十七 宝贝们
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中文
十七
致黑尔姐妹
底特律，
1894年3月15日。
亲爱的孩子们，
我和老帕尔默相处得很好。他是一位非常快活、善良的老先生。我上次演讲只收入了一百二十七美元。星期一我将在底特律再次演讲。你们的母亲要我给林恩的一位女士写信。我从未见过她。在没有任何介绍的情况下写信，是否合乎礼仪？请给我寄一封关于这位女士的小短信。林恩在哪里？关于我，这里报纸上说得最有趣的是，有一家报纸写道："狂飙般的印度人来了，正作客帕尔默先生府上。帕尔默先生已经皈依印度教，即将前往印度；只是他坚持要进行两项改革：第一，驾格纳特（Jagannath）神车应由帕尔默先生圆木农场饲养的佩尔什马来牵拉；第二，泽西牛应被纳入印度圣牛的神殿。"帕尔默先生酷爱佩尔什马和泽西牛，在他的圆木农场拥有大量的两种牲畜。
第一次演讲组织得不好，场地费就要一百五十美元。我已经放弃了霍尔顿。这里又冒出另一个人来；让我看看他能否做得更好。帕尔默先生整天逗得我发笑。明天又要举办一场晚宴。到目前为止一切顺利；但我不知道——自从来到这里，我的内心变得非常悲伤——不知道为什么。
我厌倦了演讲和所有那些无聊事。与各色各样的人交际搅扰了我。让我告诉你们什么才合我的心意：我写不出来，也说不出来，但我能深入地思考，而当我充满热情时，能口吐火焰。然而这应该是面对少数、极少数精选之人。让他们——如果他们愿意——去传播我的思想——而不是我亲自去。这不过是合理的分工罢了。同一个人从来不能既善于思考又善于传播自己的思想。一个人应该自由地思考，尤其是灵性方面的思想。
正因为对独立自主的坚持、对人不是机器的证明，乃是一切宗教思想的精髓，所以以机械刻板的方式来思考宗教是不可能的。正是这种将一切降低到机器水平的倾向给了西方惊人的繁荣。也正是这一点将一切宗教从其门中驱逐殆尽。即便是所剩无几的那一点，西方也已将其简化为一种系统化的操练。
我其实根本不是"狂飙般的"。远非如此。我想要的东西不在这里，我也无法再忍受这种"狂飙般的"氛围了。通往圆满之路是这样的：努力使自己完善，努力使少数几个人完善。我行善的理念是这样的：培育出几个巨人，而不是将珍珠撒在猪面前，白白浪费时间、健康和精力。
刚刚收到弗拉格的来信。他无法在演讲方面帮助我。他说："先去波士顿。"好吧，我不再在乎演讲了。这种试图让我去迎合某人或某个听众的怪癖的做法太令人厌恶了。不管怎样，在离开这个国家之前，我至少会回芝加哥待一两天。愿上天保佑你们所有人。
永远感激的兄弟，
辨喜。
English
XVII
To the Hale Sisters
DETROIT,
15th March, 1894.
DEAR BABIES,
I am pulling on well with old Palmer. He is a very jolly, good old man. I got only 127 dollars by my last lecture. I am going to speak again in Detroit on Monday. Your mother asked me to write to a lady in Lynn. I have never seen her. Is it etiquette to write without any introduction? Please post me a little letter about this lady. Where is Lynn? The funniest thing said about me here was in one of the papers which said, "The cyclonic Hindu has come and is a guest with Mr. Palmer. Mr. Palmer has become a Hindu and is going to India; only he insists that two reforms should be carried out: firstly that the Car of Jagannath should be drawn by Percherons raised in Mr. Palmer's Loghouse Farm, and secondly that the Jersey cow be admitted into the pantheon of Hindu sacred cows." Mr. Palmer is passionately fond of both Percheron horse and Jersey cow and has a great stock of both in his Loghouse Farm.
The first lecture was not properly managed, the cost of the hall being 150 dollars. I have given up Holden. Here is another fellow cropped up; let me see if he does better. Mr. Palmer makes me laugh the whole day. Tomorrow there is going to be another dinner party. So far all is well; but I do not know — I have become very sad in my heart since I am here — do not know why.
I am wearied of lecturing and all that nonsense. This mixing with hundreds of varieties of the human animal has disturbed me. I will tell you what is to my taste; I cannot write, and I cannot speak, but I can think deeply, and when I am heated, can speak fire. It should be, however, to a select, a very select — few. Let them, if they will, carry and scatter my ideas broadcast — not I. This is only a just division of labour. The same man never succeeded both in thinking and in scattering his thoughts. A man should be free to think, especially spiritual thoughts.
Just because this assertion of independence, this proving that man is not a machine, is the essence of all religious thought, it is impossible to think it in the routine mechanical way. It is this tendency to bring everything down to the level of a machine that has given the West its wonderful prosperity. And it is this which has driven away all religion from its doors. Even the little that is left, the West has reduced to a systematic drill.
I am really not "cyclonic" at all. Far from it. What I want is not here, nor can I longer bear this "cyclonic" atmosphere. This is the way to perfection, to strive to be perfect, and to strive to make perfect a few men and women. My idea of doing good is this: to evolve out a few giants, and not to strew pearls before swine, and so lose time, health, and energy.
Just now I got a letter from Flagg. He cannot help me in lecturing. He says, "First go to Boston." Well, I do not care for lecturing any more. It is too disgusting, this attempt to bring me to suit anybody's or any audience's fads. However, I shall come back to Chicago for a day or two at least before I go out of this country. Lord bless you all.
Ever gratefully your brother,
VIVEKANANDA.
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。