印度的礼仪与习俗
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中文
协会礼堂昨日座无虚席，听众皆为女士，前来聆听婆罗门僧侣斯瓦米·辨喜讲述「印度的宗教」（实为「印度的风俗习惯」），此次讲演旨在为第十六选区日托所（实为泰勒街日托所）筹募善款。这位婆罗门僧侣已成为波士顿的时尚风潮，一如他去年在芝加哥那般，他真诚、正直而有涵养的风度为他赢得了众多朋友。
他说，印度教民族并非热衷于婚嫁，并非因为我们厌恶女性，而是因为我们的宗教教导我们礼拜女性。印度教徒从小被教导要在每一位女性身上见到自己的母亲，而没有人会想要迎娶自己的母亲。上帝对我们而言就是母亲。我们并不在乎天国中的上帝；对我们来说，上帝就是母亲。我们视婚姻为一种低俗的状态，如果一个男人确实结婚，那是因为他需要一位宗教生活上的伴侣。
你们说我们虐待女性。世界上有哪个民族没有虐待过女性？在欧美，一个男人可以为了金钱而娶一个女人，在夺取了她的钱财之后，再将她踢出门外。而在印度，恰恰相反，当一个女人为了金钱而嫁人，她的孩子按照我们的教义便被视为奴隶；而当一个富人结婚，他的财产便移归妻子掌管，因此他几乎不可能将自己财产的守护者扫地出门。
你们说我们是异教徒，是未受教育、缺乏教化的人，但我们在衣袖下暗笑你们竟对我们说出如此粗鄙之言。在我们这里，决定种姓的是品质与出身，而非金钱。在印度，任何数量的金钱都毫无用处。在种姓制度中，最贫穷者与最富有者一般高贵，这正是种姓制度最美好的特质之一。
金钱制造了世界上的战争，使基督徒们相互践踏倾轧。嫉妒、仇恨与贪婪皆从追逐金钱中滋生。在这里，一切都是劳作、喧嚣与纷扰。种姓制度使人从这一切中得以解脱。它使一个人得以以较少的金钱生活，并为所有人带来工作。种姓中人有时间思考自己的灵魂；而这正是印度社会所渴求的。
婆罗门天生是为礼拜上帝而存在的，他的种姓愈高，其社会限制便愈大。种姓制度使我们作为一个民族得以存续，尽管它有许多缺陷，但其优点更多。
辨喜先生描述了印度古今的大学与学院，尤其是贝拿勒斯的那所大学，拥有两万名学生和教授。
他继续道：当你们评判我的宗教时，你们以自己的宗教为完美、以我的宗教为错误为前提；当你们批评印度社会时，你们以凡不符合你们标准之处便是缺乏教化为假设。这是无稽之谈。
关于教育问题，演讲者说，印度受过教育的人会成为教授，而受教育程度较低的人则会成为祭司。
English
THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF INDIA
(Boston Herald, May 15, 1894)
Association Hall was crowded with ladies yesterday, to hear Swami Vivekananda, the Brahmin Monk talk about "The Religion of India" [actually "The Manners and Customs of India"], for the benefit of the ward 16 day nursery [actually, Tyler-street Day Nursery]. The Brahmin monk has become a fad in Boston, as he was in Chicago last year, and his earnest, honest, cultured manner has won many friends for him.
The Hindoo nation is not given to marriage, he said, not because we are women haters, but because our religion teaches us to worship women. The Hindoo is taught to see in every woman his mother, and no man wants to marry his mother. God is mother to us. We don't care anything about God in heaven; it is mother to us. We consider marriage a low vulgar state, and if a man does marry, it is because he needs a helpmate for religion.
You say we ill-treat our women. What nation in the world has not ill-treated its women? In Europe or America a man can marry a woman for money, and, after capturing her dollars, can kick her out. In India, on the contrary, when a woman marries for money, her children are considered slaves, according to our teaching, and when a rich man marries, his money passes into the hands of his wife, so that he would be scarcely likely to turn the keeper of his money out of doors.
You say we are heathens, we are uneducated, uncultivated, but we laugh in our sleeves at your want of refinement in telling us such things. With us, quality and birth make caste, not money. No amount of money can do anything for you in India. In caste the poorest is as good as the richest, and that is one of the most beautiful things about it.
Money has made warfare in the world, and caused Christians to trample on each other's necks. Jealousy, hatred and avariciousness are born of money-getters. Here it is all work, hustle and bustle. Caste saves a man from all this. It makes it possible for a man to live with less money, and it brings work to all. The man of caste has time to think of his soul; and that is what we want in the society of India.
The Brahmin is born to worship God, and the higher his caste, the greater his social restrictions are. Caste has kept us alive as a nation, and while it has many defects, it has many more advantages.
Mr. Vivekananda described the universities and colleges of India, both ancient and modern, notably the one at Benares, that has 20,000 students and professors.
When you judge my religion, he continued, you take it that yours is perfect and mine wrong; and when you criticise the society of India you suppose it to be uncultured just so far as it does not conform to your standard. That is nonsense.
In reference to the matter of education, the speaker said that the educated men of India become professors, while the less educated become priests.
Notes
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。