26. The Mystery of Sleep
26. 睡眠之謎

1. The Bliss of Sleep
睡眠的福樂

We see in our daily life that the greatest friend of the child is the one who helps him to go to sleep. However many toys we may give him, however many dolls and candy, it is when the child is helped to go to sleep, that he is most grateful. When the mother with her blessed hands puts him to sleep, it is of the greatest benefit for the child; it is then that he is happiest.

在日常生活中，我們可以看見，能幫助孩子入睡的，就是他最好的朋友。無論我們給他多少玩具、娃娃或糖果，唯有在有人幫助他入睡時，他才最心懷感激。當母親用她那雙蒙福的手哄他入睡時，便是給予孩子最大的益處；也正是在這一刻，他最為幸福。

Those who are sick and in pain, are happy if they can sleep; then all their pain is gone. If only they can sleep, they say they can endure all else. They ask the doctor, “Give us something, anything to make us sleep.” If you were offered a king’s palace and every enjoyment, every luxury, the best surroundings, the best dishes, on the condition that you should not sleep, you would say: “I do not want it, I prefer my sleep.”

生病或疼痛的人，只要能夠入睡，就會感到幸福；因為那時，一切疼痛都消失了。他們會說，只要能睡著，其他一切都可以忍受。他們懇求醫生：「給我一點什麼吧，什麼都好，只要能讓我睡著。」如果有人把國王的宮殿、所有享樂與奢華、最好的環境與佳餚都給你，條件卻是你不能睡覺，你會說：「我不要這些，我寧可睡覺。」

What is the difference between the happy and the unhappy one? The unhappy one cannot sleep. His sorrow, care, anxiety, and worry at once take sleep away from him. Why do people take to alcoholic drinks and drugs of all sorts? Only for this: when a man has drunk alcohol, because of the intensity of the stimulant, a light sleep comes over him. His feet and hands are asleep, his tongue is asleep; he cannot speak plainly; he cannot walk straight, and falls down. The joy of this sleep is so great that, when he has drunk once, he wants to drink again. A thousand times he decides that he will not drink any more, but he does it all the same.

幸福的人與不幸福的人有什麼不同？不幸福的人睡不著。他的悲傷、掛慮、焦慮與憂心，立刻奪走了他的睡眠。人們為什麼會轉向酒精與各種藥物？只是為了這一點：一個人喝了酒，由於刺激作用強烈，便會進入一種淺眠般的狀態。他的手腳像睡著了，舌頭也像睡著了；他無法清楚說話，無法直直走路，甚至會跌倒。這種睡眠所帶來的愉悅如此強烈，以致他喝過一次之後，就想再喝。即使他千百次下定決心不再喝，最後還是照樣喝了。

There is a poem of our great poet Rumi where he says, “O sleep, every night thou freest the prisoner from his bonds!”

我們偉大的詩人魯米（Rumi）有一首詩說：「哦，睡眠啊，你每夜都使囚徒掙脫他的枷鎖！」

The prisoner, when he is asleep, does not know that he is in prison, he is free. The wretched is not wretched, he is contented; the sufferer is no more in pain or misery. This shows us that the soul is not in pain or in misery. If it were, it would also be so when the body is asleep. The soul does not feel the misery of the body and the mind, but when a person awakes then the soul thinks that it is in pain and wretched. All this shows us the great bliss of sleep.

囚徒睡著時，不知道自己身在牢獄之中；他是自由的。困苦的人不再困苦，他感到知足；受苦的人也不再有疼痛與苦難。這讓我們看見，靈魂本身並不在疼痛或苦難之中。若真是如此，當身體睡著時，靈魂也應當同樣受苦。靈魂並不感受身體與頭腦的苦難；然而當我們醒來，靈魂便以為自己正在受苦、陷於困境。這一切都讓我們看見睡眠所帶來的巨大福樂。

This great bliss is given to us without a price, like all that is best: we do not pay to sleep. We pay thousands of pounds for jewels, for gems that are of no use to our life – bread we can buy for pennies. Man does not know how great the value of sleep is, because the benefit it gives cannot be seen or touched. If he is very busy, if he has some business that brings him money, he will rather be busy in that and take from his sleep, because he sees, “I have gained so many pounds, so many shillings”; he does not see what he gains by sleep.

這份巨大的福樂，像一切最珍貴的事物一樣，是無償賜予我們的；睡眠並不需要付錢。我們花上數千英鎊購買珠寶與寶石，而這些對我們的生命並沒有實際用處；麵包卻只需幾個便士就能買到。我們不知道睡眠有多麼珍貴，因為它所帶來的益處既看不見，也摸不著。一個人若十分忙碌，若手上的工作能為他帶來金錢，他寧可忙著工作，犧牲自己的睡眠，因為他看得見：「我賺了多少英鎊、多少先令。」他卻看不見，自己從睡眠中得到了什麼。

2. Dreams and Visions
夢與異象

When we are asleep we generally experience two conditions: dream and deep sleep. The dream is the uncontrolled activity of the mind. When we are awake and our mind works without control, it shows us pictures that come from its store of impressions, and we call this imagination; when we control the activity of the mind, we call it thought. The imaginations that come during sleep we call dreams. We do not call them real, because our waking state shows us something different, but as long as we are not in the waking state the dream is real.

睡眠時，我們通常會經歷兩種狀態：夢與深睡。夢是頭腦未受控制的活動。清醒時，當頭腦不受控制地活動，它會把儲存於其中的印象化為一幅幅畫面呈現出來，我們稱之為想像；當我們掌握頭腦的活動時，我們便稱之為思考。睡眠中出現的這些想像，我們稱為夢。我們不把夢稱為真實，因為清醒時所看見的與它不同；然而，只要我們尚未處於清醒狀態，夢就是真實的。

During the deep sleep a person is usually conscious of nothing. When he wakes up, he feels refreshed and renewed. What are we doing while we are fast asleep? The soul then is released from the hold of body and mind. It is free, it goes to its own element, to the highest spheres, and it enjoys being there. It is happy, it experiences all the happiness, all the wisdom of those spheres, it enjoys all bliss, and peace.

在深睡之中，我們通常對一切都毫無意識。醒來時，便感到精神煥發，彷彿重新得到了生命。那麼，當我們沉沉熟睡時，究竟在做什麼？這時，靈魂從身體與頭腦的束縛中得到釋放。它自由了，回到自身所屬的境域，前往最高的層域，並享受身處其中的狀態。它是幸福的；它經歷那些層域中一切的幸福與智慧，享有一切福樂與安寧。

Besides the dream and the deep sleep there are visions. These are seen when the soul, during sleep, is active in the higher spheres. What it sees there, the mind interprets in allegorical pictures. The soul sees the actual thing plainly, and the mind takes from its store of impressions whatever is like that which the soul sees. Therefore it is seen as a picture, as an allegory, a parable which the wise one can interpret, because he knows the language of those spheres. If he sees himself going downstairs or walking up a mountain, he knows what it means; if he sees himself in rags or very richly dressed, in a ship, or in the desert, he knows what it means. The ignorant one does not know what it means, he thinks it is merely a dream, it is nothing.

除了夢與深睡之外，還有異象。當靈魂在睡眠中活動於較高的層域時，便會看見異象。靈魂在那裡所看見的，頭腦會將它詮釋成帶有寓意的圖像。靈魂直接而清楚地看見事物本身，而頭腦則從自身儲存的印象中，取出與靈魂所見相似的形象。因此，它呈現為圖像、寓意或比喻；有智慧的人能夠解讀，因為他懂得那些層域的語言。如果他看見自己走下樓梯，或登上一座山，他知道那意味著什麼；如果他看見自己衣衫襤褸，或穿著極其華麗，身在船上，或置身沙漠，他也知道其中的意義。不明其意的人則不知道這代表什麼，只認為那不過是一場夢，什麼也不是。

In a vision a person sees either what concerns himself, or what concerns others in whom he is interested. If he is interested in his nation or in the whole of humanity, he will see what concerns his nation or the whole of humanity.

在異象中，我們所看見的，不是與自己有關的事，就是與自己所關切的人有關的事。如果一個人關心自己的國家，或關心整個人類，他便會看見與自己的國家或整個人類有關的事。

In a dream a voice may be heard, or a message given in letters. This is the higher vision. Sages and saints see in the vision exactly what will happen or what the present condition is, because their mind is controlled by their will; even in sleep it does not for one moment think that it can act independently of their will. And so, whatever the soul sees, the mind shows it exactly as it is seen. Sages and saints see visions even while awake, because their consciousness is not bound to this earthly plane; it is awake and acts freely upon the higher planes.

在夢中，我們也可能聽見一個聲音，或收到以文字呈現的訊息。這是更高層次的異象。聖哲與聖者能在異象中準確看見將要發生的事，或當下真實的情況，因為他們的頭腦受意志掌握；即使在睡眠中，頭腦也一刻不會脫離他們的意志而自行活動。因此，靈魂看見什麼，頭腦便如實將它呈現出來。聖哲與聖者甚至在清醒時也能看見異象，因為他們的意識並不受限於這個塵世的層面；它保持清醒，並能在更高的層面自由活動。

Besides the dream, the vision and the deep sleep, the mystics experience two other conditions: the self-produced dream and the self-produced deep sleep. To accomplish this is the aim of mysticism. It is so easy that I can explain it to you in these few words, and it is so difficult that I should like to bow my head before him who has achieved it. It is accomplished by concentration and meditation.

除了夢、異象與深睡之外，祕士還會經歷另外兩種狀態：由自己有意引發的夢境，以及由自己有意引發的深睡狀態。能夠做到這一點，正是祕士之道的目標。它簡單得讓我能用寥寥數語向你說明，卻又困難得讓我願意向真正做到的人低頭致敬。這是藉由專注與冥想而達成的。

Can you hold one thought in your mind, keeping all other thoughts away? Can you keep your mind free from all thoughts, from all pictures? We cannot: a thousand thoughts, a thousand pictures come and go. By mastering this the mystic masters all. He is awake upon this plane and upon the higher plane; then the one becomes sleep and the other the wakeful state.

你能讓一個念頭持續留在頭腦中，同時不讓其他念頭進來嗎？你能使頭腦完全沒有任何念頭、任何圖像嗎？我們做不到；千百個念頭、千百幅圖像不斷來去。掌握了這一點，祕士便掌握了一切。他在這個層面醒著，也在更高的層面醒著；於是兩者之中，一者成為睡眠，另一者成為清醒。

3. Consciousness
意識

People may say that mystics, Sufis, are great occultists, very psychic people. That is not their aim; their aim is the true consciousness, the real life, the Consciousness which lies beyond: Allah. When this Consciousness is open to them, then all wisdom is open to the soul and all the books, all the learning in the world become to them mere intellectual knowledge.

人們或許會說，祕士、蘇菲行者（Sufis）都是高深的玄祕學家，是具有很強心靈感知能力的人。然而，那並不是他們的目標；他們所追求的是真正的意識、真實的生命，以及那超越於一切的意識——神。當這意識向他們敞開時，一切智慧也向靈魂敞開；世上一切書本、一切學問，對他們而言，都只成了理智層面的知識。

You might say, “Then lazy people who are always sleeping are all saints.” No, the soul also must have experience on the earth. It must learn what virtue is, it must learn to be virtuous.

你也許會說：「那麼，整天睡覺的懶人豈不都是聖者了？」不。靈魂也必須在世間有所經歷。它必須認識何謂德性，也必須學會實踐德性。

By sleep we understand the covering of ourselves from the world of which we are conscious, but we do not realize that, when we are awake, we are covering ourselves from another world which, in fact, is more real; it is the self which is covered. The difference between the sleeping and the waking state is that, when we cover ourselves from what, in fact, is real, we say, “I am awake” and, when we cover ourselves from what is unreal and illusion, we say we are asleep.

我們所理解的睡眠，是把自己與平日有所意識的世界隔開；然而我們沒有察覺，當自己清醒時，其實也把自己與另一個更為真實的世界隔開了；真正被遮蔽的，是我們自己。睡眠與清醒的差別在於：當我們把自己與真正實在的事物隔開時，我們說：「我是醒著的。」而當我們把自己與不真實、屬於幻象的事物隔開時，我們卻說自己睡著了。

The reason for this is that in the state in which we are conscious of all things around us we are able to point to things about which we have no doubt. We recognize the objects around us, therefore we say that we are awake, and during the time of sleep we think we are dreaming, we do not know where we are or what we are doing. In reality that is the very time when we are experiencing our real life.

之所以如此，是因為當我們意識到周遭一切時，能夠指出那些我們毫不懷疑其存在的事物。我們認得身邊的種種物件，因此便說自己是醒著的；而在睡眠中，我們以為自己在作夢，不知道身在何處，也不知道自己正在做什麼。然而事實上，恰恰是在那時，我們正在經歷真正的生命。

What does our real life consist of? Our real life consists of natural happiness, peace and purity. By purity I mean that our heart, our mind, our intelligence are pure from all worries, anxieties, pains and tortures, from bitterness or sweetness, such as we experience in the world. Otherwise our heart reflects on these things all the time and accordingly brings us suffering.

我們真正的生命由什麼構成？它由本然的幸福、安寧與純淨所構成。所謂純淨，是指我們的心、頭腦與覺知，不受憂慮、焦慮、疼痛與折磨所染，也不受我們在世間經歷的一切苦澀或甜美所染。否則，我們的心便會不斷映照這些事物，並因此帶給我們痛苦。

How valuable is the peace we obtain in sleep! We cannot realize this until we long for sleep which will not come. At such a time we shall realize that everything we possess in the world is worth sacrificing for the peace which sleep brings and the happiness we experience then. All the pleasures in the world afford only a glimpse of that happiness which is within us, in our innermost being. In our everyday external life that happiness is as buried. If there is a time when happiness is experienced by the soul, it is the time during which we are asleep. The little happiness we experience in this world is not real, but only a shadow which we call pleasure, whereas the true happiness which we experience by our natural life we do not call happiness, for we do not know what it is. Only its after-effects remain with us, and we feel happy when we come to the wakeful state after having had a good sleep.

睡眠所帶給我們的安寧，是何等珍貴！只有當我們渴望入睡，睡意卻始終不來時，才會真正明白它的價值。到了那時，我們會明白，為了睡眠帶來的安寧，以及我們在其中所經驗的幸福，世上所擁有的一切都值得捨去。世間所有享樂，所能給予的，只是對那份內在幸福的一瞥；那幸福就在我們存在的最深處。在日常的外在生活中，它彷彿被埋藏起來。如果有一個時刻，靈魂真正經歷幸福，那就是我們沉睡之時。我們在這世界所經驗到的那一點點幸福，並不是真正的幸福，只是我們稱作享樂的一道影子；反而是在本然生命中所經驗的真正幸福，我們並不稱它為幸福，因為我們不知道那究竟是什麼。只有它留下的作用仍與我們同在，所以一夜好眠之後，當我們重新回到清醒狀態時，會感到幸福。

The peace we experience during sleep cannot be compared with the peace we experience in the form of rest in a comfortable chair or on a couch, in the form of material comfort at home or elsewhere. The life we experience during sleep is outside a wall, a prison-wall; the pains and diseases of this world are within the prison during this time. In the waking state we are in the prison, our life is unhappy; when fast asleep we are free. The moment sleep comes to a person who is in pain and suffering all his disease is left behind; at that moment he is above all suffering and pain. This shows that during sleep we experience a life which is beyond this mortal existence.

我們在睡眠中所經歷的安寧，無法與坐在舒適的椅子或躺椅上休息所得的安寧相比，也無法與家中或其他地方所提供的物質舒適相比。睡眠中所經歷的生命，是在一道牆之外——在監獄的牆之外；而在那段時間裡，這世界的疼痛與疾病都被留在牢獄之中。清醒時，我們身在牢獄，生命並不幸福；沉沉熟睡時，我們卻是自由的。一個正受疼痛與苦難折磨的人，一旦睡意降臨，所有疾病便被留在身後；就在那一刻，他超越了一切苦難與疼痛。這顯示出，在睡眠中，我們所經歷的是一種超越此一有限塵世存在的生命。

Although man experiences sleep every day, he never realizes it as the greatest blessing of his existence, until he suffers from lack of it. Man disregards all natural blessings, and not regarding them as blessings he remains discontented. A person who can see the blessing which is in life itself will be so thankful that whatever may be lacking in his outward life will seem insignificant. The inner blessing is so much greater, compared with what is lacking in the outer world, that, indeed, there is no comparison between them.

我們每天都經歷睡眠，卻往往直到失去睡眠、因而受苦時，才明白它是生命中最大的祝福。我們總是忽略自然賜予的一切福分；正因不把它們視為祝福，便始終不知滿足。若能看見生命本身所含的祝福，我們便會生起如此深的感謝，以致外在生活中無論缺少什麼，都顯得微不足道。內在的祝福與外在世界所欠缺的事物相比，是如此廣大，兩者實在無從相比。

All this shows that what develops a person and helps him to advance along the spiritual path, should be sought no further than along the natural lines of the mystery of sleep. Once this mystery is solved, the deeper question of the inner cult is solved as well. The explanation of things is so near to us and yet, at the same time, it is so far beyond our reach!

這一切顯示，凡能使我們成長、幫助我們在靈性道路上前進的，都不必到遠處尋找；順著睡眠之謎這條自然的線索，便能找到。一旦明白了這個奧祕，內在修習更深層的問題也隨之得到解答。事物的答案如此貼近我們，卻又同時遠在我們伸手難及之處！

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