19. The Awakening of the Soul
19. 靈魂的覺醒

1. Outlook on Life
看待生命的眼光

There is an awakening from childhood to youth and from youth to mature age and during this development one’s point of view, one’s outlook in life changes. Also sometimes in one’s life, when one has gone through an illness or a great suffering, at the end of it the whole outlook on life has changed. One also sees that a person who has taken a long journey after having come back has quite changed. Also after a friendship, after a pupilship, after a marriage a sudden change comes in the outlook of a person, and we find that there are some cases where the change is so great that we may say that he is an entirely new person.

從童年到青年，從青年到成熟的年歲，都有一種覺醒；在這段成長過程中，我們的觀點、看待生命的眼光也隨之改變。有時，在經歷一場疾病或深重的苦難之後，我們對生命的整個看法都變了。我們也會看到，有些人遠行歸來，已與從前大不相同。建立一段友誼、跟隨老師學習，或步入婚姻之後，也可能突然改變一個人看待生命的眼光。有些改變如此深刻，甚至可以說，他已完全成為另一個人。

Seeing this we can divide such changes which may be called developments into three classes:

由此來看，這些可以稱為成長的改變，可分為三類：

1. One class pertains to the physical development,
   第一類與身體的成長有關；
2. another is connected with the development of the mind and
   第二類與頭腦的發展有關；
3. the third class with the development of the soul.
   第三類則與靈魂的發展有關。

There are instances in the lives of many – who rarely will say or admit it – that they can recollect experiences in their childhood when in one moment’s time their whole outlook on life changed. As ripening is a desired result, it is the result of every object in life to ripen and to develop. Therefore the fulfillment of life’s purpose is to be expected in the awakening of the soul.

許多人都能回想起童年時的某個經驗：就在一瞬間，他們看待生命的整個眼光改變了，只是很少說出來，或承認有過這樣的經驗。成熟是我們所期望的結果，而生命中的一切，也都走向成熟與發展。因此，生命目的的實現，可以在靈魂的覺醒中期待。

2. Soul’s Awakening
靈魂的覺醒

One may ask what are the signs of the soul’s awakening. The first sign of this awakening is just like the birth of an infant. From the time of its birth the infant is interested in hearing something, any sound that comes, and in seeing something, a color or light, whatever it be attracted to. And thus a person whose soul has awakened becomes awake to everything he sees and hears. Compared to that person everyone else seems to be with open eyes and yet not to see, to be with open ears and yet not to hear.

我們也許會問，靈魂覺醒有哪些徵兆？最初的徵兆，就像一個嬰兒誕生。從出生起，嬰兒便對聽見的事物感興趣，無論傳來什麼聲音；也對看見的事物感興趣，無論是色彩、光，或任何吸引他的東西。同樣地，靈魂已覺醒的人，開始真正覺察自己所見、所聞的一切。相較之下，其他人彷彿睜著眼睛卻沒有看見，敞著耳朵卻沒有聽見。

There are many with open ears, but there is rarely one who hears, and there are many with open eyes, but there is hardly one who sees. It is therefore that the natural seeing of the awakened soul is called “clairvoyance” and his natural hearing, “clairaudience.” In English there is the simple word “seer” which explains that this person not only has eyes, but together with eyes he has sight.

許多人敞著耳朵，卻少有真正聽見的；許多人睜著眼睛，卻幾乎沒有真正看見的。因此，覺醒的靈魂自然具有的看見能力，被稱為「靈視（clairvoyance）」；自然具有的聽見能力，則被稱為「靈聽（clairaudience）」。英文有一個簡單的詞 seer，意為「能看見者」，說明這樣的人不只有眼睛，也具有真正看見的能力。

The moment the soul has awakened, music makes an appeal to it; poetry touches it; words move it; art has an influence upon it. It no longer is a sleeping soul; it is awake and it begins to enjoy life to a fuller extent. It is this awakening of the soul which is mentioned in the Bible, “Unless the soul is born again it will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Being born again means that the soul is awakened after having come on earth, and entering the kingdom of heaven means that this world, the same kingdom in which we are standing just now, turns into heaven as soon as the point-of-view has changed.

靈魂一旦覺醒，音樂便能吸引它，詩能觸動它，言語能感動它，藝術也能影響它。它不再是一個沉睡的靈魂；它醒來了，開始更充分地享受生命。《聖經》所說的，正是這種靈魂的覺醒：「靈魂若不重生，就不能進入天國。」重生，意指靈魂來到世上之後醒了過來；進入天國，則意味著我們的眼光一旦改變，這個世界——我們此刻身處的同一個國度——便成了天堂。

Is it not interesting and most wonderful to think that the same earth we walk on is earth to one person and heaven to another? And it is still more interesting to notice that it is we who change it; we change it from earth into heaven, or we change it otherwise. This change comes not by study, nor by anything else, but only by the changing of our point of view.

想想看，我們行走於其上的同一片大地，對一個人而言是塵世，對另一個人而言卻是天堂，這不是既有趣又奇妙嗎？更有趣的是，改變它的正是我們自己：我們可以使塵世成為天堂，也可以使它朝另一個方向改變。這種改變並不來自研讀，也不來自其他任何事物，只來自我們看待生命的眼光有所轉變。

I have seen people seek after truth, study in books about it, write many books on theology, and in the end they were in the same place where they were standing before. This shows that all outer efforts are excuses. There is only one thing that brings us before reality and that is the awakening of the soul.

我見過一些人追求真理，在書中研讀真理，寫了許多神學著作，到頭來卻仍停留在原來的地方。這說明，一切外在的努力都只是藉口。唯有一件事能將我們帶到實相面前，那就是靈魂的覺醒。

All tragedy of life, all misery and inharmony are caused by one thing and that is lack of understanding. Lack of understanding comes from lack of penetration. The one who does not see from the point-of-view from which he ought to see becomes disappointed because he cannot understand. It is not for the outer world to help us to understand life better; it is we ourselves who should help ourselves to understand it better.

生命中一切的悲劇、痛苦與不和諧，都出於同一個原因：缺乏理解。而缺乏理解，是因為無法深入看見。如果我們未能從應有的角度看待事物，就會因為不理解而失望。幫助我們更深地理解生命，並不是外在世界的責任；應當幫助自己更深地理解生命的，是我們自己。

3. Soul’s Further Awakening
靈魂更進一步的覺醒

Then there is a further awakening which is a continuation of what I have called the awakening of the soul. The sign of it is that the awakened person throws a light, the light of his soul, upon every person and every object and sees that object, that condition in this light. It is his own soul which becomes a torch in his hand; it is his own light that illuminates his path. It is just like throwing a searchlight upon dark corners which one did not see before, and the corners become clear and illuminated again. It is like throwing light upon problems that one did not understand at first; it is like seeing with x-rays persons who were a riddle before.

接著，還有更進一步的覺醒，是我所說的靈魂覺醒的延續。它的徵兆是：覺醒的人將一道光——自己靈魂的光——照向每一個人、每一件事物，並在這道光中看見那件事物、那個情境。他自己的靈魂成了手中的火炬，照亮道路的，是他自己的光。這就像將探照燈照向先前未曾看見的幽暗角落，使那些角落重新明亮、清晰；也像將光照向原本不理解的問題，或如同藉著 X 光，看透那些先前令我們難以理解的人。

Since life becomes clear to the awakened soul it shows another manifestation: every aspect of life becomes communicative with him. The idea is that life is communicating, the soul is communicating, but they do not communicate until a person is awakened. Once a soul is awakened it becomes communicative with life.

當生命在覺醒的靈魂面前變得清晰，另一種表現便出現了：生命的每一個面向，都開始與他交流。這意味著，生命一直在傳達，靈魂也一直在傳達，但在我們覺醒以前，兩者還不能彼此相通。靈魂一旦覺醒，便能與生命交流。

As a young man I had a great desire to visit the shrines of sages, of great teachers. With every desire of hearing something of them or of asking them something I always held my tongue back. I sat quiet in their presence and had a great satisfaction and felt a greater blessing by sitting quiet there than if I had discussed and argued and talked with them; for in the end I felt that there was a communication which was much more satisfactory than these outer discussions and arguments of people who know not what they discuss. It was enlightening, it was refreshing and it gave that power and inspiration with which one can see life in a better light.

年輕時，我非常渴望造訪聖哲與偉大老師的聖所。每當想聽他們說些什麼，或向他們請教些什麼時，我總會忍住不開口。我安靜地坐在他們面前，感到極大的滿足；比起與他們討論、辯論或交談，這樣靜靜坐著，更讓我感受到祝福。因為到最後，我感覺到有一種交流，遠比那些連自己在談什麼都不清楚的人所進行的外在討論與爭辯，更令人滿足。它帶來啟發，使我煥然一新，也給予力量與靈感，讓我能以更明亮的眼光看待生命。

Those who are awakened become lights, not only lights for themselves but also lights for others. These may not know it but their light, their presence itself helps to make the most difficult problems easy. This brings us to realize the fact that man is light, as the Scriptures have said, a light whose origin, whose source is divine. And when this light is raised then life becomes quite different.

覺醒的人會成為光，不僅照亮自己，也照亮別人。他們也許並不知道，但他們的光，他們的存在本身，就能使最困難的問題變得容易。這讓我們體認到，正如經典所說，我們本身就是光，而這道光的根源是神性的。當這道光被提升，生命便大不相同了。

When the soul is awakened furthermore its condition is then as that of a person sitting in the midst of the night among hundreds and thousands of people who are fast asleep. The picture is that he is sitting among them, standing among them, he is looking at them, hearing of their sorrows, miseries and conditions — hundreds of them moving about in their sleep, in their own dreams, not awake to the condition of the other one who is next to them. They may be friends or relations or acquaintances or enemies; whatever be their relationship, little they know about one another, each one absorbed in his own troubles.

當靈魂進一步覺醒，它的處境便像一個在深夜裡，坐在成百上千名熟睡者之間的人。我們可以想像，他坐在他們之間，站在他們之間，看著他們，聽見他們的悲傷、苦難與種種遭遇——數百人在睡夢中走動，各自活在自己的夢裡，沒有覺察身旁另一個人的處境。他們可能是朋友、親屬、熟人或敵人；無論彼此有什麼關係，他們對彼此所知甚少，每一個都沉浸在自己的煩惱中。

This awakened soul standing among them all will listen to everyone, will see everyone, will recognize and realize all they think and feel, but his language no one understands; his thoughts he cannot explain to anyone; his feelings he cannot expect anyone to feel. He feels lonely and nothing else can be felt. No doubt in that loneliness there is a sense of perfection, because perfection is loneliness.

這個覺醒的靈魂站在眾人之間，會聆聽每一個人，看見每一個人，辨識並理解他們所有的思想與感受；然而，沒有人理解他的語言。他無法向任何人說明自己的思想，也無法期待任何人感受到他的感受。他感到孤獨，除此之外，別無其他感受。無疑地，這份孤獨中有一種圓滿感，因為圓滿就是孤獨。

When it was said that the apostles knew all languages at the descent of the Holy Spirit, it did not mean knowing the languages of all countries. They knew the language of the soul; for there are several languages which are spoken in different lands, but numberless languages are spoken, as each individual has his particular language.

當我們說，聖靈降臨時，使徒通曉了一切語言，這並不是指他們懂得所有國家的語言。他們懂得的是靈魂的語言。不同地域所使用的語言，只有若干種；但實際上被說出的語言卻不計其數，因為每一個人都有自己獨特的語言。

That brings us to realize another idea of very great importance: the outer language can convey only outward things and feelings to one another, but there is an inner language, a language which can be understood by souls who are awakened. It is a universal language, a language of vibrations, a language of feeling, a language which touches the innermost sense. Heat and cold, for instance, are different feelings which are called by different names in different countries, but inwardly they are the same feelings. So there is love and hate and kindness, harmony and inharmony which are all called by different names in different countries, but their feeling is the same experience for all men.

這讓我們體認到另一個極為重要的觀念：外在的語言，只能將外在的事物與感受傳達給彼此；然而，還有一種內在的語言，是覺醒的靈魂能夠理解的。它是一種共通的語言，振動的語言，感受的語言，能觸及最深處的感知。譬如，熱與冷是兩種不同的感受，在不同國家有不同的名稱，但就內在經驗而言，熱的感受是相同的，冷的感受也是相同的。同樣地，愛、恨、善意、和諧與不和諧，在不同國家有不同的名稱，但它們所帶來的感受，對所有人而言都是相通的經驗。

When in order to know the thought of another we depend upon his outer word, then no doubt we fail to understand, for perhaps we do not know that person’s language. But if we can communicate with him soul-to-soul, we can certainly understand what he means, for before he says a word he has said it within himself, and that word reaches us before it is expressed outwardly. Before the word is spoken the expression says it; before the thought has formed, the feeling speaks of it. And this shows that it is a feeling which forms a thought, a thought which comes as speech. Even before this a feeling existed, and even there it can be caught when one is able to communicate with the soul. This is what may be called communication: to communicate with the innermost being of a person. But who can communicate? The one who knows how to communicate with himself, the one who in other words is awakened.

當我們想了解另一個人的思想，卻依賴他說出口的話時，無疑可能無法理解，因為我們也許不懂那個人的語言。但若能與他在靈魂之間交流，就一定能理解他的意思。因為在他開口以前，他已在自己內在說出了那句話；在向外表達之前，那句話就已傳達給我們。話語還未說出，神情已經說了；思想還未形成，感受已經透露了它。這說明，是感受形成思想，再由思想化為言語。在此之前，感受早已存在；若能與靈魂交流，即使在那個階段，也能感知到它。這才可以稱為交流：與一個人最內在的本體相通。但誰能做到呢？是懂得如何與自己相通的人；換句話說，就是已經覺醒的人。

4. The Personality of an Awakened Soul
覺醒靈魂的人格風範

Magnetism
吸引力

The personality of an awakened soul becomes different from every other personality. It becomes more magnetic, because it is a living person who has magnetism; the dead corpse has no magnetism.

覺醒靈魂所展現的人格風範，會與其他一切人格風範有所不同。它變得更有吸引力，因為有生命的人才具有吸引力；死去的軀體並沒有這種吸引力。

Joy
喜悅

It is the living person who brings joy, and therefore it is the awakened soul who is joyous. Never for one moment imagine, as many do, that a spiritual person means a most sorrowful, dried-up, long-faced person. Spirit is Joy, spirit is Life, and when this Spirit has awakened, all the joy and pleasure that exist are there.

有生命的人能帶來喜悅，因此，覺醒的靈魂是喜悅的。千萬不要像許多人那樣，以為有靈性的人就是愁苦、枯槁、整日拉長著臉的人。靈就是喜悅，靈就是生命；當這個靈醒來，一切喜悅與歡愉都在其中。

Lack of Anxiety
不再憂慮

As the sun takes away all darkness, so spiritual light takes away all worries and anxieties, sufferings and doubts. If spiritual awakening were not so precious what would be the use of seeking it in life? It is a treasure which nobody can take away from you, a light that will always keep and will never be extinguished. That is called spiritual awakening, which is the fulfillment of life’s purpose.

正如太陽驅散一切黑暗，靈性的光也驅散一切煩惱與憂慮、痛苦與疑惑。如果靈性覺醒不是如此珍貴，我們在生命中追求它，又有什麼意義？它是一份誰也無法從你身上奪走的寶藏，一道永遠長明、不會熄滅的光。這就是靈性覺醒，也是生命目的的實現。

Certainly, the things a person once valued and considered important become less important. They lose their value, and things which are beautiful lose their color. It is just like seeing the stage in the light of the sun; all the big palaces and decorations on the stage mean nothing. No doubt this takes away the slavery to which everyone is put by the things of this world; the awakened person becomes a master, and at the same time he need not give those things up.

確實，我們曾經珍視、認為重要的事物，會變得不再那麼重要。它們失去了原有的價值，曾經美麗的事物也失去了色彩。這就像在日光下觀看舞台：台上那些宏偉的宮殿與布景，都不再有什麼意義。無疑地，這使我們擺脫了世間事物加諸每個人的奴役。覺醒的人開始作主，同時也不必捨棄那些事物。

Optimism
樂觀

Optimism develops naturally, but an optimism with open eyes. Power increases, the power of accomplishing things. Then as long as a person has not accomplished something he will go after it, however small it is.

樂觀會自然生起，但那是睜著眼睛、看清事物的樂觀。力量也會增長，那是完成事情的力量。此後，只要一件事尚未完成，無論多麼微小，我們都會持續去做，直到完成。

5. Recognizing an Awakened Soul
辨識覺醒的靈魂

It is very difficult to judge an awakened soul, as they say in the East, for there is nothing outwardly to prove to you, “this person is an awakened soul.” The best way of seeing an awakened soul is to waken oneself. No one in the world can pretend to be awake when he is still asleep, as a little child by putting moustaches on his face will not prove himself to be a grown-up man. All other pretences may be accepted but not the one of being an awakened soul, for it is a living light which no one can pretend to be. If there is any truth it is in the awakening of the soul, for truth is born in this awakening. Truth is not taught, truth is discovered.

正如東方所說，要判斷一個靈魂是否覺醒，是非常困難的，因為沒有任何外在的事物能向你證明：「這個人的靈魂已經覺醒。」看見覺醒靈魂的最好方式，是讓自己醒來。世上沒有誰能在仍然沉睡時，假裝自己已經醒來；就像小孩子在臉上貼上鬍鬚，也不能證明自己已是成年男子。其他的假裝或許能讓人信以為真，唯獨靈魂的覺醒無法假裝，因為它是一道活生生的光，沒有人能冒充。若有真理，它就在靈魂的覺醒中，因為真理誕生於這份覺醒。真理不是被教會的，而是被發現的。

6. Awakening Others
喚醒他人

Very often people make an effort – but in vain – to awaken a friend or a near relation whom they love. But in the first place we do not know if that person is not more awakened than we ourselves, and we may be trying in vain. And the other point is that a person may be asleep and needs that sleep. Waking him would be a sin instead of a virtue. We are only allowed to give our hand to the one who is turning over in his sleep, who desires to awake. Only then a hand is given.

我們常常努力想喚醒自己所愛的朋友或親屬，卻徒勞無功。首先，我們並不知道，那個人是否其實比我們更為覺醒；我們的努力可能只是白費。其次，有些人雖然沉睡，卻正需要那份睡眠。喚醒他，反而是過錯，而非善行。我們只能向那個正在睡夢中翻身、渴望醒來的人伸出手。唯有在那時，才伸出援手。

7. Finding the Teacher
尋得老師

This giving of the hand, in esoteric terms, is called initiation. No doubt outwardly a teacher who is acquainted with this path may give a hand to the one who wishes to journey, but inwardly there is the Teacher who gives a hand who has always given and always gives a hand to awakening souls, the same hand which has received the sages and masters of all times in a higher initiation.

這樣伸出手，在內修的用語中，稱為啟蒙。無疑地，在外在層面，一位熟悉這條道路的老師，可以向願意踏上旅程的人伸出手；而在內在，也有那位老師伸出手。祂一直以來都如此，也始終向正在覺醒的靈魂伸出手；歷代的聖哲與大師，也正是由這同一隻手接引，進入更高的啟蒙。

Verily, the seeker will find sooner or later, if only he keeps steady on the path till he arrives at his destination.

確實，尋求者遲早會尋得，只要他在道路上堅定前行，直到抵達目的地。

8. Awake and Asleep
清醒與沉睡

The words “waking” and “sleeping” are familiar to us as we use them in expressing different conditions of life. Really speaking, when we look at it from the point of view of the soul, we sleep and are awake at the same time. For instance when we are looking at a certain thing and our mind is fully absorbed in looking at it, we do not hear things at the same time. And if we are hearing something, absorbed in what we are hearing, when our sense of hearing is focused, our eyes may be open and yet we are not seeing. If that is true it explains to us that when one sense is fully awakened the other senses are asleep. In the same way, when we experience a sensation through the mind the body is absent.

「清醒」與「沉睡」是我們熟悉的詞，用來表達生命中的不同狀態。其實，從靈魂的角度來看，我們同時既在沉睡，也在清醒。譬如，當我們看著某件事物，頭腦完全專注於所見，就不會同時聽見其他事物。而當我們聽著什麼，全神貫注於所聞，聽覺集中時，即使眼睛睜著，也可能沒有看見。若是如此，便說明當一種感官完全醒著，其他感官就在沉睡。同樣地，當我們透過頭腦經驗某種感受時，身體便不在我們的覺察之中。

The more we look at sleeping and waking from a psychological point of view, the more we shall come to the conclusion that they are not as we understand them, but that every moment of the day and the night we are awake and asleep at the same time. To give another instance: when a person is asleep and experiencing a dream, he is awake to something and yet asleep to the outer things. To one world he is asleep, to the other awake. So one is always asleep and always awake.

我們越是從心理學的角度觀察沉睡與清醒，就越會發現，它們並不像我們原先所理解的那樣；白天與夜晚的每一刻，我們都同時既清醒又沉睡。再舉一個例子：當我們睡著、正在作夢時，對某些事物是清醒的，對外在事物卻是沉睡的。對一個世界，我們沉睡；對另一個世界，我們清醒。因此，我們始終有所沉睡，也始終有所清醒。

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