基督徒

《愛的四百句箴言》
St. Maximus the confessor著
276 - 300

《400 sayings about love》
by St. Maximus the confessor
276 - 300


76. 當一個人只樂於接受，而不樂意付出時，心中就會升起貪慾。這樣的人無法成為一位好的管理人。
76. The passion of greed is revealed when one is happy in receiving but unhappy in giving. Such a person cannot be a good steward.

77. 人往往會因為以下原因而忍受痛苦：因為對上帝的愛、因為期待得到報償、因為害怕受到懲罰、因為害怕某些人、因為出於天性、為了得到快樂和利益、為了虛榮 心、為了自己的某些需求。
77. A person endures suffering for these reasons: for the love of God, for the hope of a reward, out of a fear of punishment, out of fear of men, through nature, for pleasure, for profit, out of vainglory, or out of necessity.

78. 從想法中或者從情欲中解脫，其實是同的一件事。事實上，如果那件激起情欲的事沒有出現的時候，人們往往可以很容易的從中解脫出來，但情欲卻深藏在靈魂的深 處，一旦情欲渴求的對象出現，情欲也會跟著出現。因此，當情欲渴求的對象出現之時，我們有必要時時覺察自己的心，好確定是那一個部分使我們陷入迷戀之中。
78. It is one thing to be delivered from thoughts and another to be freed from passions. In fact someone may be often delivered from thoughts of those objects in their absence toward which he has acquired a passion, but the passions are hidden in the soul and are revealed when the objects appear. Therefore it is necessary to observe the mind when the objects are present and determine for which of them it holds an attachment.

79. 真正的朋友，即使面對各種誘惑，還是會選擇支持身邊的朋友，並且將對方的苦難與不幸，視作自己的困境，與對方一同面對。即使付出許多，也不會四處抱怨或炫 耀。
79. That is a genuine friend if in time of temptation he supports his neighbor by bearing as his own, without clamor or display, his incidental tribulation, suffering, and misfortunes.

80. 請不要忽視「良知」的聲音，因為，它總是能夠告訴你最好的作法和選擇。事實上，「良知」能夠給我們充滿神性和天使性的建議，它使你面對心中不可見人的污點 時，超脫它們對你的束縛，它使你在離世的那一刻、去到上帝面前時，感覺與上帝十分親密。
80. Do not disregard your conscience when it always recommends the best choices. In fact, it proposes to you divine and angelic advice; it frees you from your heart's secret defilements, and grants you familiarity before God at the moment of departure.

81. 如果你想要變得謹慎又有節制，不做「自負」的奴隸，請務必用心尋求藏在知識深處的真義。尋找的過程中，你將會遭遇許多困惑，也會驚訝於自己的無知，這樣就 能漸漸降伏「自負」。在瞭解自己的過程中，你將會瞭解許多偉大的、美妙的事物，畢竟想著自己「都已經知道了」，就很難再增進自己的知識。
81. If you want to become judicious and moderate and no servant of the passion of conceit, always seek in things what is hidden from your knowledge. You will indeed find a great many diverse things which have eluded you, and you will be astonished at your own ignorance and temper your pride. And in knowing yourself you will understand many great and wonderful things, since to think that one knows does not allow one to advance in knowledge.

82. 一個正在接收治療，並且在療程中十分配合的人，一定很渴望能夠被治癒：我們可以將這些治療比喻為我們在各種情況下遭遇到的痛苦。那些拒絕接受痛苦的人，直 到過世為止，對於這些痛苦帶給人的益處，是完全無知的。
82. A person definitely wants to be healed if he does not put up any resistance to the healing remedies: These are the pains and hurts brought on by many different circumstances. The one who resists does not know what is being worked out here nor what advantage he would draw from it when he leaves this world.

83. 虛榮與貪慾是交互影響的。以世俗的觀點來看，虛榮助長財富，財富助長虛榮，然而這只是世俗的觀點。對出家僧侶而言，越是覺得自己清貧，越容易產生虛榮心。 一個有財產的僧侶，往往以羞愧的心將錢暗藏起來，好像財富對他沒有任何吸引力。
83. Vainglory and greed are mutually begotten of each other, for while the vain grow rich, the rich grow vain, but only in a worldly sense. Since the monk is without possessions he becomes all the more vain, and when he does have money he hides it in shame as something unbecoming to his calling.

84. 僧侶的虛榮心所招致的典型結果，就是使他對自己一切美德感到自大。驕傲會使他對自己的善行過度得意，變得目中無人。他會以為這些善行都是自己的功勞，而不 是將功勞歸於上帝。世俗人的虛榮心和傲慢所招致的典型結果，就是他會為了自己的外表、財富、地位而洋洋得意，變成一個自大的人。
84. It is characteristic of a monk's vainglory that he become vain about his virtue and whatever is associated with it. It is characteristic of his pride that he be elated over his good deeds, dismiss other people, and ascribe these deeds to himself and not to God. It is characteristic of the worldly person's vainglory and pride that he be vain and elated over appearances, wealth, position, and pride.

85. 世俗人的一切成就，對出家僧侶而言，就像一種災難；反之，出家僧侶的一切成就，對世間人而言，也是一種不幸。舉例來說，世俗人的成就有：財富、名聲、地 位、奢華、身體的享受、好孩子…等相關事物。如果將這些成就加諸於某位出家僧侶的身上，他就成為一位失敗的僧侶。反過來說，出家僧侶的成就有：拋棄一切財 產、名聲…等，還有自律、安忍…等精神成就。如果這些成就發生在某位世俗人身上，他會覺得為什麼總是事與願違，好像被厄運纏身。事實上，有些人確實是如 此。
85. The achievements of those in the world are misfortunes for monks, and the achievements of monks are misfortunes for those in the world. For instance the achievements of those in the world are wealth, fame, position, luxury, bodily comfort, fine children, and what is associated with these. If a monk comes to this, he is lost. On the other hand the monk's achievements are to be without possessions, fame, or influence, also self-mastery, endurance, and what is associated with these. If these things happen to a man of the world against his will he considers it a great misfortune and often comes close to hanging himself ; indeed, some have done so.

86. 食物是為了以下兩個理由而被創造：滋養與治療。因此，為了欲望而享用食物，是一種誤用，內心的貪慾應該受到譴責。無論是什麼，如果不瞭解使用的真正目的而 誤用，就是一種罪。
86. Food was created for two reasons, for nourishment and for healing. Therefore those who take it for any other reason misuse what has been given for their use and are condemned for their luxury. And as with everything, misuse is sin.

87. 謙卑就是要不斷地祈禱，和淚水與苦難同在，因為在樣的情形下，我們會請求上帝的幫忙，而不會愚蠢的相信自己的力量和智慧，也不會自大的對待他人，而這些都 是一些危險的疾病，都是驕傲的情欲。
87. Humility is continual prayer with tears and suffering. For this constant calling on God for help does not allow us to trust foolishly in our own strength and wisdom nor to be arrogant toward others. These are the dangerous diseases of the passion of pride.

88. 一方面，我們在對抗內心的小念頭時，要小心不要去擾動情欲。另一方面，在對抗心中的情欲時，要留意不要向它們妥協。在這兩種情況下，我們的心都不該疏忽怠 慢、猶豫不決。
88. It is one thing to fight against a simple thought so as not to arouse passion. It is another thing to fight a passionate thought to avoid giving consent. But in both of these ways the thoughts are not allowed to linger.

89. 憎恨與傷害是相連的。因此，如果在某人的心中，將某位弟兄的容貌與自己受的傷害聯想再一起，就會對他懷有怨恨。然而，「怨恨的道路導致死亡」（箴言 12:28）因為「心中充滿怨恨的人就是違背上帝的律法的人」。
89. Hurt is linked to resentment. Thus when someone's mind associates the face of a brother with hurt, it is clear that he bears him a grudge. But "the ways of the resentful lead to death," because, "every resentful man is a transgressor of the law."

90. 如果你怨恨著某人，請為此人祈禱，這樣才能遏止恨意的發展。藉著祈禱，你可以將「自己所受的傷害」與「記憶當中、他人對待你的惡行」分開，使「恨意」轉為 「善意與愛」，完全將靈魂中的怨念去除。另一方面，如果其他人對你懷有怨恨，請用寬大、謙卑的心包容他，以公正的心對待他，你將會幫助他也脫離怨恨。
90. If you bear a grudge against anyone, pray for him and you will stop the passion in its tracks. By prayer you separate the hurt from the memory of the evil which he did you and in becoming loving and kind you completely obliterate passion from the soul. On the other hand, if someone else bears you a grudge, be generous and humble with him, treat him fairly, and you will deliver him from the passion.

91. 要抑制一個人的嫉妒心，使他的心不再受苦，需要費很大的功夫。因為在他心裡，你身上的好，就是他的失敗與不幸。唯一可行的做法，就是在他面前隱藏某些事 情。然而，如果這些事情對許多人有益，卻會使他苦惱，你會怎麼抉擇呢？當然，你一定要為多數人服務，然而，在利益眾人的同時，也要盡力守護自己的心，不能 讓情欲得逞。因為若是順著心中的情欲，應該報復的對象就會被混淆，你會想著如何去報復那個與你同樣受情欲所苦的人，忘記了你應該報復的對象是「情欲」本 身。然而，如果我們的心能夠擺脫情欲的左右，就能以謙卑的心，將對方視為比自己高尚的人，並且無時無刻、在任何場合或情況下，欣賞對方勝過於欣賞自己。當 你心中嫉妒的那個人喜悅時，你也與他一同喜悅，當你心中嫉妒的那個人傷心時，你也與他一同傷心，這樣你就能清楚察覺內心深處的嫉妒。這樣的做法，就是真正 實踐了宗徒的教誨：「要和喜樂的人同喜樂，和哭泣的人同哭泣。」（羅馬書12:15）
91. You will check the hurt of the envious person with great difficulty, for he considers what he envies in you as his misfortune. It can be checked in no other way but in hiding something from him. But if the thing is helpful to many yet gives him grief, which side will you choose? It is certainly necessary to be of service to the many while still taking as much care as possible that you be not carried off by the vice of passion, since you could be retaliating not against the passion but against the one who is experiencing it. Instead, you will through humility regard him as above yourself and in every time, place, and situation prefer him to yourself. You will be able to check your own envy if you join the one you envy in rejoicing at what he rejoices at and grieving over what he grieves over. In this way you fulfill the Apostle's words, "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep."

92. 我們的心靈處在兩種活躍的勢力中間，一種是美善的道德，一種是敗壞的道德；換句話說，我們的心靈處在天使與惡魔當中。心靈能夠選擇自己想要的，心靈擁有力 量可以追隨某一方、對抗另一方。
92. Our mind is in the middle of two things, each one active at its own work, the one at virtue, the other at vice, in other words between angel and devil. The mind has the power and strength to follow or oppose the one it chooses.

93. 神聖天使因為天性使然，亟欲幫助我們向善。另一方面，情欲與惡念則助長了惡魔的勢力。
93. On the one hand, the holy angels urge us on to the good, and natural tendencies and a good will assist us. On the other hand, passions and an evil will support the assaults of the demons.

94. 有時候，上帝會啟發某個純淨的心靈，並且教導它；有時候，神聖天使會特地籌劃某件好事；有時後，事物真實的本質會在「靜觀」中顯現。
94. Sometimes God himself lights on a pure mind and teaches it, sometimes the holy angels propose fine things, sometimes the nature of material reality is contemplated.

95. 如果心靈已經領受了知識，我們有必要讓心中的念頭免於情欲干擾，讓心靈保有安穩而無憂無懼的「靜觀」與「穩固而不受打擾的祈禱」。然而，即使如此，我們的 心靈總是無法完全避免肉體的情欲或衝動影響到心中的念頭，因為惡魔會發明各種的詭計來矇騙我們的心靈。
95. It is necessary that the mind which has been granted knowledge keep its representations of things without passion, its contemplations secure, and its state of prayer untroubled. But it cannot always keep them from the impulses of the flesh, because it is blackened with smoke from the contrivance of demons.

96. 那些激怒我們的事，並不會使我們感到哀傷，因為使人哀傷的事，遠比使人動怒的事物多多了。譬如：某個東西壞了、掉了，或是某人過世了…等。一旦我們有反宗 教的傾向，對於這些只會使我們哀傷的事，我們將會同時感受到哀傷與憤怒。
96. We are not grieved by the same things that anger us, for the things which produce grief are more numerous than those which produce anger. For instance one thing is broken, another is lost, such a person dies. For these things we have only grief, but for the others we experience both grief and anger so long as we are irreligiously disposed.

97. 當心靈接收到外在事物的形象時，它往往會跟隨著這些形象作改變。當我們的心靈針對不同事物進行靈性靜觀時，也是如此。然而，當心靈進入上帝之中，就會超脫 所有的形象，因為，當心靈靜觀單純的上帝時，它也會變得單純，完全變成光的樣子。
97. When the mind receives the representations of things, it of course patterns itself after each representation. In contemplating them spiritually it is variously conformed to each object contemplated. But when it comes to be in God, it becomes wholly without form and pattern, for in contemplating the one who is simple it becomes simple and entirely patterned in light.

98. 全心全意向著上帝就是「完美的靈魂」。
98. The perfect soul is the one whose affective drive is wholly directed to God.

99. 藉由至高、誠正的信仰，去認識那不可知的「至高者」，達到大智若愚的至高境界，並且，從上帝在宇宙中所創作的一切當中，領受上帝的大能與審判中所蘊含的、 人類理解範圍中的知識，這就是「完美的心靈」。
99. The perfect mind is the one that through genuine faith supremely knows in supreme ignorance the supremely unknowable, and in gazing on the universe of his handiwork has received from God comprehensive knowledge of his Providence and judgment in it, as far as allowable to men.

100. 時間被分為三，而「信」遍及了這三個部份，「望」遍及一個，而「愛」遍及了兩個。「信」與「望」穩定在某個特定的點，對無限的世代和永恆的圓滿而言， 「愛」卻要與唯一的上帝，絕對的無限者合一。因此，「在這三者當中，最偉大的是愛。」
100. Time is divided in three, and faith extends to all three divisions, hope to one, love to two. Faith and hope remain to a certain point, but love for infinite ages in a supreme and ever abounding union with the one who is supremely infinite. And because of this, "the greatest of these is love."