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第7章 生活中的快乐自己做主 (7)

我们的整个人生都是充满感性的。美德与邪恶之间的战争一刻也没有停止过。只有善良才是万无一失的投资。在全世界奏响的竖琴乐曲中,善良的主题激励着我们。尽管到了最后,年轻人对此可能会逐渐淡漠,但是宇宙中的规律却是永远不会改变的,永远与最敏锐的人同在。我们拨动一下琴弦,调整一下音调,动人的旋律就会使我们陶醉。那些许多令人厌恶的噪音,传得很远之后,听起来反而像一种音乐,这是对我们生活中卑劣行径的一个绝妙讽刺。

我们能够意识到灵魂中野兽的存在,当我们较崇高的本性变得渐渐麻木时,野兽就开始慢慢苏醒。它卑鄙,贪图感官享乐,并且有可能是无法彻底清除的。就像蠕虫一样,即使是在我们活着和健康的时候,也要寄存在身体里。也许,我们能够回避它,却永远也改变不了它的本性。我担心它的健康状况很好,以至于会使我们原本健康的身体变得不再纯洁。

如果我知道有一位英明的人,能够教给我洁身之道,我一定会毫不犹豫地去找他。然而,精神能够在一个特定的时间渗透,并控制身体的各个器官和功能,然后将最粗俗的贪欲改变成纯净和虔诚。我们旺盛的精力一旦被放纵,就会散布开来,使我们变得不再纯洁;如果稍加节制,就能给予我们鼓舞与启迪。纯洁是人性的花朵,而所谓的天才、英勇、神圣等只不过是它成功的果实。打开通往纯净灵魂的渠道,人类就能立刻到达上帝的面前。纯洁的灵魂使我们欢欣鼓舞,不洁的灵魂使我们消沉沮丧。确保自己心中的野兽日渐消亡的人,是被人们祝福的人,神圣的本质也将在他的灵魂中存在。也许只有卑劣与粗野的习性才会使人蒙羞。我害怕,我们是神与兽的结合,如果是这样的话,我们的生命恰恰就是我们的耻辱。

尽管贪欲形式多样,但终归还是一回事,所有的纯洁本质上都是相同的。纯洁与不纯洁始终势不两立。如果你想变得贞节,那么你就必须节制自己。什么是贞节?人们如何知道自己是否贞节?无从得知。我们听说过美德,但是我们不知道什么是美德。听到谣传,我们便人云亦云。努力可以创造智慧与纯洁,懒惰却只能得到无知与贪欲。学生的贪欲是心智堕落的表现。不纯净的人通常都是懒惰的,他整天坐在火炉旁,不去享受外面的阳光;他整天都躺在床上,不管疲倦与否。如果想要避免不纯洁,避免所有的罪恶,那么就认真地工作吧,即使你的工作是清理马厩。尽管本性难移,但是本性一定要移。

我们毫无顾忌又恬不知耻地谈论着色欲,却对其他贪欲缄口不提。我们如此堕落,以至于不能简单地谈论人性的必要作用。在古代的一些国家里,人性的每个机能都如实地被认知,都受到法律的规范。对于印度的立法者来说,再琐碎的事物都是应该的。然而对于现代人的品味来说,就有些令人厌烦了。他教人们如何吃、喝、拉、撒、睡等,并提升这些最卑微的事情的意义,而不视它们为烦琐之事,对其避而不谈。

每个人都是神殿的建造者,而他们所崇拜的上帝正是他们自身。我们都是雕刻家和画家,我们进行创作的材料就是自身的肉体、鲜血和骨骼。任何高尚的品质都能使人类的特征得以提升,而卑鄙或贪欲只会使人堕落。

每个人都是神殿的建造者,你所崇拜的上帝就是你自己。相信自己,自己就是上帝!

harp [h:p] n. 竖琴

She's a wizard at playing harp.

她是弹奏竖琴的奇才。

slumber ['slmb] n. 睡眠;麻木状态;静止状态

In the spring, the animals wake up from slumber.

在春天里,动物们都从沉睡中醒来。

invigorate [in'vireit] v. 鼓舞;使精力充沛

The heated atmosphere and passionate singing and dancing in

the hall will invigorate you.

大厅里热烈的气氛、激情的歌舞,给您带来活力的迸发。

chastity ['t鎠tti] n. 纯洁;贞洁;简洁

Love is not kisses and smiles but loyalty and chastity.

爱情不是亲吻和微笑,而是忠诚和贞洁。

我们的整个人生都是充满感性的。

我们能够意识到灵魂中野兽的存在。

如果你想变得贞节,那么你就必须节制自己。

But are forever on the side of the most sensitive.

on the side of:拥护……;站在……一边;赞助

He is blessed who is assured that the animal is dying out in him day by day, and the divine being established.

day by day:逐日;一天天

11放轻松

Lighten up

佚名 / Anonymous

These days, it seems that almost all of us are too serious. My older daughter often says to me, "Daddy, you' ve got that serious look again." Even those of us who are committed to nonseriousness are probably too serious. People are frustrated and uptight about virtually everything—being five minutes late, having someone else show up five minutes late, being stuck in traffic, witnessing someone look at us wrong or say the wrong thing, paying bills, waiting in line, overcooking a meal, making an honest mistake—you name it, we all lose perspective over it.

Life is simply as it is. Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best: "Our limited perspective, our hopes and fears become our measure of life, and when circumstances don' t fit our ideas, they become our difficulties." We spend our lives wanting things,people, and events to be just as we want them to be—and when they' re not, we fight and we suffer.

The first step in recovering from over seriousness is to admit that you have a problem. You have to want to change, to become more easygoing. You have to see that your own uptightness is largely of your own creation—it' s composed of the way you have set up your life and the way you react to it.

The next step is to understand the link between your expectations and your frustration level. Whenever you expect something to be a certain way and it isn' t, you' re upset and you suffer. On the other hand, when you let go of your expectations, when you accept life as it is, you' re free. To hold on is to be serious and uptight. To let go is to lighten up.

A good exercise is to try to approach a single day without expectations. Don' t expect people to be friendly. Don' t expect your day to be problem free. Instead, as problems come up, say to yourself, "Ah, another hurdle to overcome." As you approach your day in this manner you' ll notice how graceful life can be. Rather than fighting against life, you' ll be dancing with it. Pretty soon, with practice, you' ll lighten up your entire life. And when you lighten up, life is a lot more fun.

最近这段时间,我们所有人看起来似乎都有些过于严肃。我的大女儿时不时地对我说:“爸,瞧你又板着脸了。”即使是我们当中那些刻意乐观的人,恐怕也是太过严肃了。任何一件小事都可以让我们沮丧、恼火——自己迟到了五分钟,别人晚到了五分钟,交通堵塞,别人误解了我们或者说错了什么,支付账单,排队,烧煳了一顿饭,犯了一个实实在在的错误——不计其数。生活真的就是这样的小事都能让我们方寸大乱。

或许本杰明·富兰克林说得最具体:“我们局限的视角,还有我们的希望和恐惧成为我们评价生活的标尺,只要出现的情形违背了我们的想法,它们就会变成我们的困扰。”我们一生都在期望事事如愿——而当事事不尽如人意时,我们便会反抗,便会为此折磨自己。

改掉过于严肃的心态的第一步是承认你有问题。你不得不有所改变,变得轻松一点儿。你一定要意识到烦躁的心情在很大程度上是你自己造成的——不管是你自己设定的生活方式, 还是你对事物的反应方式。

第二步是了解你的期望值和失望感之间的联系。一旦你所期望的事情没有实现,你就会沮丧、痛苦。同样的,当你抛开过多的期望,当你接受生活本来的样子,你便获得了自由。太过执著的期望必然导致严肃紧绷,敢于放手才能怡然自得。

早晨醒来便下决心在一天里对任何人或事都不抱任何期望,这是一种很好的练习。不要期望人们都是友好的,不要期望这一天能够一帆风顺。这样,当遇到问题时,对自己说:“啊,又有一个需要跨越的障碍。”如果你用这种心态来迎接每一天,你就会发现生活原本是多么美好。与其反抗现实,还不如与它“共舞”。随着不断地练习,过不了多久,你就会让自己的整个生活更加轻松愉快。当你感到愉悦时,生活会变得更加丰富多彩。

水至清则无鱼,人至察则无徒!过于严肃的脸,会让你远离许多笑脸和生命中最灿烂的阳光!

frustrated [fr'streitid] adj. 失意的;挫败的;泄气的

Now he feels frustrated.

现在,他感到很受挫。

perspective [p'spektiv] n. 透视图;远景;观点

From my perspective, it still was not good enough.

从我的角度来说,它还不是很好。

easygoing ['i:zi-ui] adj. 悠闲的;逍遥自在的;脾气随和的;不严肃的

Most of my friends said I had good easygoing personality.

我的多数朋友说我性格随和善良。

hurdle ['h:dl] n. 障碍;跨栏;栏

But he still had one final hurdle.

但他面前还有最后一道障碍。

改掉过于严肃的心态的第一步是承认你有问题。