对神的爱
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中文
对神的爱
（《底特律论坛报》，1894年2月21日）
昨晚，第一唯一神教堂座无虚席，众多听众前来聆听辨喜的演讲。听众来自杰斐逊大道与伍德沃德大道上段，其中大多数是女士，她们似乎对演讲者的讲述深感兴趣，并以极大的热情为这位婆罗门的若干见解鼓掌致意。
演讲者所着力探讨的爱，并非与情欲相伴的爱，而是印度人对其神灵所感受的那种纯洁而神圣的爱。正如辨喜在演讲开篇所指出的，演讲的主题是"印度人对其神灵所感受的爱"。然而他并未局限于这一主题。他演讲的大部分内容，是对基督教的批评。关于印度宗教与对其神灵之爱，只是演讲的次要部分。他在演讲中援引了历史上著名人物的若干生动故事加以阐发。这些故事的主角，是他本国历史上著名的莫卧儿帝王，而非印度本土的国王。
演讲者将宗教信仰者分为两类：智慧之道（Jnana）的追随者与虔信之道（Bhakti）的追随者。智慧之道追随者一生的终点，是体验。虔信者一生的终点，是爱。
他说，爱是一种牺牲。它从不索取，而是永远给予。印度教徒从不向其神祇祈求任何事物，从不祈祷得到救赎与死后的幸福，而是让整个灵魂在一种令人心醉神迷的爱中归向神灵。这种美好的存在状态，唯有当一个人感受到对上帝无法遏制的渴望时，方能达到。彼时，上帝便以其全然的圆满降临。
看待上帝有三种不同的方式。其一是将祂视为威严的人格神，俯身膜拜其威能。其二是将祂作为父亲来礼拜。在印度，父亲总是惩戒孩子，对父亲的敬仰与爱中，掺杂着几分畏惧之感。还有一种方式，是将上帝视为母亲。在印度，母亲总是受到真诚的爱与崇敬。这便是印度教徒看待其神灵的方式。
辨喜说，一个真正的爱神者，会如此全然沉浸于他的爱之中，以至于他没有时间驻足，告诉另一教派的成员说，他们正在走一条通向神的错误道路，并试图将他们引向自己的思想。
* * *
（《底特律日报》）
如果在这座城市开展演讲系列的婆罗门僧侣辨喜能再多留一周，底特律最大的礼堂也将容纳不下那些渴望聆听他演讲的人群。他已成为一种真正的风靡时尚，昨晚唯一神教堂的每个座位皆已满员，许多人被迫站立聆听全场演讲。
演讲者的主题是"对神的爱"。他对爱的定义是："某种绝对无私的东西；一种不存在任何念头，只知颂扬与崇拜我们所钟情之对象的力量。"他说，爱是一种俯首膜拜、不求任何回报的品质。他认为，对上帝的爱则有所不同。他说，我们接受上帝，并非真的因为需要祂，除非是出于私心。他的演讲充满故事与轶事，无不说明隐藏在爱神动机背后的私心。演讲者援引雅歌，称其为基督教《圣经》中最为优美的部分，而他深感遗憾地听说，这部分内容存在被删除的可能性。"事实上，"他宣称，以一种有力的论断作为收尾，"对神的爱似乎建立在'我能从中得到什么'的理论之上。基督徒在其爱中如此自私，以至于他们不断地向上帝祈求各种赏赐，包括一切私欲之事。因此，现代宗教不过是一种单纯的嗜好与时尚，人们蜂拥到教堂，如同一群盲目的羊群。"
注释
English
(Detroit Tribune, February 21, 1894)
The First Unitarian Church was crowded last night to hear Vive Kananda. The audience was composed of people who came from Jefferson Avenue and the upper part of Woodward Avenue. Most of it was ladies who seemed deeply interested in the address and applauded several remarks of the Brahman with much enthusiasm.
The love that was dwelt upon by the speaker was not the love that goes with passion, but a pure and holy love that one in India feels for his God. As Vive Kananda stated at the commencement of his address the subject was "The Love the Indian Feels for His God." But he did not preach to his text. The major portion of his address was an attack on the Christian religion. The religion of the Indian and the love of his God was the minor portion. The points in his address were illustrated with several applicable anecdotes of famous people in the history. The subjects of the anecdotes were renowned Mogul emperors of his native land and not of the native Hindu kings.
The professors of religion were divided into two classes by the lecturer, the followers of knowledge and the followers of devotion. The end in the life of the followers of knowledge was experience. The end in the life of the devotee was love.
Love, he said, was a sacrifice. It never takes, but it always gives. The Hindu never asks anything of his God, never prayed for salvation and a happy hereafter, but instead lets his whole soul go out to his God in an entrancing love. That beautiful state of existence could only be gained when a person felt an overwhelming want of God. Then God came in all of His fullness.
There were three different ways of looking at God. One was to look upon Him as a mighty personage and fall down and worship His might. Another was to worship Him as a father. In India the father always punished the children and an element of fear was mixed with the regard and love for a father. Still another way to think of God was as a mother. In India a mother was always truly loved and reverenced. That was the Indian's way of looking at their God.
Kananda said that a true lover of God would be so wrapt up in his love that he would have no time to stop and tell members of another sect that they were following the wrong road to secure the God, and strive to bring him to his way of thinking.
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(Detroit Journal)
If Vive Kananda, the Brahmin monk, who is delivering a lecture course in this city could be induced to remain for a week longer, the largest hall in Detroit would not hold the crowds which would be anxious to hear him. He has become a veritable fad, as last evening every seat in the Unitarian church was occupied, and many were compelled to stand throughout the entire lecture.
The speaker's subject was, "The Love of God". His definition of love was "something absolutely unselfish; that which has no thought beyond the glorification and adoration of the object upon which our affections are bestowed." Love, he said, is a quality which bows down And worships and asks nothing in return. Love of God, he thought, was different. God is not accepted, he said, because we really need him, except for selfish purposes. His lecture was replete with story and anecdote, all going to show the selfish motive underlying the motive of love for God. The Songs of Solomon were cited by the lecturer as the most beautiful portion of the Christian Bible and yet he had heard with deep regret that there was a possibility of their being removed. "In fact," he declared, as a sort clinching argument at the close, "the love of God appears to be based upon a theory of 'What can I get out of it?' Christians are so selfish in their love that they are continually asking God to give them something, including all manner of selfish things. Modern religion is, therefore, nothing but a mere hobby and fashion and people flock to church like a lot of sheep."
Notes
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。