礼拜者与被礼拜者
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中文
崇拜者与被崇拜者
（本讲座转载自《吠檀多与西方》，参见第四卷。）
（一九〇〇年四月九日于旧金山地区演讲）
我们一直在探讨人性中更偏重分析的一面。在这门课程中，我们将研究情感的一面……前者处理的是作为无限存在、作为原则的人，后者处理的是作为有限存在的人……前者无暇为几滴泪水或几缕痛苦驻足；后者不擦干泪水、不抚平苦难便无法前行。前者宏大，如此宏大壮丽，以至于有时我们被其巨大的规模所震慑；后者平凡，但却最美丽、最为我们所珍爱。前者抓住我们，将我们带到几乎令肺部爆裂的高处。我们无法在那种大气中呼吸。后者让我们留在原地，试图看清生活的对象，采取有限的视角。前者在一切事物打上理性的闪亮印章之前不肯接受；后者拥有信仰，它看不见的东西它便相信。两者都是必要的。一只鸟不能只靠一翼飞翔……
我们所需要的是看到一个和谐发展的人……心灵伟大，思想伟大，行为伟大……我们需要一个内心深切感受着世间苦难与悲伤的人……我们还需要一个不仅能够感受，而且能够发现事物意义的人——一个深入探究自然之心并加以理解的人。我们需要的是一个甚至不会止步于此的人，他要通过实际行动将感受和意义付诸实践。这种头脑、心灵和双手的结合，正是我们所需要的。世上有许多导师，但你会发现他们大多是片面的。一个人看到了智慧的灿烂正午阳光，便什么也看不到了。另一个人听到了爱的美妙音乐，便什么也听不到了。还有一个人沉浸于行动之中，既没有时间去感受，也没有时间去思考。为什么不拥有一个同样活跃、同样有知、同样充满爱的巨人呢？这可能吗？当然可能。这就是未来之人——当前只有寥寥数人。这样的人将越来越多，直到整个世界都成为真正的人。
我已经对你们讲了很长时间关于智慧与理性的话题。我们已经听完了整个吠檀多。摩耶（Maya）的面纱裂开了：冬日的乌云消散，阳光照耀在我们身上。我一直试图攀登喜马拉雅山（Himalayas）的高峰，那里的山巅消失在云端之上。我建议与你们一起来研究另一面：最美丽的山谷，自然中最奇妙精致之处。我们将研究那种尽管世间有一切苦难却仍将我们系留于此的爱——那种使我们铸造了苦难之链的爱——人心甘情愿、出于自愿承受的这种永恒的殉道。我们要研究的是人为之亲手铸造枷锁的那个东西，为之受苦的那个东西——那永恒之爱。我们无意忘记前者。喜马拉雅山的冰川必须与克什米尔的稻田携手。雷霆的低音必须与鸟儿的啼鸣交融。
这门课程将涉及一切精妙和美丽之事。崇拜无处不在，存在于每一个灵魂之中。每个人都在崇拜神。无论使用什么名称，他们都在崇拜神。崇拜的起源——如同美丽的莲花，如同生命本身——根植于大地的泥土之中……这里有恐惧的成分。这里有对世间利益的渴求。这里有乞丐式的崇拜。这些都是世界崇拜的起点，最终达到通过人来爱神、崇拜神的境界。
有没有神？有没有可以被爱的存在，有没有这样一位能够承受爱的存在？爱一块石头不会有多大益处。我们只爱那理解爱的、那吸引我们的爱的存在。崇拜也是如此。永远不要说这个世界上有一个人崇拜过一块石头本身。他崇拜的始终是石头中的遍在者。
我们发现那遍在者就在我们自身之中。但我们如何崇拜呢？除非那个存在与我们分离。我只能崇拜"汝"，而非崇拜"我"。我只能向"汝"祈祷，而非向"我"祈祷。有没有一个"汝"？
太一化为多。当我们看到太一时，任何通过摩耶映现的限制都消失了；但多元也并非毫无价值，这是完全正确的。正是通过多，我们到达一……
有没有一位人格神——一位思考的、理解的、引导我们的神？有的。非人格之神不可能具有这些属性中的任何一个。你们每个人都是一个个体：你们思考、你们爱、你们恨、你们愤怒、你们悲伤等等；然而你们又是非人格的、无限的。你们在同一个人身上既是人格的又是非人格的。你们有人格的一面和非人格的一面。那非人格的实在不会愤怒、不会悲伤、不会痛苦——甚至不能思考痛苦。它不能思考，不能认知。它本身就是知识。但人格的一面认知、思考、死亡等等。宇宙的绝对者自然必须有两个面向：一个代表万物的无限实在，另一个是人格的面向——我们灵魂的灵魂、万主之主。正是祂创造了这个宇宙。在祂的引导下，这个宇宙存在着……
祂，那无限者、永远纯净者、永远自由者……祂不是审判者。神不能是审判者。祂不端坐在宝座上审判善与恶……祂既不是地方官，也不是将军，也不是主人。无限慈悲，无限仁爱——这就是人格神。
从另一个角度来看。你身体中的每一个细胞都有一个对该细胞有意识的灵魂。它是一个独立的实体。它有一点自己的意志，一个小小的行动领域。所有细胞结合起来构成一个个体。同样地，宇宙的人格神由所有这些众多的个体构成。
从另一个角度来看。你——如我所见到的你——是你的绝对本性中被一个人所限制和感知到的那一部分。我通过我的眼睛、我的感官的力量限制了你而看到你。你的多少被我的眼睛所能看见的，我就看见多少。你的多少被我的心灵所能把握的，就是我所知道的你，仅此而已。同样地，我在读解那绝对者、那非人格者，而将祂看作人格的。只要我们有身体和心灵，我们就总是看到这三位一体的存在：神、自然和灵魂。三者必须永远合一，不可分割……这里有自然。这里有人类灵魂。又有那包含自然和人类灵魂的太一。
宇宙灵魂已经显化为有形。我的灵魂本身就是神的一部分。祂是我们眼中之眼，我们生命中之生命，我们心灵中之心灵，我们灵魂中之灵魂。这是我们所能拥有的最高的人格神理想。
如果你不是二元论者而是一元论者，你仍然可以拥有人格神……那无二的太一存在着。那个太一想要爱祂自己。因此，从那个太一中，祂化生出了众多……是那个大我、真实的我，在被那个小我崇拜着。因此在一切体系中你都可以拥有人格神。
有些人生来就比其他人幸福：在一位公正的存在的统治下，为什么会这样？这个世界中有死亡。这些就是路上的困难。这些问题从未被回答过。它们无法从任何二元论的层面来回答。我们必须回到哲学上来，如实地看待事物。我们在承受自己的业（Karma）。这不是神的过错。我们所做的是我们自己的过错，仅此而已。为什么要怪罪神？……
为什么有邪恶？你能解决这个问题的唯一方式是说神是善与恶的共同原因。人格神理论中的一大困难在于，如果你说祂只是善的而非恶的，你就会陷入自己论证的陷阱。你如何知道有神？你说祂是这个宇宙的父，你说祂是善的；但因为世间也有恶，所以神必然也是恶的……同样的困难！
没有善，也没有恶。神就是一切……你如何知道什么是善？你感受到了。你如何知道什么是恶？如果恶来了，你感受到了……我们通过感受来判断善与恶。没有一个人只感受到善的、快乐的感受。也没有一个人只感受到不快乐的感受……
欲求和焦虑是一切不幸的原因，同样也是一切幸福的原因。欲求是在增加还是在减少？生活是在变简单还是在变复杂？当然是更加复杂。欲求在不断增加。你的曾祖父们不需要你所需要的同样的衣服或同样多的钱。他们没有电车，没有铁路等等。这就是他们不必如此辛苦工作的原因。一旦这些东西出现，欲求便随之产生，你就得更加辛苦地工作。越来越多的焦虑，越来越多的竞争。
赚钱是很辛苦的工作。守住钱更辛苦。你与全世界斗争以积聚一点钱财，又终生奋斗以保护它。因此富人比穷人更加焦虑……事情就是这样……
善与恶在这个世界上到处都有。有时恶变成善，这不错；但有时善也变成恶。我们的一切感官有时也会产生恶。让一个人饮酒，起初并非坏事，但让他继续饮下去，它就会产生恶……一个人出生于富裕家庭，这够好的。但他变成了一个愚人，从不锻炼身体或头脑。这就是善产生恶。想想这种对生命的贪恋：我们四处奔走跳跃，活了几个短暂的时刻；我们辛勤工作。我们以完全无能的婴儿身份出生。我们花费多年才重新理解事物。到了六十或七十岁我们才睁开双眼，然后就传来那句话："出去吧！"你就这么走了。
我们已经看到，善与恶是相对的概念。对我来说好的东西对你来说可能是坏的。如果你吃我吃的饭菜，你会哭泣，而我会欢笑……我们可能都在跳舞，但我因喜悦而舞，你却因痛苦而舞……同一件事在我们生命的某个阶段是好的，在另一个阶段则是坏的。你怎能说善和恶是截然分明的——这全是善，那全是恶？
那么，如果神永远是善的，谁要为这一切善恶负责？基督徒和穆斯林说有一位叫撒旦的先生。你怎能说有两位先生在运作？只能有一位……烧伤孩子的火同样烹饪了饭菜。你怎能说火是善是恶，怎能说它是由两个不同的造物者所创造的？谁创造了一切所谓的恶？神。别无他途。祂送来死亡和生命，瘟疫和流行病，以及一切。如果神是这样的，祂就是善；祂就是恶；祂是美丽的；祂是可怖的；祂是生命；祂也是死亡。
这样的神如何崇拜？我们将会理解灵魂如何真正学会崇拜那可怖者；那时灵魂才会获得安宁……你有安宁吗？你能摆脱焦虑吗？首先转过身来面对那可怖的。撕下面具，发现同一个神。祂就是那个人格者——表面上善的一切和表面上恶的一切。没有别的了。如果有两个神，自然一刻也无法维持。自然中没有另一个了。一切都是和谐。如果神在一边而魔鬼在另一边，整个自然就会陷入混乱。谁能打破法则？如果我打碎这块玻璃，它会掉下来。如果有人成功地将一个原子移出其位置，每一个其他的原子都会失去平衡……法则永远不能被打破。每一个原子都被保持在其位置上。每一个都被称量和度量，履行其目的和位置。通过祂的命令，风在吹拂，太阳在照耀。通过祂的治理，世界被保持在各自的位置上。通过祂的旨意，死亡在大地上游戏。想想两三个神在这个世界上摔跤比赛的样子！那是不可能的。
我们现在来看到，我们可以拥有人格神——这个宇宙的创造者——祂既慈悲又残酷……祂是善，祂是恶。祂微笑，祂皱眉。没有人能超越祂的法则。祂是这个宇宙的创造者。
所谓创造，是什么从虚无中产生出来吗？六千年前神从梦中醒来创造了世界，在那之前什么都没有？神那时在做什么，在美美地打盹吗？神是宇宙的因，我们可以通过果来认识因。如果果不存在，因就不是因。因总是在果中并通过果来认识的……创造是无限的……你无法想象时间或空间的开端。
祂为什么创造？因为祂喜欢；因为祂是自由的……你我都受法则约束，因为我们只能以某些方式而非其他方式运作。"没有双手，祂能把握一切。没有双足，祂行动迅疾。"没有身体，祂是全能的。"无眼可见祂，但祂是每只眼中视觉的根源——知祂为主。"你无法崇拜任何其他存在。神是这个宇宙的全能护持者。所谓"法则"是祂意志的显现。祂以祂的法则统治着宇宙。
到目前为止我们讨论了神与自然——永恒的神和永恒的自然。那么灵魂呢？它们也是永恒的。没有灵魂曾经被创造；灵魂也不能死亡。没有人能够想象自己的死亡。灵魂是无限的、永恒的。它怎能死亡？它更换身体。正如一个人脱下他的旧衣服、穿上新的衣服一样，破旧的身体被抛弃，新的身体被取得。
灵魂的本质是什么？灵魂也是全能的和遍在的。精神既没有长度，也没有宽度，也没有厚度……怎能说它在此处或彼处？这个身体倒下了；灵魂通过另一个身体运作。灵魂是一个圆，其圆周无处可寻，但其圆心在身体之中。神是一个圆，其圆周无处可寻，但其圆心无处不在。灵魂就其本性而言是有福的、纯净的和圆满的；如果它的本性是不纯的，它就永远不可能变纯。灵魂的本性是纯净；这就是为什么灵魂能够变得纯净。它本性是有福的，这就是为什么它能够变得有福。它就是安宁；这就是为什么它能够变得安宁……
我们所有发现自己处于这个层面的人，被身体所吸引，为谋生辛苦劳作，伴随着嫉妒、争吵和艰辛，然后死亡。这表明我们不是我们应该成为的样子。我们不自由，不完全纯净，如此等等。灵魂仿佛已经堕落了。那么灵魂所需要的是扩展……
你如何做到？你能靠自己做到吗？不能。如果一个人的脸上有灰尘，你能用灰尘把它洗干净吗？如果我把一颗种子放进土里，种子长出一棵树，树产出种子，种子又长出另一棵树，如此等等。先有鸡还是先有蛋，蛋和鸡。如果你做了善事，你将不得不承受其果报，再次出生，再次悲伤。一旦踏入这条无限的因果链，你就无法停下。你继续前行……上上下下，诸天和大地，以及所有这些身体……没有出路。
那么你如何才能超脱这一切？你在这里又是为了什么？一个想法是摆脱苦难。我们都在日日夜夜挣扎以摆脱苦难……我们不能通过工作来做到。工作只会产生更多的工作。唯有一位自身已自由的存在向我们伸出援手，这才是可能的。"听哪，不朽之子！所有居于此界者和所有居于上天者，我已找到了奥秘"，伟大的圣哲如此说。"我已找到了那超越一切黑暗的祂。唯有通过祂的恩典，我们才能渡过这生命的大海。"
在印度，关于目标的观念是这样的：有诸天，有地狱，有大地，但它们都不是永恒的。如果我被送入地狱，那不是永恒的。无论我身在何处，同样的挣扎在继续。如何超越这一切挣扎才是问题所在。如果我去天堂，也许会有一小段安息。如果我因恶行而受惩罚，那也不能永远持续……印度的理想不是去天堂。超脱这个大地，超脱地狱，也超脱天堂！目标是什么？是自由。你们都必须自由。灵魂的光辉被遮蔽了。它必须重新被揭示。灵魂存在着。它无处不在。它能去哪里？……它能去哪里？它只能去它不在的地方。如果你理解了它是永远存在的……从此以后便是永恒的至福。再没有出生和死亡……再没有疾病，没有身体。身体本身就是最大的疾病……
灵魂将作为灵魂而立。精神将作为精神而活。如何做到这一点？通过崇拜灵魂中的主——祂就其本性而言永远存在、纯净而圆满。这个世界中不可能有两个全能者。想象有两三个神：一个要创造世界，另一个说"我要毁灭世界。"这永远不会发生。只能有一个神。灵魂达到圆满，变得几乎全能、几乎全知。这就是崇拜者。谁是被崇拜者？祂——主神本身——遍在的、全知的，等等。而且最重要的，祂是爱。灵魂如何达到这种圆满？通过崇拜。
English
WORSHIPPER AND WORSHIPPED
(This lecture is reproduced from the Vedanta and the West. See Vol. IV.)
(Delivered in San Francisco area, April 9, 1900)
We have been taking up the more analytical side of human nature. In this course we [shall] study the emotional side. . . . The former deals with man as unlimited being, [as] principle, the latter with man as limited being. . . . The one has no time to stop for a few tear-drops or pangs; the other cannot proceed without wiping the tear-drop, without healing that misery. One is great, so great and grand that sometimes we are staggered by the magnitude; the other [is] commonplace, and yet most beautiful and dear to us. One gets hold of us, takes us up to the heights where our lungs almost burst. We cannot breathe [in] that atmosphere. The other leaves us where we are and tries to see the objects of life, [takes the limited] view. One will accept nothing until it has the shining seal of reason; the other has faith, and what it cannot see it believes. Both are necessary. A bird cannot fly with only one wing. . . .
What we want is to see the man who is harmoniously developed . . . great in heart, great in mind, [great in deed] . . . . We want the man whose heart feels intensely the miseries and sorrows of the world. . . . And [we want] the man who not only can feel but can find the meaning of things, who delves deeply into the heart of nature and understanding. [We want] the man who will not even stop there, [but] who wants to work out [the feeling and meaning by actual deeds]. Such a combination of head, heart, and hand is what we want. There are many teachers in this world, but you will find [that most of them] are one-sided. [One] sees the glorious midday sun of intellect [and] sees nothing else. Another hears the beautiful music of love and can hear nothing else. Another is [immersed] in activity, and has neither time to feel nor time to think. Why not [have] the giant who is equally active, equally knowing, and equally loving? Is it impossible? Certainly not. This is the man of the future, of whom there are [only a] few at present. [The number of such will increase] until the whole world is humanised.
I have been talking to you so long about intellect [and] reason. We have heard the whole of Vedanta. The veil of Maya breaks: wintry clouds vanish, and the sunlight shines on us. I have been trying to climb the heights of the Himalayas, where the peaks disappear beyond the clouds. I propose lip study with you the other side: the most beautiful valleys, the most marvellous exquisiteness in nature. [We shall study the] love that holds us here in spite of all the miseries of the world, [the] love that has made us forge the chain of misery, this eternal martyrdom which man is suffering willingly, of his own accord. We want to study that for which man has forged the chain with his own hands, that for which he suffers, that eternal love. We do not mean to forget the other. The glacier of the Himalayas must join hands with the rice fields of Kashmir. The thunderbolt must blend its base note with the warbling of the birds.
This course will have to do with everything exquisite and beautiful. Worship is everywhere, in every soul. Everyone worships God. Whatever be the name, they are all worshipping God. The beginnings of worship—like the beautiful lotus, like life itself—are in the dirt of the earth. . . . There is the element of fear. There is the hungering for this world's gain. There is the worship of the beggar. These are the beginnings of [the] world worshipping, [culminating in] loving God and worshipping God through man.
Is there any God? Is there anyone to be loved, any such one capable of being loved? Loving the stone would not be much good. We only love that which understands love, that which draws our love. So with worship. Never say [that] there is a man in this world of ours who worshipped a piece of stone [as stone]. He always worshipped [the omnipresent being in the stone].
We find out that the omnipresent being is in us. [But] how can we worship, unless that being is separate from us? I can only worship Thee, and not me. I can only pray to Thee, and not me. Is there any "Thou"?
The One becomes many. When we see the One, any limitations reflected through Maya disappear; but it is quite true that the manifold is not valueless. It is through the many that we reach the one. . . .
Is there any Personal God—a God who thinks, who understands, a God who guides us? There is. The Impersonal God cannot have any one of these attributes. Each one of you is an individual: you think, you love, [you] hate, [you] are angry, sorry, etc.; yet you are impersonal, unlimited. [You are] personal and impersonal in one. You have the personal and the impersonal aspects. That [impersonal reality] cannot be angry, [nor] sorry, [nor] miserable—cannot even think misery. It cannot think, cannot know. It is knowledge itself. But the personal [aspect] knows, thinks, and dies, etc. Naturally the universal Absolute must have two aspects; the one representing the infinite reality of all things; the other, a personal aspect, the Soul of our souls, Lord of all lords. [It is] He who creates this universe. Under [His] guidance this universe exists. . . .
He, the Infinite, the Ever-Pure, the Ever-[Free,]. . . He is no judge, God cannot be [a] judge. He does not sit upon a throne and judge between the good and the wicked. . . . He is no magistrate, [no] general, [nor] master. Infinitely merciful, infinitely loving is the Personal [God].
Take it from another side. Every cell in your body has a soul conscious of the cell. It is a separate entity. It has a little will of its own, a little sphere of action of its own. All [cells] combined make up an individual. [In the same way,] the Personal God of the universe is made up of all these [many individuals].
Take it from another side. You, as I see you, are as much of your absolute nature as has been limited and perceived by one. I have limited you in order to see you through the power of my eyes, my senses. As much of you as my eyes can see, I see. As much of you as my mind can grasp is what I know to be you, and nothing more. In the same way, I am reading the Absolute, the Impersonal [and see Him as Personal]. As long as we have body and mind, we always see this triune being: God, nature, and soul. There must always be the three in one, inseparable. . . . There is nature. There are human souls. There is again That in which nature and the human souls [are contained]
The universal soul has become embodied. My soul itself is a part of God. He is the eye of our eves, the life of our life, the mind of our mind, the soul of our soul. This is the highest ideal of the Personal God we can have.
If you are not a dualist, [but are] a monist, you can still have the Personal God. . . . There is the One without a second. That One wanted to love Himself. Therefore, out of that One, He made [many]. . . . It is the big Me, the real Me, that that little me is worshipping. Thus in all systems you can have the Personal [God].
Some people are born under circumstances that make them happier than others: why should this be in the reign of a just being? There is mortality in this world. These are the difficulties in the way [These problems] have never been answered. They cannot be answered from any dualistic plane. We have to go back to philosophy to treat things as they are. We are suffering from our own Karma. It is not the fault of God. What we do is our own fault, nothing else. Why should God be blamed?. . .
Why is there evil? The only way you can solve [the problem] is [by saying that God is] the cause of both good and evil. The great difficulty in the theory of the Personal God is that if you say He is only good and not evil, you will be caught in the trap of your own argument. How do you know there is [a] God? You say [that He is] the Father of this universe, and you say He is good; and because there is [also] evil in the world, God must be evil. . . . The same difficulty!
There is no good, and there is no evil. God is all there is . . . . How do you know what is good? You feel [it]. [How do you know what is evil ? If evil comes, you feel it. . . . We know good and evil by our feelings. There is not one man who feels only good, happy feelings. There is not one who feels only unhappy feelings. . . .
Want and anxiety are the causes of all unhappiness and happiness too. Is want increasing or decreasing? Is life becoming simple or complex? Certainly complex. Wants are being multiplied. Your great-grandfathers did not want the same dress or the same amount of money [you do]. They had no electric cars, [nor] railroads, etc. That is why they had to work less. As soon as these things come, the want arises, and you have to work harder. More and more anxiety, and more and more competition.
It is very hard work to get money. It is harder work to keep it. You fight the whole world to get a little money together [and] fight all your life to protect it. [Therefore] there is more anxiety for the rich than for the poor. . . . This is the way it is. . . .
There are good and evil every where in this world. Sometimes evil becomes good, true; but other times good becomes evil also. All our senses produce evil some time or other. Let a man drink wine. It is not bad [at first], but let him go on drinking, [and] it will produce evil. . . . A man is born of rich parents; good enough. He becomes a fool, never exercises his body or brain. That is good producing evil. Think of this love of life: We go away and jump about and live a few moments; we work hard. We are born babies, entirely incapable. It takes us years to understand things again. At sixty or seventy we open our eyes, and then comes the word, "Get out! " And there you are.
We have seen that good and evil are relative terms. The thing [that is] good for me is bad for you. If you eat the dinner that I eat, you will begin to weep, and I shall laugh. . . . We [may] both dance, but I with joy and you with pain. . . . The same thing is good at one part of our life and bad at another part. How can you say [that] good and evil are all cut and dried— [that] this is all good and that is all evil?
Now, who is responsible for all this good and evil, if God is ever the good? The Christians and the Mohammedans say there is a gentleman called Satan. How can you say there are two gentlemen working? There must be one. . . . The fire that burns the child also cooks the meal. How can you call the fire good or bad, and how can you say it was created by two different persons? Who creates all [so-called] evil? God. There is no other way out. He sends death and life, plague and epidemics, and everything. If such is God, He is the good; He is the evil; He is the beautiful; He is the terrible; He is life; and He is death.
How can such a God be worshipped? We shall come to [understand] how the soul can really learn to worship the terrible; then that soul will have peace. . . . Have you peace? Do you get rid of anxieties? Turn around, first of all, and face the terrible. Tear aside the mask and find the same [God]. He is the personal—all that is [apparently] good and all that is [apparently] bad. There is none else. If there were two Gods, nature could not stand a moment. There is not another one in nature. It is all harmony. If God played one side and the devil the other, the whole [of] nature would be [in chaos]. Who can break the law? If I break this glass, it will fall down. If anyone succeeds in throwing one atom out of place, every other atom will go out of balance. . . . The law can never be broken. Each atom is kept in its place. Each is weighed and measured and fulfils its [purpose] and place. Through His command the winds blow, the sun shines. Through His rule the worlds are kept in place. Through His orders death is sporting upon the earth. Just think of two or three Gods having a wrestling match in this world! It cannot be.
We now come to see that we can have the Personal God, the creator of this universe, who is merciful and also cruel. . . . He is the good, He is the evil. He smiles, and He frowns. And none can go beyond His law. He is the creator of this universe.
What is meant by creation, something coming out of nothing? Six thousand years ago God woke up from His dream and created the world [and] before that there was nothing? What was God doing then, taking a good nap? God is the cause of the universe, and we can know the cause through the effect. If the effect is not present, the cause is not [the] cause. The cause is always known in and through the effect. . . . Creation is infinite. . . . You cannot think of the beginning in time or in space.
Why does He create it? Because He likes to; because He is free. . . . You and I are bound by law, because we can work [only] in certain ways and not in others. "Without hands, He can grasp everything. Without feet, [He moves fast]." Without body, He is omnipotent. "Whom no eyes can see, but who is the cause of sight in every eye, know Him to be the Lord." You cannot worship anything else. God is the omnipotent supporter of this universe. What is called "law" is the manifestation of His will. He rules the universe by His laws.
So far [we have discussed] God and nature, eternal God and eternal nature. What about souls? They also are eternal. No soul was [ever] created; neither can [the] soul die. Nobody can even imagine his own death. The soul is infinite, eternal. How can it die? It changes bodies. As a man takes off his old, worn-out garments and puts on new and fresh ones, even so the worn-out body is thrown away and [a] fresh body is taken.
What is the nature of the soul? The soul is also [omnipotent] and omnipresent. Spirit has neither length, nor breadth, nor thickness. . . . How can it be said to be here and there? This body falls; [the soul] works [through] another body. The soul is a circle of which the circumference is nowhere, but the centre is in the body. God is a circle whose circumference is nowhere, but whose centre is everywhere. The soul by its [very] nature is blessed, pure, and perfect; it could never be pure if its nature was impure. . . . The soul's nature is purity; that is why souls [can] become pure. It is blessed [by nature]; that is why it [can] become blessed. It is peace; [that is why it can become peaceful]. . . .
All of us who find ourselves in this plane, attracted to the body, work hard for a living, with jealousies and quarrels and hardships, and then death. That shows we are not what we should be. We are not free, perfectly pure, and so on. The soul, as it were, has become degraded. Then what the soul requires is expansion. . . .
How can you do it? Can you work it out yourself ? No. If a man's face is dusty, can you wash it out with dust? If I put a seed in the ground, the seed produces a tree, the tree produces a seed, the seed another tree, etc. Hen and egg, egg and hen. If you do something good, you will have to reap the result of that, be born again and be sorry. Once started in this infinite chain, you cannot stop. You go on, . . . up and down, [to] heavens and earths, and all these [bodies]. . . . There is no way out.
Then how can you get out of all this, and what are you here for? One idea is to get rid of misery. We are all struggling day and night to get rid of misery. . . . We cannot do it by work. Work will produce more work. It is only possible if there is someone who is free himself and lends us a hand. "Hear, ye children of immortality, all those that reside in this plane and all those that reside in the heavens above, I have found the secret", says the great sage. "I have found Him who is beyond all darkness. Through His mercy alone we cross this ocean of life."
In India, the idea of the goal is this: There are heavens, there are hells, there are earths, but they are not permanent. If I am sent to hell, it is not permanent. The same struggle goes on and on wherever I am. How to get beyond all this struggle is the problem. If I go to heaven, perhaps there will be a little bit of rest. If I get punished for my misdeeds, that cannot last [for ever either] . . . . The Indian ideal is not to go to heaven. Get out of this earth, get out of hell, and get out of heaven! What is the goal? It is freedom. You must all be free. The glory of the soul is covered up. It has to be uncovered again. The soul exists. It is everywhere. Where shall it go? . . . Where can it go? It can only go where it is not. If you understand [that] it is ever present, . . . [there will be] perfect happiness for ever afterwards. No more births and deaths. . . . No more disease, no body. [The] body itself is the biggest disease. . . .
The soul shall stand [as] soul. Spirit shall live as spirit. How is this to be done? By worshipping [the Lord in] the soul, who, by his [very] nature is ever present, pure, and perfect. There cannot be two almighty beings in this world. [Imagine having] two or three Gods; one will create the world, another says, "I will destroy the world." It [can] never happen. There must be one God. The soul attains to perfection; [it becomes] almost omnipotent [and] omniscient. This is the worshipper. Who is the worshipped? He, the Lord God Himself, the Omnipresent, the Omniscient, and so on. And above all, He is Love. How is [the soul] to attain this perfection? By worship.
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。