an outlet he becomes a burden to others; his presence becomes disagreeable to his surroundings, his influence becomes a burden to himself. For this reason some people even go mad. Not knowing what they want in life, they always blame others for not having loved them, and sympathized with them, or been kind to them. They do not realize that the key lies in themselves; in their heart lies the power to open and melt anyone’s heart. It is our own power that can bring another to our feet.

當一個人不讓這份愛找到出口，他便會成為別人的負擔；他的存在使周遭的人感到不舒服，而他的影響也成為他自己的負擔。因此，有些人甚至會失去心智。他們不知道自己在生命中究竟想要什麼，總是責怪別人沒有愛他們、沒有同理他們、沒有善待他們。他們沒有意識到，鑰匙其實就在自己手中；在自己的心裡，就有打開並融化任何一顆心的力量。真正能使另一個人來到我們面前的，是我們自身的力量。

Whoever learns this truth ceases to blame anyone for being cold to him, unkind to him, unsympathetic towards him. He finds that the cause lies in himself. By seeking the sympathy and good feeling of another person he covers up his own heart and stops it from expressing itself. The power of love is ever wishing to come out to impress itself upon its surroundings, and yet it is as if the doors were being ever closed to prevent God from coming out to fulfil the purpose of His own creation.

任何明白這個真理的人，都不再責怪別人對自己冷漠、不友善，或缺乏同理。他會發現，原因其實在自己身上。當我們一味尋求別人的同理與善意時，反而遮蔽了自己的心，使它無法表達。愛的力量始終渴望湧出，在周圍留下它的印記；然而我們卻彷彿不斷把門關起來，阻止神從我們心中顯現，以完成祂創造本身的目的。

How beautiful are the words of the Prophet: “The shrine of God is the heart of man.”

先知的話多麼美：「神的聖殿，就是人的心。」

How true that is! Is God to be found in a mosque, or temple, or church, or in any place where people sing hymns and offer their prayers? Can He be found where there is no love? He is not to be found in the houses that men have built for worship. These are only schools for children, and their playgrounds. Children like playing with toys, and yet they are preparing themselves for something else. When man has come to know the real beauty of God, he will find that it dwells only in one place: in the heart of man. God is love, and He is found in the heart of man.

這是多麼真實！神能在清真寺、寺廟、教堂，或任何人們唱著聖歌、獻上祈禱的地方找到嗎？在沒有愛的地方，能找到祂嗎？祂不在那些人為了敬拜而建造的房舍之中。那些地方只像孩子的學校與遊戲場。孩子喜歡玩玩具，然而藉著這些，他們正在為別的事作準備。當一個人真正認識神的美時，他會發現，那美只居住在一個地方：人的心中。神就是愛，而祂就在人的心中被找到。

He who understands this can worship God even in man, for when he abides by this philosophy he will always be aware that in every aspect and at every moment he may be injuring or hurting the feelings of God, that he is in danger of breaking the shrine of God in breaking the heart of his fellow-man.

明白這一點的人，甚至能在人之中敬拜神；因為當他依循這個道理生活時，他會時時意識到，在每一個層面、每一個時刻，自己都有可能傷害神的感受；當他傷了同胞的心，也就有可能打碎神的聖殿。

It might be thought that the philosophers and mystics and sages, who are so near and close to God, might take too much liberty with the world. But they are, on the contrary, the most tender and sensitive towards mankind. They are ready to share anyone’s trouble, to share anyone’s sorrow, to share everyone’s depression and despair. They are ready to console any and every person with their words, to help with their service, and to give their sympathy always to those who need it. They shrink at no sacrifice of time, money, pleasure, or comfort. As Christ teaches, “Whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.”

我們或許會以為，那些如此親近神的哲學家、祕士與聖哲，對這個世界會比較不拘小節。然而恰恰相反，他們對人類最為溫柔，也最為敏銳。他們隨時願意分擔任何人的困難，分擔任何人的悲傷，也分擔人們的低落與絕望。他們願意以言語安慰每一個人，以服務幫助他人，並總是向需要的人付出同理。他們不因必須犧牲時間、金錢、享樂或舒適而退縮。正如基督所教導的：「有人強迫你走一里路，就同他走二里。」

What does all this teach us? It is all a lesson in sympathy for one’s fellow-man, to teach us to share in his troubles, in his despair. For whoever really experiences this joy of life, finds that it becomes so great that it fills his heart and his soul. It does not matter if he has fewer comforts or an inferior position than many in this world, because the light of his kindness, of his sympathy, of the love that is growing, the virtue that is springing up in his heart, all fill the soul with light. There is nothing now that he lacks in life, for he has become the king of it.

這一切教導我們什麼？它所教的，正是對同胞的同理：學習分擔他的困境、他的絕望。因為凡真正體驗到這種生命喜悅的人，都會發現它變得如此廣大，以至於充滿他的心與靈魂。他在世上的物質享受比別人少，或地位比許多人低，都已不再重要；因為他的善意、他的同理、逐漸生長的愛，以及從心中萌生的美德之光，都使他的靈魂充滿光明。此刻，他的生命中已不再缺少什麼，因為他已成為生命的主人。

Such a person becomes a healer, a real healer. He heals a person with his glance, with a kind word, with his hand, by his comfort, by his nature. What a healing that is! Unpretentious, unassuming; the real healing is when a man is in sympathy with another’s trouble and gives him a helping hand. He is the possessor of the true wine. He who can send from his eye the glance that proves the sympathy and help he is anxious to give, what a healing power he has! Is it not like a young bird being taken in beneath the brooding wings? There cannot be a more beautiful process of healing than this among all the different methods by which people have endeavored to heal.

這樣的人會成為療癒者，一位真正的療癒者。他以眼神療癒人，以一句善意的話療癒人，以他的手、他的安慰，也以他整個人的本性來療癒。這是何等的療癒！毫不張揚，也不自居其功。真正的療癒，是一個人能同理另一個人的苦難，並向他伸出援手。這樣的人擁有真正的美酒。一個人若能從眼神中傳達出他的同理，以及那份急切想要幫助對方的心意，他具有何等的療癒力量！這難道不像是一隻幼鳥被收進母鳥覆翼之下嗎？在人們曾經嘗試過的各種療癒方法中，再沒有比這更美的療癒過程了。

Some may ask what, then, should be the object which one should love in this life? Is there any particular object that a man can be recommended to love? Is it best to love one’s parent or friends; to love one friend only or to love just one beloved of the opposite sex? Should one love something in the abstract, some spirit, some ideal, some name, or something which is beyond man’s nature? Or should one love something idealized as the God whom one worships?

有人或許會問：那麼，在這一生中，我們究竟應該愛什麼？是否有某一個特定的對象，是可以被推薦來愛的？愛自己的父母或朋友最好嗎？應該只愛一位朋友，或只愛一位異性的愛人嗎？我們是否應該愛某種抽象的事物、某個靈、某個理想、某個名字，或某種超越人性的事物？又或者，我們應當去愛那被理想化為自己所敬拜之神的對象？

• There are many who say that there is no love which is useful but the love of God; all other forms are worthless.
  
  有許多人說，除了對神的愛之外，沒有任何愛是有價值的；其他形式的愛都毫無價值。

• Another says that he or she can love no one who is of the opposite sex, having once been disappointed in this way.
  
  另一個人則說，自己曾在異性的愛情中失望過，因此再也無法愛任何異性。

• Another will say, “I will love no human being; I can love my dog or my cat better. They do not disappoint me, whereas I was once disappointed in man.”
  
  又有人說：「我不再愛任何人；我寧可愛我的狗或貓。牠們不會令我失望，而人曾經令我失望。」

• Another says, “I love my money, because if I am in need that is the only friend that comes to my rescue. The deposit I have in my bank does more for me than anyone can do. Why then should I not love my money?”
  
  還有人說：「我愛我的錢，因為當我有需要時，它是唯一會來救我的朋友。我存在銀行裡的錢，比任何人能為我做的都更多。那麼，我為什麼不愛我的錢呢？」

• And still another person says, “If God is all, if He is to have all love, then why not love the chair, or the table, or a book, or the work that a person does — a work of art, a piece of music; is it not the same?”
  
  又有人說：「如果神是一切，如果所有的愛都應歸於祂，那麼為什麼不能愛一張椅子、一張桌子、一本書，或一個人所做的工作——一件藝術品、一段音樂？難道不都是一樣的嗎？」

But all these questions are voiced by hearts which have once been disappointed, once broken. They broke and became closed, and once the doors of the heart are closed there is no light to guide its path. That is what is so beautiful in the little English song, “The light of a whole life dies when love is done.” There is no light when love is done. When love is done, the heart is closed.

然而，所有這些問題，都是由那些曾經失望、曾經破碎的心所發出的。心破碎之後便關閉起來；而一旦心門關上，就再也沒有光能照亮它的道路。這正是那首英國小歌中一句話之所以如此美的原因：「當愛終了，一生的光也隨之熄滅。」愛若終了，便沒有光。愛若終了，心也就關閉了。

So often one meets with people who complain that the love on the part of the lover failed to satisfy and caused their despair and distress. What does the Sufi, what does the sage learn from this? He learns that it is those who love who gain. Those who have loved and not gone forward are those who have lost. The reason why they have gone back before reaching their destiny has been that they were dependent upon the object of love which disappointed them. The Sufi is aware of this great pit on the path. Whenever the lover, who was attracted by beauty, falls from his love, it is because he depended on the beauty. It was the beauty that he loved, and he could only stand as long as that beauty remained his ideal.

我們常遇到一些人抱怨，自己所付出的愛沒有得到滿足，反而帶來絕望與痛苦。蘇菲、聖哲從中學到的是什麼？他明白，真正有所收穫的是那個愛的人。那些曾經愛過，卻沒有繼續向前的人，才是真正失去的人。他們之所以在抵達目的地之前退回去，是因為他們依賴了那個令自己失望的愛之對象。蘇菲知道，這是愛之道路上的一個巨大陷阱。每當一個因美而被吸引的愛者從愛中墜落，都是因為他依賴了那份美。他所愛的是美本身，而只要那份美仍符合他的理想，他才能繼續愛下去。

The lover rises again when he consults with himself and says, “I will make such an ideal as will allow my life to become self-sufficient. The ideal will be my excuse, but in reality I will raise my love. Whenever love was broken it was only because the ideal did not prove to be as the lover expected it to be. I will therefore avoid blinding my eyes with the external life, but will build the path on which to travel in my own heart. That ideal will suffice and provide everything that the beloved may lack.” This lover is the real lover, because love has a beauty too, and he produces from his own love the beauty which perhaps the beloved lacks, and he no longer notices the lack in his beloved. From this time on, the beloved becomes his love because he has made a beloved in his thought, in his imagination, and he can continually add to the beauty of the manifestation.

當愛者轉向自己的內在，對自己說：「我要建立一個理想，使我的生命能夠自足。這個理想只是我的憑藉，實際上，我真正要提升的是自己的愛。每當愛破碎，只是因為那個理想最後並不像愛者所期待的那樣。因此，我不要再讓外在生命蒙蔽自己的眼睛，而要在自己的心中築起一條可以行走的道路。這個理想本身便已足夠，它會補足所愛之人可能欠缺的一切。」他便重新站了起來。這樣的愛者才是真正的愛者，因為愛本身也有美；他能從自己的愛中創造出所愛的人或許欠缺的美，於是便不再注意到對方的不足。從此以後，所愛的人便成為他的愛，因為他已在自己的思想與想像之中創造了所愛者，並且可以不斷為這份顯現增添美。

In this manner the song of love and beauty has been sung in all periods of history. Sa’di of Persia, Dante of Italy, and all the great ones who have loved and appealed to the heart of man, all of them have left words which still pierce through our hearts today because of the greatness of their ideal. They have themselves created their ideal in their own hearts. For all such there can no longer be any question of the beloved proving unworthy of love. The lover has become the creator of the love. Did not God create love? Have not we inherited this beauty of God? Can we not create love also? That which one can create can always be depended on.

歷史上的每一個時代，都曾如此唱出愛與美之歌。波斯的薩迪（Sa’di）、義大利的但丁（Dante），以及所有那些曾經去愛、並觸動人心的偉大人物，都留下了至今仍能穿透我們心靈的文字，正因為他們的理想如此崇高。他們自己在心中創造了自己的理想。對這樣的人而言，已不再存在「所愛的人是否值得被愛」這個問題。愛者自己已成為愛的創造者。難道神不是創造了愛嗎？我們不是承襲了神的這份美嗎？難道我們不能也創造愛嗎？凡是我們自己能夠創造的，就永遠可以依靠。

There is another side to this question, and it is that the ideal of love which is created by man is according to his evolution. If he is material, he will appreciate material beauty in a person or object. He cannot help this. It is not his fault. It is right for him to admire that which directly appeals to him. One person will prefer beauty of mind, of virtue, of personality, of some good manner, of some goodness which appeals to him; he values a beautiful personality, a sympathetic presence. Another person will perhaps like a soul because he finds in it his ideal of inspiration, intuition, peace of mind, and joy.

這個問題還有另一面：一個人所創造的愛之理想，是依照他自身的進展程度而形成的。若他的傾向偏於物質，他便會欣賞一個人或一件事物的物質之美。他無法勉強自己超越這一點，這也不是他的錯。他欣賞直接吸引自己的事物，是自然的。有些人偏愛心智之美、美德之美、風範之美，或某種良好的舉止與善意；他珍視一個人的美好風範，以及富有同理的存在。另一個人或許會愛上一個靈魂，因為他在其中找到自己所理想的靈感、直覺、心靈的安寧與喜悅。

Therefore one cannot point to any particular object as the only object worthy of love, because beauty is only according to a person’s evolution. He who is of lower evolution cannot love a higher object. But a person of higher evolution can love the lower as well as the higher. He who once loves cannot hate. The one who hates is he who cannot appreciate. Hatred is found in the lower grades of evolution, not in the higher; and the higher the evolution develops, the less the hatred and prejudice become. In the higher realm there is no poison, for the object is higher, the standard is higher, the sphere is greater. As high as one sets one’s ideal, so high does one reach, and it is by raising the standard of beauty step by step that one rises up and up into the highest heaven.

因此，我們無法指出某一特定對象，說只有它值得被愛，因為一個人所能看見的美，是依照他自身的進展程度而定。處於較低進展程度的人，無法去愛較高的對象；然而進展程度較高的人，既能愛較低的，也能愛較高的。一個真正懂得愛的人，便無法去恨。會恨的人，是因為他無法欣賞。仇恨存在於較低的進展階段，而不在較高的階段；一個人的進展愈高，仇恨與偏見便愈少。在更高的境界裡沒有毒，因為愛的對象更高，標準更高，所涵蓋的範圍也更廣。我們把自己的理想放得多高，就能抵達多高；正是藉著一步一步提升我們對美的標準，靈魂才不斷上升，直到最高的天堂。

It is by walking along and keeping ever on the path of love that even from the lowest depths the soul can reach the highest heaven. Man can even raise his ideal to that height in which he becomes able to love God the Formless, God the Nameless, who is above all goodness and virtue; not even He can be restricted to virtue, for He is beyond goodness.

只要不斷行走，始終留在愛的道路上，靈魂即使身處最低的深淵，也能抵達最高的天堂。人甚至能將自己的理想提升到如此高度，以至於能夠愛那無形的神、無名的神——祂超越一切善與美德；甚至不能以美德來限制祂，因為祂超越了善。

There are sages who are moved to tears just by saying to themselves one word of essential truth, of abstract truth. What could have this effect? Is there some pain concealed in it? Is anything said to evoke sympathy? No, it is their ideal that is so high that they see the ideal beauty in the truth. The truth of being has become beautiful to them. Their beloved has become God, and when a word of truth is spoken in their hearing they are moved to tears. To these sages everything is a real manifestation of the beauty of God.

有些聖哲，只要在心中默念一個關乎本質真理、抽象真理的詞，便會感動落淚。究竟是什麼產生了這種力量？其中隱藏著什麼痛苦嗎？是否有人說了什麼引發同理的話？都不是。只是因為他們的理想如此崇高，以至於能在真理之中看見理想的美。存在的真理本身，對他們而言已成為美。他們所愛的已成為神，因此，每當一個真理的字句傳入耳中，他們便感動落淚。對這些聖哲而言，一切都是真實顯現出的神之美。

• If they hear music, in that music they feel God, in that music they see God.
  
  當他們聽見音樂時，他們在音樂中感受到神，也在音樂中看見神。

• If they are standing before a picture, in the beauty of that picture they see their Beloved.
  
  當他們站在一幅畫前，他們在畫作的美之中看見自己所愛的那一位。

• If they are standing in a crowd, with all manner of faces, to them the whole picture is one harmony, one vision of the sublime, and they can see the whole beauty there.
  
  當他們置身人群之中，面對各式各樣的面孔時，整幅景象對他們而言是一片和諧，是一幅崇高的景象，而他們能在其中看見完整的美。

• Whether it be desert, or sea, or sky, or land, whatever it is that is before their eyes has a vision of beauty to offer to them.
  
  無論眼前是沙漠、海洋、天空或陸地，凡出現在他們眼前的一切，都向他們展現一幅美的景象。

And it is in this way that the whole of manifestation has become for them an immanence of the beauty of God.

也正是如此，對他們而言，整個顯現世界都成了神之美內在臨在的展現。

---