Living Meditation
生活禅定

A journey beyond body and mind
超越身心之旅

HECTOR ESPONDA DUBIN
赫克托·埃斯波纳·杜宾

Whether the answer to your question is in six pages or in a book or in one line, the answer is the same: meditation! It depends upon how much time you want to take to understand that answer – whether by reading the whole book or by understanding only one or two words.
无论你的答案在六页里、在一本书里，还是在一句话里，答案都是一样的：禅定！这取决于你想花多少时间来理解这个答案——是通读整本书，还是只理解一两个词。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

Introduction
引言

As long as you do not die while living
只要你在活着的时候没有死
How will you obtain true benefit?
你将如何获得真正的益处？
Therefore, die and come out of your body.
因此，死去并走出你的身体。
You have died many times,
你已经死过很多次了，
Yet still you remain behind the veil
但你仍然留在帷幕之后
For the method of true dying
为了真正的死亡的方法
You did not learn.
你没有学到。
_Rumi

There is a method to conquer death. From Masters of spirituality we understand that there is a way to experience the life that exists beyond the death of the body, and a method or technique we can learn to experience it. These spiritual Masters teach the way to leave our body at will and return to it when we decide to do so. From them we learn that by practising the method, by applying it to our daily lives, we can embark on a journey beyond body and mind, and in the process, develop clear thinking, peace of mind and inner joy. The Masters tell us that by perfecting their method we gain liberation from the cycle of death and birth and experience eternal bliss.
有一种征服死亡的方法。从精神导师那里，我们了解到有一种方法可以体验身体死亡后存在的生命，以及我们可以学习来体验它的方法或技巧。这些精神导师教导我们如何随意离开身体，并在我们决定时返回身体。从他们那里，我们学到通过练习这种方法，将其应用于日常生活，我们可以踏上超越身心之旅，并在过程中培养清晰的思维、内心的平静和内在的快乐。导师们告诉我们，通过完善他们的方法，我们能够从生死轮回中获得解脱，并体验永恒的喜悦。

The spiritual Masters teach us that in the body the soul is knotted together with the mind at the spiritual eye centre located in our forehead. From this point, our attention spreads out into the material creation where it constantly absorbs worldly impressions. The continuous, outward-directed activity of the mind, fuelled most often by our desires, forms deep impressions in our consciousness. These impressions act like complex, many-layered blankets, concealing from us the brilliance, power and vitality of our life force, our soul.
精神导师教导我们，在身体中，灵魂与心识在额头上的精神之眼中心紧密相连。从这一点开始，我们的注意力向外扩展到物质创造中，不断地吸收世俗印象。心识持续向外活动，通常由我们的欲望所驱动，在意识中形成深刻的印象。这些印象如同复杂的多层毯子，遮蔽了我们生命力的光辉、力量和活力，遮蔽了我们灵魂。

When the light of the soul becomes obscured by the mind, we begin to perceive the things of the world as if they were permanent and capable of giving us true happiness. Deceived by a distorted view of reality, we fail to realize that the events, people and things in our lives bring us a happiness that, by its very nature, is only superficial and short-lived. We fail to see that chasing happiness through whatever we are attached to in the perishable world has to lead, sooner or later, to frustration and sorrow while at the same time increasing our karmic debt. Tempted and driven by our senses, we keep doing things that sow the seeds for future incarnations in the physical plane. Mistakenly, we direct our attention to the objects of our affection because we believe the reason for our joy or pain lies in them. In this way, our distorted view of reality leads to actions that drive the roots of our consciousness ever deeper into lower planes of existence. This strengthens the downward tendencies of our mind and keeps us from seeing the light of our soul. The sad result of this downward spiral – a spiral of cause and effect – is that the soul becomes so trapped and hidden in the lower physical realms that the time soon comes when the soul’s very existence is no longer even acknowledged.
当灵魂之光被心智所遮蔽时，我们开始将世界中的事物视为永恒且能给予我们真正幸福的存在。被扭曲的现实观所欺骗，我们未能意识到生活中发生的事件、人物和事物所带给我们的幸福，其本质上是肤浅且短暂的。我们未能看到，通过追逐在易逝世界中我们所依附的一切来寻求幸福，迟早会导向挫败和悲伤，同时也在增加我们的业力债务。在感官的诱惑和驱使下，我们不断做着播下未来在物质层面转世种子的事情。我们错误地将注意力投向我们钟爱的事物，因为我们相信我们的快乐或痛苦的原因在于它们。通过这种方式，我们对现实的扭曲观导致我们的行为将意识的根基不断深植于较低的存在层面。这加强了我们心智向下的趋势，使我们无法看到灵魂之光。 这种因果螺旋式下降的悲哀结果——灵魂被困在低层物质领域中，以至于很快会到来一个时刻，连灵魂的存在本身也不再被承认。

I know those habits that can ruin your life
我知道那些会毁掉你生活的习惯
Still send their invitations …
仍然发送他们的邀请……
Learn to recognize the counterfeit coins
学会识别假币
That may buy you just a moment of pleasure,
那或许只能给你带来片刻的愉悦，
But then drag you for days
但随后会拖累你数日
Like a broken man
像个残破不堪的人
Behind a farting camel.
跟在一头放屁的骆驼后面。
_Hafiz

The way to break free from the limitations we have imposed on ourselves, to regain the clarity that reflects our highest potential, is to empower our soul consciousness through meditation. Once we begin to practise meditation, we soon realize that the method of the Masters is a path, journey or way for us to live. It is the path of becoming masters of our mind and senses. To follow the path to its destination means nothing less than the journey of a lifetime. As we travel along it and our mind becomes steadier through the practice of meditation, we will experience the soul gaining control while the undisciplined and ever-troublesome aspects of our mind are progressively weakened. Life becomes more carefree, we are controlled less by our desires, and we find ourselves more balanced and content. As the soul gains the upper hand, the benefits of meditation are increasingly felt and our spiritual resolve becomes deeper and firmer. We are no longer as easily deceived by a distorted perspective, and when we face hard times it is easier to deal with them and recover our balance.
摆脱我们自我设限的方式，重拾反映我们最高潜能的清明，是通过冥想赋予灵魂意识力量。一旦我们开始练习冥想，很快就会意识到大师的方法是我们生活的道路、旅程或方式。它是成为心灵和感官的主人的道路。遵循这条路到达目的地，意味着不亚于一生的旅程。随着我们在冥想实践中前行，我们的心灵变得越来越稳定，我们会体验到灵魂获得控制，而未受约束且永远带来麻烦的心灵方面则逐渐减弱。生活变得更加轻松自在，我们不再那么受欲望控制，并且发现自己更加平衡和满足。随着灵魂占据上风，冥想的好处日益显现，我们的精神决心变得更加坚定。我们不再那么容易被扭曲的视角欺骗，当我们面对困难时，更容易应对并恢复平衡。

Constantly mastering his mind,
不断掌控他的心灵，
The spiritual man grows peaceful,
精神之人变得平和，
Attains supreme bliss,
获得至高无上的喜悦。
And returns to the Absolute One.
回归绝对一。
_{Bhagavad Gita}

Many Masters of spirituality throughout the ages stand witness, through their lives and writings, to the success of the method of Shabd meditation, and this book is about its practice.
历代许多灵性大师通过他们的生活和著作，见证了圣言冥想方法的成功，本书就是关于这种方法的实践。

Shabd, a Sanskrit name for the divine power, is known in different cultures by many different names: Tao, Holy Ghost, Word, Cosmic Energy, Buddha Nature, Kalma, Holy Sound, Sound Current, Truth and many others. The names themselves are not important. What matters is where they point. Shabd, as we use the term in this book, is the eternal reality underlying all forms of life. Shabd is beyond but also within every life form. This means that it is within everyone, within every form of life. It is accessible to each one of us as our deepest Self. Some might think of this reality as God, but while neither ‘Shabd’ nor ‘God’ can do justice to the transcendental reality they refer to, in this book the word ‘Shabd’ has been preferred to the word ‘God’.
圣言（Shabd），一个指代神圣力量的梵语名称，在不同的文化中以许多不同的名称而闻名：道、圣灵、字、宇宙能量、佛性、卡尔玛、神圣之声、声音电流、真理等等。这些名称本身并不重要。重要的是它们所指的方向。在本书中，我们所说的圣言是所有生命形式背后的永恒实在。圣言超越一切生命形式，也存在于每一个生命形式之中。这意味着它存在于每个人之中，存在于每一种生命形式之中。它对我们每个人来说都是我们最深层的自我。有些人可能将这种实在视为上帝，但无论是“圣言”还是“上帝”都无法完全表达它们所指的超越性实在。因此，在本书中，我们更倾向于使用“圣言”而非“上帝”。

The word God carries for most people the connotation of someone or something outside of oneself, whereas the word Shabd as power or energy – a word that is unfamiliar to many people – allows for an open concept that does not connote a being out there, apart from and outside of what and who we are. The word Shabd, as used in this book, refers to the eternal reality of both the inner and outer worlds. The concept does not reduce the limitless to a limited finite entity. Shabd is every thing. It is in every body. It is our own essence. It is our reality.
"上帝"这个词对大多数人来说，都带有某种外在存在或超然存在的含义，而"音"（Shabd）作为力量或能量——这个对许多人来说陌生的词——则允许一个开放的概念，它不暗示某种存在于我们之外、与我们分离的存在。在这本书中使用的"音"（Shabd）一词，指的是内外世界的永恒实在。这个概念不会将无限之物简化为有限的实体。"音"（Shabd）是万物。它存在于每个身体之中。它是我们自身的本质。它是我们的现实。

The beginning and end of all things is Shabd. All gross matter, the sky and so forth, subtle matter, sound, form, taste and scent are all Shabd. Whatever exists is Shabd. Whatever is manifested from Shabd cannot be anything but Shabd. Shabd is our creator. Shabd is our sustainer. We are of Shabd and Shabd is ours.
万物的开始与终结都是"音"（Shabd）。所有粗大的物质、天空等等，细微的物质、声音、形态、味道和气味，都是"音"（Shabd）。所有存在的事物都是"音"（Shabd）。从"音"（Shabd）中显现出来的任何事物，都不可能不是"音"（Shabd）。"音"（Shabd）是我们的创造者。"音"（Shabd）是我们的维持者。我们源于"音"（Shabd），"音"（Shabd）也属于我们。
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

By practising Shabd meditation we learn how to contact and merge with Shabd, the divine and primal power, in full consciousness. We learn how to ‘die’ to our limited self so that we can become alive forever. Freed from identification with our body selves, we gain freedom from personal obsessions, suffering and attachments. We learn how to access the positive creative energy or power that is already within us. The method of Shabd meditation comes recommended to us by Masters of spirituality, called here Shabd Masters, who have lived by its principles and experienced the truth of the practice. That, for us, is its guarantee. To know that what they say is true, we must put their method into practice and experience it for ourselves. Only through action can we know that it is true. Only through action will we experience how the integral system of the Shabd Masters can help us become complete human beings, attain knowledge of the deathless Self and realize the divine. The Shabd Masters assure us that if we apply their method in full, we will move from a world of concepts to one of spiritual experience. Through practice, we will be personally transformed.
通过练习圣音冥想，我们学会如何在全然意识中接触并融入圣音，即神圣的本源力量。我们学会如何“死亡”于有限的自我，从而获得永恒的生命。摆脱与身体自我的认同，我们便从个人执念、痛苦和依恋中获得自由。我们学会如何接触我们内在已有的积极创造能量或力量。圣音冥想的方法是由精神导师，这里称为圣音大师，所推荐给我们的。他们遵循这些原则生活，并体验过这种实践的真理。对我们而言，这就是它的保证。要确信他们所说的是真实的，我们必须将他们的方法付诸实践，并亲自体验。只有通过行动，我们才能知道它是真实的。只有通过行动，我们才能体验圣音大师的完整体系如何帮助我们成为完整的人，获得不朽自我的知识，并实现神圣。圣音大师向我们保证，如果我们完全运用他们的方法，我们将从概念的世界进入精神体验的世界。通过实践，我们将个人得到转化。

There is a difference between knowing the path and walking it.
知道道路与行走道路之间是有区别的。
_{Morpheus to Neo in The Matrix}

True Masters of spirituality always impart their method and teachings free of charge. Their method rests on a foundation of four fundamental principles: following a vegetarian diet, not taking alcohol or mind-altering substances, living a moral and honest life, and giving at least one tenth of one’s time daily to the practice of meditation. The first three principles support the fourth, which is the key to self-transformation. It is an interdependent and interlinking system: all four principles have to be put into practice rigorously, for otherwise, the integral system cannot work.
真正的精神大师总是毫无保留地传授他们的方法和教诲。他们的方法建立在四个基本原则之上：遵循素食饮食，不饮酒或使用致幻物质，过着道德和诚实的生活，以及每天至少将十分之一的时间用于冥想实践。前三个原则支持第四个原则，它是自我转变的关键。这是一个相互依存、相互关联的系统：所有四个原则都必须严格实践，否则这个整体系统就无法运作。

A vegetarian diet is necessary to minimize the consequences resulting from the violence and cruelty of killing for food. Unless the burden we bear as the consequence of doing such actions (our karmas) is kept to the minimum, we cannot hope to rise spiritually. Concentration is the key to gaining conscious access to Shabd. Since blowing the mind with drugs or dulling it with alcohol sabotages all serious concentration, it is essential to abstain from drugs and alcohol. It is also important that we lead a moral and honest life, for unless we are able to control our emotions at the level of physical actions, how can we hope to direct them constructively at the more subtle level within ourselves? If we give free rein to our passions and desires, we will soon find ourselves driven by them. Our attention will remain trapped in lower, physical centres, and it will be impossible to raise it to the level where concentration begins. If meditation is the means whereby we transform our consciousness, then giving just one tenth of our daily time to its practice is the least we must do. How can we succeed in a profession if we don’t give time to it? How can we enjoy a destination if we don’t make the time needed to travel there?
素食饮食是必要的，以减少因为了食物而杀戮所导致的暴力和残忍的后果。除非我们将作为此类行为后果（我们的业力）所承受的负担降至最低，否则我们无法期望在精神上提升。专注是获得有意识地接触圣音的关键。由于药物或酒精会使人精神错乱或使其迟钝，从而破坏所有严肃的专注，因此戒除药物和酒精是必要的。我们还必须过着有道德和诚实的生活，因为我们如果不能在身体行为层面控制自己的情绪，又怎能期望在自身更细微的层面上进行有建设性的引导呢？如果我们放纵自己的激情和欲望，很快就会发现自己被它们所驱使。我们的注意力将停留在较低级的身体中心，而无法提升到专注开始的那一级。如果冥想是我们转化意识的方式，那么每天至少花十分之一的时间来练习它，是我们必须做的最基本的事情。如果我们不花时间在专业上，又怎能成功呢？ 如果我们不花时间前往某个目的地，又怎么能享受那里呢？

Through these four principles, the Masters set clear guidelines for a way of life that supports our spiritual goal. The guidelines serve as painted lines on a road. The moment we cross a line, we know we have deviated from our course and are in danger. The Masters, however, impress upon us the importance of using our personal sense of discrimination. Within the four broad parameters, it is up to each one of us to find out which actions or thoughts will strengthen or weaken our spiritual life, which actions and thoughts will take us towards our destination and which will take us further away.
通过这四个原则，大师们为一种支持我们精神目标的生活方式设定了明确的指导方针。这些指导方针就像道路上的标线。一旦我们越过了某条线，就知道自己已经偏离了方向，并处于危险之中。然而，大师们却强调使用我们个人辨别力的重要性。在这四个广泛的参数范围内，我们每个人都需要找出哪些行为或思想会增强或削弱我们的精神生活，哪些行为和思想会引领我们走向目的地，哪些则会将我们带得更远。

Other tools that help us support our meditation practice are listening to spiritual discourses (satsang), reading spiritual literature, and service (seva) to the Master. Seva can be done through service to our spiritual community (sangat) or to our community in general. The advantage of serving our spiritual community is that it puts us under the direct orders of our Master. Such service develops the relationship of disciple and Master – a discipline that is key to the transformative process of the spiritual path.
其他帮助我们支持冥想练习的工具包括聆听精神讲道（satsang）、阅读精神文献，以及为大师服务（seva）。服务可以通过为我们的精神社区（sangat）或为我们的普通社区提供服务来完成。为精神社区服务的好处在于，它让我们直接服从于大师的命令。这样的服务发展了门徒与大师之间的关系——这是精神道路上转化过程的关键纪律。

We can further support our spiritual objective by being selective about the things we choose to see, hear, talk or think about, and the company we keep. In addition, it is easier to practise meditation with a fit and healthy body, so it is desirable to care for our body by taking steps to promote its health and well-being. All these practices will support our efforts to bring our attention to the spiritual eye centre and begin the journey to reach our source.
我们可以通过选择性地看待、倾听、交谈或思考的事物，以及选择交往的伙伴，来进一步支持我们的精神目标。此外，拥有健康强健的身体更容易练习冥想，因此，通过采取促进健康和福祉的措施来照顾我们的身体是值得推荐的。所有这些实践都将支持我们努力将注意力集中在精神之眼中心，并开始通往我们源头之旅。

The ways of reaching our source are many, but all the paths at some point merge into the universal path of travelling within oneself through Shabd, through spiritual Light and Sound. Most of us are at the very early stages of the journey. Few have had actual experience of the truth that is our goal. This book, therefore, has been prepared to inspire us to move from concepts to experience. Since we aspire to reach that point where we actually experience the Shabd, this book highlights the irreplaceable importance, value and practical impact of meditation, and how, without meditation, we will reach nowhere.
通往我们源头的途径有很多，但所有道路最终都会汇入通过圣音（Shabd）、精神之光与声音进行自我内省的普遍道路。我们大多数人还处于旅程的非常早期阶段。很少有人真正体验过我们目标所蕴含的真理。因此，本书旨在激励我们从概念走向体验。由于我们渴望达到能够真正体验圣音（Shabd）的阶段，本书强调了冥想不可替代的重要性、价值以及实际影响，并阐述了没有冥想，我们将一事无成。

The book looks at our personal responsibilities as disciples on the spiritual path and explains how a clear understanding of the teachings can lead us to the daily practice of meditation, without shirking our responsibilities. Clear thinking, a positive attitude and sincere effort support spiritual priorities and help us focus on daily meditation. Through the practice of meditation we become clear, we become positive and we gain mastery over our mind. Ultimately, through the practice of meditation, we obtain the supreme peace and joy that result from being spiritually transformed and freed of all limitations.
这本书探讨了我们在精神道路上作为门徒的个人责任，并解释了如何通过清晰地理解教义，引导我们进行日常的冥想实践，而不逃避我们的责任。清晰的思维、积极的态度和真诚的努力支持精神优先事项，并帮助我们专注于日常冥想。通过冥想实践，我们变得清晰，变得积极，并获得对心灵的掌控。最终，通过冥想实践，我们获得精神转化并摆脱所有限制所带来的至高无上的平静与喜悦。

To emphasize the universality of the path of Shabd meditation, the book includes quotations not only from Sant Mat (the path of the Shabd Masters), but also from different traditions, times and places. The simple method of Shabd meditation, the method of dying to the world and awakening to the divine, arises naturally from fundamentals of human nature common to all humanity. It is a universal method or mystic way, common to all true Masters of spirituality, whatever their language, religion, culture or the context in which they taught.
为了强调圣音冥想道路的普遍性，这本书不仅包含了来自圣玛特（圣音大师的道路）的引言，还包含了来自不同传统、时代和地方的引言。圣音冥想的简单方法，即对世界死寂、对神圣觉醒的方法，自然而然地源于所有人类共同的人性基础。这是一种普遍的方法或神秘之路，所有真正的精神大师，无论他们的语言、宗教、文化或他们所教授的背景如何，都是共通的。

All rivers merge in the Ocean.
所有河流都汇入海洋。
The Ocean refuses no river.
海洋从不拒绝任何河流。
_{Indian proverb}

1  Spiritual beings going through a human experience
1  经历人类体验的精神存在

This life is but a link in an infinite chain of existence. The body perishes but the soul lives on – immortal, treading the path back from its painful separation to its blissful return to the mansions of the Lord.
这一生不过是存在无限链条中的一环。肉体消亡但灵魂永存——不朽的，踏着痛苦的分离之路，回归至主之宫殿的喜悦之中。
_{Maharaj Jagat Singh}

Mystics tell us that although we are in a body, we are not the body – we are spiritual beings going through the experience of being human. From this encouraging point of view, we are pure beings of spiritual nature already, but beings whose purity has been temporarily obscured by our mind and senses. We will realize this for ourselves only when our soul dominates our mind, and this higher state of consciousness, the Masters tell us, can be gained through meditation, and through meditation alone.
神秘主义者告诉我们，尽管我们身处肉体之中，但我们并非肉体——我们是经历人类体验的精神存在。从这个令人鼓舞的观点来看，我们本就是纯粹的精神本性存在，但我们的纯净性暂时被我们的心灵和感官所遮蔽。只有当我们的灵魂主导心灵时，我们才会亲自认识到这一点，而大师们告诉我们，这种更高的意识状态，只能通过冥想，也只能通过冥想获得。

Through meditation, we learn to hold our attention still at the spiritual eye centre. Once we are able to do this, the mind comes under the influence of the soul and is receptive to the more subtle reality of the Shabd. The layers of ever-changing desires and worldly impressions that conceal our pure consciousness fall away naturally – the scales of spiritual blindness fall from our eyes – and we experience, with the ear and eye of the spirit, the sweetness and power of the deathless Self, the Shabd, buried deep within us. Without the practice of meditation, our mind remains possessed by worldly passions and attachments, and our soul, deprived of its best potential ally – an enlightened mind – travels without support through the experience of being human in this most dangerous of planes, the land of Kal.
通过冥想，我们学会将注意力稳定地放在灵性之眼中心。一旦我们能够做到这一点，心灵就会受到灵魂的影响，并开始接受更精微的实相——沙布德。那些掩盖我们纯粹意识的不断变化的欲望和世俗印象会自然而然地消失——精神盲目的天平从我们的眼中落下——我们用精神的耳和眼，体验到深藏在我们内心的不朽自我、沙布德的甜美与力量。没有冥想的实践，我们的心灵就会被世俗的激情和依恋所占据，而我们的灵魂，失去了它最好的潜在盟友——一个开悟的心灵，在这最危险的世界——卡尔的土地上，作为人类体验时，将毫无支持地前行。

The Indian word ‘Kal’ has been deliberately kept here, as there is no equivalent to this concept in the Western tradition. ‘Kal’ in Sanskrit literally means time – the illusion of life unfolding in sequence. In the teachings of the saints, Kal is personified as the ruler of the realms of mind and matter, god of the material universe – the physical, astral and causal planes where time shapes and destroys all – whereas the Supreme Consciousness exists both within and beyond time.
印度词“Kal”在此处被特意保留，因为西方传统中没有与之对应的概念。“Kal”在梵语中字面意思是时间——生命按顺序展开的幻觉。在圣人的教义中，Kal 被拟人化为心灵和物质领域的统治者，物质宇宙之神——物理、星界和因果层面，时间在此塑造并摧毁一切——而最高意识存在于时间和时间之外。

According to the Shabd Masters, it is Kal that keeps the soul trapped in the material and mental spheres, where mind and matter, not spirit, dominate. The way out of this trap is to transcend the realm of mind and matter by means of Shabd meditation under the guidance of a living Shabd Master – a guide who is free from the prisons of time and duality, and whose perspective reflects to his or her disciples the unlimited truth of Shabd.
根据音声大师的说法，是 Kal 将灵魂困在物质和心灵领域，在那里心灵和物质而非精神占主导地位。摆脱这个陷阱的方法是通过在活着的音声大师的指导下进行音声冥想，超越心灵和物质领域——这位大师不受时间和二元性的囚禁，其视角向弟子们反映音声的无限真理。

In his Radiant Form, he [the Master] helps the disciple at every step, accompanying him throughout the spiritual journey.
在他的光辉形态中，他[大师]在每一步帮助弟子，陪伴他完成整个精神旅程。
_{Introduction to Die to Live}

Life in the land of Kal
Kal 之地的生命

Look upon the world as a bubble: him who looks thus upon the world the king of death does not see. Come, look at this world, resembling a painted royal chariot. The foolish are sunk in it; for the wise, there is no attachment for it.
将世界视为泡沫：将世界如此看待的人，死亡之主不会看见他。来，看看这个世界，如同彩绘的皇家马车。愚者沉溺其中；对智者而言，没有对它的执着。
_{The Dhammapada}

When we stay at a hotel, we don’t try to fix the problems we face. This is because we are guests at the hotel, not attached to it, and we know we will soon be on our way. Similarly, a bridge is meant for crossing, so no one builds his home, the place where he is to stay, on a bridge. Is it not strange, then, that even though we know we will not be in the world permanently, we act as if we were to be here forever! Soami Ji says that we are so attached to the creation and love it so much that we have forgotten the Lord, forgotten our true home, and forgotten who we really are. We are trapped in this world of illusion and take everything that we see to be real.
当我们住酒店时，不会试图解决所面临的问题。这是因为我们是酒店的客人，不执着于它，并且知道我们很快就要离开了。同样，桥是用来过河的，所以没有人会在桥上建造他的家，那个他将要停留的地方。那么，难道不是很奇怪吗？尽管我们知道不会永远待在这个世界，我们却表现得好像要永远在这里一样！Soami Ji 说，我们如此执着于创造，如此热爱它，以至于忘记了主，忘记了我们的真正家园，也忘记了我们真正是谁。我们被困在这个幻觉的世界中，将我们所看到的一切都视为真实。

Not only mystics tell us that this is a world of illusion, scientists say the same thing. Science tells us that at the subatomic or quantum level, nothing of the material world is left intact. There are only energy fields with no solidity at all, nothing for the senses to see or touch. Our physical senses are too dull and too slow to sense, feel, see or experience in any manner these energy fields that are in fact vibrations taking place in a void. The illusion in which we exist isn’t restricted to the material world. Our mental perceptions, emotions and attachments are part of the illusory realm of mind and matter.
不仅是神秘主义者告诉我们这是一个虚幻的世界，科学家们也持同样的观点。科学告诉我们，在亚原子或量子层面，物质世界没有任何东西是完整的。只有完全不具备实体性的能量场，没有东西能被感官看见或触摸。我们的物理感官太迟钝、太慢，无法感知、感受、看见或以任何方式体验这些实际上发生在虚空中的能量场。我们存在的虚幻并非仅限于物质世界。我们的心理感知、情感和依恋都是心灵与物质虚幻领域的一部分。

Meditation is the means to realize the fleeting and impermanent nature of human life, of all our attachments and endeavours – even life itself. Meditation is the means to realize a higher, more permanent level of reality. Through meditation and with the help of a true Master, we can wake up from the dream-like existence that characterizes lower planes of consciousness. The Masters teach that just as it is the very nature of the world to change unceasingly, so it is the privilege of human beings to experience the changeless, deathless and blissful nature of their own true Self.
冥想是认识人类生命短暂无常、我们所有执着和努力的本质的方法——甚至生命本身。冥想是认识更高、更永恒的现实层次的方法。通过冥想和一位真正大师的帮助，我们可以从那种特征着较低意识层面的梦境般存在中醒来。大师们教导说，正如世界不断变化是其本性一样，人类体验自身真实自我永恒不变、不死和充满喜悦的本性的特权也是一样的。

Yet how difficult it is to retain the spiritual perspective and clarity as we live out our daily lives in the material world! Wherever we look, we see change, suffering and conflict. Influenced by what is going on around us, we easily take the path of least resistance. How natural it can seem to go with the flow – so we too ‘flow’ with the downward, superficial tendencies that appear to characterize our times, even though our Master demonstrates the benefits of choosing the upward path and shows us how to disengage ourselves from all and everything that pulls us down.
然而，在物质世界中度过日常生活时，如何才能保持精神视角和清晰呢！无论我们往哪里看，都能看到变化、痛苦和冲突。受周围环境的影响，我们很容易选择阻力最小的道路。顺应潮流似乎如此自然——我们也会随着似乎标志着我们时代的向下、表面的倾向而“流动”，尽管我们的大师展示了选择上升道路的好处，并教给我们如何摆脱所有将我们拉下来的事物。

Everyone is burning in the fire of maya [illusion]; all are roasting in it day and night.
每个人都在幻火的燃烧中 [幻觉]；所有人日日夜夜都在其中受烤。
_{Baba Jaimal Singh}

Injustice, sickness and poverty are everywhere, and we see cheating, violence and obsession with sense gratification all around, but for us to capitulate to a negative perspective of life is to deny our spiritual nature and invite restlessness and suffering upon ourselves. To go to the extent of indulging in the downward tendencies of the mind is simply asking for yet another birth and inviting even more suffering upon ourselves.
不公、疾病和贫穷无处不在，我们看到欺骗、暴力和对感官满足的沉溺四处可见，但如果我们向生活的消极视角屈服，就是否认我们的精神本质，并招致自身的不安和痛苦。沉溺于心灵的向下趋势，不过是要求另一个轮回，并招致更多的痛苦。

In a place where mind and matter are active, there can never be peace. Sorrows and wars of nations, or communities, or individuals shall continue. The soul must seek other planes to find peace. To find peace is the business of the individual. Everybody has to seek it within himself.
在心灵和物质都活跃的地方，永远不可能有和平。国家、社区或个人的悲伤和战争将继续。灵魂必须寻找其他层面来寻求和平。寻找和平是个人的事。每个人都必须在自己内心中寻求。
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

To choose a positive path is to affirm one’s spiritual nature. All conflict, in the final analysis, is the manifestation of inner conflict. And while we may never be able to make the world into a utopia, we can, the saints tell us, transform ourselves. Through the practice of meditation, we can gradually reclaim for ourselves a higher state of being. By turning inwards, by exploring and experiencing the spiritual reality of inner life, we can gain the strength of character to remain sane even if the entire world were to go crazy around us. Problems in life will always be present – it is the nature of the realm of Kal – but the support we get from meditation will make us increasingly able to deal with the ups and downs of daily life.
选择积极的道路就是肯定自己的精神本性。所有冲突，归根结底，都是内心冲突的体现。虽然我们可能永远无法将世界变成乌托邦，但圣人们告诉我们，我们可以改变自己。通过冥想练习，我们可以逐渐为自己找回更高的生命状态。通过向内看，通过探索和体验内在生命的灵性现实，我们可以获得坚强的意志力，即使整个世界都陷入疯狂，我们也能保持理智。生活中的问题总会存在——这是卡尔领域的本质——但冥想给予我们的支持将使我们越来越能够应对日常生活的起起落落。

Pleasures from external objects
外物的快乐
Are wombs of suffering.
是痛苦的子宫。
They have their beginnings and their ends;
它们有开始也有结束；
No wise man seeks joy among them.
没有聪明人会向他们寻求快乐。
_{Bhagavad Gita}

We are responsible for the freedom of our soul
我们对自己的灵魂负责。

Liberty means responsibility.
自由意味着责任。
That is why most men dread it.
这就是为什么大多数人害怕它。
_{George Bernard Shaw}

To acknowledge and affirm our spiritual nature, the first practical step we are to take once we are committed to the spiritual path is to embrace responsibility for our every thought and action. If it is Kal’s responsibility to keep us trapped in the realms of suffering, it is equally the responsibility of each human being to take the future of his or her soul in hand.
为了认可并肯定我们的精神本质，当我们决心踏上精神道路时，首先要采取的实际行动就是对我们每一个思想和行为负责。如果卡尔的职责是将我们困在苦难的领域，那么同样也是每个人的责任来掌握自己灵魂的未来。

Whatever we are today, it is the result of what we thought and did in the past. By the same rule of cause and effect, what we are to become in the future will be determined by what we think and do right now, today. Through our consciousness, our sense of discrimination, we can choose at every moment to make a difference now, in this life, not only for the rest of our lifetime but for all eternity. This is our privilege. This is our challenge.
我们今天所成为的，是我们过去所思所行的结果。根据因果法则，我们未来将成为什么，将由我们现在所思所行决定。通过我们的意识、我们的辨别能力，我们可以在每个时刻选择现在、在这个生命中做出改变，不仅是为了我们余生的其余时间，更是为了永恒。这是我们特权。这是我们挑战。

While the body we occupy at this point in time will die, our soul continues far beyond this life to reap the harvest of the choices we are making here and now. If we are clever and make wise choices today about what we think and do, it will be a lot easier to make positive choices tomorrow. That we have been put on the path of the Masters means the time has now come, in this very life, to become masters of ourselves. There will be no incarnation better than the one we are in now. It is now that we have the opportunity to realize who and what we are.
我们此刻所占据的身体终将死去，但我们的灵魂将超越此生，继续收获我们在此时此刻所做选择的果实。如果我们聪明且明智地选择今天思考什么、做什么，那么明天做出积极选择就会容易得多。我们被置于大师的路径上，意味着现在就是在这个生命中成为自己大师的时候。不会有比我们现在所处的转世更好的转世了。现在是我们实现自我认知的机会。

Why, then, would we wait for another birth? Why do we wait to make meditation our first priority? If we are not going to make this effort now, when are we going to do it? We need to ask ourselves these questions. If it is not for me to do it, who do I think will do this work for me? Why, we can ask ourselves, did we come to this path? Why, then, do we procrastinate? We made a conscious choice to accept the teachings of a Shabd Master for good reason. To help us keep our focus, we need constantly to revisit our motives and our priorities.
那么，我们为什么要等待另一个转世？为什么我们要等到把冥想作为首要任务？如果我们现在不努力，我们什么时候会努力？我们需要问自己这些问题。如果这不是我的责任，我想谁会替我做这项工作？我们问自己，我们为何来到这条路上？那么，我们为什么拖延？我们出于充分理由有意识地选择了接受圣音大师的教诲。为了帮助我们保持专注，我们需要不断回顾我们的动机和优先事项。

Now is the time to get serious about living the teachings! There is no better time to make the required effort to keep our attention in the eye centre. The responsibility is ours and ours alone. No one else can do it for us. If a student wants to pass an exam, he or she has to study; no one else can do the studying for them. Master Sawan Singh (also known as Great Master) says: “Develop the power to withdraw your attention, at will, from the outward objects and from the physical body, and concentrate it in the eye focus.”
现在正是认真实践教诲的时候！没有比现在更合适的时机来付出必要的努力，将我们的注意力保持在眼中心。责任在我们自己，而且仅在我们自己。没有人能替我们做到这一点。如果学生想通过考试，他或她必须学习；没有人能替他们学习。萨万·辛格大师（也被称为大导师）说：“培养在意志力下将注意力从外界物体和身体中抽离，并集中在眼焦点上的能力。”

He states the disciple’s responsibility very clearly. Those words ‘at will’ mean it is we who are responsible for keeping our mind in the eye centre through effort and self-control. No one else will do it for us. Even the Master, who is teaching, guiding and protecting us, will not do it for us. Unless we take this step ourselves, we will never make spiritual progress.
他非常清楚地阐述了弟子的责任。这些“在意志力下”的词意味着我们通过努力和自我控制来负责将心保持在眼中心。没有人会替我们做到这一点。即使是教导我们、引导我们、保护我们的大师，也不会替我们做到这一点。除非我们自己采取这一步，否则我们永远无法在精神上取得进步。

With the gift of initiation, Master bestows on the disciple sufficient grace to do meditation. All disciples of a true Master have the strength to meditate and to keep the attention at the eye focus. We cannot let laziness or fear paralyze us. We have the strength to raise our attention to the eye centre because the force that is upholding the entire creation is upholding us. That force is Shabd; that is what the Master is; and that, too, is what we are.
得到启蒙的恩赐，大师赐予弟子足够的恩典来修行冥想。真正的师父的所有弟子都有修行的能力，并且能够将注意力集中在眼观点上。我们不能让懒惰或恐惧使我们瘫痪。我们有能力将注意力提升到眼中心，因为支撑整个创造的力量也在支撑着我们。那股力量是“圣音”；那就是师父；那也是我们。

The power within is not ignorant of what you are doing. It is with you and constantly watches you and guides you.
内在的力量不会对你所做的事情一无所知。它与你同在，不断地注视着你并引导你。
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

Initiation is not an insurance policy
启蒙不是一份保险单

One does not become a satsangi simply by being initiated.
仅仅通过启蒙并不能成为一位圣弟子。
_{Maharaj Jagat Singh}

Sant Mat is not an insurance policy by which we are guaranteed salvation just by attending initiation. Although initiation is no small matter, although it marks the culmination of a journey of thousands of lifetimes, it is not the end of the journey. Shabd Master Baba Gurinder Singh (or Baba Ji, as he is known) tells us that the event of our initiation may be taken as the projection of our desire to grow spiritually. Unless we take action, we will not become satsangis. A satsangi is one who is in contact with Truth (sat, truth; sang, with). You are either there, or you are not there. There is no half-way ground in experiencing Truth.
圣玛特（Sant Mat）并非一份保险单，仅仅通过参加启蒙仪式就能保证我们获得救赎。尽管启蒙仪式并非小事，尽管它标志着数千生命旅程的终结，但它并非旅程的终点。圣音大师巴·古里德·辛格（或被称为巴·吉，即 Baba Ji）告诉我们，我们启蒙仪式的发生可以被视为我们精神成长的愿望的投射。如果我们不采取行动，就不会成为圣赞者（satsangi）。圣赞者是与真理（sat，真理；sang，与）接触的人。你要么在那里，要么就不在那里。在体验真理的过程中，没有折中的余地。

As Master Jagat Singh (or Sardar Bahadur, as he was also known) points out, we do not become satsangis by the mere act of having attended initiation. A graduate student enrolling in a doctoral programme does not become a PhD just by joining the university. A student has to attend classes for many years before he or she graduates. Until we have merged into Shabd, we are all seekers in search of our home. The way to go home is through meditation. If we are not doing our meditation, then we are not on our way to becoming satsangis. Nor are we following the teachings of the Master, no matter how often we have the sight or company (darshan) of his physical form, listen to satsangs, do seva or read spiritual books. Without meditation, it is impossible to attain liberation.
正如贾特·辛格大师（或称巴哈杜尔，这也是他的别称）所指出的，仅仅参加启蒙仪式并不能让我们成为 satsangis。一名研究生入学攻读博士课程，仅仅加入大学并不能使他成为博士。学生必须接受多年的课程学习才能毕业。直到我们与 Shabd 融为一体，我们都是寻求家园的探索者。回家的路就是通过冥想。如果我们没有进行冥想，那么我们就没有在成为 satsangis 的道路上。无论我们多么频繁地见到或陪伴大师的物理形态、聆听 satsang、做 seva 或阅读精神书籍，我们都没有遵循大师的教诲。没有冥想，就不可能获得解脱。

A Master comes to initiate us, to put us in contact with our inner Master, the Shabd. Once we have been initiated, we have to follow the instructions our living Master has given us. By putting more emphasis on the person of the Master than on his teachings, we make a serious mistake that is detrimental to our spiritual welfare. The Master’s finger is pointing to the eye centre but we are busy worshipping his finger, not looking at where his finger is pointing. If we believe that Master will wave a magic wand and automatically give us liberation after death, we are wrong. If we believe that just by attending initiation or by having his physical darshan, without doing our meditation, he will give us liberation after death, we are also sadly mistaken.
一位大师来启示我们，让我们与内心的导师、圣音接触。一旦我们接受了启示，就必须遵循我们活大师给予的指示。如果我们过分强调大师本人而非他的教诲，就会犯一个对精神福祉有害的严重错误。大师的手指指向眼中心，但我们却忙着崇拜他的手指，没有看他的手指指向的地方。如果我们相信大师会挥动魔法棒，让我们死后自动获得解脱，我们就是错误的。如果我们相信仅仅通过接受启示或见到他的身体，而不做我们的冥想，他就会让我们死后获得解脱，我们同样不幸地错了。

Shabd Master Charan Singh used to say that nothing justifies us saying that we cannot do meditation. The Master fulfils his task by immersing us in an ocean of grace. Now we have to do our part and take responsibility, through action, for the welfare of our soul.
圣音大师查兰·辛格常说，没有任何理由让我们说我们无法进行冥想。大师通过让我们沉浸于恩典的海洋中来完成他的任务。现在我们必须尽我们的责任，通过行动，为我们的灵魂的福祉负责。

Kal’s deadliest weapon: indulging in thinking
卡拉最致命的武器：沉溺于思考

Mind is the deadliest of foes, but the most useful of servants. When it turns wild and gets out of control, it heads for certain destruction. When properly awakened and controlled, there is no limit to what the mind can do.
心是最凶恶的敌人，但也是最得力的仆人。当它变得狂野而失控时，就会走向毁灭。当它被正确唤醒并受到控制时，心灵所能做到的事情是无限的。
_{Introduction to Die to Live}

Once we have been initiated, we need to practise the process of controlling our mind so that it becomes the servant and ally of our soul, not our master. As we all have experienced, there is no end to our desires, and we know how easy it is to be dominated by them! At the root of this problem lies the habit of giving free rein to our mind so that it goes wherever the senses lead it. If we learn to control our mind, we automatically gain control over our senses. In Die to Live, Master Charan Singh says: “Intellect is a great barrier in our way, but we have to pierce the barrier of intellect with the help of intellect.”
一旦我们接受了启蒙，就需要练习控制心灵的过程，使它成为我们灵魂的仆人和盟友，而不是我们的主人。正如我们所有人所经历的，我们的欲望是无穷无尽的，我们也知道被欲望支配是多么容易！这个问题根源在于我们放任心灵自由，让它随感官的引导而动。如果我们学会控制心灵，我们自然会获得对感官的控制。在《Die to Live》中，查兰·辛格大师说：“理智是我们前进的一大障碍，但我们必须借助理智来突破理智的障碍。”

Used constructively, the intellect is a great friend on the spiritual journey. Supported by a spiritual focus and the habit of clear thinking, the mind discriminates for our spiritual advantage – looking to our spiritual growth and spiritual well-being. ‘Compulsive’ thinking, on the other hand, fuels desires, makes the ego stronger and contradicts all efforts to put our soul in charge. Compulsive, out-of-control thinking gets us into trouble and leads to pain. It is a question of who is in control. Allowed to go its own way, not referring to its power of discrimination, the mind quickly becomes our downfall.
若能正确运用，理智是精神旅途上的良伴。在精神专注和清晰思考的习惯支持下，心智会为我们的精神利益进行辨别——关注我们的精神成长和精神健康。另一方面，“强迫性”思考则会助长欲望，增强自我，并与我们让灵魂主导一切的努力相悖。失控的强迫性思考会带来麻烦和痛苦。关键在于谁在掌控。若心智不受约束，不参考其辨别能力，它很快就会成为我们的败局。

‘Compulsive’ thinking is the process of abandoning oneself to the inner chatter of the mind. It is the tendency to live in a world of concepts and illusions; of fear for what the future may bring; of obsessing with planning; of remembering and ruminating on what is past. The process itself builds habits of worrying, judging, analyzing, building expectations and daydreaming. Compulsive thinking feeds the passions. It reinforces the ego. Constant mental repetition of the obsessions of the day makes deep grooves in the mind. These grooves become so deep that even if we act on them, we may not be able even in one lifetime to wipe clean the slate of karmas. Then we have to reincarnate again – in response to what remains on the slate.
“强迫性”思维是放任自己沉溺于内心的喋喋不休。它是生活在概念和幻觉中的倾向；对未来的恐惧；对计划的偏执；对过去的记忆和反刍。这个过程本身会形成担忧、评判、分析、建立期望和幻想的习惯。强迫性思维滋养着激情。它强化着自我。对一天中偏执的持续精神重复会在心灵中刻下深深的沟壑。这些沟壑变得如此深邃，即使我们付诸行动，也可能无法在一个生命中擦去业力的黑板。那时，我们必须再次转世——回应黑板上残留的东西。

Relentlessly and restlessly, the mind tries to experience and enjoy everything. But nothing seems to satisfy its ravenous hunger. The acquisition of wealth and power gives rise to endless desires. Our possessions become the master, instead of being our slave. The passions gradually forge heavy chains around us, bind us to the baser things of the world and invariably harden our heart.
无休止地、焦躁不安地，心灵试图体验和享受一切。但似乎没有什么能满足它贪婪的饥饿。财富和权力的获取引发无尽的欲望。我们的财产变成了主人，而不是我们的奴隶。激情逐渐在我们周围锻造沉重的锁链，将我们束缚在世界的低级事物中，并必然使我们的心变得坚硬。
_{Introduction to Die to Live}

We generate thousands of thoughts every day. From the spiritual perspective this means that thousands of times a day our mind bypasses the eye centre as we run from one thought to the next without rest or pause. No wonder we feel restless and anxious! How could it be otherwise, with all that activity going on within our head? When we indulge in wanton thinking, we waste many opportunities to centre ourselves through spiritual repetition (simran). We miss the benefit that is available to us – the well-being that comes from repeating the words the Master gave us at the time of initiation, through which we create that much-needed focus at the eye centre.
我们每天产生成千上万的想法。从精神角度来看，这意味着我们每天成千上万次地让心绕过眼睛中心，我们在一个想法跑到下一个想法之间不停歇，没有休息或停顿。难怪我们感到焦躁不安！在头脑中发生这么多活动的情况下，还能怎么呢？当我们沉溺于无节制地思考时，我们浪费了很多通过精神重复（simran）来使心专注的机会。我们错过了能给我们带来的益处——那种通过重复我们在启蒙时大师给予我们的词语而获得的幸福感，通过这种方式，我们在眼睛中心创造出那种非常需要的专注力。

If, rather than containing the mind’s activity, we continuously indulge its whims and allow it to do as it pleases, then it continues to jump around wildly, wanting to go its own way. And it does this even more at the one time we really need it to become still, when we try to pin it down during the meditation period.
如果我们不控制心的活动，而是不断纵容它的任性，让它随心所欲，那么它就会继续疯狂地跳跃，想要走自己的路。而且，在它最需要保持静止的时候，我们试图在冥想期间把它固定下来，它还会这样做。

Masters therefore encourage less indulging in thinking and more focused repetition. Indulging the mind has an adverse effect on the disciple, scattering the attention and preventing us from going within. Since karma originates from action, and action originates from thought, by constantly thinking about small, insignificant, passing desires we fan these desires into forest fires. First, there is a thought or an idea – in the beginning it may seem just an innocent thought wave, one that can be easily brushed aside by a wave of simran or a counter-thought. However, if the mind starts to dwell on the thought, it becomes a desire. Once the desire gains momentum, it takes hold of us and we begin to consider how we can ‘possess’ the desired object. A great thirst and appetite may soon develop for it, and we become restless until we satisfy our desire. Once action has taken place, we have created karma. Craving, or mental indulgence, is thus the womb of all the invisible chains and fetters that bind us to this world.
因此，大师们鼓励减少沉溺于思考，更多地专注于重复。沉溺于思想会对弟子产生负面影响，分散注意力，阻止我们向内探索。既然业力源于行为，而行为源于思想，通过不断思考微小、无足轻重、转瞬即逝的欲望，我们会将这些欲望煽成熊熊大火。首先，有一个思想或一个想法——起初它可能只是一个看似无害的思想波，可以通过一次 simran 或反思想轻易地被驱散。然而，如果思想开始萦绕于心，它就变成了欲望。一旦欲望获得势头，它就会抓住我们，我们开始考虑如何“拥有”所渴望的对象。很快，我们可能会对它产生强烈的渴望和食欲，变得焦躁不安，直到满足我们的欲望。一旦行为发生，我们就创造了业力。渴望，或精神上的沉溺，是所有束缚我们于这个世界的无形锁链和枷锁的温床。

If, on the other hand, we choose simran to focus our mind and brush away these extraneous thoughts when they are just beginning, we pre-empt the battle. We cut at the root of our desires, dilute the downward tendencies of the mind and win a victory for our soul. One by one, each of these little victories adds up and gradually the positive energy they generate helps us establish our attention at the eye centre from where the currents of spiritual energy power our soul.
如果另一方面，我们选择 simran 来集中我们的思绪，并在这些杂念刚一开始时就将其拂去，我们就预先阻止了这场战斗。我们斩断了欲望的根源，稀释了心灵的向下趋势，为我们的灵魂赢得了胜利。一次又一次，这些小小的胜利逐渐累积，它们产生的正能量帮助我们逐渐在眼中心建立注意力，从这里，精神能量的电流为我们的灵魂提供动力。

The habit of compulsive thinking is a form of mental diarrhoea that weakens us, a sickness that prevents us from fulfilling our spiritual potential. It is a pathological state of human nature, a misdirected use by the mind of the power or energy of the soul. Not only does compulsive thinking weaken the spirit and strengthen the ego, it inexorably reinforces the mistaken notions that the world is permanent and that other people and events are responsible for our problems.
强迫性思考的习惯是一种削弱我们的精神腹泻，是一种使我们无法实现精神潜能的疾病。这是人性的一种病态状态，是心灵对灵魂力量或能量的错误使用。强迫性思考不仅削弱精神力量，增强自我，而且无情地强化了世界是永恒的以及其他人或事件是造成我们问题的责任的错误观念。

While the mind derives its life-force and energy from the soul, it at the same time does everything possible to suffocate the soul!
虽然心灵从灵魂中获取生命力和能量，但它同时竭尽全力扼杀灵魂！
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

The way to treat this sickness is to concentrate and focus our attention at the eye centre through simran. Simran reduces and quietens the stressful static created by out-flowing thought waves. Simran restores the mind to clarity, strength and wellness. Simran frees us from our obsessions so that we can be empty of our petty self and become receptive to the healing power of the Shabd within. (For more on this subject, see the section on simran in Chapter 5.)
治疗这种疾病的方法是通过 simran 将我们的注意力集中在眼中心。Simran 减少并平息由外流思维波产生的压力静电。Simran 使心灵恢复清晰、力量和健康。Simran 使我们摆脱执念，让我们摆脱渺小的自我，从而能够接受内在 Shabd 的治愈力量。（关于这个主题的更多信息，请参阅第 5 章中的 simran 部分。）

Get a grip on reality
把握现实

Satsangis should form the habit of ‘thinking’ – clear thinking … Clear thinking is ninety percent abhyas [spiritual practice]. Clear thinking is a blessing. It can easily be attained by a little practice.
修行者应当养成“思考”的习惯——清晰的思考……清晰的思考是九十分修行。清晰的思考是一种祝福。通过一点练习，就能轻易获得。
_{Maharaj Jagat Singh}

As we walk the spiritual path, we come to understand more and more that our suffering is rooted in our distorted or unclear way of perceiving the world and ourselves. By perceiving reality in a delusional way, we construct a delusional reality within which we live. It is no wonder, then, that when we experience lust, greed or any of the downward tendencies, we define ourselves through them, through our thoughts and emotions. Deluded as we are, we identify our very being with our anger, lust, greed, attachments and our ego. As we go through the experience of being human, we confuse our real Self with what we feel.
当我们走在灵性之路上，我们逐渐理解，我们的痛苦源于我们对世界和自身的扭曲或模糊的认知方式。通过一种幻觉的方式感知现实，我们在其中构建了一个幻觉的现实，我们就在其中生活。因此，当我们体验到欲望、贪婪或任何向下的倾向时，我们通过它们、通过我们的思想和情感来定义自己，这并不奇怪。虽然我们被蒙蔽，但我们将自己的本质与愤怒、欲望、贪婪、执着和自我认同起来。在经历作为人类的过程时，我们将真实的自我与我们的感受混淆起来。

The greatest tragedy of our deluded state is that we fail to see that our essence is Shabd. The Masters tell us that even the smallest part of Shabd is nothing but light, bliss and love. From the encouraging perspective of the Masters, our obsessions and neuroses are but temporary obstructions, passing dark clouds that block the brilliance of our soul from reaching us. Our challenge is to contribute to the process that drives the clouds away.
我们迷惑状态中最大的悲剧在于我们未能认识到我们的本质是圣音。大师们告诉我们，圣音的任何微小部分都不过是光明、喜悦和爱。从大师们鼓励的角度来看，我们的执念和神经症不过是暂时的障碍，是遮蔽我们灵魂光辉而无法触及我们的 passing 黑云。我们的挑战是参与驱散这些云彩的过程。

Meditation helps us reach a state where we can detach ourselves from our emotions and obsessions. Through Shabd meditation, we actually experience that we are not these ever-changing identities that we assume through our feelings and neuroses, but that we are fundamentally pure and constant. We are not the small self we thought we were, but rather the Shabd Self – this light, bliss and love that is within us. Through meditation we realize that our downward tendencies are superficial and temporary. As we stop identifying ourselves with our passions and attachments, we let go of them. Once we let go of them, we are free to identify with our Shabd Self. Meditation helps us to gain increasing clarity as to who we really are.
冥想帮助我们达到一种能够从情绪和执念中解脱的状态。通过圣音冥想，我们实际上体验到我们并非通过感觉和神经症所假设的那些不断变化的身份，而是根本上是纯净和恒常的。我们不是我们认为的那个小我，而是圣音自我——这个存在于我们内心的光明、喜悦和爱。通过冥想，我们认识到我们的向下倾向是肤浅和暂时的。当我们停止将自己与激情和依恋认同时，我们就放下了它们。一旦我们放下它们，我们就能与圣音自我认同。冥想帮助我们越来越清晰地认识到我们真正是谁。

As the meditation practice becomes stabilized, we begin to see the process of life in an objective manner. We see events and people for what they are, rather than for what we have always projected on them. It becomes possible to witness that our thoughts and emotions are just that: thoughts and emotions, personal mental projections or electrical impulses. Seeing these projections in a clear light, we release our grip. The resulting light-heartedness we experience enables us to go deeper into the meditation practice. The deeper we go, the more clearly we understand the true nature of the mind.
随着冥想练习趋于稳定，我们开始以客观的方式看待生命的进程。我们看到事件和人物的真实面貌，而不是我们一直投射在他们身上的形象。我们开始意识到，我们的思想和情绪仅仅是思想和情绪：个人的心理投射或电脉冲。当我们清晰地看到这些投射时，我们便放开了紧握。由此产生的轻松愉悦使我们能够更深入地投入冥想练习。我们越是深入，就越能清晰地理解心灵的真实本质。

Strengthened by meditation, we are able to watch how the mind, in expressing itself, creates infinite scenarios and then dissolves them again. We see for ourselves how its reservoir is unlimited, how there is no end to its creations. We start to recognize that the source of our problems lies in the deceptive nature of our mental creations, and in our yearning for permanent or lasting solutions in an ever-changing world. Because we treat the world as permanent, we look to it for the lasting happiness we crave. Clear thinking shows us that it is this, our distorted perception, that is leading us again and again to seek happiness in situations where the final outcome can only, by its nature, be frustration, separation and pain.
通过冥想，我们得以观察心灵在表达自我时如何创造无限场景，然后又让它们消散。我们亲眼见证其资源是无限的，其创造没有尽头。我们开始认识到，我们问题的根源在于心灵创造的欺骗性，以及我们在不断变化的世界中对永恒或持久解决方案的渴望。因为我们视世界为永恒，便向它寻求我们渴求的持久幸福。清晰的思考告诉我们，正是这种扭曲的认知，一次次将我们引向那些最终只能带来挫败、分离和痛苦的境地。

Clear thinking is attained by practice, and it is well worth cultivating it to help us avoid falling into our own mind traps. We can help ourselves by reasoning things out and thinking things through in the light of the saints’ spiritual perspective; by using common sense to see if what we think seems reasonable, logical and truthful; by checking if our conclusions will bring us closer to or further from our spiritual goal. Real clarity, however, will be achieved only when the currents of thought settle, when through the practice of simran they become tranquil at our eye centre.
清晰的思维通过实践得以实现，而培养它非常值得，因为它能帮助我们避免陷入自己的思维陷阱。我们可以通过以圣人的精神视角来推理和思考事物，用常识判断我们所想的是否合理、逻辑和真实，检查我们的结论是否会让我们更接近或远离精神目标来帮助自己。然而，真正的清晰只有在思维潮流平息时才能实现，当通过 simran 的练习，它们在我们眼中心变得宁静时。

Clear thinking takes us deeper in the practice of meditation. Once the thought waves are stilled, our soul experiences a higher reality through its faculty of direct perception. With our shifting mind anchored, we perceive things and remain unaffected by them, so that we are able to let life go its own way. Thus a two-way process is created: as we think clearly, it becomes easier to concentrate in meditation; and increased concentration, leading to the unperturbed receptivity of a heightened consciousness, allows the Shabd to be revealed.
清晰的思维使我们更深地进入冥想实践。一旦思维波平息，我们的灵魂通过其直接感知的能力体验到更高的现实。随着我们变化不定的心锚定，我们感知事物且不受其影响，因此我们能够让生活顺其自然。这样就创造了一个双向过程：当我们思维清晰时，在冥想中更容易集中；而增强的集中力，导致高度意识的不受干扰的接纳性，使 Shabd 得以显现。

If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear as it is, infinite.
如果感知的门被净化，一切都会如其所是，无限。
_{William Blake}

To be able to keep our attention in the eye centre, it is critical that at the time of meditation we let go of many things that may otherwise demand our attention. It is critical that we remind ourselves that it is our perception of events and other people that affects us; it is our perception of life that makes us suffer, rather than the people and things themselves. If we are able to realize this fact and let go of our obsessions, then it becomes easier for us to achieve better concentration in our meditation practice. The one strengthens the other. This is why it is crucial that we put full effort into exercising control over our thoughts.
要能够将注意力保持在眼中心，在冥想时我们需放下许多可能分散我们注意力的东西。关键在于提醒自己，是我们对事件和他人的感知影响我们；是我们对生命的感知使我们痛苦，而不是人和事物本身。如果我们能够认识到这一事实并放下我们的执念，那么在冥想练习中更容易达到更好的专注。两者相辅相成。这就是为什么我们必须全力以赴地控制我们的思想。

With clear thinking, we see that many of the preoccupations that prevent us from doing simran are not worth pursuing. They are personal, based on our own misconceptions, and have no lasting relevance. For instance, our impulse to blame circumstances or people is a self-deception. We realize that events or people don’t hurt us; it is how we view the world that makes us feel hurt. Events are impersonal; others are not to blame; it is our own perception that is at fault. What others think or say about us is not in our control: people’s opinions are their own, so we shouldn’t let our meditation be perturbed by them. People may not be what we wish them to be since each and every person has to go through his or her own personal and individual drama. Given the law of karma, therefore, it is foolish to think we can bend or shape other people to suit our own life’s drama.
通过清晰的思考，我们认识到许多让我们无法进行 simran 的执念不值得追求。它们是私人的，基于我们自己的误解，并且没有持久的意义。例如，我们指责环境或他人的冲动是一种自我欺骗。我们意识到事件或他人不会伤害我们；是我们看待世界的方式让我们感到受伤。事件是客观的；他人不应受到责备；是我们的认知才是问题所在。别人对我们有什么想法或说什么，我们无法控制：人们的观点是他们自己的，所以我们不应让我们的冥想被它们干扰。人们可能不是我们希望他们成为的样子，因为每个人都必须经历自己独特的个人戏剧。根据业力法则，因此，认为我们可以改变或塑造他人以适应我们自己的生活戏剧是愚蠢的。

Open your eyes: see things for what they really are, thereby sparing yourself the pain of false attachments and avoidable devastation.
睁开你的眼睛：看清事物的真实面目，从而避免虚假的依恋和可避免的毁灭。
_Epictetus

Events such as beginning or ending a relationship, power struggles at our place of work or seva, getting ill, becoming rich or poor – none of these is under our control. Most of these events were already determined and charted out before we were born by our own actions in previous births. We would derive far more benefit if we worked to control our thinking instead of trying to control events, people or circumstances. What would we gain if we were to control the whole world, but could not control ourselves!
诸如开始或结束一段关系、工作场所或服务中的权力斗争、生病、变得富有或贫穷等事件，都不在我们控制之下。这些大多数事件在我们出生之前就已经由我们在前世的行动所决定和规划。如果我们努力控制自己的思维，而不是试图控制事件、人或环境，我们会得到更多的益处。如果我们能控制整个世界，却无法控制自己，那我们又能得到什么呢！

The fact is that we don’t have a choice regarding many things that happen to us, but we do have the choice as to how we react to them. Will we react in a positive manner? This choice can be ours. Will we turn our attention towards our inner life? If so, what will we choose there? We have the choice to choose simran or to occupy ourselves with inner chatter: will we let go of our apparent need to be entertained, ad nauseam, by our own thoughts and dreams? We have the choice to cultivate receptivity to the Sound. Will we give our time to our meditation practice? We have the choice to calm our mind, to cultivate clear thinking, to choose a path of inner happiness and inner freedom. Will we keep working with ourselves to strengthen our simran? What will we choose?
事实上，关于发生在我们身上的许多事情，我们并没有选择，但我们确实可以选择如何应对它们。我们会以积极的方式反应吗？这个选择属于我们。我们会将注意力转向内心生活吗？如果是，我们会在那里选择什么？我们选择选择 simran 或沉迷于内心杂念：我们是否愿意放下自己明显需要被自己的思想和梦想无休止地娱乐？我们选择培养对声音的开放性。我们会把时间用于冥想练习吗？我们选择让内心平静，培养清晰的思维，选择一条内心幸福和内心自由的道路。我们会继续与自己相处来加强我们的 simran 吗？我们会选择什么？

Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: some things are within our control, and some things are not.
幸福和自由始于对一条原则的清晰理解：有些事情在我们控制之内，有些事情不在我们控制之内。
_Epictetus

Invert the five passions to nurture meditation
翻转五毒以滋养禅修

Clear thinking helps us redirect the emotions and thoughts that hinder our meditation, yet it is interesting to note that when it comes to spirituality the mind is so perverse that it turns everything backwards. On the spiritual path, we talk about how we want to replace lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride or ego with their opposite virtues so as to nurture our meditation. Do we succeed? What seems to happen more often is that the mind comes in and twists everything around.
清晰的思维能帮助我们转移那些阻碍我们禅修的情感和念头，但值得注意的是，在精神层面上，心灵竟是如此扭曲，以至于它将一切事情都颠倒过来。在精神道路上，我们谈论如何用它们相反的美德来取代贪欲、愤怒、贪婪、执着和傲慢或自我，以滋养我们的禅修。我们成功了吗？更常见的情况是，心灵介入并扭曲了所有事情。

For example, lust is excessive indulgence in the senses while the opposite of lust is continence – but where do we, who see ourselves as spiritual practitioners, practise continence? Is it not frequently seen in the spiritual side of life, where many of us – ironically – practise continence in the area of meditation! We may even say that too much meditation is dangerous! How often, on the other hand, do we justify being lustful for life “for the experience of it”? “I need to have this experience.” “I need to know this thing.” “I need to go through this.”
例如，贪欲是对感官的过度沉溺，而贪欲的对立面是禁欲——但我们这些自认为是精神修行者的人，在哪里练习禁欲呢？难道不是经常在精神生活的方面，许多人在讽刺的情况下，在禅修方面练习禁欲吗！我们甚至可以说，过多的禅修是危险的！另一方面，我们多久会为贪欲的生活“为了体验它”而辩护？“我需要这个体验。”“我需要知道这件事。”“我需要经历这个过程。”

As disciples on a spiritual adventure it should be the opposite. On the spiritual path, we should be lustful for meditation. If we are passionate about spirituality, we have to crave and yearn after meditation. We need to nurture the desire for more indulgence in meditation until we reach the point that we lose ourselves in it.
作为在精神探索中的追随者，情况应当相反。在精神道路上，我们应当渴望冥想。如果我们热衷于灵性，就必须渴望并向往冥想。我们需要培养对更多冥想的渴望，直到达到我们沉浸其中的境界。

Another passion we can redirect to improve our meditation is anger. When someone in this world does something we don’t like, the most common response is to react and to try to change that person. We get angry because the world isn’t the way we want it to be. “This person is no good.” “I want you to be this way.” We are filled with anger. But when we come to our meditation, it is nothing but forgiveness. Where is our reforming zeal when we are dealing with ourselves? Do we try to change our mind by giving it a good slap in the face and saying, “You are going to sit! You are going to meditate!” Oh no, we become all forgiveness. We say, “Oh, poor mind, it is too much for you. If I press you too hard, you will rebel and overwhelm me. I forgive you, I know you are weak.” We are all forgiveness as far as the discipline of meditation is concerned. We forgive ourselves for our lack of effort yet we put no bridles on our anger towards the world.
我们可以将愤怒这种热情引导到改善我们的冥想上。当这个世界上的某个人做了我们不喜欢的事情时，最常见的反应是做出反应并试图改变这个人。我们生气是因为世界不是我们想要的样子。“这个人不好。”“我希望你这样。”我们充满了愤怒。但当我们来到冥想时，它不过是宽恕。当我们处理自己时，我们的改革热情在哪里？我们是否通过给心灵一记耳光并说“你要坐！你要冥想！”来试图改变它？哦不，我们变得全是宽恕。我们说，“哦，可怜的心灵，对你来说太难了。如果我逼得太紧，你会反叛并压倒我。我宽恕你，我知道你很弱。”就冥想的纪律而言，我们全是宽恕。我们宽恕自己缺乏努力，但我们对自己的愤怒不加缰绳。

It should be just the opposite. If we need to be angry, we should be angry towards our mind: “What are you doing to me? Why are you trying to mislead me? Why are you making me waste my existence? Why don’t you sit still and be quiet?”
情况应该是相反的。如果我们需要生气，我们应该对心灵生气：“你对我做了什么？你为什么试图误导我？你为什么让我浪费我的存在？你为什么不安静地坐着？”

Then there is greed. How many days do we spend in stores, shopping malls or online, purchasing all life’s paraphernalia, accumulating it, savouring it, dressing ourselves up with it? We need the sharpest car and the best house. We need to see and be seen. These may seem like small things but soon, if we are not careful – filled with care for our soul – our mind will find there are skyscrapers we must own, empires we must create, whole populations we must milk for profit. To be content with just some knowledge becomes insufficient: we must know all things and amaze the world with our knowledge. The fact is that most of these things we don’t need, so, basically, all this is nothing but greed and indulgence. But by the same token, are we greedy for meditation? Do we want more and more of it? No. When it comes to that, we become the embodiment of contentment. “I must lead a normal, balanced life; I can take only so much. I’ve done the most I can handle of meditation. I’ve gone to satsang; I’m content.”
然后是贪婪。我们有多少天是在商店、购物中心或网上度过，购买生活中的一切用品，积累它们，品味它们，用它们来装扮自己？我们需要最锋利的车和最好的房子。我们需要被看见，也需要看见别人。这些看似小事，但如果我们不小心——如果我们关心自己的灵魂——我们的心很快会发现，我们必须拥有的摩天大楼，必须创造的帝国，必须为了利润而剥削的整个群体。仅仅满足于一些知识是不够的：我们必须知道一切，用我们的知识让世界惊叹。事实上，我们并不需要这些大多数东西，所以基本上，所有这一切不过是贪婪和放纵。但同样地，我们对冥想贪婪吗？我们想要越来越多的冥想吗？不。当谈到这一点时，我们成为了满足的化身。“我必须过上正常、平衡的生活；我只能承受这么多。我已经尽力去冥想了。我已经去参加过 satsang；我已经满足了。”

For the one who loves the Master, there is no such thing as contentment with meditation; there has got to be greed – insatiable greed. We always want more meditation, we always want more of the presence of the inner Master; there has got to be greed for that.
对于爱慕师父的人，根本不存在对禅修的满足；必须要有贪婪——无法满足的贪婪。我们总是想要更多的禅修，想要更多内在师父的临在；对此必须要有贪婪。

What, then, do we see if we analyze attachment? If we knew that someone were beating up a person we love, we wouldn’t wait to get help. We would run and throw ourselves into the fray. Even if the person were much bigger than us, or there were twenty of them attacking, we would just ignore the fact and would flail around to protect this loved one whom we are attached to. Now when it comes to meditation, the soul, which is our real essence, is being molested, raped, beaten to death by the mind and senses, and yet, in the midst of that ordeal we manage to find detachment. “Oh, poor soul, this is your plight, the mind is powerful and I cannot defend you against it.” We are very detached about the soul. “In the last moment the Master will come, like Superman, to the rescue. Don’t worry. I do not need to make any effort. He will save you. He is attached to you.”
那么，如果我们分析依恋，会看到什么呢？如果我们知道有人正在殴打我们爱的人，我们不会等待寻求帮助。我们会跑过去投入战斗。即使对方比我们高大得多，或者有二十个人在攻击，我们也会忽视这些事实，拼命保护这个我们依恋的人。现在说到禅修，我们的灵魂——也就是我们的真实本质——正被心智和感官虐待、强奸、殴打致死，然而在那种磨难中，我们竟然还能保持超然。 “哦，可怜的灵魂，这就是你的处境，心智的力量太强大了，我无法保护你免受它的侵害。”我们对灵魂非常超然。“最后一刻师父会来，像超人一样来拯救你。别担心。我不用费什么力气。他会救你。他是依恋你的。”

Are we attached to our soul? It would appear that we are not. Rather, it would seem that we are very attached to the worldly things and unattached to that which is our essence. We say, “Oh, we have our children and our family and all that.” It is true, we have all those relations, but who are they? The Master says this world is a play: many wives, many husbands, many children, through our many lives – we have had them all!
我们是否依恋自己的灵魂？看来我们并不依恋。相反，似乎我们非常依恋世俗之物，却对自身本质毫无依恋。我们说：“哦，我们有孩子、家庭和所有这些。”确实如此，我们拥有所有这些关系，但它们是谁呢？师父说这个世界是一场游戏：许多妻子、许多丈夫、许多孩子，通过我们许多的生命——我们已经拥有它们了！

There is a story about a man who was very attached to his wife. When his wife died, he wanted a message taken to her, so he asked a spiritually advanced disciple to contact his wife. The advanced disciple went inside and then came back. The husband asked, “Well, what did she say?” The disciple replied, “She said, ‘Who? Which husband? I’ve been with so many by that very name since I have been coming into this creation. To which husband are you referring?’” That is the extent of our attachments. We think these relationships are so real, so important, such vital obligations. With the spiritual perspective, however, we see we must reverse this way of thinking. It has to be just the opposite. Our priority has to be to consider our obligations to our soul. First and foremost, we have to value our soul so much that it is more important to us than everything else.
有一个关于一个男人非常爱他的妻子的故事。当他的妻子去世后，他想给她传个消息，于是他请一个修行有素的弟子去联系他的妻子。这位高深的弟子进去后又回来了。丈夫问：“好了，她说了什么？”弟子回答：“她说，‘谁？哪个丈夫？自从我来这个创造中以来，以这个名字与我相伴的人太多了。你指的是哪个丈夫？’”这就是我们依恋的限度。我们认为这些关系如此真实，如此重要，如此重大的义务。然而，从精神的角度来看，我们看到我们必须颠倒这种思维方式。必须完全相反。我们的优先事项必须是考虑我们对灵魂的义务。首先，我们必须珍视我们的灵魂，使其比其他一切事物都更重要。

Then we come to the last of the five downward tendencies, which is ego. We think we are so valuable in this world that we should be recognized as important. We assume that people should want to be with us; that we should be paid more; that the Master should come personally to thank us for ‘our’ seva, and so on. There is so much ego in us. Yet, when we come to the spiritual side of life, we become the embodiment of humility. Then, we are nothing. We become worthless. We can’t fend for ourselves, and we can’t battle against the mind. “Master, you have to do it for me. You have to meditate for me.” We become all humility, and yet it should be just the opposite.
然后我们来到五条向下趋势中的最后一条，那就是自我。我们认为自己在这个世界上如此有价值，应该被认可为重要。我们假设人们应该想和我们在一起；我们应该得到更多的报酬；大师应该亲自来感谢我们为“我们”的 seva，等等。我们内心充满了太多的自我。然而，当我们来到生活的精神层面时，我们成为谦卑的化身。那时，我们什么都不是。我们变得毫无价值。我们无法照顾自己，也无法与心斗智斗勇。“大师，你必须替我做。你必须替我冥想。”我们变得极其谦卑，然而这恰恰应该相反。

If there is anything that we need on this spiritual path to reach our destination, it is the determination of the ego. This may sound like a tremendous contradiction in the path because we are trying to eliminate the ego. The mind is so cunning it tries to cloud our clear thinking and we confuse the faculty of ‘doing’ with a negative association of ‘ego’. At this stage on the spiritual path, firm resolve is more important to us than anything else, and a natural ingredient of ego is firm resolve. ‘Firm resolve’ is the determination to make things happen. ‘Firm determination’ is the quality of the mind that in Sanskrit is called ahankar, which also means ego and will power. It is this natural quality of the mind that becomes perverted when it gets out in the world and says, “I am this” and “This is mine”. But in order to get to the eye focus we need this same quality to be directed to our advantage, so that it says, “I am going to do it, I am going to achieve it.” If we don’t have that faculty, we will never get to the eye centre.
如果我们在这条精神道路上需要任何能帮助我们到达目的地的东西，那就是自我意志的坚定。这听起来可能是在这条道路上的一种巨大矛盾，因为我们试图消除自我。心灵如此狡猾，它试图蒙蔽我们清晰的思考，而我们把“行动”的能力与“自我”的负面联想混淆了。在精神道路的这个阶段，坚定的决心比任何其他东西都更为重要，而坚定决心是自我的一种自然成分。“坚定决心”是指促成事情发生的意志。“坚定决心”是心灵在梵语中被称为“ahankar”的品质，它也意味着自我和意志力。当这种心灵的自然品质在世界上变得扭曲，说“我是这个”和“这是我的”时，它就变得不正常了。但是为了到达“眼焦点”，我们需要将这种同样的品质导向对我们有利，让它说“我要去做，我要去实现”。如果我们没有这种能力，就永远无法到达“眼中心”。

Clear thinking on this matter is extremely important. In this plane, we are enmeshed in ego. It is through the ego that we function, and without it we cannot live. When it becomes time for us to do what is important for us to do, we have to use our ego. But the use of the ego is only a faculty, not an identity. When it comes to achieving something in this world such as getting a job, we exert our determination. When we go to school, we say, “I can pass this exam. I can obtain this degree to get this job. I can succeed in this job.” When we really want something, we go and get it. For our spiritual growth, we need to use that same determination.
在这个问题上保持清晰的思考至关重要。在这个层面，我们深陷于自我之中。正是通过自我，我们才能运作，没有它我们就无法生存。当我们需要做对我们重要的事情时，我们必须运用我们的自我。但运用自我只是一种能力，而不是一种身份。当我们在世界上取得某种成就，比如找到工作，我们会发挥我们的决心。当我们去上学时，我们会说：“我能通过这场考试。我能获得这个学位来找到这份工作。我能在这份工作上取得成功。”当我们真的想要某样东西时，我们会去得到它。为了我们的精神成长，我们需要运用同样的决心。

In this way, we use the mind’s natural behaviour to our advantage. The five ‘sins’ or ‘passions’ that stand in the way of spiritual growth are simply perversions of the mind’s natural tendencies. We can take each of these passions and reverse them, transforming them from downward tendencies to positive powers, and create ballast for our upward journey. Lust, anger, greed, attachment, and ego can all be inverted to serve the spirit by supporting our meditation practice.
通过这种方式，我们利用了思维的自然行为来为我们服务。阻碍精神成长的五种“罪恶”或“激情”只是思维自然倾向的扭曲。我们可以将这五种激情中的每一种反过来，将它们从向下的倾向转变为积极的力量，为我们的向上之旅提供压舱物。欲望、愤怒、贪婪、执着和自我都可以被反转，通过支持我们的冥想练习来为精神服务。

Unmasking the ego
揭露自我

Within the body He Himself resides,
祂自己就居住在身体之中
Yet He cannot be seen, that Invisible One.
然而祂不可见，那无形者。
Under the sway of mind,
在心识的支配下，
Fools know not the truth,
愚者不知真相，
And search for Him outside.
而在外面寻找祂。
_{Guru Amar Das}

Where there is thinking (mind), there is duality. Where there is duality, there is ego: “me and my thoughts” or “me and the world” or “I am one thing; the world is something else”. Ego is sustained and fed by constant thinking. Ego cannot concern itself with living in the present, because being in the present threatens ego’s very survival. Ego is kept alive by thinking constantly about the past or future. Without a past, it is hard to maintain an identity. Preoccupation with the future gives hope for the continued survival of ego. Ego is therefore always looking to get attached to some memory, situation or problem, to guarantee its survival and to reinforce its sense of self.
有思考（心智）之处，即有二元对立。有二元对立之处，即有自我：“我和我的思想”或“我和世界”或“我是某物；世界是另一物”。自我由持续的思考所维持和滋养。自我无法关注活在当下，因为活在当下会威胁到自我的生存。自我通过不断思考过去或未来来维持生命。没有过去，就难以维持身份认同。对未来的忧虑给予自我继续生存的希望。因此，自我总是试图依附于某些记忆、情境或问题，以保障其生存并强化其自我意识。

What ego fails to see is that this self is just a mask impersonating our real Self. Ego is the ignorance of who we really are. Ours is a case of mistaken identity. It is as if we were water contained in a glass bottle that is floating on the ocean, and we thought we were the bottle instead of the water. Eventually, the bottle will be smashed by the waves against the rocks and the glass will break. Once the bottle is broken, where is our separate identity? Where is the single drop? It doesn’t exist any more. It has become the ocean.
自我未能察觉的是，这个自我不过是伪装我们真实自我的面具。自我是对我们真实身份的无知。我们陷入身份错置的困境。就好像我们是被装在玻璃瓶里的水，漂浮在大海上，却以为自己是瓶子而非水。最终，瓶子会被海浪拍打在岩石上撞碎，玻璃会破裂。一旦瓶子碎了，我们的独立身份在哪里？那滴水的位置在哪里？它已不复存在。它已成为大海。

What has happened to me?
我发生了什么？
I am now lost to myself!
我现在迷失了自己！
I look within me and I do not find myself.
我向内看，却找不到自己。
Within myself You abide.
在我之内 你驻留。
From head to foot You are there,
从头顶到脚底 你都在那里，
And You too are within and without.
你既在内部也在外部。
_{Bulleh Shah}

When we die, we lose contact with our possessions and relations. Without these relationships with the outside world we will no longer be what we used to be, our ego will have no meaning, our personality as we experience it just now will have died with us. The word ‘personality’ derives from the Latin word ‘persona’, which means mask. This mask was used in ancient Greek theatre to portray a role or personality. Our ego is the mask, the personality or self we have built in this lifetime to cover our true Self. It is our ‘false’, our temporary identity, an impostor that pretends to be the real ‘me’.
当我们死亡时，我们会失去与我们的财产和关系的联系。没有这些与外部世界的关系，我们将不再是我们曾经的样子，我们的自我将失去意义，我们现在所体验的人格将随着我们的死亡而消亡。"人格"一词源自拉丁语"persona"，意思是面具。这个面具在古希腊戏剧中用来扮演角色或人格。我们的自我就是面具，是我们在这辈子中建立的人格或自我，用来掩盖我们真实的自我。它是我们的"虚假"，我们的临时身份，一个假装是真正的"我"的冒牌货。

We will never become receptive to the truth of our own being until we unmask the ego, until the deceptive wall of duality between Shabd and the true self crumbles. The wall of ego that separates Shabd from us is made from the bricks we ourselves provide by indulging in thinking. Where there is thought there is ego. Where there is ego – ‘me’ or ‘you’ – there is separation, impermanence and pain.
我们永远不会对自身存在的真相变得开放，直到我们揭开小我的面具，直到在名号（Shabd）与真我之间的欺骗性二元对立之墙崩溃。将名号（Shabd）与我们分隔开来的小我之墙，是由我们在沉溺于思考时自己提供的砖块砌成的。有思考之处就有小我。有小我——无论是“我”还是“你”——就有分离、无常和痛苦。

When one merges into the Absolute there is no ego, no duality, no separation and no pain. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali says that union is achieved through stillness of the thought waves. The only way one can merge back in the Absolute is by quieting the mind. This is very difficult to achieve but it is not impossible. By training the mind in simran, we control our thoughts and make them harmless. Then we are in a receptive state when we practise listening to the Shabd in bhajan. We go on practising our bhajan until we are able to hear the inner Sound. Once this is accomplished, we are drawn by the magnetic pull of the Sound. As our awareness of Shabd expands, ego occupies its proper place and the soul gains control. As the soul gains control, stilling the mind becomes a real possibility. Meditation is the means to still our mind, to become absorbed in the celestial music, to be bathed in the light of Shabd.
当一个人融入绝对之中时，没有自我，没有二元性，没有分离，也没有痛苦。在《瑜伽经》中，帕坦伽利说，通过思维波的宁静来实现合一。唯一能让人重新融入绝对的方法是静心。这非常难以实现，但并非不可能。通过在 simran 中训练心智，我们控制自己的思想，使它们变得无害。然后，当我们练习在 bhajan 中聆听 Shabd 时，我们处于一种接受的状态。我们继续练习 bhajan，直到能够听到内在的声音。一旦完成，我们就被声音的磁力所吸引。随着我们对 Shabd 的认识扩展，自我占据了它应有的位置，灵魂获得了控制。随着灵魂获得控制，静心就成了一种真正的可能性。冥想是让我们静心、沉浸于天籁之音、沐浴在 Shabd 之光中的方法。

In answer to a fear expressed by many: we don’t lose the sense of who we are by merging with the ocean of consciousness. On the contrary, we become who we really are, which is pure consciousness, perfect happiness, limitless love. What is this personality that we are so afraid to lose? What sense does it make that we remain satisfied with this dark world, separated from our true essence, when our possibilities are infinite? Let us become the ocean. Let us make the effort to avoid being bottled up again. Let us strive to merge back into Shabd. That is who we really are.
针对许多人表达的一种恐惧：我们并不会在与意识之海的融合中失去自我。相反，我们成为真正的自我，即纯粹的意识、完美的幸福、无限的爱。我们如此害怕失去的这种人格究竟是什么？当我们拥有无限可能时，为何我们满足于这个黑暗的世界，与真实的本质分离，这有什么意义呢？让我们成为那片海洋。让我们努力避免再次被束缚。让我们努力重新融入 Shabd。那才是我们真正的本质。

One day I wiped out all notions from my mind. I gave up all desire. I discarded all the words with which I thought and stayed in quietude. I felt a little queer – as if I were being carried into something, or as if I were touching some power unknown to me … and ztt! I entered. I lost the boundary of my physical body. I had my skin, of course, but I felt I was standing in the centre of the cosmos. I spoke, but my words had lost their meaning. I saw people coming toward me, but all were the same man. All were myself! I had never known this world. I had believed that I was created, but now I must change my opinion: I was never created; I was the cosmos; no individual Mr Sasaki existed.
有一天我清除了心中的所有念头。我放弃了所有欲望。我抛弃了我用来思考的所有词语，保持静默。我感觉有点奇怪——好像我被带到了某个地方，或者好像我触碰到了某种我不知道的力量……然后！我进入了。我失去了身体的边界。当然我还有皮肤，但我感觉我站在宇宙的中心。我说话了，但我的话语失去了意义。我看到人们向我走来，但都是同一个人。都是我自己！我从未了解过这个世界。我曾认为我是被创造的，但现在我必须改变我的看法：我从未被创造；我是宇宙；没有单独的佐佐木先生存在。
_{Zen Master Sasaki}

It is the barrier of ego that prevents us from knowing our true Self. By replacing self-centred thoughts with simran, by offering our ego in meditation to the Master, the wall of duality will one day crumble, the impostor will be unmasked, and we will gain experience of who we truly are.
正是自我意识使我们无法认识真实的自我。通过用 simran 取代以自我为中心的念头，通过在冥想中将自我意识奉献给大师，二元对立的墙终有一天会崩塌，伪装者将被揭穿，我们将体验到真实的自我是谁。

When the desire for the Friend became real,
当对朋友的渴望变得真实时，
All existence fell behind.
所有存在都落在了后面。
The Beloved wasn’t interested in my reasoning,
我爱的人对我的理由不感兴趣，
I threw it away and became silent.
我把它扔掉了，变得沉默。
The sanity I had been taught became a bore,
我学到的理智变得乏味，
It had to be ushered off.
它必须被驱逐出去。
Insane, silent and in bliss,
疯狂、寂静且充满幸福，
I spent my days with my head
我整天
At the feet of my Beloved.
都跪在我挚爱者的足下。
_{Shaikh Abu-Saeed Abil-Kheir}

2  Priorities, attitude and effort
2  优先事项、态度和努力

Seek ye first the kingdom of God …
你们要先寻求上帝的国 …
and all these things shall be added unto you.
这些事都要加给你们了。
_{Matthew 6:33}

What is it that we want?
我们想要的是什么？

Our true being is boundless. It has no limitations. But we have shifted our attention from that boundless absolute nature to the limited, relative, ordinary condition of our personalities. As long as we keep our attention away from our true nature, we will continue to live in duality, ignorant of the bliss that is within our reach. We waste our lives distracted by the world and its objects. Again and again, we fall under the material world’s illusions and spells.
我们的真实本性是无边无际的。它没有限制。但我们把注意力从那种无边无际的绝对本性转移到了我们人格的有限、相对、平凡的境况上。只要我们保持注意力远离我们的真实本性，我们就会继续生活在二元对立中，不知道我们触手可及的喜悦。我们被世界及其事物分心，浪费了生命。一次又一次，我们陷入物质世界的幻觉和魔法中。

The Sufi mystic Rumi said that our situation is similar to that of a servant who is sent by a king to a country to accomplish a specific task. The servant goes to that country and does many wonderful and amazing things, and then returns to the king. Back at the king’s court, the king asks him, “Did you do the task I sent you to do?” The servant answers, “My lord, please, first let me thank you. The place you sent me is a wonderful place. I met a beautiful lady and I married her. Then we had children and with them my responsibilities increased, so I opened a shop.” The king interrupts him and says, “But what about the task that you were sent for? Did you or did you not perform that specific task? I didn’t send you to get married, to have children, to make money or to get entangled in other types of affairs.” The subject bends his head down in shame and says, “I am sorry, my lord, I forgot …” The king replies, “How could you have forgotten the only thing you were sent to perform? You will have to go back and do it.” And that’s how we keep coming back into this world.
苏菲派神秘主义者鲁米说过，我们的处境与一位被国王派往某国完成特定任务的仆人相似。仆人到了那个国家，做了许多奇妙而令人惊叹的事，然后返回国王那里。回到国王宫廷后，国王问他：“你完成我派你去的任务了吗？”仆人回答：“我的主人，请允许我先感谢您。您派我去的地方是个美妙的地方。我遇到了一位美丽的女士，并与她结婚。然后我们有了孩子，随着孩子的到来，我的责任也增加了，所以我开了一家店铺。”国王打断他，说：“但你被派去完成的任务呢？你完成还是没完成那项特定的任务？我没派你去结婚、生子、赚钱或陷入其他事务。”那人羞愧地低下头说：“对不起，我的主人，我忘记了……”国王回答：“你怎么会忘记你唯一被派去完成的任务？你必须回去完成它。”这就是我们不断回到这个世界的方式。

As life goes on and as the years go by, we confuse our priorities as we get more and more distracted from our spiritual purpose by the affairs of the world. Soon we may no longer distinguish between what is essential and what is not. Meditation is essential. If we were to forget everything else and remember this one essential thing, then everything would be fine in our life. If we did a thousand other wonderful things and forgot this one essential thing, we would, at the end of our life, have done nothing whatsoever.
随着岁月流逝，生活继续，我们越来越被世俗事务所干扰，从而混淆了我们的优先事项。很快，我们可能就无法分辨什么是重要的，什么是次要的。冥想是至关重要的。如果我们忘记了一切其他的事情，只记住这一件至关重要的事情，那么我们的生活就会一切顺利。如果我们做了成千上万的其他美妙的事情，却忘记了这一件至关重要的事情，那么在我们生命的尽头，我们实际上什么都没有做成。

Meditation awakens us to the reality of our being. This should be our priority. We may hold a very important job … so what? We may have the best car … so what? We may possess millions of dollars … so what? We may have the best spouse and the most wonderful family … so what? We may go on retreat, to an ashram, or to the Dera every year … so what? We may see the physical form of the Master every day for the rest of our lives … so what? Once we have been initiated, none of these can of themselves awaken us to the reality of our own true being. All of these are external aids and are at best a means to reach an end. Everything of real and lasting value that will be achieved will be achieved only by going within, through meditation.
冥想让我们觉醒到我们存在的真实。这应当是我们的首要任务。我们可能拥有一份非常重要的工作……那又怎样？我们可能拥有最好的汽车……那又怎样？我们可能拥有数百万美元……那又怎样？我们可能拥有最好的伴侣和最美好的家庭……那又怎样？我们每年可能去静修中心、修道院或达拉……那又怎样？我们可能余生每天都能见到导师的物理形态……那又怎样？一旦我们接受了启蒙，这些都无法让我们觉醒到我们真实存在的本质。所有这些都是外在的辅助，至多只是达到目的的手段。所有真正且持久的价值都将通过向内探索，通过冥想来实现。

Our lives reflect our priorities. Our actions speak louder than our words, for everything we do is done in accordance with our priorities. The time we get up, what we eat, what we think, what we do and what we abstain from doing, all stem from our priorities. By our actions, we determine our top priority, and this becomes the most important thing that we want in life.
我们的生活反映了我们的优先事项。我们的行动比语言更有力，因为我们所做的一切都是根据我们的优先事项来执行的。我们起床的时间、我们吃什么、我们想什么、我们做什么以及我们避免做什么，都源于我们的优先事项。通过我们的行动，我们确定了最重要的优先事项，而这成为我们生活中最重要的事情。

If we choose to allow a pleasure-seeking society to brainwash us, our lives can easily become superficial and artificial, with priorities dictated by superficial and artificial needs. In today’s commercial world, our likes, dislikes, fears and joys can easily become standardized by a society that wants to commodify everything, to turn us into consumer machines with material priorities and no connection with our spiritual lifeline.
如果我们选择让追求享乐的社会来洗脑我们，我们的生活很容易变得肤浅和虚假，其优先事项由肤浅和虚假的需求所决定。在当今的商业世界中，我们的喜好、厌恶、恐惧和喜悦很容易被一个想要将一切商品化的社会所标准化，将我们变成以物质为优先、与精神生命线毫无联系的消费者机器。

We may not say it or even consider it, but by our actions are we demonstrating that acquisition or maintenance of material wealth is what we really want in life? Do we sometimes think that if we could only get that car, that computer, that job or house, then we would be happy forever and our lives would be complete? The fact is, and we know it, that once we obtain those objects, the day comes when we realize that having them does not satisfy us. Most people at some stage or other in their lives discover that making the acquisition of material things their priority leads to a degree of dissatisfaction, anxiety and depression – even when one attains whatever it was that was initially wanted.
我们可能不会说出来，甚至不会考虑，但我们的行为是否表明，获取或维持物质财富是我们真正想要的生活？我们是否有时会认为，如果我们能只得到那辆车、那台电脑、那份工作或那所房子，我们就会永远快乐，我们的生活就会完整？事实是，我们都知道，一旦我们得到那些物品，就会有一天意识到拥有它们并不能让我们满足。大多数人会在某个阶段发现，将获取物质东西作为优先事项会导致一定程度的失望、焦虑和抑郁——即使一个人最终得到了最初想要的东西。

We have only to look about us to see that wealth does not necessarily correlate with a sense of well-being; that having money or being poor has little to do with being happy or content. We all know of people who, in spite of having a lot of money, are miserable; we know of people who are poor but happy. We also know of rich people who are happy and of poor people who are unhappy. Is it not a person’s level of contentment, their attitude to life, that makes the difference rather than the amount of wealth?
我们只需环顾四周，就能看到财富并不必然与幸福感相关；有钱或贫穷与快乐或满足关系不大。我们都知道有些人虽然很有钱，却很痛苦；我们也知道有些人虽然贫穷，却很快乐。我们还知道有钱人快乐，也有穷人不幸。难道不是一个人的满足程度、他们对待生活的态度，而不是财富的多少，才是决定因素吗？

To know that enough is enough is to have always enough.
知道知足常乐，就永远有足够的。
_{Tao Te Ching}

If we believe that money is the answer to life’s problems, we are likely to work ourselves into the ground at the cost of our spiritual life, and maybe our health, principles and families too. No matter how much we have in terms of material assets, these possessions do not translate into peace of mind. As disciples on the spiritual path, we need to bring ourselves to the point where we accept that what Shabd has given us, and the circumstances in which we have been placed, are the sum total of what we need to achieve as our life’s goal.
如果我们认为金钱是解决生活问题的答案，我们可能会为了精神生活，甚至为了健康、原则和家庭而过度劳累。无论我们拥有多少物质财富，这些财产都无法转化为内心的平静。作为精神道路上的追随者，我们需要达到这样的境界：接受 Shabd 赐予我们的，以及我们身处其中的环境，是我们实现人生目标所需的一切。

The wise person, therefore, is the one who has reached a state of acceptance and contentment, and from there becomes desireless and joyfully serene. The secret to a happy and contented life is to learn to accept rather than expect. Acceptance and contentment are a fundamental part of the teachings of the Masters. They are not achieved through wishful thinking or mental affirmations. They are the natural outcome of a tranquil mind that is grounded in meditation.
智者，因此是达到接纳与满足状态的人，从那里变得无欲而宁静。幸福与满足生活的秘诀是学会接纳而非期待。接纳与满足是大师教诲的基本部分。它们不是通过愿望思维或心理肯定达成的。它们是内心平静、基于冥想的自然结果。

If worldly priorities rank at the top of our list, we will never transcend our present condition and state of perpetual restlessness. With worldly priorities, meditation and the inner life will always come second. With worldly priorities, we will not experience the bliss that the Shabd Masters speak about.
如果世俗的优先事项排在我们的清单首位，我们永远无法超越当前状况和永无止境的焦躁。有了世俗的优先事项，冥想和内在生活永远会是次要的。有了世俗的优先事项，我们无法体验到圣音大师所谈论的喜悦。

Do not waste time uselessly. Be concerned about time spent in vain, and regret why so many breaths were wasted, since they were utilized neither in worldly affairs nor in spiritual pursuit.
不要浪费时间无谓地。要关注虚度光阴，后悔为何浪费了那么多呼吸，因为它们既未用于世俗事务，也未用于精神追求。
_{Baba Jaimal Singh}

Worldly priorities can contribute to making life comfortable in the world, but they will not fulfil our deepest yearnings. They will not fill our sense of emptiness. They will not take away our feeling of loneliness. When our priorities are worldly, we run away from facing our selves and from facing our loneliness, little realizing that this feeling is one of the greatest boons we have been granted.
世俗的优先事项可以促进在尘世中过上舒适的生活，但它们无法满足我们最深的渴望。它们无法填补我们的空虚感。它们无法消除我们的孤独感。当我们的优先事项是世俗的时，我们逃避面对自己，逃避面对我们的孤独，而实际上，这种感受是我们被赐予的最大恩赐之一。

This constant feeling of loneliness and missing something is in reality the hidden unquenched thirst and craving of the soul for its Lord. It will always persist as long as the soul does not return to its ancient original home and meet its Lord. Only then will it get true contentment and eternal peace. This feeling has been purposefully put in the heart of man.
这种持续的孤独感和渴望得到某种东西的感觉，实际上是灵魂对它的主未得到满足的渴求和渴望。只要灵魂没有回归它的古老原始家园并遇见它的主，这种感受就会一直持续下去。只有那时，它才能获得真正的满足和永恒的和平。这种感觉是特意放在人心中的。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

Feeling lonely is the cry of the soul for its true home. It is the cry of our true Self to be given the space, the environment, the atmosphere in which it can feel at home. No amount of going places, keeping busy, entering new relationships, climbing the social ladder or buying more things is going to silence that cry. The only remedy is to give the soul what it craves by developing the habit of sitting daily for meditation.
感到孤独是灵魂对它的真正家园的呐喊。它是我们真实自我对被给予可以感到舒适的空间、环境、氛围的呐喊。无论去多少地方，保持忙碌，建立新的关系，攀登社会阶梯或购买更多东西，都无法平息这种呐喊。唯一的解决方法是通过每天练习冥想，来满足灵魂的渴望。

All the misfortunes of men derive from one single thing, which is their inability to be at ease in a room [alone].
所有人类的厄运都源于一件事，那就是他们无法在一个房间里[独自]感到舒适。
_Pascal

If we want to get rid of our loneliness, anxieties and obsessions, we need to face our fear of being alone. We can help ourselves by asking some tough questions. What is it that we want in life? What is the pursuit of our present priorities doing to us? For what exactly do we work so hard? Are we compromising our ideals? Do we stay longer hours at work to earn extra money? If so, what is it we want to achieve? Why do we spend all that energy to enter that new relationship? Why do we waste our time in chat rooms or watching that late TV show? Is it really worth it?
如果我们想摆脱孤独、焦虑和执念，我们需要面对自己害怕孤独的恐惧。我们可以通过提出一些艰难的问题来帮助自己。我们在生活中想要什么？我们目前优先的追求对我们有什么影响？我们究竟在为什么而努力工作？我们是否在妥协自己的理想？我们是否在工作上待更长时间来赚取额外的钱？如果是这样，我们想要实现什么？我们为什么要把所有的精力都投入到那段新关系中？我们为什么要在聊天室里浪费时间或看那档深夜电视节目？这真的值得吗？

We need to be rational and objective. Some logic and clear thinking needs to be there for us too! It is easy to waste our entire life in useless activities. Why are we so scared of facing ourselves? What are we running from? We work so hard to obtain perishable things: would we really invest everything we have in a business that we knew was doomed to failure? Who would put his or her energy or time into such a business? Yet, that is precisely what we are doing. It would be healthy and helpful for us to take a good look at all these things.
我们需要理性客观。我们同样需要逻辑和清晰的思考！在无谓的活动上浪费我们的一生很容易。我们为什么如此害怕面对自己？我们在逃避什么？我们如此努力地追求易逝的东西：我们真的会为一个明知注定失败的企业投入一切吗？谁会将自己的精力或时间投入到这样的企业中？然而，我们正在做 exactly that。审视这些事情对我们健康有益。

If we cultivate contentment irrespective of our position, activities and possessions, we will get much more out of life. Life is not meant to be spent frantically running from one place to another, full of tension and stress. Even animals lead more relaxed lives than many of us do. The danger is that from youth to old age we spend our time trying to make real our world of make-believe, but in the end, when our bubble bursts and we are faced with death, we wake up to the fact that we have nothing to show for all those priorities we pursued and cherished so much in life.
如果我们无论地位、活动还是财产如何，都能培养满足感，我们会从生活中得到更多。生活并非意味着疯狂地从一个地方跑到另一个地方，充满紧张和压力。即使是动物，也有比我们许多人更放松的生活。危险在于，从青年到老年，我们花费时间试图实现我们的幻想世界，但最终，当我们的泡沫破灭，面对死亡时，我们意识到，我们为生活中那些我们追求和珍视的优先事项，实际上什么都没有。

The realization of the deception of this drama comes only when we wake up – at the time of our death.
对这出戏剧的欺骗性的认识，只有在我们醒来时——在死亡的时刻——才会到来。
_{Introduction to Die to Live}

It is not wrong to have goals in life. The problem comes when we forget our real purpose. Balance between the material and the spiritual has to be there because the soul is housed in a body and its energy is channelled through the mind. Our trouble is that we overrate worldly pursuits and worldly satisfaction. In effect, we are obsessed. We lose sight of the fact that the material world can only bring us a lower and less permanent type of happiness, that in and of themselves material pursuits will never give us what we expect from them. It is important, therefore, to understand, with a spiritual perspective, the proper value of things and to act accordingly.
在生活中设定目标并没错。问题在于当我们忘记我们真正的目的时。物质和精神之间的平衡是必须存在的，因为灵魂栖息在身体里，其能量通过心灵传递。我们的麻烦在于我们过分看重世俗的追求和世俗的满足。实际上，我们陷入了痴迷。我们忽视了这样一个事实：物质世界只能带给我们一种较低级和不持久的幸福，仅仅追求物质本身永远不会给我们带来我们期望的结果。因此，重要的是从精神的角度理解事物的真正价值，并据此行动。

In order to set our priorities straight, we may imagine ourselves inverting the present direction of our mind. It is as easy to go up as it is to go down. We need to keep hammering on our mind to turn around, convincing it that it has to invert its apparently natural tendencies, look upwards and act on what our Master says.
为了理清我们的优先事项，我们可以想象自己反转目前心灵的方向。向上走和向下走一样容易。我们需要不断敲打我们的心灵，让它转过身来，说服它必须反转其表面上自然倾向，向上看，并按照我们的导师所说去行动。

To keep our priorities in perspective it is imperative that we choose to live the life of a true disciple. Meditation has to be at the top of our priorities. All other considerations have to come in second place. If something interferes with our meditation, we should discard it without thinking twice. As the German philosopher Goethe points out: “Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.”
为了保持我们的优先事项的清晰，我们必须选择过真正弟子的生活。冥想必须是我们优先事项中的首位。所有其他考虑都必须排在第二位。如果有什么事情干扰我们的冥想，我们应该毫不犹豫地抛弃它。正如德国哲学家歌德指出的：“最重要的事情绝不能受最不重要的事情摆布。”

We need to realize that every time we sit for meditation, we are doing the most important thing a human being can do. Without meditation, we will continue to be part of the circle of birth and death. Once a true living Master has initiated us, there is nothing more important than meditation.
我们需要认识到，每当我们坐下来冥想时，我们都在做人类能做的最重要的事情。没有冥想，我们将继续处于生死轮回之中。一旦真正的生活导师对我们进行启示，没有什么比冥想更重要的事情了。

Put all your worries aside, because there is nothing higher than meditation. Increase the duration of your practice from day to day, never decrease it; always keep this in your mind.
把所有烦恼都抛在一边，因为没有什么比冥想更高的了。从每天增加你的练习时间，永不减少；始终把这一点记在心里。
_{Baba Jaimal Singh}

Attitude: The all-important perspective
态度：最重要的视角

Nothing is true and nothing is false. All depends on the colour of the lens through which we look.
没有什么是真的，也没有什么是假的。一切都取决于我们透过什么颜色的镜片来看。
_{Ramon de Campoamor}

Attitude is the point of view we apply to life. There is a connection between attitude and altitude. The higher our point of view or perspective, the more detached we become, and the better equipped we are to do our meditation. Meditation helps our attitude by giving us the altitude or cosmic perspective to see the big dramas of life as small or insignificant, rather than as gigantic, unsolvable problems. In turn, our attitude to meditation is a determining factor in the way our meditation will unfold. When we sit in meditation, we are training ourselves to operate from a perspective of accepting, letting go, being free. It is an attitude of obedience to a power we have accepted as greater than ‘me’.
态度是我们应用于生活的观点。态度和高度之间存在着联系。我们的观点或视角越高，我们就越超脱，也越能做好我们的冥想。冥想通过给予我们高度或宇宙视角，帮助我们看待生活中的大戏剧为小事或微不足道，而不是作为巨大的、无法解决的问题。反过来，我们对冥想的态度决定了冥想的展开方式。当我们坐下来冥想时，我们正在训练自己从接受、放手、自由的观点来运作。这是一种服从于我们接受为比“我”更伟大的力量的态度。

Our attitude in meditation should be to present ourselves to the inner Master, naked of purpose and agendas, with no expectations of results or inner visions. Putting aside all worries and desires, we release all preconceptions. With single-minded and gentle attention on the simran or to the Sound, we are to become receptive to the way of Shabd. In time, the patience, devotion, acceptance and surrender that we acquire in meditation will be transferred to daily life.
我们在冥想中的态度应当是向内在的导师呈现自己，不带目的和议程，也不期待结果或内在的景象。放下所有担忧和欲望，我们释放所有先入为主的观念。以专注而温和的注意力专注于 simran 或声音，我们应当对 Shabd 的方式保持开放。随着时间的推移，我们在冥想中获得的耐心、虔诚、接纳和臣服将会转移到日常生活中。

To live in that atmosphere is to live a simple, happy and relaxed life. The effect of that peace and bliss of meditation enables you to adjust according to the weather of life while retaining your equanimity and balance. You contentedly face your karmas, both good and bad, by continually adjusting to their ever-changing pattern. You can’t change the course of events dictated by your destiny. But by obedience to the Master and by attending to meditation you remain happy and relaxed as you go through it.
生活在那种氛围中，就是过着简单、快乐和放松的生活。冥想带来的和平与喜悦的效果，使你能够根据生活的天气调整自己，同时保持你的镇定与平衡。你满足地面对你的业力，无论是好的还是坏的，通过不断地调整它们不断变化的形式。你不能改变由命运决定的事件的进程。但通过服从导师并专注于冥想，你在经历这一切时保持快乐和放松。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

We cannot force the growth of a tree we have planted. The tree has its own time to grow. Our job is to dig a hole, plant the seed, cover it with the soil, fertilize it, water it, protect it from pests and take care of it every day. That is the extent of our effort. The speed at which it grows is not up to us. If we have this attitude towards our meditation, we will not obstruct the Master’s work and the tree of spirituality will undoubtedly grow and yield fruit in our lives. If we try to speed up the growth of the tree without first properly waiting for it to be rooted, then it can be torn up and destroyed by the winds of Kal’s world. If we try to hurry, impose our expectations or force visions, then we will just be complicating the Master’s work.
我们无法强迫我们种植的树木生长。树木有它自己的生长时间。我们的工作是在挖一个坑，种下种子，用土壤覆盖它，施肥，浇水，保护它免受害虫侵害，并每天照顾它。这就是我们所能做的全部努力。它的生长速度不取决于我们。如果我们以这种态度对待我们的冥想，我们就不会阻碍大师的工作，精神之树无疑会在我们生活中生长并结出果实。如果我们不先正确地等待树木扎根，就试图加速它的生长，那么它可能会被卡尔的世界的狂风吹倒和摧毁。如果我们试图匆忙、强加我们的期望或强迫出现景象，那么我们只会使大师的工作变得复杂。

Our only concern is to keep our mind in simran at the eye centre, and to be receptive to the Sound. For that, and only that, are we responsible. It is for us to follow the instructions of Master and leave the rest to him. Whether results appear in our meditation or not, we will do well. Our part of the meditation is to keep our attention in the effort, not the results. The effort is up to us. The results are not.
我们唯一关心的是让我们的心在眼中心保持 simran，并对声音保持开放。为此，也仅仅为此，我们负有责任。是我们要遵循大师的指示，把其余的事情交给他。无论我们的冥想中是否出现结果，我们都会做得很好。我们冥想的部分是保持注意力在努力上，而不是结果。努力是我们的事情。结果是无关的。

In the Tao Te Ching we read: “Do your work, then withdraw. Such is the Way of heaven.” And in the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna advises his disciple Arjuna not to be concerned with results but only with actions. Then he goes on to say that the unwise cling to their actions, expecting results, while the wise perform actions for the Lord’s sake, indifferent to results. Masters from all traditions emphasize the same point: Let go of results; effort is in our hands, results are not. If we are constant in our meditation practice, we will learn to become unattached to results. We will neither rejoice nor grieve when good or bad things happen to us. We will surrender and flow in harmony with the way of the Shabd.
在《道德经》中我们读到：“做事而后退，此乃天之道。”在《薄伽梵歌》中，克里希那对弟子阿周那的忠告是不要关心结果，只关注行动。接着他继续说，不明智的人执着于行动，期待结果，而聪明的人为神明而行动，对结果漠不关心。所有传统的导师都强调这一点：放下结果；努力在我们手中，结果不在我们手中。如果我们坚持冥想练习，我们将学会不执着于结果。当好事或坏事发生时，我们既不高兴也不悲伤。我们将臣服并顺应梵音之道。

Let us not worry about the problems of life! This, as disciples of a living Master, we can say to ourselves every day. The good and the bad things in life keep us attached to this creation. When we sit for meditation with a heavy heart, full of burdens and worries, it is difficult to bring our attention to the eye centre. When we take ourselves too seriously and do not know how to laugh at ourselves, we are only solidifying our ego and making life even more burdensome. If we use humour to make light of our load and laugh our problems away, we will sit for meditation with a relaxed and happy attitude and it will be easier for us to collect and focus our attention. For a disciple, the challenge is to cultivate an attitude of mind wherein we attend to all things of the world with a light heart, as a matter of duty, and no more.
让我们不要担心生活中的问题！作为一位活生生的导师的追随者，我们可以每天对自己这样说。生活中的好与坏让我们执着于这个创造。当我们怀着沉重的心、满载负担和忧虑地坐下来冥想时，很难将注意力集中在眼中心。当我们过于严肃地对待自己，不知道如何嘲笑自己时，我们只是在巩固自我，让生活变得更加沉重。如果我们用幽默来减轻负担，笑着化解问题，我们就会以轻松快乐的态度坐下来冥想，也更容易集中和聚焦注意力。对追随者来说，挑战是培养一种心态，以轻松的心情对待世界上的一切，视之为责任，仅此而已。

Met with a positive attitude, this world can become a source of joy, inspiring us to see the divine will in everything and to worship the Lord through his creation. Expressing his overflowing sense of awe and gratefulness, the great Italian mystic Saint Francis of Assisi composed the Canticle of the Sun in praise of the Lord and all living creatures:
以积极的态度面对这个世界，它就能成为快乐的源泉，激励我们看到万物的神圣意志，并通过他的创造来崇拜上帝。伟大的意大利神秘主义者圣方济各·阿西西表达了他无穷的敬畏和感激之情，赞美上帝和所有生物，创作了《太阳赞歌》。

Most high, almighty, good Lord!
至高无上、万能的善主啊！
All praise, glory and honour belong to you!…
一切赞美、荣耀和尊荣都归你所有！……
Praise my Lord with all his creatures;
与万物一同赞美我的主；
Especially for our Brother Sun,
尤其是我们的太阳兄弟
Who brings us the day and the light;
谁给我们带来白天和光明；
Beautiful is he and he shines with such splendour,
他美丽，闪耀着如此辉煌的光芒，
That he reminds us of you, O Lord.
提醒我们，哦，上帝。
Praise my Lord for our Sister Moon, and for the stars,
赞美我的主，为了我们的月亮姐姐，和星星。
Which he has set clear and lovely in heaven.
他在天上设下了清晰可爱的事物。
Praise my Lord for our Brother Wind,
赞美我的主，为了我们的兄弟风，
And for the air and clouds;
为了空气和云彩；
And for every kind of weather
为了各种天气。
By which he nourishes all his creatures.
通过他滋养所有生物。
Praise my Lord, for our Sister Water,
赞美我的主，为了我们的姐妹水，
Who is very helpful to us,
她对我们非常有益，
And humble and precious and chaste.
谦逊、珍贵且纯洁。
Praise my Lord, for our Brother Fire,
赞美我的主，因我们的兄弟火焰，
Through whom he gives us light in the darkness;
通过他，他在黑暗中赐予我们光明；
And he is beautiful and joyful and mighty and strong.
他美丽、欢乐、强大而有力。
Praise my Lord for our Mother Earth,
赞美我的主，因我们的母亲大地，
Who sustains us and keeps us,
谁支撑我们并保护我们，
And brings forth herbs and diverse fruits
并产出草药和多样的果实
And flowers of many colours.
和多彩的花朵。
Praise my Lord for all those
赞美我的主，为所有这些
Who pardon one another for His sake,
谁为祂彼此宽恕，
And who endure weakness and tribulation;
谁忍受软弱和苦难；
Blessed are they who shall in peace endure,
在平安中忍受的人有福，
For by you, most high, shall they be crowned.
因你，至高者，必赐他们冠冕。
Praise my Lord for our Sister Death,
赞美我的主，为了我们的姐妹死亡，
From whom no living man can flee….
任何活人都不可能逃离她……
Blessed are those who find themselves
那些发现自己
Living in your most holy will,
活在您最神圣的意志中的人是有福的。
For the second death will not reach them.
对于第二，死亡将不会降临于他们。
Praise and bless my Lord, and give Him thanks,
赞美并祝福我的主，感谢祂，
And always surrender to Him
并永远向祂臣服
With great joy and humility.
怀着极大的喜悦和谦卑。

A positive attitude gives us the ability to accept our condition and the inspiration to renew our commitment to meditation. With the right attitude, we look for the positive in everything and learn to identify ourselves with the Shabd in us and in all life forms. But most importantly, when doing meditation we keep focused on the effort. Then, whatever happens, we remain in balance and unaffected by the storms that are an inescapable part of the experience of being human.
积极的态度赋予我们接纳自身境遇的能力，并激励我们重拾对冥想的承诺。拥有正确的态度时，我们在万物中寻找积极面，并学会将自己与内在的"音"以及所有生命形式相认同。但最重要的是，在冥想时我们始终专注于努力。那么，无论发生什么，我们都能保持平衡，不受人类经验中不可避免的风暴所影响。

Let Him accomplish things in His own way rather than in the way that you desire. Try to adjust yourself to all that He does and you will never be unhappy.
让祂以自己的方式成就事情，而不是你期望的方式。尝试调整自己去适应祂所做的一切，你将永远不会不快乐。
_{Maharaj Jagat Singh}

Effort makes the difference
努力是关键

It is the business and duty of every disciple to make his mind motionless and reach the eye centre. The duty of the Master is to help and guide on the path. To control the mind and senses and open the tenth [inner] door depends on the disciple’s efforts … The primary factor in this success is the effort of the disciple.
每个弟子的职责是使心灵静止，达到眼中心。导师的职责是在这条路上提供帮助和指导。控制心灵和感官，打开第十[内在]门取决于弟子的努力……在这项成功中的主要因素是弟子的努力。
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

The moment we become initiated we receive all the grace we need to do our meditation. From there on, what counts is our effort. As Master Sawan Singh says in the quotation above, we have to control our mind, reach the eye centre and open the tenth door by our own effort. The Master will not do this work for us. We will go within only when we sit down for meditation and settle our thought waves at the eye centre. That is something only we can do.
当我们获得启蒙时，我们就获得了做冥想所需的一切恩典。从那时起，重要的是我们的努力。正如大师萨万·辛格在上述引言中所说，我们必须控制自己的心，达到眼中心，并通过自己的努力打开第十扇门。大师不会替我们做这项工作。我们只有在坐下来冥想并让思想波纹在眼中心平静下来时，才会向内走。这是只有我们才能做到的事情。

If we want to achieve higher levels of spirituality, we must take action. We must take the steps that will lead us in that direction. Our actions must reflect our spiritual desire. If the desire for communion with Shabd is not reflected in our actions, either we are confused or we do not want to evolve spiritually. Our spiritual desire has to be expressed in the way we live, in the way we speak, in the way we think and adhere to the principles of the path. Most of all, it has to be expressed through our meditation. What would we think of a child who is late for school if he were to sit down in his house and pray, “O Lord! Let me not be late?” Wouldn’t it be proper for the child that, while praying, he should also rely on his own effort and start walking in order to reduce the delay? Like the child, we also need to put in the effort, take action and make the best use of our time. In Spiritual Gems, Master Sawan Singh says:
如果我们想达到更高的精神境界，就必须采取行动。我们必须采取那些能引领我们走向那个方向的具体步骤。我们的行动必须反映出我们的精神渴望。如果对与神音的共融渴望没有体现在我们的行动中，那么要么我们感到困惑，要么我们不想在精神上进步。我们的精神渴望必须通过我们的生活方式、我们的言语、我们的思维方式以及对道路原则的遵守来体现。最重要的是，它必须通过我们的冥想来体现。如果有一个孩子上学迟到，他坐在家里祈祷：“哦，上帝！求您让我不要迟到？”我们会怎么想他呢？难道孩子祈祷时，也应该依靠自己的努力，开始走路以减少迟到时间才是正确的吗？像孩子一样，我们也需要付出努力、采取行动，并充分利用我们的时间。在《精神瑰宝》中，大师萨万·辛格说：

The Master is waiting inside for his pupils to come in and partake of his grace and love. It is our fault that we do not reach his ‘feet’ in the astral plane, above the eyes.
大师在内部等待着他的门徒进入，分享他的恩典和爱。是我们自己的过错，我们没有在灵界达到他的“脚下”，在眼睛之上。

Once again, Master Sawan Singh is saying that it is up to us to go within, that we are responsible if we don’t reach his ‘feet’ (Radiant Form) in the astral planes.
再次，萨万·辛格大师说，是我们要向内走，如果我们没有在灵界达到他的“足下”（光辉之形），我们就有责任。

What we are trying to accomplish is not easy. It requires a lot of effort. In the following text, inspired by Rumi, a description is given of what it takes to succeed in the spiritual life:
我们试图完成的事情并不容易。这需要大量的努力。在接下来的文本中，受鲁米启发，给出了在精神生活中取得成功所需的内容描述：

Strive, struggle, grapple and wrestle,
努力，奋斗，搏斗和挣扎，
None won the battle by weak-kneed submission.
没有人在软弱屈从中赢得战斗。
Go on scratching, scraping and cutting
继续刮擦、刮削和切割
The stone wall that bars your way.
挡住你道路的石头墙。
Cut, hew, gash, break, shatter, demolish, smash,
切割、砍伐、劈开、打破、粉碎、摧毁、砸碎，
Rest not for a second, till your very last breath arrives.
直到最后一口气到来，不要有一秒钟的停歇。
Even a worthless effort is better than sleeping,
即使是无用的努力也比睡觉好，
For the Lord loves our effort, anxiety and struggle.
因为主喜爱我们的努力、焦虑和奋斗。
First put in full effort, then accept what he sends.
先尽全力的去做，然后接受他赐予的。
Have faith in him and trust his will.
相信他并信任他的旨意。
Not putting in effort is like sleeping among robbers.
不努力就像在强盗中睡觉。
A bird found napping is sure to be killed.
发现打盹的鸟一定会被杀。
Giving up is like sleeping, sleep not on your way.
放弃就像睡觉，不要在你的路上睡觉。
March on until you reach his gate.
继续前进直到到达他的大门。
When the Master has put a sword in your hands,
当师父将剑交到你的手中时，
He has clearly expressed his wish.
他明确表达了他的愿望。

This sounds like a lot of work, and it is a fact. It is hard work! The spiritual way, to take the metaphor used by the Shabd Master Kabir, is not taking tea at auntie’s house. Controlling the mind and senses is the most difficult thing to achieve on earth. We can make it less complicated or very difficult, depending on us. It is less complicated if we adapt the rest of our activities to it, if we make it our life’s work. Then there are no difficult choices to make, no great sacrifices. But if we try to somehow squeeze Sant Mat into a lifestyle that’s not compatible with it, we run into trouble. Then come the frustration and the discouragement, because it just doesn’t seem to work.
这听起来像是一项大量工作，而事实也是如此。这是一项艰苦的工作！精神之路，用沙巴德大师卡比尔所使用的比喻来说，不是去姨妈家喝茶。控制心灵和感官是地球上最难实现的事情。我们可以让它变得简单或非常困难，这取决于我们自己。如果我们调整其余的活动以适应它，如果我们让它成为我们毕生的事业，那么就没有什么困难的选择，也没有什么巨大的牺牲。但如果我们试图将圣玛特融入一个与之不相容的生活方式中，我们会遇到麻烦。然后就会产生挫败感和沮丧，因为它似乎根本不起作用。

Sant Mat teaching is very simple, but to follow it is much more difficult than it looks. It’s a constant struggle with the mind, and one has to change one’s entire way of life and one’s attitude towards life. To follow Sant Mat requires a complete transformation, so it’s not easy. One has to sacrifice a lot in life.
圣玛特教义非常简单，但遵循它比看起来要困难得多。这是一场与心灵的持续斗争，人们必须改变自己整个的生活方式和对生活的态度。遵循圣玛特需要彻底的转变，所以它并不容易。人们必须在生活中做出很多牺牲。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

Master Charan Singh doesn’t say that we have to make some sacrifices. He says we have to sacrifice a lot. If we really want to succeed, we need to adapt our lifestyle to Sant Mat and not Sant Mat to our lifestyle. We need to change our way of life according to the teachings, attend to our meditation and concentrate our attention at the eye centre. That is right effort, and that is what is expected from us. We cannot give up, believing that we can’t meditate or that it is impossible to concentrate. We cannot afford to do that, not if we want to reach his gate. If we want to experience the true method of dying, if we want the ultimate benefit, our actions must reflect that desire.
大师查兰·辛格并没有说我们要做出一些牺牲。他说我们要做出很多牺牲。如果我们真的想要成功，我们需要调整我们的生活以适应圣玛特，而不是让圣玛特适应我们的生活。我们需要根据教义改变生活方式，专心冥想，将注意力集中在眼中心。这才是正确的努力，这也是对我们期望的。我们不能放弃，认为我们无法冥想或集中注意力。如果我们想要到达他的门口，我们就不可以那样做。如果我们想要体验真正的死亡方法，如果我们想要最终的利益，我们的行为必须反映出这种愿望。

We’re not going to bring our attention to the eye centre and experience spiritual transport just by wishing for it. We have to work for it. The Master has expressed his wish by putting a sword in our hands. That sword is simran. We can wield it against laziness and lack of focus by persistence in doing simran. This will strengthen our resolve to sit and concentrate in meditation. We cannot afford the luxury of allowing procrastination and restlessness to stop us.
我们不会仅仅通过愿望就将注意力带到眼中心并体验精神运输。我们必须为之努力。大师通过将剑放在我们手中表达了他的愿望。这把剑就是静心。我们可以通过坚持静心来对抗懒惰和缺乏专注。这将增强我们坐下来专心冥想的决心。我们不能忍受拖延和焦躁阻止我们。

As we all know, a life of meditation is not easy. There are phases of struggle and periods of dryness. We should not let ourselves become unduly distressed by these phases. Feelings of being spiritually high are not the only indications of spiritual progress. We might even make more progress when our mind is restless, and in that distracted mindset we still sit for meditation. Moreover, if we pay too much attention to our laziness, lack of focus or restlessness, that very sense of inadequacy may persuade us to stay away from our spiritual practice.
我们都知道，修行生活并不容易。有挣扎的阶段，也有干涸的时期。我们不应该因为这些阶段而让自己过分焦虑。精神上的高涨并不是衡量修行进步的唯一标准。甚至当我们的心绪不宁时，我们可能取得更大的进步，而在那种心神不集中的状态下，我们仍然坚持静坐。此外，如果我们过分关注自己的懒惰、注意力不集中或焦躁不安，这种不完善的感觉可能会让我们远离自己的修行。

Our best approach is simply to place firm faith in the Master and in ourselves that we will succeed. If we couldn’t do it, he would never have initiated us. We have to put in all the effort on our part. Master Jagat Singh said in one of his satsangs: “Our prayers and pleadings are quite useless, unless these are supported by all the effort on our part to push the door open.”
我们最好的方法就是坚定地相信师父和自己能够成功。如果我们做不到，他永远不会引导我们。我们必须尽自己全部的努力。贾特·辛格师父在一次法会上说过：“除非我们付出全部的努力去推开那扇门，否则我们的祈祷和恳求都是徒劳的。”

The first essential thing, therefore, is to enter this laboratory within ourselves, by bringing our scattered attention inside of the eye focus. This is a slow process. But we are not justified in saying that we cannot do it, or that it is impossible, or that it is useless. Here is a worthy pursuit for the application of our critical and other faculties … It is our job and we must do it; and we must do it now, in this very lifetime.
因此，首要的事情就是进入我们内心的这个实验室，通过将我们分散的注意力集中在眼球的焦点上。这是一个缓慢的过程。但我们没有理由说我们做不到，或者这是不可能的，或者这是没有用的。这是一个值得追求的目标，可以应用我们的批判能力和其他能力……这是我们的工作，我们必须去做；而且我们必须现在就去做，就在这一生中。
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

The first essential thing is to bring our attention to the eye centre. How do we do that? By concentrating on the words the Master gave us at the time of initiation. It may take us a long time to reach our goal, but continuous and constant effort is needed, as illustrated in the story of the tortoise and the hare and its moral – “slow and steady wins the race”!
首要的事情就是把我们的注意力带到眼球中心。我们该如何做到呢？通过集中注意力在大师在启蒙时给予我们的话语上。可能需要很长时间才能达到我们的目标，但需要持续和不断的努力，就像龟兔赛跑的故事及其寓意——“慢而稳者胜”！

The tortoise and the hare are going up a mountain, and the hare says, “I’m going to beat you hands down.” He dashes off. Way out in front, he decides that he will lie down and take a rest, and in taking the rest, he falls asleep. Meanwhile, the tortoise is laboriously moving along, very slowly, never stopping, and ultimately gets to the goal and wins the race.
龟兔正在爬山，兔子说：“我会轻松地打败你。”他飞快地跑起来。跑得很远之后，他决定躺下来休息，在休息的时候，他睡着了。与此同时，乌龟正费力地慢慢地向前移动，从不停止，最终到达了目标并赢得了比赛。

Master Sawan Singh says: “This is a slow process.” And how does our mind interpret that? The mind interprets ‘slow’ as meaning that it is going to take a long time for us to put in the effort, but that is not what it means. What is slow is the process, but the effort has to be extreme and without remission – extreme beyond all measures – as in the story of the tortoise and the hare. The tortoise has to make awesome effort because it has to carry its entire existence with it. The progress is slow, but, because the effort is big and without respite, in the end the goal is reached.
萨万·辛格大师说：“这是一个缓慢的过程。”我们的心又是如何解读的呢？心将“缓慢”理解为我们将要花费很长时间去努力，但这并非它的真正含义。缓慢的是过程，但努力必须是极致且毫不松懈——超越一切极限——就像龟兔赛跑的故事。乌龟必须付出惊人的努力，因为它必须携带整个生命前行。进步缓慢，但因为努力巨大且毫不间断，最终目标得以实现。

Master Sawan Singh has said that it is more valuable for us to repeat the words and hold our attention at the eye centre than to achieve anything else in the world. The mind doesn’t think that, nor does it appreciate our situation. The mind thinks, “Oh, meditation is too hard, but I have a Master and I have nothing to worry about because I have been initiated and everything has been accomplished.” This is not the case at all, for we are prisoners and we are trapped in an alien land. If we don’t do our part of the bargain, there is nothing the Master can do.
萨万·辛格大师说过，对我们来说，重复词语并专注于眼中心比获得世界上任何其他成就更有价值。心并不这样认为，也不理解我们的处境。心想：“哦，冥想太难了，但我有导师，我不用担心，因为我已被启蒙，一切已经完成。”这完全不是事实，因为我们是被囚禁者，被困在异乡。如果我们不履行自己的责任，导师也无能为力。

Our situation is desperate. We are being devoured by our desires and we are in imminent danger of reincarnating once again as we lie back in this drunken stupor thinking that it is all too hard. What is the use of making things harder for ourselves than they already are? We should resume the journey. The sooner we get back with full force on the Master’s path, the happier we will be. Why postpone the inevitable? Sooner or later we have to put in the effort, so better do it now while we can. How do we succeed in anything in this world without applying time, attention and effort? In meditation too, we have to apply that same time, attention and effort, and only then it is possible to succeed.
我们的处境十分危急。我们被欲望吞噬，随时可能再次轮回，而我们却沉溺于醉酒般的昏沉之中，认为一切太难了。让自己本已艰难的事情更加困难有什么用呢？我们应该重新启程。越早全力回归大师的道路，我们就越快乐。为什么要拖延那不可避免的呢？迟早我们都要付出努力，所以趁现在还能做就做吧。在这个世界上，若不投入时间、注意力和努力，我们怎能成功？在冥想中也是如此，只有投入同样的时间、注意力和努力，才能成功。

The mind will come in and tell us that it is insane to do two and a half hours of meditation daily. This is just a trick of the mind. If we are willing to challenge it, we will find the mind is all bark and little bite. The Master has enjoined us to challenge it. We’ve got to say, “I have wasted enough of my life; I have wasted enough of this valuable treasure. The time has come to utilize this precious human form for its singular and most important purpose.”
心会来告诉我们，每天冥想两小时半是疯狂的。这只是心的诡计。如果我们愿意挑战它，会发现心只会虚张声势。大师告诫我们要挑战它。我们必须说：“我已经浪费了足够多的生命；我已经浪费了这宝贵的财富。是时候利用这珍贵的人形，为其独特而最重要的目的服务了。”

It is time to follow the Master’s advice and take full advantage of the opportunity given to us. Now is when we give meaning to the word action. With our effort we show the Master that we care, and we become receptive and worthy of his grace. We can put in the effort to work towards the inner life by doing our meditation and devoting ourselves wholeheartedly to attain Self-realization; or we can commit half-heartedly and achieve half-hearted results. The choice is ours and ours alone. Grace is always there. Our effort is what makes the difference.
现在是时候遵循师父的教诲，充分利用赐予我们的机会了。现在是我们赋予行动意义的时候了。通过我们的努力，我们向师父表明我们关心，我们变得乐于接受并配得上他的恩典。我们可以付出努力通过冥想来追求内在生命，全心全意地奉献自己以实现自我实现；或者我们可以心不在焉地投入，取得心不在焉的结果。选择权在我们自己手中，只有我们自己。恩典一直都在那里。我们的努力才是决定性的因素。

If you take one step to take refuge in the Master,
如果你迈出一步皈依师父，
The Master meets you on the way
师父在路上迎接你
By taking hundreds of steps.
通过迈出成百上千步。
If you remember the Master just once,
如果你曾记得师父一次，
The Master remembers you again and again.
师父就会一次次记得你。
Even if your devotion is as small
即使你的虔诚
As a fragment of a cowrie shell,
小如一枚螺壳碎片，
The Master showers all benefits on you.
师父将所有利益施予你。
The Master is all merciful,
师父慈悲无量，
His praise is beyond understanding;
其赞美难以理解；
I bow again and again
我再次再次叩拜。
To the one and incomprehensible Master.
致那唯一且不可理解的导师。
_{Bhai Gurdas}

A practical approach to meditating two and a half hours daily
每天实践冥想两个半小时的方法

The aim should always be to increase these periods [of meditation] gradually so that you can ultimately sit for two and a half hours at a stretch. There should be no hurry in doing so. Rather the progress should be consolidated.
目标应当始终是逐步增加这些冥想时段[的时长]，以便最终能够连续坐冥想两个半小时。这样做不应有任何急躁，而应巩固进步。
_{Maharaj Jagat Singh}

If we have been initiated and we haven’t been able to sit in meditation, or we started to sit but we stopped doing it, then we need a practical approach to renew our commitment to sit for meditation. The important thing is to begin with what time we can. Then gradually and persistently we can increase that time, not jumping full-blown into two and a half hours for one or two days then falling away to ten minutes or nothing at all. That is not the way. The way is slow and steady: to increase the time gradually.
如果我们已经接受过灌顶，却无法坐冥想，或者开始坐冥想后又停止了，那么我们需要一种实际的方法来重拾我们坐冥想的承诺。重要的是从我们能够支配的时间开始。然后逐渐且坚持不懈地增加这段时间，而不是在一天或两天内猛然跳到两个半小时，然后又退回到十分钟或完全不做。那不是正确的方法。正确的方法是缓慢而稳定地逐步增加时间。

We have to start from where we are, but we shouldn’t kid ourselves. Sitting for meditation will not happen automatically on its own: we need to make it happen. For that we have to start by making the time. Some sacrifices will have to be made, but nothing is achieved without putting in time and effort, and that time and effort will have to be taken from our daily schedule – from things we are already doing. Maybe we will need to cut down on our TV viewing time, or time in the chat room, or we will have to get up earlier. Whatever it takes, it will be worthwhile. We need to take a good look at our daily schedule and see when in the day we are going to make room for our formal sitting time and for how long we will sit. After weighing work or family responsibilities, we should then make our own schedule.
我们必须从自己所处的位置开始，但我们不能自欺欺人。坐禅不会自动发生：我们需要主动促成。为此，我们首先要挤出时间。有些牺牲是必要的，但没有付出时间和精力就什么也成就不了，而这些时间和精力必须从我们的日常日程中挤出来——从我们已经在做的事情中。也许我们需要减少看电视的时间，或者聊天室的时间，或者我们必须早起。无论需要什么，这都是值得的。我们需要仔细审视我们的日常日程，看看在一天中的什么时候可以为正式的坐禅时间腾出空间，以及我们将坐多久。权衡了工作或家庭责任后，我们应制定自己的日程。

Unless we discipline our mind this much, our mind will always find excuses not to sit in meditation.
如果我们不这样约束自己的心，我们的心总会找借口不去坐禅。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

When we schedule our time for meditation, we should be practical about it. For instance, if our work starts at 8:00 a.m. and we want to meditate in the morning, at what time will we need to go to sleep at night in order to get up earlier? Will we get enough sleep? Maybe it would be best to consider doing our longer period of meditation at night.
当我们安排冥想时间时，应该实事求是。例如，如果我们的工作早上 8 点开始，而想在早上冥想，那么为了能早点起床，我们晚上需要几点睡觉呢？我们会睡够吗？也许最好考虑把较长时间的冥想安排在晚上。

If we get time in the morning, take advantage of it; if it is in the afternoon, meditate then; in the evening, then meditate in the evening. Whenever we sit in remembrance of the Beloved, our Friend – whether for a quarter of an hour, half an hour, one hour or two hours – it will be credited to our account and we will receive the benefit accordingly.
如果我们早上有时间，就利用它；如果是下午，就在下午冥想；在晚上，就在晚上冥想。无论我们坐在那里纪念挚爱的朋友——不管是十五分钟、半小时、一小时还是两小时——都会记入我们的账户，我们会相应地获得益处。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

There may be days when it is physically impossible for us to meditate according to our plan. On those days, we should at least try to sit for some time. We shouldn’t let a day go by in which we don’t meditate, even if it is for just a few minutes. On the next day, we should resume our programme as usual. Otherwise, we might find that days, weeks, months or even years slip by without us meditating at all. It is crucial to create the habit. Even five minutes can make a difference in imprinting on our mind the desire to maintain our commitment. Master Sawan Singh used to say, “If you can’t bring your success to me, bring your failures.” We shouldn’t become discouraged because we cannot sit for two and a half hours. Let us consolidate our progress as we go, rather than feeling that it must be all at once or nothing at all.
可能有些时候我们根据计划进行冥想在物理上是做不到的。在这样的日子里，我们至少应该坐一会儿。即使只有几分钟，我们也不应该让一天过去而没有冥想。第二天，我们像往常一样继续我们的计划。否则，我们可能会发现日子、星期、月份甚至几年都过去了，而我们完全没有冥想。养成习惯至关重要。即使五分钟也能在我们的脑海中留下维持承诺的愿望印记。萨万·辛格大师常说：“如果你不能把成功带到我这里，那就把失败带到我这里。”我们不应该因为不能坐两个半小时而气馁。让我们在前进中巩固我们的进步，而不是觉得必须一次全部完成或完全不做。

If you force your mind to meditate and say, “Even if I can’t give the proper time to meditation, let me give at least half the time, even if I’m busy,” then you’ll get regularity.
如果你强迫自己冥想，说：“即使我不能给冥想足够的时间，至少让我给一半的时间，即使我很忙，”那么你就会获得规律性。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

Consider making a personal commitment to sit in meditation for one month at the same time every day. We could begin by doing twenty or fifteen minutes a day. What matters most is that we strengthen our willpower and experience the fact that we can do it. There is power in keeping a commitment, in knowing that our word is worth something. There is great value in just making the commitment to meditate. We can set the alarm to go off at whatever time we decide to meditate to make it easier to keep our own personal commitment to sit at the same time every day. When the alarm goes off, we sit. In this way, we will begin to tread the path. At the end of the month, we might choose to renew our commitment for another month, and then again for another month – until we have established ourselves in this habit. It is this, after all, which is going to bring us, ultimately, the peace to conquer our restlessness and become masters of our wayward mind and our untamed will. The important thing is to build up the idea of a daily routine. After some time we will see that the mind begins to look for the space to meditate, and, if for some reason it doesn’t find it, it will miss it.
可以考虑每天同一时间坐禅一个月，作为个人承诺。我们可以从每天二十分钟或十五分钟开始。最重要的是，我们要增强意志力，并体验到我们能够做到这一点。坚持承诺是有力量的，因为我们知道自己的话是有价值的。仅仅做出坐禅的承诺就很有价值。我们可以设定闹钟，在决定坐禅的时间响起，这样更容易保持每天同一时间坐禅的个人承诺。当闹钟响起时，我们就坐。这样，我们就会开始踏上这条道路。一个月结束时，我们可能会选择再承诺一个月，然后再承诺一个月——直到我们养成了这个习惯。毕竟，正是这个习惯最终会带给我们平静，帮助我们克服焦躁不安，成为自己任性思想和未驯服意志的主人。重要的是要建立日常习惯。一段时间后，我们会发现，心灵开始寻找坐禅的空间，如果因为某种原因找不到，它就会想念。

To consolidate our habit, it would be best to keep ourselves at a certain time limit after we have reached a specific goal. For instance, if we started with fifteen minutes a day and we have worked our time up to an hour, we might decide to stay there for a period of at least six months to get truly established in that routine. Behavioural studies indicate that establishing a new habit takes from three to six months, so be patient! But keep in mind always to move forward with patient, single-minded tenacity, even if it takes years to reach the desired two and a half hours daily.
为了巩固我们的习惯，在达到特定目标后，最好保持一定的时间限制。例如，如果我们从每天十五分钟开始，并将时间增加到一小时，我们可能会决定保持这个状态至少六个月，以真正在这个常规中站稳脚跟。行为研究表明，养成新习惯需要三到六个月的时间，所以要有耐心！但请始终记住，要带着耐心、专注的毅力向前迈进，即使需要数年才能达到每天两小时的目标。

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
千里之行，始于足下。
_{Tao Te Ching}

It does not matter if we make plans that end up being unrealistic. Make new ones. Be prepared to go through a series of trials and errors. In the beginning, our most important goal is that meditation becomes part of our daily schedule. It is not important if we don’t even manage to do a single round of simran in all the time we sit. What is important is that we have incorporated meditation into our lifestyle. Out of quantity, quality will come.
即使我们制定的计划最终不切实际，也没关系。制定新的计划。准备好经历一系列的尝试和错误。在开始时，我们最重要的目标是让冥想成为我们日常日程的一部分。即使在我们冥想的时间里连一次 simran 都完成不了，也没关系。重要的是我们已经将冥想融入了我们的生活方式。从数量中，质量将会产生。

Many of us feel so restless that we cannot even sit for one minute in meditation. It is normal to feel restless and anxious when we try to control the wild beast of the mind. The fact that we cannot sit makes our need to sit all the more clear because through that we will start exercising some control over our mind. If now, when things in life may be going relatively well, we cannot control ourselves and stay seated for even a few minutes, then when conditions are bad, or we are sick, or dying, how will we be able to exercise the control needed to keep our attention at the eye centre so as to be receptive to the Master?
我们中的许多人感到非常焦躁不安，以至于连一分钟都坐不住进行冥想。当我们试图控制那颗狂野的心时，感到焦躁和焦虑是正常的。我们无法静坐这一事实，反而更加凸显了我们静坐的必要性，因为通过这种方式，我们将开始对心灵施加一些控制。如果现在，当生活中的事情相对顺利时，我们连几分钟都坐不住，控制不住自己，那么当情况变差，或者生病，或者临终时，我们又如何能够运用必要的控制力，将注意力集中在眼睛中心，以便能够接受大师的指引呢？

I am well aware that you have struggles. You have some things within yourself to overcome and some things outside of yourself which must be surmounted. But you can do it. If you have full confidence in the inner Master, he will always help you. And often when you find the difficulties greatest and the hour darkest, the light will appear and you will see that you are free. Let nothing discourage you. This is no light proposition, but your getting Nam means more than if you had inherited a million dollars, or many millions. You are one of the lucky sons of Sat Purush, the true Lord, and he has chosen you to get Nam and go with the Master to Sach Khand, your true abode. You must reach there. Nothing can prevent you. But you can hasten the progress or retard it, as you like.
我深知你正经历挣扎。你内心有些需要克服的东西，外在也有些必须逾越的难关。但你能够做到。只要你对内在的导师充满信心，他便会一直助你。往往当你觉得困难最大、时辰最暗时，光明便会显现，你会明白自己已获得自由。不要被任何事所挫败。这并非易事，但获得 Nam 的意义，远胜于继承百万美元或数百万美元。你是 Sat Purush——真主真正的子民之一，他选择了你获得 Nam，与导师一同前往 Sach Khand，那是你的真正归宿。你必须到达那里。没有任何事物能阻止你。但你可以加速进程，也可以延缓它，随心所欲。
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

Sincerity and trying repeatedly will make a difference to our motivation. Even if we have little motivation, effort is the place to start. Motivation comes from what we value, and we naturally stick with what is important to us. The knowledge that we are doing what is best for our mind and soul should encourage us to sustain our effort. This understanding will help us build the motivation to make the effort to sit in meditation. Master Charan Singh encourages us to do our best with the following loving words:
真诚和反复尝试会改变我们的动力。即使我们动力不足，努力也是起点。动力来自我们所珍视的事物，我们会自然而然地坚持对自己重要的事情。知道我们在为心灵和灵魂做最好的事情，应该能鼓励我们保持努力。这种理解将帮助我们建立动力，去付出努力进行冥想。查兰·辛格大师用以下充满爱意的话语鼓励我们：

Do what you can as best you can, even if it is not deep and one-pointed. If you cannot find much time, if concentration is not attained and the mind wanders, do not be discouraged.
尽力而为，即使不够深入和专注。如果你没有太多时间，如果无法集中注意力，思绪飘散，不要气馁。

Through repeated action, we become stronger at what we do. Even a small spark of determination will be enough to burn to ashes all the limitations put on us by a mindset that refuses to sit in meditation. Practice makes perfect. We should not worry if in the beginning we cannot concentrate in simran. What is important is that we stay seated for the time we predetermined.
通过反复行动，我们在所做的事情上会变得更强大。即使只是一点点决心，也足以烧毁那些拒绝冥想的心态所施加的所有限制。熟能生巧。如果一开始我们无法在 simran 中集中注意力，不必担心。重要的是我们保持坐姿，达到我们预先确定的时间。

Sometimes we give up at the slightest sign of discomfort. We should avoid this by forcing the body and mind to remain seated. The mind and the body will obey if we show determination. Expect them to move a lot, to complain a lot, to nag a lot. It is like a child’s tantrum: if we hold the reins steady through simran, things will gradually calm down, and we will be able to enjoy the satisfaction that comes from being concentrated at the eye focus.
有时候我们一遇到不适就放弃。应通过强迫身心保持静坐来避免这种情况。如果我们表现出决心，身心就会听从。要预料到它们会动很多，会抱怨很多，会唠叨很多。这就像孩子的暴脾气：如果我们通过 simran 稳住缰绳，事情会逐渐平静下来，我们就能享受集中注意力时从眼焦点获得的满足感。

Restlessness, impatience and even pain can all be conquered. Look beyond their threat. See how they appear and disappear into nothingness. If success were immediate, then there would be no question of a fight. Practice means repeating the process over and over again. That’s why it is called practice. That is the nature of the fight. That is all it entails.
焦躁、不耐烦甚至疼痛都可以被克服。超越它们的威胁去看待。看它们如何出现又消失于虚无。如果成功是立竿见影的，那就不会有战斗的问题。练习意味着反复重复这个过程。这就是它被称为练习的原因。这就是战斗的本质。这就是它所包含的全部。

Repeated effort and the Master’s grace enable the mind to be conquered. It is time for us to jump into the circle of effort and grace. The more effort we put in, the more grace the Master showers on us. He initiated us because he knows that we can become conscious of our true Shabd Self. He knows we can become conscious of who we really are because, at a deeper level, there is no difference between us and him. We are all Shabd beings going through the experience of being human.
持续的努力和上师的恩典使心灵得以征服。是时候让我们投身于努力与恩典的圈子了。我们付出越多努力，上师赐予的恩典就越多。他启示我们，因为他知道我们可以意识到我们真正的梵声自我。他知道我们可以意识到我们真正是谁，因为在更深层次上，我们和他之间没有区别。我们都是经历人类体验的梵声存在。

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
我们最深的恐惧不是我们不够格。
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful
我们最深的恐惧是我们强大
Beyond measure.
无法估量。
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
正是我们的光明，而非我们的黑暗，最令我们恐惧。
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant,
我们问自己，我为何要变得出色，
Gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
美丽、有才华又迷人？
Actually, who are you not to be?
实际上，你本可以成为谁呢？
You are a child of God.
你是上帝的孩子。
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
你若只敢小做，便无法为世界服务。
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking,
缩小自己，并无所谓开悟，
So that other people won’t feel insecure around you….
以免其他人因你而感到不安……
We were born to make manifest
我们生来就是要彰显
The glory of God that is within us.
我们内心的上帝的荣耀。
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
它不只是存在于部分人之中；它存在于每个人心中。
And as we let our light shine,
当我们让我们的光芒闪耀时，
We unconsciously give other people permission
我们无意识地给予他人许可
To do the same.
去做同样的事情。
_{Marianne Williamson}

There are disciples who couldn’t even sit for one minute who are now doing more than two and a half hours daily. If others have done it, so can we. Everyone has responsibilities and busy schedules, yet there are some who manage to find three or four hours daily for their practice. And remember, these are often people who earlier couldn’t sit for a single minute. They too felt that they would never be able to sit, but they showed courage and determination, and they succeeded, like all of us can. Because they had a will, they found a way. Because they had determination and showed that they cared, their Master took them through the obstacles. This is the faith we must have.
有些弟子现在每天练习超过两小时半，而他们之前甚至无法坐一分钟。既然别人做到了，我们也能做到。每个人都有责任和繁忙的日程，但有些人还是设法每天找到三四个小时进行练习。请记住，这些人中很多人之前连一分钟都坐不住。他们也曾觉得永远无法坐下来，但他们展现了勇气和决心，并最终成功，就像我们所有人都能做到一样。因为他们有意志，他们找到了方法。因为他们有决心并表现出他们的关心，他们的师父帮助他们克服了障碍。这就是我们必须拥有的信念。

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them,
但耶稣看着他们，对他们说，

With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
对于人类来说这是不可能的；但在上帝那里，万物皆有可能。
_{Matthew 19:26}

We should always keep our objective in front of us, bearing in mind that to meditate two and a half hours a day is not an arbitrary length of time chosen at random by the Master. This ten percent of our daily time dedicated to stilling our mind at the eye centre is the minimum required to break through the surface level of ordinary consciousness to a deeper level within ourselves. Even if we devote a small time to meditation, we will increase our will power and experience relaxation, a sense of well-being and an increased feeling of strength to face the world while holding on to our spiritual objective.
我们应当始终将目标置于眼前，牢记每天冥想两个半小时并非师父随意选择的时间。我们每天用于在眼中心静心冥想的这十分之一时间，是突破普通意识表层、进入自身深层所需的最低时间。即使我们只投入少量时间进行冥想，也能增强意志力，体验放松、获得幸福感，并增强面对世界的力量，同时坚守我们的精神目标。

If we are sincere, and we give as much time as we can give, that will be enough to strengthen our spiritual heart and to kindle the flame of devotion that will take us, in time, to reach our goal of meditating two and a half hours daily. In the end, all our endeavours help us grow in love and devotion. The practice of meditation is nothing but the way to true devotion. However softly we call on him, he is always there for us.
如果我们真诚，并尽可能多地投入时间，那将足以强化我们的精神之心，点燃那将引领我们，在时间中达到每天冥想两个半小时目标的奉献之火。最终，我们所有的努力都帮助我们成长在爱与奉献之中。冥想实践不过是通往真正奉献的途径。无论我们多么轻柔地呼唤他，他始终都在我们身边。

You just call out my name
你只需呼唤我的名字
And you know wherever I am
你知道无论我身在何处
I’ll come runnin’
我都会跑来见你
To see you again.
再次见到你。
Winter, spring, summer or fall
冬去春来，夏去秋来
All you have to do is call
你只需要呼唤
And I’ll be there.
我就会在那里。
You’ve got a friend.
你有一个朋友。
_{Carole King}

3  Meditation is a way of life
3  冥想是一种生活方式

Meditation is a way of life. You do not merely close yourself in a room for a few hours, then forget about meditation for the rest of the day. It must take on a practical form, reflecting in every daily action and in your whole routine. That itself is an effect of meditation. To live in the teachings, to live in that atmosphere is itself a meditation. You are building that atmosphere every moment for your daily meditation. Everything you do must consciously prepare you for the next meditation. So meditation becomes a way of life, as we live in the atmosphere we build with meditation.
冥想是一种生活方式。你不必仅仅在房间里关上几个小时，然后就整天忘记冥想。它必须采取一种实用形式，体现在你每天的行动和整个日常活动中。这本身就是冥想的效果。在生活中实践教诲，在那种氛围中生活本身就是一种冥想。你每时每刻都在为日常冥想构建那种氛围。你所做的一切都必须有意识地为你下一次冥想做准备。因此，冥想成为一种生活方式，就像我们生活在冥想所构建的氛围中一样。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

Meditation finds expression in the way we live. With meditation, our positive qualities begin to show. Tranquillity replaces anger, contentment replaces greed, devotion replaces lust, humility replaces ego, and detached loving kindness to all replaces attachment and self-centredness. With meditation we are more focused, more skilful and more productive in anything we do. We naturally adjust our priorities and behave in a manner that is in harmony with the inner Self and with our external surroundings.
冥想体现在我们的生活方式中。通过冥想，我们的积极品质开始显现。宁静取代愤怒，满足取代贪婪，虔诚取代欲望，谦卑取代自我，无分别的慈悲心取代执着和自我中心。通过冥想，我们在所做的一切事情中更加专注、更加熟练、更加高效。我们自然而然地调整优先事项，并以与内在自我和外部环境和谐一致的方式行事。

If in everything we do, we live consciously in the atmosphere created by meditation, then meditation becomes our way of life. In the beginning, our meditation may seem divorced from our daily life. It is like two people who live in the same house and do not talk to each other. In time, daily life and meditation become integrated and support each other. From meditation we learn to be present, more concentrated, more generous, in whatever we do throughout the day. The attitudes of surrender, patience, contentment and awareness that are strengthened through the process of meditation are naturally applied to every aspect of daily life. Our lives then reflect the peace, joy and calmness that develop automatically through the practice of meditation.
如果我们所做的每一件事都活在由冥想创造的氛围中，那么冥想就成为了我们的生活方式。起初，我们的冥想可能看起来与日常生活脱节。就像住在同一屋檐下却互不交谈的两个人。随着时间的推移，日常生活与冥想逐渐融合并相互支持。从冥想中，我们学会在全天所做的一切中保持临在、更加专注、更加慷慨。通过冥想过程强化的臣服、耐心、知足和觉察的态度，自然地应用于日常生活的各个方面。我们的生活就会反映出通过冥想练习自动产生的平静、喜悦和宁静。

Meditation helps us to see how there is oneness between everything and everybody in the creation – that, externally and internally, all is Shabd. We see how everything is interconnected. As we bring this realization to all aspects of our daily life, we demolish the walls we have built that separate our spiritual life from our daily life. The fracture that is experienced by so many people in the wholeness of their being is gradually healed.
冥想帮助我们认识到，在创造中万物和众生之间存在着统一性——无论外在还是内在，一切皆是奥声。我们看到万物如何相互联系。当我们把这个领悟带到我们日常生活的各个方面时，我们就拆除了将精神生活与日常生活隔离开来的墙壁。在整体性中体验到裂痕的许多人，其裂痕逐渐得到愈合。

If we analyze our tendency to see our meditation as separate from our daily life, we will understand that it is simply a symptom of this fracture, or fragmentation, that we typically experience in many aspects of our lives. What we say is different from what we do. Our spiritual desires are not reflected in our actions. We are in one place but wish we were in another. We are doing one thing but thinking of doing something else. Since we are never in the present and never being where we are, it’s no wonder that meditation seems so boring: we are never there. And yet meditation is the only remedy for this fragmentation, this cosmic fracture that has not only separated us from God and the Master, but has also torn apart our inner being.
如果我们分析我们倾向于将冥想视为与日常生活分离的现象，我们会理解这仅仅是我们在生活的许多方面所经历的这种断裂或碎片化的症状。我们所说的与我们所做的不同。我们的精神渴望没有体现在我们的行动中。我们身处一个地方，却希望身处另一个地方。我们正在做一件事，却想着去做另一件事。由于我们从未活在当下，也从未真正身处我们所处的地方，因此冥想显得如此无聊也就不足为奇：我们从未真正在那里。然而，冥想是治疗这种碎片化、这种不仅将我们与上帝和师父分离，还撕裂了我们内在存在的宇宙性断裂的唯一良方。

Live in the moment
活在当下

Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.
生活就是当你忙着制定其他计划时所发生的一切。
_{John Lennon}

One of the most famous discourses Buddha gave was when he sat to give his speech to the sangat, and without uttering a single word, he just raised a flower in his hand. He held it there for a moment, and then he left. That was all he had to say. Only one among the thousands that had gathered to hear him understood the profound hidden meaning of his gesture. On realizing it, he became enlightened.
佛陀给出过最著名的演说之一，是他坐在那里向僧众发表演讲时。他一言不发，只是举起手中的花。他拿着花在那里停留了一会儿，然后离开了。这就是他要说的一切。在聚集来听他讲话的数千人中，只有一个人理解了他手势中深藏的含义。当他意识到这一点时，他觉悟了。

Buddha was teaching that all we have is this moment. In this moment, everything is perfect. There are no creations of the mind, no problems – just awareness of this flower in the stillness of the mind. Outside the moment, life is suffering. Our suffering is the result of the desires and cravings that spring from dwelling in the past and projecting problems and scenarios into the future. Baba Ji says that our problems are such because we choose to perceive them that way. The problems lie in our mind, in the way we think, not in the things themselves. Jesus used to tell his disciples to stop asking: What will we wear? What will we eat? He advised them to observe how the flowers and the birds live in the moment and how all their needs are taken care of. He would say: Ask yourselves how anxious thought can add even the slightest measure to your life! All experts on spirituality have said the same: All we have is this moment.
佛陀教导我们拥有的只是这一刻。在这一刻中，一切都是完美的。没有心智的创造，没有问题——只有意识中的这朵花，在心灵的宁静中。在时刻之外，生活是痛苦的。我们的痛苦源于源于沉溺于过去和将问题与场景投射到未来的欲望和渴求。巴巴吉说，我们的问题之所以如此，是因为我们选择这样去感知。问题存在于我们的心中，存在于我们的思维方式中，而非事物本身。耶稣曾告诉他的门徒停止询问：我们将穿什么？我们将吃什么？他建议他们观察花朵和鸟儿如何在当下生活，以及它们的所有需求是如何得到满足的。他会说：问问自己，焦虑的思绪如何能为你的生活增添哪怕一丝一毫！所有灵性领域的专家都说过同样的话：我们拥有的只是这一刻。

View’d from eternity, existence is simultaneous.
从永恒的角度看，存在是同时发生的。
View’d from time, existence is successive;
从时间的角度看，存在是连续的；
The past and the future are in the NOW of eternity.
过去和未来都存在于永恒的当下之中。

The consciousness of life in eternity’s At Once
永恒瞬间中生命的意识
Is infinitely fuller
是无限充实的
Than in the finite succession of time.
而非在有限的时间连续中。
_{Clemens Humilis}

If we keep our attention in the present moment, our problems shrink for lack of sustenance and we naturally, automatically, lead a happier life. Meditation is an exercise in being here, now. When we live in the present, we become fully alive as our consciousness reaches out far beyond the limitations of our ego. Ego exists through this very avoidance of being in the present – in its own realm of mental make-believe. By remembering the past and projecting into the future, by dwelling on our problems and desires through our habit of compulsive thinking, we feed and strengthen our ego. On the other hand, the more we stay in the present, the more the ego and all its accompanying problems wither away. Practising meditation and simran throughout the day is the easy way to keep our attention in the now, as well as a sure way to spare ourselves from unnecessary mental projections that bring us miseries and worries.
如果我们保持注意力在当下，我们的问题因缺乏滋养而缩小，我们自然而然地过上更幸福的生活。冥想是练习在此处、此刻的练习。当我们活在当下时，我们的意识超越自我局限，我们完全活生生。自我正是通过逃避当下——在其自己的心理幻想领域存在。通过回忆过去和投射未来，通过习惯性强迫思维中沉溺于我们的问题和欲望，我们滋养并强化了自我。另一方面，我们越保持当下，自我及其所有伴随的问题就越枯萎。全天练习冥想和 simran 是保持注意力在当下的简易方法，也是确保我们免受带来痛苦和担忧的不必要心理投射的可靠方法。

The present moment is the most valuable thing there is. Nothing happens tomorrow, nothing happens yesterday, everything always happens now. In fact, the ‘now’ is the only time there is. It is impossible for us to do or to think something outside the present moment. When we remember, it is always in the now. When we think about the future, it is always in the now. When the future catches up, it is always in the present moment.
当下是最宝贵的东西。明天不会发生任何事，昨天也不会，一切总是发生在现在。事实上，“现在”是唯一存在的时间。我们不可能做或思考任何超越当下的事情。当我们回忆时，总是在当下。当我们思考未来时，也总是在当下。当未来到来时，也总是在此刻。

By helping us to become still, present, and concentrated in the now, meditation is a great training. By keeping our attention in simran throughout the day, we eliminate our ego’s need to inflate its importance by living constantly off memories of the past or of fears for the future. When our attention is in the now, it is difficult for us to be trapped by our own mind. With the practice of meditation and simran throughout the day, we become able to hold the focus of our consciousness in the now. We transcend the limitations of our ego and we enjoy our life from moment to moment. Living in the moment, being fully present in our own life, we are empowered to become serene witnesses of our own lives while we engage with and fulfil our responsibilities.
通过帮助我们保持静止、专注和活在当下，冥想是一种伟大的训练。通过全天保持对 simran 的专注，我们消除了自我膨胀的需求，不再持续依赖过去的记忆或对未来的恐惧。当我们的注意力在当下时，我们很难被自己的思维所困。通过全天进行冥想和 simran 的练习，我们能够将意识的焦点保持在当下。我们超越了自我的局限，并从每一刻中享受生活。活在当下，全身心投入自己的生活，我们获得了成为自己生活宁静见证者的力量，同时我们参与并履行我们的责任。

There is something wrong with us. We never want to be happy at the present moment. Either we are worried about what we have done or about what is going to happen to us. We don’t want to make the best use of the present moment. If we make this moment happy, our past automatically becomes happy, and we have no time to worry about the future. So we must take life as it comes and spend it happily. Every moment should be spent happily. And simran helps.
我们身上有些问题。我们从不想要在当下感到快乐。要么我们担心自己已经做过的事，要么担心即将发生的事情。我们不想充分利用当下。如果我们让这一刻变得快乐，过去就会自动变得快乐，我们也就没有时间担心未来。所以我们必须顺其自然地生活，快乐地度过每一天。每一刻都应该快乐地度过。而 simran 能帮助我们。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

True seva
真正的服务

All work is his work; remain happy wherever he keeps you, and take on whatever work you do as the Satguru’s work.
所有工作都是他的工作；无论他把你放在哪里，都要保持快乐，并将你做的工作视为上师的工作。
_{Baba Jaimal Singh}

As we practise meditation, the depth of our desire to realize or to experience the fullness of this human opportunity that we are going through will naturally be reflected in our actions. The reality of spiritual progress is first measured not by inner experiences, but by increasing levels of serenity and contentment, by acceptance of one’s karmas or destiny, and by how we behave when in contact with our fellow human beings. Are we now kinder, more helpful, more tolerant than before we were initiated? Are we only interested in inner experiences or do we have a growing sense of the extraordinary experience to be had simply in the effort of being truly compassionate to others, in the work of becoming true human beings? The practice of meditation will naturally find expression in the details of daily life and in the way we relate to others.
当我们练习冥想时，我们渴望实现或体验我们正在经历的人间机遇的深度，自然会反映在我们的行动中。精神进步的现实首先不是通过内在体验来衡量，而是通过日益增长的宁静和满足感、接受自己的业力或命运，以及我们与同胞相处时的行为来衡量。在我们接受启蒙之前，我们是否比现在更友善、更有帮助、更有耐心？我们是否只对内在体验感兴趣，还是我们对仅仅通过真正对他人的慈悲努力、在成为真正的人的工作中所能获得的非凡体验有着日益增长的感觉？冥想的实践自然会体现在日常生活的细节以及我们与他人的关系中。

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main.
没有人是一座孤岛，完全独立存在；每个人都大陆的一部分，是整体的一部分。
_{John Donne}

Baba Ji says that we don’t serve or help others in order to deepen our spiritual life; it is the other way around. The deepening of our meditation practice naturally develops in us the desire to be helpful to others. This desire finds its natural expression in the disposition to serve. Seva is service to the Master through service to our fellow human beings. Nobody is being more helped than the one who does the service. The purpose of seva is to help us expand in our love. Seva is an act of love meant simply to help us grow in love. That is seva. The practice of meditation will gradually help us to look upon everything we do as the Master’s work.
巴哈吉说，我们不是为了深化精神生活而去服务或帮助他人；恰恰相反。我们冥想修行的深化自然会在我们心中生起帮助他人的愿望。这种愿望自然地体现在服务的心态中。服务（Seva）是通过服务我们的同胞来服务上师。没有人比服务者自己得到更多的帮助。服务（Seva）的目的是帮助我们扩展我们的爱。服务（Seva）是一个爱的行为，其目的仅仅是帮助我们成长于爱。这就是服务（Seva）。冥想修行的实践会逐渐帮助我们视我们所做的一切为上师的工作。

The worldly obligations you are fulfilling are all essentially spiritual. Do not allow the self to intrude; everything is the Satguru’s work.
你正在履行的世俗义务本质上都是精神的。不要让自我介入；一切都是上师的工作。
_{Baba Jaimal Singh}

Outward seva helps us to be more humble and receptive by taking the focus away from the ‘me’ – from our self-centredness. Seva is a way of expressing our devotion, and it is done in a spirit of gratefulness and humility, with total disregard for gain or recognition and irrespective of whether it is the sangat or our community in general that we serve. If it reinforces the ego, it is not seva and we should leave it.
向外服务能帮助我们变得更加谦卑和开放，因为它将注意力从“我”身上移开，摆脱了以自我为中心的心态。服务是表达我们虔诚的一种方式，它以感恩和谦卑的精神进行，完全不顾及利益或认可，也不管我们服务的是师徒大众还是整个社区。如果它强化了自我，那就不是服务，我们应该放弃它。

Our most important seva is to attend to our meditation. No amount of outward seva can be a substitute for meditation. If we do outward seva at the cost of meditation, then we should abandon that seva. The reason we do seva is to create a spiritualized atmosphere in which to live our lives, to condition the mind to an atmosphere of spirituality so that it becomes easier for us to do our meditation.
我们最重要的服务就是专心致志地进行冥想。无论多么多的外在服务都不能替代冥想。如果我们为了外在服务而牺牲冥想，那么我们就应该放弃那种服务。我们进行服务的原因是为了创造一个充满灵性的氛围，在其中生活我们的生命，使心灵适应灵性的氛围，这样我们做冥想就会变得更容易。

Withdrawing our consciousness to the eye centre and connecting it with the Sound is the real seva … Some people give emphasis only to the means without worrying about the end, which is wrong. We clean a cup or a utensil not to see it clean, but because we want to use it.
将我们的意识收回至眼中心并将其与声音连接，这才是真正的服务……有些人只强调手段而不关心结果，这是错误的。我们清洗杯子或餐具并不是为了看到它干净，而是因为我们想使用它。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

The joy and benefits of meditation
冥想的快乐和益处

Having once contacted it, we find that Sound Current so fascinating, so charming and tempting, so captivating, that immediately we become attached to it, and automatically we become detached from the senses.
一旦接触它，我们就发现声音电流如此迷人，如此迷人，如此诱人，如此令人着迷，以至于我们立刻就对其产生依恋，并且自动地与感官分离。
_{Introduction to Die to Live}

As our practice of meditation matures, and as we experience through it a quiet mind, we taste real rest and joy. We become less interested in running after external satisfactions and voluntarily go back to the restful and joyful place the mind has found within. With the successful practice of meditation, we experience for ourselves the fact that meditation is more valuable than money, greater than power, more sublime than sex, more satisfying than any favourite food or drink and more rewarding than anything else the mind has experienced. Baba Ji tells us that nothing in this world can come close to experiencing the Sound Current, that meditation is the ultimate pleasure, and that once we have had a taste of it we want more and more.
随着我们禅修的成熟，并通过禅修体验到宁静的心灵，我们品尝到真正的休息与喜悦。我们对外在满足感的追求变得不再那么感兴趣，而是自愿回到心灵在内在找到的宁静愉悦之处。通过成功的禅修实践，我们亲身体验到禅修比金钱更有价值，比权力更伟大，比性更崇高，比任何喜爱的食物或饮品更令人满足，也比心灵所经历的一切更有回报。巴巴吉告诉我们，在这个世界上没有任何事物能接近体验音流（Sound Current）的境界，禅修是终极的喜悦，一旦我们品尝过它，就会想要越来越多。

The happiness Baba Ji is referring to is not on the level of feeling, emotion or sensation. Rather the Master is referring to a higher level of joy that, at its highest, is defined by absolute freedom from relationships, objects, worldly joys, delusions and other external conditions. He is referring to the ecstatic bliss that is to be discovered when we go deep within our consciousness, where the Sound Current is constantly reverberating.
巴巴吉所指的幸福并非感觉、情绪或感觉的层面。大师指的是一种更高层次的喜悦，这种喜悦在其最高境界时，被定义为完全摆脱关系、对象、世俗的欢乐、幻觉和其他外部条件。他指的是当我们深入意识深处时，所发现的、不断回响的音流所带来的狂喜。

Once the mind becomes fond of listening to this ‘voice of God’, it turns away forever from the world and all worldly objects. The sweetness of this inner spiritual melody makes everything else seem tasteless or bitter. Compared with its enchantment, everything else seems dull and uninteresting. The possession of diamonds naturally causes one to lose interest in coloured shells. In the same way, the sweetness of the inner melody makes this world cease to be an attraction and turns the mind Godwards. One’s love for the world comes to an end and love for God takes its place.
一旦心灵沉迷于聆听这“上帝之声”，便永远背离尘世与所有世俗之物。这内在精神旋律的甜美，使其他一切显得无味或苦涩。与其魅力相比，其他一切都显得沉闷乏味。拥有钻石自然让人对彩色贝壳失去兴趣。同样，内在旋律的甜美使这个世界不再具有吸引力，而将心灵引向上帝。对尘世的热爱就此终结，对上帝的爱取而代之。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

At the same time that meditation brings us closer to our goal of realizing our true nature, it also provides notable emotional, physical and health benefits. Because meditation is our primary way of loving the divine, when we meditate and increase our love, this leads to perceiving the divine in all things and loving the creation. Meditation helps us become more human, more loving, compassionate and peaceful. Focusing our attention in meditation improves our ability to concentrate and relax. This improved concentration and relaxation can be applied not only in meditation, but also in anything we choose to do, so that our ability to participate effectively in life improves.
同时，冥想不仅让我们更接近实现本性的目标，还带来了显著的情感、身体和健康益处。因为冥想是我们爱神的主要方式，当我们冥想并增加爱时，这会让我们感知到万物中的神，并热爱创造。冥想帮助我们成为更有人性、更充满爱、更有同情心和更平和的人。在冥想中集中注意力能提高我们的专注和放松能力。这种提高的专注和放松能力不仅适用于冥想，也适用于我们选择做的任何事情，从而提高我们有效参与生活的能力。

Even Western scientists have become interested in the positive psychological and physiological effects of the many different practices of meditation. Since the 1960s there has been an increasing volume of research on the health benefits of this inner work. Physicians frequently recommend some form of meditation to help with a variety of stress-related conditions and many companies encourage their staff to practise meditation. People who meditate generally manage stress better, which reduces time lost for sick leave and leads to improved productivity and staff morale. This is because reduced stress improves the way the body functions and the way we feel about what we do.
即使是西方科学家也对许多不同的冥想实践所产生的积极心理和生理效应产生了兴趣。自 20 世纪 60 年代以来，关于这种内在工作的健康益处的研究数量不断增加。医生经常推荐某种形式的冥想来帮助应对各种与压力相关的情况，许多公司也鼓励员工进行冥想练习。冥想者通常能更好地管理压力，这减少了病假时间，并提高了生产力和员工士气。这是因为减轻压力改善了身体的运作方式以及我们对自己所做事情的感觉。

Meditation has also become a common prescription for patients with high blood pressure and heart disease. The reason for this is simple. Medical science has proven that since meditation reduces stress and increases relaxation, it helps heart patients lower their blood pressure and improve the function of their cardiovascular system. In addition, it has been shown that when patients undergo surgery and different forms of medical treatment such as chemotherapy, a meditation practice can reduce a patient’s recovery time and increase the positive outcomes of the traditional medical treatment.
冥想也已成为高血压和心脏病患者的常见处方。原因很简单。医学科学已经证明，由于冥想可以减轻压力、增加放松，它有助于心脏病患者降低血压、改善心血管系统功能。此外，研究表明，当患者接受手术和化疗等不同形式的医疗治疗时，冥想练习可以缩短患者的恢复时间，并提高传统医疗治疗的效果。

However extraordinary the physiological and psychological benefits of meditation are, it is the spiritual benefits of meditation that are beyond all measure. Through the Masters, we learn that meditation is the way to empower our soul and purify ourselves of countless karmas. Meditation is the supreme way to surrender the ego, to accept the way of Shabd, and to transcend mental realms so that we can experience our deeper spiritual nature. Through our efforts in meditation, we give expression to our deepest yearning for self-knowledge and union. Meditation is the one prayer that is pleasing to the Lord; it is the one means to experience and merge with our source. Through realization of the Self, ultimately we attain realization of the divine.
然而，无论生理和心理上的益处多么非凡，冥想的灵性益处是无与伦比的。通过大师们，我们学到冥想是赋予灵魂力量、净化无数业障的途径。冥想是放下自我、接受梵音之道、超越心智领域，从而体验更深邃灵性本质的至高方法。通过冥想的努力，我们表达了对自我认知和合一的最深沉渴望。冥想是唯一能让神明愉悦的祈祷；它是体验并与源头合一的唯一途径。通过自我实现，最终我们得以实现神圣的觉醒。

We should not be seeking consolation from this practice, but let us do it motivated by love and because God wishes it.
我们不应从这种实践中寻求慰藉，而应出于爱，并因为神希望如此而进行。
_{Brother Lawrence}

Meditation is the best way to prepare for death
冥想是准备死亡的最佳方式

Meditation is nothing but a preparation to leave the body. That is the real purpose of meditation. Before you play your part on stage, you rehearse the part so many times, just to be perfect. Similarly, this meditation is a daily rehearsal to die, so that we become perfect at how to die and when to die.
冥想不过是离开身体的准备。这就是冥想的真正目的。在你在舞台上表演前，你会反复排练角色，直到完美。同样，这种冥想是每天对死亡的排练，这样我们就能完美地掌握如何死亡以及何时死亡。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

At the time of death, the concentration gained in meditation will give strength and direction to our mind and soul. The mystics reveal to us that through meditation it is possible to conquer death. Hence, Saint Paul says: “I die daily,” and Rumi encourages us to practise in the following words:
在死亡时刻，冥想中获得的专注力将赋予我们的心灵和灵魂力量和方向。神秘主义者向我们揭示，通过冥想可以战胜死亡。因此，圣保罗说：“我每日都死”，鲁米则用以下的话语鼓励我们：

What a blessing it would be
这该是多么大的恩典
If you were one night to bring your soul out of the body,
如果你能在一夜之间将灵魂带离身体
And, leaving this tomb behind,
离开这坟墓，
Ascend to the skies within.
升入天空之中。
If your soul were to vacate your body,
如果你的灵魂离开你的身体，
You would be saved from the sword of Death:
你将免于死亡之剑：
You would enter a Garden that knows no autumn.
你会进入一个不知秋为何物的花园。

Keeping our attention at the eye centre is the first step to enable us to master the practice of dying while living. Besides our appointed time of meditation, we can practise keeping our attention at the eye centre at all times. It is especially helpful to us if we practise this at moments that resemble the time of death, when everything seems chaotic or out of our control. This may be when we are angry or possessive, when we are experiencing pain or suffering, or when we want to control events that are not in our hands. All these moments present to us excellent opportunities to learn to be detached, to let go and to concentrate our attention at the eye centre by means of simran.
将注意力保持在眼中心是使我们能够在活着时掌握死亡练习的第一步。除了我们指定的冥想时间外，我们可以在任何时候练习将注意力保持在眼中心。如果在看似混乱或失控的时刻练习这一点，这对我们特别有帮助。这可能在我们愤怒或占有欲强时，当我们经历痛苦或苦难时，或当我们试图控制无法掌控的事情时。所有这些时刻都为我们提供了学习超脱、放手并借助 simran 将注意力集中在眼中心的绝佳机会。

Such training and self-discipline will prove invaluable at the time of death. It will also help us practically, so that we become more carefree and at peace with ourselves while we live our daily life. If we are able to make a habit of keeping our attention in the remembrance of our Master in all situations, then, when death comes, our attention will only be on our Master. This is extremely important because whatever we think about at the time of our death will determine the direction in which the soul goes after death.
这种训练和自我修养在临终时将证明无比宝贵。它也会在实际生活中帮助我们，让我们在日常生活中更加无忧无虑、与自我和谐相处。如果我们能够养成在任何情况下都将注意力集中在忆念导师的习惯，那么当死亡来临时，我们的注意力将完全在导师身上。这极其重要，因为我们在临终时思考的内容将决定灵魂死后的去向。

Whatever the state of mind
无论心境如何
That a man may focus upon
那一个人可能专注
At the end, when he leaves his body,
最终，当他离开身体时
To that state of mind he will go.
他将进入那种心境。
_{Bhagavad Gita}

If during our life we haven’t trained our mind to be at the eye centre and we have only craved for the things of the world, death will not change those cravings. The impressions of the mind will still be with us at the time of death. The desire to be back with loved ones or to continue to experience worldly pleasures may be so strong that we will be pulled back into another birth to fulfil that very desire.
如果在我们的生命中没有训练过我们的心处于眼中心，而只是渴望世界的物质，死亡不会改变那些渴望。死亡时，心灵的印象仍然会伴随着我们。想要回到亲人身边或继续体验世俗的欢乐可能会如此强烈，以至于我们会再次被拉入另一世来满足那个欲望。

Imagine the situation of a person who one day goes for lunch in a restaurant, and when he comes out finds that someone has stolen his car. He then walks back to work, only to find that his place of employment has closed down and his bank account is empty. Full of anguish, he returns home, only to learn that his house has burned to the ground and all his loved ones have perished in this tragic incident. We may shake our heads in disbelief at the possibility of something so far-fetched actually happening to anyone. Yet, this is what each of us will experience at the time of our death. In one stroke, in one moment, we lose all our possessions, all we have and everyone we love.
想象一个人有一天去餐馆吃午饭，出来时发现有人偷了他的车。他走回公司，却发现公司已经关门，银行账户也空了。满心痛苦地回到家，却得知他的房子已经烧成平地，所有亲人在这场悲剧中丧生。我们可能会对这种荒诞的事情真的会发生感到难以置信。然而，这就是我们每个人在死亡时刻都会经历的。在一瞬间，我们失去所有财产，所有拥有的一切和我们爱的人。

If we haven’t prepared beforehand, we may be devastated. If we die with a feeling of anguish and loss, of longing for what we are leaving behind, death will be a terrible experience. In the midst of holding on to dear life, how could we possibly welcome death?
如果我们事先没有准备，可能会被彻底摧毁。如果我们带着痛苦和失去的感觉得到死亡，带着对留下的东西的渴望，死亡将是一场可怕的体验。在紧紧抓住宝贵生命的时候，我们怎么可能迎接死亡？

We are mistaken if we think that by attending satsang, reading Sant Mat literature, having the Master’s physical darshan and occasionally doing our meditation, we will be prepared to accept such an event with dignity and peace. Rather, we have to take advantage now of the opportunity to meditate, and train our mind to remain steady at the eye centre. Let’s not be under any illusions. During this very life, we must attend to daily meditation. Then, and only then, will we be able to take refuge at the eye centre at the time of death and peacefully and willingly accept what is happening to us.
如果我们认为通过参加萨桑（satsang）、阅读圣马特（Sant Mat）文献、见到大师的物理相（physical darshan）以及偶尔进行冥想，我们就能有尊严和平静地接受这样的事件，那我们就错了。相反，我们现在必须利用冥想的机会，训练我们的心保持稳定在眼中心。让我们不要有任何幻想。在这生中，我们必须关注日常冥想。然后，也只有这样，我们才能在死亡时在眼中心寻求庇护，平静而自愿地接受发生在我们身上的事情。

Meditation is the single most practical thing we can do to prepare ourselves for what we will experience when we leave the physical world at the time of death. If we are successful in keeping our attention at the eye centre for prolonged periods of time in meditation, we will go within and experience what it is to die, while living. Death will then hold no mystery for us. Instead of being a frightening experience, it will become something we anticipate, something full of wonder, beauty and promise – something to look forward to, something we know.
冥想是我们能做的最实际的事情之一，用来准备我们在死亡时离开物质世界时将经历的一切。如果我们能在冥想中长时间保持注意力在眼中心，我们将进入内在，体验活着死去的感觉。这样，死亡对我们来说将不再神秘。它将不再是一种可怕的经历，而将变成我们期待的事情，充满奇迹、美丽和希望——一种我们期待的事情，一种我们了解的事情。

Die to live. You must withdraw to the eye centre, and then you will live forever. Otherwise, you are just living to die. Every time you live, you have to die, so die to live. Learn to die so that you may begin to live, and live forever.
死以生。你必须退回到眼中心，然后你将永远活着。否则，你只是活着以死。每次你活着，都必须死去，所以死以生。学会死，以便开始活，并永远活。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

For those who learn to die through the practice of meditation, death is not terrifying because they have traced each step in the process of death. Such disciples are receptive to the Master and remain conscious and confident during the experience, accepting it peacefully and without anxiety, regrets or fear. Keeping our attention in the eye focus cannot be overemphasized. It will prove invaluable at the time of death, but also while we are alive. Such is the power of meditation – for living, for dying, and for taking us on a journey beyond body and mind.
对于通过冥想学习死亡的人来说，死亡并不可怕，因为他们追溯了死亡过程中的每一步。这样的门徒对师父开放，并在体验中保持清醒和自信，平静地接受它，没有焦虑、后悔或恐惧。保持我们的注意力在眼焦点上不能过分强调。在死亡时刻，它将证明是无价的，但在我们活着的时候也是如此。这就是冥想的力量——为了生活，为了死亡，以及带我们踏上超越身体和心灵的旅程。

Your breath is like a drumbeat,
你的呼吸就像鼓点，
Constantly proclaiming the departure
不断地宣告离别
Of the caravan of life.
关于生命的驼队。
Radha Soami has docked his ship –
拉达·索米已经靠岸了他的船——
Come on board and cross the ocean free of charge.
上船吧，免费横渡海洋。
_{Soami Ji Maharaj}

4  The source of love and devotion
4  爱与虔诚的源泉

Were it not for His grace, we would never even think of our separation from Him, nor would we desire to return Home. But for His grace, we would neither meet the Master nor follow the Path.
若非祂的恩典，我们甚至不会想到与祂的分离，也不会渴望回归家园。若非祂的恩典，我们既不会遇见上师，也不会踏上正途。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

Our past positive actions through many lifetimes and the grace of Shabd have brought us into the presence of a living Master. Since the time of our birth, the Master has been with us. He is our true companion. Whenever we have been in sorrow or despair, at the lowest points in our life, the Master has been there, waiting for us to realize the illusion in which we exist.
我们通过多世善行及圣音的恩典，得以与活上师相遇。自我们出生以来，上师一直与我们同在。祂是我们的真正伴侣。无论我们何时感到悲伤绝望，处于生命最低谷时，上师都一直在那里，等待我们认识到我们所处的幻象。

The Master not only guides and helps during the disciple’s lifetime, but stays with him even at the time of his death, and afterwards.
上师不仅在弟子在世时指引和帮助，甚至在弟子死亡时仍陪伴左右，死后亦然。
_{Introduction to Die to Live}

The living Master is our link with Truth. Baba Ji says, however, that it is important that we question and inquire about all aspects of the teachings. He frequently points out the need for us first to relate to the teachings and find them logical and truthful; otherwise we will not be able to do justice to the teachings or to the Master. Having our doubts resolved will give us the necessary confidence and trust that we are on the right path, with the right teacher. This trust will help us remain constant in our meditation, and our constancy, in turn, will give us the balance and equanimity that support spiritual growth.
活着的导师是我们与真理的连接。然而，巴巴吉说，重要的是我们要对所有教义的各个方面进行质疑和探究。他经常指出，我们需要首先与教义建立联系，并发现它们是合乎逻辑和真实的；否则我们将无法公正地对待教义或导师。当我们消除疑虑时，就会获得必要的信心和信任，让我们确信自己走在正确的道路上，拥有正确的导师。这种信任将帮助我们保持冥想的恒常性，而我们的恒常性反过来又会给我们带来平衡与宁静，从而支持精神成长。

It is for us to find within ourselves the tenacity and endurance to follow the Master’s teachings to the end, bearing in mind that it is the truth of his teachings that is important, not his personality. It is important that we don’t become blinded by his appearance and lose sight of the fact that the true Master is Shabd.
我们需要在内心找到坚韧和毅力，以遵循导师的教义直至终点，同时牢记他的教义中的真理才是重要的，而不是他的个性。重要的是我们不要被他的外表所迷惑，而忘记真正的导师是圣音。

Our real Master is the Word, the Logos, Shabd, Nam, the Audible Life Stream or whatever name one may choose to give it. The Master is that Power manifested in human form.
我们的真正导师是圣音、道、名、可听的生命之流，或者人们选择给它起的任何名字。导师是化身为人类的那个力量。
_{Introduction to Die to Live}

Since the Master is the human manifestation of Shabd, and we too are part of Shabd, when we meet the physical Master he seems very familiar. We may feel we have known him forever or that we have met before. In reality, at a deeper spiritual level, he is us. How can anyone be more closely connected to us? He is our own true Self. The only difference is that the physical Master is aware that his real form is that of Shabd while we are not aware of this truth. With the constant practice of meditation, the layers of misconceptions and illusions that cloud our perception begin to dissolve, and we start to see that the outer and inner Masters are one and the same.
既然大师是梵音的化身，而我们也是梵音的一部分，当我们遇见肉身大师时，他似乎非常熟悉。我们可能会觉得我们认识他很久了，或者我们曾经见过他。实际上，在更深的精神层面上，他就是我们。有谁能比我们更紧密地与我们相连呢？他就是我们真正的自我。唯一的区别是，肉身大师意识到他的真实形态是梵音，而我们对此真理并不知晓。通过持续的冥想练习，遮蔽我们感知的误解和幻觉的层面开始消散，我们开始看到外在与内在的大师是同一的。

He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.
见过我的人，就见过父亲。
_John 14:9

As we gradually become aware of the connection between the disciple’s identity and that of the Master, an indescribable bliss, gratitude and devotion are born in us. Through the deepening of our meditation practice, this feeling of devotion increases until we go deep enough to realize that Shabd, Master and disciple are one and the same.
随着我们逐渐意识到门徒的身份与大师之间的联系，一种难以言喻的喜悦、感恩和虔诚在我们心中产生。通过冥想练习的深化，这种虔诚感不断增强，直到我们深入到足够认识到梵音、大师和门徒是同一的。

Within me the Father has revealed Himself;
在我之内，父亲向我显化。
Father and son have met and become one.
父亲和儿子已经相遇并合一。
_{Guru Arjun}

Meditation is devotion
冥想就是虔诚

You can build love and devotion only through meditation, not otherwise. Meditation builds everlasting love.
你只能通过冥想来建立爱与虔诚，别无他法。冥想构建永恒的爱。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

Love is the fruit of devotion. Meditation is the way to kindle devotion. Meditation is where we find the depth of love. Meditation will build within us the true devotion that will take us to the heart and the source of Shabd, to the home of the Master of our soul, to our Radha Soami. Without devotion, we are as the living dead; without longing, we are barren and a desert. The way to kindle longing for this love is through meditation, for devotion finds its fullest expression when we surrender our whole being to the Master, through giving ourselves to Shabd in meditation.
爱是虔诚的果实。冥想是点燃虔诚的途径。冥想是我们发现爱之深度的所在。冥想将在我们内心建立起真正的虔诚，引领我们到达心与至音的源头，到达我们灵魂之主的家园，到达我们的拉达·索米。没有虔诚，我们如同行尸走肉；没有渴望，我们如同贫瘠的荒漠。点燃对这种爱的渴望的途径是通过冥想，因为当我们将整个身心奉献给主，通过在冥想中将自己给予至音时，虔诚才能得到最充分的表达。

The only way to strengthen love is by meditation. There’s no other way, because the love which we get by experience cannot be compared to any other type of love.
唯一能加强爱的方式就是冥想。没有其他方法，因为我们通过体验获得的爱是无法与其他任何类型的爱相比的。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

It is only through meditation that absolute or ultimate Truth is realized. Truth, or Shabd, cannot be realized by logic or by intellect. The path of the intellect does not take us beyond the realm of the mind. The way to go beyond the mind and to gain access to direct perception or the spiritual experience of reality is by stopping the currents of thought through the practice of meditation, with love and devotion.
只有通过冥想才能实现绝对或终极真理。真理或至音无法通过逻辑或智力来实现。智力的道路无法将我们带出心智的领域。超越心智并获得直接感知或现实的精神体验的途径是通过冥想的实践，以爱与虔诚止息思维的洪流。

The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.
心有它的理由，理性却无从知晓。
_Pascal

Devotion is a practical way to become receptive to the teachings of the Masters. If we see the Master as a teacher of logic and intellect, then we will get words and explanations. If we try to know the Master as he really is, without the hindrance of the intellect, then we will come to know him as the embodiment of Shabd. For those who are intellectual by nature, this is very difficult to do, but we need to start somewhere. However artificial and stone-hearted we may have become, raised as most of us have been on scientific materialism, we still yearn to experience feelings of love, awe and longing, like those recorded by the lovers of Shabd.
虔诚是接受大师教诲的实用方式。如果我们把大师看作逻辑和智力的老师，那么我们只会得到言语和解释。如果我们尝试抛开智力的障碍，真正去了解大师，那么我们将认识他是梵音的化身。对于天性爱思考的人来说，这很难做到，但我们总得从 somewhere 开始。尽管我们可能变得多么虚伪和冷酷，大多数人都被科学唯物主义所培养，我们仍然渴望体验爱、敬畏和渴望，就像那些记录梵音之爱的信徒所描述的那样。

Love came and emptied me of self,
爱来了，将我自我掏空，
Every vein and every pore
每一条血管，每一个毛孔
Made into a container to be filled by the Beloved.
被挚爱者所填满的容器。
Of me, only a name is left,
我仅剩一个名字，
The rest is You my Friend, my Beloved.
其余都是我的朋友，我的挚爱。
_{Shaikh Abu-Saeed Abil-Kheir}

The path of devotion or bhakti can begin by simply recognizing the Master’s kindness, by not taking him for granted. The spark of longing, and receptivity to his love, can be ignited by gratitude – gratitude to the Master for giving us initiation, for teaching us to meditate, for teaching us what to do with our mind and how to live our life; gratitude for putting us on the right path, for giving purpose and direction to our life, for teaching us, by his example, to love beyond our self without thought of reward. As we look back on the time before he called us to him, we will remember with gratitude the many things done for us even then to transform, and spiritualize, our life.
虔诚或 bhakti 的道路可以从简单地认识到主人的仁慈开始，不要把他视为理所当然。渴望的火花和对他的爱的接受可以通过感恩来点燃——感恩主人给予我们启蒙，教我们冥想，教我们如何处理我们的心，如何生活；感恩把我们引上正确的道路，为我们的生活赋予目标和方向，通过他的榜样教我们超越自我地爱，而不求回报。当我们回顾他在召唤我们之前的那段时光时，我们会怀着感恩之心，记住他那时为我们做的许多事情，以转化和灵性化我们的生活。

A time will come when we will see our Master as something more than a mere human being. When, through meditation, we are able to relate to him as the embodiment of Shabd, we will be able to receive the full transforming and purifying power of his teachings. This receptivity we will only get from meditation. Without meditation, we will be able to perceive only a fraction of a fraction of his love and wisdom. That is why it is so important that we try to develop the highest type of devotion through meditation, not confusing emotion with devotion.
总有一天，我们会将我们的导师视为超越普通人类的存在。当通过冥想，我们能够将他视为梵音的化身来与之连接时，我们就能接收到他教诲的全部转化与净化之力。这种接纳性我们只能通过冥想获得。没有冥想，我们只能感知到他爱与智慧的一小部分。这就是为什么通过冥想努力发展最高形式的虔诚如此重要的原因，不要将情感与虔诚混淆。

Emotion, rightly directed, becomes devotion
情感，若能正确引导，便成为虔诚

Emotions are all right if they lead you to devotion, but they should be channelled. If you let loose your emotions, they become a nuisance. If the river flows within its banks, only then it is useful. But when the river floods, it overflows its banks and creates devastation everywhere.
情感都是好的，只要它们能引导你走向虔诚，但它们应该被引导。如果你放纵情感，它们就会成为麻烦。如果河流在其河岸内流淌，它才是有用的。但当河流泛滥时，它就会溢出河岸，造成到处破坏。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

The mind wants us to believe that the path of devotion is one of romance, and it entices us to think, “Here is the Beloved. I am going to merge in him. He is always the father looking after my needs. I don’t have to put in any effort. He is taking me to Sach Khand, and all will be wonderful.” This is pure deception of the mind. All saints have told us that the path of love is a path of struggle.
心灵想让我们相信，虔诚之路是浪漫的，它诱惑我们想：“这里就是挚爱之人。我将与他合一。他总是照顾我的需求。我无需付出任何努力。他正带我前往萨奇卡恩德，一切都会美好。”这是心灵纯粹的欺骗。所有圣人都告诉我们，爱的道路是充满斗争的道路。

The lovers of the Lord go into the battlefield with their heads on the palms of their hands. This is how they find the Beloved. No one has found the Shabd through emotional excitement. To paraphrase a quotation from Kabir: When the celestial war drum is beaten, the warrior rushes forth to battle; bare-chested, he fights without weapons. The coward, on the other hand, slinks away, turns on the TV, calls someone on the phone, enters a chat room, visits friends, loses himself in indulging the senses, and thinks a thousand thoughts, with his mind darting in every direction. The last thing he wants is to have to face the battle.
侍奉主爱的人将头放在手掌上踏入战场。他们就是通过这种方式找到挚爱之人的。没有人通过情感激动找到真言。用卡比尔的一句话来概括：当天界战鼓敲响时，勇士冲向战场，赤裸上身，无武器而战。而懦夫则溜之大吉，打开电视，打电话，进入聊天室，拜访朋友，沉溺于感官享受，思绪万千，心神飘忽。他最不想的就是不得不面对这场战斗。

The battle is inside, and it is inside that it has to be fought. The war drum is beating constantly, calling us to arms. This fight is the real purpose of our life. This is what is essential for us now. In practical terms, it means to keep our attention as much as we can in simran, at the eye centre. This is the way of the spiritual warrior, the way to empower the soul, the essence of the path of devotion, the foundation for a more mature relationship with our Master.
战斗在内心，也必须在内心中战斗。战鼓不断敲响，召唤我们拿起武器。这场战斗是我们生命的真正目的。这是我们当前最需要做的事情。从实际角度来看，这意味着尽可能将我们的注意力保持在 simran（冥想）和眼中心。这是精神战士的方式，是赋予灵魂力量的方法，是虔诚之路的精髓，也是与我们的导师建立更成熟关系的基础。

The strongest warrior is he who conquers himself.
最强大的战士是能够战胜自己的人。
_{Aztec saying}

True devotion is to keep our attention at the eye centre. If we feel devotion, but cannot concentrate our attention at the eye centre, we may be confusing emotion with devotion. Unfocused emotion scatters the attention and dissipates precious energy. It is the concentration of our attention, of all our longing and consciousness, at the eye centre, that alone will enable us to break through the barrier of the physical. This alone will bring us into contact with the inner experience that will enable us to sustain true longing and devotion. This inner experience cannot be had if our attention is scattered and misdirected outwards by emotion. That is why devotion is not the same as emotional excitement. It is important to distinguish between the two.
真正的虔诚在于将我们的注意力集中在眼中心。如果我们感到虔诚，但无法将注意力集中在眼中心，我们可能会将情感与虔诚混淆。无焦点的情感会分散注意力，消耗宝贵的能量。只有将我们的注意力、所有渴望和意识集中在眼中心，才能使我们突破物质世界的障碍。只有这样才能让我们接触到能够使我们保持真正渴望和虔诚的内在体验。如果我们的注意力因情感而分散和向外误导，就无法获得这种内在体验。这就是为什么虔诚与情感激动并不相同。区分两者非常重要。

Love is always within. When you try to dramatize your love, you lose the depth of the love.
爱永远在内心。当你试图戏剧化你的爱时，你就失去了爱的深度。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

Sant Mat, the path and practice of the saints, is not a matter of lip service or emotional excitement. It is a profound way of life to be lived, within ourselves, at every moment and at every level. The mind falls into the trap of wanting to run after the physical form of the Master because it believes that this is the way to demonstrate love for him. We get caught up in running after the physical form of the Master like going to see a pop star. Everybody is jumping up and yelling, and because of all the emotional excitement buzzing and humming around us, we soon find ourselves jumping up and yelling too. We may ask ourselves why this so often happens in the relationship of spiritual Master and disciple.
圣玛特，圣人的道路和修行，并非口头说说或情感激动的问题。它是一种深刻的生活方式，要在我们自身中，在每一刻、每一个层面去实践。心灵陷入追逐大师物理形态的陷阱，因为它认为这是向大师表达爱的方式。我们像追流行歌星一样陷入追逐大师的物理形态。每个人都跳起来大喊大叫，由于我们周围到处都是嗡嗡作响的情感激动，我们很快也跳起来大喊大叫。我们可能会问自己，为什么在精神导师和门徒的关系中，这种情况经常发生。

Could it be because we want to believe that running after the physical form of the Master will give us spiritual benefit to compensate for our lack of effort in meditation? Could it be that we cannot face the effort required of us to go beyond the physical level to discover Truth? We want the easy way out. But the fact is that no amount of seeing the physical form of the Master will compensate for a lack of meditation. And when we put the Master on a pedestal and worship him in his physical form, are we not treating him like a stone idol, an image of what is already an image of Truth? Taking an analogy that Master Charan Singh often used, it is like the sun reflecting on water that is then reflected on a wall. Rather than being content with the reflection on the wall, would we not do better to seek to see the sun itself?
难道是因为我们想相信追逐师父的肉身形态能给我们带来精神上的益处，来补偿我们在冥想上的懈怠吗？难道是我们无法面对超越肉身层面去发现真理所需要的努力吗？我们想要走捷径。但事实是，无论看到多少师父的肉身，都无法弥补冥想的缺失。当我们把师父供在神坛上，以肉身形态崇拜他时，我们不是把他当作一个石像，一个已经是真理的影像的影像来对待吗？引用师父查兰·辛格经常使用的比喻，就像阳光映照在水面上，水面再映照在墙上。我们与其满足于墙上的倒影，难道不是更应该去寻找看到太阳本身吗？

People think that by running after me or by greeting me and saying ‘Radha Soami’ many times, they will get spiritual benefit. It is nothing but their own deception. What do they get out of it? By touching my hand or my clothes or putting the dust from where I have walked on their forehead, they get nothing.
人们以为通过追逐我，或者向我问候并多次说“拉达·索米”，就能获得精神上的益处。这不过是他们自己的欺骗。他们从中得到了什么？通过触摸我的手或我的衣服，或者把从我走过的地方收集的尘土放在他们的额头上，他们什么也得不到。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

When we confuse emotion with devotion and follow blindly our own need for outward rituals and tangible evidence, when we give up the spiritual fight and surrender to our human tendency to ritualize and reduce everything to the physical, we are doing a great disservice to the Masters and their teachings. We are being deceived by our mind. True devotion is trying to please the Master by bringing our attention up to the eye centre. To help him in his promise to liberate our soul is the greatest demonstration of love we can give him.
当我们把情感与虔诚混淆，盲目追随外在仪式和具体证据，当我们放弃精神上的斗争，屈从于将一切物质化的倾向，我们对师者和他们的教诲就做了极大的不敬。我们被自己的心所欺骗。真正的虔诚是努力将注意力提升到眼中心，以取悦师者。帮助他实现解放灵魂的承诺是我们能给予他的最大爱。

Running after the physical form of the Master is something very different from having love for the Master.
追随师者的物理形态与对师者怀有爱是截然不同的。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

The task of the physical form is to initiate us and to introduce us to the inner Master. The Master has told us where his real form is. Now it is up to us to pursue it. The physical is a means, not an end. We need the physical to love because we cannot develop the love needed for success on the spiritual path if its object is just an idea, a concept, in our mind. Our aim has to be to direct our love for the outer Master into effort in meditation so that we reach beyond the physical to the spiritual.
物理形态的任务是引导我们，并让我们认识内在的师者。师者已经告诉我们他的真实形态在哪里。现在轮到我们追寻了。物理只是一个手段，不是目的。我们需要物理来爱，因为如果爱的对象只是我们心中的一个想法、一个概念，我们就无法发展出在精神道路上取得成功所需的爱。我们的目标是引导对外在师者的爱，通过冥想中的努力，超越物理达到精神层面。

Let us not get so attached to the physical form that we stop our efforts to see him within. Buddhist Masters express this dramatically by saying: “If on the road you find Buddha, kill him.” Here they are not talking about the physical – not that we have to physically kill the Master, but we have to ‘kill’ our limited concepts. They are trying to provoke us out of our slumber by drawing our attention in such a dramatic fashion to our limitations. We are ignorant of who the Master is. As we grow in understanding of the purpose of the physical Master, we cannot stop there. We must carry on our search for the Master’s real form – the Shabd form.
让我们不要过于执着于物理形态，以至于停止了在内心中寻找他的努力。佛教大师们用一种戏剧性的方式表达这一点：“如果在路上遇到佛陀，就杀了他。”在这里，他们并不是在谈论物理层面——不是说要我们物理上杀死大师，而是要“杀死”我们有限的观念。他们试图通过如此戏剧性的方式吸引我们的注意力，从而唤醒我们脱离沉睡状态。我们对大师的真实身份一无所知。随着我们对物理大师目的的理解不断增长，我们不能止步于此。我们必须继续寻找大师的真实形态——即“声音”形态。

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him to you.
然而我告诉你们实话；我去对你们有益；因为若我不去，保惠师就不到你们这里来；我若去了，就要差他来。
_John 16:7

Commenting on this quote, Shabd Master Charan Singh writes: “He [Jesus] says: When I leave you, it will be in your interest. Hearing this, the disciple is surprised. How can it be in the interest of a disciple that the Master leave him physically? Christ explains: Day and night you are running after me now. You are mad in your love, and you are not trying to devote your time to the Spirit inside. But without attaching yourself to the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, you can never go back to the Father. So when I leave you physically, you will not find me anywhere outside and you will have no option but to seek me within. Then you will be in touch with the Comforter, who will pull you up to my level, the level of the Father.”
针对这句话，圣言大师查兰·辛格评论道：“他[耶稣]说：当我离开你们时，这对你们是有益的。听到这话，门徒感到惊讶。门徒的利益怎么会在于师父离开他身体呢？基督解释道：如今你们日日夜夜都在追随我。你们在爱中疯狂，却没有试图将时间奉献给内心的灵。但若不依附于安慰者，圣灵，你们就永远无法回到父那里。所以当我离开你们身体时，你们将无处找我，只能寻求我于内心。那时你们将与安慰者接触，他将会将你们提升到我的水平，即父的水平。”

In the introduction to the book Nobody, Son of Nobody, a story is told of a young disciple whose Master has turned cold towards him and finally has him thrown out of his presence. Bereft and in anguish, with no one else to go to, he turns to the Lord and throws himself on his mercy. Suddenly an indescribable peace descends upon him and he tastes that which he was seeking. At that moment his Master comes to him, and still confounded, the disciple asks him how he could treat him that way. The Master answers, “You had given up all and everyone, but there was still someone between you and your Lord; me! I was the only idol left in the temple of your hopes, wants and fears and that had to be taken from you for your ego to surrender and take refuge in the Beloved. Rise now, let’s relish this victory.”
在《无名者，无名者的儿子》一书的引言中，讲述了一个年轻弟子的故事。他的师父对他变得冷漠，最终将他赶出了自己的面前。他感到绝望和痛苦，无处可去，于是转向上帝，求他的怜悯。突然间，一种无法形容的平静降临在他身上，他品尝到了他一直在寻求的东西。就在那时，他的师父来到他身边，仍然困惑不解的弟子问他，自己怎么会受到这样的对待。师父回答道：“你已经放弃了一切和所有人，但你们和上帝之间仍然有一个人；那就是我！我是你希望、欲望和恐惧之庙中唯一剩下的偶像，必须从你身边拿走，以便你的自我能够屈服并投奔至挚爱之中。现在起来，让我们享受这胜利吧。”

All Masters proclaim the same truth. The true Master is Shabd. True darshan is inner darshan. The Truth is within. The journey of Sant Mat can take the disciple to the innermost level of Truth, but the disciple has to travel there. The Master can point to Truth, but he cannot experience Truth for us. A father has done his job when his sons and daughters are no longer dependent on him. It is only then that the father becomes happy, because he has accomplished his fundamental task of bringing the children up. Likewise, the task of the living Master is to show us how to make contact with the Radiant Form so we can gradually distinguish true from false and travel the path with firmer and stronger steps.
所有大师都宣称同样的真理。真正的导师是圣言。真正的启示是内在的启示。真理就在内心。圣灵之路可以引导门徒达到真理的最深处，但门徒必须自己前往那里。导师可以指出真理，却不能替我们体验真理。当儿女不再依赖父亲时，父亲便完成了他的责任。只有到那时，父亲才会感到快乐，因为他完成了养育子女的基本任务。同样地，活着的导师的任务是向我们展示如何与光辉之形接触，这样我们才能逐渐分辨真伪，并以更坚定、更稳健的步伐前行。

The true Master is the Shabd that projects itself into a human form and descends to the physical level, disguised as a human Master, to introduce us to the Master within and to bring us back to our source. A mature level of devotion is one where the disciple realizes that the true Master is the Master that never dies. Meditation is the way. Meditation is the means by which the love and natural emotions generated by contact with one who lives by Truth are directed inwards and upwards to bring us to that state where alone we become intimate with the real Master.
真正的导师是那将自身投射为人类形象并降临到物质层面，伪装成人类导师，来引导我们认识内在的导师并将我们带回源头。成熟的奉献层次是门徒意识到真正的导师是不会死亡的导师。冥想是途径。冥想是让与遵循真理者接触所产生的爱与自然情感向内向上引导，使我们达到唯一能与真实导师亲密无间的状态的方法。

May your Love of the Form culminate in the Love of the Formless.
愿你的对形式的热爱最终归结为对无形的热爱。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

The role of the Master
导师的角色

The purpose of the physical form is achieved by explaining the teachings to you, putting you on the path and filling you with love and devotion for Shabd or Nam. Now we have to turn love and devotion for the physical form into love for Shabd or Nam, which ultimately is to pull us back to the Father.
物质形式的目的是通过向你们解释教义，将你们引上道路，并充满对圣言或名号的爱心与奉献来实现的。现在我们必须将对于物质形式的爱心与奉献转化为对圣言或名号的爱心，这最终将把我们拉回到父亲那里。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

Our spiritual maturity is reflected in our relationship with the Master. Many of us have reduced love to its physical expression, and consequently we believe that we need to be physically close to the physical Master to experience divine love. We may even believe that we should get directions from him concerning every aspect of our life. This is a misunderstanding of the role of the Master. His role is not to get involved in solving the problems of our life. Those are to be addressed by us.
我们的精神成熟体现在与主的关系中。我们中的许多人将爱简化为其身体表达，因此我们相信需要与身体的主身体上接近才能体验神圣的爱。我们甚至可能相信我们应该从祂那里获得关于我们生活每个方面的指导。这是对主角色的误解。祂的角色不是介入解决我们生活中的问题。这些问题应该由我们自己来解决。

Sant Mat is meant for God-realization, for liberating the soul from its entanglement with the mind. The function of the Master is to be of help and guidance in achieving this goal. Baba Ji says his role is to inspire us to meditate, and he frequently guides us to start our journey by being natural to ourselves. If he is telling us to be natural, it is because our relationships with him, with the teachings and with life in general have become mechanical, superficial and artificial – all centred in the physical sphere. With such relationships as our yardstick, the results of any efforts are likely to be equally superficial. We behave in the way we think we ought to, based on concepts of what we believe spirituality and life to be, rather than starting with where and who we naturally are. Meditation gives us the means to develop a living relationship with the Master, with the teachings and with life, a relationship that will grow and flourish out of experience, that will mature with us and with our practice, and that is wholesome, natural and increasingly profound.
圣玛特旨在实现神明，使灵魂摆脱与心智的纠缠。大师的职责是在实现这一目标时提供帮助和指导。巴巴吉说他的角色是激励我们进行冥想，并经常引导我们从自然地做自己开始我们的旅程。如果他在告诉我们要自然，那是因为我们与他、与教义以及与生活的关系已经变得机械、肤浅和虚假——所有这些都集中在物质领域。以这样的关系为标准，任何努力的结果很可能同样肤浅。我们根据我们认为应该如何表现，基于对精神和生活的概念，而不是从我们自然的状态开始行动。冥想给了我们发展与大师、与教义以及与生活之间生动关系的方法，这种关系会随着经验的积累而成长和繁荣，会随着我们和我们练习的成熟而成熟，并且是健康、自然和日益深刻的。

The Master wants us to go as deeply as possible into the nature of our path. He wants us to become spiritually grown up. Baba Ji says that if we are content to see just the physical form and we make no attempt to go within, then how will we ever know that the Master is not a fraud? How do we know that the Master is the embodiment of Shabd? Do we know? We may want to believe that he is, but we will not know it for a certainty until we first make the attempt and one day succeed in going inside, where alone we will know for ourselves.
大师希望我们尽可能深入地探究我们道路的本质。他希望我们精神上成熟起来。巴巴吉说，如果我们满足于只看到物理形态，并且不尝试向内探索，那么我们如何才能知道大师不是骗子？我们如何知道大师是圣音的化身？我们真的知道吗？我们可能想相信他是，但我们不会确定知道，除非我们首先尝试并有一天成功地向内探索，在那里我们才能亲自知道。

To know Truth, we must seek the darshan of the Shabd form of the inner Master. Outer darshan should lead us to search inside, not stay content with the outside. Only by seeing the inner Master will we know with certainty what difference there is, or is not, between the physical form and the Radiant Form.
要认识真理，我们必须寻求内在大师的圣音之相的显现。外在的显现应该引导我们向内探索，而不是满足于外面。只有通过看见内在大师，我们才能确定物理形态和光辉之相之间有什么不同，或者根本没有不同。

True darshan
真正的显现

A misconception that is frequently encountered on the path of the Shabd Masters concerns darshan of the physical form of the Master. People go to see the Master in the belief that through his darshan their karmas will be cleared away. When we have an opportunity to ask him a question in a meeting, we may prolong our question as much as possible, not because we want full clarification, but because we calculate that by looking at the physical form of the Master for as long as we can we are getting our karmas washed away. This is just another deception of the mind and we’d do well to wake up from such delusions.
在圣音大师之路上，人们常常会遇到一个误解，那就是对大师肉身的观想。人们去见大师，相信通过他的观想就能消除自己的业障。当我们有机会在集会中向他提问时，我们可能会尽可能地延长我们的问题，不是因为我们要完全的澄清，而是因为我们计算过，通过尽可能长时间地观看大师的肉身，我们的业障就能得到洗涤。这仅仅是心灵的一种欺骗，我们应当从这种幻觉中觉醒。

Simply by looking at the Master, no karmas are cleared away. That would be comparable to believing that just by going to see a millionaire counting his money, we will also become millionaires. It is his wealth, so how can we get it just by looking? Yet in the case of the Master’s darshan, we are assuming that by doing exactly the same thing, that is, by looking at the Master, we will get spiritually wealthy. The question is: Do we go to see the Master to get something out of him or because we love him? In love, there can be no bargaining, no calculations. If we are to keep on the straight and narrow, we need to reflect regularly on our motives and our way of understanding this supreme path of love.
仅仅看着师父，业障并不会消除。这就好比认为只要去见一个数钱的大富豪，我们也会变成富豪。那是他的财富，我们怎么可能仅仅通过看着就能得到呢？然而在师父的会面中，我们假设只要做同样的事情，即看着师父，我们就会变得精神上富有。问题是：我们去看师父是为了从他那里得到什么，还是因为我们爱他？在爱中，不可能有讨价还价，不可能有计算。如果我们要保持正直，就需要经常反思我们的动机和我们对这条至高无上的爱之道路的理解方式。

Baba Ji says that when we are having darshan of the physical form, if we are not gazing at the Master with absolute love, oblivious of everything else, then we are not having his darshan, we are just looking. Darshan is the helplessness of the lover to look at the beloved. It is not something that we can fake or force. It is a natural state born of love.
巴巴吉说，当我们正在看肉身形态时，如果我们不是用绝对的爱凝视师父，忘却一切其他事物，那么我们并没有得到他的会面，我们只是在看。会面是爱者凝视所爱之人时的无助感。这不是我们可以伪装或强求的东西。它是爱自然产生的状态。

Darshan is complete absorption in the one we love. Receptiveness to the physical form can make it possible to have the darshan of the Radiant Form. And the way to become receptive to the Master’s true nature is through meditation. Once this receptiveness is achieved, then the Master can grant the vision of his true form. It is up to him to give or not to give his vision: darshan cannot be taken, it is given by the Master. It is the prerogative of the Master to give when and where he wants, regardless of whether we are sitting right in front of him or anywhere from Auckland to Zanzibar.
达尔尚是对我们深爱的人的完全专注。对物理形态的接纳可以使我们有机会见到光辉之形。而成为对大师真实本性接纳的方式是通过冥想。一旦这种接纳被实现，那么大师就能赐予他真实之形的景象。是否赐予这个景象由他决定：达尔尚是不能索取的，它是由大师赐予的。赐予的时间与地点是大师的特权，无论我们是否正坐在他面前，或是在奥克兰到桑给巴尔的任何地方。

A thousand miles away is my Master’s abode,
千里之外是我大师的居所，
But I always see him nearby.
但我总感觉他就在附近。
It’s of little consequence if he’s physically out of sight;
他是否身体不在眼前，这并不重要；
My heart is his real home.
我的心是他的真正家园。
_{Sultan Bahu}

If we want to become intimate with our Master, we must meditate. Pretending that we can establish a true and eternal bond with the Master through visits to the Dera or by seeing him anywhere in the outside world is deluding ourselves, for the true relationship takes place on another plane altogether. A relationship created on the physical level without the support of meditation is a very shallow one. The way to achieve the true relationship is by making contact with the spiritual Master, and this can be done only through the practice of meditation – which can be done anywhere in the world.
如果我们想与我们的导师亲密无间，就必须进行冥想。假装通过参观德拉或在世界任何地方见到他，就能与导师建立真实而永恒的纽带，这只是在欺骗自己，因为真正的关系发生在完全不同的层面上。在缺乏冥想支持的情况下，在物质层面上建立的关系是非常肤浅的。实现真正关系的途径是与精神导师建立联系，而只有通过冥想的实践才能做到——这可以在世界任何地方进行。

We need to be clear that any spiritual progress that can be obtained at Dera can equally be obtained anywhere in the world. The battleground is within us, wherever we are, and that is where the fight has to be fought. Our trouble is that it is a million times easier for us to travel thousands of miles to see the physical form of the Master than it is to bring our attention up one inch. Lack of spiritual courage and stamina makes us keep running to the outer form. The physical form of the Master is our starting place in understanding spirituality. It is also our safeguard in our battle with the deceits and deceptions of our mind. But the true intimacy with the true Master and real spiritual progress will only be obtained within us – through meditation. There is simply no other way. Every true Master says the same.
我们需要明确，在 Dera 所能获得的任何精神进步，同样可以在世界任何地方获得。战场在我们内心，无论我们身处何地，战斗都必须在那里进行。我们的问题在于，对我们来说，远行数千英里去见导师的物理形态，远比将注意力提升一英寸容易百万倍。缺乏精神勇气和毅力使我们不断追逐外在形式。导师的物理形态是我们理解精神世界的起点，也是我们在与心灵欺骗和诡计的战斗中的保障。但与真正的导师建立真正的亲密关系和真正的精神进步，只能在我们内心通过冥想来获得——这是唯一的方法。每一位真正的导师都说的是同样的道理。

Your desire to visit India is welcome, but what I wish is that you may have no need for your physical hands, feet, and body, but travel without feet, speak without tongue, hear without ears, and see without eyes, and while sitting indoors visit not only India but the whole of Brahmand. If you saw India with the physical frame, what use, if you did not go beyond this world?
你想要去印度的愿望是受欢迎的，但我希望的是你不需要你的物理双手、双脚和身体，而是无足而走，无舌而言，无耳而听，无目而视，坐在室内就能访问不仅是印度，而是整个 Brahmand。如果你用物理形态看到印度，如果你没有超越这个世界，那又有什么用？
If you reply that you want to come to India for seeing your Guru, then it should be noted that the physical frame is not the real form of the Guru. It is a mere dress he has put on in this world and which will be put off here. The true form of the Guru is holy Sound, and in that form the Guru permeates every hair on your body and is seated within you. When you go above the eyes then the Guru will meet you in his radiant form, and when you reach Trikuti, the Guru will accompany you in his Sound Form, even up to Sach Khand.
如果你回答说你想去印度看望你的上师，那么应该注意的是，这个身体只是上师的幻象。这是他在世间披上的衣服，也将会在这里脱下。上师的真正形态是神圣之声，在这个形态中，上师渗透到你身体的每一根发丝中，并坐于你之内。当你超越双眼之上时，上师将以他光辉的形态与你相遇，当你达到三昧境界时，上师将以声音形态陪伴你，直至至善之境。
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

5  The practice of meditation
5  冥想练习

Be still, and know that I am God.
保持静止，知道我就是神。
_{Psalms 46:10}

The instant we sit for meditation is the moment we actually begin to tread the path of the saints. In that very moment all concepts are left behind and experience begins.
我们坐下来冥想的瞬间，就是实际上开始踏上圣贤之路的时刻。就在那一刻，所有概念都被抛在身后，体验开始了。

It is while we are sitting in meditation that we will come to the eye centre, make the mind motionless, go within, meet the Radiant Form, realize our deathless Self and achieve God-realization. All will happen while we are meditating. That is why it is said that meditating is action and meditating is enlightenment. Every time we sit in meditation we are doing the most important task a human being is capable of: that of completely transforming our character and consciousness.
当我们静坐冥想时，我们将来到眼中心，使心灵静止，向内走，遇见光辉之形，认识我们不朽的自我，并实现神明之境。所有这一切都将在我们冥想时发生。这就是为什么说冥想即是行动，冥想即是觉悟。每当我们静坐冥想时，我们都在做人类所能完成的最重要的任务：彻底改变我们的性格和意识。

Therefore, we should not believe our mind or society and feel guilty when they tell us: “Don’t just sit there, do something.” Rather, we should say: “Don’t just do something, sit there!” The true value of meditation is kept hidden from others.
因此，我们不应该相信我们的心灵或社会，当它们告诉我们：“不要只是坐着，做点什么。”而应该说：“不要只是做点什么，坐着！”冥想的真实价值被隐藏起来。

Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes and the grass grows by itself.
静静地坐着，无所事事，春天来了，草自然生长。
_{Zen saying}

It is by sitting for meditation that we empower our soul, receive spiritual nourishment, become spiritually strong to face the world and learn to make contact with the Shabd within. By sitting still we learn to surrender, to endure, to be patient and to accept the way of Shabd. By submitting to our Master’s instructions to meditate, we nurture the seed of real humility, which is to live in his will. When we achieve a meditative state of mind, what can irritate us or shake our balance? In the midst of swirling activity, catastrophes or good fortune we remain unshakable, content and happy in our stillness at the eye centre. Such is the power of meditation. How can there be a more important activity in our day than sitting for meditation?
通过静坐冥想来赋予灵魂力量，接受精神滋养，变得精神强壮以面对世界，并学会与内在的圣音接触。通过静坐不动，我们学会臣服、忍耐、耐心并接受圣音之道。通过遵从导师的冥想指导，我们培养真正的谦卑之苗，即依照他的意志生活。当我们达到冥想的心境时，什么能让我们烦躁或动摇我们的平衡呢？在纷繁的活动、灾难或好运中，我们依然坚定不移，在眼中心的宁静中感到满足和快乐。这就是冥想的力量。我们一天中还有比静坐冥想更重要的活动吗？

Preparation
准备

There is no ‘right way’ to prepare for meditation, but there are many things we can do that will make our journey easier. Throughout the day we can prepare ourselves for meditation by doing simran whenever possible and by keeping the Master and the teachings in front of us in our various worldly activities. Then, our meditation practice will be the culmination of a whole day spent in a meditative atmosphere, and when we sit for our practice, it will be easier for us to concentrate at the eye centre.
没有“正确”的冥想准备方式，但我们可以做许多事情来让我们的旅程更轻松。在日常生活中，我们可以通过尽可能多地练习 simran，并在各种世俗活动中将大师和教诲放在我们面前，来为冥想做准备。这样，我们的冥想实践将成为整个冥想氛围中的一天的高潮，当我们坐下来进行练习时，将更容易集中注意力在眼中心。

To create a state of mind that is conducive to meditation, we can consciously try to abstain from anything that promotes anger, lust, tension and so forth. These things make strong impressions on the mind. We will discover that when we sit for meditation they will be the first things that will come to our mind and we will have to expend energy and time casting them out. Whenever possible, if these situations do arise, we can remember that our meditation will suffer if we indulge ourselves in them. Remembering this point, we should let them go.
为了创造一个有利于冥想的心态，我们可以有意识地避免任何促进愤怒、欲望、紧张等等的事物。这些事物会在心灵上留下强烈的印象。我们会发现，当我们坐下来冥想时，它们会成为首先出现在我们脑海中的事物，我们将不得不花费精力和时间将它们驱逐出去。在可能的情况下，如果这些情况确实发生，我们可以记住，如果我们沉溺其中，我们的冥想将会受到损害。记住这一点，我们应该放下它们。

Some people jump directly from bed to their meditation place. They take advantage of the sleepy state from which they find it easier to bring their attention to the eye centre. This is not always easily accomplished because the attention can drop to the throat centre and one again falls asleep. To prevent this from happening many choose to get their blood circulating by doing some form of exercise. Others prefer to splash water on their face or to take a shower. Still others prepare themselves by having a cup of tea or coffee. The important thing is that we are alert and fully awake. Then it will be easier to concentrate and we will be less likely to fall asleep.
有些人直接从床上跳到他们的冥想地点。他们利用从睡意朦胧的状态中更容易将注意力带到眼中心。这并不总是容易做到，因为注意力可能会降到喉咙中心，人又会再次睡着。为了防止这种情况发生，许多人选择通过做一些形式的运动来让血液循环起来。其他人更喜欢往脸上泼水或洗个淋浴。还有些人通过喝一杯茶或咖啡来做好准备。重要的是我们要保持警觉和完全清醒。这样更容易集中注意力，也较少会睡着。

To help prepare the mind for meditation some people like to read an inspirational book or article, or to begin meditation with a small prayer. As we all know, it takes time to settle the mind. The words our Master has given us for simran are the ideal tool to calm our mind, so we may dive right into our meditation. What better way to pray, to calm the mind and to instil an attitude of love and devotion than to use the words our Master has given us for that purpose?
为了帮助准备冥想的心，有些人喜欢读一本鼓舞人心的书或文章，或以一个小小的祈祷开始冥想。我们都知道，让心平静下来需要时间。我们大师给我们用于 simran 的词语是平静我们心灵的理想工具，这样我们就能直接进入我们的冥想。有什么比使用我们大师给我们的用于祈祷、平静心灵和培养爱与奉献态度的词语更好的方法呢？

As part of the preparation for our morning meditation, we can start the night before by having a light dinner and by going to bed early. When we go to bed, we can fall asleep doing our simran. In this way when we wake up we will find it easier to concentrate in meditation. Whatever we do to support our practice, Baba Ji advises us to be careful not to turn meditation into a ritual, into something that we do every day without even thinking why we do it. When preparing to get started in our meditation practice we can remember why it is that we meditate and what our goal is.
作为我们早晨冥想的准备之一，我们可以在前一天晚上吃点清淡的晚餐并早点上床睡觉。当我们上床睡觉时，我们可以边做 simran 边入睡。这样当我们醒来时，我们会发现更容易在冥想中集中注意力。无论我们采取什么措施来支持我们的修行，Baba Ji 都建议我们要小心，不要把冥想变成一种仪式，变成我们每天做而不思考为什么要做的事情。在准备开始我们的冥想修行时，我们可以记住我们为什么要冥想以及我们的目标是什么。

Time
时间

Any time is a good time to start our meditation. If we wait for conditions to be ideal we might never sit for meditation. All times provide a good opportunity to calm and purify the mind, so we may do our meditation at any time of the day. For some people the best time to meditate is in the evening. At that time they feel more alert and, in order to get a relaxing sleep and to wake up invigorated and purified, they decide that evening meditation is best for them. Others are so tired at night that they are ready to sleep. For them the morning is the best time to meditate. At that time the mind is fresh and one is not burdened with responsibilities. In the early hours everybody is sleeping, the worries of the day have not yet started and there is no noise outside. For these reasons it may be easier to devote two and a half hours to meditation in the early morning because our worldly responsibilities make it hard for us to sit at some later time of the day. Nevertheless, some people prefer to meditate in the middle of the morning or afternoon.
任何时候开始我们的冥想都是好的。如果我们等待条件理想，可能永远都不会坐下来冥想。所有时间都提供了平静和净化心灵的好机会，所以我们可以在一天中的任何时间进行冥想。对某些人来说，晚上是冥想的最佳时间。在那个时间他们感觉更警觉，为了获得放松的睡眠并醒来时充满活力和纯净，他们决定晚上冥想最适合他们。其他人晚上太累，准备睡觉。对他们来说，早上是冥想的最佳时间。在那个时间，头脑清醒，没有责任负担。在清晨时分，每个人都睡着了，白天的烦恼还没有开始，外面也没有噪音。由于这些原因，在清晨花两个半小时冥想可能更容易，因为我们的世俗责任使我们难以在一天中的某个较晚时间坐下来。尽管如此，有些人更喜欢在上午或下午的中午时分冥想。

In reality, the best time to meditate is the time we find best. We should evaluate the different aspects and responsibilities of our lives and then make our decision about which time is best for us, but we should try, if possible, to sit at the same time each day. If we decide to do our formal meditation practice in the morning, then we should try to give some additional time at night before we go to bed. If we choose to do our formal meditation at night, then we should try to give some additional time to sit in the morning as well. What better way to begin or end the day than by thanking the Master and letting go of all other agendas to be in touch with the source of peace and joy that is within ourselves?
实际上，最好的冥想时间是我们认为最合适的时间。我们应该评估我们生活中不同的方面和责任，然后做出决定，选择最适合我们的时间，但如果我们可能的话，应该每天在同一时间坐下来。如果我们决定在早上进行正式的冥想练习，那么我们应该尝试在睡前留出一些额外的时间。如果我们选择在晚上进行正式的冥想，那么我们也应该尝试在早上留出一些时间坐下来。有什么比感谢师父并放下所有其他议程，来接触我们内心和平与喜悦的源泉更好的方式来开始或结束一天呢？

To get full advantage of the atmosphere that is created by morning meditation, it is better that we do not go to sleep after meditation. If, for instance, we begin our morning meditation at 3:00 a.m. and our daily activities begin at 8:00 a.m. and in the gap between 5:30 and 8:00 in the morning we go to sleep, we might consider beginning our meditation at 5:30 a.m. instead of at 3:00 a.m. In this way there will be no gap between our meditation practice and our daily routine, and we can derive maximum benefit from the atmosphere created by our morning meditation. But in this area there are no hard and fast rules because meditation is good whether we sleep afterwards or whether we don’t. It is up to each one of us to see what works best for us.
要充分利用晨间冥想所营造的氛围，最好不要在冥想后入睡。例如，如果我们早上 3 点开始冥想，而日常活动从早上 8 点开始，如果在早上 5 点半到 8 点之间的空档去睡觉，我们可以考虑将冥想时间改到 5 点半，而不是 3 点开始。这样，我们的冥想练习和日常活动之间就不会有间断，我们就能最大限度地从晨间冥想所营造的氛围中获益。但在这一方面没有绝对的规则，因为无论我们是否在冥想后入睡，冥想都是有益的。这取决于我们每个人，看看什么对我们最有效。

Place
位置

If we don’t have a special place to sit for meditation, we can try to find a comfortable one that is conducive to our practice. Any place will do. It will be helpful to sit in the same place, because we will soon associate that place with the peace and tranquillity of meditation, and we may find that our mind concentrates easier when such an association is made. Although it is desirable that the place is quiet and that we practise alone, sometimes our life situation does not allow us to have privacy. If that is our case and the only way we can meditate is by doing it in front of others, then there is no harm in doing so. However, we should try to be as inconspicuous as possible.
如果我们没有专门的地方坐禅，可以尝试找一个舒适且有助于我们修行的地点。任何地方都可以。坐在同一个地方会有所帮助，因为我们会很快将那个地方与禅修的平静和宁静联系起来，并且当我们建立这种联系时，可能会发现我们的心更容易集中。虽然理想的地方是安静且我们可以独自练习，但有时我们的生活状况不允许我们有隐私。如果情况如此，而我们唯一能坐禅的方式是在他人面前进行，那么这样做也无妨。然而，我们应该尽量不引人注目。

Posture
姿势

When sitting for meditation, it is important to sit in a relaxed position with the spine and neck straight. The chin can be slightly tucked in but not so much that it drops forward. Also, the head should not be tilted backwards or forwards. Both positions might induce us to fall asleep. The eyes should be closed and the attention held in the middle of the eyebrows at the spiritual eye centre. Be careful not to invert the eyes towards the eye centre. The hands can face upwards or downwards and can rest naturally on the knees or thighs. Our whole body should be at ease.
在坐禅时，重要的是保持放松的姿势，脊柱和颈部要挺直。下巴可以稍微内收，但不要内收到向前垂下。同时，头部不应向后仰或向前倾。这两种姿势都可能让我们睡着。眼睛要闭上，注意力集中在眉心中间的精神眼中心。小心不要将眼睛向眼中心方向倒转。双手可以向上或向下，自然地放在膝盖或大腿上。我们整个身体都应该放松。

Meditation is an activity that involves both our mind and our body. If we don’t adopt a posture that supports and helps the process of meditation, we will be obstructing our meditation practice. The important thing is to sit with our body motionless and our back upright and straight. This will help both our concentration and our health. It is not important whether we sit on a chair, Western style, or cross-legged on the floor, Indian style; both are fine ways to meditate. Many people are under the impression that sitting on a chair, Western style, is not as good as sitting cross-legged. This is a mistaken notion. Meditation is a matter of concentration. Some people spend years struggling to sit cross-legged, Indian style, and all the time that should have been devoted to concentration is spent with the attention on the legs, the pain or the cushions. The result is that such people spend less time in meditation than they would have if they had chosen to sit in a more comfortable position.
冥想是一项涉及我们身心活动。如果我们不采取一种支持和帮助冥想过程姿势，我们将阻碍我们的冥想练习。重要的是要保持身体不动，背部挺直笔直。这将有助于我们的专注力和健康。无论我们坐在椅子上（西式），还是盘腿坐在地上（印度式），都没有关系；这两种方式都是很好的冥想方式。许多人认为，坐在椅子上（西式）不如盘腿坐（印度式）好。这是一种错误观念。冥想是关于专注。有些人花费数年时间努力盘腿坐，而本应用于专注的时间却花在了关注腿部、疼痛或垫子上。结果，这些人冥想的时间比他们选择更舒适姿势时会冥想的时间还要少。

The mind cannot become calm and still if the body is constantly moving, just as water cannot be still in a glass that is moved. If we still the body we are helping to still our mind, so it is important to find a position in which we minimize the pain or discomfort that prompts us to shift uneasily every few minutes. If that means it is easier for us to sit on a sofa or a chair, then we can sit in that position, provided we sit upright and with the back straight. Not only is slouching detrimental for the back and more tiring after some time, it also prompts the mind to slouch, when it should be in an alert and poised state. It is not advised that we lie down because it is easier to fall asleep in such a position. We may experiment with different physical postures until we find the one that permits us to sit the maximum time without discomfort or falling asleep.
如果身体不断移动，心灵就无法平静安宁，正如水在摇晃的杯中无法静止。如果我们让身体静止，就是在帮助心灵平静，因此找到一种能最大限度减少疼痛或不适、避免我们每隔几分钟就焦躁不安的姿势非常重要。如果这意味着坐在沙发上或椅子上对我们来说更舒适，那么我们可以选择这种姿势，但必须保持直立，背部挺直。不仅弯腰对背部有害，而且长时间下来会更累，它还会促使心灵也变得松懈，而心灵应该处于警觉和专注的状态。不建议我们躺下，因为这种姿势更容易睡着。我们可以尝试不同的身体姿势，直到找到一种能让我们在不感到不适或睡着的情况下坐得最长时间的姿势。

In no other position is the link between mind and body as clear as it is in our meditation posture. When we are depressed or lazy our back is hunched over and our head is hanging down. If we make the effort to sit upright, we shake off laziness and even pessimism. When we sit upright, it is difficult to have self-pity or to be negative. By assuming an upright posture, we inspire our mind to be awake and alert. If our posture and attitude are inspired, it becomes easier to concentrate and to enjoy our meditation. For bhajan (listening to the Shabd), we can sit in the squatting position, or cross-legged with the help of an arm support, or on a chair resting our elbows on a table or other arm support. The use of ear plugs is not advised by the Master.
在任何其他姿势中，心灵与身体之间的联系都不像在冥想姿势中那么清晰。当我们感到沮丧或懒惰时，我们的背会佝偻，头会垂下。如果我们努力坐直，就能摆脱懒惰，甚至悲观情绪。当我们坐直时，很难自怜或消极。通过保持直立姿势，我们激励心灵保持清醒和警觉。如果我们的姿势和态度得到激励，就更容易集中注意力并享受冥想。对于唱诵（聆听圣音），我们可以坐在蹲姿中，或者借助手臂支撑盘腿而坐，或者坐在椅子上，将肘部放在桌子上或其他手臂支撑上。大师不建议使用耳塞。

Sometimes when we have been sitting for a period of time we feel a slight discomfort and want to move. We should continue to sit through this urge to move and discover how it is perfectly possible to resist the need to move or to scratch. Our mind has been trained to react immediately to anything that it dislikes. Expect the mind to fight and the body to become restless. The mind and the body are being trained to obey, and they don’t like it. The body and the mind will not want to be confined, but we should keep holding the reins on them. After some time they will give in.
有时当我们坐了一段时间后，会感到轻微的不适并想动。我们应该继续坐着，通过这种想动的冲动来发现如何完全抵制移动或抓挠的欲望。我们的心智已被训练成对任何它不喜欢的事物立即做出反应。期待心智会反抗，身体会变得焦躁不安。心智和身体正在被训练去服从，它们不喜欢这样。身体和心智都不想被束缚，但我们应当继续掌控它们。经过一段时间，它们就会屈服。

Baba Ji gives the following example to illustrate the importance of being still during meditation. He says that if we pick up a glass of water from a table and then place it back on the table, the water still continues to move even though the glass is not moving anymore. He calls this ‘the ripple effect’. Likewise, if we move our body when we are meditating, even if it is a slight movement, that is enough to send ripples through the mind that disturb any calmness achieved. However, if we gently keep our mind on the words and do not move, soon we will experience how stilling the body helps to still and calm the mind, and, conversely, how stilling the mind helps to still the body. With the stillness of both body and mind, we begin to enjoy the peace that comes from concentration in meditation.
Baba Ji 用以下例子来说明在冥想时保持静止的重要性。他说，如果我们从桌子上拿起一杯水，然后再把它放回桌子上，即使杯子不再移动，水仍然会继续流动。他称之为“涟漪效应”。同样地，如果我们冥想时移动身体，即使只是轻微的移动，也足以在心中引起涟漪，破坏任何达到的平静状态。然而，如果我们轻轻地将注意力保持在词语上，并且保持不动，很快我们就会体验到身体静止如何帮助心灵平静，反之亦然，心灵静止如何帮助身体平静。在身体和心灵都保持静止的状态下，我们开始享受冥想中专注带来的平静。

Concentration
专注

Meditation means trying to hold our attention at the eye centre and not let it come down to the senses. That is concentration, to keep the mind steady at the eye centre and not let it come down.
冥想意味着努力将注意力保持在眼中心，不让它下降到感官。这就是专注，保持心神稳定在眼中心，不让它下降。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

Baba Ji says that the mind is like a computer: whatever we download into it, that is what we get. We input data of the physical world, and the mind collects impressions of material things. We input data of spirituality and the mind collects impressions of subtle things. The mind works equally well in both spheres. In meditation, we do not alter the nature of the mind, we simply input spiritual impressions and override worldly ones. In time, by the practice of concentrated meditation, the spiritual impressions will displace the worldly ones, replacing worldly desires by spiritual ones. In this way, the mind is automatically purified as it increasingly concentrates its attention inwards and upwards.
巴巴吉说，心就像一台电脑：我们下载什么到它里面，就得到什么。我们输入物理世界的数据，心收集物质事物的印象。我们输入精神层面的数据，心收集精微事物的印象。心在这两个领域都能同样有效地工作。在冥想中，我们不改变心的本质，只是输入精神印象，覆盖世俗印象。随着时间的推移，通过专注冥想的练习，精神印象会取代世俗印象，用精神欲望取代世俗欲望。通过这种方式，当心越来越向内向上集中注意力时，它会自动净化。

Concentration is similar to setting alight a piece of paper with a magnifying glass. A magnifying glass is held in such a way as to catch the sun’s scattered rays and concentrate them onto a piece of paper. These little rays, when dispersed, are weak and harmless, but when collected together, held steady and focused through the magnifying glass, they become powerful enough to ignite the paper. One has to hold the glass very still, as any shaking will disturb the central point where the rays focus, and interrupt the process of generating heat sufficient to set the paper alight. When the glass has been held for some time a brilliant point appears on the paper, and if the point is held constant, it finally bursts into a flame.
专注就像用放大镜点燃一张纸。放大镜要这样拿，才能接住太阳散射的光线，并将它们集中在一张纸上。这些小光线，分散时微弱无害，但聚集在一起，通过放大镜稳稳聚焦，就变得足够强大，能点燃纸张。必须稳稳地拿着放大镜，任何晃动都会扰乱光线聚焦的中心点，中断产生足够热量点燃纸张的过程。当放大镜保持一段时间后，纸上会出现一个明亮的光点，如果保持光点稳定，最终会燃起火焰。

In the same way, we are to collect every ray of our attention and focus it, without wavering, at the eye centre, until the intensity of our concentration in the simran kindles the Flame at the eye centre within. As we prolong our period of concentration, more and more of our attention gathers at the eye centre, and we become receptive to the inner Sound.
同样地，我们要收集每一缕注意力，坚定不移地聚焦在眼中心，直到我们专注的 simran（冥想）在眼中心点燃内部的火焰。随着我们延长专注的时间，越来越多的注意力聚集在眼中心，我们就能接收到内在的声音。

To understand what meditation is, we must understand the importance of concentration. Focused meditation will transform the way we perceive things and the way we live our life. Spiritual progress depends upon making the mind still at the eye centre, and concentration is what makes the mind still. Concentrated simran is the best way to train the mind to ‘sit’ at the eye centre. Our minds are used to jumping from one object to another, so to train the mind to concentrate on simran is a difficult task, but not an impossible one.
要理解什么是冥想，我们必须理解专注的重要性。专注的冥想会改变我们感知事物的方式以及我们生活的态度。精神进步取决于让心在眼中心保持宁静，而专注正是让心宁静的方法。专注的 simran 是训练心“坐在”眼中心的最佳方式。我们的心习惯于从一个对象跳到另一个对象，所以训练心专注于 simran 是一项艰巨的任务，但并非不可能。

Concentrate on keeping your mind in the presence of the Lord; if it sometimes wanders and withdraws itself from Him, do not let it upset you; confusion serves rather to distract the mind than to recollect it; the will must bring it back calmly.
专注于让心保持在主人的临在之中；如果有时心会游走并抽离祂，不要让它让你烦恼；混乱反而会分散心而不是让它回想；意志必须平静地把它带回来。
_{Brother Lawrence}

We struggle in meditation because our attention is not concentrated in the simran, it is thinking about the world. From the moment we were born, the mind has come out of the eye focus and has been working outside. The outward tendency of the mind has become a very deep-rooted habit. We have to struggle to reverse this process if we are to concentrate our attention at the eye centre.
我们在冥想中挣扎，因为我们的注意力没有集中在 simran 上，而是在思考世界。从我们出生的那一刻起，心就离开了眼中心，并在外部运作。心向外的倾向已经成为一个非常根深蒂固的习惯。如果我们想在眼中心集中注意力，就必须努力逆转这个过程。

It is all a question of discipline, training and habit. Our concentration in meditation is in direct proportion to the degree to which we can detach ourselves from this world. We cannot pierce the darkness within because our attention has always been, and still is, caught up with our body, our attachments, neuroses and passions outside. Unless we develop detachment from everything outside and the capacity to concentrate within ourselves at the eye centre, we can make but little progress on the path. If we allow ourselves to indulge our physical nature, then, when we sit for meditation, our mind will get tossed about like a ship on a stormy sea and we will find we simply cannot concentrate. We then see for ourselves how an outward orientation scatters the attention, and how many of our actions and thoughts stand between us and concentration.
这完全是关于纪律、训练和习惯的问题。我们在冥想中的专注程度与我们能够从这个世界中抽离的程度成正比。我们无法穿透内心的黑暗，因为我们的注意力总是，而且现在仍然是，被我们的身体、我们的执着、神经质和激情所吸引。除非我们培养对外在一切事物的超脱，并具备在眼中心集中注意力的能力，否则我们在修行之路上将难以取得进步。如果我们放纵自己的肉体本性，那么当我们坐下来冥想时，我们的心就会像在风暴中的船一样飘摇不定，我们会发现自己根本无法集中注意力。这时我们就会亲眼看到，对外在事物的关注如何分散我们的注意力，以及我们多少行为和思想阻碍了我们集中注意力。

There is only one way to achieve concentration in meditation. We have to be ready to invert our outward and downward tendencies. We need to bring them inwards and upwards, through constant simran, to the eye centre, the seat of the soul.
冥想中集中注意力的唯一方法就是准备好将我们向外和向下的倾向倒转过来。我们需要通过持续的 simran 将它们向内和向上引导，到达灵魂的居所——眼中心。

The seat of the soul
灵魂的居所

The third eye is the seat of the mind and soul. This is the pivotal point that holds the mystery of life. It is from here that our attention continually descends and spreads into the world through the nine outlets of the body … From here every minute the mind wanders out. It does not sit still at this spot even for a moment. Its activities are legion. The ageless secret, the ancient wisdom, the path of the saints lies in drawing the attention back to this point.
第三眼是心智和灵魂的居所。这是承载生命奥秘的关键点。我们的注意力从这里不断下降，并通过身体的九个出口向世界扩散……每一分钟，心智都从这里游走。它甚至不会在这一刻静静地停留。它的活动数不胜数。永恒的秘密、古老的智慧、圣人的道路都在于将注意力拉回到这个点上。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

To invert the process by which our attention runs downwards into the world, the first thing we have to do is to locate the place in the vessel of our consciousness from where our attention leaks out. This place is what we know as the eye centre, the spiritual eye, the third eye or the seat of the soul. It is a common error to think of the eye focus as having some particular location in the brain or between or behind the eyes, measurable in terms of inches, centimetres or the points of the compass. We then try to locate this focus with our eyes or thoughts by attempting to place the attention physically between the eyebrows.
要逆转我们注意力向下流入世界的进程，我们首先要找到我们意识之舟中注意力泄漏出去的地方。这个地方就是我们所说的眼中心、精神之眼、第三眼或灵魂之座。认为眼焦点在脑中某个特定位置，或眼睛之间或眼睛后面，可以用英寸、厘米或方位来衡量，这是一种常见的错误。然后我们试图用眼睛或思想来定位这个焦点，通过尝试将注意力物理地放在两眉之间。

When we approach meditation like this, we are very far away from the eye focus. The mind is jumping around, groping blindly for something or somewhere. It is running out by trying to think about the focus, instead of simply relaxing and being in the darkness with the eyes closed. The process of thinking indicates that the mind is scattered, while concentration at the eye focus means the absence of even the slightest twitching of thought. If we are thinking of the eye centre, it means we cannot be in it. If we are in the centre, we will not be thinking of it.
当我们这样接近冥想时，我们离眼焦点非常遥远。心在跳跃，盲目地寻找某个东西或某个地方。它试图通过思考焦点来向外跑，而不是简单地放松，闭眼处于黑暗之中。思考的过程表明心是分散的，而眼焦点的专注意味着连最轻微的思想颤动都没有。如果我们想着眼中心，就意味着我们不能处于其中。如果我们处于中心，就不会想着它。

When you close your eyes, you are there where you should be. Being there, do simran, concentrate. When you close your eyes, you are nowhere outside. You are just here at the eye centre.
当你闭上眼睛，你就在你应该在的地方。在那里，做 simran，集中注意力。当你闭上眼睛，你就在外面无处可寻。你就在眼中心这里。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

Throughout this book we have seen how, over and over again, all Masters emphasize the paramount importance of bringing and keeping the attention within ourselves, at the seat of the soul. In the following letter from Spiritual Gems, Master Sawan Singh explains how to do it:
在这本书中，我们看到所有大师一次又一次地强调将注意力带回到自己内部，在灵魂的座位上，其至高无上的重要性。在来自《精神瑰宝》的以下信件中，大师萨万·辛格解释了如何做到这一点：

Answering your question as to the best way to reach and hold the focus, I can only repeat the substance of what you already have been given … 
回答你关于达到并保持专注的最佳方法的提问，我只能重复你已经得到的内容……

That method is the same as all Saints use, which is simply the concentrated attention held firmly at the given centre. What else can we say? It is all a matter of unwavering attention. Every ray of attention must be centred there and held there. If one strays away for a time, one has lost the advantage. It may be said safely that if any earnest student should hold his attention fully upon the given centre for three hours, without wavering, he must go inside. But that is not so easy without long practice. However, by and by, the mind becomes accustomed to staying in the centre. It rebels less and less, and finally yields to the demand to hold to the centre. Then your victory is won.
那种方法与所有圣者所用的方法相同，就是将注意力牢牢集中在给定的中心。我们还能说什么呢？这完全是关于坚定不移的注意力。每一道注意力的射线都必须集中在那里并停留在那里。如果有一段时间偏离了，就失去了优势。可以肯定地说，如果任何认真的学生能够毫无动摇地将注意力完全集中在给定的中心上三小时，他必定会进入内部。但这没有长时间的练习是不容易做到的。然而，慢慢地，心灵习惯于停留在中心。它反抗得越来越少，最终屈服于保持在中心的请求。那时你就赢得了胜利。

Before that, the mind will not remain still for a long time. It jumps around like a monkey. But after a time it will give in and settle down. It is a matter of will to hold to the centre, also not to forget nor allow the attention to go off after some other thought or experiences. One easily forgets and then the mind drops down. A keenly awakened intelligence must hold to the centre, steadily, every moment. If any thought enters the consciousness, jerk the mind back to the centre and hold it there. Make the spirit, instead of the mind, the commander of the situation. The mind is tricky and will run out if permitted. Conquer it. But to conquer it is not easy, of course, and it takes time.
在那之前，心绪不会长时间保持平静。它像猴子一样跳来跳去。但过了一段时间它会屈服并安定下来。坚持中心需要意志力，也不可忘记，也不允许注意力在别的想法或经历后偏离。人很容易忘记，然后心绪就会沉落。敏锐觉醒的智慧必须时刻坚守中心，稳定不变。如果任何想法进入意识，立即将心拉回中心并守住。让精神而不是心成为局势的指挥者。心很狡猾，如果放任它就会失控。战胜它。但当然，战胜它并不容易，需要时间。

The problem is not complicated at all. The whole thing is just attention, and then unbroken attention, at the eye centre, allowing no other thought to intrude itself into the consciousness and lead you away from the centre. This was the method by which I won my way inside and it is the method by which you must win your way. It is the old method of all Saints.
问题根本不复杂。整个事情就是注意力，然后是不间断的注意力，在眼中心，不允许任何其他想法侵入意识并把你引离中心。这是我赢得内心之路的方法，也是你必须赢得内心之路的方法。这是所有圣人所用的老方法。

The reason you nearly reach it, as you say, and then lose it, is because you cannot hold the mind still. It is somewhat like a wild animal which has been accustomed to run about in the forest. When captured, it is in great distress if held still in the hands of the captor. But like that animal, by and by it will yield and obey if we persist in our efforts. The repetition of the Names is to help in holding the mind at the eye centre. That is the value of the Names … 
你之所以几乎达到目标，却最终失去它，是因为你无法让心保持平静。这有点像一只习惯在森林里奔跑的野生动物。当被捕获时，如果被囚禁者的手紧紧抓住它，它会感到极大的痛苦。但就像那只动物一样，如果我们坚持不懈地努力，它最终会屈服并服从。重复念诵名字是为了帮助将心保持在眼中心。这就是念诵名字的价值……

We must enter it if we persist. All the powers of the spirit, the real atma [soul] in man, gather at the focus by means of this concentrated thought; and then, by means of accumulated force (through bhajan and simran), we break through the curtain and enter the light.
如果我们坚持不懈，就必须进入它。人类精神的所有力量，即真实的阿特玛（灵魂），通过这种集中的思想在焦点上聚集；然后，通过积累的力量（通过吟诵和冥想），我们打破帷幕，进入光明。
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

From concepts to experience
从概念到体验

Unless we withdraw our attention to the eye centre, we cannot concentrate within and take even the first step of our spiritual journey Homeward.
除非我们将注意力转移到眼中心，否则我们无法在内心集中，甚至无法迈出精神旅程的第一步，朝着家的方向前进。
_{Introduction to Die to Live}

The Masters couldn’t be clearer that reaching the eye centre is the first goal on the way to achieve a higher degree of spirituality. Yet in spite of this, some will feel that now they have been initiated, they should concern themselves with nothing short of God-realization. Although our ultimate goal is clearly God-realization, to overlook the crucial steps that take us there is counterproductive and may be used as a trick against us by our clever mind. We do not yet possess absolute love, and without this ingredient we cannot merge back in Shabd and attain God-realization. Pure love is to lose our own identity and to become another being. As long as we continue to function with a strong sense of a separate self, it will be utterly impossible for us to achieve union with Shabd. God-realization, therefore, is out of the question at the stage where we are at present, so to invest in God-realization at this stage is impractical, fruitless and unrealistic.
大师们明确指出，达到眼中心是通往更高精神境界的首要目标。然而，尽管如此，有些人会觉得既然已经接受了启蒙，就应该专注于至高无上的神实境界。尽管我们的最终目标是神实境界，但忽视通往这一境界的关键步骤是适得其反的，并且我们聪明的心灵可能会利用这一点来欺骗我们。我们还没有拥有绝对的爱，没有这种成分我们就无法回归至普纳德（Shabd）并达到神实境界。纯粹的爱就是失去我们自身的身份，成为另一个存在。只要我们继续以强烈的独立自我意识来运作，我们就完全不可能与至普纳德（Shabd）合一。因此，在我们目前的阶段，神实境界是遥不可及的，在这个阶段投资于神实境界是不切实际、徒劳无益且不切实际的。

If, for the moment, our immediate goal is not to be God-realization, then should we not be aiming at least for Self-realization? There is no doubt that before we can achieve God-realization we must first attain realization of our own true nature. But Self-realization is a very high stage in which the soul realizes what it is and cries out: “I am That, I am the Deathless Self” (Sohang). Our minds are still immersed in duality and we do not yet have the purity required to experience such a degree of realization. For the moment, then, we have to put aside the goal of Self-realization, just as we saw the wisdom of putting aside an immediate goal of God-realization.
如果，暂时而言，我们直接的目标并非成神，那么我们是否至少应该追求自我实现？毫无疑问，在实现成神之前，我们必须首先达到自我实现的境界。但自我实现是一个非常高的阶段，灵魂在其中认识到自己是什么，并呐喊道：“我就是那，我就是不朽的灵魂”（Sohang）。我们的心灵仍然沉浸在对立之中，尚未具备体验这种境界所需的纯净。因此，暂时而言，我们必须放下自我实现的目标，正如我们所见，放下立即成神的目标是明智之举。

Before we can realize what we are, we need to have contacted the spiritual form of the Master. But if we have not yet passed through the inner stars, sun and moon, we cannot have seen the Radiant Form. If that is the case, then our immediate goal should be to cross the planes that stand between us and his Radiant Form. In order to cross those planes, we need first to have pierced the barrier of the physical by dying while living – by experiencing a near-death experience while sitting consciously in meditation. This, like the glass that magnifies the sun’s rays, will happen when we collect and focus all our attention at the eye centre, and we pass to the astral plane.
在我们能够认识到自己是什么之前，我们需要与导师的精神形态建立联系。但如果我们还没有通过内心的星辰、太阳和月亮，我们就无法见到光辉形态。如果是这样，那么我们当前的目标就应该是穿越与我们和其光辉形态之间的各个平面。为了穿越这些平面，我们首先需要通过在活着时死去来刺破物理的屏障——通过在冥想时保持清醒地体验濒死体验。这就像放大太阳光线的玻璃一样，当我们将全部注意力集中在眼中心，并进入灵性平面时，这种情况就会发生。

So if we haven’t broken the barrier of the physical by passing through the eye centre, our first task has to be to make the mind motionless by collecting our scattered attention at the eye focus. And there, finally, we have our immediate and primary goal. The eye centre! For most of us, the eye centre is our spiritual goal and our purpose in life. To reach the eye centre and to keep our attention concentrated there is a realistic and do-able goal. The eye centre is the place we will start our journey. It has to be the only goal that concerns us. It alone provides the means by which we will gain spiritual transport.
如果我们尚未通过眼中心突破物质障碍，我们的首要任务就必须通过将分散的注意力集中在眼焦点来使心灵静止。在那里，我们最终有了直接而首要的目标——眼中心！对于我们大多数人来说，眼中心是我们的精神目标和人生目的。达到眼中心并保持注意力集中在那里是一个现实可行的目标。眼中心是我们旅程的起点，它必须是唯一与我们相关联的目标，它唯一提供了我们获得精神运输的方式。

Reaching the eye centre will give us the spiritual experience that will support an unwavering faith in the Master and the teachings. The fact that it is a more humble goal than the ultimate goal of God-realization doesn’t make it less necessary or any easier. To achieve it we will need to concentrate all our attention, love, devotion, energy, intelligence, skill and effort on the task. To reduce and still our thought waves by means of simran at the eye centre – this has to become our main concern and challenge in life.
达到眼中心将给我们带来精神体验，这种体验将支持我们对导师和教义的坚定不移的信仰。它比上帝实相的终极目标更谦卑这一事实，并不会使其变得不那么必要或更容易。要实现它，我们需要将全部注意力、爱、奉献、能量、智慧、技能和努力都集中在任务上。通过在眼中心运用 Simran 来减少和稳定我们的思维波——这必须成为我们生活中主要的关注点和挑战。

The first step, then, is to withdraw our consciousness to the eye centre.
那么，第一步就是将我们的意识收回至眼中心。
_{Introduction to Die to Live}

On going inside the eye centre, we will realize that in truth we are spiritual beings, whereas without this realization, the statement that we are spiritual beings will remain forever just one more mental concept with which we decorate our mental shelves. Without first reaching the eye centre, no spiritual progress can be made. It is prudent, therefore, that before God-realization, Self-realization, the Radiant Form or the inner planes, and given the scale of the transformation we have to achieve, we make the eye centre our immediate and unmitigated goal.
进入眼中心后，我们会意识到，在真理上我们是精神存在，而如果没有这种认识，"我们是精神存在"这一说法将永远只是我们装饰心理书架的又一个心理概念。在达到上帝实相、自我实相、光辉形态或内在境界之前，没有先达到眼中心，就无法取得任何精神进步。因此，考虑到我们必须实现的转变的规模，在上帝实相之前，我们应当将眼中心作为我们直接且无保留的目标。

So long as we remain away from this point and do not catch hold of the Sound Current, salvation remains a distant dream.
只要我们远离这个点，不去把握声音电流，救赎就仍然是一个遥远的梦想。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

The rewards are unimaginable and the treasure is waiting for us:
回报是难以想象的，宝藏正等待着我们：

Your wildest dreams or imaginings cannot picture the grandeur of what lies within. But the treasure is yours and is there for you. You can have it whenever you go there. Take it from me, and once and for all, that everything, including the Creator, is within you, and whosoever has attained it, has attained it by going inside the eye focus.
你最狂野的梦境或想象都无法描绘其中的宏伟。但宝藏属于你，为你而存在。无论何时你去那里，你都可以拥有它。相信我，一切，包括造物主，都在你之内，而任何达到它的人，都是通过进入眼焦点而达到的。
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

Simran

It is possible to pray at all times, in all circumstances and in every place, and easily to rise from frequent vocal prayer to prayer of the mind and from that to prayer of the heart, which opens up the Kingdom of God within us.
在任何时候、任何情况下、任何地方都可以祈祷，并且能够轻松地从频繁的出声祈祷过渡到心灵祈祷，再从心灵祈祷过渡到内心祈祷，这能开启我们内心的上帝王国。
_{Saint John Chrysostom}

Baba Ji says that when we sit for meditation, we should be absolutely relaxed, start our simran and let ourselves go. Therefore, the first step in meditation is to place simran at the eye centre. It takes a deliberate act to extract our mind from its involvement with its thoughts. We have to take our mind away from its thinking and consciously contain it in simran. At the beginning of meditation, simran feels like taming a wild animal. That is why it is helpful to acknowledge that we are letting go of our involvement with the world, and say to ourselves, “Now I am letting go of my thoughts and I am placing my mind in simran.” By doing this, we begin to gather our attention together. From being spread out in every direction, we begin to draw it towards a focus that can contain it. This is a good way to start our meditation session.
巴巴吉说，当我们坐下来冥想时，应该完全放松，开始我们的 simran 并让自己沉浸其中。因此，冥想的第一步是将 simran 放在眼中心。需要有意地让我们的心从与思想的纠缠中抽离出来。我们必须将心从思考中移开，并有意识地用 simran 来约束它。在冥想开始时，simran 感觉像是驯服一头野性动物。这就是为什么承认我们正在放下与世界的纠缠是有帮助的，并且告诉自己：“现在我在放下我的思想，并将我的心放在 simran 中。”通过这样做，我们开始聚集我们的注意力。从分散到各个方向，我们开始将其吸引到一个能够容纳它的焦点。这是开始冥想的好方法。

If we begin in an unfocused way, our meditation continues to be unfocused throughout. Soon we are so involved with our thoughts that we are thinking instead of meditating. We are then indulging in thinking, fuelling desires, trying to make real our world of make-believe. When we recognize that we are thinking and we release those thoughts, we are remembering the teachings and challenging our mental laziness. Each time we let go of our thoughts and go back to our simran, we win a heroic and courageous victory. We are, as it were, swimming against the current, returning home to our source. We are inverting the downward tendencies of the mind; we are turning our attention upwards, to the eye centre.
如果我们以不专注的方式开始，我们的冥想就会一直保持不专注。很快我们就沉迷于自己的思绪中，以至于开始思考而不是冥想。这时我们正沉溺于思考，助长欲望，试图让我们的幻想世界变得真实。当我们意识到自己在思考并释放这些思绪时，我们正在回忆教诲并挑战我们的精神懒惰。每次我们放下思绪回到 simran，我们就会赢得英勇而勇敢的胜利。我们仿佛是在逆流而上，回到我们的源头。我们正在扭转心灵的向下趋势；我们将注意力转向向上，看向眼中心。

Baba Ji says that doing simran is, for the soul, like untying a balloon from the string that holds it. Once the balloon is untied, it naturally starts to rise up. We cannot force our consciousness to go up. The consciousness will go up on its own as a natural result of being freed from its absorption with the world – through doing our simran.
巴巴吉说，做 simran 对灵魂来说，就像解开系住气球的绳子。一旦气球被解开，它自然会开始上升。我们不能强迫我们的意识向上。意识会在自然地从对世界的沉迷中解脱出来时自行上升——通过做我们的 simran。

Please make no attempt to take the soul up by force. The soul will find its own way.
请不要试图强迫灵魂上升。灵魂会找到它自己的方式。
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

By switching our thoughts to simran, we extract ourselves from the world of concepts. We let go of the need to be endlessly entertained by our thoughts, give up our addiction to inner chattering and step out onto the path of inner peace. Our practice of simran is the time to train our minds to be still at the eye centre. If during our meditation practice we are not alert, vigilant and sharp in recognizing and releasing thoughts, we are not meditating but indulging ourselves. Thinking is not meditation. Those thoughts will gain momentum, they will become strong, and soon our meditation will be over. Instead of moving into a peaceful yet alert state of mind, we will continue living in a world of concepts, indulging the very same fantasies that till now have prevented us from knowing what it is to be fully awake and fully alive.
通过将思绪转向 simran，我们脱离了概念的世界。我们放下对思想无休止娱乐的需求，戒除内心喋喋不休的瘾，踏上内心平静之路。我们的 simran 练习是训练心灵在眼中心保持宁静的时刻。如果在冥想练习中我们不够警觉、敏锐，无法识别和释放思想，我们就不是在冥想，而是在放纵自己。思考不是冥想。这些思想会获得势头，它们会变得强大，很快我们的冥想就会结束。我们不会进入一种平静而警觉的心境，而是继续活在概念的世界里，沉溺于那些至今为止阻止我们完全觉醒和完全活着的幻想。

If, by contrast, we make an effort to keep our mind in simran, to gather our attention at the eye focus, then the soul gradually regains its power. The stronger and more effective our practice, the weaker our world of concepts will become. The stronger we become, the more real, potent and transforming our meditation practice becomes.
相反，如果我们努力保持心灵在 simran 状态，将注意力集中在眼焦点，那么灵魂会逐渐恢复力量。我们的练习越强有力、越有效，概念的世界就会变得越弱。我们变得越强大，我们的冥想练习就越真实、越有力量、越具有转化性。

There is beauty in simran – in just doing it. Concentrating in simran produces a beautiful, simple joy. Once we learn to concentrate on the words, the question of boredom doesn’t arise. We don’t have to ask the Master for results. Simran is the practice and becomes in and of itself the reward. We become bored when mentally we don’t want to be where we are; when we want to skip the effort and jump to astral travelling and seeing things inside, when we ignore the opportunity to derive peace from the effort itself. We must first learn to settle the mind in simran, and stay there, enjoying the practice with gratefulness and humility. That in itself is a spiritual accomplishment. If we are able to keep the mind in simran throughout the day, we will experience its benefits within ourselves; meditation then becomes the crowning glory of a prize already in hand.
在 simran 中存在美——仅仅在于做它本身。专注于 simran 能产生一种美丽而简单的快乐。一旦我们学会专注于词语，无聊的问题就不会出现。我们不必向导师询问结果。Simran 是一种实践，它本身就成为奖励。当我们精神上不想待在当前的位置时，我们就会感到无聊；当我们想跳过努力直接跳到灵性旅行和内观事物时，当我们忽视从努力本身中获取平静的机会时，我们就会感到无聊。我们必须首先学会在 simran 中安顿心灵，并停留在那里，带着感恩和谦卑享受实践。这本身就是一种精神成就。如果我们能够整天保持心灵在 simran 中，我们将在自己身上体验到它的益处；那么冥想就成了一种已经到手奖赏的加冕之荣耀。

There is no mode of life in the world more pleasing and more full of delight than continual conversation with God; only those who practise and experience it can understand it.
世界上没有比与神持续交谈更令人愉悦、更充满欢乐的生活方式；只有那些实践并体验过它的人才能理解它。
_{Brother Lawrence}

By the practice of placing our simran at the eye focus, we achieve peace of mind and taste for ourselves a gladness of heart that has nothing to do with external events. We develop confidence in the reasons why we meditate. We do it with enthusiasm because we know it brings us peace. We see for ourselves the futility of indulging in thinking and of fuelling outside problems, concerns and emotions. We are willing to give up those fantasies because we have experienced the benefits of doing so.
通过将我们的 simran 放在眼球的焦点上，我们获得内心的平静，并体验到与外部事件无关的喜悦。我们对自己的冥想原因充满信心。我们充满热情地去做，因为我们知道它能带给我们平静。我们亲眼看到沉溺于思考和助长外部问题、担忧和情绪的徒劳。我们愿意放弃那些幻想，因为我们已经体验到了这样做的好处。

Simran then becomes a practical, reasonable and sensible way to live. By its practice, we move along our journey from the world of concepts to that of spiritual experience. Adopting spirituality as the most desirable way of life, we discover that the clarity of mind that comes with the practice of simran makes us more skilful in everything we do. Concentrating in simran, our meditation feels good. We enjoy the ride because we have learnt to let go – we have already experienced where our thoughts would take us and we don’t want to go there. We take a holiday from the tyranny of our own nagging chitchat – we relish peace because we have tranquillized our mind in simran, at the eye centre.
这时，simran 成为一种实用、合理和明智的生活方式。通过练习，我们沿着从概念世界到精神体验的旅程前进。将精神生活作为最理想的生活方式，我们发现练习 simran 带来的思维清晰使我们更擅长做每一件事。专注于 simran，我们的冥想感觉很好。我们享受这个过程，因为我们学会了放手——我们已经体验过我们的思绪会带我们去哪里，我们不想去那里。我们从自己烦人的闲聊的暴政中休假——我们在 simran 中，在眼球中心平静了心灵，所以我们享受和平。

One who accustoms himself to this appeal [of continuous interior prayer] experiences as a result so deep a consolation and so great a need to offer the prayer always, that he can no longer live without it.
一个习惯于这种持续内心的祈祷的人，会因此体验到如此深刻的慰藉和如此强烈的祈祷需求，以至于他无法没有它而生活。
_{The Way of a Pilgrim}

The stability we achieve with simran doesn’t happen by a miracle. We achieve it through effort and by applying ourselves to the instructions to do simran over and over again. Once we can take rest in our own simran, we begin to feel that the wild beast of the mind is now being tamed. We are leaving the confusing world of concepts; we have the satisfaction that we are applying our knowledge of the teachings practically. We start to awaken from our deep sleep of worldly indolence. Light is dawning on the long dark night of our soul.
我们通过努力和反复实践 simran 的指示所获得的稳定性并非奇迹所致。一旦我们能在自己的 simran 中找到安宁，我们开始感觉到心灵中的野兽正在被驯服。我们正离开充满概念混乱的世界；我们感到满足，因为我们正在将教诲的知识付诸实践。我们开始从世俗的懒惰深睡中觉醒。长久的灵魂黑夜中开始出现曙光。

No one can describe the glory of the moment when the mind is still and the soul is in a state of complete absorption.
没有人能够描述心灵宁静、灵魂完全沉浸时的那一刻的荣耀。
_{Soami Ji Maharaj}

Simran will not come automatically in the beginning, so we have to make an effort to establish the habit. With constant effort, little by little we see that our practice of simran changes into effortless effort, just like driving and other tasks that take time and practice to accomplish but, once established, we do in an effortless manner.
初学 Simran 并不会自动显现，因此我们需要努力培养这个习惯。通过持续的努力，我们逐渐发现，我们的 Simran 练习从需要刻意努力转变为自然流露，就像驾驶和其他需要时间和练习才能掌握的任务一样，一旦熟练，我们就能毫不费力地完成。

No one should give the answer that it is impossible for a man occupied with worldly cares … to pray always. Everywhere, wherever you may find yourself, you can set up an altar to God in your mind by means of prayer. And so it is fitting to pray at your trade, on a journey, standing at the counter or sitting at your handicraft … By the power of the invocation of the Name of God … [one] would come to know from experience that frequency of prayer, this sole means of salvation, is a possibility for the will of man.
没有人应该回答一个被世俗事务缠身的人不可能时刻祈祷的问题。无论你身处何地，都可以通过祈祷在心中设立一个祭坛献给上帝。因此，在从事工作、旅行途中、站在柜台前或坐在手工艺旁祈祷都是合适的……通过呼唤上帝之名的力量……[人们]会从亲身体验中认识到，频繁祈祷——这种唯一的救赎方式——是人之意志可能实现的事情。
_{Saint John Chrysostom}

To strengthen our simran practice, it is helpful to associate the words of our simran with the Master. These are the very words that the Master gave us at initiation, and our association with the Master and these words is, in fact, inseparable. When somebody mentions the name of someone we love, the image of that person comes to mind. In the same way, repetition of simran can be our cue to be mindful of our Master. If we then associate particular routine activities in our daily life with doing simran, we gradually help our mind become aware of the Master’s presence throughout the day.
为了加强我们的 simran 练习，将我们的 simran 与大师联系起来是有帮助的。这些正是大师在启蒙时给予我们的话语，而我们与大师和这些话语的联系实际上是密不可分的。当有人提到我们爱的人的名字时，那个人的形象就会浮现在我们脑海中。同样地，重复 simran 可以成为我们提醒自己大师存在的提示。如果我们然后将我们日常生活中的特定例行活动与做 simran 联系起来，我们就会逐渐帮助我们的心在整日中都能意识到大师的存在。

Persons who repeat the holy names of God
重复上帝圣名的人
Have angels around them.
周围环绕着天使。
_{Hazrat Muhammad}

We can start by choosing one action that we do every day and decide to be entirely in the simran while doing that action, without any mental commentary. When practised in this way, we find that simran helps us to live in the moment and get more out of life. When we walk, we can try to associate walking with simran. Before we eat or drink, we can take a moment to acknowledge the Master’s presence and give thanks with our simran. This can be done with our eyes open. We don’t need to advertise our spirituality. When we are waiting in an office or a queue, we can practise our simran. During work, we can take a few moments to acknowledge his presence – even if it’s only for a second or two. Cooking, gardening and doing other manual labour offer excellent opportunities to get immersed in simran.
我们可以从选择一个每天都会做的动作开始，决定在做这个动作时完全沉浸在 simran 中，没有任何心理评论。以这种方式练习时，我们发现 simran 能帮助我们活在当下，并从生活中获得更多。当我们走路时，可以尝试将走路与 simran 联系起来。在吃饭或喝水之前，我们可以花点时间承认主的存在，并用 simran 表示感谢。这可以睁着眼睛做。我们不需要宣扬自己的灵性。当我们在办公室或排队等待时，我们可以练习 simran。在工作时，我们可以花几秒钟承认他的存在——即使只有一秒钟或两秒钟。烹饪、园艺和其他体力劳动提供了沉浸于 simran 的绝佳机会。

Simran can continue whether we are showering, dressing, making up a bed, opening a door or switching the computer on. We can turn all these activities into opportunities to trigger the remembrance of our Master by associating these activities regularly with simran. Whatever it is that we are doing, we can decide to be entirely in simran for that particular action. After some time, we can move to another action and then to another one, until most of our day our attention is kept in simran. This way we will become present to our life. We don’t walk a step ahead of ourselves, or a step behind, but fully present and living in the moment. After all, our life is made up of a continuous string of moments. Being present to each will improve the quality of our life and will strengthen us in living the spiritual way.
西蒙兰可以在我们洗澡、穿衣、整理床铺、开门或开机时继续进行。我们可以将这些活动都转化为触发对导师记忆的机会，通过将这些活动定期与西蒙兰联系起来。无论我们在做什么，我们都可以决定在特定行动中完全沉浸在西蒙兰中。一段时间后，我们可以转移到另一个行动，再转移到另一个，直到我们大部分时间的注意力都保持在西蒙兰中。这样我们就能活在当下。我们不会超前一步或落后一步，而是完全地活在此时此刻。毕竟，我们的生活是由一连串的瞬间组成的。活在每一个瞬间都会提升我们的生活质量，并增强我们在精神道路上生活的力量。

I keep myself in His presence by simple attentiveness and a loving gaze upon God, which I can call the actual presence of God or, to put it more clearly, an habitual, silent and secret conversation of the soul with God; which sometimes causes me interior, and often exterior, happiness and joy.
我通过简单的专注和凝视上帝的慈爱，让自己保持在祂的临在之中，这可以称为上帝的真实临在，或者更明确地说，是灵魂与上帝之间的一种习惯性的、无声的、秘密的对话；这有时会让我内心感到幸福和喜悦，有时也会让我外在感到幸福和喜悦。
_{Brother Lawrence}

Simran must be done mentally, and nobody outside should be able to hear what we are repeating. It is all a matter of creating the habit. Unceasing simran is the secret door to a life that is filled with devotion.
西蒙恩必须在心中进行，外界不应能听到我们重复的内容。这完全是培养习惯的问题。持续的西蒙恩是充满虔诚的生活的秘密之门。

You do not need to speak out loud
你不需要大声说出来
For he is the Knower
因为他知道
Of all that is secret,
所有秘密的事，
Of all that is hidden:
所有隐藏的事：
God – no God but He! –
上帝——非祂即无神！——
To Him belong
归祂所有
The most beautiful names.
最美的名字。
_Qur’an

Constant simran will lead us to feel the divine in our life. This itself then becomes our practice. Loving repetition of the names will naturally make us aware of the constant presence of the Master. To be successful in this practice, the repetition of the words should be done at a comfortable pace: not so fast that we get anxious, nor so slow that we fill the gaps in between the words with thoughts. We will feel the Master’s presence like a warm comfort inside and around us. Our Master’s presence in our daily activities will change our relationship with him. He will cease being the Master who is far away from us in Dera and instead become our everyday companion and intimate friend. He will be the close friend who shares our laughter and sorrows, our joys and pains, our difficulties and successes. Through the deepening of our formal meditation practice, and through the habit of remembering him in our daily activities, our understanding of the path will grow stronger and we will know without doubt that he has always been with us. He is with us now, and he will always be with us. Paraphrasing Farid, one could say:
持续的 simran 将引导我们感受到生活中的神圣。这本身就成了我们的修行。对名字的挚爱重复将自然而然地让我们意识到主始终与我们同在。要在这种修行中取得成功，对词语的重复应当以舒适的速度进行：既不能太快以至于我们感到焦虑，也不能太慢以至于我们在词语之间的间隙中充满杂念。我们将感受到主如温暖的慰藉般存在于我们内心和周围。主在我们日常活动中的存在将改变我们与他之间的关系。他不再是我们远在德拉的、遥不可及的主，而是成为我们日常的伴侣和亲密的朋友。他会成为与我们分享欢笑与悲伤、喜悦与痛苦、困难与成功的亲密朋友。通过深化我们的正式冥想修行，以及在日常活动中习惯于忆念他，我们对这条道路的理解将日益增强，我们无疑会知道他一直都在我们身边。他现在与我们同在，并将永远与我们同在。用 Farid 的话来说，可以这样说：

Sugar, buffalo milk and chocolates, all are sweet,
糖，水牛奶和巧克力，都是甜的，
But incomparably sweeter
但无比更甜
Is the repetition of the names of my Lord,
是我主的名字的重复，
Like pure warm honey melting in my heart.
像纯净的暖蜜在我心中融化。

Dhyan
禅

O Beloved! I have heard many a tale
我亲爱的！我听过许多关于
About your wondrous beauty;
你奇妙美丽的故事；
But now that I have beheld you within,
但现在我已在你内心相见
I see that you are really
我看到你真的很
A thousand times more wonderful
一千倍更加美妙
Than the tales depict you.
比起那些故事所描绘的你。
_Hafiz

When the Master initiated us, he made it clear that the Radiant Form is always with us. This is not wishful thinking or a figment of our imagination, it is something that can be known once we have worked within ourselves to realize this truth. Layers upon layers of fears, attachments, passions, desires, cravings and illusions cover our inner eye and prevent us from realizing that this is so. Baba Ji says that seeing the Radiant Form is the natural result of concentrated simran. True dhyan is effortless; it is the grace of the Master.
当师父引导我们时，他明确指出，光明之形始终与我们同在。这不是主观臆想或想象中的事物，一旦我们在内心深处努力去实现这一真理，就能知晓这一点。层层叠叠的恐惧、执念、激情、欲望、贪婪和幻觉遮蔽了我们内心的眼睛，阻止我们认识到这一点。巴巴吉说，看见光明之形是专注冥想的自然结果。真正的禅定是无功之力的；这是师父的恩典。

Simran brings our attention to the eye centre and dhyan helps us to keep it there. If we are swimming in a river against the current, we need to grasp on to a rock to rest ourselves, so we have the strength to continue swimming against the current to our destination. In like manner, simran helps us to swim against the downward tendencies of the mind and dhyan is the rock that allows us to rest so that we can make further progress.
西蒙恩将我们的注意力引向眼中心，而禅则帮助我们保持专注。如果我们逆流游泳，需要抓住一块岩石来休息，以便有力量继续逆流游向目的地。同样地，西蒙恩帮助我们对抗心灵的向下趋势，而禅则是让我们得以休息的岩石，使我们能够进一步前进。

Even if we close our eyes and see only darkness, this can be an inner experience in itself that will begin to awaken the dhyan or ‘seeing faculty’ of the soul. In that darkness is where our meditation begins. As soon as our attention is fully in that darkness, we are at the threshold of the door to our home. This is the doorway to eternity. From then on, it is just a question of holding our attention in the darkness with simran, of developing progressively deeper concentration, until we are so absorbed in inner perception that we don’t feel our body at all. We will then experience, instead, a new level of awareness.
即使我们闭上眼睛只看到黑暗，这本身也可以是一种内在体验，开始唤醒灵魂的禅或“洞察力”。正是在这黑暗中，我们的冥想开始。一旦我们的注意力完全集中在黑暗中，我们就站在通往家园的门槛上。这是通往永恒的门。从那时起，问题仅仅是依靠西蒙恩将注意力保持在黑暗中，逐步发展更深层次的专注，直到我们完全沉浸在内省中，感觉不到自己的身体。那时，我们将体验到一种新的意识层次。

In dhyan, it is the attention that does the ‘seeing’. There is no need to focus on the eye centre with the eyes or to try to invert them inwards. The physical eyes have nothing whatsoever to do with the seeing faculty of the soul, just as the ears have nothing to do with the hearing faculty of the soul. In both cases, it is concentrated attention that awakens both faculties. Great Master says:
在禅定中，是注意力在“看见”。不需要用眼睛聚焦于眼中心，也不需要尝试将它们向内反转。物理的眼睛与灵魂的“看见”能力毫无关系，就像耳朵与灵魂的“听觉”能力毫无关系。在这两种情况下，都是专注的注意力唤醒了这两种能力。大导师说：

When your concentration is almost complete, then, in place of darkness in the eye centre, sparks and fleeting flashes of light will begin to appear, and then light will be steady and the soul automatically will leave the body and enter the tisra til [third eye].
当你的专注几乎完全时，眼中心的光明中，将开始出现火花和短暂的光芒闪烁，然后光明将变得稳定，灵魂将自动离开身体，进入第三眼。

The dark sky that we are aware of immediately upon closing our eyes is like a screen in a movie theatre. It is the very same sky in which the inner stars, sun, moon and Radiant Form will make their appearance when concentration deepens. So, there is great significance in that darkness and we shouldn’t be afraid of it; rather, it should be appreciated and loved. When we have gained more concentration in simran, the seeing faculty will naturally develop and the darkness will be replaced by light within.
我们闭上眼睛时立刻意识到的黑暗天空，就像电影院里的屏幕。当专注深入时，内在的星辰、太阳、月亮和光明之形就会在这个天空中显现。因此，这片黑暗具有深远的意义，我们不应害怕它；反而应该欣赏和热爱它。当我们在 simran 中获得更多专注时，观照的能力会自然发展，黑暗将在内心被光明取代。

On a dark night,
在漆黑的夜晚，
Inflamed by love and longing,
被爱与渴望所点燃，
(O exquisite adventure!)
（哦，多么美妙冒险！）
Undetected I slipped away,
未被发现我悄然离去，
My house, at last, grown still.
我的房子终于变得寂静。
Secure in the darkness,
在黑暗中感到安全，
I climbed the secret ladder in disguise,
我伪装着爬上秘密的楼梯。
With no other light or guide
没有其他的光或指引
Than the one burning in my heart.
只有心中燃烧的那一束光。
This light led the way
这束光照亮了前路
More clearly than the rising sun,
比初升的太阳更加清晰。
To where he was waiting for me,
到他等待我的地方，
The one I knew so intimately,
我如此熟悉的那个人，
In a place where no one could find us.
一个无人能找到我们的地方。
O night that guided me!
哦，引导我的夜！
O night sweeter than sunrise!
啊，比日出更甜美的夜晚！
O night that joined lover with Beloved,
啊，将恋人与挚爱结合的夜晚，
Lover transformed in Beloved!
恋人化作挚爱！
_{Saint John of the Cross}

Bhajan
圣歌

Bhajan simply means attending to the Sound Current, which is also termed by the saints as the practice of Shabd Yoga. This is done by the soul, or by its attention. It is through surat or soul that the divine melody is heard. The practice awakens the soul that has been slumbering for ages and results in a state of bliss.
Bhajan 简单来说就是专注于声音之流，圣人们也称其为梵音瑜伽的实践。这是由灵魂或其注意力来完成的。通过 Surat（心识）或灵魂，才能听到神圣的旋律。这种实践唤醒了沉睡已久的灵魂，并带来极乐的状态。
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

Bhajan is the act of being receptive to the resonating power of Shabd. If we don’t hear anything, we should keep our attention on the silence, and be present in our longing to hear the Sound. With practice, the hearing faculty of the soul will be awakened and we will hear the Sound. Regardless of whether we hear anything or not, we must always sit for bhajan. Sound is always there, but we need to train the mind to be receptive to it. We need to acquire the habit of sitting for bhajan. This is the way we will become receptive to the subtlety of the Sound and nurture love for it.
Bhajan 是接受 Shabd（神圣之声）共鸣力量的行为。如果我们什么也听不到，就应该将注意力放在寂静上，并保持渴望听到声音的状态。通过练习，灵魂的听觉能力将被唤醒，我们就能听到声音。无论我们是否听到什么，都必须始终进行 Bhajan。声音一直都在，但我们需要训练心智去接受它。我们需要养成进行 Bhajan 的习惯。这就是我们将学会接受声音微妙之处并培养对其爱的方式。

Your attention may remain focused for no more than a minute or two, or five or ten, or it may barely hear the Sound, but even then the news of your effort will reach right into Sach Khand, that you are offering a prayer.
你的注意力可能只能持续一分钟或两分钟，或者五分钟或十分钟，或者几乎听不到声音，但即使这样，你努力的消息也会直达 Sach Khand（真实之境），那就是你在祈祷。
_{Baba Jaimal Singh}

The reason we don’t hear the Shabd is because our soul is covered with layers of karmas and is consequently unable to make contact with the divine. The practice of meditation removes these coverings. Only the Shabd-dhun, the vibratory sound of the Shabd, with its power to purify all that come in contact with it, can dissolve these karmas. It is by being in touch with the Shabd that we become free so that we can return to our true home.
我们之所以听不到梵音，是因为我们的灵魂被业力层层覆盖，因此无法与神圣接触。冥想的实践能去除这些覆盖物。只有具有净化一切与之接触之物的力量的梵音之音——梵音的振动之声——才能溶解这些业力。通过与梵音接触，我们才能获得自由，从而回归我们的真正家园。

When you sit in bhajan, begin by attaching the mind and attention to the sound that you hear first – which is like that of a grain handmill, or a steam locomotive, or an oven going full blast – and keep the faculty of inner seeing and hearing directed upward to focus on where the sound is coming from. Then attach the mind and attention to the sound of the bell, and next to that of the conch. The soul will then gently savour the bliss, and one day it will surely reach Sach Khand. Please do not be in a hurry. When the soul becomes steadfast in its love for the Sound, a bond is then forged with the Shabd-dhun. Thus step by step, slowly, slowly, the mind is tamed. One day you will certainly reach Sach Khand.
当你坐禅时，首先将心神和注意力附着于你首先听到的声音——那如同谷物石磨、蒸汽机车或火力全开的炉子——并保持内在的视力和听力向上，专注于声音的来源。然后，将心神和注意力附着于钟声，接着是海螺声。灵魂将温柔地品味那喜悦，总有一天它必定会达到至喜之境。请不要着急。当灵魂在对其的爱中变得坚定不移时，就会与梵音之音建立联系。就这样，一步步，慢慢地，心灵被驯服。总有一天你一定会达到至喜之境。
_{Baba Jaimal Singh}

Many of us only do simran and do not sit for bhajan. We must remember that simran, even if it has become sweet and satisfying, is nothing compared to contact with the divine melody within. Simran is only a means; the real spiritual practice is being receptive to the Shabd. Simran is like preparing food. Bhajan is like eating it. Who would go through all the trouble of preparing food to eat and then, when the food is ready, not eat it? And yet that is precisely what we are doing when we sit for meditation and attend only to our simran and neglect to do our bhajan.
我们许多人只做 simran 而不坐 bhajan。我们必须记住，simran 即使变得甜美和令人满足，与内在神圣旋律的接触相比也毫无意义。simran 只是一种手段；真正的灵性实践是接受 Shabd。simran 就像准备食物。Bhajan 就像吃它。谁会费尽心思准备食物来吃，然后当食物准备好了却不去吃？然而，当我们坐下来冥想，只关注我们的 simran 而忽视做 bhajan 时，我们正是在做这样的事。

Each time we sit, even if it is only for fifteen minutes, we should create the habit of becoming receptive to the Shabd-dhun by giving some time to bhajan. Even if we don’t hear a thing, we should develop the habit of being receptive to whatever is there. Even if what we hear is silence, we should pay attention to it. That silence will give rest to our mind, will settle the thought waves, and from that silence, the Sound, Shabd-dhun, will become audible. If we don’t practise being receptive, how will we ever listen to the Shabd? If we don’t become receptive, how will we ever obtain the full benefit of our meditation?
每次我们坐下来，即使只有十五分钟，我们也应该养成通过给一些时间做 bhajan 来接受 Shabd-dhun 的习惯。即使我们什么也没听到，我们也应该养成接受任何存在之物的习惯。即使我们听到的只是寂静，我们也应该关注它。这种寂静将使我们的心灵得到休息，平息思绪的波涛，从这种寂静中，声音、Shabd-dhun 将变得可以听到。如果我们不练习接受，我们如何才能听到 Shabd？如果我们不接受，我们如何才能获得我们冥想的全部益处？

This is why it is important that in each sitting we must give time first to simran, and then to bhajan. When the prescribed time for bhajan arrives, we should switch from the simran position to the bhajan position, regardless of whether we achieved or didn’t achieve any concentration during the simran session.
这就是为什么在每次静坐中，我们首先必须给时间用于 simran，然后用于 bhajan。当规定的 bhajan 时间到来时，无论我们在 simran 过程中是否达到了专注，我们都应该从 simran 姿势切换到 bhajan 姿势。

The light and sound of Shabd are already within us. We might imagine covering a speaker or a bright light with many layers of cloth. In such a situation, we would not be able to hear the sound nor see the light, nor even be aware of their existence. However, once we begin removing the coverings, we will first hear or see a faint glimmer of sound or light. As we remove each covering, the sound and light will grow in intensity. Finally, if we can remove all the coverings, we will make contact with the source of the sound and light. Similarly, through meditation we remove the layers of karma from our soul and experience this sound and light, which are already present.
Shabd 的光和声音已经在我们内部。我们可以想象用多层布覆盖一个扬声器或一个明亮的灯光。在这种情况下，我们将无法听到声音，也看不到光线，甚至无法意识到它们的存在。然而，一旦我们开始移除覆盖物，我们会首先听到或看到微弱的声音或光线。随着我们移除每一层覆盖物，声音和光线会变得越来越强烈。最后，如果我们能够移除所有覆盖物，我们将接触到声音和光线的源头。同样，通过冥想，我们移除灵魂中业力的层，并体验到已经存在于此的声音和光线。

A bamboo flute makes sound because it is hollow and empty within. It is impossible to make any sound with a pipe that is filled, let alone play a tune. To give up our thoughts during meditation is to become an empty bamboo flute. In emptiness of self we become receptive to the divine melody that is constantly reverberating in every cell of our body. We then experience with full force the music of the Shabd within ourselves. The Shabd Masters tell us that nothing compares to living life consciously in the Sound Current.
竹笛之所以能发出声音，是因为它内部中空。一个充满东西的管子不可能发出任何声音，更不用说吹奏曲调了。在冥想中放下我们的念头，就是成为一只中空的竹笛。在自我空无中，我们才能接收到在身体每个细胞中不断回响的神圣旋律。我们从而能全身心地体验内在的音声之乐。音声大师告诉我们，在音流中自觉地生活，没有什么能与之相比。

Devotion to the Shabd consists in turning inward and listening one-pointedly to its melody. The Sound is subtle, and unless we ourselves become subtle, we cannot hear it … This Sound is resounding all the time. Why then do we not hear it? The reason is that waves are constantly arising in our minds and we are full of selfhood and pride.
对音声的虔诚在于向内转，专注地聆听它的旋律。音声是精微的，除非我们自己变得精微，否则无法听到它……这个音声一直都在回响。那么为什么我们听不到呢？原因是我们的心中不断涌现波涛，我们充满自我和骄傲。
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

Inner experiences
内在体验

The soul has penetrated into the peak, O friend,
灵魂已穿透至峰顶，亲爱的朋友，
And pierced, like a shaft, a hole in the sky.
如同箭矢，在天空刺穿了一个洞孔。
Therein she beheld sights wondrous,
她在那儿目睹了奇妙景象，
Beyond comprehension.
超乎理解。
Even as the cannonball blasts the gate of a citadel,
炮弹轰击堡垒大门，
So did the soul burst the tower gate of the fortress.
灵魂迸裂城楼之门。
She got linked to the Lord as pearls to a thread.
她如珍珠系于丝线般与主相连。
She went zooming through the lane of the firmament,
她飞驰穿越苍穹之巷。
O friend, with joy and bliss filling her heart.
亲爱的朋友，她的心中充满了喜悦和幸福。
She was bestowed the boon of realizing Him, O Tulsi,
哦，杜尔西，她被赐予了认识他的福分，
In a realm without trees, seeds or creation.
在一个没有树木、种子或创造的地方。
_{Tulsi Sahib}

During meditation we might experience inner visions. However, the object of meditation is not to enjoy inner visions but to transcend them. Usually the inner visions we have are impressions that the mind has accumulated over many lifetimes. If we pay attention to them or get absorbed by them they will keep us from our goal.
在冥想时，我们可能会体验到内在的景象。然而，冥想的目的是超越这些景象，而不是享受它们。我们通常体验到的内在景象是心灵在许多世里积累的印象。如果我们关注它们或被它们吸引，它们会让我们远离目标。

We must hold our attention at the eye centre, keep on doing our simran, or listening to the Sound, and slowly all these images will fade away and vanish. If we experience spiritual transport, we must always keep our attention fixed at the eye centre in simran, dhyan of the Master or hearing the inner Sound. Just as when we watch a film, we simply go on watching, fully knowing that it is only a movie, with nothing real about it, in the same manner we must remain indifferent to all that comes and goes before us on the inner planes until we reach the Master’s Radiant Form. From then on, the Radiant Form is there to give us directions and to lead us by the hand.
我们必须将注意力集中在眼中心，持续进行 simran，或聆听内在之声，渐渐地所有这些影像将逐渐消逝。如果我们体验到精神升华，就必须始终将注意力固定在眼中心的 simran、对大师的冥想或聆听内在之声上。就像我们看电影时，我们只是持续观看，完全知道那只是电影，其中并无真实之物，同样地，我们必须对所有在我们内在境界中来来去去的事物保持无动于衷，直到我们达到大师的光辉形态。从那时起，光辉形态将指引我们，并引领我们前行。

You are not imagining things, and in the course of time you will yourself feel and know that what you see inside is more real than that which you see outside.
你没有想象错误，随着时间的推移，你将亲自感受到并知道，你内在所见的比外在所见更为真实。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

If we have an inner experience, it is best not to get attached to it or to try to reproduce it when we sit again in meditation. We should only be concerned about keeping our attention on the words or the Sound. Whether inner experiences come or they don’t come, we shouldn’t be concerned. If we do our meditation practice with any other attitude, we run the risk of doing it with expectations, and if the results we expect do not come, we become frustrated. Then, after a while we might even stop meditating. That is one of the reasons why it is important to attach ourselves to the effort and leave the results in his hands.
如果我们有内在体验，最好不要执着于它，或者在再次坐禅时试图重现它。我们只需关注保持注意力在词语或声音上。无论内在体验是否出现，我们都无需在意。如果我们带着其他态度进行禅修练习，我们就有可能带着期望去做，如果期望的结果没有出现，我们就会感到沮丧。然后，过一段时间我们甚至可能停止禅修。这就是为什么专注于努力而将结果交由他处理的重要原因之一。

We should not talk about our inner experiences to others regardless of how close the relationship. If we vomit the food we are given, how will we get spiritual nourishment? Talking of inner experiences is likely to distort them, and we run the risk of inflaming our egos, with the result that we lose the benefits of whatever progress we have made. By remaining silent and digesting our inner experience within, we will continue our progress on the inner path.
无论关系有多亲密，我们都不要向他人谈论我们的内在体验。如果我们吐出给予我们的食物，我们如何获得精神滋养？谈论内在体验可能会扭曲它们，我们也有可能激起自我，结果是我们失去了所取得的一切进步的益处。通过保持沉默并在内心消化我们的内在体验，我们将继续在内在道路上前进。

Conclusion
结论

Brave is he who has control over his mind and senses, for the inward progress is in proportion to this control. It is the repetition that brings the mind in, and the Sound Current that pulls it up. Inside us there are inexhaustible treasures. There the Lord himself is with us. Only he who has gone within can appreciate this; others have no idea of it.
能够掌控自己的心灵和感官的人是勇敢的，因为内心的进步与这种掌控程度成正比。重复练习将心灵引向内，而音流则将其提升。在我们内心深处有取之不尽的宝藏。在那里，主本人就在我们身边。只有进入内心深处的人才能体会这一点；其他人对此毫无概念。
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh}

Indulging in thinking prevents us from concentrating our attention at the eye centre and becoming one with Shabd. Ego feeds on this disease and becomes stronger by it. Ego has overtaken our soul like a cancer and wreaks havoc on every aspect of our life. We are spiritually sick, and meditation is the only medication that will cure us. If we don’t take our medication, how can we regain our health?
沉溺于思考会阻碍我们在眼中心集中注意力，与梵音合一。自我正是通过这种疾病而滋养自身，并因此变得更加强大。自我像癌症一样侵蚀我们的灵魂，在我们的生活的各个方面造成破坏。我们在精神上患病了，而冥想是唯一能治愈我们的药物。如果我们不服用药物，又怎能恢复健康？

We keep on talking, reading and discussing the path. Enough has been said. Enough has been written. We can go on talking and reading for the rest of our lives, but talk is cheap and more books will not give us the experience of the saints. Once we have been initiated, we don’t need more books, more discussions, more recordings or more running after the physical form of the Master. We don’t need more concepts. What we need is experience – less information; more transformation. To achieve that vital transformation, the only thing we need to concern ourselves with is our medication – doing our simran as much as we can throughout the day and sitting for meditation every day. If we truly and sincerely practise the method of the Shabd Masters, we will become better human beings, we will experience knowledge of the deathless Self, and we will realize the divine.
我们不停地谈论、阅读和讨论这条道路。已经说了够多，已经写了够多。我们可以继续谈论和阅读，直到我们生命的尽头，但空谈是廉价的，更多的书籍也不会给我们带来圣人的体验。一旦我们接受了启蒙，我们就不需要更多的书籍、更多的讨论、更多的录音或追逐师父的物理形态。我们不需要更多的概念。我们需要的是体验——减少信息；增加转化。为了实现这种至关重要的转化，我们唯一需要关注的就是我们的药物——尽可能地在一天中做 simran，并且每天进行冥想。如果我们真正并真诚地实践 Shabd 大师的方法，我们会成为更好的人，我们会体验到不朽自我的知识，我们会实现神圣。

The whole purpose of every satsang, of every Sant Mat book and of the Master working so hard for us day in and day out is to give us one simple message: You can do your meditation. You can concentrate better in meditation. You have the strength to do it. Just do it. It’s time to put away the books. Sit down for action and awaken to the Shabd.
每一次萨桑（satsang）的整个目的，每一本圣马特（Sant Mat）书籍的目的，以及大师日复一日为我们辛勤工作的目的，都是要给我们传递一个简单的信息：你可以进行你的冥想。你可以在冥想中更好地集中注意力。你拥有完成它的力量。只需去做。是时候放下书籍了。坐下采取行动，唤醒至音（Shabd）。

The ultimate book on meditation is Die to Live. In closing, let us remember in the loving words of its author, Shabd Master Charan Singh, the importance of doing meditation:
关于冥想的终极书籍是《Die to Live》。最后，让我们记住作者、圣哲夏尔丹·辛格充满爱意的教诲，关于进行冥想的重要性：

I can tell you one thing: just attend to your meditation. There’s no other way, there’s no other short cut. By attending to meditation you are automatically progressing towards your destination, and you will become another being and lose your identity. Meditation is the only remedy. There’s no other way to lose your identity. When there is so much rust on a knife, the only way to remove it is to rub the knife against the sandstone. Otherwise, the rust won’t go, the knife won’t shine. Mere talk won’t solve your problem; intellectual discussion won’t lead you anywhere. The main thing is practice.
我可以告诉你们一件事：只需专注于你们的冥想。没有其他方法，没有捷径。通过专注于冥想，你们会自动地朝着目标前进，并成为另一个人，失去自我。冥想是唯一的解药。没有其他方法可以失去自我。当刀上锈迹斑斑时，唯一去除锈迹的方法就是将刀在沙石上摩擦。否则，锈迹不会消失，刀不会发亮。空谈不会解决你的问题；智力上的讨论也不会带你去任何地方。最重要的是实践。

The Lord gives us hunger; the more we attend to meditation, the more hungry we become. When we become hungry, He provides us with food. As Christ said, the harvest is ready. The harvest is always ready, but we have to lift our consciousness to that level where we can collect that harvest…. Just change your way of life according to the teachings and attend to meditation. That is all that is required. From meditation, love will come, submission will come, humility will come. Everything will come.
主赐予我们饥饿；我们越是修习冥想，就越感到饥饿。当我们感到饥饿时，祂就赐予我们食物。正如基督所说，收获时节已到。收获总是成熟的，但我们必须提升我们的意识，达到能够收集那收获的水平……只要按照教诲改变生活方式，修习冥想。这就足够了。从冥想中，爱会到来，顺服会到来，谦卑会到来。一切都会到来。

for further reflection
供进一步反思

This world is perishable and so are all worldly things. The wise man is he who realizes the transitory and illusory nature of this world and all things pertaining to it, and makes the best use of this body by worshipping the Supreme Being, through bhajan and simran. He thus derives benefit from all that the Creator, through His grace, has placed in the body, and takes that priceless jewel, the essence of all – the surat (the soul) – to its real abode.
这个世界是短暂的，世间的万物也是如此。智者是那些认识到这个世界及其所有事物的短暂和虚幻本质的人，并通过吟诵和冥想来崇拜至高存在，从而充分利用这具身体。他因此从造物主通过祂的恩典赐予身体的万物中获益，并将那无价的珍宝——万物的精髓——灵魂（Surat），带到它的真正归宿。
_{Soami Ji Maharaj}

To subjugate the mind, the technique is: first, to receive the Satguru’s instructions; second, to hear the Shabd-dhun; third, to love the Dhun; and fourth, to experience its bliss. Only then does the Satguru’s form settle in the mind. The form of the Satguru’s face will then be seen in the mind as clearly as we see our own face in a mirror. When day by day the mind’s faculty of focused attention, which is an aspect of the soul, becomes pure through continuous practice, and all worldly desires have left the mind, the mind will never follow any external attractions, but stay only with the Satguru’s form. Then the Satguru will look upon the disciple with his glance of mercy; and as the Satguru’s compassionate glance keeps falling upon the disciple, all the gross and evil tendencies of the mind will go away, and the mind will love the soul. The flow of consciousness will then love the Shabd’s current, and the celestial sound, taking measure of that soul’s worth, will blend it within itself, giving it a little taste of the spiritual bliss.
要降服心念，方法是：首先，接受圣师的教诲；其次，聆听圣音；第三，爱慕圣音；第四，体验圣音的喜悦。如此一来，圣师的形相才会安住于心。这时，圣师的面容将在心中显现得如同镜中映照出自己的面容一般清晰。当每日心念的专注力——这是灵魂的一部分——通过持续练习变得纯净，且所有世俗欲望都已离开心念时，心念将不再追随任何外在的诱惑，而只与圣师的形相相随。这时，圣师将以慈悲的目光注视弟子；随着圣师的慈悲目光不断落在弟子身上，心念中所有粗重和邪恶的倾向都将消散，心念将爱慕灵魂。意识之流将爱慕圣音的电流，天籁之音衡量那灵魂的价值后，将其融入自身，赐予它一点灵性喜悦的滋味。
_{Baba Jaimal Singh}

An ounce of practice is better than a ton of knowledge. What use is it to know the principles if one does not live them? A learned person without practice is no better than a beast of burden carrying a load of books on its back. It is infinitely better to practise than to preach. Example is better than precept.
实践胜于知识。若不践行原则，知晓其理又有何用？无实践之学识者，无异于背负书籍的牲畜。实践远胜于说教。身教重于言传。
_{Maharaj Jagat Singh}

I am surprised at the people of this world!
我惊异于这世上的人们！
How is it that they never think of their own welfare?
他们为何从不考虑自身福祉？
They seem so sure of themselves,
他们似乎对自己充满自信，
But who will help them on their last day?
但谁会在他们最后一天帮助他们？
Why are they so carefree?
他们为何如此无忧无虑？
What answer will they give to the messenger of death?
他们会对死亡的使者给出怎样的答案？
Have they forgotten that they will die?
他们是否已经忘记了会死？
What are they so pleased about?
他们为什么这么高兴？
What is wrong with them?
他们怎么了？
Is there anything they cannot do?
他们有什么做不到的？
Why don’t they remember the Lord
他们为什么不记得主？
And be free from bondage?
摆脱束缚吗？
It will cost them nothing!
这对他们来说毫无代价！
_Tukaram

In the beginning, we have to make an effort to renounce ourselves, but after that there is no longer anything but unutterable contentment. When we face difficulties, we have only to run back to the Lord and ask Him for His grace. When He grants it, everything becomes easy.
起初，我们必须努力放弃自我，但之后便只有无法言喻的满足。当我们面对困难时，只需回到主那里祈求祂的恩典。当祂赐予时，一切都会变得容易。

It is a common thing to just be content to do penances and private spiritual exercises, forgetting about love which is the end and purpose of it all. It is easy to recognize this by the works that such things produce and that is why so little concrete spiritual virtue can be found.
仅仅满足于做苦修和私下灵修，而忘记爱是这一切的终点和目的，这是很常见的事。通过这些事情所产生的作品，很容易认识到这一点，这也是为什么能找到的具体精神美德如此之少的原因。

It is not necessary to have either a keen intellect or great knowledge to go to God, but simply a heart resolved to apply itself to Him and for Him, and to love only Him.
去往上帝并不需要敏锐的才智或广博的知识，只需一颗决心将自己全然奉献给祂，并且只爱祂。
_{Brother Lawrence}

There’s no set prayer which you can repeat four times a day or five times a day. No language is required, no words are required in prayer. Prayer is a language of love from the heart to the Father, and nobody exists then between you and the Father. You’re not conscious of the world when you pray to Him. He exists and you exist. That is real prayer, and that is only possible at the time of meditation when we try to forget all that we are and where we are.
没有固定的祷告文可以让你每天重复四次或五次。不需要任何语言，祷告中也不需要言语。祷告是发自内心的爱的语言，那时你与上帝之间不再有任何隔阂。当你向祂祷告时，你不会意识到这个世界的存在。祂存在，你也存在。这才是真正的祷告，而这是只有在冥想时，当我们试图忘记自己是谁、身在何处时才可能实现的。
_{Maharaj Charan Singh}

The light on your face,
你脸上的光芒，
you will take with you.
你将带走。
All else, your sorrows, your joys
其余的，你的悲伤，你的欢乐
and all that you lay claim on,
以及你声称拥有的所有东西，
you will leave behind.
你将留下。
The light on your face,
你脸上的光，
that you will take.
你会带走。
_{Shaikh Abu-Saeed}

The minute I heard my first love story
我一听到我的第一个爱情故事，
I started looking for you, not knowing
就开始寻找你，却不知道
how blind that was.
多么盲目啊。

Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere.
恋人最终不会在某处相遇。
They’re in each other all along.
它们一直都在彼此之中。
_Rumi

Endnotes
脚注

Note: Classic texts are referenced by standard citations wherever possible (page, section and/or verse numbers). At times the language of the translations of these classics has been modernized. When the translation of a quotation from a classic has been based on a particular source, the book is given in the bibliography and the translation is noted as “See [source on which translation is based]”.
注：经典文本在可能的情况下均采用标准引用格式（页码、章节和/或经文编号）。有时这些经典的译文已被现代化。当经典引文的译文基于特定来源时，该书籍会在参考文献中列出，译文会注明“参见[所依据的来源]”。

Dedication Page
题献页
Whether the answer to your question… Die to Live, 274:359. Because some readers may not be familiar with the term ‘bhajan and simran’, which Master Charan Singh used in the original quotation, ‘bhajan and simran’ has been translated as ‘meditation’ for this dedication. For definitions of ‘bhajan’ and ‘simran’ see Chapter 1.
你问题的答案……“死亡以求新生”，274:359。由于一些读者可能不熟悉大师查兰·辛格在原始引文中使用的术语“bhajan 和 simran”，因此在这篇题献中，“bhajan 和 simran”被翻译为“冥想”。关于“bhajan”和“simran”的定义，请参见第一章。

Introduction
引言
As long as you do not die while living… Quoted in Die to Live, 30.
只要你活着就不必死……引自《死以生》，第 30 页。

I know those habits that can ruin your life… I Heard God Laughing: Renderings of Hafiz, 15.
我知道那些能毁掉你生活的习惯……我听见上帝在笑：哈菲兹作品选，第 15 页。

Constantly mastering his mind… Bhagavad Gita, VI:15.
不断掌控他的心……《薄伽梵歌》，第六章第 15 节。

The beginning and end of all things… Philosophy of the Masters, vol. 4, 120.
万物的开始与终结……大师哲学，第 4 卷，第 120 页。

There is a difference between knowing… The Matrix, Warner Brothers Pictures, Los Angeles, 1999. Retrieved 30 October, 2003 from http://www.matrixunplugged.net/matrix. php?page=quotes.
知与行之间有区别……《黑客帝国》，华纳兄弟影业公司，洛杉矶，1999 年。2003 年 10 月 30 日从 http://www.matrixunplugged.net/matrix.php?page=quotes 获取。

All rivers merge in the Ocean… Indian saying.
所有河流都汇入海洋……印度谚语。

Chapter 1: Spiritual beings going through a human experience
第一章：经历人类体验的精神存在
This life is but a link… The Science of the Soul, 194:29.
此生不过是纽带……《灵魂科学》，194:29。

we are spiritual beings… Often attributed to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, but research indicates this is not in his writings.
我们是精神存在……常归功于皮埃尔· Teilhard de Chardin，但研究表明这并非出自他的著作。

Indian word ‘Kal’… Kal is the divine or supernatural power that includes both the God of this world and the devil in the same being, a concept that is difficult to grasp for many in the West, as there is little precedent for it in Western tradition. However, a few such references do exist. For instance, we can find the following verse in the Bible: “I form the light and create darkness: I make peace and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.” (Bible, Isaiah, 45:7) In the spiritual Masters’ order of creation, Kal is this creation’s administrator, arbitrator and officiator, servant of the One, who is the Creator beyond the reach of time. Kal is both the individual mind and the universal mind, the downward tendencies of the mind as well as the mind’s upward tendencies.
印度词汇“Kal”……Kal 是神圣或超自然的力量，它将这个世界上的神和恶魔包含在同一个存在中，这个概念对许多西方人来说难以理解，因为在西方传统中几乎没有先例。然而，确实存在一些这样的参考。例如，我们可以在《圣经》中找到以下诗句：“我造光明，也造黑暗；我使和平，也造邪恶；我主耶和华施行这一切事。”（《圣经》，以赛亚书，45:7）在精神导师们的创世秩序中，Kal 是这一创造的执行者、仲裁者和主持者，是那位超越时间的造物主的仆人。Kal 既是个人心灵，也是宇宙心灵，是心灵向下的倾向，也是心灵向上的倾向。

In his Radiant Form… Die to Live, 23.
在他的《Radiant Form……Die to Live》，23。

Look upon the world as a bubble… The Dhammapada, 54–55:170–171.
将世界视为一个泡泡……《Dhammapada》，54–55:170–171。

we are so attached to the creation… Noted by Master Charan Singh in Spiritual Discourses, vol. 2, 40.
我们如此依恋于创造……由大师查兰·辛格在《Spiritual Discourses》，卷 2，40 中注记。

Everyone is burning in the fire… Spiritual Letters, 79:46.
每个人都在火焰中燃烧……《精神书信》，79:46。

In a place where mind and matter… Spiritual Gems, 233:148.
在心灵和物质的地方……《精神瑰宝》，233:148。

Pleasures from external objects… Bhagavad Gita, V:22.
来自外部对象的快乐……《薄伽梵歌》，第五章第二十二节。

Liberty means responsibility… “Liberty”. Cited in Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 497.
自由意味着责任……“自由”。引自《牛津引语词典》，第 497 页。

Develop the power to withdraw… Spiritual Gems, 120–121:89. Italics added by Esponda.
培养抽离的力量……《精神瑰宝》，120-121 页：89。斜体由 Esponda 添加。

The power within is not ignorant… Spiritual Gems, 73:47.
内在的力量并非无知……《精神瑰宝》，第 73 页：47。

One does not become a satsangi… The Science of the Soul, 181:1.
一个人不会成为 satsangi……《灵魂的科学》，181:1。

Mind is the deadliest of foes… Die to Live, 11.
心是致命的敌人……《为生而死》，11。

Intellect is a great barrier in our way… Die to Live, 60:27.
智力是我们道路上的巨大障碍……《为生而死》，60:27。

Relentlessly and restlessly, the mind… Die to Live, 11.
心无休止地、不停地……《为生而死》，11。

While the mind derives its life-force… Discourses on Sant Mat, 274.
当心灵获得其生命力……《圣玛特教义讲演录》，第 274 页。

Satsangis should form the habit… The Science of the Soul, 189:18.
Satsangis 应该养成习惯……《灵魂的科学》，189:18。

If the doors of perception were cleansed… “A Memorable Fancy”, pl.14. Cited in Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 88.
如果感知之门被净化……“一段难忘的幻想”，第 14 页。引自《牛津引语词典》，88。

Open your eyes… Epictetus: The Art of Living: A New Interpretation by Sharon Lebell, 7.
睁开你的眼睛……塞涅卡：《生活的艺术》：由 Sharon Lebell 的新诠释，7。

Happiness and freedom begin with… Epictetus: The Art of Living: A New Interpretation by Sharon Lebell, 3.
幸福和自由从……塞涅卡：《生活的艺术》：由 Sharon Lebell 的新诠释，3。

Within the body He Himself resides… Adi Granth, 754.
祂自身就住于身体之中……阿迪格兰特，754。

What has happened… Kulliyat Bulleh Shah, 270:124, translated in Bulleh Shah: The Love-Intoxicated Iconoclast.
发生了什么……库利亚特·布勒·沙，270:124，引自《布勒·沙：沉醉于爱的破坏者》。

union is achieved… See How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali, 11.
联合得以实现……参见《如何认识神：帕坦伽利瑜伽经》，11。

One day I wiped out all notions… The Little Zen Companion, 187.
有一天我消除了所有观念……《小禅修伴侣》，187。

When the desire for the Friend… Nobody, Son of Nobody, 39:210.
当对朋友的渴望……无人，无人的儿子，39:210。

Chapter 2: Priorities, attitude and effort
第二章：优先事项、态度和努力
Seek ye first the kingdom of God… Bible, Matthew 6:33.
你们要先求天国的国度…《圣经》，马太福音 6:33。

a servant who is sent by a king… Based on an account by Rumi. See Discourses of Rumi, 26.
一个被国王派遣的仆人…根据鲁米记述。参见《鲁米语录》，第 26 章。

To know that enough is enough… See Tao Te Ching, XLVI:105.
知道知足…参见《道德经》，XLVI:105。

Do not waste time uselessly… Spiritual Letters, 168:111.
不要无谓地浪费时间…《精神书信》，168:111。

This constant feeling of loneliness… Quest for Light, 6:10.
这种持续的孤独感…《追寻光明》，6:10。

All the misfortunes of men… The Translation of Pensées, tr. L. Brunschvicg, 5th ed., 1909, ii:139. Cited in Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 369.
人类所有的不幸……《沉思录》译本，L.布伦施维格译，第五版，1909 年，ii:139。引自《牛津引语词典》，369。

The realization of the deception… Die to Live, 11.
对欺骗的认识……《为生而死》，11。

Things that matter most… Widely attributed to Goethe in online sites, but unable to confirm or find book reference. Retrieved 3 December, 2003, from www.toinspire.com/author. asp?author=Goethe.
最重要的事情……许多在线网站归咎于歌德，但无法确认或找到书籍参考。2003 年 12 月 3 日从 www.toinspire.com/author.asp?author=Goethe 获取。

Put all your worries aside… Spiritual Letters, 169:111.
把所有烦恼都抛在一边……《精神书信》，169:111。

Nothing is true and nothing is false… Fabulas, 25.
没有什么真实，也没有什么虚假……《Fabulas》，第 25 页。

To live in that atmosphere… Die to Live, 207.
生活在那种氛围中……《Die to Live》，第 207 页。

Do your work, then withdraw… See Tao Te Ching, IX:35.
做你的工作，然后退隐……参见《道德经》第九章第三十五节。

Lord Krishna advises his disciple… Bhagavad Gita, III:7–11.
克里希那向他的门徒建议……《薄伽梵歌》第三章第七至十一节。

Most high, almighty, good Lord… Francisco de Asis, 224–225.
至高无上、万能的善主……弗朗西斯科·德·阿西斯，224–225。

Let Him accomplish things… The Science of the Soul, 189:19.
愿祂成就万物……《灵魂的科学》，189:19。

It is the business and duty… Spiritual Gems, 321–322:200. Italics added by Esponda.
这是...的业务和责任……《精神瑰宝》，321–322:200：斜体由 Esponda 添加。

The Master is waiting inside… Spiritual Gems, 96:65.
大师在里面等着……《精神瑰宝》，96:65。

Strive, struggle, grapple and wrestle… Quoted in Schotel, “It’s the Effort That Makes the Difference”, Science of the Soul, p. 27.
努力，奋斗，挣扎和搏斗……引自 Schotel 的《正是努力创造了差异》，《灵魂科学》，第 27 页。

taking tea at auntie’s house… Kabir Sakhi Sangrah, 43:1, translated in Kabir: the Weaver of God’s Name.
在阿姨家喝茶……《卡比尔精华集》，43:1，收录于《卡比尔：上帝之名的编织者》。

Sant Mat teaching is very simple… Die to Live, 236:298.
圣玛特教义非常简单……《为了生而死》，236:298。

Our prayers and pleadings… The Science of the Soul, 198:39.
我们的祈祷和恳求……《灵魂科学》，198:39。

The first essential thing… Spiritual Gems, 249:157. Italics in original book.
第一件必要的事……《精神瑰宝》，249:157。原文书中的斜体字。

If you take one step to take refuge… Kabitt Svaiyye, 46.
如果你迈出一步寻求庇护……《卡比特·斯维耶》，46。

The aim should always be to increase… The Science of the Soul, 159:70.
目标应当始终是增加……《灵魂科学》，159:70。

Unless we discipline our mind… Die to Live, 72:37.
除非我们约束自己的心……《死亡以求新生》，72:37。

If we get time in the morning… Spiritual Discourses, vol. 2, 220.
如果我们早上有时间……《精神讲道》，第 2 卷，220。

Master Sawan Singh used to say… Cited by Master Charan Singh in Die to Live, 256:332.
师尊萨万·辛格常说……据师尊查兰·辛格在《死亡以求新生》中，256:332 引述。

If you force your mind to meditate… Die to Live, 72:37.
如果你强迫自己的心去冥想……死中求生，72:37。

The journey of a thousand miles… See Tao Te Ching, LXIV:137.
千里之行……参见《道德经》第六十四章：137。

I am well aware that you have struggles… Spiritual Gems, 239:152.
我非常清楚你正经历着挣扎……《精神瑰宝》239:152。

Do what you can as best you can… Light on Sant Mat, 37.
做你能做到的最好的… 萨特·马特之光，37。

Our deepest fear is… A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles, 219–220. Note that while this passage is widely attributed to Nelson Mandela’s 1994 inaugural speech, our research indicates that it is from the above-referenced title and was not quoted in Mandela’s inaugural speech.
我们最深的恐惧是… 回归爱：奇迹课程原则的反思，219–220。请注意，尽管这段话通常被认为是纳尔逊·曼德拉 1994 年就职演说的引言，但我们的研究表明它来自上述标题，并且曼德拉的就职演说中并未引用这段话。

But Jesus beheld them… Bible, Matthew 19:26.
但耶稣看着他们… 圣经，马太福音 19:26。

You just call out my name… “You’ve got a Friend” from Tapestry (New York: Screen Gems, Columbia Music, Inc., 1971).
你只需呼唤我的名字… 来自《织锦》（纽约：Screen Gems, Columbia Music, Inc., 1971）的《你有一个朋友》。

Chapter 3: Meditation is a way of life
第三章：冥想是一种生活方式
Meditation is a way of life… Die to Live, 206.
冥想是一种生活方式……《死亡与新生》，第 206 页。

Life is what happens to you… “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” from Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon, (New York: Capitol Records, 1998).
生活是你所经历的一切……来自《列农传奇：约翰·列农的最好作品集》（纽约：卡普 itol 唱片公司，1998 年）的《美丽的男孩（亲爱的男孩）》。

What will we wear… See Bible, Luke 12:22–25.
我们将穿什么……参见《圣经·路加福音》第 12 章第 22 至 25 节。

View’d from eternity, existence is … A Modern Imitation of Christ, 183–184.
从永恒的角度看，存在是……《一个现代基督的模仿》，第 183-184 页。

There is something wrong with us… Die to Live, 95–96:69.
我们有些不对劲……《为了活着而死》，第 95-96 页：69。

All work is his work… Spiritual Letters, 132:84.
所有工作都是他的工作……《灵性书信》，132:84。

No man is an island, entire of itself… John Donne, Dean of St. Paul’s, Complete Poetry and Selected Prose, 537–539.
没有人是孤岛，完全独立……约翰·多恩，圣保罗主教，完整诗集和精选散文，537–539。

The worldly obligations you are fulfilling… Spiritual Letters, 95:59.
你正在履行的世俗义务……《灵性书信》，95:59。

Withdrawing our consciousness… Die to Live, 93–94:68.
我们意识的抽离……《死亡以生》，93–94:68。

Having once contacted it… Die to Live, 16.
一旦接触过它……死以生，16。

Once the mind becomes fond of listening… Divine Light, 142.
一旦心灵开始喜欢聆听……神圣之光，142。

positive psychological and physiological effects… For a review of research on this subject, see Murphy, M. and S. Donovan, The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation.
积极的心理和生理效应……关于这一主题的研究综述，参见 Murphy, M.和 S. Donovan 的《冥想对身心的影响》。

We should not be seeking… The Practice of the Presence of God, 48:2.
我们不应该在寻求……《上帝临在的实践》，48:2。

Meditation is nothing but a preparation… Die to Live, 137:137.
冥想不过是准备……《死亡以求生》，137:137。

I die daily… Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:31.
我每日都死…《圣经》，哥林多前书 15:31。

What a blessing it would be… Quoted in Die to Live, 25.
这该是多么大的祝福啊…引自《死以活》，25。

Whatever the state of mind… Bhagavad Gita, VIII:6.
无论心境如何…《薄伽梵歌》，第八章 6 节。

Die to live… Die to Live, 135:133.
死以生…《死以活》，135:133。

Your breath is like a drumbeat… Sar Bachan Poetry, 197. ‘Radha Soami’ is the name with which Master Shiv Dayal Singh of Agra, known as Soami Ji Maharaj, designated the Supreme Being.
你的呼吸如同鼓点……萨拉·巴赫恩诗歌，197。“拉达·索米”是阿格拉的师主希瓦·戴亚尔·辛格，被称为索米·吉·马哈拉杰，为至高存在指定的名称。

Chapter 4: The source of love and devotion
第四章：爱与奉献的源泉
Were it not for His grace… Die to Live, 32.
若非祂的恩典……《死以生》，32。

The Master not only guides… Die to Live, 23.
师主不仅指引……《死以生》，23。

Our real Master is the Word… Die to Live, 21.
我们的真正导师是圣言……死以生，21。

He that hath seen me… Bible, John 14:9.
看见我的人……圣经，约翰福音 14:9。

Within me the Father has revealed… Adi Granth, 1141.
在我心中，父亲揭示了……阿迪格兰特，1141。

You can build love and devotion… Die to Live, 63:29.
你可以建立爱与虔诚……《为生而死》，63:29。

The only way to strengthen love… Die to Live, 63:29.
唯一增强爱的方法……《为生而死》，63:29。

The heart has its reasons… The Translations of Pensées, tr. L. Brunschvicg, 5th ed., 1909, iv:277. Cited in Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 369.
心灵有其理由……《思想集译》，L.布伦施维格译，第 5 版，1909 年，iv:277。牛津引语词典，369。

Love came and emptied me of self… Nobody, Son of Nobody, 13:65.
爱来临，使我空无自我……无人，无父之子，13:65。

Emotions are all right if… Die to Live, 107:87.
情感是好的，如果……死以生，107:87。

When the celestial war drum… Kabir Sakhi Sangrah, 20–21, translated in Kabir, The Great Mystic.
当天界战鼓……卡比尔·萨基·桑格拉，20-21 页，译自《卡比尔，伟大的神秘主义者》。

The strongest warrior is… Aztec saying.
最强大的战士是……阿兹特克谚语。

Love is always within… Die to Live, 107:86.
爱始终在内心……《死亡以生》，107:86。

People think that by running… Spiritual Heritage, 60. Disciples of Soami Ji of Agra and his successors often greet each other by saying “Radha Soami”, the term used for the Supreme Being.
人们认为通过奔跑……《精神遗产》，60 页。阿格拉的索阿米·吉及其后继者常互相问候说“拉达索米”，这是用来指代至高存在的术语。

Running after the physical form… Die to Live, 107:86.
追逐着身体形态……死亡以求新生，107:86。

Nevertheless I tell you… Bible, John 16:7.
然而我告诉你们……圣经，约翰福音 16:7。

Commenting on this quote… Light on Saint John, 205.
关于这句话的评论……圣约翰之光，205。

May your Love of the Form… Legacy of Love, 547.
愿你的对形式的热爱……爱的传承，547。

The purpose of the physical form… Spiritual Heritage, 156.
物理形态的目的……精神遗产，156。

A thousand miles away… Abyat-i-Bahu, 169, translated in Sultan Bahu.
千里之外……阿比亚特-巴胡，169，由苏丹·巴胡翻译。

Your desire to visit India… Spiritual Gems, 203:141. Brahmand designates the entire created sphere, from the most subtle mental realms to the gross physical realms. Trikuti refers to the stage in the inner journey where the soul sheds its gross coverings. Sach Khand is the realm of pure spirit, the true home of the soul.
您渴望去印度的愿望……《精神瑰宝》，203:141。布拉曼德指的是从最微妙的精神领域到粗重的物质领域的整个创造领域。特里库蒂指的是灵魂在内心旅程中脱去粗重外衣的阶段。萨奇·卡姆德是纯粹精神的领域，是灵魂的真正家园。

Chapter 5: The practice of meditation
第五章：冥想的实践
Be still, and know that I am God… Bible, Psalms 46:10.
保持静止，你就知道我是上帝……《圣经》，诗篇 46:10。

Sitting quietly, doing nothing… Zen saying.
安静地坐着，什么也不做……禅语。

Meditation means trying to hold… Die to Live, 44:7.
禅修意味着试图保持……死中求生，44:7。

Concentrate on keeping your mind… The Practice of the Presence of God, 63–64.
专注于保持你的心...《神的临在之实践》，第 63-64 页。

The third eye is the seat of the mind… Spiritual Discourses, vol. 1. 180–181.
第三眼是心智的所在...《灵性讲道》，第一卷，第 180-181 页。

When you close your eyes… Die to Live, 115–116:98.
当你闭上眼睛时...《为生而死》，第 115-116 页：98。

Answering your question as to the best way… Spiritual Gems, 241–243:154. Italics added by Esponda.
回答你关于最佳方式的问题...《灵性瑰宝》，第 241-243 页：154。斜体由 Esponda 添加。

Unless we withdraw our attention… Die to Live, 15.
除非我们收回注意力……《Die to Live》，15。

The first step, then, is to withdraw… Die to Live, 16.
那么，第一步就是收回……《Die to Live》，16。

So long as we remain away from… Divine Light, 63.
只要我们保持远离……《Divine Light》，63。

Your wildest dreams or imaginings… Spiritual Gems, 226–227:147.
你最狂野的梦想或想象……《Spiritual Gems》，226–227:147。

It is possible to pray at all times… Quoted in The Way of the Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Continues His Way, 199.
可以在任何时候祈祷……引自《朝圣者的道路》和《朝圣者继续他的道路》，第 199 页。

Please make no attempt… Spiritual Gems, 309:198.
不要尝试……引自《精神瑰宝》，第 309:198 页。

There is no mode of life in the world… The Practice of the Presence of God, 48:2.
世界上没有一种生活方式……引自《与神同在的实践》，第 48:2 页。

One who accustoms himself… The Way of the Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Continues His Way, 9.
习惯于……引自《朝圣者的道路》和《朝圣者继续他的道路》，第 9 页。

No one can describe the glory… Sar Bachan Poetry, 233.
没有人能描述那荣耀……萨兰·巴赫恩诗歌，233。

No one should give the answer… Quoted in The Way of the Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Continues His Way, 199.
没有人应该给出答案……引自《朝圣者的道路》和《朝圣者继续他的道路》，199。

Persons who repeat the holy names… Quoted by Master Sawan Singh in Philosophy of the Masters, vol.1, 71. “Whenever the people sit they are surrounded by angels and covered by mercy, and there descends upon them tranquillity as they remember Allah.” Hadith, Sahih Muslim, 35:6505.
重复神圣名号的人……萨万·辛格大师在《大师哲学》第一卷，71 页中引用。“每当人们坐下时，他们周围环绕着天使，被慈悲覆盖，当人们记念真主时，安宁便降临于他们。”圣训，穆斯林圣训实录，35:6505。

I keep myself in His presence… The Practice of the Presence of God, 55:5.
我始终处于他的面前……《与神同在的实践》，55:5。

You do not need to speak out loud… Qur’an, 20:7–8.
你不需要大声说出……《古兰经》，20:7–8。

Sugar, buffalo milk and chocolates … The actual quote is: “Sugar, molasses, honey and buffalo milk are all sweet, but they equal not the Lord.” Adi Granth, 1379.
糖、水牛奶和巧克力……实际引用的内容是：“糖、糖蜜、蜂蜜和水牛奶都是甜的，但它们无法与主相等。”《阿迪格兰特》，1379。

O Beloved! I have heard many a tale … Quoted in Philosophy of the Masters, vol.1, 89.
至爱！我听过许多故事……引自《大师哲学》，第一卷，第 89 页。

When your concentration… Spiritual Gems, 308:198.
当你的专注……《精神宝石》，308:198。

On a dark night, Inflamed by love… San Juan de la Cruz, 33–34.
在黑暗的夜晚，因爱而燃烧……圣胡安·德·拉·克鲁斯，33–34。

Bhajan simply means attending… Philosophy of the Masters, vol.1, 94.
"布哈扬"简单地意味着专注……《大师哲学》，第一卷，94。

Your attention may remain focused… Spiritual Letters, 112:70.
你的注意力可能保持专注……《精神书信》，112:70。

When you sit in bhajan… Spiritual Letters, 74–75:44.
当你坐在吟诵中……《灵性书信》，第 74-75 页第 44 节。

Devotion to the Shabd… Philosophy of the Masters, Abridged, 214–215.
对圣音的奉献……《大师哲学精要》，第 214-215 页。

The soul has penetrated… Shabdavali, vol. 2, 11:28, translated in Tulsi Sahib, The Saint of Hathras.
灵魂已经穿透……《圣音之流》，第二卷，第 11 页第 28 节，由泰勒·萨希布翻译，《哈特拉斯的圣者》。

You are not imagining things… Light on Sant Mat, 305:298.
你不是在想象……《圣玛特之光》，第 305 页第 298 节。

Conclusion
结论
Brave is he who has control… Dawn of Light, 162:60.
有控制力的人是勇敢的……《晨光之始》，162:60。

I can tell you one thing: just attend… Die to Live, 270–271:353.
我可以告诉你们一件事：只要参加……《死而复生》，270–271:353。

For further reflection
供进一步思考
This world is perishable… Sar Bachan, 3.
这个世界是会消逝的……萨拉·巴赫安，3。

To subjugate the mind… Spiritual Letters, 73–74:44.
要驯服心灵……精神书信，73–74:44。

An ounce of practice… The Science of the Soul, 181.
一盎司的实践……灵魂科学，181。

I am surprised at the people of this world… Sartha Tukaram Gatha, 1496, translated in Tukaram, The Ceaseless Song of Devotion.
我对这个世界的人们感到惊讶……萨尔塔·图卡兰·加塔，1496 年，图卡兰《无尽的奉献之歌》译。

In the beginning, we have to make… The Practice of the Presence of God, 73.
最初，我们必须……《上帝临在的实践》，73。

There’s no set prayer… Die to Live, 40:4.
没有固定的祈祷……《为生而死》，40:4。

The light on your face… Nobody, Son of Nobody, 15:81.
你脸上的光芒……《无人之子》，15:81。

The minute I heard… The Essential Rumi, 106.
我一听到……《鲁米精华》，第 106 页。

Books and Authors Cited
被引用的书籍和作者

Abu-Saeed Abil-Kheir (967–1049) A lawyer-theologian who was highly honoured by followers of Islam, Abu-Saeed was known as the “Socrates of the Sufi Path”. This Sufi mystic often referred to himself as “nobody, son of nobody” – his expression of the reality that his life was surrendered in the divine. From Khurasan, an area that is now part of Iran and Afghanistan, Abu-Saeed preceded the great poet Jalaluddin Rumi by over two hundred years on the same path of annihilation in love.
阿布·赛义德·阿比勒-凯尔（967-1049）一位深受伊斯兰教徒高度尊敬的法律神学家，阿布·赛义德被誉为“苏菲之路的苏格拉底”。这位苏菲神秘主义者经常自称“无名之子”，这是他表达自己生命完全奉献于神圣现实的表达方式。来自如今属于伊朗和阿富汗的呼罗珊地区，阿布·赛义德在爱的毁灭之路上比伟大的诗人贾拉勒丁·鲁米早了两百多年。

Adi Granth Known also as Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Adi Granth is comprised primarily of writings of the Gurus in the line of Guru Nanak, but it also includes verses from many other saints from the Indian subcontinent. It was compiled and edited by the fifth guru, Guru Arjun Dev, at the end of the sixteenth century.
阿迪格兰特也被称为“锡 Guru Granth Sahib”，阿迪格兰特主要由纳纳克传承的历代古鲁的著作组成，但也包括来自印度次大陆许多其他圣人的诗句。它由第五代古鲁阿朱纳·德在 16 世纪末编纂和编辑。

Bahu, Sultan (1629?–1691) Hazrat Sultan Bahu, a disciple of Sayyid Abdur Rahman Qadiri, was one of the great Sufi saints of the Indian subcontinent. He was not formally educated, but is said to have written more than a hundred works in Persian and Arabic. However, it is his poems in the Punjabi language that live on and remain popular among the people of Punjab.
巴胡，苏丹（1629？-1691）哈兹拉特·苏丹·巴胡是赛义德·阿布德·拉赫曼·卡迪里的门徒，是印度次大陆伟大的苏菲圣徒之一。他没有受过正规教育，但据说用波斯语和阿拉伯语写了超过一百部作品。然而，他 Punjabi 语言的诗歌流传至今，并在旁遮普人民中仍然广受欢迎。

Bhagavad Gita Literally ‘Song of the Lord’, the Bhagavad Gita embodies the teachings of Lord Krishna given in the dialogue between Krishna and his disciple Arjuna on the battlefield of the Mahabharata war. It is one of the most popular books of Hindu philosophy.
《薄伽梵歌》意为“主的歌”，它体现了克里希那在马哈巴拉特战争战场上的对话中给予其门徒阿周那的教诲。它是印度教哲学中最受欢迎的书籍之一。

Bible The term Bible, or Holy Bible, refers to the sacred scriptures of Judaism and Christianity. The Jewish Bible, written mostly in Hebrew, is divided into the Torah (Five Books of Moses), Prophets, and Writings. It recounts the history of mankind from the time of the Creation, the lives of the Patriarchs and early Israelites, and the teachings of their prophets and holy men. The Christian Bible is made up of the Old Testament, which includes the books of the Jewish Bible, and the New Testament, which consists of writings pertaining to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and his disciples. It contains the four Gospels, the Epistles (letters from some of the disciples), the Acts of the Apostles, and Revelations (also known as the Apocalypse).
《圣经》圣经或《圣卷》一词指的是犹太教和基督教的圣典。犹太圣经主要用希伯来文写成，分为托拉（摩西五经）、先知书和圣卷。它记述了人类从创世以来的历史、先祖和早期以色列人的生活，以及他们的先知和圣人的教诲。基督教圣经由旧约和新约组成。旧约包括犹太圣经中的书籍，新约则包含关于耶稣基督及其门徒的生活和教诲的著作。它包括四福音书、书信（一些门徒的书信）、使徒行传和启示录（也称为末日启示录）。

Blake, William (1757–1827) English poet, painter, and engraver, Blake created a unique form of illustrated verse. His poetry, inspired by mystical vision, is among the most original, lyric, and prophetic in the English language. Blake’s most famous works of art are the twenty-one illustrations in Inventions to the Book of Job.
布莱克，威廉（1757-1827）英国诗人、画家和版画家，布莱克创造了一种独特的插图诗形式。他的诗歌受神秘 visions 启发，是英语中最原创、抒情和预言性的作品之一。布莱克最著名的艺术作品是《约伯记的发明》中的二十一幅插图。

Bulleh Shah (1680–1758) Born into a high-class Muslim family, Saa’in Bulleh Shah grew up in Kasur, near Lahore. He incurred the wrath of his community when he became a disciple of the mystic saint Inayat Shah of Lahore, a simple gardener. His poetry and songs of mystical love and longing are still recited and sung in India and Pakistan.
布尔勒·沙赫（1680-1758）出生于一个高级穆斯林家庭，萨因·布尔勒·沙赫在拉合尔附近的卡斯尔长大。当他成为拉合尔的神秘圣徒因亚特·沙赫的弟子时，他激起了他社区的愤怒，因亚特·沙赫是一个朴素的园丁。他的诗歌和神秘之爱与渴望的歌曲至今仍在印度和巴基斯坦被传诵和演唱。

Campoamor, Ramon de (1817–1901) The first Spanish poet to break with the romantic tradition of long, tragic, and emotional poetry, de Campoamor’s humorous short poems are collected in Dolores, Pequeños Poemas, and Humoradas. At one time he was the governor of Castellon and made primary education mandatory in his province.
卡莫尔，拉蒙·德（1817-1901）西班牙第一位打破长篇、悲剧和情感诗歌浪漫传统的诗人，德·卡莫尔的幽默短诗收集在《多洛雷斯》、《小诗》和《幽默集》中。他曾一度担任卡斯特利翁省省长，并在该省强制推行初等教育。

Charan Singh (1916–1990) Born in Moga, Punjab, India, Maharaj Charan Singh was a disciple of Maharaj Sawan Singh of Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Maharaj Ji, as he was widely called, was a lawyer by profession. In 1951 Maharaj Jagat Singh made him his successor, and for the next four decades Maharaj Ji travelled throughout India and the world, giving discourses and initiating seekers. Teaching about the Word, he often stressed looking beyond differences of race, culture and religion. His teachings have been recorded in several books containing his writings, talks and letters. Before his death in 1990, he appointed Baba Gurinder Singh as his successor.
查兰·辛格（1916–1990）出生于印度旁遮普的莫加，马哈拉杰·查兰·辛格是拉达索米·萨桑·比阿斯（Radha Soami Satsang Beas）的萨万·辛格（Sawan Singh）的弟子。人们普遍称他为马哈拉杰·吉（Maharaj Ji），他是一名律师。1951 年，马哈拉杰·贾特·辛格（Maharaj Jagat Singh）任命他为继任者，在接下来的四十年里，马哈拉杰·吉在印度和世界各地旅行，发表演讲并启迪寻求者。他经常强调通过言语教学，超越种族、文化和宗教的差异。他的教诲被记录在几本书中，包含他的著作、演讲和信件。1990 年去世前，他任命巴巴·古林德·辛格（Baba Gurinder Singh）为他的继任者。

Chrysostom, John (c. 349–407) Born in Antioch in Syria (now Antakya, Turkey), Saint John Chrysostom studied oratory under the Greek rhetorician Libanius, later became an ordained priest and eventually became known for the eloquence, earnestness and practical nature of his preaching, such that he gained a reputation as the greatest orator of the early church. John Chrysostom’s many works include homilies, epistles, treatises and liturgies.
克里索斯托姆，约翰（约 349–407）出生在叙利亚的安条克（现土耳其的安塔基亚），圣约翰·克里索斯托姆在希腊修辞学家利巴尼乌斯（Libanius）的指导下学习演讲术，后来成为神父，最终因其演讲的雄辩、真诚和实用性而闻名，被誉为早期教会的最伟大的演说家。约翰·克里索斯托姆的许多著作包括布道、书信、论著和礼仪。

Cloud of Unknowing A devotional classic of the Protestant tradition, Cloud of Unknowing sprang from an age when English mysticism was in full flower. The author is unknown, but is thought to be an English priest who lived during the latter half of the fourteenth century.
《云中的无知》作为新教传统的虔诚经典，《云中的无知》诞生于英国神秘主义盛行的时代。作者不详，但被认为是 14 世纪后半叶的英国神父。

Dhammapada (Path of Truth) The author of the verses in the Dhammapada is unknown, although they are believed to be the teachings of the Buddha himself. The text of the book was established by the time of the great Buddhist Emperor, Ashoka, in the third century b.c.
《法句经》（真理之道）《法句经》的作者不详，尽管人们相信这些诗句是佛陀本人的教诲。这部书的文本在公元前 3 世纪的伟大佛教皇帝阿育王时期已经确立。

Donne, John (1572–1631) A London-born English poet, prose writer and clergyman, John Donne is considered the greatest of the metaphysical poets and one of the most profound writers of love poetry. His Devotions upon Emergent Occasions focuses on the themes of death and human relationships.
邓恩，约翰（1572-1631）出生于伦敦的英国诗人、散文家和神职人员，约翰·邓恩被认为是玄学诗人的最大代表之一，也是最深刻的爱情诗人之一。他的《临终忏悔录》专注于死亡和人际关系这一主题。

Epictetus (c. 55–135) Regarded as a Greek Stoicist, Epictetus was born in Hierapolis in Phrygia (modern-day Turkey). As a boy he landed in Rome as a slave and studied with the Stoic teacher Musonius Rufus. After being freed, he went to Greece where he opened his own school. It appears that Epictetus wrote nothing himself. The works that present his philosophy were written by his student, Flavius Arrian.
爱比克泰德（约公元前 55 年－公元 135 年）被视作一位希腊斯多葛派哲学家，他出生于弗里吉亚的以弗所（今土耳其境内）。少年时，他作为奴隶被带到罗马，师从斯多葛派教师鲁夫斯·穆索尼乌斯。获释后，他前往希腊，开设了自己的学校。据信爱比克泰德本人没有留下任何著作。呈现其哲学思想的作品是由他的学生弗拉维奥·阿瑞安所写。

Farid (c. 1181–1265) Sheikh Farid, or Baba Farid, a Muslim saint whose verses are preserved in the Adi Granth, was the earliest-known mystic poet in Punjabi. Born near Multan (now in Pakistan), Farid undertook rigorous self-discipline and physically punishing methods in his attempt to achieve his goal of God-realization. Eventually, he was advised to go to Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki of Delhi, who revealed to him the path of the Word.
法里德（约 1181 年－1265 年）法里德谢赫，或称巴巴·法里德，是一位穆斯林圣徒，其诗歌被保存在《阿迪格兰特》中，他是最早被知晓的旁遮普语神秘主义诗人。出生于木拉坦（今巴基斯坦境内），法里德通过严格的自我约束和身体惩罚的方式，试图实现其神明启示的目标。最终，他被告知前往德里的大师库特布丁·巴克蒂尔·卡基，后者向他揭示了言语之道。

Francis of Assisi (c. 1182–1226) Born in Assisi, Saint Francis was an Italian mystic and preacher who was famous for his ability to communicate with all living creatures. He also performed charities among the lepers and worked at restoring dilapidated churches. Saint Francis founded the Franciscan order of monks and was canonized in 1228. In 1980 Pope John Paul II proclaimed him patron saint of ecologists.
方济各·阿西西（约 1182 年－1226 年）方济各出生于阿西西，是一位意大利神秘主义者和传教士，以其能与所有生物沟通的能力而闻名。他还为麻风病患者施行慈善，并致力于修复破败的教堂。方济各创立了方济各会修士团体，并于 1228 年被封圣。1980 年，教皇约翰·保罗二世宣布他为生态学者的守护圣人。

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang (1749–1832) Goethe was a German poet, dramatist, novelist and scientist. At first involved in a movement advocating romantic and emotional artistry, he later adopted a more classic writing style. Faust, the first great work of literature in the spirit of modern individualism, was the ultimate achievement of Goethe’s long life. In this allegory of human life, Goethe emphasized the right of the individual to enquire freely into affairs both human and divine and to work out his own destiny.
歌德，约翰·沃尔夫冈（1749 年－1832 年）歌德是一位德国诗人、剧作家、小说家和科学家。最初他参与倡导浪漫主义和情感艺术风格的运动，后来采用了更古典的写作风格。作为现代个人主义精神下文学的第一部伟大作品，《浮士德》是歌德漫长一生的最终成就。在这部人类生活的寓言中，歌德强调了个人自由探究人类与神圣事务的权利，以及自己决定命运的权利。

Gurdas, Bhai (c. 1558–1637) Bhai Gurdas Ji was a mystical poet who was a contemporary of the fourth, fifth and sixth Gurus in the line of Guru Nanak. He is traditionally believed to have been the scribe who, under the supervision of Guru Arjun, collected together the writings that became the Adi Granth. He wrote the Kabitt Svaiyye and the Varan.
古鲁达斯·巴伊（约 1558-1637）古鲁·古尔达斯·吉是一位神秘主义诗人，他是纳南克古鲁传承中第四、五、六位古鲁的同时代人。传统上认为，他是古鲁·阿拉琼的监督下，收集整理成阿迪·格兰特的著作的抄写员。他撰写了《卡比特·斯维耶》和《瓦兰》。

Guru Amar Das (1479–1574) The third successor in the line of Guru Nanak, Guru Amar Das, from Punjab, came to his master, Guru Angad, late in life at the age of sixty-one. He is credited with starting the institution of the langar (free community kitchen). His extensive writings are included in the Adi Granth.
古鲁·阿马尔达斯（1479-1574）纳南克古鲁传承中的第三位继承者，来自旁遮普的古鲁·阿马尔达斯，在六十一岁时才来到他的师父古鲁·安加德身边。他被认为是创立免费社区厨房（朗格尔）制度的人。他的大量著作被收录在阿迪·格兰特中。

Guru Arjun (1563–1606) Guru Arjun was the fifth Guru in the line of Guru Nanak. Through great effort, Guru Arjun Dev collected, classified and compiled the writings of the Adi Granth, including compositions of saints from all over the Indian subcontinent whose teachings emphasize the oneness of God, the path of the Word, the equality of all people and the pursuit of truth.
古鲁·阿拉琼（1563-1606）古鲁·阿拉琼是纳南克古鲁传承中的第五位古鲁。古鲁·阿拉琼·德通过巨大努力，收集、分类和编纂了阿迪·格兰特的著作，包括来自印度次大陆各地的圣人的作品，这些作品强调上帝的统一性、话语之路、所有人的平等以及追求真理。

Guru Nanak (1469–1539) Born at Talwandi near Lahore in present-day Pakistan, Guru Nanak Dev spent a large part of his life travelling to spread the teachings of the Word or Divine Name. He was the first in the line of the ten Gurus whose teachings are recorded in the Adi Granth, which has become the sacred scripture of the Sikhs. He endeavoured to transform the prejudices and superstitions of the people, emphasizing that ritualistic practices and external forms of worship kept the seeker of God away from the truth.
那纳克（1469-1539）出生于巴基斯坦拉合尔附近的塔尔瓦迪，那纳克·德夫一生中大部分时间都在旅行中传播“圣言”或神圣之名的教义。他是十位大师中的第一位，其教义被记录在《阿迪格兰特》中，该文献已成为锡克教的神圣经文。他努力改变人们的偏见和迷信，强调仪式性的实践和外在的宗教形式使寻求上帝的人远离真理。

Hafiz (c. 1326–1390) Khwaja Hafiz, one of the greatest Persian poets, was born Shams-al-Din Muhammad in Shiraz. His Diwan-i-Hafiz, a compendium of ghazals or love poems, is universally acknowledged not only as a work of great literary merit but also as one with considerable mystic import. His poetry is well known today in both the East and the West.
哈菲兹（约 1326-1390）哈菲兹是伟大的波斯诗人之一，原名沙姆斯丁·穆罕默德，出生于设拉子。他的《哈菲兹诗集》，一部包含情诗的集子，不仅被公认为文学价值极高的作品，也被认为具有相当深远的神秘意义。他的诗歌在东西方都广为人知。

Humilis, Clemens (c. 1900s) Not much can be ascertained about the life of Clemens Humilis, but it is known that he was a parish priest who published Vox Domini in 1929 and Vox Dilecti in 1931. A Modern Imitation of Christ, a book of spiritual advice written in poetic form and published in London, is a compendium of the two earlier works.
谦卑的克莱门斯（约 1900 年代）关于克莱门斯·谦卑的生活，能确定的并不多，但已知他是一位牧师，于 1929 年出版《主的之声》，1931 年出版《亲爱的之声》。《基督的现代模仿》，一本以诗歌形式写成的精神指导书籍，在伦敦出版，是早期两部作品的汇编。

Jagat Singh (1884–1951) Born in the village of Nussi not far from Beas, Punjab, India, Maharaj Jagat Singh was initiated when he was twenty-six years old by Maharaj Sawan Singh. Following his retirement in 1943 as vice-principal of the Punjab Agricultural College, he spent the remainder of his life in his Master’s service at Beas. In 1948 Sardar Bahadur Jagat Singh was appointed by his Master to be his successor. The Science of the Soul, a compilation of his discourses and excerpts from his letters to seekers and disciples, was published after his death.
贾特·辛格（1884-1951）出生于印度旁遮普邦比斯附近的一个村庄努西，马哈拉杰·贾特·辛格在 26 岁时由马哈拉杰·萨万·辛格启蒙。1943 年他退休后，作为旁遮普农业大学副校长，他余生都在比斯侍奉他的大师。1948 年，他的大师任命萨达尔·巴哈杜尔·贾特·辛格为他的继任者。《灵魂的科学》，一部汇编了他的讲道和写给寻求者和弟子的信件摘录，在他去世后出版。

Jaimal Singh (1839–1903) Born into an agricultural family in Ghuman, Punjab, India, Baba Jaimal Singh, widely known as Baba Ji Maharaj, was initiated by Soami Ji Maharaj of Agra and directed by him to propagate the Sant Mat teachings in Punjab. After retiring from military service, he chose a secluded place on the west bank of the Beas River to pursue uninterrupted meditation. Soon seekers started visiting him, laying the foundation for organized satsang at Beas. Several months before his death in 1903, he appointed Maharaj Sawan Singh as his successor. It was the latter who named the place Dera Baba Jaimal Singh in honour of his master’s memory. Baba Ji Maharaj’s letters to Maharaj Sawan Singh have been published in the form of a book entitled Spiritual Letters.
Jaimal Singh（1839-1903）出生于印度旁遮普省 Ghuman 的一个农业家庭，被誉为 Baba Ji Maharaj 的 Baba Jaimal Singh，由阿格拉的 Soami Ji Maharaj 授业，并受其指引在旁遮普传播圣玛特教义。退役后，他选择在贝阿斯河的西岸一处僻静之地，专心致志地冥想。不久，寻求者开始前来拜访他，为在贝阿斯举行有组织的萨桑加奠定了基础。在他于 1903 年去世前的几个月，他任命 Maharaj Sawan Singh 为他的继任者。正是后者以他的师傅之名为此地命名为 Dera Baba Jaimal Singh。Baba Ji Maharaj 写给 Maharaj Sawan Singh 的信件已以《精神书信》为书名出版。

John of the Cross (1542–1591) Saint John of the Cross was a Spanish mystic and poet. Born in Fontiveros, Spain, he became a Carmelite monk in 1563 and was ordained as a priest in 1567. His attempts at monastic reform led to his imprisonment, and it was there that he began to compose some of his finest work, including the poems Cántico espiritual (Spiritual Canticle) and Llama de amor viva (Living Flame of Love). In his best-known lyric, Noche obscura del alma (Dark Night of the Soul), Saint John described the soul’s progress in seeking and finally attaining union with God through an experience parallel to Christ’s crucifixion and glory.
约翰·德·拉·克鲁斯（1542-1591）圣约翰·德·拉·克鲁斯是一位西班牙神秘主义者和诗人。他出生于西班牙的丰蒂韦罗斯，1563 年成为卡莫尔会修士，1567 年被祝圣为神父。他试图进行修道院改革，因此被监禁，正是在那里他开始创作他的一些最杰出的作品，包括诗歌《精神之歌》（Cántico espiritual）和《活着的爱的火焰》（Llama de amor viva）。在他的最著名的抒情诗《灵魂的黑夜》（Noche obscura del alma）中，圣约翰描述了灵魂在经历与基督的 crucifixion 和荣耀相似的经历后，寻求并最终达到与上帝合一的过程。

Kabir (c. 1398–1518) Born in Kashi (Banaras or Varanasi), Kabir Sahib eked out a meagre living weaving cloth. Teaching the practice of the Word, he travelled throughout India and attracted a large following of disciples, Hindus as well as Muslims. Kabir faced unrelenting opposition from the priestly class for his outspoken condemnation of rituals and the outward show of religion. Today, his verses are popular throughout India and the versatility and power of his poetry are widely acknowledged.
卡比尔（约 1398-1518）出生于卡西（巴纳勒斯或瓦拉纳西），卡比尔·谢比通过织布勉强维持生计。他传授话语的实践，游历整个印度，吸引了大量追随者，包括印度教徒和穆斯林。卡比尔因其直言不讳地谴责仪式和宗教的外在表现而遭到神职阶层的无情反对。如今，他的诗句在整个印度广受欢迎，他的诗歌的多样性和力量得到了广泛认可。

King, Carole (1949–) Born Carole Klein in Brooklyn, New York, Carole King is a popular American singer and songwriter who recorded the album Tapestry in the 1970s. In the early 1980s King moved to rural Idaho and became an environmental activist.
凯恩，卡罗尔（1949–）卡罗尔·凯恩原名卡罗尔·克莱因，生于纽约布鲁克林。卡罗尔·凯恩是一位受欢迎的美国歌手和词曲作者，她在 20 世纪 70 年代录制了专辑《织锦》。20 世纪 80 年代初，凯恩搬到爱达荷州的农村地区，成为了一名环保活动家。

Lawrence, Brother (1611–1691) Born Nicholas Herman in Lorraine, France, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection lived most of his life in a Carmelite monastery where he suffered from a feeling of anxiety that he was clumsy and stupid and didn’t do anything right. He decided that he would just hand over his worries to the Lord by talking to him as his close friend. Some of his letters and conversations were compiled into a short book entitled The Practice of the Presence of God.
劳伦斯，兄弟（1611-1691） 生于法国洛林地区的尼古拉斯·赫尔曼，复活节兄弟劳伦斯一生中大部分时间都居住在卡莫尔会修道院，在那里他饱受焦虑之苦，觉得自己笨拙愚蠢，做什么都不对。他决定通过像对待亲密朋友一样与上帝交谈，将自己的忧虑交托给上帝。他的部分书信和对话被汇编成一本名为《与神同在的实践》的短书。

Lennon, John Winston (1940–1980) This British songwriter and singer composed some of the most popular songs of his era. Born in Liverpool, Lennon was the co-writer, along with Paul McCartney, of most of the songs that distinguished the phenomenal career of the Beatles through the 1960s. He was assassinated outside his home in New York.
列农，约翰·温斯顿（1940-1980） 这位英国词曲作家和歌手创作了他那个时代一些最流行的歌曲。列农出生于利物浦，他是与保罗·麦卡特尼共同创作了 60 年代披头士乐队辉煌事业中大部分歌曲的合著者。他在纽约家中外被暗杀。

Muhammad (570?–632) The Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca and lived in what is now Saudi Arabia. Called ‘the Messenger’, he brought the Muslim teachings to the people of his time and taught the importance of worshipping the one God, Allah. The message revealed to him is recorded in the Qur’an, and traditions concerning his life and teachings are found in the Hadith.
穆罕默德（约 570-632） 先知穆罕默德出生于麦加，生活在现在的沙特阿拉伯。被称为“使者”，他将伊斯兰教义带给当时的人民，并教导人们敬拜唯一的真主安拉。他接受的神启被记录在《古兰经》中，关于他生活和教义的传说则记载在《圣训》中。

Pascal, Blaise (1623–1662) A French philosopher, mathematician and physicist, Pascal was one of the eminent scientists of his day and also a great mystical writer. He espoused Jansenism, a Christian reform movement that advocated strict morality and austerity, and in 1654 entered the Jansenist community at Port Royal, where he led a rigorously ascetic life until his death eight years later.
帕斯卡，布莱兹（1623-1662）法国哲学家、数学家和物理学家，帕斯卡是当时杰出的科学家之一，也是伟大的神秘主义作家。他信奉詹森主义，这是一个提倡严格道德和节俭的基督教改革运动，1654 年加入位于波尔罗亚尔的詹森主义团体，在那里他过着严格禁欲的生活，直到八年后去世。

Patanjali (200 b.c.?) Patanjali was the compiler and editor of the Yoga Sutras, the earliest systematic treatise on yoga. He described an eight-step system designed to free the body and mind from restlessness and impurity and to control, unify and direct bodily and psychic energy towards higher consciousness and liberation.
帕坦伽利（公元前 200 年？）帕坦伽利是《瑜伽经》的编纂者和编辑者，这是关于瑜伽最早的系统化论著。他描述了一个八步系统，旨在使身体和心灵摆脱焦躁和污浊，控制、统一和引导身心能量，朝着更高的意识和解脱方向发展。

Qur’an The Qur’an is the sacred scripture of Islam, written in Arabic and said to be revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in the beginning of the 7th century. It consists of 114 chapters covering many different topics – sacred, legal, social and scientific.
古兰经 古兰经是伊斯兰教的圣典，用阿拉伯文写成，据说是先知穆罕默德在 7 世纪初启示的。它包含 114 章，涵盖了众多不同主题——神圣的、法律的、社会的和科学的。

Rumi (1207–1273) Jalaluddin Rumi, known respectfully in India as Maulana Rum (the learned man of Rum), was of Persian origin from Balkh. He moved to Konya, Turkey, where he became a religious teacher. There he met Shams-i-Tabrez and became his disciple. Rumi wrote the Masnavi and Diwan-i Shams-i Tabrez, both of which have contributed to his contemporary status as one of the most well-known Sufi mystics and poets, popular in both the East and the West.
鲁米（1207–1273） 鲁米，在印度被尊敬地称为毛拉纳·鲁米（来自鲁姆的智者），是波斯人，来自巴尔赫。他迁往土耳其的科尼亚，成为了一名宗教教师。在那里他遇到了沙姆斯·塔布雷兹，并成为他的门徒。鲁米写了《玛斯纳维》和《沙姆斯·塔布雷兹诗集》，这两部作品都为他在当代作为最著名的苏菲神秘主义者和诗人之一做出了贡献，在东西方都广受欢迎。

Sardar Bahadur See Jagat Singh
萨达尔·巴哈杜尔 见贾特·辛格

Sasaki, Sokei-an (1882–1945) Son of a Japanese Shinto priest, Sokei-an Sasaki arrived in San Francisco in 1906 with the mission of bringing Zen to America. He wrote his autobiography, Holding the Lotus to the Rock, as America’s first Zen Buddhism master.
佐佐木，宗惠安（1882–1945） 日本神道教祭司之子，佐佐木宗惠安于 1906 年抵达旧金山，肩负着将禅宗带到美国的使命。他写了自己的自传《将莲花持于岩石》，作为美国第一位禅佛教大师。

Sawan Singh (1858–1948) Maharaj Sawan Singh, affectionately called the Great Master, was born in the village Jatana near Mehmansinghwala, District Ludhiana, Punjab, India. He was initiated by Baba Jaimal Singh, who appointed him as his successor in 1903. Thereafter, for forty-five years he assiduously served as the Master at the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, spreading the teachings of Sant Mat in India and abroad. His books include the Gurmat Siddhant (Philosophy of the Masters), an encyclopaedia of the teachings of the saints, as well as two volumes of letters written to Western disciples and a volume of his discourses.
萨万·辛格（1858–1948）马哈拉杰·萨万·辛格，被亲切地称为大导师，出生于印度旁遮普邦卢迪亚纳区梅尔曼辛格尔瓦拉附近的贾塔纳村。他由巴瓦·贾马尔·辛格传授，并于 1903 年被任命为他的继任者。此后，四十五年间，他勤奋地担任拉达·索米·萨桑·比阿斯的导师，在印度和海外传播圣玛特教义。他的著作包括《师法正论》（导师哲学），一本圣人的教义百科全书，以及两卷写给西方弟子的信件和一卷他的讲道录。

Shaw, George Bernard (1856–1950) Irish-born writer and Nobel laureate, Shaw is considered one of the most significant British dramatists since Shakespeare. Shaw moved to London in 1876, and by the mid-1880s, he became, and remained, a firm believer in vegetarianism and never drank spirits, coffee or tea. Shaw’s major play, Heartbreak House, exposed the spiritual bankruptcy of his generation, and he received the Nobel Prize for Saint Joan. His comic masterpiece, Pygmalion, was the basis for the musical comedy and film My Fair Lady.
萧伯纳，乔治·伯纳德（1856–1950）爱尔兰出生的作家和诺贝尔奖得主，萧伯纳被认为是自莎士比亚以来最杰出的英国剧作家之一。萧伯纳于 1876 年搬到伦敦，到 1880 年代中期，他成为并始终坚信素食主义，从不饮酒、咖啡或茶。萧伯纳的主要剧作《伤心之家》揭露了他那一代人的精神破产，他因《圣女贞德》获得诺贝尔奖。他的喜剧杰作《皮格马利翁》是音乐喜剧和电影《窈窕淑女》的基础。

Shiv Dayal Singh See Soami Ji
希瓦·戴亚尔·辛格·西奥米·吉

Soami Ji (1818–1878) Born Shiv Dayal Singh in Agra, India, Soami Ji was raised on the scriptures of the Adi Granth. He started preaching the way of the Word after spending the greater part of seventeen years meditating. Through his two books Sar Bachan (prose) and Sar Bachan Poetry, he gave out the universal teachings of the saints in unveiled, simple Hindi.
索阿米·吉（1818–1878）出生于印度阿格拉的希夫·戴亚尔·辛格，索阿米·吉在阿迪格兰特的经文中长大。他在花费了十七年大部分时间冥想后，开始传讲圣言之道。通过他的两本书《萨拉巴赫坎》（散文）和《萨拉巴赫坎诗歌》，他以未加掩饰的简单印地语传达了圣人的普世教诲。

Tao Te Ching It is difficult to know much for certain about the origins of the Tao Te Ching (The Book of the Way and Its Power), a fundamental Taoist text that espouses the way of the Tao, the timeless ultimate principle, which is followed through simplicity, humility, and non-binding action. The Tao Te Ching was probably compiled before the latter half of the third century b.c., but it is thought that the book is based on Chinese oral tradition that may even antedate the written word. The author of the Tao Te Ching is commonly referred to as Lao-Tzu or Lao Tse (there are many variants in English), but modern scholars doubt that he actually existed. It is probable that ‘Lao-Tzu’, which means both ‘the old philosopher’ and ‘the old philosophy’, refers to the ancient origin of the varied material within the text.
《道德经》关于《道德经》（《道德经》），这部阐述道之方式、永恒终极原理的道家基本文本，其起源很难确切了解，这种原理通过简约、谦卑和非约束性行动来遵循。据推测，《道德经》可能在公元前三世纪后半叶之前编纂，但人们认为这本书基于可能早于文字产生的中国口头传统。通常将《道德经》的作者称为老子或老聃（英语中有很多变体），但现代学者怀疑他是否真的存在。‘老子’，意为‘老哲学家’和‘老哲学’，可能指的是文本中各种材料的古老起源。

Tukaram (1598–1650) Reared in a well-to-do family of traders in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Tukaram was blessed with initiation by Babaji Raghavachaitanya in 1619. He composed thousands of poems in Marathi, the local language, denouncing all outward forms of worship and urging people to devote themselves to the Name. His poems, which remain popular today, are published under the titles Sartha Tukaram Gatha and Shri Tukaram Maharaj Yanchya Abhanganchi Chhandabaddha Gatha.
塔卡拉姆（1598-1650）出生于印度马哈拉施特拉邦一个富裕的商人家庭，1619 年得到巴巴吉·拉哈瓦恰蒂亚纳的启蒙。他用当地的马拉地语创作了数千首诗歌，谴责所有外在的崇拜形式，并劝导人们投身于圣名。他的诗歌至今仍广受欢迎，以《萨拉塔·塔卡拉姆格塔》和《圣·塔卡拉姆·马哈拉贾·扬奇亚·阿班甘奇·查达巴达格塔》为题出版。

Tulsi Sahib (1763–1848) The great poet-saint of Hathras and author of the Ghat Ramayana, Tulsi Sahib was born in the princely family of the Peshwas. He began to show signs of a devotional trend of mind at an early age and had no desire for worldly pleasures and pursuits. He settled in Hathras near Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, where he was known as Dakkhini Baba. Soami Ji’s mother was a disciple of Tulsi Sahib long before Soami Ji was born, and Soami Ji had contact with him from his childhood.
图尔西·萨希布（1763-1848）哈特拉的大诗人圣者，也是《加特·拉马亚那》的作者。图尔西·萨希布出生于帕什瓦王族，从小就表现出虔诚的倾向，对世俗的享乐和追求毫无兴趣。他定居在印度北方邦阿格拉附近的哈特拉，在那里被称为达克希尼·巴。索米·吉的母亲在索米·吉出生前很久就是图尔西·萨希布的弟子，索米·吉从小就与他接触。

The Way of a Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Continues His Way A classic nineteenth-century Russian text by an unknown author, this is an account of an anonymous wanderer who set out on a journey across Russia with nothing but a backpack, some bread and a Bible – and a burning desire to learn the true meaning of the words of Saint Paul, “pray without ceasing,” and to put them into action.
《朝圣者的道路与朝圣者继续他的道路》 这是一部十九世纪俄国无名作者的经典文本，记述了一位无名旅者仅携带背包、一些面包和圣经踏上横跨俄罗斯之旅的故事——他怀揣着炽热的愿望，渴望学习圣保罗“恒常祷告”这句话的真实含义，并将其付诸实践。

Williamson, Marianne (1952–) An American author and lecturer in the fields of spirituality and new age thought, she wrote the best sellers A Return to Love and Everyday Grace, among other books. She teaches the basic principles of “A Course in Miracles” and discusses their application to daily living.
玛丽安·威廉姆森（1952–）美国作家和灵性与新时代思想领域的演讲者，她著有畅销书《回归爱》和《日常恩典》等作品。她教授“奇迹课程”的基本原则，并探讨其应用于日常生活的实践。

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Charan Singh. Die to Live. (1st ed. 1979) 7th ed. Beas, Punjab: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1999.
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———. Divine Light. (1st ed. 1967) 7th ed. Beas, Punjab: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1996.
———. 《神圣之光》。（第 1 版，1967 年）第 7 版。旁遮普比阿斯：拉达·索米萨坦·比阿斯，1996 年。

———. Light on Saint John. (1st ed. 1967) 6th ed. Beas, Punjab: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1994.
———. 《圣约翰之光》。（第 1 版，1967 年）第 6 版。旁遮普比阿斯：拉达·索米萨坦·比阿斯，1994 年。

———. Light on Sant Mat. (1st ed. 1958) 9th ed. Beas, Punjab: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1997.
———. 《圣光论》。（第 1 版，1958 年）第 9 版。比克县，旁遮普：拉达·索米萨特桑·比克，1997 年。

———. Quest for Light. (1st ed. 1972) 6th ed. Beas, Punjab: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 2002.
———. 《光之追寻》。（第 1 版，1972 年）第 6 版。比克县，旁遮普：拉达·索米萨特桑·比克，2002 年。

———. Spiritual Discourses. Vol. 1. English translation. (1st ed. 1964) 7th ed. Beas, Punjab: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1996.
———. 《灵性讲道》。第 1 卷。英文翻译。（第 1 版，1964 年）第 7 版。比克县，旁遮普：拉达·索米萨特桑·比克，1996 年。

———. Spiritual Discourses. Vol. 2. English translation. Beas, Punjab: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1997.
———. 《灵性讲道》。第 2 卷。英文翻译。比克县，旁遮普：拉达·索米萨特桑·比克，1997 年。

———. Spiritual Heritage. (1st ed. 1983) 3rd ed. Beas, Punjab: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1998.
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———. Discourses on Sant Mat. English translation. (1st ed. 1963) 5th ed. Beas, Punjab: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1993.
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———. Philosophy of the Masters. Vol. 4. English translation. (1st ed. 1967) 5th ed. Beas, Punjab: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1997.
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———. Spiritual Gems. (1st ed. 1958) 9th ed. (Revised). Beas, Punjab: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1996.
———. 精神瑰宝. (第 1 版. 1958 年) 第 9 版. (修订版). 比哈尔邦比阿斯: 拉达·索米萨坦比阿斯, 1996 年.

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———. Sar Bachan Poetry (Selections). English translation. 1st ed. Beas, Punjab: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 2002.
———. 《萨拉巴克昌诗歌》(选集). 英文译本. 第 1 版. 比斯, 旁遮普: 拉达·索阿米·萨桑·比斯, 2002 年.

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———. In Tukaram, The Ceaseless Song of Devotion. Chandravati Rajwade. (1st ed. 1978) 3rd ed. Beas, Punjab: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 2004.
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Williamson, Marianne. A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles. New York: Harper Collins, 1992.
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