11. The God Ideal
11. 理想中的神

1. God is Love
神是愛

God and the God-Ideal may be explained as the sun and the light. As there are times when the sun becomes covered by clouds, so there are times when the God-Ideal becomes covered by materialism. But if the cloud for a moment covers the sun, that does not mean that the sun is lost to you; and so, if in the reign of materialism the God-Ideal seems to have disappeared, yet God is there just the same. The condition of the world is like the ever-rising and falling waves. Sometimes it seems to rise and sometimes to fall, but with every rising and falling wave the sea is the same; and so, with all its changes, life is the same.

神，以及人心中所形成的理想中的神，可以用太陽與陽光來說明。正如有時太陽會被雲遮蔽，人心中對神的最高理想有時也會被物質主義所遮蔽。然而，雲即使暫時遮住太陽，也不表示太陽已經消失；同樣地，即使在物質主義盛行之時，理想中的神似乎不見了，神仍然存在。世界的情形就像不斷起伏的波浪，有時看似上升，有時看似下降；然而無論波浪如何起伏，大海始終是同一片大海。同樣地，生命雖有種種變化，生命本身仍然如一。

We find that during the past few years all over the world there has come a phase when the God-Ideal seems entirely forgotten. It does not mean that churches have disappeared, it does not mean that God does not exist, but that a light that once was there has been covered, has ceased to light us. But at the same time, as there is night after the day, so these changes of condition come in life: light and darkness.

我們看到，在過去幾年裡，全世界似乎進入了一個時期，人心中對神的理想幾乎完全被遺忘。這並不是說教堂已經消失，也不是說神不存在，而是曾經照耀著我們的一道光被遮蔽了，不再照亮我們。然而，正如白晝之後會有黑夜，生命中也會出現這樣的變化：光明與黑暗交替而來。

In the age of science on the one side and materialism on the other and commercialism on the top, man seems to have blinded himself in acquiring wealth and power, and sees nothing else. It is not that there is not the search for light (it is the nature of every soul to search for light), but the great question is, how can the light come when nation is against nation, race against race, the followers of one religion against the followers of another; how can there be Peace and how can there come Light? The sign of the day is that all things are clear, and the sign of the night is that nothing can be found or seen; there are clouds. The most dreadful nightmare the world has ever seen has just passed away; and, although that wave, that nightmare, seems to have gone, its effect is still here, and the effect that is left is worse than the cause, for prejudice is worse than bloodshed. When man thirsts for the blood of his fellow man, how can we say that there is light? If a man can eat joyfully at his table when his neighbor is dying of hunger, where is the light? That is the condition of humanity today.

在這個一方面是科學、一方面是物質主義，而商業主義又凌駕其上的時代，人似乎在追求財富與權力的過程中蒙蔽了自己，再也看不見其他事物。並不是沒有人尋求光——尋求光原本就是每一個靈魂的本性——真正的問題是：當國家彼此敵對、種族彼此敵對、一個宗教的追隨者與另一個宗教的追隨者彼此敵對時，光如何能夠到來？又怎麼可能有和平，怎麼可能有光？白晝的徵象，是一切清楚可見；黑夜的徵象，則是什麼也找不到、什麼也看不見，只有雲層遮蔽。世界所經歷過最可怕的夢魘才剛過去；儘管那一道浪潮、那場夢魘似乎已經離去，它的影響仍然存在，而留下來的影響甚至比原來的原因更加可怕，因為偏見比流血更加糟糕。當人渴望自己同類的血時，我們怎能說那裡有光？如果一個人的鄰人正在餓死，他卻仍能歡喜地坐在餐桌前用餐，那麼光在哪裡？這就是今日人類的處境。

And what is the cause? It is because the Light, the God-Ideal, is not there. I was once amused by a very simple answer from a maid when someone came to the door and knocked, and the maid was not free to go at once, but took her time; when at last she came, the man was very angry, and said: “Why did you not open the door quickly?” I asked the maid: “What do you think was the reason for the person’s being angry?” And she said, with her innocent expression, “Because there is no God with him.”

原因是什麼？是因為那道光、那份心中對神的最高理想已不在那裡。有一次，一位女僕給了一個非常單純的回答，使我覺得很有意思。有人來敲門，女僕當時無法立刻去開門，所以稍微耽擱了一會兒。等她終於開門時，那個人非常生氣地說：「妳為什麼不快一點開門？」我問女僕：「妳覺得這個人為什麼這麼生氣？」她帶著天真的神情回答：「因為神不與他同在。」

The word of Christ is that God is Love; and if God is Love, then we, every one of us, can prove God in us by expressing God in our life. Yes, according to the external customs of the different religions, one goes to Church, one to the Mosque, one to the Synagogue, and one to the Temple of Buddha; but the inner Church is neither in the Mosque nor in the Synagogue, but in the heart of man, where God abides and which is the habitation of Christ. With this divine element lighted in man’s heart he will go to the House of Prayer, and then his prayer will be heard.

基督的話說：「神是愛。」如果神是愛，那麼我們每一個人都可以藉著在生命中展現神，來證明神就在我們之內。是的，依照不同宗教外在的習俗，有人去教堂，有人去清真寺，有人去猶太會堂，也有人去佛寺；然而內在的聖殿既不在清真寺，也不在猶太會堂，而在人心之中——神居住於那裡，那裡也是基督的居所。當這神聖的元素在人心中被點亮之後，他才走進祈禱之所，而那時他的祈禱便會被聽見。

There is a well-known story in India of a girl crossing a place where a Muslim was performing his prayers; and the law is that no one should cross where a person is praying. When the girl returned, the man said to her: “How insolent! Do you know what you have done?” “What did I do?” said the girl. And the man said that no one was allowed to cross. “I did not mean any harm,” said the girl, “but tell me, what do you mean by praying?” “For me, prayer is thinking of God,” said the man. “Oh!” she said, “but I was going to see my young man, and I was thinking of him and I did not see you; and if you were thinking of God, how did you see me?”

印度有一個廣為人知的故事。一位少女經過某處，那裡有一名穆斯林正在禮拜；按照規矩，人在禮拜時，別人不應從他前方走過。少女回來時，那個人對她說：「真是無禮！妳知道自己做了什麼嗎？」少女說：「我做了什麼？」那人告訴她，別人不可以從正在禮拜的人面前走過。少女說：「我沒有惡意。不過請告訴我，你所說的禮拜是什麼意思？」那人回答：「對我而言，禮拜就是想著神。」少女說：「哦！可是我正要去見我的愛人，我一直想著他，因此根本沒有看見你；如果你真的在想著神，你又怎麼會看見我呢？」

The idea, therefore, is that prayer becomes living if it is offered from a living heart; from a dead heart, prayer has no meaning, and is dead. There is a story of an Arab that he was running to the mosque where the Prayer of God was being offered, but before he could arrive the prayers were finished. On his way he met a man coming from the mosque, and asked him: “Are the prayers finished?” The man replied that they were finished, and the other sighed deeply and said, “Alas!” Then the man asked: “Will you give me the virtue of your sigh in exchange for the virtue of my prayers?” And the other agreed. Next day the simple man saw the Prophet in a dream, who told him that he had made a bad bargain, for that one sigh was worth all the prayers of a lifetime, for it was from the heart.

因此，真正的意思是：祈禱若出自一顆活著的心，它本身便活了起來；若出自一顆死寂的心，祈禱就沒有意義，也是死的。有一個阿拉伯人的故事。他匆忙跑向清真寺，想趕上向神所作的禮拜，但還沒有抵達，禮拜便已結束。在途中，他遇到一位剛從清真寺出來的人，便問：「禮拜已經結束了嗎？」那人回答說已經結束了。他深深嘆了一口氣，說：「唉！」那人便問他：「你願不願意把你這聲嘆息的功德，換取我剛才禮拜的功德？」他答應了。第二天，那個單純的人在夢中見到先知。先知告訴他，這筆交換並不划算，因為那一聲出自內心的嘆息，抵得上一生所有的禮拜。

There are different human beings in different stages of evolution, and it is natural that every human being, according to his particular stage of evolution, imagines God before him when he prays. Is it a question for anyone else to judge the one who prays, and to say, “God is not this or that”? Persons who force their beliefs on others often put them against that belief, even if it were the true belief. It requires a great deal of tact, thought, and consideration to explain the belief, or to correct the belief, of another. In the first place, it is insolent on the part of man to wish to explain God, although man today would like, not only to explain, but even to examine whether the spirit of God exists.

不同的人處於不同的發展階段；因此，每個人在祈禱時，依照自己所處的發展階段，在心中想像神的形象，是很自然的事。別人有什麼資格去評斷正在祈禱的人，告訴他：「神不是這樣，也不是那樣」？強迫別人接受自己信仰的人，往往反而使對方抗拒那個信仰，即使那原本是真實的信仰。要向別人說明他的信仰，或修正他的信仰，需要極大的分寸、思慮與體諒。首先，人想要解釋神，本身就是一種冒昧；然而今日的人不只想解釋神，甚至還想檢驗神的靈是否存在。

The other day I was much amused to hear that there are people who not only want to take photographs of the spirits, but even to weigh the soul! It was a good thing in ancient times when the state had respect for the God-Ideal and religion, and taught that respect to humanity. Today man wishes to use what he calls “freedom” in religion, even in the foundation of all religions, the God-Ideal! But it must be remembered that it is not the path of freedom that leads to the goal of freedom, but the path of the God-Ideal that leads to the goal of Truth.

前些日子，我聽說有人不只想替靈體拍照，甚至還想稱量靈魂的重量，實在令我莞爾。古時候，國家尊重人心中對神的理想以及宗教，也教導人類對它們懷有敬意，這是很好的事。今日，人甚至想把他所謂的「自由」運用在宗教之上，乃至於所有宗教的根基——人對神所形成的最高理想——之上！然而我們必須記得，引向自由之目的的，並不是自由這條路；引向真理之目的的，是以理想中的神為依歸的道路。

Man has a respect for mother or father, husband or wife, or for superiors, but they have limited personalities; where then shall he give most respect? Only to one being–to God. Man can love another human being, but by the very fact of his loving another human being he has no scope; to express all the love that is there, he must love the unlimited God. One admires all that is beautiful, in color, tone, or form; but all that is beautiful has its limitations; when one rises above limitations, there is that perfection which is God alone.

人會尊敬母親、父親、丈夫、妻子或上位者，但他們都是有限的存在；那麼，人最深的敬意應當獻給誰？只能獻給唯一的存在——神。人可以愛另一個人，然而當愛只指向一個有限的人時，它便沒有足夠的空間來表達其中所有的愛；若要讓內在全部的愛得以展現，他必須去愛那無限的神。我們讚歎色彩、聲音或形相中的一切美，但所有這些美都有其限制；當我們超越限制時，所遇見的那份圓滿，唯有神。

Many people say, “Yes, the perfection of all things, of love, harmony, and beauty, is God; but where is the personality of God?” It is this difficulty which some feel when at a loss to find something to adore or worship different from all they see. In all ages men have, perhaps, worshiped idols, or the sun, or fire, or some other form as God, because they were not able to see farther than their eyes could see. Of course, it is easy to criticize anyone or to look at anyone with contempt, but really that shows that every soul has a desire for someone to admire, to adore, and to worship.

許多人說：「是的，一切事物的圓滿，愛、和諧與美的圓滿，就是神；但是神的位格在哪裡？」有些人的困難正在這裡：他們找不到一個不同於眼前所見萬物、而可以讓自己敬愛與敬拜的對象。歷代以來，人或許會敬拜偶像、太陽、火，或某種其他形相，把它視為神，因為他們還無法看見肉眼所及之外的事物。當然，要批評一個人，或帶著輕蔑看待他，是很容易的；然而事實上，這只顯示每一個靈魂都渴望有一個可以仰慕、敬愛與敬拜的對象。

Although there can be no trace of the personality of God to be found on the surface, yet one can see that there is a source from which all personality comes, and a goal to which all must return. And if there is one source, what a great Personality that one Source must be! It cannot be learnt by great intellect, or not even by the study of metaphysics or comparative religion, but only understood by a pure and innocent heart full of love.

儘管在表面上找不到神之位格的任何痕跡，我們仍能看見，有一個源頭，一切位格都由此而來，也有一個終點，一切終將回歸於此。如果一切只有一個源頭，那麼這唯一的源頭必定具有何等偉大的位格！這並不是憑藉卓越的智力可以學得的，也不是研究形上學或比較宗教便能理解；唯有一顆純潔、天真而充滿愛的心，才能明白。

The great personalities who have descended on earth from time to time to awaken in man that love which is his divine inheritance found an echo in innocent souls rather than in great intellects. Man often confuses wisdom with cleverness and cleverness with wisdom. But these two are different; man can be wise and can be clever, and man can be clever and not wise; and by cleverness a person will strive and strive, and will not reach God. It is a stream — the stream of love — which leads towards God.

那些不時來到世上、喚醒人內在神聖愛之傳承的偉大人物，在純真靈魂中所得到的共鳴，往往比在卓越智性之中更深。人常把智慧與聰明混為一談，也把聰明誤認為智慧。然而兩者並不相同；一個人可以既有智慧又聰明，也可以很聰明卻沒有智慧。憑著聰明，人可能不斷努力、不斷追求，卻始終到不了神。真正引向神的，是一道河流——愛的河流。

2. Two Points of View
兩種觀點

There are two points of view from which one sees the God-Ideal. One is the point of view of the imaginative, and the other the point of view of the God-conscious. The former is the point of view of the minor soul, and the latter is that of the soul which is major. For the one thinks that there is a God, and the other sees God. The believer who adorns his God with all that the imagination can supply, sees God as all beauty, as all goodness, and as the most merciful and compassionate God, and recognizes Him as the Almighty, the Supreme Being. He sees in God the true Judge, and he expects one day to receive justice from Him.

對人心中理想的神，可以有兩種不同的觀看方式。一種是出於想像的觀點，另一種則是具有神意識的觀點。前者是較初階靈魂的觀點，後者則是較成熟靈魂的觀點。前者認為有一位神存在，後者則看見神。信仰者以想像所能賦予的一切來裝飾他的神；他看見神是一切的美、一切的善，是最慈悲、最憐憫的神，並承認祂是全能者、至高的存在。他在神之中看見真正的審判者，並期待有一天從祂那裡得到公正。

He knows that in God he will find at last the perfect love on which he can rely entirely. He sees in God the Friend to Whom he can turn in sorrow and in joy. He calls Him his Father and his Lord, his Father and Mother; and all that is good and beautiful he recognizes as coming from God. Really speaking, he makes an intelligible form of God, that being the only condition by which he can see God. And the believer who has imagined God as high as his imagination will allow him to, he adores Him, asks His forgiveness, looks for His help, and hopes one day to attain to Him, and he feels that there is Someone nearer to him than anyone else in life, Whose mercy is always with him.

他知道，最終他會在神之中找到可以完全信賴的圓滿之愛。他在神之中看見一位朋友，無論悲傷或喜悅時都可以轉向祂。他稱祂為父、為主，也稱祂為父親與母親；凡是一切善與美，他都認為來自神。實際而言，他為神塑造了一個自己能夠理解的形象，因為只有如此，他才能看見神。信仰者盡自己的想像所能，把神想像到最高之處；他敬愛祂，祈求祂的寬恕，尋求祂的幫助，盼望有一天能抵達祂。他感到在生命中有一位比任何人都更加靠近自己的存在，而祂的慈悲始終與他同在。

It is this point of view that is called monotheism–believing in the personality of God, a Personality which man makes to the best of his ability. Therefore the God of the monotheist is within him, made by his mind. But it is the form of God that he makes. The spirit is always the same, hidden behind the form that man has made because he needs a form. No doubt at this stage the God of the believer is the form made by Him, the form of a human being. God is behind that form, and He answers His worshiper through that form. Someone once said to a Brahman, “O ignorant man, you have worshiped this idol for years. Do you think that it can ever answer you?” “Yes,” said the Brahmin, “even from this idol of stone the answer will come if the faith is real. But if you have not real faith, you will have no answer even from the God in Heaven.” Man, who knows and sees all things by his senses and his feelings, and who tries to picture everything by his imagination–things that he has neither seen nor known, such as spirits, angels, fairies–it is natural that he should make God intelligible to himself by means of his imagination.

這種觀點稱為「一神論」——相信神具有位格，而這個位格是人盡其所能所形成的。因此，一神論者的神就在他之內，由他的頭腦塑造出來。然而，他所塑造的只是神的形相。那形相背後的靈始終相同；因為人需要一個形相，所以靈隱藏在他所造出的形相背後。毫無疑問，在這個階段，信仰者的神就是他所塑造的形相，一個人的形相。神在那形相之後，並透過那形相回應敬拜祂的人。有人曾對一位婆羅門說：「無知的人啊，你敬拜這尊偶像這麼多年，難道你真以為它會回答你嗎？」婆羅門說：「會。只要信心是真實的，即使透過這尊石像，回答也會到來；但如果你沒有真實的信心，那麼即使是天上的神，也不會給你回答。」人透過感官與感受認識、看見一切，又會以想像為自己從未看見、從未認識的事物塑造形象，例如靈體、天使、仙靈。因此，人藉由想像使神成為自己所能理解的，也是很自然的。

The other point of view, which I have called the major point of view, is perhaps less interesting to some and more interesting to others; for this is the true point of view. When a person begins to see all goodness as being the goodness of God, all the beauty that surrounds him as the divine beauty, he no doubt begins to worship a visible God, and no doubt, as his heart constantly loves and admires the divine beauty in all that he sees, he begins to see in all that is visible one single vision; all becomes for him a single vision–the vision of the Beauty of God. His love for beauty increases his capacity to such a degree that great virtues, such as tolerance and forgiveness, spring naturally from his heart.

另一種觀點，我稱它為較成熟的觀點。對有些人而言，它或許較不吸引人；對另一些人而言，卻更加吸引，因為這是真實的觀點。當一個人開始把一切善看作神的善，把周遭所有的美看作神聖之美，他便開始敬拜一位可見的神。當他的心不斷愛著、讚歎著自己在萬物中所看見的神聖之美時，他便開始在一切可見之中看見同一個景象；對他而言，一切都成為同一個景象——神之美的景象。他對美的愛擴展了他的容量，直到寬容、寬恕等偉大的德性自然從心中生起。

Even things that mostly people look upon with contempt, he views with tolerance. The brotherhood of humanity he does not need to learn, for he does not see humanity, he sees only God. And as this vision develops, it becomes a divine vision that occupies every moment of his life. In nature he sees God, and in man he sees His image, and in art and poetry he sees the dance of God. The waves of the sea bring him the message from above, and the swaying of the branches in the breeze seems to him a prayer. For him there is a constant contact with his God. He knows neither horror nor terror, nor any fear. Birth and death are to him only little changes in life. Life is for him a moving picture which he loves and admires, and yet he is free from all. He is one among all the world. He himself is happy, and he makes others happy. This point of view is the pantheistic point of view.

即使是多數人輕蔑以待的事物，他也能寬容地看待。他不需要學習人類的手足情誼，因為他所看見的已不再是「人類」，而只有神。隨著這份看見逐漸發展，它成為一種神聖的視野，佔據他生命中的每一刻。他在自然中看見神，在人身上看見祂的形象，在藝術與詩歌裡看見神的舞蹈。海浪為他帶來來自高處的訊息，微風中搖曳的枝條，在他看來就像一場祈禱。對他而言，他與神之間始終保持著接觸。他不知道驚恐、恐怖，也不知道畏懼。出生與死亡，對他而言不過是生命中的小小變化。生命像一幅活動的圖景，他愛它、讚歎它，卻又不受它束縛。他身處整個世界之中，與一切同在。他自己是幸福的，也使別人幸福。這就是「泛神論」的觀點。

In reality, these two points of view are the natural consequences of human evolution, and really one cannot separate them. No one reaches old age without having passed through youth, and no one attains to the pantheistic point of view without having held the monotheistic. And if anyone arrives at the pantheistic point of view at once, without holding the monotheistic, it would be like a person becoming a man without having been a child, which is void of beauty.

實際上，這兩種觀點都是人發展過程中的自然結果，兩者其實無法分開。沒有人能不經過青年時期便直接進入老年，也沒有人能不曾經歷一神論的觀點便真正抵達泛神論的觀點。如果一個人沒有經歷一神論，便立刻進入泛神論，那就像一個人從未做過孩子，便直接成為成人，其中會失去一種自然的美。

There are, certainly, two possibilities of error. One is that made by the monotheist when he continues to adore the God he has made, without allowing himself to see the point of view of the pantheist. In order to love God, he limits his own God, which does not mean that God is really limited, but He is limited for that person. The ways of childhood are charming in a child, but a grown-up person with the characteristics of a child is absurd. When man begins his belief in God by monotheism, it is the best way, but when he ends his life without having made any progress, he has lost in his life the greatest opportunity. The man who makes this mistake separates man from God, who, in reality, cannot be divided. For God and man are as the two ends of one line. When a believer in God conceives of God as a separate entity and man a being separate from Him, he makes himself an exile–an exile from the Kingdom of God. He holds fast the form of God created by himself, and he does not reach the Spirit of God. However good and virtuous he has been in life, however religious in his actions, he has not fulfilled the purpose of his life.

當然，這裡有兩種可能的錯誤。第一種是一神論者的錯誤：他持續敬拜自己所塑造的神，卻不容許自己看見泛神論者的觀點。為了愛神，他限制了自己的神。這並不表示神真的受到限制，而是對這個人而言，神被限制了。孩童具有孩童的特質，是可愛的；但一個成年人仍帶著孩童的特質，就顯得荒謬。人以一神論開始對神的信仰，是最好的道路；然而，如果到了生命終點仍沒有任何進展，他便失去了生命中最大的機會。犯下這種錯誤的人，把人與神分開了，而在真實之中，神與人原本不可分割。因為神與人就像同一條線的兩端。當一個信仰神的人把神想成一個獨立的存在，又把人視為與祂分離的另一個存在時，他使自己成為流亡者——被放逐於神的國度之外。他緊抓著自己所創造的神之形相，卻沒有抵達神的靈。無論他一生多麼良善、多麼有德性，無論他的行為多麼虔誠，他仍沒有完成生命的目的。

A mistake is made by the pantheist when he holds the idea that all which he can conceive of and all that answers to his five senses, he believes alone exists. For by this mistake he holds to the form of God and loses His Spirit. All that we can comprehend in man is not all there is to be comprehended. There is something which is beyond all our comprehension. And if the depths of man are too far to be touched by man, how can he hope to touch the depths of God? All that is visible is in reality one body, a body that may be called the Body of God; but behind, there is the Spirit of God. What is behind this Body is the Source and Goal of all beings. And, of course, the part which is the spirit is the most important part. The pantheist who recognizes the divinity only of that which is comprehensible to him, although pantheism may be to him a great ideal, is yet one groping in the dark. All that is subject to change, all that is not constant, all that passes through birth and death, may also some day be destroyed. The man who limits the Divine Being to something that is subject to destruction, the man who cannot feel the trace of the Divine Being in something that is beyond his comprehension, that man is astray. True pantheism is: God is all, and all is God, the known and the unknown; all that exists within and without; God is all that exists, and nothing exists save He.

泛神論者也可能犯下一種錯誤：他認為只有自己能夠想像、並能由五種感官感知的事物才真正存在。這樣一來，他抓住了神的形相，卻失去了神的靈。我們在人身上所能理解的，並不是人全部的存在；其中還有某些事物超越了我們的一切理解。如果連人的深處都遠非人自己所能觸及，他又怎能期望觸及神的深處？一切可見之物，其實是一個身體，可以稱為神的身體；然而在這身體背後，還有神的靈。這身體背後的存在，是一切眾生的源頭與歸宿。當然，靈才是其中最重要的部分。泛神論者若只承認自己能夠理解之物的神性，即使泛神論對他而言是一個崇高的理想，他仍然是在黑暗中摸索。凡會變化的、凡不恆常的、凡經歷出生與死亡的，有一天都可能毀滅。若一個人把神聖存在限制在終會毀滅的事物上，若他無法在超越自己理解之處感受到神聖存在的痕跡，他便迷失了。真正的泛神論是：神是一切，一切皆是神；無論已知或未知，無論內在或外在，一切存在都是神，除祂之外，別無存在。

The beginning of monotheism may be called deism, a belief in Someone higher than oneself. And for the souls who have reached this stage of evolution, for these souls many lessons have been given by the Sages. The Sages have taught them to adore the sun, fire, water, certain trees, and many idols. And no doubt, behind all these teachings there is always the wisdom of the Masters. The lessons given to certain peoples were not for others, as what is suitable for one period is not suitable for another. And for teaching pantheism there were also elementary lessons, such as the idea of many gods, as among the ancient Greeks and the ancient Hindus and the old Egyptians. All these peoples believed in many gods, and this lesson was given to them to see in different things the same Spirit of God. Every god had as his characteristics certain human traits, and by this means man was taught to become capable of recognizing God in his fellow man, to become tolerant and forgiving; also he was led to concentrate and meditate on certain human characteristics, considering them as something divine. Consideration and respect for humanity was taught by meditation on certain traits.

一神論的開端可以稱為自然神論，也就是相信有一位高於自己的存在。對於已發展到這個階段的靈魂，歷代聖哲給予了許多不同的教導。他們教人敬拜太陽、火、水、某些樹木，以及許多偶像。在這些教導背後，無疑始終有大師們的智慧。給予某一群人的課程，並不一定適合另一群人；適合某一個時代的，也不一定適合另一個時代。為了教導泛神論，也曾經有過較初階的課程，例如多神的觀念，古希臘人、古印度人與古埃及人都曾如此。這些民族相信許多神，而這個教導的目的，是使他們能在不同事物中看見同一個神之靈。每一位神都具有某些人的特質；透過這種方式，人逐漸學會在自己的同類身上認出神，變得寬容而能寬恕；同時，人也被引導去專注、冥想某些人的特質，把它們視為神聖的品質。藉著對這些特質的冥想，人學會對人類懷有體諒與尊重。

Man without knowledge of these two different points of view, and strongly impressed by materialistic ideas, often looks upon God as a force or an energy, but he denies forcibly that God can have a personality. No doubt it would be a great mistake to call God a personality, but it is a still greater mistake when man denies the Personality of God. And if you ask this person: “What is your source? What is your goal? Are you yourself a personality? Is it possible that you should be a personality yourself when the Goal and the Source from which you come is not a Personality?”, he has no answer.

一個不了解這兩種不同觀點、又深受物質主義觀念影響的人，常把神看作一種力量或能量，卻強烈否認神可能具有位格。毫無疑問，直接把神稱作一個「人格」會是很大的錯誤；但否認神的位格，則是更大的錯誤。如果你問這樣的人：「你的源頭是什麼？你的歸宿是什麼？你自己具有位格嗎？如果你所來自的源頭與最終的歸宿並不具有位格，你自己又怎麼可能具有位格？」他便無言以對。

It is the seed, which is the origin of the flower and the fruit, that is also the result of the flower and the fruit. Therefore man is the miniature of the Personality of God; God is the seed from which comes the personality. Man, in the flowering of his personality, expresses the Personality of God. It is a subject that cannot be discussed because one is able to distinguish all things by comparison, and, because God is the Only Being, He cannot be compared, and even to use the word personality in speaking of God would be a mistake. There cannot be a better way of looking at the God-Ideal than to consider Him as being perfection in the widest and fullest meaning of the word.

種子既是花朵與果實的起源，同時也是花朵與果實最終所產生的結果。因此，人是神之位格的縮影；神是種子，人的位格由此而來。當人的人格風範如花般綻放時，他便彰顯出神的位格。這其實是一個無法以討論來說明的主題，因為我們只能透過比較來分辨萬物；而神是唯一的存在，沒有任何事物可以與祂相比。因此，嚴格來說，甚至在談論神時使用「位格」這個詞，也不完全恰當。對人而言，理解理想中的神最好的方式，就是把祂視為「圓滿」——以這個詞最廣、最完整的意義而言。

3. The Kingship of God
神的王權

The God-Ideal has been regarded by different men differently. Some have idealized God as the King of Earth and Heaven, some have a conception of God as a Person, others think of God as an abstraction; some believe in God, others do not, some raise the ideal of the Deity to the highest heaven, others bring it down to the lowest depth of earth; some picture God in Paradise, others make an idol and worship it. There are many ideas and many beliefs, different names, such as pantheism, idolatry, belief in a formless God, or belief in many gods and goddesses, but all are striving after something in one way or another. If I were asked how many conceptions there are of God, I would say, “As many as there are souls”; for all, whether wise or foolish, have some conception of God.

不同的人以不同方式理解自己心目中理想的神。有人把神理想化為天地之王，有人把神想成一位有位格的存在，有人則認為神是一種抽象存在；有人相信神，有人不信；有人把神性的理想高舉到最高的天上，有人把它帶到大地最深之處；有人把神想像在天堂之中，也有人製作偶像而敬拜它。觀念與信仰有許多種，也有各種不同名稱，例如泛神論、偶像崇拜、相信無形之神，或相信許多男神與女神；然而所有人都以某種方式追尋著某些東西。如果有人問我，人對神究竟有多少種觀念，我會回答：「有多少靈魂，就有多少種觀念。」因為無論智者或愚者，每個人心中都有某種對神的理解。

Everyone knows God in some way and has his own picture of Him, either as a Man, as the Absolute, as Goodness, as Something beautiful or illuminating; everyone has some conception; and for the one who does not believe in God, even for him the Name exists. Very often the unbeliever is an unbeliever because of his own vanity, though this is not always so. He says that only simple people believe in God; he sees that there are millions of simple souls who worship God, and yet it does not raise them higher, and so he sees no virtue in the worship of God. Others believe in the God-Ideal so long as they are happy, but when their condition changes, when sorrow and trouble come, they begin to doubt whether there really is a God.

每個人都以某種方式認識神，也都有自己心中神的形象：可能是一個人、絕對者、至善者，或某種美麗而帶來光明的存在。每個人都有某種觀念；即使對不相信神的人而言，「神」這個名稱仍然存在。很多時候，不信神的人之所以不信，是出於自己的虛榮，雖然並非總是如此。他會說，只有單純的人才相信神；他看見有千千萬萬單純的靈魂敬拜神，卻似乎沒有因此得到提升，於是他認為敬拜神並沒有什麼價值。另一些人則是在生活幸福時，仍相信自己心目中那位理想的神；一旦處境改變，悲傷與困難來臨，他們便開始懷疑究竟是否真的有神。

I have often met people who had had a great belief in God, but having lost a dear one, and having vainly prayed and implored God that they might keep him, they had lost their belief. I once met a most unhappy mother who had given up her belief in God after the death of her only child. It grieved me to think that a soul so religious, tender, and fine, by that one great sorrow in life, had given up her faith; I told her that while I sympathized with her most deeply, at the same time, in giving up her faith she had brought to herself a much greater loss–a loss for which nothing could make up.

我常遇見一些原本對神懷有深厚信仰的人，卻在失去摯愛之後，因為曾徒然地祈求、懇求神讓那個人留下，而失去了自己的信仰。我曾遇見一位極度悲傷的母親，她在唯一的孩子去世之後放棄了對神的信仰。想到這樣一個虔誠、溫柔而美好的靈魂，竟因生命中一次巨大的悲痛而放棄了信仰，使我深感難過。我告訴她，我最深切地同理她的痛苦；然而與此同時，她放棄信仰，卻又為自己帶來了更大的損失——一種沒有任何東西能夠彌補的損失。

In the Bible we read, and in the other scriptures, that we should glorify the Name of God. There is a question: Is God raised higher by man’s worshiping Him; or is He made greater by man’s belief in Him? The answer is that God is independent of all that man can do for Him. If man worships God, believes in Him, and glorifies Him, it is for man’s own good; for belief in God serves the greatest and only purpose in life, for the fulfillment of which man was born, and that purpose is the attainment of that perfection which may be called divine.

我們在《聖經》與其他經典中讀到，人應當榮耀神的名。於是便有一個問題：人的敬拜能使神更加崇高嗎？人的信仰能使神更加偉大嗎？答案是，神並不依賴人能為祂做些什麼。如果人敬拜神、相信祂、榮耀祂，那是為了人自身的益處；因為對神的信仰服務於生命中最偉大、也是唯一的目的——人正是為了完成這個目的而出生，而這個目的，就是抵達那可以稱為神聖的圓滿。

Why must God be called a King? Why not any other name? The answer is that it is impossible for words to explain or define God, but all that man can do is to use the best word for the Greatest Being, the Supreme Being; and he uses this word because language is poor, and he can find no other or better one.

為什麼必須稱神為王？為什麼不用別的名稱？答案是，語言不可能真正解釋或界定神；人所能做的，只是用自己所能找到最好的字，來稱呼那最偉大、至高的存在。他之所以使用「王」這個詞，是因為語言如此有限，再也找不到更恰當、更好的字了。

Again comes the question of the metaphysician or the philosopher, when he reads: all is God and God is all. He says: “If God is goodness, what, then, is the opposite of goodness? Is it outside God? If so, God is limited. Then something else exists as well as God. Are there two powers, rival powers? What is the power called evil?” It is true that God is all, but you would not call a man’s shadow the man. What is evil, then? It is only a shadow.

接著，形上學者或哲學家讀到「一切皆是神，神是一切」時，又會提出問題。他說：「如果神是善，那麼善的反面是什麼？它存在於神之外嗎？如果是，那麼神就受到限制，也就是說除了神之外還有別的東西存在。難道有兩種彼此競爭的力量嗎？那個稱為『惡』的力量又是什麼？」神確實是一切，但你不會把一個人的影子稱為那個人本身。那麼，惡是什麼？它只是一道影子。

What is illness? It is another illusion. In reality, there is only life, real existence; illness is lack of life; it is a shadow, an illusion. The Being of God is recognized by His attributes. Therefore, man speaks of God as the just God; he sees all power, all goodness, in God; but when the situation is changed, when he sees God as injustice, he begins to think that God is powerless, and to judge the action of God. But one must look at this from a different point of view. Human beings are limited, imperfect, and from our own imperfect standpoint we try to judge the Perfect Being, or His perfect action.

疾病又是什麼？它是另一種幻象。真實之中只有生命，只有真正的存在；疾病是生命的欠缺，是一道影子、一種幻象。我們透過神的屬性認識神的存在。因此，人說神是公正的神，在神之中看見一切力量、一切善；然而當情況改變，當他眼中所見彷彿成了不公，他便開始認為神無能為力，並評斷神的作為。但我們必須從另一種觀點來看這件事。人是有限而不圓滿的，而我們竟從自己不圓滿的立場，試圖評斷那圓滿的存在，或祂圓滿的作為。

In order to judge, our vision must become as wide as the universe; then we might have a little glimpse of the Justice which is perfect in itself. But when we try to judge every action by limiting God and by attaching the responsibility of every action to God, we confuse our faith, and by our own fault we begin to disbelieve. The error is in man’s nature; from childhood we think all we do and say is just and fair, and so when man thinks of God he has his own conception, and by that he tries to judge God and His justice; if he is forgiving, he tries to overlook God’s apparent injustice, and to find goodness in God and to see the limitation of man. This is better, but in the end man will realize that every movement is controlled and directed from One Source, and that Source is the Perfection of Love, Justice, and Wisdom, a Source where nothing lacks. But it is so difficult for man to have a perfect conception of the God-Ideal, and he cannot begin in a first lesson to conceive of God as perfect. So the wise must be tolerant of all the forms in which souls picture their God.

若要作出評斷，我們的視野必須先擴展得如宇宙一般廣大；到了那時，我們或許才能稍稍瞥見那本身即為圓滿的公正。然而，當我們限制神，又把每一件事情的責任都歸到神身上，再據此評斷每一個行動時，我們反而使自己的信仰陷入混亂，並因自己的錯誤而開始不信。錯誤其實在人自身的本性裡。從小我們便覺得自己所做、所說的一切都是公正合理的；因此當人想到神時，他帶著自己對神的觀念，並以此來評斷神以及神的公正。若他具有寬恕之心，他會設法不執著於神表面上的「不公」，而努力在神之中看見善，在人身上看見限制。這已經更好；然而最終，人會明白，每一個運動都由同一個源頭所掌管與引導，而那個源頭正是愛、公正與智慧的圓滿，其中毫無欠缺。然而，要在人心中形成一個真正圓滿的神之觀念，實在非常困難；人不可能在第一堂課裡便立刻把神理解為圓滿。因此，智者必須寬容靈魂們用來描繪自己的神的各種形相。

There is a story told of Moses. One day he was passing through a farm, and he saw a peasant boy sitting quietly and speaking to himself, saying: “O God, I love You so; if I saw You here in these fields I would bring You soft bedding and delicious dishes to eat, I would take care that no wild animals could come near You. You are so dear to me, and I so long to see You; if You only knew how I love You I am sure You would appear to me.”

有一個關於摩西的故事。有一天，他經過一片農田，看見一個農家少年靜靜地坐著，自言自語地說：「哦，神啊，我是如此愛祢。如果我能在這片田野裡見到祢，我會替祢準備柔軟的床鋪和好吃的食物，也會好好照顧祢，不讓任何野獸靠近祢。祢對我是如此珍貴，我又是如此渴望見到祢；如果祢知道我有多麼愛祢，我相信祢一定會顯現在我面前。」

Moses heard, and said: “Young man, how can you dare to speak of God so? He is the Formless God, and no wild beast nor bird could injure Him who guards and protects all.”

摩西聽見後說：「年輕人，你怎麼敢這樣談論神？祂是無形之神，任何野獸或飛鳥都不可能傷害祂；祂才是守護、保護一切的那一位。」

The young man bent his head sorrowfully and wept. Something was lost for him, and he felt most unhappy. And then revelation came to Moses as a Voice from within, which said: “Moses, what have you done? You have separated a sincere lover from Me. What does it matter what I am called or how I am spoken to? Am I not in all forms?”

年輕人悲傷地低下頭，哭了起來。某樣東西對他而言失去了，他感到無比痛苦。這時，啟示以一道內在的聲音臨到摩西：「摩西，你做了什麼？你使一個真誠愛我的人與我分離。我被如何稱呼、別人如何對我說話，又有什麼關係？我難道不在一切形相之中嗎？」

This story throws a great light, and teaches that it is only the ignorant who accuse another of a wrong conception of God.

這個故事帶來了極大的光明，也教導我們：只有無知的人，才會指責別人對神的理解是錯的。

This teaches us how gentle we ought to be with the faith of another; as long as he has the spark of the love of God, this spark should be slowly blown upon that the flame may rise; if not, that spark will be extinguished. How much the spiritual development of mankind in general depends upon a religious man! He can either spread the light, or diminish it by forcing his belief on others.

這教導我們，面對別人的信仰時應當何等溫柔。只要他心中還有一點愛神的火花，我們便應輕輕吹拂它，使那火焰逐漸升起；否則，那點火花便可能熄滅。整體人類的靈性發展，在多大程度上取決於宗教人士！他可以傳播光，也可能因把自己的信仰強加於人，而使光減弱。

Everyone thinks the other person must believe in and worship his God. Everyone has his own conception of God, and this conception makes the steppingstone to the true Ideal of God. Then there are others who believe in God, but do not show their belief in any outward religious tendency. People often misunderstand them, and yet there is something very beautiful hidden in their heart, not understood, not known.

每個人都認為別人應當相信、敬拜他所相信的神。然而，每個人都有自己對神的理解，而這個理解正是通往對神更真實、更崇高之理解的一塊踏腳石。另有一些人相信神，卻不以任何外在的宗教傾向來表現自己的信仰。人們常常誤解他們，但在他們心中，可能隱藏著某種非常美好的東西，只是未被理解，也不為人知。

There is a story told in the East of a man who used to avoid going to the house of prayer, who showed no outward sign, so that his wife often wondered if he had any belief in God; she thought a great deal about this, and was very anxious about it.

東方有一個故事，說有一個人總是避開祈禱之所，外表上也從不顯露任何宗教的跡象，因此他的妻子常懷疑他究竟是否相信神。她為此想了很多，也十分不安。

One day she said to her husband: “I am very happy today.” The man was surprised, and asked what made her happy, and she said: “I was under a false impression, but now that I have found out the truth, I am glad.” He asked: “What has made you glad?” And she replied: “I heard you saying the Name of God in your sleep.”

有一天，她對丈夫說：「我今天非常高興。」丈夫感到驚訝，問她為什麼高興。她說：「我一直有一個錯誤的想法，但現在我發現了真相，所以很高興。」他問：「是什麼讓妳這麼高興？」她回答：「我聽見你在睡夢中念著神的名。」

He said: “I am very sorry.” It was too precious, too great for him to speak of, and he felt it was a great blow, after having hidden this secret in the deepest part of his being because it was too sacred to speak of. He could not bear it, and he died.

他說：「我非常難過。」這件事對他而言太珍貴、太偉大，以至於無法說出口。他一直把這個祕密藏在自己存在最深處，因為它太神聖了，不適合訴諸言語；如今祕密被發現，他感到受到極大的衝擊。他承受不住，便死去了。

We cannot say from the outward appearance who believes and who does not believe. One person may be pious and orthodox and it may mean nothing; another may have a profound love for the Deity, and a great knowledge of Him, and no one may know it.

我們不能從外表判斷誰相信、誰不相信。一個人可能看起來虔誠而正統，實際上卻沒有多少意義；另一個人可能對神性懷有深刻的愛，也對祂有極深的認識，卻沒有人知道。

What benefit does man receive from believing in the Kingship of God? How does he derive real help from his belief? He must begin by realizing the nobility of human nature. Not that one must expect everything to be good and beautiful, and, if one’s expectation is not realized, then there is no hope of progress; for man is limited, his goodness is limited. No one has ever proved to be your ideal; you may make an ideal of your imagination, and, whenever you see goodness to be lacking, you may give it from your own heart and so complete the nobility of human nature. This is done by patience, tolerance, kindness, forgiveness.

相信神的王權，能為人帶來什麼益處？人如何從這份信仰獲得真正的幫助？首先，他必須認識人性中的高貴。這並不是說，我們應當期待一切都善良而美好，一旦期待沒有實現，便認為再也沒有進步的希望；因為人是有限的，人的善也有限。從來沒有人能完全符合你的理想。你可以在想像中形成一個理想，而每當你看見某人有所欠缺時，可以從自己的心中補上那份善，藉此使人性的高貴得以完整。這是透過耐心、寬容、仁慈與寬恕而做到的。

The lover of goodness loves every little sign of goodness. He overlooks the faults and fills up the gaps by pouring out love and filling up that which is lacking. This is real nobility of soul. Religion, prayer, worship, are all intended to ennoble the soul, not to make it narrow, sectarian, bigoted. One cannot arrive at true nobility of spirit if one is not prepared to forgive imperfect human nature. For all, worthy or unworthy, require forgiveness, and only in this way can one rise above the lack of harmony and beauty, until at last one arrives at the stage when one reflects what one has collected.

愛善的人會珍愛每一點微小的善。他不執著於過失，而是以愛填補空缺，把欠缺之處補足。這才是真正的靈魂高貴。宗教、祈禱與敬拜，目的都是使靈魂高貴，而不是使它變得狹隘、宗派化或偏執。如果一個人不準備寬恕不圓滿的人性，就不可能抵達真正的精神高貴。因為無論值得或不值得，每一個人都需要寬恕。只有如此，我們才能超越生命中欠缺和諧與美的地方，直到最後抵達一個階段，開始反映出自己一路所積聚的一切。

All the riches of love, kindness, tolerance, and good manners a man then reflects, and he throws the light onto the other person and brings out those virtues in that other, just as watering a plant makes the leaves and buds open and the flowers blossom. This brings one nearer to the Perfection of God, in Whom alone one sees all that is perfect, all that is divine. As it is said in the Bible: “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”

到了那時，人便反映出自己所積聚的一切愛、仁慈、寬容與良好風範的豐盛。他把這道光照向另一個人，也把對方內在的這些德性引發出來，就像澆灌植物，使葉片舒展、花苞開放、花朵盛開。這使人更加接近神的圓滿；唯有在祂之中，我們才能看見一切真正圓滿、一切真正神聖之物。正如《聖經》所說：「你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。」

4. Belief in God
對神的信仰

It is the spirit of all souls which is personified in all ages as God. There are periods when this spirit is materialized in the faith of humanity and worshiped as God, the Sovereign and the Lord of both worlds, as Judge, Sustainer, and Forgiver; but there are periods when this realization has become less in humanity, when mankind has become absorbed in the life of the world more than in the spiritual ideal. Therefore the belief in God comes to humanity like tides in the sea. Every now and then it appears on the surface, mostly with a Divine Message given as an answer to the cry of humanity at a certain period. So, in the life of individuals, at times the belief in God comes as tides in the sea, with an impulse to worship, to serve God, to search for God, to love God, and to long for God-communication. The more the material life of the world is before one’s eyes, the more the spiritual impulse is closed. The spiritual impulse therefore rises especially at times of sorrow and of disappointment through life.

所有靈魂共有的靈，在歷代被人格化為神。有些時期，這個靈在人類的信仰中變得具體，人們敬拜祂為神——兩界的君王與主宰、審判者、供養者與寬恕者；但也有些時期，人類對這一點的體悟減弱了，人們更加沉浸於世俗生活，而非靈性的理想。因此，對神的信仰在人類之中如海潮一般來去。它不時湧上表面，往往伴隨一個神聖訊息而來，作為對某個時代人類呼喊的回應。同樣地，在個人的生命中，對神的信仰有時也像海潮般升起，帶來一股衝動，使人想要敬拜、侍奉神，尋求神、愛神，渴望與神相通。世俗物質生活越佔滿人的視野，靈性的衝動便越受到遮蔽。因此，這股靈性衝動尤其容易在人生的悲傷與失望之中升起。

The belief in God is natural, but in life both art and nature are necessary. So God, Who exists independent of our making Him, must be made by us for our own comprehension. To make God intelligible, first man must make his own God. It is on this principle that the idea of many gods and the custom of idol-worship was based in the ancient religions of the world. God cannot be two.

相信神是自然的，但生命中，藝術與自然兩者都是必要的。因此，神雖不依賴我們塑造祂而存在，我們仍必須為了自己的理解而「塑造」神。為了使神成為人所能理解的，人首先必須形成自己心目中的神。古代世界各宗教中的多神觀念與偶像崇拜，正是建立在這個原則之上。然而，神不可能有兩個。

The God of each is the God of all, but in order to comprehend that God we each have to make our own God.

每一個人的神，都是所有人的神；然而，為了理解那位神，我們每一個人都必須在心中形成自己所能理解的神。

• Some of us seek for justice; we can seek for God, Who is just.
  
  我們有些人尋求公正；那麼，我們可以尋求那公正的神。

• Some of us look for beauty; we must find it in the God of beauty.
  
  我們有些人尋求美；那麼，我們必須在美的神之中找到它。

• Some of us seek for love; we must find it in the God of mercy and compassion.
  
  我們有些人尋求愛；那麼，我們必須在慈悲與憐憫的神之中找到它。

• Some of us wish for strength and power; we must find it in God Almighty.
  
  我們有些人渴望力量與能力；那麼，我們必須在全能的神之中找到它。

The seeking of every soul in this world is different, distinct, and peculiar to himself, and he can best attain to it by finding the object of his search in God.

世上每一個靈魂所尋求的都不同，各自獨特而屬於自己；而當他在神之中找到自己所追尋的對象時，便最能真正抵達它。

The moment one arrives at this belief, no question need he ask of his fellow man, for the answer to every question that springs from his mind he finds in his own heart. The dwelling place of God, which is called heaven, is then found in his own heart.

當一個人抵達這份信仰時，他便不再需要向他人詢問任何問題，因為從頭腦中生起的每一個問題，他都能在自己的心裡找到答案。於是，那個被稱為天堂、神所居住的地方，就在自己的心中被發現。

The Friend on Whom one can constantly depend,
Someone Whom one can always trust;
Someone Whose sympathy and love is secure;
Someone Who will never fail, whatever happens;
Someone Who is strong enough to help;
Someone Who is sufficiently wise to guide in life,

那位始終可以依靠的朋友，
那位永遠可以信任的存在；
那位其同理與愛永遠可靠的存在；
那位無論發生什麼都不會辜負自己的存在；
那位有足夠力量給予幫助的存在；
那位有足夠智慧在人生中給予引導的存在，

he will find in his own heart.

他會在自己的心中找到祂。

Those who, out of their materialistic view, cannot believe in the God-Ideal, lose a great deal in their lives.

那些因物質主義的眼光，而無法相信人心能以神作為最高理想的人，在生命中失去了許多。

That ideal which is the highest and best ideal,
the only ideal worth loving,
worth worshiping,
worth longing for,
worth the sacrifice of all one has, and
worth depending upon during the daylight and through the darkness of night,
is God.

那最高、最美好的理想，
那唯一值得去愛的理想，
值得敬拜的理想，
值得渴望的理想，
值得為它犧牲自己所有一切的理想，
值得我們在白晝之中、也在黑夜裡依靠的理想，
就是神。

He who has God in his life, has all he needs.

生命中有神的人，便擁有了自己所需要的一切。

He who has not God, he, having all things of this mortal world, is lonely; he is in the wilderness even if he be in the midst of the crowd.

生命中沒有神的人，即使擁有這個短暫世界的一切，仍是孤獨的；即使身在人群中央，他仍彷彿置身荒野。

The journey of the Sufi, therefore, is to God. It is Divine Knowledge which he seeks; it is the realization of God-consciousness which is his goal.

因此，蘇菲的旅程是走向神。他所尋求的是神聖的知識；他的目標，是實現神性意識。

5. The Existence God
神的存在

The existence of God is a question which arises in every mind, whether in the mind of the believer in God or in the mind of the unbeliever. There are moments when the greatest believer in God questions His existence–whether there really is a God? He finds it, at the second thought, sacrilegious to have a notion such as this, and he tries to get rid of it. But often the question rises in the heart of the unbeliever if it is really true; if there is such a thing as God? The idea of God is inborn in man. The God-Ideal is the flower of the human race; and this flower blooms in the realization of God.

神是否存在，是每一個人的頭腦中都會生起的問題，無論他相信神或不相信神。有時，即使對神懷有最深信仰的人，也會質疑祂的存在：「真的有神嗎？」下一刻，他又覺得自己竟生起這樣的念頭近乎褻瀆，於是努力擺脫它。但在不信者的心裡，也常會浮現相反的疑問：「這會不會是真的？真的有神這樣的存在嗎？」神的觀念天生便存在於人之中。人心中所能形成的那個最高、最圓滿的神之理想，是人類所開出的花；而這朵花，在對神的體悟中盛放。

As everything in the objective world has its tendency to rise upwards, so the tendency of the soul can be seen in human aspiration, which always soars upwards, whatever be the sphere of man’s consciousness. The man who is only conscious of the material life, his aspirations reach as far as they can reach in material gains, yet he proceeds higher and higher, and remains discontented with all that he achieves through life, owing to the immensity of life in every phase. This craving for the attainment of what is unattainable, gives the soul a longing to reach life’s utmost heights. It is the nature of the soul to try and discover what is behind the veil; it is the soul’s constant longing to climb heights which are beyond his power; it is the desire of the soul to see something that it has never seen; it is the constant longing of the soul to know something it has never known. But the most wonderful thing about it is that the soul already knows there is something behind this veil, the veil of perplexity; that there is something to be sought for in the highest spheres of life; that there is some beauty to be seen; that there is Someone to be known who is knowable. This desire, this longing, is not acquired; this desire is a dim knowledge of the soul which it has in itself.

正如客觀世界中的一切都有向上生長的傾向，靈魂的這種傾向也顯現在人的渴望之中；無論人的意識處於哪個層次，這份渴望總是不斷向上。只意識到物質生活的人，會把自己的渴望投向物質上的收穫，盡可能追求更多；然而即使如此，他仍會不斷向上追求，並始終無法對一生所得真正滿足，因為生命在每一個層面都是如此廣大。這種對不可企及之物的渴求，使靈魂渴望抵達生命最高之處。靈魂的本性，就是想發現帷幕之後有什麼；靈魂不斷渴望攀登超越自身能力的高處；靈魂渴望看見從未見過的事物，也不斷渴望知道自己從未知道的事。然而最奇妙的是，靈魂其實已經知道，那片困惑的帷幕之後有某種東西；它知道在生命最高的領域裡有某些事物值得尋求，有某種美值得看見，也有一位可被認識的存在等待著它去認識。這份渴望並不是後天學來的；它是靈魂本身所具有的一種朦朧知識。

Therefore disbelief in the God-Ideal is nothing but a condition which is brought about by the vapors arising from the material life of illusion, and covering as clouds the light of the soul, which is its life. It is therefore that the unbeliever is not satisfied with his unbelief. Yes, sometimes his vanity is fed by it, to think that he is wise in not believing in Someone Whose existence is believed in by numberless blind beings. So he begins to think: “After all, to believe in God is not difficult; any simpleton can believe in the God-Ideal.” He takes, therefore, the opposite direction of refusing to believe. He is honest, and yet he is like someone who stands before a wall which hinders his path to progress.

因此，無法相信這個關於神的最高理想，不過是一種狀態：物質幻象的生活升起如霧氣一般的東西，像雲一樣遮住了靈魂的光，而這光正是靈魂的生命。所以，不信者其實並不會真正滿足於自己的不信。是的，有時候，這反而餵養了他的虛榮：他認為自己不相信一位被無數盲目之人所信奉的存在，因此顯得比較有智慧。於是他開始想：「畢竟，相信神並不困難；任何愚鈍的人都能相信這樣一位理想中的神。」所以他走向另一個極端，拒絕相信。他或許是真誠的，然而卻像一個站在牆前的人，那堵牆正阻擋著他前進的道路。

If this world offered to one person all it possesses, even then the soul would not be satisfied because its satisfaction is in its higher aspiration, and it is this higher aspiration which leads to God. The question: “Has man an aspiration because it is his nature, but in the end of the journey he may perhaps not find anything?” may be answered: “There is no question which has no answer, and there is no desire the object of which is lacking.” There is appetite, and there is food; there is thirst, and there is water; there is sight, and there is something to be seen. So there is aspiration, and there is God. Man knows not what is not. There is no such thing which one knows and which does not exist. For one cannot know what does not exist; something must exist first to enable one to know it.

即使這個世界把自己所有的一切都交給一個人，他的靈魂仍不會滿足，因為靈魂真正的滿足存在於更高的渴望之中，而正是這份更高的渴望把人引向神。有人也許會問：「人只是因為天性如此而有所渴望，但走到旅程終點時，會不會什麼也找不到？」答案是：「沒有一個問題沒有答案，也沒有一個渴望卻沒有它所渴望的對象。」有食慾，就有食物；有口渴，就有水；有視覺，就有可看的事物。同樣地，既然有向上的渴望，就有神。人無法知道一個不存在之物。不存在那種「人能知道、卻根本不存在」的東西；因為一個事物必須先存在，人才能對它有所認識。

But there is a question: “Everyone does not know God; does he not then only believe in some idea?” The answer is: “What is the idea? The idea is that out of which all is born. Science, art, music, poetry, religion and nationality, all is born of the idea. If the idea is the source from which all comes, then why is the idea something insignificant, and why is God, Who is the Source and Goal of all, not found in the idea?”

但還有一個問題：「並不是每個人都認識神；那麼，他所相信的不就只是一個觀念嗎？」答案是：「什麼是觀念？觀念正是一切由之而生的東西。科學、藝術、音樂、詩歌、宗教與民族，都從觀念而生。如果觀念本身就是萬物得以生起的源頭，為什麼觀念會是不重要的？而神既是一切的源頭與歸宿，又為什麼不能在觀念之中被找到？」

The seeking for God is a natural outcome of the maturity of the soul. There is a time in life when a passion is awakened in the soul which gives the soul a longing for the unattainable, and if the soul does not take that direction, then it certainly misses something in life for which is its innate longing and in which lies its ultimate satisfaction.

尋求神，是靈魂成熟之後的自然結果。生命中會有一個時刻，一股熱望在靈魂裡甦醒，使靈魂開始渴望那不可企及之物；如果靈魂沒有朝向這個方向前進，它必然會錯失生命中的某樣東西——那正是它內在天生渴望的，也正是它最終的滿足所在。

6. Conceptions of God
對神的種種觀念

There are different conceptions of God existing in various periods and known to different people. The people in all ages, seeking for the Deity, have pictured Him in some form or other. It is natural with man. If he is told about someone he has never seen or known, he makes a conception of that person, and he holds his conception as his knowledge of that person until he sees him. There are some who make a conception in their mind of a person whom they have not seen almost as real as the person. The human heart is an accommodation which conceives the idea of God and pictures Him according to man’s own mentality.

不同時代、不同民族之中，都存在著不同的神之觀念。歷代的人在尋求神性時，都會以某種形式來想像祂。這是人的自然傾向。如果有人告訴我們一個從未見過、也不認識的人，我們會在心中形成一個對那個人的想像；直到真正見到他以前，我們便把這個想像當成對他的認識。有些人甚至能在心中把從未見過的人想像得幾乎如真人一般。人的心是一個承載之所，它容納神的觀念，並依照人的心智狀態為祂描繪形象。

The Buddha of China has Chinese features, and that of Japan has the eyes of Japan; the Buddha of India has the Indian likeness. Man cannot conceive of an angel being any different from a human being, except that he attaches two wings to the angel in order to make it a little different. If the angel were not pictured as man, it would not be an attraction to a human being; therefore, it is natural that in every period people have conceived of the Personality of God as a human personality. No better conception could they have given, for there is nothing in the world which is a more finished personality than the human personality.

中國的佛像具有中國人的面貌，日本的佛像具有日本人的眼睛，印度的佛像則呈現印度人的形貌。人很難想像天使與人有什麼完全不同，因此往往只是替天使加上一雙翅膀，使他稍微有所區別。如果天使完全不像人，他對人就不會具有同樣的吸引力。因此，歷代的人都自然地以人的位格來想像神的位格。他們其實很難提出比這更適合自己的觀念，因為在這個世界上，沒有任何可見的位格比人的位格更加完整。

People have called God He, recognizing the might and power of the Deity. People have called God She, recognizing in the Deity the Mother-principle and beauty. It is the differences of conception from which have come the many gods and goddesses. It is true, too, that as many conceptions there are, so many gods are there. And yet many gods mean many conceptions of the One Only God. By ignorance of this truth many have fought over their different gods; and yet the wise man in every period of the world has understood God to be the One and Only Being. For the ordinary mind, to feel the existence of someone in the idea is not sufficient. It is too vague. He wishes to feel the existence of someone with his own hands; then only he can acknowledge something to be existent.

人們稱神為「祂」，是因為在神性之中認出威能與力量；人們也曾以女性來稱呼神，是因為在神性之中認出母性的原理與美。正是這些理解上的差異，產生了許多男神與女神。確實，有多少種觀念，便彷彿有多少位神；然而許多神，實際上只是對唯一之神的許多不同理解。由於不明白這個真理，許多人曾為自己不同的神彼此爭鬥；然而在世界的每一個時代，智者都明白神是唯一的存在。對一般的頭腦而言，只在觀念中感受到某個存在，還不足夠，因為那太模糊了。他希望能用自己的手感受到某個存在；如此，他才願意承認它真正存在。

The wise, therefore, have given different objects to such mentalities, and pointed them out to the people as gods. Some said: “See God in the sun”; and the person understood. He was not satisfied to think that God was in the idea; he was much more pleased to know now that God is seen by him, and God is incomparable even as the sun, and that God is not reachable. Some wise men have said: “He is in the fire.” Some said, to a simple man who asked to see God: “Go in the forest and find out a certain tree, and that tree is God.” The search for that tree gave something for that man to do, which was the first essential thing. And the patience with which he sought the tree also did something in his soul. The joy of finding a rare tree was also a pleasure. And in the end he found, for God is everywhere. Some have made images of different ideas, such as love, justice, knowledge and power, and called them different goddesses, molded them into different images, and have given them to man to worship. Some wise men have said the cow is sacred. Certainly it is sacred for a farmer whose farming depends upon the cow. His life’s sustenance comes, in every form, from the cow; it is sacred.

因此，智者會為具有這種心智狀態的人提供不同的對象，並把它們指給人看，作為神的象徵。有人說：「在太陽中看見神。」於是那個人便理解了。他無法滿足於只把神當成一個觀念；如今知道自己能夠看見神，他便更加滿足。神像太陽一樣無可比擬，也同樣無法被人真正觸及。有些智者說：「祂在火中。」有些人則對一個想看見神的單純之人說：「到森林裡去，找到某一棵樹；那棵樹就是神。」尋找那棵樹這件事，本身就給了那個人一件可以投入的事，這是第一個必要的步驟。而他尋找那棵樹時所培養的耐心，也在他的靈魂裡產生了作用。找到一棵罕見之樹所帶來的喜悅，也是一種經驗。到最後，他確實找到了，因為神無處不在。也有人把愛、公正、知識與力量等不同觀念塑造成不同的形象，稱為不同的女神，交給人們敬拜。有些智者說牛是神聖的。對一個農耕仰賴牛的農夫而言，牛當然是神聖的；他生命所需的供養，以各種方式都來自牛，所以牛對他而言確實神聖。

The wise have pointed out different objects to man which will attract man’s attention and become objects of concentration for him to still his mind; for in the mind which is still, God manifests. Then, again, the wise have presented the God-Ideal to the people in the form of symbols. To simple beings a symbol was God; and to awakened minds the same symbol of God was a revealing factor of the secret of the Deity. If one could only see how marvelously, in the diversity of the conception of the Divine Ideal, wisdom has played its part, guiding the souls of all grades of evolution towards the same goal, which in the end becomes spiritual attainment!

智者把不同的對象指給人，使人的注意力有所依歸，並以它們作為專注的對象，好讓頭腦安靜下來；因為神會在安靜的頭腦中顯現。智者也透過各種象徵，把人對神的理想呈現在人們面前。對單純的人而言，那個象徵本身就是神；對已覺醒的頭腦而言，同一個象徵卻能揭示神性的奧祕。若真能看見其中的智慧，就會發現，即使人們對神聖理想的理解各不相同，智慧仍巧妙地藉著這些差異，引導處於不同發展階段的靈魂走向同一個目標，最終抵達靈性的成就。

7. Many Gods
眾神

The conception of many gods has come from two sources. One was the idea of the wise to make every kind of power and attribute in a form of deity, and to call it a certain god. It was done in order to give the ordinary mind the most needed thought, that god is in everything and god is all power. Many afterwards misunderstood the idea, and the wisdom behind it became obscured, therefore some wise men had to fight against the ideas of the other wise men. Yet they did not fight with the idea; they fought with the misconception of it. But now, at the present time, when there exists no such idea in Europe of many gods, many have lost their faith after the recent war, saying: “If god is all goodness, all justice, all power, why has such a dreadful thing as war been allowed to take place?” If the same people were accustomed to see, among their many gods, as the Hindus have worshiped for generations, Kali, the goddess of war, it would not have been a new thing for them to know that, if all is from god, not only peace, but even war is from God.

多神的觀念來自兩個源頭。其中之一，是智者把各種力量與屬性塑造成神祇的形式，分別稱為某一位神。這樣做，是為了把一般頭腦最需要理解的一個觀念教給他們：神存在於一切之中，神也是一切力量。後來許多人誤解了這個觀念，使它背後的智慧變得模糊，因此有些智者不得不出面反對其他智者所留下的觀念。然而，他們真正反對的並不是那個觀念本身，而是對它的誤解。到了今日，歐洲已沒有這樣的多神觀念；許多人卻在最近的戰爭之後失去信仰，說：「如果神是一切的善、一切的公正、一切的力量，為什麼會容許戰爭這麼可怕的事情發生？」如果這些人也像印度人世世代代以來那樣，在眾神之中看見戰爭女神迦梨（Kali），他們便不會覺得這是一件陌生的事；他們會知道，如果一切都來自神，那麼不只和平來自神，甚至戰爭也來自神。

The mystics of all ages have therefore given God many names. The Sufi schools of esotericism have possessed their different names of God, with their nature and secret, and have used them in different meditations along the path of spiritual attainment. Therefore the Sufis have not many gods, but many Names of god, each expressive of a certain attribute. Suppose these Names which the Sufis have used, were not the Names of God–if they had only held in thought words such as mercy, compassion, patience–it would have been a merit, not a person. Merit is not creative, and merit is only something which is possessed. Therefore the attribute is not important; the important one is the possessor of the attribute. Therefore, instead of thinking of success, the Sufi calls upon the God of success. For him the God of success is not a different God; there is only one God, but only by calling upon that Name of God which is expressive of success, he attaches his soul to that perfect Spirit of success.

因此，歷代祕士都賦予神許多名稱。蘇菲的內修學派保存著不同的神聖之名，各有其性質與奧祕，並在走向靈性成就的道路上，把它們運用於不同的冥想之中。因此，蘇菲並不是有許多位神，而是有許多個神聖之名，每一個名稱都表達某一種屬性。假如蘇菲所使用的這些名稱並不是神的名，只是在頭腦裡想著「慈悲、憐憫、耐心」這些詞，那麼所想的便只是一種德性，而不是一位存在。德性本身並不具有創造力，它只是某個存在所具有的品質。因此，真正重要的並不是屬性，而是擁有這個屬性的存在。所以，蘇菲不是單單想著「成功」，而是呼喚帶來成功的神。對他而言，這並不是另一位神；神只有一位，只是藉著呼喚表達「成功」這項屬性的神聖之名，他的靈魂便與那圓滿的成功之靈相連。

The other source whence the idea of many gods has come, is the deep thinkers and philosophers, who have seen God in every soul, and every soul making a God of its own, according to its stage of evolution. Therefore there is a saying among the Hindus: “There are as many gods as there are strains of music.” In other words, there are numerous imaginations and numberless gods. If ever this idea was taught to the people, it was to break that ignorance of some people who made God confined to heaven, and kept the earth free from His divine Presence: they waited for death to come, when they might be taken into the Presence of God, Who was sitting on the throne of justice in the hereafter. By it they tried to show to the people that God is in every soul, and so, as many souls, so many gods: some advanced, some not advanced, some further advanced, and yet all gods. If there is a struggle, it is a conflict between gods; if there is harmony, it is a friendship between gods. By these terms they wished to make man realize the most essential truth that God is all. No doubt those who misunderstand will always misunderstand.

多神觀念的另一個來源，是那些深思的思想家與哲學家。他們在每一個靈魂中看見神，也看見每一個靈魂依照自己的發展階段，在心中形成自己的神。因此，印度人有一句話：「有多少樂音，就有多少位神。」換句話說，有無數的想像，也就有無數的神。如果這種觀念曾被教導給人們，其目的就是要打破某些人的無知——他們把神局限在天堂，使大地彷彿沒有祂神聖的臨在；他們等待死亡來臨，好讓自己進入神的臨在，來到那位在來世坐於公正寶座上的神面前。藉著這種教導，智者想讓人明白，神就在每一個靈魂之中；因此，有多少靈魂，便彷彿有多少位神：有些發展較深，有些較淺，有些更加成熟，但其中都有神。如果有爭鬥，那便是神與神之間的衝突；如果有和諧，那便是神與神之間的友誼。他們藉著這樣的說法，要使人明白最根本的真理：神是一切。當然，想要誤解的人始終會誤解。

This idea brought about corruption also, and made people, who regard many gods, interested in the legends of the past which narrated the wars and battles that took place among gods. Therefore the wise had again to come to their rescue, and teach them again of the one God, that by this teaching they might again come to the realization of the oneness of life, which is best realized in the God-Ideal.

然而，這個觀念後來也產生了偏差，使相信眾神的人沉迷於古代傳說中神祇彼此征戰的故事。因此，智者不得不再次前來引導他們，重新教導唯一之神，使他們能藉此再度體悟生命的一體性；而這份一體性，正是在對神最高而圓滿的理解中最能被體悟。

8. The Personality of God
神的人格性

Very often, many who are ready to accept the God-Ideal, question the personality of God. Some say: “If all is God, then God is not a person, for “all” is not a person: “all” is what is expressed by the word all.” This question can be answered that, though the seed does not show the flower in it, yet the seed culminates in a flower, and therefore the flower has already existed in the seed. If one were to say that in the image of the seed the flower was made, it would not be wrong, for the only image of the seed is the flower. If God has no personality, how can we human beings have a personality, who come from Him, out of His own Being, and we who can express the divine in the perfection of our souls?

許多已經準備接受「理想中的神」這個觀念的人，仍會質疑神是否具有人格性。有些人說：「如果一切都是神，那麼神就不能是一個 person，因為『一切』並不是一個人；『一切』所表示的，就只是全部。」這個問題可以這樣回答：種子裡雖然看不見花，最後開出的卻是花，因此花其實早已包含在種子之中。如果說花是種子的形象，也不能算錯，因為種子最終所展現出的形象正是花。同樣地，如果神本身沒有人格性，那麼我們這些由祂而來、從祂自身的存在而出的生命，為什麼會具有人格性？而我們又怎麼可能在靈魂的圓滿之中彰顯神聖？

If the bubble is water, certainly the sea is water. How can the bubble be water and the sea not be water? Only the difference between the human personality and the Divine Personality, God’s Personality, is that the human personality can be compared; God’s Personality has no comparison. Human personality can be compared because of its opposite; God has no opposite, so His Personality cannot be compared. To call God all is like saying God is a number of objects, all of which exist somewhere together. The word all does not give that meaning which can explain the God-Ideal; the proper expression for God is The Only Being.

如果水泡是水，那麼大海當然也是水；水泡怎麼可能是水，而大海反而不是水？人的人格性與神聖的人格性，也就是神的人格性之間，真正的差別在於：人的人格性可以與其他人相比，神的人格性卻無可比較。人的人格性之所以能夠比較，是因為總有與之相對、相異的存在；但神沒有相對者，因此祂的人格性也無從比較。若只是說神就是「一切」，聽起來就像神只是許多東西集合在一起。「一切」這個詞仍不足以表達我們試圖透過理想中的神所理解的那個存在；對神更恰當的稱呼，是「唯一的存在」。

The God-Ideal is so enormous that man can never comprehend it fully, therefore the best method which the wise have adopted is to allow every man to make his own God. By this he only makes a conception which he is capable of making.

人心所能指向的那個至高神之理想如此廣大，人永遠不可能完全理解它。因此，智者所採取最好的方式，是容許每一個人在心中形成自己所能理解的神；如此，他只是形成一個自己有能力形成的觀念。

• He makes Him the King of the Heavens and of the earth;
  
  他把祂視為天地之王；

• he makes Him Judge, greater than all judges;
  
  他把祂視為審判者，高於一切審判者；

• he makes Him Almighty, Who has all power;
  
  他把祂視為全能者，擁有一切力量；

• he makes Him the Possessor of all grace and glory;
  
  他把祂視為一切恩典與榮耀的擁有者；

• he makes Him the beloved God, merciful and compassionate;
  
  他把祂視為摯愛的神，慈悲而憐憫；

• he recognizes in Him the providence, the support, the protection;
  
  他在祂之中認出供養、扶持與保護；

• and he recognizes in Him all perfection.
  
  他也在祂之中認出一切圓滿。

This ideal becomes as a steppingstone to the higher knowledge of God. The man who has no imagination to make a God, and the one who is not open to the picture of God that the other man presents to him, he remains without one, for he finds no steppingstone to reach that knowledge which his soul longs for but his doubts deny.

這樣一個理想的神，便成為通往更高神聖知識的一塊踏腳石。一個沒有想像力在心中形成神的人，若同時也不願接受別人呈現給他的神之形象，便會一直沒有這塊踏腳石；於是，他找不到途徑抵達那份靈魂一直渴望、卻又被自己的懷疑所否認的知識。

Many would ask if it would not be deceiving oneself to make a God of one’s imagination, Someone Who is not seen in the objective world. The answer is that our whole life is based and constructed upon imagination, and if there is one thing in this objective world which is lasting, it is imagination. The one incapable, who has no value for imagination, is void of art and poetry, of music, manners, and culture. He can very well be compared to a rock, which never troubles to imagine.

許多人會問：在想像中塑造一位客觀世界裡看不見的神，難道不是自欺嗎？答案是，我們整個生命都是建立、構成於想像之上；而如果客觀世界裡有一樣東西能夠持久，那就是想像。沒有想像能力、也不重視想像的人，生命裡便沒有藝術與詩歌，沒有音樂、風範與文化。這樣的人很可以比作一塊石頭，從不費心想像任何事物。

Man is not capable of picturing God as other than a person — a person with all the best qualities, the ideal person. This does not mean that all that is ugly and evil does not belong to the universe of God, or, in other words, is not in God Himself. But the water of the ocean is ever pure, in spite of all the things that may be thrown into it. The Pure One consumes all impurities, and turns them all into purity. Evil and ugliness are only in man’s limited conception; in God’s great Being these have no existence; therefore, he is not wrong who makes God, in his imagination, the God of all beauty, free from ugliness; the God of all the best qualities, free from all evil, for by that imagination he is drawn nearer and nearer every moment of his life to that Divine Ideal which is the seeking of his soul. And, once he has touched divine Perfection, in it he will find the fulfillment of his life.

人很難把神想像成一位完全非人格性的存在；在人的想像中，神總會呈現為一位具有一切最美好品質、最理想的存在。這並不是說，一切醜陋與邪惡不屬於神的宇宙，或者換句話說，它們不存在於神之中。然而，不論有多少東西被投入海裡，海水本身始終是純淨的。那位至純者包容一切不純，並將它們轉化為純淨。邪惡與醜陋只存在於人有限的理解之中；在神廣大的存在裡，它們並沒有獨立的存在。因此，一個人在想像中把神看作一切美的圓滿、不帶任何醜陋，把祂看作一切最高品質的圓滿、不帶任何邪惡，並沒有錯。因為透過這樣的想像，他生命中的每一刻都會被帶得越來越接近那個神聖的最高理想，而那正是他的靈魂所尋求的。一旦他觸及神聖的圓滿，便會在其中找到自己生命的完成。

[譯註] HIK 此處所說的 personality，不是現代心理學中所說的「人格」，也不完全等同於神學術語「位格」。他所指的是一種具有意識、特質與自我表達能力的人格性。放在人身上，它可表現為一個人逐漸形成的完整風範；放在神身上，則指一切人格性與人格風範的根源與圓滿形式。因此本段依語境譯為「人格性」或相關表達。

9. The Realization of God
對神的體悟

In the terms of the Sufis the Self of God is called Zat, and His qualities, His merits, are named Sifat. The Hindus call the former aspect of God Purusha and the latter Prakriti, which can be rendered in English by the words spirit and nature. Zat, the Spirit of God, is incomprehensible. The reason is that, That which comprehends Itself is Intelligence, God’s real Being; so comprehension has nothing to comprehend in its own Being. No doubt, in our usual terms it is the comprehending faculty in us which we call comprehension; but in this it is not meant so, for intelligence is not necessarily intellect.

在蘇菲的用語中，神的本體稱為 Zat，而祂的品質與德性稱為 Sifat。印度人把前一個面向稱為 Purusha，後一個面向稱為 Prakriti，英文可以分別譯為 spirit 與 nature，也就是「靈」與「自然」。Zat，也就是神的靈，是無法被理解的。因為那個能夠覺知自身的，就是覺知本身，也就是神真實的存在；而在它自身的存在之中，並沒有另一個對象可供它理解。當然，在日常語言裡，我們所說的「理解」，通常是指我們內在理解事物的能力；但這裡所說的並不是這個意思，因為覺知（intelligence）並不等同於理智（intellect）。

Merit is something which is comprehensible; it is something which is clear and distinct, so that it can be made intelligible. But intelligence is not intelligible except to its own self. Intelligence knows that I am; but it does not know what I am. Such is the Nature of God. Intelligence would not have known its own power and existence, if it had not known something besides itself. So God knows Himself by manifestation. Manifestation is the self of God, but a self which is limited, a self that makes Him know that He is perfect when He compares His own Being with this limited self which we call nature. Therefore the purpose of the whole Creation is the realization that God Himself gains by discovering His own Perfection through this manifestation.

德性是可以被理解的；它清楚而分明，因此能夠成為理解的對象。然而，覺知除了由它自身之外，無法被另一個對象所理解。覺知知道「我是」，卻不知道「我是什麼」。神的本性正是如此。如果覺知從未認識任何自身之外的事物，它也無從認識自己的力量與存在。因此，神藉著顯現來認識自己。顯現是神的自我，卻是一個有限的自我；當神把自己的存在與這個我們稱為「自然」的有限自我相比時，便由此認識到自身的圓滿。因此，整個創造的目的，就是神透過顯現發現自身的圓滿，並由此體悟自己。

Then the idea that has existed in Christianity is also a riddle to solve that we may find out the truth of life. It is the idea of the Trinity. What keeps the soul in perplexity is the threefold aspect of manifestation. As long as the soul remains in this puzzle, it cannot arrive at the knowledge of the One. These three aspects are: the Seer, Sight, and the Seen; the Knower, Knowledge, and the Known. Plainly explained, I would say: these are three aspects of life. One aspect is the person who sees; the other aspect is the sight, or the eyes, by the help of which he sees; and the third aspect is that which he sees.

基督宗教中存在的另一個觀念，也是一道需要解開的謎，好讓我們藉此發現生命的真理；那就是三位一體。使靈魂陷入困惑的，是顯現所具有的三重面向。只要靈魂還停留在這個謎題之中，就無法抵達對「一」的認識。這三個面向是：觀看者、觀看，以及所見之物；知者、知識，以及所知之物。若簡單說明，我會說：這是生命的三個面向。一個面向是看的人；另一個面向是觀看本身，也就是藉以觀看的眼睛；第三個面向則是他所看見的東西。

One, therefore, cannot readily accept the idea that, “What I see is the same as myself”; nor can he believe for a moment that, “The medium, by which I see, is myself”; for the three above said aspects seem to be standing separate and looking at one another’s face, as the first person, second person, and third person of Brahma. When this riddle is solved by knowing that the three are one, then the purpose of the God-Ideal is fulfilled. For the three veils which cover the One are lifted up. Then they remain no longer three; then there is One, the Only Being.

因此，一個人不容易立即接受「我所看見的就是我自己」這個觀念；他也很難相信「我藉以觀看的媒介就是我自己」。因為上述三個面向看起來彼此分立，彷彿梵天的第一位、第二位與第三位，各自面對著彼此。當這個謎被解開，知道三者其實是一時，人心中對神所形成的最高理想便完成了它的目的。因為覆蓋著「一」的三重帷幕此時被揭起；於是它們不再是三，而只剩下「一」——唯一的存在。

As Hegel says,
“If you believe in one God, you are right; if you believe in two Gods, that is true; but if you believe in three Gods, that is right also; for the nature of unity is realized by variety.”

正如黑格爾所說：
「如果你相信一位神，你是對的；如果你相信兩位神，那也是真的；但如果你相信三位神，那也同樣正確，因為一體性的本質，是透過多樣性而被體悟。」

10. Creator, Sustainer, Judge, Forgiver
創造者、供養者、審判者、寬恕者

Why is God called the Creator? Because the creation itself is the evidence of some wisdom working. No mechanical creation could result in such perfection as is Nature. All the machines of the scientists are built on the model of Nature’s mechanism, and every inspiration that the artist has he receives from Nature. Nature is so perfect in itself that in reality it needs no scientific or artistic improvement upon it, except that, to satisfy the limited human fancies, man develops science and art. And yet it is still the creation of God expressed in art and science through man; as in man God is not absent, but more able in some ways to finish His creation, which necessitates His finishing it as man. No better evidence is needed for a sincere inquirer into the Creator-God. If he only concentrates his mind upon Nature, he certainly must sooner or later have an insight into the perfect wisdom which is hidden behind it. The soul that comes into the world is only a divine ray. The impressions it gets on its way while coming to the earth also are from God. No movement is possible without the command of God; therefore, in all creation, in its every aspect, in the end of search and examination God alone proves to be the only Creator.

為什麼神被稱為創造者？因為創造本身就是某種智慧正在運作的證據。任何純粹機械性的創造，都不可能產生自然這般圓滿的結果。科學家所有的機器，都是依照自然的機制為模型而建造；藝術家所得到的一切靈感，也都來自自然。自然本身如此圓滿，實際上並不需要科學或藝術再加以改進；只是為了滿足人有限的想像，人發展了科學與藝術。然而，即使如此，透過人而表現在藝術與科學中的，仍然是神的創造；因為神在人之中並未缺席，而是在某些方面更能藉著人的形式完成祂的創造。對一個真誠尋求創造之神的人而言，不需要比這更好的證據。如果他只是專心凝視自然，遲早必定會瞥見隱藏於其背後的圓滿智慧。來到這世上的靈魂，只是一道神聖的光線；它在來到大地的途中所接受的一切印象，也都來自神。沒有神的命令，任何運動都不可能發生。因此，在整個創造以及創造的每一個面向中，當我們追尋、考察到底時，最終所顯現的唯一創造者只有神。

The word Sustainer is attached to His Name. Jesus Christ said, “Consider the lilies of the field. They toil not, neither do they spin; yet even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as one of these.” And Rumi explains it further in the Masnavi: “Even the spider is not neglected by God, but is supplied with its food.” If the smallest germ and worm, insignificant as it is, had depended for its supply upon man, who cannot even always supply himself, how would the creation have gone on? It seems that the creatures who do not worry for their supply, to their mouth their food is conveyed. Man’s struggle, it seems, for his supply is greater than that of all other living beings in the lower creation. But what makes it so? It is not God, it is man himself, who is selfish, and who is unfair to his brother, absorbed in his own interests in life.

「供養者」這個名稱也與神相連。耶穌基督說：「你們想想田野裡的百合花；它們既不勞苦，也不紡線；然而就連所羅門極榮華的時候，所穿戴的也不及其中一朵。」賈拉魯丁・魯米在《瑪斯納維》中更進一步說：「就連蜘蛛也沒有被神忽略，牠的食物仍受到供給。」如果最微小、看似微不足道的細菌與蟲子，都必須依靠連自己都未必能始終供養的人來供給，那麼整個創造怎麼可能延續下去？那些並不為供養操心的生物，食物似乎反而會被送到牠們嘴邊。相比之下，人為了自己的供養所作的掙扎，看起來比低等創造中所有其他生物都更大。為什麼會這樣？原因不在神，而在人自己；是人自私，對自己的弟兄不公，只沉浸於自己生命中的利益。

In spite of all famines, the world still has sufficient supplies; but imagine the amount of food that has been sunk in the sea, and how many years the earth, in which man’s food is prepared, was neglected by men busy killing one another! If the result of this causes hunger and greater strife, is God to be blamed? It is man who deserves all blame. Sa’adi very subtly explains human nature in regard to providence: it is the most beautiful expression: “The Creator is always busy preparing for me the supply, but my anxiety for my supply is my natural illness.” Life is such a phenomenon, if only we dive deep into it, that we find no question is without an answer. It never is so that we need something and are not provided with it. The only difference is between what we think we need and what we really need. The supply is always greater than our need, therefore providence is always a phenomenon. Sometimes we look at it with smiles, at other times with tears. But it is something real and living; and more real it will prove to be if we look at it by climbing to the top of our reason.

儘管世上發生過種種飢荒，世界本身仍有足夠的供給；但想想有多少食物曾被沉入海中，又有多少年，人們忙著彼此殺戮，以致那片原本為人預備食物的大地被荒廢！如果結果造成飢餓以及更大的爭鬥，難道應該責怪神嗎？真正應受責備的是人。薩迪對於人在供養這件事上的本性，有非常細膩而美妙的說明：「創造者總是忙著替我預備供給，但我對自身供給的焦慮，卻是我天生的疾病。」生命是如此奇妙的現象；只要我們深入其中，就會發現沒有一個問題是沒有答案的。從來不會真的有某種我們真正需要的東西，卻完全沒有得到供給。差別只在於我們「以為自己需要的」，與我們「真正需要的」並不相同。供給始終大於我們的需要，因此神的供養始終是一個奇妙的現象。有時我們含笑看著它，有時帶著眼淚；但它是真實而活著的。當我們登上理性的高處來觀看，它會向我們顯得更加真實。

God as Judge is spoken of by many prophets, and the man of reason and logic has tried to attribute justice to the law. But justice is not law; justice is above the law. Very often, to our limited view, things in the world appear unjust; and often injustice apparently prospers, while justice seems to be punished. But our sight is limited; we do not see the beginning and the end of every event. If we could see the whole, we would recognize that there is a perfect Justice working behind everything.

許多先知都談到神作為審判者；重視理性與邏輯的人，則試圖把公正歸於法則。然而，公正並不等於法則；公正在法則之上。從我們有限的視野來看，世上的事情常顯得不公；有時不公似乎反而興盛，而公正卻像受到懲罰。但我們的視野有限，看不見每一件事情的起點與終點。如果能夠看見整體，我們便會認出，有一份圓滿的公正在一切背後運作。

God as Forgiver is the most comforting aspect of the Divine Being. Man, with all his limitations, makes mistakes every moment of his life. If there were only justice and no forgiveness, there would be no hope for man. Forgiveness is greater than justice, because justice gives according to merit, but forgiveness gives beyond merit. It is in forgiveness that love expresses its highest power.

神作為寬恕者，是神聖存在最能帶給人安慰的一個面向。人帶著自身所有的限制，在生命的每一刻都可能犯錯。如果只有公正而沒有寬恕，人便沒有希望。寬恕高於公正，因為公正按照人所應得的給予，而寬恕則給予超越所應得的。愛最高的力量，正是在寬恕之中顯現。

11. The Only King
唯一的王

God is called King of Heaven and of the earth, and of the seen and unseen beings, only because we have no better words than the words we use for all the things of this world. To call God King does not raise Him in any way higher than the position He has; it only helps us to make His power and glory more intelligible to our mind. And yet there are certain characters which are kingly characters; such characters may be seen in God in their perfection. It does not mean that every person has not that character. It only means that from a higher position a soul shows out that character more, perhaps, than in an ordinary capacity. That character is love hidden behind indifference. In Sufic terms this character is denoted by a Persian word, Binayaz, which means “hidden.” It does not mean “the hidden God”; it means “hidden beauty.” Love expressed is one thing, and love hidden is another thing. Under the veil of indifference love is often hidden, and the Sufi poets have pictured it most beautifully in their verses, which are nothing but pictures of human life and nature.

神被稱為天上與地上的王、可見與不可見眾生的王，只是因為我們找不到比這個世界裡所使用的語言更好的字。稱神為王，絲毫不會使祂比原來的位置更崇高；它只是幫助我們的頭腦更容易理解祂的力量與榮耀。然而，確實有一些特質可以稱為王者的特質，而這些特質在神之中呈現為圓滿。這並不是說一般人完全沒有這些特質，而是說，當靈魂處於較高的位置時，這些特質或許會比平常更充分地顯現出來。這種特質，就是隱藏在淡漠背後的愛。蘇菲術語中，用一個波斯字 Binayaz 來表示這個特質，意思是「隱藏的」。它不是指「隱藏的神」，而是「隱藏的美」。表達出來的愛是一回事，隱藏著的愛又是另一回事。愛常常藏在淡漠的帷幕之下，而蘇菲詩人在詩句中對此作了極美的描寫；那些詩句，其實正是人類生命與本性的圖畫。

The kings of the East used to have a custom that when anyone came to ask a favor, they did not at once say yes; even if they meant to grant the favor, they showed indifference first. That was considered kingly. For a king must not be moved by every little thing; he must have power over his own feelings. The same quality, in its perfection, is found in God.

東方的國王從前有一種習慣：當有人前來請求恩惠時，他們不會立刻答應；即使原本就打算應允，也會先表現出淡漠。這被視為王者的風範。因為一位王不應被每一件小事牽動；他必須能掌握自己的感受。這同一種特質，在神之中則呈現為圓滿。

One may pray and ask, and no answer seems to come. One may cry and implore, and still there seems to be silence. But behind that silence there is love. If one could see what is being prepared behind the veil, one would not complain. The kingly nature does not always show its favor immediately; it gives at the right time.

我們可能祈禱、祈求，卻似乎得不到回答；可能哭泣、懇求，面前仍只有沉默。然而在那沉默背後，有愛存在。如果我們能看見帷幕後正在為我們預備什麼，就不會抱怨。王者的本性並不總是立刻顯示恩惠；它會在適當的時候給予。

12. The Birth of God
神的誕生

God is born in the heart of man when man begins to recognize Him. Before that God is, but for man He is not yet born. The birth of God does not mean that God begins to exist; it means that man’s consciousness awakens to His Presence.

當人開始認出神時，神便誕生在人心之中。在那之前，神一直存在，只是對那個人而言，祂尚未誕生。神的誕生並不是說神從此才開始存在，而是人的意識甦醒，開始覺察祂的臨在。

As a child grows and learns to recognize its mother, so the soul grows until it recognizes its divine Source. At first the child knows only the comfort, the food, the protection; later it recognizes the mother who gives them. In the same way man first knows the gifts of life, and only afterwards recognizes the Giver.

正如孩子成長之後，逐漸學會認出自己的母親，靈魂也不斷成長，直到認出自己的神聖源頭。起初，孩子只知道舒適、食物與保護；後來才認出給予這一切的母親。同樣地，人起初只知道生命所給予的種種禮物，後來才認出那位給予者。

The birth of God in man is therefore the awakening of the divine consciousness. It is the moment when man ceases to see himself as separate and begins to see the divine Life working in and through all things.

因此，神在人心中的誕生，就是神聖意識的甦醒。到了那一刻，人不再把自己視為分離的存在，而開始看見神聖生命在一切之中、也透過一切而運作。

13. Three Steps
三個步驟

There are three steps in the realization of God. The first is to idealize God; the second is to recognize God; and the third is to realize God.

對神的體悟，可以分為三個階段。第一個階段，是在心中形成對神的最高理想；第二個階段，是在生命中認出神；第三個階段，則是真正體悟神。

In the first step man makes God according to the highest conception of which he is capable. He gives to God all goodness, beauty, justice, love, mercy, power, and wisdom. In doing so he gathers all that is highest in his own consciousness and places it before himself as an ideal.

在第一個階段，人依照自己所能達到的最高理解，在心中形成神的形象。他把一切善、美、公正、愛、慈悲、力量與智慧都歸於神。如此，他將自己意識中一切最高之物聚集起來，放在自己面前，成為一個理想。

The second step is to recognize that ideal in life. He begins to see God’s beauty in nature, God’s wisdom in creation, God’s love in the heart of man, God’s power in all movement. The God whom he had placed far away begins to come near.

第二個階段，是在生命中認出這個理想。他開始在自然中看見神的美，在創造中看見神的智慧，在人心中看見神的愛，在一切運動中看見神的力量。原先被他置於遙遠之處的神，開始變得靠近。

The third step is realization. Then there is no longer the worshiper and the Worshiped as two. The veil of separation is lifted. Man does not become God in the sense of his limited personality becoming the Infinite; rather, the limited self disappears from his sight, and the One Being alone remains.

第三個階段是體悟。到了這時，敬拜者與被敬拜者不再是兩個分離的存在。分離的帷幕被揭起。這並不是說，人有限的人格性變成了那無限者；而是有限的自我從他的視野中消失，只剩下那唯一的存在。

14. God the Infinite
神是那無限者

God is infinite, but the human mind can only think in forms and limits. Therefore, whenever man thinks of God, he unconsciously gives Him some limitation. He places Him somewhere, gives Him certain qualities, and separates Him from what he calls the world.

神是無限的，而人的頭腦只能透過形相與界限來思考。因此，每當人想到神時，往往會在不自覺中給祂加上某種限制：把祂安置在某個地方，賦予祂某些特質，又把祂與自己所稱的「世界」分隔開來。

Yet the Infinite cannot be somewhere, for somewhere is a limitation. The Infinite cannot be only good in the human sense of goodness, for that would place something outside Him. The Infinite includes all, yet is beyond all that can be named.

然而，那無限者不可能只存在於某個地方，因為「某個地方」本身就是一種限制。那無限者也不可能只符合人所理解的「善」，因為那樣一來，便等於承認還有某些事物存在於祂之外。那無限者包含一切，卻又超越一切可以被命名的事物。

The difficulty of the human mind is that it wishes to comprehend the Unlimited by means of limited thought. This can never be fully accomplished. And yet the attempt has its value, because every conception of God, if sincere and beautiful, becomes a ladder by which the soul may rise.

人的頭腦所面臨的困難，在於它試圖用有限的思想去理解那無限者，而這永遠不可能完全做到。然而，這份嘗試仍有其價值，因為人對神所形成的每一個真誠而美好的觀念，都可以成為一座階梯，使靈魂藉此向上攀升。

At last, when the soul has climbed high enough, the ladder itself is left behind. Then the conception is no longer needed; the Presence is realized.

最後，當靈魂攀升到足夠的高度時，連這座階梯本身也會被留在身後。到了那時，對神的觀念已不再需要；人所體悟的，是神的臨在本身。

15. God’s Dealings with Us
神如何對待我們

People often ask why God deals with one person in one way and with another person differently. One is prosperous, another suffers; one receives what he asks for, another seems to receive no answer. From the human point of view this appears unequal.

人常問，為什麼神以一種方式對待某個人，卻以另一種方式對待另一個人。有人順遂，有人受苦；有人得到了自己所祈求的，另一些人卻似乎始終得不到回答。從人的觀點來看，這彷彿並不平等。

But no two souls are in exactly the same condition, nor have they the same need. What is medicine for one may be poison for another. What is a blessing for one may become a hindrance to another. The divine Wisdom therefore cannot be measured by the same standard in every case.

然而，沒有兩個靈魂處於完全相同的狀態，也沒有兩個靈魂具有完全相同的需要。對一個人而言是藥的東西，對另一個人可能是毒；對一個人是祝福的事物，對另一個人可能反而成為阻礙。因此，神聖智慧無法在每一種情況中都用同一把尺來衡量。

A child may think the mother unkind when she refuses what the child asks, while the mother knows that the refusal is for the child’s good. In the same way, man judges the divine dealings from the desire of the moment, without seeing the whole of his life.

當母親拒絕孩子所要求的東西時，孩子可能認為母親不慈愛；然而母親知道，這份拒絕其實是為了孩子好。同樣地，人往往只從當下的欲望來評斷神如何對待自己，卻看不見整個生命。

Faith means therefore not merely believing that God exists; it means trusting the Wisdom that works beyond our limited understanding. When man can trust even when he does not understand, then faith has become living.

因此，信仰並不只是相信神存在；它也意味著信任那份超越我們有限理解而運作的智慧。當一個人在不明白時仍然能夠信任，信仰才真正活了起來。

16. Dependence Upon God
依靠神

Dependence upon God does not mean inactivity. It does not mean that man should sit still and say, “God will do everything for me.” Such an attitude is not trust; it is weakness and laziness.

依靠神並不意味著無所作為。它不是叫人坐著不動，說：「神會替我完成一切。」這樣的態度不是信任，而是軟弱與懶惰。

True dependence upon God means doing all that one can do with one’s whole heart and strength, and then leaving the result in the Hands of God. The farmer plows the field and sows the seed, but he cannot command the rain or the sun.

真正的依靠神，是用全部的心與力量去做自己所能做的一切，然後把結果交在神的手中。農夫耕田、播種，卻無法命令雨水降下，也無法命令陽光照耀。

The one who depends upon God is therefore not less active but more courageous, because he is not crushed by anxiety about the result. He does his part, and trusts the rest.

因此，依靠神的人並不是比較消極，反而更加勇敢，因為他不會被對結果的焦慮壓垮。他做好自己那一部分，至於其餘的，則交付於信任。

17. Divine Grace
神聖恩典

There is no doubt that the world is constructed on a certain law, that the whole creation works according to a certain law. And yet it is not all. There is love beyond it, and it is the Prophets of all ages who have recognized that part of God’s working and have given man that consolation and hope that in spite of our faults and shortcomings we will reach heaven. There is the Grace of God. Many know the Grace of God. And what does it mean? It means a wave of favor, a rising of love, a manifestation of compassion which sees no particular reason.

毫無疑問，世界是依照某種法則構成的，整個創造也依照某種法則運行。然而，法則並不是一切。在法則之上還有愛。歷代的先知都認出了神運作中的這個面向，因此給予人一份安慰與希望：即使我們有過失、有缺陷，仍有可能抵達天堂。這就是神的恩典。許多人知道神的恩典，但它究竟是什麼？它是一道恩惠的浪潮，是愛的湧起，是一種不需要任何特定理由的慈悲顯現。

One may say: “Does God close His eyes? Why must it be like this?” But in human nature we see the same thing. The divine nature can be recognized by human nature. Ask a lover who loves someone: “What is the beauty of that person? What is in that person that makes you love her?” He may try to explain: “It is because this person is kind, or because this person is beautiful, or because this person is good, or because this person is compassionate, or intellectual, or learned.” But that is not the real cause. If really he knows what makes him love, he will say: “Because my beloved is beloved; that is the reason. There is no other reason.”

有人也許會說：「神是閉上眼睛了嗎？為什麼事情必須如此？」然而在人性之中，我們也看得到同樣的事。神聖本性可以透過人性被認出。你若問一個愛著某人的人：「那個人美在哪裡？她有什麼使你愛她？」他也許會試著解釋：「因為她很仁慈，因為她很美，因為她很好，因為她富有憐憫、聰慧或有學問。」但這些都不是真正的原因。如果他真的知道自己為什麼愛，他會說：「因為我的摯愛者就是我的摯愛者；這就是原因，再沒有其他原因。」

One can give a reason for everything. One can say: “I pay this person because he is good in his work; I pay for this stone because it is beautiful; but I cannot give a reason why I love; there is no reason for it.” Love stands beyond law, beyond reason. The love of God works beyond reason, that Divine Love which is called the Grace of God; no piety, no spirituality, no devotion can attract it. No one can say: “I will draw the Divine Grace.” God apart, can anyone say in this world: “I shall draw the friendship of someone.” No one can say this. This is something which comes by itself. No one can command or attract it, or compel anyone to be his friend. It is natural. God’s Grace is God’s Friendship, God’s Grace is God’s Love, God’s Compassion. No one has the power to draw it, to attract it; no meditation, no spirituality, no good action can attract it.

我們幾乎可以為任何事情提出理由。我們可以說：「我付錢給這個人，是因為他工作做得好；我為這塊石頭付錢，是因為它很美；但我無法說明自己為什麼愛，因為愛沒有理由。」愛超越法則，也超越理性。神的愛也是在理性之外運作；這份神聖之愛，就稱為神的恩典。沒有任何虔敬、靈性修習或奉獻能夠把它吸引而來。沒有人能說：「我要把神聖恩典吸引過來。」即使不談神，在這個世界上，又有誰能說：「我要讓某個人成為我的朋友」？沒有人能真正做到。友誼是自己到來的；人不能命令它、吸引它，也不能強迫任何人成為自己的朋友。這是自然發生的。神的恩典就是神的友誼，神的恩典就是神的愛、神的慈悲。沒有人有力量把它吸引而來；任何冥想、任何靈性修習、任何善行，都不能迫使它來臨。

There is no commercial business between God and man; God stands free from rules which humanity recognizes. That aspect makes him the Lord of his own creation, as the wind blows, as the wind comes when it comes, so the Grace of God comes when it is its time to come.

神與人之間並不存在商業式的交易；神不受人類所認定的規則束縛。正因如此，祂才是自己創造的主宰。風要吹時便吹，風在它來臨的時候來臨；同樣地，神的恩典也在它應當到來的時候到來。

I have heard people say, “I am ill,” or “I am suffering,” or “I am going through a difficulty,” or “Things go wrong because of my Karma of the past.” I say: “If it is so or if it is not so, your thinking about it makes it still worse; everything that one acknowledges to be, it becomes worse because one acknowledges it.” That Karma which could be thrown away in one day’s time, by acknowledging it, will keep with a person all his life.

我聽過人們說：「我生病了」、「我正在受苦」、「我正經歷困難」，或「事情會變糟，是因為我過去的業。」我會說：「無論事實是不是如此，你一直這樣想，只會使情形更加嚴重；有些事情正因為人不斷承認它、認定它，它才變得更加牢固。」原本也許一天之內就能放下的業，若一再認定它，它便可能跟隨一個人一生。

Some people think that they suffer or that they go through pain according to the law of Karma. But when the thought of the Grace of God comes and when one realizes the real meaning of the Grace of God, one begins to rise above it, and one begins to know that, “My little actions, my good deeds, all my good deeds I must collect in order to make them equal to God’s mercy and compassion, His grace and His love, which He gives at every moment.” God’s compassion cannot be returned by all life’s good actions. The relation of God and man apart, can one return a real thought of love, all a friend has done for us? We can love that friend, his loving kindness and his compassion. But we can never repay it. In all our life we cannot repay it.

有些人認為，自己之所以受苦或經歷痛苦，是依照業的法則。但當神的恩典這個觀念來到，而一個人真正明白神的恩典是什麼，他便開始超越這種想法。他開始明白：「我這些微小的行動、我的善行，就算把一生所有善行全都積聚起來，又怎麼能與神每一刻所給予的慈悲、憐憫、恩典與愛相比？」神的慈悲，不是人一生所有的善行所能回報的。即使先不談神與人的關係，我們又能真正回報一個朋友給我們的愛、以及他為我們所做的一切嗎？我們可以愛這個朋友，珍惜他的慈愛與憐憫，但我們永遠無法完全償還；用一生也無法償還。

Then we see the kindness and the compassion of God, which is always hidden from our view because we are always seeing what is lacking, the pain, the suffering, the difficulties. Man is so absorbed in them that he loses the vision of all the good that is there. We can never be grateful enough if we see like this, that it is not the law, but that it is the Grace of God which governs our life. And it is the trust and confidence in this Grace which not only consoles a person, but which lifts him and brings him nearer and nearer to the Grace of God.

如此，我們便能看見神的慈愛與憐憫。它們之所以總像是隱藏在我們的視線之外，是因為我們總在看那些欠缺之處：痛苦、受難、困難。人如此沉浸其中，以至於失去了看見一切已有之善的能力。如果我們能這樣觀看，就會知道，真正掌管生命的並不只是法則，而是神的恩典；如此，無論如何感恩都還不夠。而對這份恩典的信任與信心，不只安慰一個人，也使他逐漸超越眼前的困境，越來越接近神的恩典。

Divine Grace is a loving impulse of God which manifests in every form, in the form of mercy, compassion, forgiveness, beneficence, and revelation. No action, however good, can command it; no meditation, however great, can attract it. It comes naturally, as a wave rising from the Heart of God, unrestricted or unlimited by any law. It is a natural impulse of God. When it comes, it comes without reason. Neither its coming nor its absence has any particular reason. It comes because it comes; it does not come because it does not come.

神聖恩典是由神之愛發出的一股推動力量，以各種形式顯現：慈悲、憐憫、寬恕、恩惠與啟示。任何行動，無論多麼良善，都不能命令它來臨；任何冥想，無論多麼深刻，也不能把它吸引而來。它自然地到來，如同一道從神之心升起的波浪，不受任何法則限制或約束。它是神自然湧出的衝動。當它來時，它沒有理由地來；它來或不來，都沒有某個特定的原因。它來，是因為它來；它不來，是因為它不來。

It is in Grace that God’s Highest Majesty is manifested. While pouring out His Grace He stands on such a high pedestal, that neither law nor reason can touch it. Every blessing has a certain aspect, but Grace is a blessing which is not limited to a certain aspect, but manifests through all aspects. Grace is all-sided: health, providence, love coming from all those around you, inspiration, joy, peace.

神最高的尊榮正是在恩典之中顯現。當祂傾注恩典時，祂所立之處如此崇高，連法則與理性都無法觸及。每一種祝福都有某一特定面向，但恩典並不局限於任何單一面向，而能透過所有面向顯現。恩典是全面的：健康、供養、來自周遭眾人的愛、靈感、喜悅與安寧。

18. The Will, Human and Divine
人的意志與神聖意志

The question of the will, human and divine, may be seen from two points of view, from the wisdom point of view and from the point of view of the ultimate Truth. If words can explain something, it is from the former point of view; the latter point of view allows no word to be spoken in the matter, for in the absolute Truth two do not exist, there is no such thing as two; there is One Alone. From the wisdom point of view, one sees one weaker, one stronger, and one has to give in to the power of the other. This one sees in all aspects of the creation. The little fish is eaten by the larger fish, but the little fish lives upon smaller fishes. So there is no one in this world so strong that he has not another stronger still, and there is no one in this world so weak that he has not another who is weaker still.

人的意志與神聖意志這個問題，可以從兩個觀點來看：一是智慧的觀點，另一個是終極真理的觀點。如果語言還能說明什麼，那只能從前一個觀點來說；後一個觀點則不容我們在這件事上再說任何話，因為在絕對真理之中並不存在「二」，根本沒有兩個，只有唯一者。從智慧的觀點來看，我們會看見一方較弱、一方較強，較弱者必須讓步於較強者的力量。創造的每一個面向都可以看見這件事。小魚被大魚吃掉，但小魚又以更小的魚為生。因此，世上沒有任何人強大到再沒有比他更強的人；也沒有任何人弱小到再沒有比他更弱的人。

The other thing one can think about, is the opposing conditions and situations which stand before a willing mind and a striving person like a stone wall, so that, with every wish to do something and to accomplish, one does not find his way. It is this experience which has made man say, “Man proposes, God disposes.” The Hindu philosophers have called these two great powers, one of which is an intention and the other the power of destruction, by the names Brahma, the Creator, and Shiva, the Destroyer. The most wonderful part in this creation and destruction is that what Brahma creates in a thousand years, Shiva destroys in one moment.

另一件值得思考的事，是那些像石牆一樣擋在有意志、努力前進之人面前的逆境與處境，使他雖然有意願去做、去完成某件事，卻找不到道路。正是這種經驗使人說：「謀事在人，成事在神。」印度哲學家把這兩股巨大力量——一股是創造的意圖，一股是毀滅的力量——分別稱為創造者梵天，以及毀滅者濕婆。創造與毀滅最奇妙之處在於：梵天用一千年創造出來的東西，濕婆一瞬間便能摧毀。

Since God is almighty, the wise see the Hand of God in the greater power, manifesting either through an individual or by a certain condition or situation, and instead of struggling too much against the difficulties in life, and instead of moaning over the losses which cannot be helped, they are resigned to the Will of God.

因為神是全能的，智者會在那股較大的力量中看見神的手；它可能透過某個人顯現，也可能透過某種條件或情勢顯現。因此，他們不會過度與生命中的困難搏鬥，也不會為無可挽回的損失不斷哀嘆，而是順服於神的旨意。

In short, every plan that a person makes, and his desire to accomplish that plan, is often an outcome of his personal will; and when his will is helped by every other will that he comes in contact with in the path of the attainment of a certain object, then he is helped by God. As every will goes in the direction of his will and so his will becomes strengthened, often a person accomplishes something which perhaps a thousand people could not have been able to accomplish.

簡言之，一個人所擬定的每一個計畫，以及想要完成那個計畫的願望，往往都出於他個人的意志。然而，當他在追求某個目標的道路上所遇到的其他意志，全都朝著他的意志方向給予協助時，那便是神在幫助他。當許多意志都與他的意志朝向同一方向，他自己的意志也因此增強；於是，一個人往往能完成也許一千個人都無法完成的事。

Then there is another person who has a thought, a desire, and finds opposition from every side; everything seems to go wrong, and yet he has the inner urge which prompts him to go on in the path of attainment. There also is the Hand of God behind his back, pushing him on, forward in his path, even though there might seem oppositions in the beginning of his strife — but all is well that ends well.

另有一種人，他心中有一個想法、一個願望，卻從四面八方遇到阻力；一切似乎都在出錯，然而他內在始終有一股力量催促他繼續走在追求的道路上。這裡同樣有神的手在他身後推著他，使他繼續向前。即使努力的開始看起來充滿阻礙，但只要結果是好的，一切終究都是好的。

The saintly souls, who consider it as their religion to seek the pleasure of God and to be resigned to His will, are really blessed, for their manner is pleasing to everyone, for they are conscientious lest they may hurt the feeling of anyone, and if by some mistake they happen to hurt someone’s feelings, they feel they have hurt God Whose pleasure they must constantly seek, for the happiness of their life is only in seeking the pleasure of God.

那些把尋求神的喜悅、順服祂的旨意視為自己宗教的聖者靈魂，是真正有福的。他們的風範使人感到愉悅，因為他們時時留意，不願傷害任何人的感受；若因一時的錯誤而傷害了誰，他們會覺得自己傷害了神——那位他們必須不斷尋求其喜悅的神。因為他們生命的幸福，只存在於尋求神的喜悅之中。

They watch every person and every situation and condition, and their heart becomes so trained by constantly observing life keenly, as a lover of music whose ears become trained in time, who distinguishes between the correct and the false note. So they begin to see every desire that springs in their heart, if it is in accordance with the Will of God. Sometimes they know the moment the desire was sprung; sometimes they know when they have gone halfway in the path of its pursuit; and sometimes they know at the end of strife. But even then, at the end of it, their willingness to resign to the Will of God becomes their consolation, even in the face of disappointment.

他們觀察每一個人，也觀察每一種情境與處境；藉著長久而敏銳地觀察生命，他們的心逐漸受到訓練，就像一個愛音樂的人，耳朵久而久之受到訓練，能分辨正確與錯誤的音符。於是，他們開始能察覺心中升起的每一個願望，看看它是否與神的旨意相合。有時，願望才剛升起，他們便知道；有時，走到追求道路的一半才明白；有時，直到努力的終點才看見。然而，即使到了最後，願意順服神的旨意這件事，仍會成為他們的安慰，即使面對失望也是如此。

The secret of seeking the Will of God is in cultivating the faculty of sensing harmony, for harmony is beauty, and beauty is harmony. The lover of beauty in his further progress becomes the seeker of harmony, and by trying always to maintain harmony man will tune his heart to the Will of God.

尋求神之旨意的祕密，在於培養感知「和諧」的能力；因為和諧就是美，而美就是和諧。珍愛美的人，隨著內在進一步發展，會成為尋求和諧的人；而人在一次次努力維持和諧的過程中，便會把自己的心調校到與神的旨意相應。

19. Making God Intelligible
使神成為我們所能理解的

Sometimes the question is asked, “How can we make God intelligible?”

有時我們會問：「要如何使神成為我們所能理解的？」

You can make a chair intelligible by touching, by looking at it, and seeing how it is made. You make a house intelligible by seeing how it is made. You can make a tree intelligible by seeing how it is: its stem, fruits, leaves, appearance, then what comes out of it. The word intelligible means through our senses we feel a thing, we know a thing, we have a conception of a thing; that is to make it intelligible. To make anything intelligible is to make a concrete conception of it.

你可以藉著觸摸一張椅子、看著它、了解它如何製成，而使椅子成為可以理解的東西。你看一棟房子是怎樣建成的，便能理解它。你觀察一棵樹的樣子——樹幹、果實、葉片、外形，以及它會生出什麼——便能理解它。所謂 intelligible，就是我們透過感官感受到某個事物、認識它，並對它形成一個觀念；這就是使它成為可理解的。使任何事物成為可理解的，也就是對它形成一個具體的觀念。

And now the question is how to make God intelligible? It is impossible to make God intelligible, really. But, at the same time,

現在問題是：如何使神成為我們所能理解的？嚴格來說，這其實是不可能的。然而與此同時：

• it is in order to make God intelligible that the Egyptians made the Sphinx;
  
  埃及人塑造獅身人面像，是為了使神成為人所能理解的；

• it is in order to make God intelligible that the fire-worshipers offered homage to the sun;
  
  拜火者向太陽致敬，也是為了使神成為人所能理解的；

• it is in order to make God intelligible that people have made idol worship,
  
  人之所以形成偶像崇拜，也是為了使神成為人所能理解的；

• and it is also in order to make God intelligible that people esteemed their divine ideal with their devotion, as those worshipers of Jesus Christ.
  
  人們以奉愛敬仰心中的神聖理想，也是為了使神成為我們所能理解的；例如那些敬拜耶穌基督的人。

All these forms are attempts on the part of man to make God intelligible. Man can only make God intelligible in the form that seems to him the best. That form must be seen by him, must be imagined by him, and must be known by him. If he knows that form as a person, he calls it Christ, or some other name he gives to it.

所有這些形式，都是人試圖讓神成為自己所能理解的努力。人只能用自己認為最好的形式來理解神。那個形式必須是他能看見的、能想像的，也必須是他能認識的。如果他以一個人的形式認識祂，他可能稱祂為基督，也可能給祂其他名稱。

• He makes him the king, because he thinks that the king is the greatest person. He gives him the throne and crown.
  
  他把祂視為王，因為他認為王是最偉大的人；因此，他給祂寶座與王冠。

• He calls him the Master of the Day of Judgment, because he knows there is no justice in this world, so he thinks God must be the Judge.
  
  他稱祂為審判之日的主宰，因為他知道這個世界並沒有完全的公正，所以他認為神必定是審判者。

• He thinks all that is beautiful, surrounds him with angels, conceives the form of angels as human beings.
  
  他把一切美好都歸於祂，以天使環繞祂，並把天使想像成人的形貌。

• He pictures God in the form of man.
  
  他以人的形相描繪神。

• There have been attempts of putting all sorts of things on one being. The Chinese used to make a dragon to which all things were attached — fish, lion, tiger, man, everything that existed — in order to make one form intelligible to serve as a symbol suggesting and teaching many things.
  
  人也曾試著把各種事物的特徵集合在同一個存在之中。中國人過去塑造龍，把魚、獅、虎、人以及種種存在的特徵都結合在它身上，使一個形相能成為可理解的象徵，藉以暗示並教導許多事物。

Every effort is a failure, but every effort to make God intelligible is worthwhile.

每一次這樣的嘗試終究都無法完整表達神，然而每一次試圖使神成為人所能理解的努力，都有其價值。

Now there have been two stages of making God intelligible. One stage was idol worship, and the other stage was ideal worship. One was the primitive stage, a stage in which God was made manifest in an unusual form, but at the same time intelligible. A further stage was that they made God an ideal.

我們使神成為自己所能理解的，可以分為兩個階段。一個階段是偶像崇拜，另一個階段是理想崇拜。前者是較原初的階段，人們讓神透過某種不尋常的形相顯現，使祂成為可以理解的存在。到了下一個階段，人們則不再只藉著形相來理解神，而是把神視為一個理想。

Instead of making Him a God of forms, they made Him a God of attributes. And then they said all the beauty, goodness, wisdom, and justice belong to Him. All things that we can conceive in our mind, we give those things to God, and consider all those things in God in their perfection. That is the highest form of making God intelligible. That all that our intelligence, our mind thinks as beautiful, as good, as valuable, to see all that in perfection in One Being, and to idealize that Being as the greatest and the highest of all beings: that is what we call making God intelligible. But, at the same time, in the spiritual path that is the first step. In the religious path that is the last step; in the spiritual path that is the first step.

人們不再把祂想成一位具有特定形相的神，而是把祂理解為一位具有各種屬性的神。於是，一切美、善、智慧與公正，都被歸於祂。我們頭腦所能想到的一切，也都歸於神，並視為在祂之中達到圓滿。這就是使神成為我們所能理解的最高形式。凡我們的覺知與頭腦所認為美好、善良、有價值的一切，都在同一位存在之中看見其圓滿；而我們又把這位存在視為一切存在中最偉大、最高者。這就是我們所說的，使神成為自己所能理解的。然而，這在宗教道路上是最後一個階段，在靈性道路上卻只是第一個階段。

20. Man’s Relation to God
人與神的關係

Man’s relation to God may be likened to the relation of the bubble and the sea. Man is of God, man is from God, man is in God, as the bubble is from water, of water, and in water. So much the same and yet so different! The bubble is different and the sea is different and there is no comparison between them. So, though God and man are not different, yet there is such a difference that there is no comparison. Hafiz says, “What comparison between earth and heaven?” The same reason makes man small before God, as the bubble is small before an ocean, and yet it is not apart from the ocean, nor is it of any other element than the ocean. Therefore Divinity is in man as in God. The Divinity of Christ means the Divinity of man, although Divinity itself is the ideal.

人與神的關係，可以比作海中泡沫與大海的關係。人屬於神，人來自神，也存在於神之中，就像泡沫來自水、由水而成，也存在於水中。兩者如此相同，卻又如此不同！泡沫是泡沫，大海是大海，兩者根本無從相比。同樣地，神與人雖不是彼此分離的，彼此之間卻又有如此巨大的差異，無法相提並論。哈菲茲說：「大地與天空怎能相比？」正因如此，人在神面前顯得如此渺小，就像泡沫在大海面前如此渺小；然而泡沫並沒有離開大海，也不是由任何不同於海水的元素所構成。因此，神性既存在於神之中，也存在於人之中。基督的神性，也意味著人的神性；然而，神性本身才是那個理想。

The word divine has its origin in Sanskrit. It is from Deva, which means the same — divine. And yet the root of this word means light. That means that the divine is that part of being which is illuminated by the light within. Therefore, though in man, the light is hidden, not disclosed. He is not divine. If the hidden light were divine, then the stone could be divine too, for the spark of fire is hidden in the rock. All life is one, no doubt, and all names and forms are of the same life. But that part of life out of which springs light, illuminating itself and its surroundings and bringing to its notice its own being, is divine; for in this is the fulfillment of the purpose of the whole creation, and every activity is directed to bringing about the same purpose.

divine 這個字源自梵文，來自 Deva，也就是「天神」，其意涵與 divine 相通；而這個字的詞根，又有「光」的意思。這表示，所謂神聖，是存在之中被內在之光照亮的那一部分。因此，光雖然存在於人之中，但若仍隱藏而未顯露，人就還不能稱為神聖。如果只要內藏著光就可以稱為神聖，那麼石頭也可以稱為神聖，因為火花同樣隱藏在岩石之中。毫無疑問，一切生命是一體的，一切名稱與形相也都屬於同一個生命。然而，當生命之中有光湧現，照亮自身，也照亮周遭，並使生命覺知到自身的存在時，那才是神聖的；因為整個創造的目的正是在此獲得完成，而一切活動也都朝向同一個目的。

How calmly the mountains and hills seem to be waiting for some day to come. If we went near them and listened to their voice, they would tell us this. And how eagerly the plants and the trees in the forest seem to be waiting for some day, for some hour to come, the hour of the fulfillment of their desire! If we could only hear the words they say! In animals, in birds, in the lower creation, the desire is still more intense and still more pronounced. The seer can see it when his glance meets their glance. But the fulfillment of this desire is in man: the desire that has worked through all aspects of life and brought forth different fruits, yet preparing a way to reach the same Light which is called divinity. But even man, whose right it is, cannot touch it unless he acquire the knowledge of the Self, which is the essence of all religions.

山岳與丘陵看起來何等平靜，彷彿正等待某一天的來臨。如果我們走近它們，聆聽它們的聲音，它們也許會這樣告訴我們。森林裡的植物與樹木，又是何等殷切地等待某一天、某一刻的到來，那是它們的渴望獲得完成的時刻！如果我們真能聽見它們所說的話就好了！到了動物、鳥類以及較低等的創造之中，這份渴望變得更加強烈，也更加明顯。當明見者的目光與牠們相遇時，他能看見這份渴望。然而，這份渴望真正的完成是在人的身上。它一路穿越生命各個面向，結出不同的果實，同時也在預備一條道路，使生命能抵達那同一道光，而那道光就稱為神性。然而，即使人原本有權抵達它，如果沒有獲得對自我的認識，也就是一切宗教的精髓，仍無法真正觸及它。

It is easy to claim that, “I am God!”; but what is it? Is it not insolence on the part of man, who is subject to illness, death, and disease? It is bringing the highest ideal of God on the lowest plane. It is like the illusion of the bubble saying, “I am the sea! I am the sea!” when his own conscience, as well as everybody else’s, sees that he is a bubble. And again it is blind on the part of man, however righteous and pious he may be, to say, “I am separate, God is separate. I am on earth, God is in heaven.” He will pray and worship a thousand years and not reach near God. Since, according to the idea of an astronomer, it would take so many hundreds of years to reach a certain planet, how could one reach so high as the Abode of God, which is supposed to be still higher and farther than anything else?

宣稱「我就是神！」很容易；但這究竟意味著什麼？一個仍受疾病與死亡支配的人這樣宣稱，難道不是一種冒昧嗎？這等於把人心中對神最高的理想拉到最低的層次。這就像泡沫陷入幻覺，說著：「我是大海！我是大海！」然而它自己的意識，以及其他每一個人，都看得出來它只是一個泡沫。另一方面，不論一個人多麼正直、多麼虔誠，如果他說：「我是分離的，神也是分離的；我在地上，神在天上」，同樣也是盲目的。這樣的人即使祈禱、敬拜一千年，也仍無法靠近神。既然按照天文學家的說法，要抵達某顆行星都需要幾百年的時間，那麼若神的居所被想像得比一切都更高、更遠，我們又怎麼可能真的抵達那裡？

No man has a right to claim divinity as long as he is conscious of his limited self. He only, who is so absorbed in the contemplation of the Perfect Being that his limited self is lost from his sight, could say this, which in many cases is not said. It is at this time that man closes his lips, lest he might say a word that might offend the ears of the people in the world. “O bird, cry gently, for the ears of the beloved are tender!” And if anyone, such as Mansur, has claimed divinity, it is in that wine of divine Life that intoxicated him, and the secret came out of him as it comes from a drunken man, which, if he had been sober, he would not have given out.

只要一個人仍意識著自己有限的自我，他就沒有權利宣稱自己具有神性。只有那個如此全然沉浸於對圓滿存在的觀照之中，以至於有限自我從視野裡消失的人，才可能說出這樣的話，而很多時候，他反而不會說。到了這時，人會閉上嘴唇，以免說出一句可能刺痛世人耳朵的話。「鳥兒啊，輕聲啼鳴吧，因為摯愛者的耳朵如此柔嫩！」如果曾有人如曼蘇爾（Mansur）一般宣稱神性，那是因為神聖生命的美酒使他陶醉，祕密便像從醉漢口中一樣洩露出來；如果他是清醒的，也許便不會說出口。

The wise realize the Divine Being in the loss of the thought of self, and melt in Him, and become absorbed in Him, and enjoy the peace that they can derive from the Divine Life, but live in the world gently, meekly and thoughtfully, just like every man. It is the unwise who show themselves too wise. And with the increase of wisdom that beauty of innocence comes that makes the wise the friend of everyone, both stupid and wise. It is the stupid who cannot agree with the wise, but the wise can agree with the stupid as well as with the wise. He can become both, while the stupid man is what he is.

智者是在「自我」的念頭消失時體悟神聖存在；他消融於祂，沉浸於祂，也享受從神聖生命而來的安寧，卻仍在人世間溫和、謙遜而體貼地生活，就像其他人一樣。只有不智的人，才急著顯示自己有多麼智慧。隨著智慧增長，一種純真的美也隨之而來，使智者能成為所有人的朋友，無論對方愚昧或有智慧。愚者無法與智者相合，但智者卻能與愚者相合，也能與智者相合。他能夠理解兩者，而愚者卻只能停留在自己原來的位置。

21. Divine Manner
神的風範

In the terms of the Sufis the divine manner is called Akhlak-i Allah. Man thinks, speaks, and acts according to the pitch to which his soul is tuned. The highest note he could be tuned to is the divine note, and it is that pitch, once man arrives at it, that he begins to express the manner of God in everything he does.

在蘇菲的用語中，神的風範稱為 Akhlak-i Allah。我們如何思想、說話與行動，取決於靈魂調到什麼樣的音高。靈魂所能調到的最高音，是與神相應的音；一旦我們到達這個音高，便開始在所做的一切之中展現神的風範。

And what is the manner of God? It is the kingly manner, a manner which is not even known to the kings, for it is a manner which only the King of the heaven and of the earth knows. And that manner is expressed by the soul who is tuned to God, a manner which is void of narrowness, a manner which is free from pride and conceit, the manner which is not only beautiful but beauty itself, for God is beautiful and He loves beauty. The soul who is tuned to God, also becomes as beautiful as God, and begins to express God through all that it does, expressing in life the divine manner.

那麼，什麼是神的風範？那是一種王者的風範，甚至世上的君王也未必懂得，因為唯有天地之王真正知曉這種風範。當靈魂與神相應時，便會展現出這樣的風範：其中沒有狹隘，也沒有驕傲與自負；它不只是美的，本身就是美，因為神是美的，祂也愛美。與神相應的靈魂，也會變得如神一般美，並開始透過自己所做的一切彰顯神，在生命中活出神的風範。

Why is it a kingly manner? By the word “kingly” we only signify someone who possesses power and wealth in abundance. The soul tuned to God, before whom all things fade away and in whose eyes the importance of all little things, of which every person thinks so much, is lessened, that soul begins to express the divine manner in the form of contentment. It might seem to an ordinary person that to this soul nothing matters, no gain is exciting, no loss is alarming; if anyone praises, it has no consequence: if anyone blames, it does not matter to him; the honor and the insult, this all to him is a game, for in the end of the game, neither the gain is a gain nor the loss is a loss; it was only a pastime.

為什麼說這是一種王者的風範？我們說一個人具有「王者風範」，通常是指他擁有豐盛的力量與財富。對一個與神相應的靈魂而言，一切事物都逐漸褪去原有的重要性；那些一般人十分在意的瑣事，在他眼中也不再那麼重要。於是，神的風範便以知足的形式從他身上顯現。對一般人來說，他看起來彷彿什麼都不在意：有所獲得不會令他興奮，有所失去也不會令他驚慌；有人稱讚，對他沒有多大影響，有人責備，他也不放在心上。榮耀或羞辱，對他而言都像一場遊戲，因為遊戲結束之後，所得不再是真正的所得，所失也不再是真正的損失；一切不過是一場遊戲。

One might think, “What does such a person do to the others; what good is he to those around him?” That person, for the others and those around him, is a healing; that person is an influence for uplifting souls — the souls who are suffering from the narrowness and from the limitation of human nature.

我們也許會想：「這樣的人能為別人做些什麼？他對身邊的人有什麼益處？」對周遭的人而言，他本身就是一種療癒；他的存在能夠提升那些因人性中的狹隘與限制而受苦的靈魂。

For human nature is not only narrow and limited, but it is foolish and it is tyrannous. The reason is that the nature of life is intoxicating. Its intoxication makes people drunken. And what does the drunken man want? He wants his drink: he does not think about another. In this life there are so many liquors that man drinks: the love of wealth, passion, anger, possession; man is not only satisfied with possessing earthly properties, but he also wishes to possess those whom he pretends to love, and in this way proves to be tyrannous and foolish. For all things of this world that man possesses, he does not in reality possess them, only he is possessed by them, be it wealth or property or a friend or position or rank.

因為人性不僅狹隘而受限，也常常愚昧而專橫。這是由於生命本身具有令人陶醉的力量，而這份陶醉會使人失去清醒。一個醉了的人想要什麼？他只想再喝一杯，不會想到別人。生命中有許多使我們沉醉的酒：對財富的迷戀、激情、憤怒與佔有欲。我們不只想佔有世上的財物，甚至還想佔有那些自稱所愛的人，於是顯露出人性的專橫與愚昧。其實，我們以為自己擁有世上的種種事物，實際上並不是我們擁有它們，而是我們被它們所佔有；無論是財富、產業、朋友、地位或身分，都是如此。

The soul with divine manner is therefore sober compared with the drunken man of the world: it is this soberness that produces in him that purity which is called Sufism, and it is through that purity that God reflects in his mirror-like soul.

因此，相較於沉醉於世間的人，具有神之風範的靈魂是清醒的。正是這份清醒，使他內在生出蘇菲所追求的純淨；而透過這份純淨，神便映照在他如鏡一般的靈魂之中。

For the soul who reflects God, nothing frightens; he is above all fright, for he possesses nothing, and all fright is connected with the possessions that man has. Does it mean that he leaves the world and goes and passes his life in the caves of the mountain? Not in the least. He may have the wealth of the whole world in his possession, he may have the kingdom of the whole universe under him, but nothing binds him, nothing ties him, nothing frightens him, for that only belongs to him which is his own.

對一個映照著神的靈魂而言，沒有什麼能使他恐懼；他已超越恐懼，因為他不再真正佔有任何東西，而我們所有的恐懼，往往都與自己所擁有的事物有關。這是否意味著他必須離開世界，到山洞裡度過一生？完全不是。他可以擁有世上一切財富，甚至整個宇宙的王國都在他的掌握之中；然而沒有任何事物能束縛他、牽制他或使他恐懼，因為真正屬於他的，只有那真正是他自己的。

And when his soul is his own, all is his own, and what belongs to him cannot be taken away. And if anyone took it away, it is he himself who did it. He is his friend and his foe, and so there is no longer a pain or suffering, a complaint or grudge; he is at peace, for he is at home, be he on earth or be he in heaven.

而當他的靈魂真正屬於自己時，一切也都屬於他；真正屬於他的東西，沒有人能夠奪走。即使它似乎被奪走了，也只有他自己能使這件事發生。他既是自己的朋友，也是自己的敵人；因此，不再有痛苦與受苦，也不再有抱怨與怨懟。他安住於安寧之中，因為無論身在地上或天上，他都已回到自己的家。

The difference between God and man is that God is omniscient and man only knows of his own affairs. As God is omniscient, He loves all and His interest is in all; and so it is with the godly soul.

神與人的差別在於，神是全知的，而我們通常只知道自己的事情。正因神是全知的，祂愛一切，也關懷一切；與神相應的靈魂也是如此。

The divine personality, expressed through the godly soul, shows itself in its interest for all, whether known or unknown to that soul. His interest is not only for another because of his kind nature or of his sympathetic spirit; he does not take interest in another person, in his welfare and well-being, because it is his duty, but because he sees in another person himself. Therefore, the life and interest of another person to the godly soul is as his own. In the pain of another person the godly soul sorrows; in the happiness of another person the godly soul rejoices. So the godly soul, who has almost forgotten himself, forgets also the remaining part of the self in taking interest in others.

神的人格性透過與神相應的靈魂展現時，會表現在他對一切生命的關懷上，不論那些生命是他熟悉的，還是陌生的。他關心別人，並不只是因為自己性情仁慈或富有同理心；他關心另一個人的生活與福祉，也不是因為覺得這是自己的責任，而是因為他在別人身上看見了自己。因此，對與神相應的靈魂而言，別人的生命與所關切的一切，就如同自己的一樣。別人痛苦時，他也感到悲傷；別人幸福時，他也感到喜悅。於是，這個幾乎已經忘卻自己的人，在關懷他人的過程中，連僅存的自我也逐漸忘卻。

From one point of view it is natural for the godly soul to take interest in another. The one who has emptied himself of what is called “self” in the ordinary sense of the word is only capable of knowing the condition of another. He sometimes knows, perhaps, more than the person himself, as a physician knows the case of his patient.

從這個角度來看，與神相應的靈魂自然會關懷他人。只有當一個人清空了我們通常所說的那個「自我」，才真正有能力了解另一個人的處境。有時，他對那個人的了解甚至可能比對方自己更深，就像醫師對病人的狀況，有時比病人本人知道得更清楚。

Divine manner, therefore, is not like that of the parents to their children, of a friend toward his beloved friend, of a king to his servant, or of a servant to his master. Divine manner consists of all manners; it is expressive of every form of love; and if it has any peculiarity, that peculiarity is one, and that is divine. For in every form of love and affection, there somewhere the self is hidden, which asks for appreciation, for reciprocity, for recognition. The divine manner is above all this. It gives all and asks nothing in return in any manner or form, in this way proving the Action of God through man.

因此，神的風範不同於父母對子女的態度，也不同於朋友對摯友、君王對臣僕，或僕人對主人的態度。神的風範涵納所有這些風範，也能表達每一種形式的愛；而它若有一個最獨特之處，那就是它來自神。因為在各種形式的愛與情感之中，某個地方往往仍藏著自我，期待被欣賞、得到回應、受到肯定。神的風範超越了這一切。它付出一切，卻不以任何方式要求回報；正是在這樣的風範之中，神的作為透過人而顯現。

---