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埃克哈特談找到平衡
問：我們該如何在個體的意志與整體的生命之流之間找到平衡？
埃克哈特: 藉著與當下時刻保持一致，你就將你的意志與宇宙的意志協調一致，你也可以稱之為“神的意志”。你不再有一個分離的意志。那個分離的意志希望加強或鞏固一個人的自我感。它很關心“我”(me)、“我”(I),和“自我”(ego)。但是還有一個神聖的意識、合一的意識存在，有一個進化的驅動力存在。每一刻我們在這裡所做的，都是要將我們自己與這個合一意識調至同一頻率。
關鍵就是不抗拒，因為只要你還在與當下時刻抗爭，你就會陷落在自我的意志的圈套裡。自我的意志需要讓位 –這就是臣服於當下時刻，臣服於本然(what is)。當你在內在與本然協調一致，起初看上去像是軟弱無力，它可能會被誤解為是要阻止你去採取有效的行動。然而，對本然的接納，其實與回應當下時刻所需是一個意思。無論這一刻是什麼想要被創造出來，想要被顯化，想要被完成 – 要與它協調一致，你首先需要接納這一刻，無論它是以何種形式顯現。
只要挑選出當下這一刻。比如說，當你生病的時候，你並不是要說“我需要接納這個疾病，事實就是我病了，我正在因為這個疾病而遭受痛苦”，因為這些都只不過是一個概念上的故事。你需要接納的僅僅是當下存在的這一刻。在此刻，從來沒有一個疾病真正存在過，存在的只是一個身體的狀況。也許是疼痛，也許是虛弱、無力、不適。這些感受也許存在，這就是你需要接納的。就是當下如是的這一刻。
如果你在某處陷入泥沼，你並不是要說“好吧,我正身處泥沼，我必須接納它，我在這裡 – 我什麼也不做，因為我必須接納事實”。這一刻總是如實存在的，關於這一點你什麼也做不了。這就是你要接納的。一旦接納，那個升起的行動會有一種不同的能量。那個流入你的行動之中的意志不再是基於自我。如果你沒有接納此刻，這個意志會和宇宙作對 – 這正是自我喜歡做的。它是負面的，它認為不應該是這樣，於是與之爭鬥。如果你使用消極負面，你就陷入了自我的圈套。這個“自我的意志”必須讓位於那個更強大的意志，讓它流過，讓它來處理那個情形。它創造，它不是與整體隔離的。它是與整體合一的。當事情這樣運作時，對那宇宙意志的表達的另一個詞就是智慧。只有當你看著一個情形，完全接納當下本然時，智慧才會運作，接下來，當然可能會需要採取一些行動。
一旦有敞開，經由接納，你接下來採取的下一步將有力得多。佛教的說法是“正行”，而這只能從正確的意識狀態之中升起。只有當你走出自我，你才能夠採取正確的行動。佛所談論的是從那覺醒的意識狀態之中流出的行動。自我意志的臣服指的是對當下時刻說“是”。這不是什麼大不了的事，只要對存在的說“是”- 因為無論如何它都已經存在了。為什麼要對已經存在的事情抱怨呢？這是瘋狂的，但也是常見的。
要放棄自我意志，你需要做的就是不抱怨已經發生的事。與當下本然保持一致 – 當下的人、當下的情形，或是其他 – 它已經是如此了。這是存在的必然性。對當下本然變得善意友好，你就會首次成為有智慧的。
只需要臣服於當下時刻的必然性，隨著這個簡單的動作，另一種能量流入了。你可以稱它為宇宙意志，你可以稱它為智慧，你也可以稱它是對那個所謂的“問題”的創造性的解決方案。你還可以說是力量湧入進來，它是那個大於你的受限的頭腦的力量。或者這股力量可以使用你的頭腦，突然，如果情形需要的話，你開始說一些正確的話。突然，一些詞語到來了 – 它們從哪裡來？你不知道下一刻你要說什麼。這些詞語來自於一個更深的層面，因為是那個智慧在使用這個頭腦。
你和這個宇宙合一了，這樣一來，宇宙就經由你這個形式在創造。這就是它的美妙之處。當那個未顯化的流入這世界，它呈現出形式。那些處於尚未覺醒的狀態的人們的想法大多都是古老的不斷重復的思想，是被過去所限制的思考。所有你可以依賴的只能是你在過去所累積的，你是在用受限的思考來處理問題。當那個簡單的臣服的動作打開了你的頭腦，它就可以被作為一個樂器使用。然後，也許會有一個原始的、新鮮的念頭流入進來。這就是形式的誕生。念頭的誕生創造了形式的誕生。宇宙利用你作為一個媒介或是一條管道，它經由你而創造。你就是一。它使用你的頭腦，它從無形變成了思維、語言、最後成為有形的事物。就是通過這樣的方式，頭腦實際上可以是一個很有幫助的工具 – 只要它與那個更大的智慧保持一致，與合一的意識保持一致。
這一切都起始於當下這一刻，起始於你與當下這一刻的關係。是朋友抑或是敵人？你是否允許它，還是在與它戰鬥，與它抗爭？這就是自我的終結 – 因為自我需要抗爭。自我通過抱怨而存活，通過否定或是對當下以外的事情的渴求而存活。
當下時刻就是你的老師。與它合作 – 這真的就是你所需要的全部了。這就是自我意志的終結，反正它也不怎麼有力量。無論它創造什麼，都只不過是在製造更多的麻煩罷了。
這看上去如此簡單，而它真的就是這麼簡單。然而，由於這是人們幾千年以來的習性，常常有人對我說“要完全處在當下時刻，允許它如實存在，這實在是太難了”。當然，真相正好相反。如果你不這麼做的話，生活才會變得很難。你所要接納的只是這一刻的形式而已。沒有別的。然後，看看需要做什麼。只有當這種情形發生，你才是真正的有智慧。
有時，僅僅是安住於臨在的空間，就會激活一些其他的因素，然後，這些看上去從外面進來的因素，改變了這個情形。你激活了整體的智慧。不一定要經歷這個形式。這就是為什麼人們會提到同步性事件的發生，突然，一個有幫助的因素進來了，突然一個對的人出現了，對的事情發生了。當你不知道這是自然現象時，它幾乎是神奇的，它看上去像是個奇跡，因為大多數人還不習慣這個。
當你保持臨在，有時改變並不經由你的行動而發生。有很多的情況是此時此刻無法採取行動。有時你什麼也做不了，但是你可以繼續臨在。然後，一個更大的智慧被啓動了。你常常會發現那個情形正在發生改變。
這個更大的智慧不是你可以用IQ試題來測量的頭腦層面的智力。這是非概念性的智慧。概念性的智力是存儲信息的能力，是分析、比較之類的能力。這是智性之中很小的一個部分。這個非概念性的智慧無限廣大。我們命定要走這條路，好讓我們的整個生命成為一件藝術品。並不僅僅是當你在進行創作性的工作時才進入那個意識狀態。任何創造性的事物都有一簇火花，一種活力，一個品質，一份嶄新和鮮活。你在內在警覺的寧靜的層面與這非概念性的智慧連接。每個人都有它，它是每個人的本質。這就是真正的智慧。你與之連接到什麼程度，無法通過IQ試題來測量。從根本上說，你無法測量創造力。
常常，當下時刻的外在形式看上去像是對你生命的限制，看上去它影響了你的自由。身體也許會生病，你也許發現很難移動身體。當一些極端的情況發生，如果你可以學著接納它，會有一點空間感進入你的生命。你會說“情況就是這樣”。一點小小的空間開啓了，你不再是一個不斷抗爭的實體。接著，你發現自己的本質是無形的空間。換句話說，你找到了內在空間。一開始，它在背景裡溫柔地存在，它存在於每一個情形之中。那個寧靜充滿力量。它可以變得如此有力量，它幾乎可以掃除一切。寧靜是你內在的那個無形。藉著接納有形，你內在的無形開啓了。正是這樣，看上去很糟糕的事 – 一個限制 – 變成了令你認識真正的自己的一個開端。
Eckhart on Finding Balance
Q: How do we find balance between our individual will and the natural flow of life?
ET: By living aligned with the present moment, you also align your will with the universal will, which you could call “the will of God”. You don’t have a separate will. The separate will wants to enhance or strengthen one’s sense of self. The separate will is concerned with the “me”, the “I”, the ego. But there is a divine Consciousness, the one Consciousness, there is an evolutionary impulse. What we are doing here at every moment, is to align ourselves with that.
Non-resistance is vital because as long as you are in resistance to the present moment, you will be trapped in the little egoic will. The egoic will needs to subside – that’s surrender to the present moment, and surrender to what is. When you align yourself with what is internally, it looks at first almost like a position of weakness, and it can be misinterpreted as something that prevents you from taking effective action. But the acceptance of what is, is totally compatible with responding to whatever the present moment requires. Whatever wants to be created, manifested, done, at this moment – to be aligned with that, you need to first accept whatever form this moment takes.
Single out this moment only. For example, when you are ill, you don’t say “I need to accept this illness, the fact that I am ill, that I am suffering from this” because that is a whole conceptual story. All you need to accept is this moment as it is. There is never actually an illness in this moment, there is only a physical condition. There may be pain, there may be weakness, disability, discomfort. Those things may be there, and that’s the only thing you accept. This moment is as it is now.
If you are stuck in the mud somewhere, you don’t say, “Okay, I am in the mud, I have to accept it, and here I am – I’m not taking any action because I have to accept what is”. This moment is already always as it is, and there’s nothing you can do about that. That’s what you accept. Then, action that arises has a different energy to it. The will that flows into what you do is no longer egoic. When you have not accepted this moment, the will goes against the Universe – that is what the ego does. It is negative, it fights something that it says shouldn’t be there. If you use negativity, you are trapped in ego. The “little will” has to subside for the more powerful will to flow through and deal with the situation. It creates, it is not isolated from the totality. It is one with the totality. When that operates, another word for that universal will is intelligence. It’s only when you look at a situation, completely accept the is-ness of this moment, and then of course action may be required.
Once the opening is there, through acceptance, the next step that you take will be much more powerful. There’s a Buddhist term “right action”, that can only arise out of the right state of Consciousness. You have to get out of the ego first before you can have right action. The Buddha was talking about that which flows from the awakened state of consciousness. To surrender the little will is to say ‘yes’ to the present moment. It’s not a big thing, just say yes to what is – because it already is anyway. Why complain about something that is? It’s insane, but normal.
To give up the egoic will, all you have to do is not complain about what is. Be aligned with the isness – people, situations, whatever – this is already as it is. It’s the inevitability of is. Become friendly with what is, and you become intelligent for the first time.
With the simple act of surrender to the inevitability of the present moment, another energy comes. You could call that universal will, you could call that intelligence, you could call that the creative solution to whatever the so-called “problem” is. You could call that power coming in, that is greater than the limited power of your mind. Or it may use your mind, and suddenly you say the right thing, if that’s what the situation requires. Suddenly the words come – where do the words come from? You don’t know what you’re going to say next. They come from a deeper level because that intelligence uses the mind.
You and the Universe become one, and as such it creates through you as this form. That’s the beauty of it. When the unmanifested flows into this world, it assumes form. Most thoughts that people have in the unawakened state are repetitive old thoughts, conditioned thinking, conditioned by the past. All you can rely on then is what you have accumulated in the past, you deal with things through conditioned thinking. When the simple act of surrender opens your mind, it can then be used as an instrument. Then, a thought may come in that is original and fresh and new. That is the birth of form. The birth of thought creates the birth of form. The Universe uses you as a vehicle or a channel through which to create. You are one. It can use your mind, and become thought, words, physical things. That’s the way in which the mind can actually be a helpful tool – alignment with the greater Intelligence, the One Consciousness.
It all starts with the present moment, and your relationship with the present moment. Friend or enemy? Are you allowing it, or are you fighting it, resisting it? That’s the end of ego – because the ego needs resistance. The ego survives through complaining, it survives through denying, or wanting something else.
The present moment is the teacher. Work with that – that’s all you need, really. That’s the end of the “little will”, which isn’t all that powerful anyway. Whatever it creates, creates more problems.
It seems so simple, and it is simple. And yet, because of the many thousands of years of habit-patterns, often people tell me “It’s so difficult to be in the present moment and allow it to be”. Of course, the opposite is true. Life becomes difficult if you don’t. What you accept is the form of this moment. No more. Then, see what’s needed. You are not truly intelligent until that happens.
Sometimes holding that space of simple Presence activates other factors that then come in, seemingly, from the outside to change the situation. You have activated the intelligence of the totality. It’s not necessarily coming through this form. That is why people speak of synchronistic things happening, suddenly a helpful factor comes in, suddenly the right person appears, the right thing happens. Almost miraculous when you don’t know that it’s natural, it seems like a miracle at first because most humans are not used to that.
When you hold Presence, sometimes the change may not happen through your action. There are many situations where action at this moment is not possible. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do, however you can continue to be present. Then, a greater intelligence is activated. Very often you will find change happening in the situation.
This greater intelligence is not the conceptual intelligence that you can measure with IQ tests. It is non-conceptual intelligence. Conceptual intelligence is the ability to retain information, analyze, compare, and so forth. It’s a tiny fragment of what intelligence is. There is a vastness of non-conceptual intelligence. Our destiny is to be in that way, so that our whole life is to become a work of art. Not just be confined to that state of consciousness when you do your creative work. Any creative thing has a spark, an aliveness, a quality, a newness, a freshness. You connect with non-conceptual intelligence in the alert Stillness within. Everybody has that, as their essence. That is true intelligence. To what extent you are connected with that could not possibly be measured through any IQ test. Ultimately, you cannot measure creativity.
Very often, the form of the present moment seems like a limitation on your life, something that is impinging on your freedom. The body could become ill, you may find it hard to move. When something drastic happens, if you can learn to accept it, a little bit of spaciousness comes into your life. You say, “this is what is”. A little bit of space just opened up, and you’re no longer just a resisting entity. Then, you realize that you are essentially formless space. In other words, you find inner peace. At first it is very gentle in the background, in the midst of any situation. That peace is powerful. It can become so powerful, that is obliterates almost anything. Peace is the formless in you. By accepting the form, the formless within you opens up. This is how something seemingly bad – a limitation – becomes an opening for realization of who you truly are.
