THE TOPS OF the mountains beyond the lake were in dark, heavy clouds, but the shores of the lake were in the sun. It was early spring, and the sun wasn’t warm. The trees were still bare, their branches naked against the blue sky; but they were beautiful in their nakedness. They could wait with patience and certainty, for the sun was upon them, and in a few weeks more they would be covered with tender green leaves. A little path by the lake turned off through the woods, which were mostly evergreens; they extended for miles, and if you went far enough along that path you came to an open meadow, with trees all around it. It was a beautiful spot, secluded and far away. A few cows were sometimes grazing in the meadow, but the tinkling of their bells never seemed to disturb the solitude or take away the feeling of distance, of loneliness and familiar seclusion. A thousand people might come to that enchanted place, and when they had left, with their noise and litter, it would have remained unspoiled, alone and friendly.
湖泊之外的山顶上有黑暗的、厚重的云层， 但湖边在阳光中。当时是早春，阳光不怎么热。 树木仍然光秃秃的，他们的树枝裸露在蓝天下。 但在他们的裸露中，他们是美丽的。 他们可以耐心而坚定地等待，因为阳光就在他们身上， 再过几个星期，他们就会被嫩嫩的绿叶覆盖。 湖边的一条小路穿过树林，树林里大多是常绿植物。 它们延伸了数英里，如果你沿着那条小路走得足够远， 你就会来到一片开阔的草地上，周围到处都是树木。 这是一个美丽的景点，清幽而遥远。 有时会遇见几头牛在草地上吃草， 但它们的铃铛声似乎从未打扰这里的清幽， 也没有带走这种遥远的、自在的和熟悉的隐退感。 一千人可能会来到那个迷人的地方， 当他们离开时，携带着他们的噪音和垃圾， 它将保持未受污染、自在和友好。
That afternoon the sun was on the meadow, and on the tall, dark trees that stood around it, carved in green, stately, without movement. With your preoccupations and inward chatter, with your mind and eyes all over the place, restlessly wondering if the rain would catch you on your way back, you felt as though you were trespassing, not wanted there; but soon you were part of it, part of that enchanted solitude. There were no birds of any kind; the air was completely still, and the tops of the trees were motionless against the blue sky. The lush green meadow was the centre of this world, and as you sat on a rock, you were part of that centre. It wasn’t imagination; imagination is silly. It wasn’t that you were trying to identify yourself with what was so splendidly open and beautiful; identification is vanity. It wasn’t that you were trying to forget or abnegate yourself in this unspoiled solitude of nature; all self-forgetful abnegation is arrogance. It wasn’t the shock or the compulsion of so much purity; all compulsion is a denial of the true. You could do nothing to make yourself, or help yourself to be, part of that wholeness. But you were part of it, part of the green meadow, the hard rock, the blue sky and the stately trees. It was so. You might remember it, but then you would not be of it; and if you went back to it, you would never find it.
那天下午，阳光洒在草地上， 洒在它周围高大而黑暗的树上，那些树用绿色雕刻而成，庄严而静穆。 随着你的入神和内心的唠叨， 随着你的头脑和眼睛到处都是， 不安地想知道雨水是否会在你回来的路上抓住你， 你觉得自己好像擅自进入，不想待在那里； 但很快你就成了它的一部分，成为那种迷人的清幽的一部分。 没有任何种类的鸟类； 空气完全静止了，树梢在蓝天下一动不动。 郁郁葱葱的绿色草地是这个世界的中心， 当你坐在岩石上时，你就是那个中心的一部分。 它不是想象；想象是愚蠢的。 它并不意味着 你试图将自己与如此宏伟的开阔和美相认同； 认同是虚荣。 它并不意味着 在这种未受破坏的天然的清幽中，你试图忘记或放弃你自己； 所有忘我的放弃都是傲慢。 它不是一种因如此的纯洁而产生的冲击或强迫； 所有的强迫都是对真实的拒绝。 你不能做任何事情来捏造你自己，或者帮助自己呈现，成为那个整体的一部分。 但你是它的一部分， 是绿油油的草地、坚硬的岩石、蓝天和雄伟的树木的一部分。 就是如此。你可能记住它，但那样的话，你就不属于它了； 如果你回头朝它走，你永远不会找到它。
Suddenly you heard the clear notes of a flute; and along the path you met the player, a mere boy. He was never going to be a professional, but there was joy in his playing. He was looking after the cows. He was too shy to talk, so he played on his flute as you went down the path together. He would have come all the way down, but it was too far, and presently he turned back; but the notes of the flute were still in the air.
突然间，你听到了一支长笛清晰的音符； 沿着这条路，你遇到了吹奏者，只是一个小男孩。 他永远不会成为一名职业演奏家，但他的演奏中有一种快乐。 他正在照看奶牛。他太害羞了，不敢说话， 所以当你们一起走在路上时，他用长笛演奏。 他本来会一路往下走，但走得太远了，现在他回去了； 但长笛的音符仍然在空中。
They were husband and wife, without children, and comparatively young. Short and well-built, they were a strong, healthy-looking couple. She looked straight at you, but he would look at you only when you weren’t looking at him. They had come once or twice before, and there was a change in them. Physically they were about the same, but there was something different in their look, in the way they sat, and in the set of their heads; they had the air of people who were becoming, or had already become, important. Being out of their usual element, they were feeling a little awkward, constrained, and appeared not to be quite sure why they had come, or what to say; so they began by talking about their travels, and about other matters that were not of great interest to them under the present circumstances.
他们是夫妻，没有孩子，而且相对年轻。 他们身材矮小、健壮，是一对强壮、健康的夫妇。 她直视着你，但他只会在你不看他的时候看着你。 他们以前来过一两次，他们身上发生了变化。 他们在身体上相似， 但在他们的外表上、在坐姿上和他们的头脑里，有某些变化。 他们有那种正在变得或已经变得重要的人的气息。 由于离开了他们习惯的因素，他们感到有点尴尬、拘谨， 似乎不太确定他们为什么会来，或者该说什么； 因此，他们首先谈论了他们的旅行， 以及在这种情况下他们不太感兴趣的其他事情。
“Of course,” said the husband at last, “we do believe in the Masters, but at the moment we are not giving emphasis to all that. people don’t understand, and make the Masters into saviours, super-gurus and what you say about gurus is perfectly right. To us, the Masters are our own higher selves; they exist, not just as a matter of belief, but as an everyday occurrence in our daily living. They guide our lives; they instruct and point the way.”
“当然，” 丈夫最后说， “我们确实相信大师们，但目前我们并没有强调这一切。 人们不理解，把大师们变成救世主、超级上师， 你说的上师是完全正确的。 对我们来说，大师是我们自己的更高自我； 他们存在，不仅仅是作为信仰的问题，而是作为我们日常生活中的日常事件。 他们指导着我们的生活；他们指示和引路。”
To what, sir, if one may ask? “To the evolutionary and nobler processes of life. We have pictures of the Masters, but they are merely symbols, images for the mind to dwell on, in order to bring something greater into our petty lives. Otherwise life becomes tawdry, empty and very superficial. As there are leaders in the political and economic fields, so these symbols act as guides in the realm of higher thought. They are as necessary as light in darkness. We are not intolerant of other guides, other symbols; we welcome them all, for in these troubled times, man needs all the help he can get. So we are not intolerant; but you appear to be both intolerant and rather dogmatic when you deny the Masters as guides, and reject every other form of authority. Why do you insist that man must be free from authority? How could we exist in this world if there were not some kind of law and order, which after all is based on authority? Man is sorely tried, and he needs those who can help and deeply comfort him.”
先生，如果有人可以问的话，引到哪里去呢？ “到生命的进化和更高贵的层面。 我们有大师的图像， 但它们只是象征、图像，使头脑停留于其上， 以便为我们的琐碎的生命带来更伟大的东西。 否则，生命就会变得乏味、空虚和非常的肤浅。 由于政治和经济领域有领导者， 因此这些象征符号充当了更高思想领域的指南。 它们与黑暗中的光明一样必要。 我们不得不容忍其他指导、其他符号； 我们欢迎它们的一切，因为在这困难的时代，人需要他能得到的一切帮助。 因此，我们不得不容忍； 但是，当你否认大师作为向导，并拒绝所有其他形式的权威时， 你显然是不容忍的，并且相当武断。 你为什么坚持认为人必须从权威中解脱出来？ 如果没有某种法律和秩序 —— 这种扎根于权威的东西， 我们怎么能存在于这个世界上？ 人受到严峻的考验，他需要那些能够帮助和给他带来深刻的安慰的人。
Which man? “Man in general. There may be exceptions, but the common man needs some kind of authority, a guide who will lead him from a sensate life to the life of the spirit. Why are you against authority?”
哪些人？ “普通的人。也许也有例外，但普通人需要某种权威， 一个引导他从感性生命到灵性生命的向导。 你为什么反对权威？”
There are many kinds of authority, are there not? There is the authority of the State for the so-called common good. There is the authority of the church, of dogma and belief, which is called religion, to save man from evil and help him to be civilized. There is the authority of society, which is the authority of tradition, of greed, envy, ambition; and the authority of personal knowledge or experience, which is the result of our conditioning, of our education. There is also the authority of the specialist, the authority of talent, and the authority of brute force, whether of a government or an individual. Why do we seek authority?
权威有很多种，不是吗？ 政府的权威是为了所谓的共同利益。 有教会、教条和信仰的权威，这被称为宗教， 以拯救人类免受邪恶，并帮助他文明化。 有社会的权威， 也就是传统、贪婪、嫉妒、野心的权威； 以及个人知识或经验的权威， 这是我们所受的条件限制、我们接受的教育的结果。 还有专家、天才的权威， 以及蛮力的权威，无论是政府的还是个人的。 我们为什么寻求权威？
“That’s fairly obvious, isn’t it? As I said, man needs something to guide himself by; being confused, he naturally seeks an authority to lead him out of his confusion.”
“那相当明显，不是吗？ 正如我所说，人需要一些东西来指引他自己； 感到困惑，他自然会寻求一种权威来引领他走出困惑。”
Sir, aren’t you speaking of man as though he were a being, different from yourself? Don’t you also seek authority? “Yes, I do.”
先生，你说的那个人，好像是一个与你自己不同的人吗？ 你不是也在寻求权威吗？ “是的，我是。”
Why?
为什么？
“The physicist knows more than I about the structure of matter, and if I want to learn the facts in that field, I go to him. If I have a toothache, I go to a dentist. If I am inwardly confused, which often happens, I seek the guidance of the higher self, the Master, and so on. What’s wrong with that?”
“物理学家比我更了解物质的结构， 如果我想学习该领域的事实，我会去找他。 如果我有牙痛，我会去看牙医。 如果我内心感到困惑，这种情况经常发生， 我会寻求更高自我，大师等的指导。 那有什么不对？”
It is one thing to go to the dentist, or to keep to the right or the left side of the road, or to pay taxes; but is this the same as accepting authority in order to be free from sorrow? The two are entirely different, are they not? Is psychological pain to be understood and eliminated by following the authority of another?
看牙医、保持在路的右边或左边行驶、或者纳税，是一回事； 但这与接受权威以摆脱悲伤是一样的吗？ 这两者是完全不同的，不是吗？ 通过遵循他人的权威， 心理上的痛苦，是否能够被理解和消除？
“The psychologist or the analyst can frequently help the disordered mind to resolve its problem. Authority in such cases is obviously beneficial.”
“心理学家或分析师 经常可以帮助紊乱的头脑解决它的问题。 在这种情况下，权威显然是有益的。”
But why do you look to the authority of what you call the higher self, or the Master? “Because I am confused.”
但是，你为什么指望你所谓的‘更高的自我’或大师的权威呢？ “因为我感到困惑。”
Can a confused mind ever seek out what is true? “Why not?”
一个迷惑的头脑能找出什么是真实吗？ “为什么不能？”
Do what it will, a confused mind can only find further confusion; its search for the higher self, and the response it receives, will be according to its confused state. When there’s clarity, there’s an end to authority. “There are moments when my mind is clear.”
做它想做的事，迷茫的头脑只能找到更进一步的困惑； 它对‘更高的自我’的追求，以及它所得到的回应， 将取决于它的困惑状态。 当有了清明，权威就结束了。 “有些时候我的头脑很清楚。”
You are saying, in effect, that you are not totally confused, that there is a part of you which is clear; and this supposedly clear part is what you call the higher self, the Master, and so on. I am not saying this in any derogatory manner. But can there be one part of the mind which is confused and another part which is not? Or is this just wishful thinking?
你实际上是在说，你并没有完全地困惑， 你身上有一部分是清楚的； 这个所谓的清晰部分就是你所说的‘更高的自我’、大师、等等。 我这样说并不是以任何贬义的方式。 但是，头脑里能有一部分是困惑的，而另一部分却不是吗？ 或者这只是一厢情愿的想法？
“I only know there are moments when I am not confused.”
“我只知道有些时候我不困惑。”
Can clarity know itself as being non-confused? Can confusion recognize clarity? If confusion recognizes clarity, then what is recognized is still part of confusion. If clarity knows itself as a state of non-confusion, then it is the result of comparison; it is comparing itself with confusion, and so it’s part of confusion.
清明能知道自己是非困惑的吗？ 困惑能认识清明吗？ 如果困惑认识到清明，那么被认出的东西依然是困惑的一部分。 如果清明本身是一种非困惑的状态，那么它就是比较的结果； 它将自己与困惑进行比较，因此它就是困惑的一部分。
“You are telling me that I am totally confused, aren’t you, sir? But that just isn’t so,” he insisted.
“你是在告诉我，我完全是糊涂的，不是吗，先生？ 但事实并非如此，” 他坚持说。
Are you aware first of confusion or of clarity? “Isn’t that like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg?”
你是否首先意识到困惑或清明？ “那不就像问哪个先出来，先有鸡还是先有蛋？”
Not quite. When you are happy, you are not aware of it; it is only when happiness is not there that you search for it. When you are aware that you are happy, at that very moment happiness ceases. In looking to the Atman – the supra-mind, the Master, or whatever else you may name it – to clear up your confusion, you are acting from confusion; your action is the outcome of a conditioned mind, isn’t it.
不是的。当你快乐时，你没有意识到它； 只有当快乐不存在时，你才会去寻找它。 当你意识到你是快乐的，在那一刻，快乐就已经停止了。 在指望阿特曼 —— 超级头脑、大师，或者其他任何你能说出的名字 —— 来清理你的困惑，你就在困惑中行动。 你的行为是一个受条件限制的头脑的产物，不是吗。
“Perhaps.”
“也许吧。”
Being confused, you are seeking or establishing an authority so as to clear up that confusion, which only makes matters worse. “Yes,” he agreed reluctantly.
感到困惑， 你正在寻求或建立一个权威，以清除这种困惑， 这只会让事情变得更糟。 “是的，” 他勉强同意了。
If you see the truth of this, then your only concern is with the clearing up of your confusion, and not with the establishing of authority, which has no meaning. “But how am I to clear up my confusion?”
如果你看到这件事的真相， 那么你唯一关心的是清除你的困惑， 而不是建立权威，那是没有意义的。 “但是我该如何消除我的困惑呢？”
By really being honest in your confusion. To admit to oneself that one is totally confused is the beginning of understanding. “But I have a position to maintain,” he said impulsively.
通过真正诚实地对待你的困惑。 向自己承认自己完全地困惑，是理解的开端。 “但我要有一个立足之地，” 他冲动地说。
That’s just it. You have a position of leadership – and the leader is as confused as those that are led. It is the same all over the world. Out of his confusion, the follower or the disciple chooses the leader, the teacher, the guru; so confusion prevails. If you really wish to be free of confusion, then that is your primary concern, and maintaining a position has no longer any importance. But you have been playing this game of hide-and-seek with yourself for some time, haven’t you, sir?
那就是它。你有一个领导地位 —— 领导者和那些被领导的人一样困惑。 全世界都是一样的。 出于他的困惑，追随者或弟子们选择了领袖、老师、上师； 所以困惑占了上风。 如果你真的希望摆脱困惑，那么那就是你最关心的问题， 而维护一个地位就没有了任何重要性。 但是你已经和你自己玩了一段时间的捉迷藏游戏， 不是吗，先生？
“I suppose I have.”
“我想我是的。”
Everyone wants to be somebody, and so we bring more confusion and sorrow upon ourselves and upon others; and yet we talk about saving the world! One must first clarify one’s own mind, and not be concerned with the confusion of others.
每个人都想成为某个人物， 所以我们给自己和他人带来更多的困惑和悲伤； 然而，我们在谈论拯救世界！ 一个人必须首先清洁自己的头脑，而不是关心别人的困惑。
There was a long pause. Then the wife, who had been silently listening, spoke in a rather hurt voice. “But we want to help others, and we have given our lives to it. You can’t take away from us this desire, after all the good work we have done. You are too destructive, too negative. You take away, but what do you give? You may have found the truth, but we haven’t; we are seekers, and we have a right to our convictions.”
停顿了很久。 然后，一直默默听着的妻子用一种相当伤心的语调说。 “但我们想帮助别人，我们已经为此献出了生命。 你不能剥夺我们的这种欲望，毕竟我们做了所有好的工作。 你太具有破坏性，太消极了。你拿走，但你给了什么？ 你可能已经找到了真相，但我们没有； 我们是寻求者，我们有权获得我们的信念。”
Her husband was looking at her rather anxiously, wondering what was going to come out, but she went right on. “After working all these years, we have built up for ourselves a position in our organization; for the first time we have an opportunity to be leaders, and it is our duty to take it.”
她的丈夫相当焦急地看着她， 想知道会发生什么，但她继续说。 “经过这么多年的工作， 我们已经为自己在机构中建立了一个地位； 我们第一次有机会成为领导者，我们有责任拿走它。”
Do you think so? “I most certainly do.”
你这么认为吗？“我当然是。”
Then there is no problem. I am not trying to convince you of anything, or to convert you to a particular point of view. To think from a conclusion or a conviction is not to think at all; and living is then a form of death is it not?
那么，没什么问题。 我不是想说服你任何事情， 也不是想说服你支持一个特定的观点。 从一个结论或信念出发去思考，根本不是思考； 而活着就是死亡的一种形式，不是吗？
“Without our convictions, life for us would be empty. Our convictions have made us what we are; we believe in certain things, and they have become part of our very make-up.”
“没有我们的信念，我们的生命将是空虚的。 我们的信念使我们成为现在的样子； 我们相信某些东西，它们已经成为我们组成的一部分。”
Whether they have validity or not? Has a belief any validity. “We have given a great deal of consideration to our beliefs, and have found that they have truth behind them.”
它们是否有效？一个信仰是否是有效的。 “我们充分考虑了我们的信仰， 并发现它们背后有真理。”
How do you find out the truth of a belief? “We know whether there’s an underlying truth in a belief or not,” she replied vehemently.
你如何找出信仰的真实性？ “我们知道信仰中是否存在潜在的真实性，” 她强烈地回答。
But how do you know? “Through our intelligence, our experience, and the test of our daily living, of course.”
但是你怎么知道呢？ “当然，通过我们的智慧，我们的经验和对我们日常生活的测验。”
Your beliefs are based on your education, on your culture; they are the outcome of your background, of social, parental, religious or traditional influence, are they not? “What’s wrong with that?”
你的信仰基于你的教育、你的文化； 它们是你的背景、社会、父母、宗教或传统影响的结果， 不是吗？“那有什么不对吗？”
When the mind is already conditioned by a set of beliefs, how can it ever find out the truth about them? Surely, the mind must first free itself from its beliefs, and only then can the truth concerning them be perceived. It is as absurd for a Christian to scoff at the beliefs and dogmas of Hinduism, as it is for a Hindu to deride the Christian dogma which asserts that only through a certain belief can you be saved, for they are both in the same boat. To understand the truth with regard to belief, conviction, dogma, there must first be freedom from all conditioning as a Christian, a Communist, a Hindu, a Moslem, or what you will. Otherwise you are merely repeating what you have been told.
当头脑已经受到一系列信仰的制约时， 它怎么能找出关于这些信仰的真实性呢？ 当然，头脑必须首先从它的信仰中解放出来， 只有这样，关于它们的真实性才能被感知到。 一个基督徒嘲笑印度教的信仰和教条是荒谬的， 就像一个印度教徒嘲笑基督教的教条一样荒谬， 基督教的教条断言：只有通过某种信仰才能得救， 因为他们俩都在同一条船上。 要理解信仰、信念、教条的真实性， 首先必须摆脱所有的限制： 基督徒、共产主义者、印度教徒、穆斯林或你想到一切。 否则，你只是在重复你被告知的事情。
“But belief based on experience is a different matter,” she asserted.
“但基于体验的信念是另一回事，” 她断言。
Is it? Belief projects experience, and such experience then strengthens the belief. Our visions are the outcome of our conditioning, the religious as well as the non-religious. This is so, isn’t it? “Sir, what you say is too devastating,” she remonstrated. “We are weak, we cannot stand on our own feet, and we need the support of our beliefs.”
是吗？信念投射出体验，这样的体验就强化了这种信念。 我们的异象是我们条件反射的结果，包括了宗教和非宗教的。 就是这样，不是吗？ “先生，你说的太具有破坏性了，” 她反驳道。 “我们很软弱，我们不能自立，我们需要我们信仰的支持。”
By insisting that you cannot stand on your own feet, you are obviously making yourself weak; and then you allow yourself to be exploited by the exploiter whom you have created. “But we need help.”
通过坚持那些，你不能自立，你显然是在使你自己变得软弱； 然后你允许你自己被你创造出来的剥削者剥削。 “但我们需要帮助。”
When you do not seek it, help comes. It may come from a leaf, from a smile, from the gesture of a child, or from any book. But if you make the book, the leaf, the image, all-important, then you are lost, for you are caught in the prison of your own making.
当你不寻求它时，帮助就来了。 它可能来自一片叶子，来自一个微笑，来自一个孩子的姿态，或者来自任何一本书。 但是，如果你把书、叶子、形象都变得重要， 那么你就迷失了，因为你被困在你自己制造的监狱里。
She had become quieter now, but was still worried about something. The husband too was on the point of speaking, but restrained himself. We all waited in silence, and presently she spoke.
她现在变得安静了，但仍然担心一些事情。 丈夫也要说话了，但克制了自己。 我们都默默地等待着，现在她说话了。
“From everything you have said, it seems that you regard power as evil. Why? What’s wrong with exercising power?”
“从你所说的一切来看，你似乎认为权力是邪恶的。 为什么？行使权力有什么不对吗？”
What do you mean by power? The dominance of a State, of a group, of a guru, of a leader, of an ideology; the pressure of propaganda, through which the clever and the cunning exert their influence over the so-called mass – is this what you mean by power? “Somewhat, yes. But there’s the power to do good as well as the power to do evil.”
你说的权力是什么意思？ 一个国家、一个群体、一个导师、一个领袖、一种意识形态的统治地位； 舆论宣传的压力， 通过这种手段，聪明和狡猾的人对所谓的群众施加影响 —— 这就是你所说的权力吗？ “有点，是的。但是有行善的权力，也有做恶的权力。”
Power in the sense of ascendancy, dominance, forceful influence over another, is evil at all times; there is no ‘good’ power.
在对他人的优越、支配、强迫的意义上来说， 权力在任何时候都是邪恶的；没有“好”的权力。
“But there are people who seek power for the good of their country, or in the name of God, peace or brotherhood, aren’t there?”
“但是有些人为了国家的利益， 或者以上帝、和平或兄弟情谊的名义寻求权力，不是吗？”
There are, unfortunately. If one may ask, are you seeking power? “We are,” she replied defiantly. “But only in order to do good to others.”
很不幸，是的。如果有人可以问，你们是在寻求权力吗？ “我们是，” 她挑衅地回答。“但只是为了善待别人。”
That’s what they all say, from the most cruel tyrant to the so-called democratic politician, from the guru to the irritated parent.
他们都是那样说的， 从最残忍的暴君到所谓的民主政治家， 从上师到恼怒的父母。
“But we are different. Having suffered so much ourselves, we want to help others to avoid the pitfalls that we have been through. people are children, and they must be helped for their own well-being. We really mean to do good.”
“但我们是不同的。 我们自己遭受了如此多的痛苦， 我们希望帮助别人避免我们经历过的陷阱。 人们是儿童，为了他们自己的福祉，他们必须得到帮助。 我们真的是想做好事。”
Do you know what is the good? “I think most of us know what is the good: not to do harm, to be kind, to be generous, to abstain from killing, and not to be concerned about oneself.”
你知道什么是好吗？ “我想我们大多数人都知道什么是好： 不伤害、善良、慷慨、戒杀， 不考虑自己。”
In other words, you want to tell people to be generous of heart and hand; but does this require a vast, landed organization, with the possibility that one of you may become the head of it? “Our becoming the head of it is only to keep the organization moving along the right lines, and not for the sake of personal power.”
换句话说，你想告诉人们：心和手要大方； 但这是否需要一个庞大的、有基地的机构， 你们中的一个人有可能成为它的负责人？ “我们成为它的负责人只是为了让机构沿着正确的路线前进， 而不是为了个人的权力。”
Is having power in an organization so very different from personal power? You both want to enjoy the prestige of it, the opportunities for travel which it affords, the feeling of being important, and so on. Why not be simple about it? Why clothe all this with respectability? Why use a lot of noble words to cover up your desire for success and the recognition of it, which is what most human beings want?
在一个机构的权力与个人的权力之间，有如此大的不同吗？ 你们都想享受它的声望， 它提供的旅行机会，重要的感觉，等等。 为什么不简单一点呢？ 为什么要以体面的方式来打扮这一切呢？ 为什么要用很多高尚的话语来掩盖你对成功的渴望和对它的认可， 而这正是大多数人想要的？
“We only want to help people,” she insisted.
“我们只想帮助别人，” 她坚持说。
Is it not strange that one refuses to see things as they are? “Sir,” chimed in the husband, “I don’t think you understand our situation. We are ordinary people, and we don’t pretend to be anything else; we have our faults, and we honestly admit our ambition. But those whom we respect, and who have been wise in many ways, have asked us to take this position, and if we didn’t take it, it would fall into far worse hands – into the hands of people who are wholly concerned with themselves. So we feel that we must accept our responsibility, though we are not really worthy of it. I sincerely hope you understand.”
一个人拒绝看到事实的样子，这难道不奇怪吗？ “先生，” 丈夫插话说，“我不认为你理解我们的处境。 我们是普通人，我们不假装去成为别的什么人； 我们有我们的缺点，我们诚实地承认我们的野心。 但是，那些我们尊敬的人，那些在很多方面都很聪明的人， 要求我们占据这个地位， 如果我们不占有这一位置，它将落入更糟糕的人手中 —— 落入那些完全关心自己的人手中。 因此，我们觉得我们必须接受我们的责任， 尽管我们真的配不上它。我真诚地希望你能理解。”
Is it not rather for you to understand what you are doing? You are concerned with reform, are you not? “Who isn’t? The great leaders and teachers, past and present, have always been concerned with reform. Isolated hermits, sannyasi, are of little use to society.”
难道你不应该理解你在做什么吗？ 你关心改革，不是吗？“谁不是呢？ 过去和现在的伟大领导人和教师始终关注改革。 隔世的隐士、桑雅生，对社会没什么用处。”
Reform, though necessary, is not of much significance unless the whole of man is considered. Cutting down a few dead branches does not make the tree healthy if the roots are unsound. Mere reforms always need further reform. What is necessary is a total revolution in our thinking.
改革虽然是必要的，但除非考虑整个人，否则就没有多大意义。 如果根部不健全，砍掉几根枯枝并不能使树木健康。 仅仅改革，总是需要进一步的改革。 我们需要的是思想上的一场彻底的革命。
“But most of us are not capable of such a revolution, and fundamental change must be brought about gradually, through the evolutionary processes. It is our aspiration to aid in this gradual change, and we have dedicated our lives to the service of man. Shouldn’t you be more tolerant of human weakness?”
“但我们大多数人都没有能力进行这样的革命， 必须通过进化过程逐步实现根本性的变化。 我们的愿望是帮助这种逐渐的变化， 我们把我们的生命奉献给为人类服务。 难道你不应该更宽容人类的软弱吗？”
Tolerance is not compassion, it’s a thing put together by the cunning mind. Tolerance is the reaction from intolerance; but neither the tolerant nor the intolerant will ever be compassionate. Without love, all so-called good action can only lead to further mischief and misery. A mind that’s ambitious, seeking power, does not know love, and it will never be compassionate. Love is not reform, but total action.
宽容不是慈悲，而是狡猾的头脑拼凑起来的东西。 宽容是来自不宽容的反应； 但是，无论是宽容者还是不宽容者，都不会慷慨。 没有爱，所有所谓的善行只能导致进一步的灾难和痛苦。 一个雄心勃勃的、寻求权力、不懂爱的头脑， 它永远不会慷慨。爱不是改革，而是完整的行动。