印度教的生活方式
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中文
印度教的人生观
（《布鲁克林时报》，一八九四年十二月三十一日）
布鲁克林伦理协会昨晚在波奇画廊为斯瓦米·辨喜举行了一场欢迎招待会。……招待会之前，这位尊贵的来访者就"印度的宗教"发表了一场极为精彩的演讲。他所阐述的诸多见解中，有如下这些：
"印度教徒的人生观是：我们来到世间是为了学习；人生全部的幸福就在于学习；人类的灵魂在此世间是为了热爱学习、积累经验。阅读了你们的《圣经》，我才能更好地解读我自己的经典；而阅读了我们的经典，你们也将更好地理解自己的《圣经》。若只有一种宗教是真实的，那么所有其他宗教也必然是真实的。同一真理以不同的形式显现，而这些形式则取决于不同民族在物质或精神性情上的各异处境。
"若物质及其变化能解释我们所拥有的一切，便无需假设灵魂的存在。然而，思想从物质中进化而来这一观点，却无法得到证明。我们不能否认身体会遗传某些倾向，但这些倾向仅意味着物质的构型，唯有特定的心灵方能借此以特定的方式行动。灵魂中这些特殊的倾向，是由过去的行为所造成的。一个具有某种倾向的灵魂，将依据亲和力之法则，投生于最适合展现该倾向的身体之中。这与科学完全吻合，因为科学力图用习惯来解释一切，而习惯则是通过反复实践获得的。因此，这些反复实践同样对于解释新生灵魂的天然习性是必要的。这些习性并非在今生获得；因此，它们必定是从过去的生命中传承而来的。
"所有宗教都不过是不同的阶段。每一种宗教都代表着人类灵魂在走向认识上帝的道路上所经历的一个阶段。因此，没有一种宗教应当被轻视。这些阶段没有一个是危险的或不好的，它们都是好的。就像孩子成长为青年，青年成长为老人一样，人们也是从一个真理行进至另一个真理；只有当这些阶段变得僵化、不再前行时，才会变得危险——当一个人停止成长之时。若孩子拒绝成长为老人，那便是患了病；但若他们稳健地成长，每一步都将引领他们前行，直至抵达完整的真理。因此，我们相信既有人格神也有无属性的绝对神，同时我们相信所有曾经存在过的宗教、所有当今存在的宗教，以及所有将来会在世界上出现的宗教。我们还相信，我们不仅应当宽容这些宗教，更应当接纳它们。
"在物质世界中，扩展即是生命，收缩即是死亡。凡停止扩展者，便停止了生存。将此译入道德世界，我们便可知：若一个人要扩展，他必须去爱；当他停止爱时，他便死去了。这是你的本性；你必须这样做，因为这是生命唯一的法则。因此，我们必须为爱而爱上帝，所以我们必须为责任而尽责任；我们必须为工作而工作，而不求任何回报——要知道，你是更纯洁、更完美的，要知道，这才是真正的上帝圣殿。"
（《布鲁克林每日鹰报》，一八九四年十二月三十一日）
在谈及伊斯兰教徒、佛教徒及印度其他宗教流派的观点之后，这位演讲者说道：印度教徒通过吠陀[Veda]的启示获得他们的宗教，而吠陀教导说，创造没有开始也没有终结。吠陀教导说，人是居于身体之中的灵魂。身体将会消亡，但人不会。灵魂将继续存在。灵魂并非从无中被创造出来，因为创造意味着结合，而结合意味着未来必然的消散。既然如此，若灵魂是被创造出来的，它就必定会消亡。因此，它并非被创造出来的。也许有人会问：为何我们不记得任何过去生命中的事情？这是可以轻易解释的。意识只不过是心灵海洋的表面，而我们所有的经历都储存在其深处。渴望是为了找到某种稳定的东西。心灵、身体，乃至整个自然界，实际上都在不断变化之中。关于寻找某种无限之物这一问题，早已被讨论了很长时间。其中一个流派，以现代佛教徒为代表，教导说凡不能由五感验证的，皆不存在；每一个对象都依赖于所有其他对象，认为人是独立实体乃是一种幻觉。另一方面，唯心主义者则主张，每个个体都是独立的存在。这一问题的真正解答在于：自然是依存与独立、现实与理想主义的混合体。存在着一种依存关系，这由如下事实所证明：我们身体的运动受心灵的控制，而我们的心灵则受我们内在之灵的控制，基督徒称之为灵魂。死亡不过是一种变化。那些已经离去并在彼界占据崇高位置者，与留在此界的人本质相同；而那些在彼界占据较低位置者，也与此界的其他人相同。每一个人类都是完美的存在。若我们坐在黑暗中哀叹黑暗，这于事无补；但若我们取来火柴划出光亮，黑暗便立刻消散。同样，若我们坐而哀叹身体不完美、灵魂不完美，我们也不会从中得益。当我们引入理性之光，疑惑的黑暗便将消散。生命的目的在于学习。基督徒可以向印度教徒学习，印度教徒也可以向基督徒学习。读了我们的经典之后，他才能更好地解读自己的《圣经》。"告诉你们的孩子，"他说，"宗教是积极的东西，而非消极的东西。它不是人的教诲，而是我们本性中某种更高力量的成长与发展，寻求着出路。每一个降生于世间的孩子，都带着某种积累的经历而来。那种拥有我们的独立意识，表明在我们的心灵与身体之外还有某种东西。身体和心灵是依附的。赋予我们生命的灵魂是一种独立的因素，它创造了对自由的渴望。若我们并不自由，我们又如何希望使世界变得美好或完美？我们持有这样的信念：我们是自己的塑造者，我们所拥有的一切都是我们自己造就的。我们造就了它，我们也能将其改变。我们相信上帝，相信我们所有人的父，相信他的子女的创造者与保护者，无所不在，无所不能。我们相信人格神，就如你们一样；但我们更进一步。我们相信我们就是他。我们相信所有过去存在的宗教，所有现在存在的宗教，以及所有将来会出现的宗教。印度教徒向所有宗教顶礼，因为在这个世界上，理念是加法，而非减法。我们愿为上帝——那位人格神、创造者——献上一束汇聚所有美丽色彩的花束。我们必须为爱而爱上帝，我们必须为责任而履行对他的责任，必须为工作而为他工作，必须为敬拜而敬拜他。
"书籍是好的，但它们只不过是地图。按照一个人的指示读书，我读到某年降雨量达若干英寸。然后他叫我拿着书用双手挤压。我照做了，却没有一滴水从书中流出。书传达的仅仅是一个概念。因此，我们可以从书籍中、从庙宇中、从教堂中、从一切事物中获益，只要它引领我们向前向上。祭祀、跪拜、吟诵与喃喃低语并非宗教。若它们能帮助我们达到一种对完美的感知——当我们与基督面对面时将要实现的那种完美——它们都是好的。这些是向我们传递的言辞或教诫，我们可以从中获益。当哥伦布发现这块大陆时，他回去告诉他的同胞，说他发现了新世界。他们不相信，或者说有些人不相信，于是他告诉他们自己去寻找。我们亦如此，我们阅读这些真理，然后亲身求证，在自己内心寻得真理，于是我们拥有了一种任何人都无法夺走的信仰。"
演讲结束后，主持人给予在场听众机会，就他们希望了解演讲者观点的任何问题进行提问。许多人都把握了这个机会。
附注
English
THE HINDU VIEW OF LIFE
(Brooklyn Times, December 31, 1894)
The Brooklyn Ethical Association, at the Pouch Gallery last night, tendered a reception to Swami Vivekananda. . . . Previous to the reception the distinguished visitor delivered a remarkably interesting lecture on "The Religions of India". Among other things he said:
"The Hindoo's view of life is that we are here to learn; the whole happiness of life is to learn; the human soul is here to love learning and get experience. I am able to read my Bible better by your Bible, and you will learn to read your Bible the better by my Bible. If there is but one religion to be true, all the rest must be true. The same truth has manifested itself in different forms, and the forms are according to the different circumstances of the physical or mental nature of the different nations.
"If matter and its transformation answer for all that we have, there is no necessity for supposing the existence of a soul. But it can [not] be proven that thought has been evolved out of matter. We can not deny that bodies inherit certain tendencies, but those tendencies only mean the physical configuration through which a peculiar mind alone can act in a peculiar way. These peculiar tendencies in that soul have been caused by past actions. A soul with a certain tendency will take birth in a body which is the fittest instrument for the display of that tendency, by the laws of affinity. And this is in perfect accord with science, for science wants to explain everything by habit, and habit is got through repetitions. So these repetitions are also necessary to explain the natural habits of a new-born soul. They were not got in this present life; therefore, they must have come down from past lives.
"All religions are so many stages. Each one of them represents the stage through which the human soul passes to realize God. Therefore, not one of them should be neglected. None of the stages are dangerous or bad. They are good. Just as a child becomes a young man, and a young man becomes an old man, so they are travelling from truth to truth; they become dangerous only when they become rigid, and will not move further — when he ceases to grow. If the child refuses to become an old man, then he is diseased, but if they steadily grow, each step will lead them onward until they reach the whole truth. Therefore, we believe in both a personal and impersonal God, and at the same time we believe in all the religions that were, all the religions that are, and all the religions that will be in the world. We also believe we ought not only tolerate these religions, but to accept them.
"In the material physical world, expansion is life, and contraction is death. Whatever ceases to expand ceases to live. Translating this in the moral world we have: If one would expand, he must love, and when he ceases to love he dies. It is your nature; you must, because that is the only law of life. Therefore, we must love God for love's sake, so we must do our duty for duty's sake; we must work for work's sake without looking for any reward — know that you are purer and more perfect, know that this is the real temple of God."
(Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 31, 1894)
After referring to the views of the Mohammedans, the Buddhists and other religious schools of India, the speaker said that the Hindoos received their religion through the revelations of the Vedas, who teach that creation is without beginning or end. They teach that man is a spirit living in a body. The body will die, but the man will not. The spirit will go on living. The soul was not created from nothing for creation means a combination and that means a certain future dissolution. If then the soul was created it must die. Therefore, it was not created. He might be asked how it is that we do not remember anything of our past lives. This could be easily explained. Consciousness is the name only of the surface of the mental ocean, and within its depths are stored up all our experiences. The desire was to find out something that was stable. The mind, the body, all nature, in fact, is changing. This question of finding something that was infinite had long been discussed. One school of which the modern Buddhists are the representatives, teach that everything that could not be solved by the five senses was nonexistent. That every object is dependent upon all others, that it is a delusion that man is an independent entity. The idealists, on the other hand, claim that each individual is an independent body. The true solution of this problem is that nature is a mixture of dependence and independence, of reality and idealism. There is a dependence which is proved by the fact that the movements of our bodies are controlled by our minds, and our minds are controlled by the spirit within us, which Christians call the soul. Death is but a change. Those who have passed beyond and are occupying high positions there are but the same as those who remain here, and those who are occupying lower positions there are the same as others here. Every human being is a perfect being. If we sit down in the dark and lament that it is so dark it will profit us nothing, but if we procure matches and strike a light, the darkness goes out immediately. So, if we sit down and lament that our bodies are imperfect, that our souls are imperfect, we are not profited. When we call in the light of reason, then this darkness of doubt will disappear. The object of life is to learn. Christians can learn from the Hindus, and the Hindus from Christians. He could read his Bible better after reading ours. "Tell your children," he said, "that religion is a positive something, and not a negative something. It is not the teachings of men, but a growth, a development of something higher within our nature that seeks outlet. Every child born into the world is born with a certain accumulated experience. The idea of independence which possesses us shows there is something in us besides mind and body. The body and mind are dependent. The soul that animates us is an independent factor that creates this wish for freedom. If we are not free how can we hope to make the world good or perfect? We hold that we are makers of ourselves, that what we have we make ourselves. We have made it and we can unmake it. We believe in God, the Father of us all, the Creator and Preserver of His children, omnipresent and omnipotent. We believe in a personal God, as you do, but we go further. We believe that we are He. We believe in all the religions that have gone before, in all that now exist and in all that are to come. The Hindu bows down to the all religion [sic] for in this world the idea is addition, not subtraction. We would make up a bouquet of all beautiful colors for God, the Creator, who is a personal God. We must love Cod for love's sake, we must do our duty to Him for duty's sake, and must work for Him for work's sake and must worship Him for worship's sake.
"Books are good but they are only maps. Reading a book by direction of a man I read that so many inches of rain fell during the year. Then he told me to take the book and squeeze it between my hands. I did so and not a drop of water came from it. It was the idea only that the book conveyed. So we can get good from books, from the temple, from the church, from anything, so long as it leads us onward and upward. Sacrifices, genuflections, rumblings and mutterings are not religion. They are all good if they help us to come to a perception of the perfection which we shall realize when we come face to face with Christ. These are words or instructions to us by which we may profit. Columbus, when he discovered this continent, went back and told his countrymen that he had found the new world. They would not believe him, or some would not, and he told them to go and search for themselves. So with us, we read these truths and come in and find the truths for ourselves and then we have a belief which no one can take from us."
After the lecture an opportunity was given those present to question the speaker on any point on which they wished to have his views. Many of them availed themselves of this offer.
Notes
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。