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2016/09

Hari Bhajan Bina...攀登人生高峰的灵性秘诀

作者：苏蕾士哥文达教授

第一章

Hari Bhajan Bina Sukh Shanti Nahi
（若不赞唱神荣耀，何来舒适与平和）

历史的记载揭露了任何时期或任何地方的有智慧的导师务必对那时期社区的困境和挑战加以分析，并提供一个解决方案或提供一个指导方针，给众人去追随。他们成为高耸的灯塔，进而转为众人希望的核心以便众人获得力量与激励去面对人生的挑战与障碍。

无能获得内在的平和与快乐一直是一个问题，但决不像今天人们所体验的那么剧烈。在生活与生命中的几乎每一个阶层所发生的普遍动荡，越来越多的社会弊病和事端，都是这个起因的征兆。斯瓦米用其独特的方式总结问题的起因。

‘人寻求欢乐于远处，寻求平和于静处，然而，欢乐之精神寓于他的内心，而平和之天国就在他自己之内’

斯瓦米通过其怜悯的眼睛得睹人们目前的生计与生活方式后，在祂的演讲中提及，

‘追求一物又一物是没有意义的。你今天所获得的，第二天便失去其魅力，于是，你便开始渴望另一件新的东西。这过程是没有止境的。。。没有满足的。缺乏满足是真正的损失。’

当我们更专心地去反思这一行歌词时，词义的真理就会变得清楚。我们究竟有多少次这么强烈的去渴望某样东西。。。如一件衬衫或一件衣服或一个花俏的的录音机等。若得不到或购不到该物品，我们的心念会受到干扰而心灵也得不到安宁。这美丽的衣服或时髦的衬衫，穿了几次之后，我们对其款式和颜色便开始感到厌腻了。于是心念开始转向我们认为能提供更大乐趣的其他东西。孩提时，我们追求和渴望玩具。少年时，心念喜欢亮丽的衣服，好看帅气的跑车及结交异性朋友。青年时，我们追求高薪的职位，信用卡，豪华的共管式房屋，高尔夫球俱乐部会员当然不在话下了。从一个迷恋换到另一个迷恋。我们不能否定，追求快乐与平和是人的一种鞭策力量以便继续其世俗伟业，然而斯瓦米却说，

‘孩提时，我们把时间花在恶作剧和游戏上；少年时，时间消磨在运动与竞赛上；青年时，时间多用在娱乐与消遣上；中年时，时间消耗在计划与策略上以囤积财富；而在老年时，时间都花在医院和疗养院，以期尝试去支撑日益衰退的健康。。。他缺乏平和的心境，没有时间静静地坐下来。’

这就是世界各地的人所体验的生计与人生本质衰微的起因。斯瓦米在他的一个致辞中总结这种情况时而说，

‘今日世界有如一所没有老师的学校，一座没有神像的寺庙，一个没有植物的花园，一条没有电流的电线。世界各地的人无不尝试以囤积财富，培养势力或知识，来争取权位，但跟随着这一切而来的反叛的自我也囤积起来。因此，人很快地就成为人类的敌人而丧失了自己的人性。他越来越不像人而越来越像魔了。’

在另一个致辞中，斯瓦米说，

‘世界越来越深陷于无礼与残酷之中。端正的行为准则被忽视也被讥嘲。物质比道德更受到人的重视。’

人的无能去探索内在的快乐，其结果是什么？对外在世界这又有什么影响？

‘科学以原子的威力征服了世界。但同时，基于语言、诞生区域及对社会和经济问题的狭隘执着，其狂热正快速的扩张。相像在五千年的人类历史里，总共爆发了一万五千场战争。这就是人类与生俱来的残忍行为的程度。’

几乎像是给目前动荡的一个答案，也像是给不安，动乱，战争，经济崩溃，离婚，自杀以及其他社会犯罪不断增加的例子的一个解毒剂，薄伽梵在第一行的歌词中展示问题所在并提供永恒的解决方案。

Hari Bhajan Bina Sukh Nahi

直接译为‘ 若不赞唱神荣耀，何来舒适（欢喜）与平和。。。’

人只追求Sukh（舒适，欢喜）与Shanti（安宁，平和）。其实，神创造的天地万物，动植物群也都只追求这一点。他们远离痛苦和不快到别的地方去寻求更多的Sukh和Shanti。。。如果把一个盆栽从花园带回家里，而如果仔细观察，我们会发现，花茎停止向上长，反而向窗口长，因为它肯定会体验到阳光所恩赐的Sukh和Shanti。远离痛苦而步向Sukh和Shanti的舒适，自古以来一直是人行动背后的推动力。

斯瓦米澄清Sukh与Shanti之间的不同处，

‘舒适（Sukh，欢喜）与平和（Shanti）会混淆起来 -- 舒适常被等同于平和来看待。富裕者，或居高位者，或腾达者，或有权势者难得拥有心境的平和。你不妨检查和找出这句话的可靠性。银行存折或宏伟别墅或铁保险箱里是找不到平和的。你的整个心态是乱七八糟的。其荒谬的程度一如安装马车于马匹之前，本末倒置者然。肉体的总是次于心灵的。心念是马，而常被忽视，没有做好准备去步上旅程。’

带入在这首歌第一行的名词，Sukh与Shanti的导师表明，最重要的使然力，借之以体验舒适与快乐的就是MIND（心念）。思想构成心念，是故，波动起伏的只有我们的思想。如果我们的思想下沉到沮丧的最深处，它们会把我们的人格一起拖下，所以我们体验到哀伤。带着痛苦哀伤的脸色，兼愠怒和哭泣，退缩和静默，给予千百个借口，说为什么他不要向前走，或者，为什么他不参与日常生活的事务。在另一方面，如果思想积极高昂和充满活力，那么，个人就变得有魄力，有朝气且精神饱满，同时会以愉快的心情去面对每一个挑战。

歌曲的第一行歌词微妙地介绍人生动乱的根本原因。在我们之内体验到Sukh和Shanti的。。。肯定与肉身无关，因为一个富翁纵使拥有所有肉身的舒适，他抱怨自己还是距离快乐甚远！人生的舒适不一定能保证我们得到平和，其实，对人生的舒适的探索有时反而夺走我们的平和。这美妙的歌词表示一种方法论，不但使我们获得‘舒适’的项目和对象，同时也通过获得的东西，赐予我们体验平和与快乐的方法。职是之故，最重要的，在深思静虑后，那内在的使然力必须是MIND（心念），而它负责协助我们享受我们所拥有的，同时还维持一种‘快乐’的意识。

1940年10月20日薄伽梵指出了所有痛苦的根本起因都在于心念本身，是故，心念需要得到训练而导向于膜拜导师足下。我们的导师，父母及长者和智者的足下象征他们所代表的知识和理想。斯瓦米的第一首歌 ‘Manas Bhaj re Guru Charanam’从神圣的口中唱出，其本身就是我们所有问题的解毒剂。。。就是薄伽梵的微妙信息，把心念转化或训练以至于膜拜导师的足下。。。

歌曲中的第一行同时又带来一个要点，Sukh和Shanti基本是人所追求的目标，而除非心念受到削减和控制，否则Sukh和Shanti是不能被体验到的。当然一个学生或会问，‘ 如何削减和控制心念？’ 如果这问题在任何其他Yuga 或时期被问及，答案肯定不同，然而由于这问题是在Kali Yuga（伽利期）被问及，而在这时期，心念已变得脆弱和放荡不羁，从内在释放出许多欲望，智能之光已变得微弱，于是，我们这时期的导师必须提供一个实在的，容易的，保证有效果的解决之道。那答案就是Hari Bhajan。。。或赞唱主的荣耀。

有一些赛中心，其主要的活动看来好像是峇赞（Bhajan），而蓦然看去，歌曲第一行所暗示的看似仅只歌颂主的荣耀就足以获得舒适与平和！苟如此，那么如何解释，纵使峇赞或祈祷集会仍持续着，然而不协调、不快、诽谤、吹毛求疵，凡此种种还是存在于赛中心及其他膜拜礼堂？

要回答那问题，我们就必须了解斯瓦米已强调过的一个显著点，

‘一旦进入海洋的深处，就显得更其安静，更其平和了。骚动、杂声、迷乱 -- 凡这一切只在外层而已。。。在内心的隐秘处，存有一个Shanti（平和）的宝库，那就是你的避难所。’

所以，响亮的催促像是要你潜入更深处以便体验内在的平和与快乐。然而，我们怎能凭借峇赞成就这一点。

斯瓦米解释，

‘峇赞不能借鼓，钹，小提琴以及其它乐器达到效果。这些乐器掩盖了基本要素之缺席；这基本要素即，感觉、情绪、渴望、真诚、信心。。。。峇赞是其中的一个程序，借之，你能够训练心念扩展至永恒的价值。教导心念以陶醉于神的威严与荣耀。清洗掉欢乐与激情的琐屑视域。峇赞在你之内引发一个愿望；要体验真理，要一睹神的雍容华贵，要一尝自性的至福。它鼓励人潜入于他自己并确确实实地成为他自己的真实自性。’

峇赞（Bhajan）取自Bhaj这个字，意为去找寻，去膜拜，去认同。。。训练心念的实用赞唱集会，以便固定于通过所膜拜的主的形相来表达的一个理念，是一种科学的方法去慢慢地静化思想或减少波动。是故，‘Hari Bhajan’是一个让人潜入心念深处的方法。参与峇赞集会时，心念应该集中于深思你所选择的主。在合唱与拍手的兼备下，它能够制止任何杂念进入以致于破坏在心念中的主的形象。Hari 在此指的是无上的，无限的主，有着所有正面的，积极的素质和光辉灿烂的，崇高宏伟的自性。不断地深思主的形象和属性，当然，主所表达的理念不在话下，会平稳地防止能量以思想的方式，通过感官的出口而流失。继续不断地修习这一种Tapas 或苦行会慢慢地给心念提供足够的训练来约束和纪律自己。于是心念开始聆听和遵从自性的指导良知。就是那遵守纪律和受过训练的心念能在人生中作出正确的选择，挑拣合适的物质，以体验Sukh 或舒适，并指导心灵与心念深深地潜入更为平静的Shanti（平和）领域。。。

就是我们体验到的Shanti提供我们内在的稳定与自信。从这样的自信激起渴望去为社会和社区创造美好的成就，同时还不受到俗世活动的干扰或其反应的污染。心念的安定就是树立平和的准则。一切日常生活业务必须从这Shanti中涌起，因而时时提供Sukh给个人及所有人。若常加以修习，我们才能向前迈进以圆满斯瓦米眼里的标准信徒；这在祂于1947年5月25日致给其兄的信中述及，

‘之于一个信徒，我有我自己的定义。。。那就是：一个能以平等心去看待痛苦和欢乐，喜悦与悲哀，尊敬和耻辱的信徒。’

当歌曲的第一行打下攀登顶点的地基时，我们还是能问，如何维持刚获得的平和与快乐。很多人都有这样的体验，就是当我们从峇赞集会走出来时，那世俗的思想和欲望挣开抑制的围墙并扰乱在转瞬间所得到的‘Shanti Lake’（平静之湖）。斯瓦米已说过了，

‘当熏习（vasanas，继承所有前世之习性）之燃料供应于心念火炉之中时，痛苦与喜悦之火便燃烧着。把燃料拿掉，火就熄灭。把熏习拿掉，冲动，敦促和驱策的威力就停止而你就会成为你自己的主宰了。在瑜伽中，这能凭借各种不同的生理的和心理的动作加以完成。然而，虔诚还是达到目的的最简易的法门。’

只有刚找到的平和可使人利用其智力构思出计划与想象。职是之故，公司与工商界把管理层从喧闹嘈杂的职场带到一个海滨或山区的度假胜地去自由讨论一些崭新的，有利润的计划与理念。斯瓦米已说过，

‘Shanti（平和）是敏锐智力所不可或缺的条件。Shanti发挥和扩展人的一切有利的特性。甚至，连远见亦得之于Shanti。借之，障碍与危机也可被测知和避免。’

因此，歌曲的第一行提供一个培育平和的方法。只有在平和之中，智力才能变得敏锐。歌曲的第二行提供增加智力效应的方法。斯瓦米因此而唱道。。。

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斯里沙迪亚赛这么说

“持名的甜美温馨由以下圣贤所做出的例证可见一斑：Narad，Hanuman，Ambarish，Prahlad， Surdas，Tyagraj，Meera，Tukaram，Tulsidas，Guru Nanak，Kabir，Narsinh Mehta，Jalaram， Bhadrachal Ramdas等人，他们得尝‘名号的甘露’并使自己解脱。持名有如一艘船，借之，他们快乐地渡过生死轮回（Samsara）的大洋，从物质世界到心灵或圣灵的领域。”

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Hari Bhajan Bina...Spiritual Tips to climb the mountain of life

by Professor Dr. Suresh Govind

Chapter 1

Hari Bhajan Bina Sukh Shanti Nahi

Pages of history have revealed that wise teachers of any period or from any part of any land must come to analyse the predicament and challenges faced in that community of that period and offer a solution or provide guidance for the masses to follow. They become towering light-houses which in turn become centres of hope for the masses to gain strength and inspiration to meet life’s challenges and obstacles.

The inability to gain inner peace and happiness has always been a problem but never as chronic as experienced by the people today. The general unrest, increasing social ills and turbulence in almost every strata of living and life are the symptoms arising from this one cause. Swami summarised the cause of the problem in His unique way,

‘Man seeks joy in far places and peace in quite spots, but the spirit of joy is in his heart, the heaven of peace is in himself’

Swami through his compassionate eyes must having viewed the current living and living styles of people stated in one of his speeches,

‘that there is no sense in going after one thing after another. What you acquire today loses its charm next day and you begin to desire something new. There is no end to this process…..There is no contentment. Lack of contentment is the true loss.’

When we reflect on this line with greater concentration the truth of the statement will dawn with greater clarity. How many times have we yearned for something so intensely …..like a shirt or a dress or a fancy recorder etc. Our mind will be troubled and our hearts restless until we purchase or somehow obtain the desired object. Hardly have we worn the beautiful dress or the stylish shirt a few times when our mind suddenly becomes bored with the pattern and the colour. Then the mind starts to run after something else which we think can give us greater joy. As a child we run after toys. As a teen youth our mind becomes fascinated with bright dresses, flashy sports cars and in members of the opposite sex. As youth and adults we run after sophisticated high paying careers, credit cards, beautiful condominiums, not to mention membership to golf clubs etc. It is from one fascination to another. It cannot be denied that the search for happiness and peace is the driving force for man to continue his worldly exploits but Swami has said,

‘man spends his childhood in pranks and play, his boyhood in sport and games, his youth in pleasure and pastimes, his middle ages in plans and schemes to pile up fortune and his old age in hospitals and nursing homes trying to bolster up failing health….He has no peace, no spare time for sitting quiet in one place.’

This then is the cause of the decline in the quality of living and life experienced by man all over the world. Swami summarised the situation in one of his speeches by saying that,

‘The world today is like a school with no teacher, a temple with no idol, a garden with no plants, a wire with no current. People all over the world are trying to acquire power by amassing wealth, authority or knowledge, but along with these, the treacherous egoism is also being accumulated. Thus man is fast becoming the enemy of mankind and is fast losing humanity itself. He is becoming less and less of man and more and more of demon.’

In another speech Swami said,

‘The world is becoming more and more deeply immersed in irreverence and cruelty. Codes of decent behaviour are being ignored and laughed at. The material is gaining more attention than the moral.’

What is the result of man’s inability to search for inner happiness? What is the repercussion of this in the outer world?

‘Science has overwhelmed the world with power of atom. But at the same time, the fanaticism based on language, the region of birth and the narrow loyalties to social and economic issues are spreading fast. Imagine in 5000 years of human history there were 15000 wars. This is the measure of brutality inherent in man.’

Almost like an answer to the present crisis and an antidote to the increasing cases of unrest, agitation, wars, economic collapses, divorces, suicides and other social crimes Bhagavan in the first line of the song shows the problem and offers the eternal solution.

Hari Bhajan Bina Sukh Shanti Nahi

Translated directly this would mean that `without singing the glory of God one cannot get comfort and peace ….’

Man seeks only for Sukh and Shanti ….comfort and peace. In fact the entire creation of God, the flora and fauna seeks only this. They move away from sorrow and unhappiness to regions where they can get more of Sukh and shanti…A potted plant if brought into the home from the garden, if carefully observed, we will notice that the stem stops moving upwards but instead moves towards the window where it is assured of experiencing Sukh and shanti bestowed by the sun. Moving away from pain and running towards the comfort of Sukh and shanti has always been the propelling force behind man’s action, from time memorial.

Swami clarifies the difference between Sukh and Shanti,

‘Comfort (Sukh) is confused with Peace (Shanti)-comfort is taken to be the same as peace. None of the rich or well-placed or prosperous or powerful have peace. You can investigate and find out the truth of this statement. Peace is not found in the passbook or a bungalow with many rooms or an iron safe. Your whole attitude is topsy-turvy. It is as absurd as putting the cart before the horse. The physical is subordinate to the spiritual. The mind is the horse and that is neglected, not groomed for the journey.’

The teacher, by bringing in the term Sukh and shanti in the first line of the song suggests that the principal agent through which comfort and happiness can be experienced is the MIND. Thoughts constitute the mind and therefore it is only our thoughts that fluctuate. When our thoughts gravitate to the lower depth of depression they drag our personality along with it and hence we experience sadness. One walks with a sorrowful face sulking and sobbing, withdrawn and silent giving hundreds of excuses why he does not want to move forward or why he does not want to participate in life’s daily transaction. On the other hand if the thoughts are elevating and inspiring the individual becomes dynamic, bubbling with excitement and full of spirit meeting every challenge with a smile.

The first line of the song introduces subtly the root cause of life’s turbulence. What in us experiences Sukh and Shanti…surely not the body, for despite all the physical comforts a millionaire has, he moans that he is still far away from happiness? Comforts of life cannot guarantee us shanti in fact the search for the comforts of life sometimes can rob us of shanti. The beautiful line indicates a methodology of not only procuring items and objects of comfort but also bestowing us the means of experiencing peace and happiness through the objects gained. Hence principally, on contemplation, the inner agent responsible for both aiding us in enjoying what we have and yet maintaining a sense of happiness must the MIND.

Bhagavan had pointed out on 20 October 1940 that the root cause of all misery is the mind itself and hence it needs to be trained and directed towards worshipping the feet of the teacher. The feet of our teachers, parents and the aged and wise people symbolises the knowledge and ideals they stand for. Swami’s first song `Manas Bhaj re Guru Charanam’ that escaped from the divine lips itself was the antidote for all our problems…it was Bhagavan’s subtle message of turning the mind or training the mind to worship the feet of the teacher……

This line in the song again brings home the point that Sukh and Shanti is what man basically runs after and cannot be experienced unless the mind is curtailed and controlled. Naturally a student would have asked `how to curtail and control the mind?’ If the question was asked in any other Yuga OR period the answer would have been different but since it was asked during the Kali Yuga, where the mind has grown weak and wild, with numerous desires springing forth from the inner bosom, where the beam of intelligence has become weak and small, then the teacher of our time must provide a solution that is practical, easy and the results guaranteed. And the solution is Hari Bhajan… …or Singing the glory of the Lord.

The major activity of some Sai Centres appears to be Bhajans and at one glance it would appear that the first line of the song implies that merely singing the song of the lord is enough to gain comfort and peace! If this is so then how do we explain the discord, unhappiness, back biting and fault finding that continue to exist in Sai Centres and also in other halls of worship despite continuous bhajan or prayer sessions?

For us to answer that question we must understand a salient point which Swami has emphasised,

‘Once you enter the depths of the sea, it is all calm, it is all peace. Agitation, noise, confusion- all are only on the outer layers…In the inner most recesses of the heart, there is a reservoir of shanti where you must take refuge.’

Hence the clarion call appears to be to dive deeper so as to experience inner peace and happiness. But how can we achieve this through Bhajans.

Swami explains,

‘Bhajan does not become effective through drums, cymbals, violins and other accessories. They cover up the absence of the essential thing-feeling, emotion, yearning, sincerity, faith. ….Bhajan is one of the process by which you can train the mind to expand into eternal values. Teach the mind to revel in the glory and majesty of God. Clean it away from petty horizons of pleasure and passions. Bhajan induces in you a desire to experience the truth, to glimpse the beauty that is God, to taste the Bliss that is the self. It encourages man to dive into himself and be genuinely his real Self.’

Bhajan comes from the word Bhaj which means to seek, to worship, to identify……The practical session of training the mind to hook onto an ideal expressed through the form of the Lord worshipped, is the scientific methodology of slowly stilling the thoughts or lessening the height of the waves. Hence `Hari Bhajan’ is the methodology given to dive deeper into the recesses of the mind. While experiencing the Bhajan session, there should be contemplation on the chosen lord in the mind. This, coupled with the united singing of the song and the clapping of hands, helps deter any other thought from darting forth to break the image of the lord embedded in the mind. Hari here must mean the supreme, infinite lord with all positive qualities and the resplendent effulgent Higher Self. Constant contemplation on the Lord ‘s form and his attributes, not to mention the ideal the Lord expresses, gently prevents energy in the form of thoughts escaping through the exit doors of the senses. Continuous practise of this kind of tapas or austerity slowly gives sufficient exercise for the mind to be disciplined. The mind begins to listen and obey to the guiding conscience of the self. It is the disciplined and trained mind that makes the right choices in life, procures the right objects for experiencing Sukh or comforts, and guides the heart and mind to dive deeper into the calmer regions of Shanti or peace….

It is this Shanti experience that bestows us the inner stability and confidence. From such confidence rises the yearning to produce wonderful achievements for society and community, yet unruffled by the activities nor stained by the reactions from the world. The unruffled mind is what constitutes peace. This is the Shanti from which all daily routine transactions should spring forth thereby conferring Sukh to the individual and to all others at all times. If this is practised, only then can we inch our way to fulfil the criteria of a devotee from Swami’s perspective which was stated in His letter to His brother on 25 May 1947,

‘I have my own definition of a devotee….one who treats in the same manner pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow, honour and dishonour.’

While the first line of the song lays the foundation for the climb to the peak, the question can still be asked as to how to maintain this new found peace and happiness. It is the experience of many that after we get up from the Bhajan sessions the worldly thoughts and desires break free from the walls of restraint and comes to ruffle the momentarily gained `Shanti Lake’. Swami has said,

‘The fire of sorrow and joy burns when the fuel of vasanas is fed into the furnace of the mind. Take away the fuel and the fire dies out. Take away the vasanas, the force of the impulses, promptings and urges ceases and you become your own master. This is done in Yoga by various physiological and psychological exercises. But Bhakti is the easier means for the end.’

It is only in the new found peace that one can use the intellect to come with plans and vision. It is for this reason that companies and industries take the top management people away from the din and roar of the work place to a resort near the beach or the hills to brainstorm new profitable plans and ideas. Swami has said,

‘Shanti (peace) is essential for sharpness of intellect. Shanti develops all the beneficial characteristics of man. Even farsightedness grows through Shanti. Through that, obstacles and dangers can be anticipated and averted.’

Hence the first line of the song provides a methodology to develop peace. Only in peace can intellect be sharpened. The second line of the song provides a methodology for increasing the efficiency of the intellect and therefore Swami sings……

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Thus Speak Sri Sathya Sai

“The sweetness of Naamsmaran is best exemplified by Narad, Hanuman, Ambarish, Prahlad, Surdas, Tyagraj, Meera, Tukaram, Tulsidas, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Narsinh Mehta, Jalaram, Bhadrachal Ramdas and many others who tasted and drank ‘the Nectar of the Name’ (Naamamrut) and liberated themselves. Naamsmaran was the boat by which they happily travelled across the sea of Samsara, from the world of matter to the Realm of the Spirit, i.e. Divinity.”

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