灵魂与神
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中文
1→无论是恐惧还是单纯的好奇心最初促使人类思考超越自身的力量，我们无需深究……这些在心灵中引发了特殊的礼敬倾向，如此等等。在人类历史上，从未有过任何时期是【没有某种礼敬理想的】。为何？是什么使我们所有人都在挣扎着追求某种超越所见之物——无论是美丽的清晨，还是对亡灵的恐惧？……我们无需回溯史前时代，因为这是一个今日如同两千年前一样现实的事实。我们在此间无法得到满足。无论我们的人生处境如何——【即便】权贵而富裕——我们也找不到满足。 2→ 3→欲望是无限的，其满足却极为有限。我们的欲望无穷无尽；然而当我们去满足它们时，困难便来了。即便在欲望【尚少的】最原始的心灵那里，情况也如此。即便【这些少量的欲望】也无法实现。如今，我们的艺术与科学日益进步、繁多，我们的欲望同样无法得到满足。与此同时，我们正在竭力完善满足欲望的手段，而欲望却与日俱增…… 4→ 5→最原始的人，在其无力独自完成之事上，自然地渴望外来的帮助……他渴望某物，却无法获得。他需要其他力量的帮助。最无知的原始人与今日最有教养之人，各自向神灵祈求、恳请满足某种欲望——两者毫无二致。有何分别？【有些人】以为有极大的分别。我们总是在没有分别的地方发现大量分别。两者【原始人与有教养之人】皆向同一【力量】祈祷。你可以称之为神、安拉或耶和华。人们欲求某物，凭自身力量无法得到，便在寻求能帮助他们之人。这是原始的，至今仍与我们同在……我们都是生来的野蛮人，逐渐使自己文明化……我们这里所有人，若自我审视，都将发现同样的事实。即便如今这恐惧也未离开我们。我们可以高谈阔论，成为哲学家诸如此类；然而当打击来临，我们便发现自己必须恳求帮助。我们相信一切曾经存在过的迷信。【然而】世间没有任何没有某种真理基础的迷信。若我遮住脸，只露出【鼻尖】，那仍是我面孔的一部分。迷信也是如此——那些细微之处是真实的。 6→ 7→你看，宗教最低层次的表现，随着对逝者的安葬而来……起初他们将遗体包裹后置于土丘之中，亡灵的幽魂便在夜间回来居于【土丘】……然后他们开始埋葬遗体……门前站立着一位生有千颗牙齿的可怖女神……后来便是焚烧遗体，火焰携带亡灵升天……埃及人为亡者奉献食物与水。 8→ 9→下一个伟大的理念是部落神的观念。此部落供奉一位神，彼部落供奉另一位。希伯来人有他们的神耶和华，是其部落的专属神，与一切其他神祇和部落为敌。那位神会不惜一切取悦自己的子民。若他杀死一整个不受他庇护的部落，那完全没问题，相当不错。给予了少许爱，然而那爱仅限于一小部分人。 10→ 11→渐渐地，更高尚的理想出现了。征服部落的首领成为诸首领之首领、诸神之神……波斯征服埃及时亦如此。波斯皇帝是【诸主之主】，任何人在皇帝面前皆不得挺立。任何人凝视波斯皇帝，死亡便是其刑罚。 12→ 13→后来出现了全能、全力的神的理念——那无所不知、统治宇宙的主宰：祂居于天堂，人向其最爱者奉上特别的敬意，祂为人创造一切。整个世界是为人而设的。太阳、月亮和繁星皆【为他而存在】。持有这些观念的，都是原始人，丝毫未经文明与教化。所有较高级的宗教都在恒河与幼发拉底河之间成长……在印度之外，我们找不到【宗教超越这天堂之神理念的】进一步发展……这是在印度之外所获得的最高知识。在那里有一个本地天堂，神居于其中，而信仰者死后将前往那里……就我所见，我们应当称之为一种极为原始的观念……非洲的鬼神崇拜与天堂中的神——毫无二致。祂推动世界，当然祂的意志在各处施行…… 14→ 15→古希伯来人根本不在乎任何天堂。这是他们【反对】拿撒勒人耶稣的原因之一——因为祂教导死后的生命。梵文中「天堂」（paradise）的意思是此生之外的土地。因此，天堂是为弥补这一切恶而设的。原始人不在乎【恶】……他从不追问为何应当有恶…… 16→ 17→……「魔鬼」（devil）这个词是波斯词语……波斯人与印度教徒【在宗教上有共同的雅利安渊源】……他们说同一种语言，只是一派用来指善的词，另一派用来指恶。「提婆」（Deva）是古梵文中「神」之词，在雅利安语族语言中是同一个词。然而在这里，这个词意为魔鬼…… 18→ 19→后来，当人类【发展其内在生命】，开始发问，并说神是善的。波斯人说有两位神——一善一恶。【他们的观念是】此生中一切皆善：美丽的国度，几乎全年皆春，没有人死亡，没有疾病，一切美好。然后来了那恶者，他触碰了这土地，于是死亡、疾病、蚊虫、猛虎、雄狮皆来了。然后雅利安人离开祖居之地，向南迁移。古代雅利安人必定居于极北之地。犹太人从波斯人那里学到了【魔鬼的观念】。波斯人还教导说，将有一天，这恶神会被杀死，我们的职责是留在善神一侧，将我们的力量加之于他，在这场他与恶者之间的永恒争战中……整个世界将被焚毁，每个人都将获得一具新的身体。 20→ 21→波斯人的观念是，即便是恶人也将被净化，不再为恶。雅利安民族天生充满爱与诗情，无法想象他们会被【永恒地】焚烧。他们都将获得新的身体，此后再无死亡。因此，这是关于印度之外【宗教】观念中最好的部分…… 22→ 23→与之相伴的是伦理的脉络。人类所须做的一切，不过是注意三件事：善思、善言、善行。如此而已。这是一种实际而智慧的宗教。其中已带入了少许诗意。然而还有更高的诗意与更高的思想。 24→ 25→在印度，我们在《吠陀》（Vedas）最古老的部分中见到这撒旦。他只是【出现】，随即便消失了……在《吠陀》中，那恶神受到了一击便消失了。他离去了，而波斯人接收了他。我们正试图使他完全离开这个世界。接受了波斯人的观念，我们将使他成为一位体面的绅士，赐予他一具新的身体。印度撒旦观念就此终结。 26→ 27→然而神的理念在继续发展；但请注意，这里出现了另一个事实。神的理念与【物质主义】的理念并驾齐驱地成长，直至你追溯到波斯皇帝为止。然而在另一面，形而上学、哲学介入其中。还有另一条思想线索，即关于【不二真我（Atman）、人的】自身灵魂的理念。那理念也在成长。因此，在印度之外，关于神的观念不得不停留于那具体的形式，直到印度出现，为之提供些许帮助……其他民族止步于那古老的具体观念。在这个国家【美国】，有数以百万计的人相信神【拥有】一具身体……整个教派如此说。【他们相信】祂统治世界，然而有一个地方祂有一具身体。祂坐于宝座之上。他们点燃蜡烛、唱颂歌曲，正如我们在神庙中所做的一切。 28→ 29→然而在印度，他们足够智慧，从未将【神】塑造为【肉身的存在】。在印度，你永远见不到梵天（Brahma）的神庙。为何？因为灵魂的理念始终存在。希伯来民族从未追问灵魂之事。《旧约》中根本没有灵魂的观念，最初出现于《新约》。波斯人，他们变得如此务实——绝顶务实之人——一个善战、征服的民族。他们是古时代的英国人，总在战斗，摧毁邻国——太过热衷于此类事，无暇思考灵魂…… 30→ 31→【灵魂】最古老的观念是：在这粗重身体之内有一具精细的身体。粗重的消逝，精细的显现。在埃及，那精细的身体也会死去；粗重的身体一旦瓦解，精细的也随之瓦解。这便是他们修建那些金字塔的原因【并为亡者的遗体制作木乃伊，由此希望确保逝者的不朽】…… 32→ 33→印度人对死去的身体全然不在意。【他们的态度是：】「让我们取来焚化吧。」儿子须点燃父亲的遗体…… 34→ 35→有两类民族：神圣的与魔性的。神圣者认为自己是灵魂与灵。魔性者认为自己是身体。古代印度的哲学家们竭力主张，身体什么都不是。「犹如人脱去旧衣而换上新衣，真我（Atman）如此，脱去旧身体而取一具新的」（《博伽梵歌》，第二章第二十二节）。就我而言，我所有的环境与教育都在试图【让我】走向另一条路。我总是与伊斯兰教徒和基督徒来往，他们更注重身体…… 36→ 37→从【身体】到灵只有一步之遥……【在印度】，他们执持这灵魂的理念。它变成了【与】神的理念【同义】……若灵魂的理念开始扩展，【人必将得出结论：它超越名与形之上】……印度的理念是灵魂无有形相。凡有形相的，终有一日必将破碎。除非是力与物质的结果，否则不可能有任何形相；而一切组合物终将消解。若果真如此，【若】你的灵魂【由名与形所构成，它便会瓦解】，你便死去，再不不朽。若它是二重的，它便有形相，属于自性，服从自性关于生死的法则……他们发现，这【灵魂】既不是心意……也不是双重的…… 38→ 39→思想可以被引导与掌控……【印度的瑜伽士们】修习，以探知思想在多大程度上可以被引导与掌控。经过艰苦的努力，思想可能完全沉寂。若思想就是【真实的人】，一旦思想停息，他应当死去。思想在冥想中停止；甚至心意的元素也完全静止。他的血液循环停止，呼吸也停止，然而他并没有死。若思想即是他，整个结构应当随之消失，然而他们发现它并未消失。这是实践的【证明】。他们得出结论：即便心意与思想也不是真实的人。然后推理进一步表明，它确实不可能是。 40→ 41→我来，我思考，我言说。在这一切【活动的中心】存在着这【真我的】统一性。我的思想与行动是多变的、多方面的……然而贯穿其中的，是那一不变之一。它不可能是身体——身体每分每刻都在变化。它不可能是心意——新的思想不断涌现。它既不是身体，也不是心意。身体与心意都属于自性，都须服从自性的法则。而自由的心意永不会如此…… 42→ 43→因此，这真实的人并不属于自性。那身体与心意属于自性的人，不过是在使用如此多的自性。正如你使用笔、墨水和椅子，他也在使用如此多的粗细自性——粗重形式即身体，精微形式即心意。若它是单纯的，它必定是无形的。唯有在自性之中才有形相。不属于自性的，不可能有任何形相——无论粗重还是精微。它必定是无形的，必定是无所不在的。请理解这一点。【取】桌上的这只杯子。杯子是形相，桌子是形相。杯性消散若干，【桌性】亦消散若干【当它们破碎】…… 44→ 45→灵魂……因为无形，所以无名。它既不会去天堂，也不会【去地狱】，正如它不会进入这只杯子一样。它取其所充盈容器的形状。若它不在空间之中，则二种情况之一是可能的。要么是【灵魂遍透】空间，要么是空间在其中。你在空间之中，必定有一个形相。空间限制我们、束缚我们，使我们有了形相。若你不在空间之中，则空间在你之中。一切天堂与世界都在那人之内…… 46→ 47→神也必如此。神是无所不在的。「无手而【把握】一切；无足而能行动……」祂【是】无形的、不死的、永恒的。神的理念由此而来……祂是灵魂的主宰，正如我的灵魂是【我的】身体的【主宰】。若我的灵魂离开身体，身体片刻也不复存在。若祂离开我的灵魂，灵魂便不再存在。祂是宇宙的创造者；一切死亡之物，祂是毁灭者。祂的影子是死亡；祂的影子也是生命。 48→ 49→【古印度哲学家们】沉思道：……这污秽的世界不配得到人的注意。宇宙中没有任何东西是【永恒的——无论善恶】…… 50→ 51→我曾告诉你……撒旦……在【印度】没有多少机会。为何？因为他们在宗教上极为大胆。他们不是孩童。你是否见过孩子的那种特性？他们总是试图把责任推给别人。孩童般的心灵【总是试图】，当犯了错误时，将责任推给【别人】。一方面，我们说：「给我这个；给我那个。」另一方面，我们说：「我没有做这件事；是魔鬼诱惑了我。是魔鬼做的。」这便是人类——软弱的人类——的历史…… 52→ 53→为何有恶？为何世界是这个污秽肮脏之地？是我们造就了它。没有人应当受责。我们把手伸入火中。愿主保佑，【人】得其应得。唯祂是仁慈的。若我们向祂祈祷，祂帮助我们。祂将祂自身赐予我们。 54→ 55→这是他们的理念。他们是【诗意的民族】，为诗歌而如痴如醉。他们的哲学是诗歌，这哲学是一首诗篇……【一切】梵文中的【高思】皆以诗歌写就。形而上学、天文学——皆以诗歌呈现。 56→ 57→我们负有责任，我们如何陷入祸患？【你可能说：】「我生来贫穷悲苦，我记得此生中艰难的挣扎。」哲学家说，过错在于你自身。你难道是说这一切无缘无故地突然发生的？你是一个理性的存在。你的生命并非没有原因，而你便是那原因。你时时为自己制造人生……你塑造并模铸你自己的生命。你对自己负有责任。莫将责任归咎于任何人、任何撒旦。你只会受到更多一点的惩罚……
1→【一人】被带到神面前，神说：「你该受三十一鞭」……又来了一个人。神说：「三十鞭：十五鞭给那个人，十五鞭给他的导师——那个可怕的曾教导过他的人。」传授知识有其可怕之处。我不知道自己将受到什么。我走遍世界各地。若我所教导的每一个人都要让我受十五鞭！…… 2→ 3→我们必须来到这一理解：「这我的幻相（Maya）是神圣的。」这是我的活动，是【我的】神性。「【我的幻相】难以逾越，然而那取庇于我者【能超越幻相】。」然而你发现，仅凭自身之力跨越这【幻相的】汪洋是极其困难的。你做不到。这是那个古老的问题——鸡与蛋。若你做任何业（Karma），那业便成为因，产生果。那果【又】成为因，产生果。如此循环。若你向下推压，它永不止息。一旦你启动某物，便再无停歇。我做了某些业，善或恶，【便启动了连锁反应】……我现在已无法停止。 4→ 5→我们不可能凭借自身力量从这束缚中脱身。唯有当存在某位比因果律更强大之者，且他出于慈悲将我们拖出，才有可能得到解脱。 6→ 7→我们宣称，有这样一位存在——神。有这样一位存在，满怀慈悲……若有神，我便有可能得到救度。你怎能凭借自身意志得到救度？你是否明白「恩典得救」这一教义中的哲学？你们西方人绝顶聪明，然而当你们着手解释哲学时，又是如此绝顶复杂。若所谓救度是指你将被从这整个自性中脱拔出来，你怎能通过行动来拯救自己？救度不过是意味着立于神之上，然而若你明白救度的意义，你便是真我（Atman）……你不是自性。你是灵魂与神与自性之外唯一的存在。这些是外在的存在，而神【是】同时遍透自性与灵魂的。 7→ 8→因此，正如我的灵魂【之于】我的身体，我们可以说，我们是神的身体。神—灵魂—自性——这是一体。这一体，因为，如我所说，我是指身体、灵魂与心意。然而，我们已见到，因果律遍透自性的每一寸，一旦你被困入其中，便无法脱身。当你一旦陷入法则的罗网，你【凭借行动】可能的逃脱之道便不可能了。你可以为每只曾生存过的苍蝇和蚤子建造医院……这一切你都可以做，但它永远不会通向救度……【医院】建起，又倒下。【救度】唯有当存在某位自性从未捕获之者，某位自性的主宰，才有可能。祂主宰自性，而非被自性所主宰。祂意愿法则，而非被法则所压倒……祂存在，祂满怀慈悲。那一刻你寻求祂，【祂便救度你】。 8→ 9→为何祂没有将我们带出？是因为你不要祂。你除了祂之外，要一切。那一刻你只要祂，那一刻你便得到祂。我们从不要祂。我们说：「主啊，赐我一所好房子。」我们要那房子，不是祂。「赐我健康！把我从这困难中救出！」当一个人除了祂之外什么都不要时，【他便得到祂】。「就如富人对金银财宝所怀有的那种爱，主啊，愿我对你怀有同等的爱。我不要大地，不要天堂，不要美貌，不要学问。我不要救度。让我一次又一次地堕入地狱。但有一件事我渴求：爱你，且因爱本身之故——不是为了天堂。」 10→ 11→人所渴望之物，他便得到。若你总是梦想着拥有一具身体，【你便会得到另一具身体】。当这具身体离去，他渴望另一具，如此不断孕育着一具又一具的身体。爱物质，你便成为物质。你首先成为动物。当我看见一只狗啃骨头，我说：「主啊，帮帮我们！」如此爱着身体，直到你变成狗和猫！继续堕落，直到成为矿物质——全是身体，别无其他…… 12→ 13→还有一些人，毫不妥协。通往救度之路在于真理。这是另一句箴言…… 14→ 15→【人在灵性上开始进步之时】，是他将魔鬼踢走之时。他挺立起来，将世界之苦难的责任担负于自己的双肩。然而每当他审视【过去与未来及】因果律，他便跪下说：「主啊，救我，【你是】我们的创造者、父亲与至亲的朋友。」这是诗，然而我以为不是很好的诗。为何？它是对无限的【无疑是】一种描绘。你在每种语言中都能见到他们如何描绘无限。【然而】这是感官的无限，是肌肉的无限…… 16→ 17→「【祂】，太阳不能照耀，月亮不能，繁星也不能，【亦非】闪电之光芒。」这是对无限的另一种描绘，以否定的语言……而最后那无限，则被描绘于【奥义书（Upanishads）的】灵性之中。不仅吠檀多（Vedanta）是世界上最高的哲学，它也是最伟大的诗篇…… 18→ 19→请注意，今日这是……《吠陀》（Vedas）第一部分与第二部分之间的差异。在第一部分，一切皆在【感官的领域】。然而一切宗教皆只【关涉】外部世界的无限——自性与自性之神……【吠檀多则不然】。这是人类心灵对这一切的第一道反射回光。在【空间之】无限中找不到满足。「【自存者】【创造了】【诸根器，其转向外部世界】……因此，那些【向外寻求者】将永远找不到【内在之物】。有少数人，渴望知晓真理，将目光转向内在，在自己的灵魂之中，瞥见了【真我的】荣耀。」 20→ 21→这不是空间的无限，而是真正的无限，超越空间，超越时间……西方世界所错失的便是这样的世界……他们的心灵已转向外在自性与自性之神。向内审视你自己，找到那你曾【遗忘的】真理。心灵是否可能在不借助神灵之助的情况下从这梦幻中醒来？一旦你启动行动，若非慈悲的父亲将我们带出，便无从得到帮助。 22→ 23→即便在慈悲之神的手中，那也不会是自由。奴役终归是奴役。黄金之锁与铁之锁一样糟糕。有没有出路？ 24→ 25→你并未被束缚。从未有任何人被束缚过。【真我（Atman）】超越于此。祂是一切。你是那一者；没有二。神不过是你自身的倒影，投射于幻相（Maya）的屏幕之上。真实的神【是真我本身】。人们无知地礼拜的，是那倒影。【他们说】天上的父是神。为何是神？【那是因为祂是】你自身的倒影，【所以】祂是神。你是否明白，你始终在看见神？当你展开自身，那倒影越来越清晰。 26→ 27→「有两只美丽的鸟栖于同一棵树上。一只【是】静谧、沉默、威严的；下面的一只【个体真我】，在啄食那甜与苦的果实，时而欢喜时而悲伤。【然而当个体真我瞻仰那值得礼敬的主为其真实的真我，便不再悲伤。】」 28→ 29→……莫说「神」。莫说「你」。说「我」。【二元论】的语言说：「神啊，您，我的父。」【不二论（Advaita）】的语言说：「比我自己更亲爱于我。我无名可称你。我能使用的最近的，便是我……」 30→ 31→「神是真实的。宇宙是梦幻。我有福了，因为此刻我知道，我【曾是且】将永远是自由的；……因为我知道，我只是在礼拜我自己；因为自性、任何幻相，都对我没有任何束缚。在我面前，自性消散；【那些】神祇消散；礼拜消散；……迷信消散，因为我认识我自己。我是无限。这一切——某某太太、某某先生、责任、快乐、苦难——都消散了。我是无限。对我而言，何来死亡，何来生死？我应当惧怕谁？我是那一者。我会惧怕我自己吗？谁去惧怕【谁】？我是那唯一的存在。别无其他存在。我是一切。」」 32→ 33→这只是【关于你真实本性的】记忆问题，而非通过行动得救。你得到救度了吗？你【本就】是自由的。 34→ 35→继续说：「我是自由的。」莫在意下一刻幻相来说：「我是被束缚的。」为整件事去除催眠状态。 36→ 37→【这真理】首先须被聆听。首先聆听它。日夜思考它。日夜以之充满心灵：「我即是祂。我是宇宙的主宰。从未有过任何幻相……」以心灵的全力冥想它，直到你实际看见这些墙壁、房屋、一切，皆消融——【直到】身体、一切皆消失。「我将独立挺立。我是那一者。」奋斗吧！「谁在乎！我们要自由；【我们】不要任何神通。世界我们舍弃；天堂我们舍弃；地狱我们舍弃。我有什么可在乎这些神通，此事与彼事！我有什么可在乎心意是否受控！让它运行。那又如何！我不是心意，让它走吧！」 38→ 39→太阳【照耀义人，也照耀不义之人】。任何人的缺点【触动】祂了吗？「我即是祂。无论【我的】心意做什么，我都不受触动。太阳照耀污秽之地而不受触染。我是存在。」 40→ 41→这是【不二论】哲学的宗教。【它是】困难的。奋斗吧！打倒一切迷信！既无导师，亦无经典，也无神祇。打倒神庙，打倒祭司，打倒神，打倒化身，打倒神自己！我是曾经存在过的一切神！在那里，挺立的哲学家们！无所恐惧！不再谈论神与【世间的】迷信。唯有真理得胜，而这便是真理。我是无限。 42→ 43→一切宗教迷信皆是虚妄的想象……这个社会，我在这里看见你们，我正在向你们讲话——这一切皆是迷信；一切皆须被舍弃。你们只需看看成为一位哲学家需要付出多大代价！这是【智慧瑜伽（Jnana-Yoga）】的【道路】，通过智识之路。其他【道路】更为容易、更为缓慢……然而这是纯粹的心力。软弱者【无法走上这条智识的道路。你必须能够说：】「我是灵魂，永远自由；【我】从未被束缚过。时间在我之中，而非我在时间之中。神在我的心灵中诞生。神父，宇宙的父——祂是被我在自己心灵中所创造的……」 44→ 45→你们自称为哲学家吗？请展示出来！思考这一点，谈论【这一点】，相互【在这条道路上】帮助，舍弃一切迷信！ 46→ 47→注释
English
Whether it was fear or mere inquisitiveness which first led man to think of powers superior to himself, we need not discuss. ... These raised in the mind peculiar worship tendencies, and so on. There never have been [times in the history of mankind] without [some ideal] of worship. Why? What makes us all struggle for something beyond what we see — whether it be a beautiful morning or a fear of dead spirits? ... We need not go back into prehistoric times, for it is a fact present today as it was two thousand years ago. We do not find satisfaction here. Whatever our station in life — [even if we are] powerful and wealthy — we cannot find satisfaction.
Desire is infinite. Its fulfilment is very limited.. There is no end to our desires; but when we go to fulfil them, the difficulty comes. It has been so with the most primitive minds, when their desires were [few]. Even [these] could not be accomplished. Now, with our arts and sciences improved and multiplied, our desires cannot be fulfilled [either]. On the other hand, we are struggling to perfect means for the fulfilment of desires, and the desires are increasing. ...
The most primitive man naturally wanted help from outside for things which he could not accomplish. ...He desired something, and it could not be obtained. He wanted help from other powers. The most ignorant primitive man and the most cultivated man today, each appealing to God and asking for the fulfilment of some desire, are exactly the same. What difference? [Some people] find a great deal of difference. We are always finding much difference in things when there is no difference at all. Both [the primitive man and the cultivated man] plead to the same [power]. You may call it God or Allah or Jehovah. Human beings want something and cannot get it by their own powers, and are after someone who will help them. This is primitive, and it is still present with us. ... We are all born savages and gradually civilise ourselves. ... All of us here, if we search, will find the same fact. Even now this fear does not leave us. We may talk big, become philosophers and all that; but when the blow comes, we find that we must beg for help. We believe in all the superstitions that ever existed. [But] there is no superstition in the world [that does not have some basis of truth]. If I cover my face and only the tip of my [nose] is showing, still it is a bit of my face. So [with] the superstitions — the little bits are true.
You see, the lowest sort of manifestation of religion came with the burial of the departed. ... First they wrapped them up and put them in mounds, and the spirits of the departed came and lived in the [mounds, at night]. ... Then they began to bury them. ... At the gate stands a terrible goddess with a thousand teeth. ... Then [came] the burning of the body and the flames bore the spirit up. ... The Egyptians brought food and water for the departed.
The next great idea was that of the tribal gods. This tribe had one god and that tribe another. The Jews had their God Jehovah, who was their own tribal god and fought against all the other gods and tribes. That god would do anything to please his own people. If he killed a whole tribe not protected by him, that was all right, quite good. A little love was given, but that love was confined to a small section.
Gradually, higher ideals came. The chief of the conquering tribe was the Chief of chiefs, God of gods. ... So with the Persians when they conquered Egypt. The Persian emperor was the Lord of [lords], and before the emperor nobody could stand. Death was the penalty for anyone who looked at the Persian emperor.
Then came the ideal of God Almighty and All-powerful, the omnipotent, omniscient Ruler of the universe: He lives in heaven, and man pays special tribute to his Most Beloved, who creates everything for man. The whole world is for man. The sun and moon and stars are [for him]. All who have those ideas are primitive men, not civilised and not cultivated at all. All the superior religions had their growth between the Ganga and the Euphrates. ... Outside of India we will find no further development [of religion beyond this idea of God in heaven]. That was the highest knowledge ever obtained outside of India. There is the local heaven where he is and [where] the faithful shall go when they die. ... As far as I have seen, we should call it a very primitive idea. ... Mumbo jumbo in Africa [and] God in heaven — the same. He moves the world, and of course his will is being done everywhere. ...
The old Hebrew people did not care for any heaven. That is one of the reasons they [opposed] Jesus of Nazareth — because he taught life after death. Paradise in Sanskrit means land beyond this life. So the paradise was to make up for all this evil. The primitive man does not care [about] evil. ... He never questions why there should be any. ...
... The word devil is a Persian word. ... The Persians and Hindus [share the Aryan ancestry] upon religious grounds, and ... they spoke the same language, only the words one sect uses for good the other uses for bad. The word Deva is an old Sanskrit word for God, the same word in the Aryan languages. Here the word means the devil. ...
Later on, when man developed [his inner life], he began to question, and to say that God is good. The Persians said that there were two gods — one was bad and one was good. [Their idea was that] everything in this life was good: beautiful country, where there was spring almost the whole year round and nobody died; there was no disease, everything was fine. Then came this Wicked One, and he touched the land, and then came death and disease and mosquitoes and tigers and lions. Then the Aryans left their fatherland and migrated southward. The old Aryans must have lived way to the north. The Jews learnt it [the idea of the devil] from the Persians. The Persians also taught that there will come a day when this wicked god will be killed, and it is our duty to stay with the good god and add our force to him in this eternal struggle between him and the wicked one. ... The whole world will be burnt out and everyone will get a new body.
The Persian idea was that even the wicked will be purified and not be bad any more. The nature of the Aryan was love and poetry. They cannot think of their being burnt [for eternity]. They will all receive new bodies. Then no more death. So that is the best about [religious] ideas outside of India. ...
Along with that is the ethical strain. All that man has to do is to take care of three things: good thought, good word, good deed. That is all. It is a practical, wise religion. Already there has come a little poetry in it. But there is higher poetry and higher thought.
In India we see this Satan in the most ancient part of the Vedas. He just (appears) and immediately disappears. ... In the Vedas the bad god got a blow and disappeared. He is gone, and the Persians took him. We are trying to make him leave the world [al]together. Taking the Persian idea, we are going to make a decent gentleman of him; give him a new body. There was the end of the Satan idea in India.
But the idea of God went on; but mind you, here comes another fact. The idea of God grew side by side with the idea of [materialism] until you have traced it up to the emperor of Persia. But on the other hand comes in metaphysics, philosophy. There is another line of thought, the idea of [the non-dual Âtman, man's] own soul. That also grows. So, outside of India ideas about God had to remain in that concrete form until India came to help them out a bit. ... The other nations stopped with that old concrete idea. In this country [America], there are millions who believe that God is [has?] a body. ... Whole sects say it. [They believe that] He rules the world, but there is a place where He has a body. He sits upon a throne. They light candles and sing songs just as they do in our temples.
But in India they are sensible enough never to make [their God a physical being]. You never see in India a temple of Brahmâ. Why? Because the idea of the soul always existed. The Hebrew race never questioned about the soul. There is no soul idea in the Old Testament at all. The first is in the New Testament. The Persians, they became so practical — wonderfully practical people — a fighting, conquering race. They were the English people of the old time, always fighting and destroying their neighbours — too much engaged in that sort of thing to think about the soul. ...
The oldest idea of [the] soul [was that of] a fine body inside this gross one. The gross one disappears and the fine one appears. In Egypt that fine one also dies, and as soon as the gross body disintegrates, the fine one also disintegrates. That is why they built those pyramids [and embalmed the dead bodies of their ancestors, thus hoping to secure immortality for the departed]. ...
The Indian people have no regard for the dead body at all. [Their attitude is:] "Let us take it and burn it." The son has to set fire to his father's body. ...
There are two sorts of races, the divine and the demonic. The divine think that they are soul and spirit. The demonic think that they are bodies. The old Indian philosophers tried to insist that the body is nothing. "As a man emits his old garment and takes a new one, even so the old body is [shed] and he takes a new one" (Gita, II. 22). In my case, all my surrounding and education were trying to [make me] the other way. I was always associated with Mohammedans and Christians, who take more care of the body. ...
It is only one step from [the body] to the spirit. ... [In India] they became insistent on this ideal of the soul. It became [synonymous with] the idea of God. ... If the idea of the soul begins to expand, [man must arrive at the conclusion that it is beyond name and form]. ... The Indian idea is that the soul is formless. Whatever is form must break some time or other. There cannot be any form unless it is the result of force and matter; and all combinations must dissolve. If such is the case, [if] your soul is [made of name and form, it disintegrates], and you die, and you are no more immortal. If it is double, it has form and it belongs to nature and it obeys nature's laws of birth and death. ... They find that this [soul] is not the mind ... neither a double. ...
Thoughts can be guided and controlled. ... [The Yogis of India] practiced to see how far the thoughts can be guided and controlled. By dint of hard work, thoughts may be silenced altogether. If thoughts were [the real man], as soon as thought ceases, he ought to die. Thought ceases in meditation; even the mind's elements are quite quiet. Blood circulation stops. His breath stops, but he is not dead. If thought were he, the whole thing ought to go, but they find it does not go. That is practical [proof]. They came to the conclusion that even mind and thought were not the real man. Then speculation showed that it could not be.
I come, I think and talk. In the midst of all [this activity is] this unity [of the Self]. My thought and action are varied, many [fold] ... but in and through them runs ... that one unchangeable One. It cannot be the body. That is changing every minute. It cannot be the mind; new and fresh thoughts [come] all the time. It is neither the body nor the mind. Both body and mind belong to nature and must obey nature's laws. A free mind never will. ...
Now, therefore, this real man does not belong to nature. It is the person whose mind and body belong to nature. So much of nature we are using. Just as you come to use the pen and ink and chair, so he uses so much of nature in fine and in gross form; gross form, the body, and fine form, the mind. If it is simple, it must be formless. In nature alone are forms. That which is not of nature cannot have any forms, fine or gross. It must be formless. It must be omnipresent. Understand this. [Take] this glass on the table. The glass is form and the table is form. So much of the glass-ness goes off, so much of table-ness [when they break]. ...
The soul ... is nameless because it is formless. It will neither go to heaven nor [to hell] any more than it will enter this glass. It takes the form of the vessel it fills. If it is not in space, either of two things is possible. Either the [soul permeates] space or space is in [it]. You are in space and must have a form. Space limits us, binds us, and makes a form of us. If you are not in space, space is in you. All the heavens and the world are in the person. ...
So it must be with God. God is omnipresent. "Without hands [he grasps] everything; without feet he can move. ... " He [is] the formless, the deathless, the eternal. The idea of God came. ... He is the Lord of souls, just as my soul is the [lord] of my body. If my soul left the body, the body would not be for a moment. If He left my soul, the soul would not exist. He is the creator of the universe; of everything that dies He is the destroyer. His shadow is death; His shadow is life.
[The ancient Indian philosophers] thought: ... This filthy world is not fit for man's attention. There is nothing in the universe that is [permanent — neither good nor evil]. ...
I told you ... Satan ... did not have much chance [in India]. Why? Because they were very bold in religion. They were not babies. Have you seen that characteristic of children? They are always trying to throw the blame on someone else. Baby minds [are] trying, when they make a mistake, to throw the blame upon someone [else]. On the one hand, we say, "Give me this; give me that." On the other hand, we say, "I did not do this; the devil tempted me. The devil did it." That is the history of mankind, weak mankind. ...
Why is evil? Why is [the world] the filthy, dirty hole? We have made it. Nobody is to blame. We put our hand in the fire. The Lord bless us, [man gets] just what he deserves. Only He is merciful. If we pray to Him, He helps us. He gives Himself to us.
That is their idea. They are [of a] poetic nature. They go crazy over poetry. Their philosophy is poetry. This philosophy is a poem. ... All [high thought] in the Sanskrit is written in poetry. Metaphysics, astronomy — all in poetry.
We are responsible, and how do we come to mischief? [You may say], "I was born poor and miserable. I remember the hard struggle all my life." Philosophers say that you are to blame. You do not mean to say that all this sprang up without any cause whatever? You are a rational being. Your life is not without cause, and you are the cause. You manufacture your own life all the time. ... You make and mould your own life. You are responsible for yourself. Do not lay the blame upon anybody, any Satan. You will only get punished a little more. ...
[A man] is brought up before God, and He says, "Thirty-one stripes for you," ... when comes another man. He says, "Thirty stripes: fifteen for that fellow, and fifteen for the teacher — that awful man who taught him." That is the awful thing in teaching. I do not know what I am going to get. I go all over the world. If I have to get fifteen for each one I have taught!...
We have to come to this idea: "This My Mâyâ is divine." It is My activity [My] divinity. "[My Maya] is hard to cross, but those that take refuge in me [go beyond maya]." But you find out that it is very difficult to cross this ocean [of Maya by] yourself. You cannot. It is the old question - hen and egg. If you do any work, that work becomes the cause and produces the effect. That effect [again] becomes the cause and produces the effect. And so on. If you push this down, it never stops. Once you set a thing in motion, there is no more stopping. I do some work, good or bad, [and it sets up a chain reaction].... I cannot stop now.
It is impossible for us to get out from this bondage [by ourselves]. It is only possible if there is someone more powerful than this law of causation, and if he takes mercy on us and drags us out.
And we declare that there is such a one - God. There is such a being, all merciful.... If there is a God, then it is possible for me to be saved. How can you be saved by your own will? Do you see the philosophy of the doctrine of salvation by grace? You Western people are wonderfully clever, but when you undertake to explain philosophy, you are so wonderfully complicated. How can you save yourself by work, if by salvation you mean that you will be taken out of all this nature? Salvation means just standing upon God, but if you understand what is meant by salvation, then you are the Self.... You are not nature. You are the only thing outside of souls and gods and nature. These are the external existences, and God [is] interpenetrating both nature and soul.
Therefore, just as my soul is [to] my body, we, as it were, are the bodies of God. God-souls-nature — it is one. The One, because, as I say, I mean the body, soul, and mind. But, we have seen, the law of causation pervades every bit of nature, and once you have got caught you cannot get out. When once you get into the meshes of law, a possible way of escape is not [through work done] by you. You can build hospitals for every fly and flea that ever lived.... All this you may do, but it would never lead to salvation.... [Hospitals] go up and they come down again. [Salvation] is only possible if there is some being whom nature never caught, who is the Ruler of nature. He rules nature instead of being ruled by nature. He wills law instead of being downed by law. ... He exists and he is all merciful. The moment you seek Him [He will save you].
Why has He not taken us out? You do not want Him. You want everything but Him. The moment you want Him, that moment you get Him. We never want Him. We say, "Lord, give me a fine house." We want the house, not Him. "Give me health! Save me from this difficulty!" When a man wants nothing but Him, [he gets Him]. "The same love which wealthy men have for gold and silver and possessions, Lord, may I have the same love for Thee. I want neither earth nor heaven, nor beauty nor learning. I do not want salvation. Let me go to hell again and again. But one thing I want: to love Thee, and for love's sake — not even for heaven."
Whatever man desires, he gets. If you always dream of having a body, [you will get another body]. When this body goes away he wants another, and goes on begetting body after body. Love matter and you become matter. You first become animals. When I see a dog gnawing a bone, I say, "Lord help us!" Love body until you become dogs and cats! Still degenerate, until you become minerals — all body and nothing else....
There are other people, who would have no compromise. The road to salvation is through truth. That was another watchword. ...
[Man began to progress spiritually] when he kicked the devil out. He stood up and took the responsibility of the misery of the world upon his own shoulders. But whenever he looked [at the] past and future and [at the] law of causation, he knelt down and said, "Lord, save me, [thou] who [art] our creator, our father, and dearest friend." That is poetry, but not very good poetry, I think. Why not? It is the painting of the Infinite [no doubt]. You have it in every language how they paint the Infinite. [But] it is the infinite of the senses, of the muscles. ...
"[Him] the sun [does not illumine], nor the moon, nor the stars, [nor] the flash of lightning." That is another painting of the Infinite, by negative language. ... And the last Infinite is painted in [the] spirituality of the Upanishads. Not only is Vedanta the highest philosophy in the world, but it is the greatest poem....
Mark today, this is the ... difference between the first part of the Vedas and the second. In the first, it is all in [the domain of] sense. But all religions are only [concerned with the] infinite of the external world — nature and nature's God.... [Not so Vedanta]. This is the first light that the human mind throws back [of] all that. No satisfaction [comes] of the infinite [in] space. "[The] Self-exisent [One] has [created] the [senses as turned] ... to the outer world. Those therefore who [seek] outside will never find that [which is within]. There are the few who, wanting to know the truth, turn their eyes inward and in their own souls behold the glory [of the Self]."
It is not the infinite of space, but the real Infinite, beyond space, beyond time.... Such is the world missed by the Occident.... Their minds have been turned to external nature and nature's God. Look within yourself and find the truth that you had [forgotten]. Is it possible for mind to come out of this dream without the help of the gods? Once you start the action, there is no help unless the merciful Father takes us out.
That would not be freedom, [even] at the hands of the merciful God. Slavery is slavery. The chain of gold is quite as bad as the chain of iron. Is there a way out?
You are not bound. No one was ever bound. [The Self] is beyond. It is the all. You are the One; there are no two. God was your own reflection cast upon the screen of Maya. The real God [is the Self]. He [whom man] ignorantly worships is that reflection. [They say that] the Father in heaven is God. Why God? [It is because He is] your own reflection that [He] is God. Do you see how you are seeing God all the time? As you unfold yourself, the reflection grows [clearer].
"Two beautiful birds are there sitting upon the same tree. The one [is] calm, silent, majestic; the one below [the individual self], is eating the fruits, sweet and bitter, and becoming happy and sad. [But when the individual self beholds the worshipful Lord as his own true Self, he grieves no more.]"
... Do not say "God". Do not say "Thou". Say "I". The language of [dualism] says, "God, Thou, my Father." The language of [non-dualism] says, "Dearer unto me than I am myself. I would have no name for Thee. The nearest I can use is I....
"God is true. The universe is a dream. Blessed am I that I know this moment that I [have been and] shall be free all eternity; ... that I know that I am worshipping only myself; that no nature, no delusion, had any hold on me. Vanish nature from me, vanish [these] gods; vanish worship; ... vanish superstitions, for I know myself. I am the Infinite. All these — Mrs. So-and-so, Mr. So-and-so, responsibility, happiness, misery — have vanished. I am the Infinite. How can there be death for me, or birth? Whom shall I fear? I am the One. Shall I be afraid of myself? Who is to be afraid of [whom]? I am the one Existence. Nothing else exists. I am everything."
It is only the question of memory [of your true nature], not salvation by work. Do you get salvation? You are [already] free.
Go on saying, "I am free". Never mind if the next moment delusion comes and says, "I am bound." Dehypnotise the whole thing.
[This truth] is first to be heard. Hear it first. Think on it day and night. Fill the mind [with it] day and night: "I am It. I am the Lord of the universe. Never was there any delusion.... " Meditate upon it with all the strength of the mind till you actually see these walls, houses, everything, melt away — [until] body, everything, vanishes. "I will stand alone. I am the One." Struggle on! "Who cares! We want to be free; [we] do not want any powers. Worlds we renounce; heavens we renounce; hells we renounce. What do I care about all these powers, and this and that! What do I care if the mind is controlled or uncontrolled! Let it run on. What of that! I am not the mind, Let it go on!"
The sun [shines on the just and on the unjust]. Is he touched by the defective [character] of anyone? "I am He. Whatever [my] mind does, I am not touched. The sun is not touched by shining on filthy places, I am Existence."
This is the religion of [non-dual] philosophy. [It is] difficult. Struggle on! Down with all superstitions! Neither teachers nor scriptures nor gods [exist]. Down with temples, with priests, with gods, with incarnations, with God himself! I am all the God that ever existed! There, stand up philosophers! No fear! Speak no more of God and [the] superstition of the world. Truth alone triumphs, and this is true. I am the Infinite.
All religious superstitions are vain imaginations. ... This society, that I see you before me, and [that] I am talking to you — this is all superstition; all must be given up. Just see what it takes to become a philosopher! This is the [path] of [Jnâna-] Yoga, the way through knowledge. The other [paths] are easy, slow, ... but this is pure strength of mind. No weakling [can follow this path of knowledge. You must be able to say:] "I am the Soul, the ever free; [I] never was bound. Time is in me, not I in time. God was born in my mind. God the Father, Father of the universe — he is created by me in my own mind...."
Do you call yourselves philosophers? Show it! Think of this, talk [of] this, and [help] each other in this path, and give up all superstition!
Notes
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。