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2010/08

信徒有四类

真正的虔诚不仅指执行各种宗教仪式，如赞唱圣歌、持诵咒语、参加祈祷会或坐禅等。虔诚指的是对主的坚定而不动摇的信心。信徒有四类：（1）为除痛苦而向神祈求圣恩者，（2）为得美满生活而向神祈福者，（3）探索更精深的人生意义者，及（4）无上灵性知识之识者。

第一类信徒是在陷入困境或受到考验和痛苦后才向神祈祷的人。只有在这样的情况，他才想到神和膜拜神。第二类信徒是祈求主赐予财富、地位和权势的人。他向主祈求子孙满堂、延年益寿、有福气拥有房屋、产业、家畜、黄金、珠宝等以便他帮助和服务他的同胞。大多数人都渴望世俗的利益，不明白，真正的财富即是智慧，真正的产业即是高尚的人格，最有价值的珠宝即是浸濡于神的爱之中。他们热衷于世俗的事物但不明白这些世俗财富外在表象的深奥意义。

第三类信徒是从事真理的探索者。他一直想知道‘神在哪儿？神是谁？我如何达致神？我和神有什么关系？我是谁？’等问题。如果你踏入这一阶段，你会为了获得灵性知识而致力于这些探讨。首先，一定要找出‘我是谁？这世界从何而来？我的目标是什么？’的正确答案。对此三大问题，你感到困惑而试图一睹其端倪，于是，你叩访高人，向他们讨教，服务他们，并且孜孜不倦地研读经典。借由此过程，间接知识转化为直接知识，因为你所听到和研究的教诲转化成为你直接的内在体验。最后，当你完全把这些教诲吸收于你内心时，你置此阶段于后头而成为第四类的信徒，无上真理之识者，具有永恒之智慧者。此智慧就是真正的灵性知识，超凡的知识。它指的就是‘一体性’的体验，对那‘独一无二’的体验。

沉迷于外在事物会导致无穷的伤痛。若你把你的体验置于世俗知识的基础上，你就得忍受起因于这知识的反作用。例如，假设你大力拍打桌子并觉得这么做令你有骄傲之感。你自夸，你狠狠地给了它一掴并肯定会伤害到它。然而，之后，你马上感到狼狈，你发现那物体反而以同样的力度回弹，使你疼痛。世上的知识，其反应常是如此。凡你所为会反应于你身上；凡你所言会反响于你耳内；凡你所思会反映于你心念。世上一切无不卷入反应、反映和反响之中。

在灵性领域里，没有反应，没有反映也没有反响。在这领域内，只有超凡的知识，即真知识。在那儿，你找不到什么东西是分开的，无物能反应也无物能反映或反响，因为在灵性领域里，别无他物，一切是‘一’，万物一体。只要有第二个实体存在，占有它或逃避它的希望就存在；换句话说，有第二个实体，欲望或恐惧的感觉便油然而生。然而，倘若你陶醉在真知之中，你什么也体验不到，不论是人或物；不会有第二者存在。那么，欲望与恐惧都不会产生。那境界只能说是智慧的境界，最高之识的境界了。在那崇高的境界里，你看不到与自性分开的任何东西，也听不到与自性分开的任何东西。你只浸濡于无上的福乐之中。这就是神的永恒的喜悦。

富翁和他四个老婆的故事

有一则小小的故事贴切地说明，我们讨论过的四类的虔诚。有一回，一个拥有四个老婆的富翁有要事，必须出国，为期数月。将返国时，他致函每一个妻子，说他在数周内返国，而如有要购买的物品，来函告知，他会照单采购。

第一个夫人饱受病魔折腾，痛苦万分，活得最不快乐。她寄来一些药名，要丈夫购买一些外国药品，看能否减轻病痛。第二个妻子，物质欲望强烈，写说，“亲爱的，请为我购买精美的珠宝和一些优质的丝绸，还有，时下最流行的物品。”他收到来信，照单购买。

第三个妻子灵性意向强烈。她写信给丈夫，要买一些有关圣贤之生活点滴及生活体验的好书。她常阅读灵性书籍以激励自己对求道的热衷。第四个妻子，也是他最爱的妻子，写说，“亲爱的，我自己什么都不要，只要你平安回来，我就非常快乐了。”

回来时，他带回她们所要之物。第一个妻子得了她所要的外国最新的药物和滋补品。第二个妻子得了瑰丽的珠宝及华丽的丝绸。第三个妻子得了最精致的经书及其他圣典。至于第四个妻子，由于她在信中说‘我什么都不要，只要你平安归来就好了。’她只要他。所以，他回来后就与第四夫人住在一起。其他三个夫人知道了，妒火焚身，于是她们质问，“这么久没见面，你现在回来了，却连上我们家一次都不愿意。原因何在？”丈夫回答，“你们所要求的，我都给了你们。要药，要珠宝，要经书，我一一照办。其中一人要的是我，我就得陪她，现在她拥有我了。”

神回答每一个人的请求

这丈夫是神自己而四个夫人是四类信徒。主会把你们所要求的给你们。如果你要神，神就会前来寓于你内心。神是偿愿树，树上结了一切种类的果子。神会回答每一个人的请求。‘他’是全能的，‘他’无所不在。‘他’知道你要什么，也会把它给你。其实，整个世界就是一棵偿愿树。主利用世界来满足你的欲望并照顾你一切所需。很少人明白这道理。这里有一则故事可以阐释这一点。

有一个旅行者，在烈日下步行了一段好长的时间。最后来到一棵阴凉的大树下，并在树下歇息。在烈日下步行了这么长的路程，他感到疲惫不堪，现在树荫带给他无比舒服的感觉。这时，他感到口渴并对自己说，‘如果有一杯冷水，那该多好！’突然，一杯冷水不知从何处来到他面前。他不知道自己就坐在偿愿树下。喝了水之后，第二个念头涌上来：‘如果能有一个软绵绵的枕头和一张舒适的床，那该多好！这样，我可以好好地休息了’。同样，突然间，床和枕头出现了，是主恩赐的。现在，旅行者可舒服了。

得了床和枕头之后，他自忖，‘太好了，要是妻子在这儿，岂不更加完美！’于是，他的妻子立即出现。她一出现，反而令他害怕起来，因为他不确定：‘她真的是我妻子吗？抑或是恶魔的化身？’这念头在心中一闪，果然他妻子变成一个恶魔。他惊魂失措地说，‘啊！这恶魔会吞食我吗？’说时迟那时快，恶魔扑过来，把他给吞掉了。

这故事的寓意是，在偿愿树下，连心里所想的也一定要非常小心。不管你怀持什么念头，它都会成真。整个世界可比为一棵偿愿树。持善念，得善报，持恶念，则得恶报。是故，你绝不该心怀恶感或恶念。这就是为什么斯瓦米常说‘存善、行善、向善，是归向神的康庄大道’的原因了。

摘自《赛巴巴梵歌》第十四章

The Four Types of Devotees

True devotion does not merely refer to the performance of various religious rituals like singing devotional songs, repeating incantations, engaging in silent or communal prayers or sitting for meditation. Devotion refers to this deep unshakable faith in the Lord. There are four types of devotees: the seekers of boons to relieve their suffering, the seekers of blessings for a full and happy life, the inquirers into the deeper meaning of life, and the knowers of the highest spiritual wisdom.

The first type is one who prays to the Lord when he is in difficulty or undergoing trials and tribulations. It is only at such times that he thinks of the Lord and worships him. The second type is one who entreats the Lord for the blessings of wealth, position and power. He prays to the Lord for progeny and long life and yearns to gain houses, property, cattle, gold, jewels and such things to serve his fellow man. Most people hanker after worldly boons, not realizing that true wealth is wisdom, that real property is a noble character, that the most valuable jewel is to be immersed in God’s love. They are anxious to acquire worldly objects, but do not understand the subtle meaning and deeper significance of all these outer symbols of worldly wealth.

The third type of devotee is ever engaged in inquiry into truth. He constantly seeks to know, ‘Where is God? Who is God? How can I reach God? What is my relationship to God? Who am I?’ When you enter this stage, you become engaged in all these inquiries in order to gain spiritual knowledge. In the first place, you must try to find out, ‘Who am I? Where did this world come from? What is my goal?’ You puzzle over these three important queries and try to gain some understanding. You approach great people, listen to their teaching, serve them, and study the sacred scriptures. Through this process, indirect knowledge gets turned into direct knowledge, as the teachings you have heard and studied become your direct inner experience. Finally, when you have fully absorbed the teachings within yourself, you leave this stage behind and become the fourth type of devotee, the highest knower of truth, the one of abiding wisdom. This wisdom is true spiritual knowledge, the transcendental knowledge. It refers to the experience of unity, the experience of the One without a second.

Dwelling only on external things will cause you endless sorrow. If you base your experiences on worldly knowledge alone, you will have to suffer the reactions that result from this knowledge. For example, suppose you hit a table very hard and feel a sense of pride in doing this. You can boast that you have given it a good smack and that you surely must have hurt it with your blow. But, immediately afterwards, to your dismay, you discover that the object has hit you back with the same intensity and you end up being equally hurt by it. In knowledge of the world there will always be this response. Whatever you do will react back on you; whatever you say will resound back to you; whatever you think will reflect back to you. Everything in the world involves reaction, reflection and resound.

But in the spiritual domain there is no reaction, no reflection and no resound. Within this domain, there is only transcendental knowledge; that is the true knowledge. There you will find nothing separate, no objects which can react, nothing that can reflect or resound, because in the spiritual domain, there will be no other. There, all is one. Whenever there is a second entity there will be a wish to either possess it or to escape it; in other words, there will arise a feeling of desire or a feeling of fear. But when you are immersed in real knowledge, you will experience nothing else and no one else; there will be no second. Then neither desire nor fear can arise. That state can best be described as wisdom, the highest knowledge. In that exalted state, you do not see anything separate from self and you will not hear anything separate from self. You will only be immersed in supreme bliss. This is the eternal joy of the divine.

The Story of The Wealthy Man And His Four Wives

There is a little story which illustrates the four types of devotion that have been discussed here. Once, a wealthy man who had four wives had to go abroad for some important work. He spent a few months in a foreign country. Before he returned home, he wrote a letter to each of his wives. In the letter he mentioned that he would be coming home in a few weeks, and if there was anything they wanted from that particular country, they could send a list and he would be glad to bring back the various things to them.

His first wife was an unhappy lady; she was suffering from many ailments. She sent the husband a list of medicines, explaining that her health was not good and that she would like to have a number of foreign medicines which would help her feel better. His second wife had a great many desires. She wrote, ‘Dear husband, please bring me some fine jewels, some silk saris and all the latest fashionable articles that are available there.’ He received her letter and arranged to procure those items for her.

The third wife had a strong spiritual inclination. She wrote to the husband asking for any good books that were available in that country, books which dealt with the lives of great saints, depicting their life experiences. She was always looking for good spiritual books that would inspire her in her own spiritual aspirations, and so she asked her husband to see if he could find such books and bring them back for her. His fourth and favorite wife wrote, ‘Dearest one, I do not need anything for myself. I will be very happy when I know that you have come back home, safe and sound.’

When he returned home he brought with him whatever they had asked for. The first wife got the latest medicines and tonics from abroad. The second wife got beautiful jewels and exquisitely textured silk saris. To the third wife the husband brought the finest copies of the scriptures and other holy books. And then he went to stay with the fourth wife, who had written, ‘Please come home safely; I want nothing else.’ She only wanted him. The other three wives became jealous of the favorite one since the husband had gone to stay with her. They sent messages asking, “After such a long time without seeing us you have not even once come to our houses to visit us. What is the reason for this?” The husband replied, “ I have given each of you exactly what you asked for. One of you asked for medicines; I brought them. One of you asked for the latest jewels; I brought them. One of you asked for sacred books; I brought them. One of you wanted only me, so now she has me!”

God Answers Everyone’s Requests

This husband is the Lord himself and the four wives are the four types of devotees. The Lord will give you exactly what you ask for. If you ask only for him then he will come and reside in your heart. God is the wish-fulfilling tree, the tree that bears every conceivable kind of fruit. He will answer everyone’s request. He is omniscient. He is everywhere. He knows what you want and he will give it to you. In fact, this whole world is really a wish-fulfilling tree. The Lord uses the world to satisfy your desires and take care of all your wants. There are very few people who understand this. Here is another small story to illustrate this.

There was a traveler who had been walking for a long time in the hot sun. Finally he found a nice big tree and stopped there to take rest. He was very tired after his long walk in the heat and now the shade of the tree was giving him great comfort. While sitting under the tree he got thirsty and said to himself, ‘How nice it would be if I could have a glass of cold water.’ Seemingly, out of nowhere, a tumbler of fresh water appeared. He was sitting beneath a wish-fulfilling tree and did not know it. After drinking the water, a second thought came to his mind, ‘How nice it would be if I could have a soft pillow and a comfortable bed; then I would really be able to rest nicely.’ Immediately, a bed and a pillow came, given by the Lord himself. Now the traveler was very comfortable.

After getting the bed and the pillow, he thought, ‘How very nice and comfortable this bed and pillow are! Now if only I could have my wife here, then how perfect everything would be.’ His wife immediately came. As soon as she appeared, he became very frightened because he was not sure, ‘Is she really my wife, or is she some demon impersonating my wife?’ The very moment this thought flashed though his mind she turned into a demon. Now, fear really overwhelmed him and in terror he wondered, ‘O my! Will this demon swallow me up?’ Immediately the demon pounced on him and swallowed him whole.

The moral of this story is that when you are under a wish-fulfilling tree you must be very careful what you think. Whatever thoughts you have will surely come true. The entire world may be likened to a wish-fulfilling tree. If you have good thoughts, you get good results, if you have bad thoughts, bad results will follow. Therefore, you should never harbor bad feelings or bad thoughts. That is why Swami has so often said, ‘Be good, do good, see good. That is the way to God.’

- Extract from ‘Sai Baba Gita’, 14th Chapter