Can You Show Me God?

2023-06-19 heyumapati  Hare Krishna

Naughty Krishna holding a piece of candy
调皮的奎师那拿着一块糖

Summer 1965. I had just turned twenty-eight.  My friend John and I wandered from shelf to shelf in the mystical section of Weiser’s Book Store in lower Manhattan.
1965年夏天。我刚满28岁。我和我的朋友约翰在曼哈顿下城韦泽书店的神秘书架间徘徊。

Maybe this time we would find it: the magic Zen book, the one we hadn’t read yet, the one that would tell us the secret.
也许这一次我们会找到它：魔法禅宗书，那本我们还没有读到过的书，那本会告诉我们秘密的书。

Just take the time to read the magic Zen book, then take some LSD, and maybe discover the Truth that would lead us into never-ending ecstasy. But I had already read all the Zen books on Weiser’s shelves.
花点时间读读神奇的禅宗书，然后吃点 LSD（迷幻药），也许会发现真相，让我们进入永无止境的狂喜。但是我已经读完了韦泽书架上所有的禅宗书籍。

I wiped my hand over my forehead. It felt wet. I sighed.”It was a genius idea to put the mystical section in the basement,” I thought. The underground coolness offered a relief from the summer heat of Manhattan.
我用手擦了擦额头。感觉很湿。我叹了口气。“把神秘的部分放在地下室是一个天才的想法，”我想。地下的凉爽缓解了曼哈顿的夏日炎热。

The sound of people talking upstairs drifted into the basement. But besides John and me only one other person browsed in the basement: a man maybe approaching forty. John walked up to the man. I followed.
我隐约听到楼上的人在说话。但是除了约翰和我之外，只有另外一个人在地下室里浏览：一个可能接近四十岁的男人。约翰走向那个人。我跟了上去。

“Excuse me, sir,” said John. “Do you know where there are some books on Zen?”
“打扰一下，先生，”约翰说。“你知道哪里有关于禅宗的书吗？”

“Zen is not for Westerners,” said the man. He had a strong New York accent.
“禅不适合西方人，”那个人说。他有很浓重的纽约口音。

“Zen is a violent yoga,” the man continued. “Westerners should practice the yoga of the heart—Christianity.”
“禅是一种暴力瑜伽，”那人继续说道。”西方人应该练习心灵瑜伽——基督教。”

I knew what he meant. I could never practice the austerities of Zen—meditating for hours in the lotus position, my feet crossed with both soles facing upward. My legs aching from the strain. Not to mention the sparse diet and the constant fight against sleepiness during meditation.
我知道他的意思。我永远无法练习禅宗的苦行——以双脚交叉，脚掌朝上的莲花坐的姿势冥想几个小时。我的腿因拉伸而疼痛。更不用说稀少的饮食和冥想期间不断与睡意作斗争。

LSD made all that unnecessary… Or did it?
LSD让这一切变得没必要了… 真的吗？

Yes, good old LSD:  the ultimate flight simulator. It gives you the illusion of sailing through the skies,  but it never really lifts you an inch off the ground.
是，LSD，我的老朋友：终极飞行模拟器。它给你一种在天空中航行的错觉，但它从未真正让你离开地面一英寸。

The man continued. “The Truth is blinding,” he said.
那人继续说道。“真理是耀眼的，”他说。

Of course, I knew that by “blinding” he spoke of a brightness so intense that one could barely look at it.
当然，我知道他所说的“耀眼”是一种强烈到几乎无法直视的亮度。

“Has he really seen the Truth?” I wondered.
“他真的看到真理了吗？”我想知道。

“I’m pure,” the man said almost as if to answer the question. (He pronounced it like PYOO-uh.)
“我是纯洁的，”那人几乎像是在回答这个问题。(他发的音像PYOO-uh)

I suddenly felt a sickness and a pain in the pit of my stomach. “My contamination has reacted against the purity that he emanates,” I thought.
我突然感到一阵恶心，胃里一阵疼痛。“我的污染与他散发出的纯净产生了反应，”我想。

John and I left the store without any Zen books and strolled back out into the sunshine and the summer heat.
约翰和我没有带任何禅宗书就离开了书店，漫步回到阳光和夏日的热浪中。

A year went by before I met my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. I knew I had met someone truly pure this time, and  I didn’t feel any sickness or pain in my stomach. I didn’t need any more Zen books either. The Bhagavad-Gita and Prabhupada’s explanations showed me how to find the elusive Truth never defined in Zen.
一年后，我遇到了我的灵性导师施瑞拉·帕布帕德。我知道这次我遇到了一个真正纯洁的人，我的胃没有任何不适或疼痛。我也不再需要任何禅宗书了。《博伽梵歌》和帕布帕德的解释告诉我如何找到从未在禅宗中定义过的难以捉摸的真理。

How can you find something when you don’t know what you’re looking for? Zen books never reveal the Truth.
当你不知道自己在寻找什么的时候，你怎么能找到呢？禅宗书从不揭示真相。

And LSD? Visions of Greek temples and of sunsets over heavenly beaches.
LSD呢？希腊神庙和天堂海滩上日落的景象。

But Prabhupada told me the secret the first time I heard him speak:
但是帕布帕德在我第一次听到他讲话时就告诉了我这个秘密:

“The Supreme Absolute Truth is a person.
“至尊绝对真理是一个人。”

I studied the Bhagavad-Gita  under Prabhupada’s guidance, especially his published edition, Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. And I learned that this person is Krishna, who lived in India five thousand years ago.
我在帕布帕德的指导下学习了《博伽梵歌》,尤其是他出版的版本《博伽梵歌原意》。我了解到这个人就是奎师那，祂生活在五千年前的印度。

But why Krishna? Why accept as God someone who lived on earth? The answer  begins with the Sanskrit word avatar, “one who descends.”
但是为什么是奎师那？为什么接受一个生活在地球上的人为上帝？答案从梵文单词“avatar”开始——“降临的人。”

The Vedic scriptures speak of many avataras, or divine incarnations, who came into this world and lived among the people—Sri Rama, for example, who lived about a million years ago and killed the demon Ravana.
《韦达经》中提到许多阿瓦塔尔，或者说神的化身，他们来到这个世界，生活在人们中间——例如施瑞·茹阿玛，生活在大约一百万年前，他杀死了恶魔茹阿瓦那。

Or Sri Narasimha, who ripped the demon Hiranya Kasipu’s body to shreds and installed the demon’s son, the great devotee Prahlada Maharaja, on the throne as king of the universe.
或者施瑞·尼星哈，祂把恶魔黑冉亚·卡西普的身体撕成碎片，并让恶魔的儿子、伟大的奉献者帕拉达·玛哈茹阿佳，登上了宇宙之王的宝座。

Or Sri Chaitanya, who spread the chanting of Hare Krishna far and wide.
或者施瑞·柴坦尼亚，祂将哈瑞·奎师那的唱颂传播到四面八方。

And countless more. Except…
还有数不清的。除了…

Except what? Want to know? Come closer.  and I’ll whisper the secret in your ear: Did I say “avataras as countless as the waves of the ocean”? What if I now say, “just one person who has come countless times”?
除了什么？想知道吗？靠近点。我会在你耳边悄悄告诉你这个秘密：我有没有说过“阿瓦塔尔像大海的波浪一样无数”？如果我现在说“只是一个来过无数次的人”呢？

Srila Prabhupada writes:
施瑞拉·帕布帕德写道:

“The expansions of different forms of the Lord, as from Krishna to Baladeva … and innumerable other forms, which are compared to the constant flowing of the uncountable waves of a river, are all one and the same. (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.4.10)
主的不同形式的扩展，从奎师那到巴拉戴瓦…以及无数的其他形象，就好比江河湖海中连绵不断的无尽波涛，全部一样。 (《圣典博伽瓦谭》2.4.10)

And again:
还有：

“There are innumerable incarnations of the Lord, like the waves of the river flowing constantly in and out. (same 2.6.46)
至尊主有无数化身，多的就像河水的波浪层出不穷。(《圣典博伽瓦谭》2.6.46)

But who is the one person? You cannot guess. You have to go to  the Srimad Bhagavatam:
但是那个人是谁呢？你猜不到。你得去看《圣典博伽瓦谭》：

“All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Sri Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead. (1.3.28)
上述提到的所有化身，要么是至尊主的完整扩展，要么是完整扩展的部分，但其中的主奎师那，确是存在中的第一位人格首神。(1.3.28)

In the Bhagavad-Gita Krishna speaks of his own position to Arjuna:
在《博伽梵歌》中，奎师那向阿尔诸那讲述了祂自己的地位:

“O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.( 7.7)
财富的征服者啊，我是至高无上的真理，我是万物的维系者，如线串珠。( 7.7)

Arjuna agrees:
阿尔诸那同意道：

“You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Narada, Asita, Devala and Vyasa confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me. (10.12-13)
您是至尊人格首神，终极的居所，至纯至粹者，绝对真理。您是永恒、超然的第一人，您不经出生就存在，最伟大。所有伟大的圣贤如纳茹拉达、阿西塔、德瓦拉和维亚萨都证实了关于您的真理，而现在您正亲自向我宣说。(10.12-13)

Though not everyone else agrees.
尽管不是每个人都同意。

“But Krishna was just a man!” insisted a fellow traveler, a Muslim at the airport in Bangladesh, till his friend told him to stop arguing.
“但是奎师那只是一个人！”一位在孟加拉国机场同行的穆斯林坚持道，直到他的朋友告诉他停止争论。

“Krishna is the devil,”  said a large sign held up by Christians at our outdoor festival in Los Angeles.
“奎师那是撒旦，”在我们洛杉矶的户外节日上，基督徒举起的大标语说。

You have to expect this says Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita:
你必须预料到这个，奎师那在《博伽梵歌》中说:

“Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.”
在千千万万人之中，也许只有一个人力求达到完美，而在达到完美的人中，几乎没有一个人真正了解我。

So far so good, but what about the avataras?
到目前为止都顺利，但是那些阿瓦塔尔呢？

Elsewhere in the Bhagavad-Gita (4.6-9), Krishna explains the secret to Arjuna:
在《博伽梵歌》的另一个地方(4.6-9)，奎师那向阿尔诸那解释了这个秘密:

“Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living entities, by My internal energy I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself.
虽然我无生，但我超然的躯体永不朽坏；虽然我是众生之主，但我仍以原始的超然形体显现于每一个年代。无论何时何地，每当宗教衰落、反宗教盛行，巴茹阿特的后裔啊，——那时我便亲自降临。

To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.
为拯救虔信者，消灭恶徒，重建宗教原则，一个年代复一个年代，我降临世上。

One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.
人若了解我显现和活动的超然本质，离开躯体后，再也不用降生到这个物质世界。阿尔诸纳啊！他将晋升到我永恒的居所。

So instead of reading about a  path I can’t follow and popping a pill, maybe I should try to see Krishna. But how?
因此，与其阅读关于一条我无法走下去的道路，然后吃一片LSD，也许我应该试着去见奎师那。但是怎么做呢？

In Sri Brahma Samhita, composed at the beginning of the universe, we read this:
在宇宙之初创作的《布茹阿玛·萨密塔》中，我们读到:

“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Syamasundara, Krsna Himself, with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love. (5.38)
我崇拜原始的主勾文达，祂是夏玛逊达尔，奎师那本人，具有不可思议的无数品质，纯粹奉献者在他们的内心深处用带着涂有爱的药膏的奉爱之眼看到祂。(5.38)

It sounds easy enough, but where does an impure soul like me find the the salve of love?
这听起来很容易，但是像我这样一个不纯洁的灵魂到哪里去寻找爱的药膏呢？

Krishna offers an easy solution in the Bhagavad-Gita: We can do it by redirecting our activites. Are you an artist? Paint pictures of Krishna. A singer? Sing about Krishna. But do it all the time.
奎师那在《博伽梵歌》中提供了一个简单的解决方案：我们可以通过重新引导我们的活动来做到这一点。你是艺术家吗？那就画奎师那的画。是一个歌手？那就歌唱奎师那。但是要一直做下去。

“My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding. (11.54)
我亲爱的阿尔诸那啊，只有通过专一的奉献服务才能按我的真实面貌了解我，我就站在你面前，从而被直接看到。只有这样，你才能进入领悟我的奥秘中。(11.54)

And if your work brings in money, use the money to preach about Krishna:
如果你的工作带来了金钱，用这些钱来传播奎师那：

“The work of a man who is unattached to the modes of material nature and who is fully situated in transcendental knowledge merges entirely into transcendence. (4.23)
人若不依附物质自然形态，且全然安住于超然知识，则他的工作也全融汇于超然之中。(4.23)

What else do I need?
我还需要什么别的呢？

Now I haven’t browsed at Weiser’s or even set foot in Manhattan for many years, and my old friend John has vanished into thin air with the Zen books and the LSD.  But Prabhupada has never walked away from me, and I still turn the pages of Bhagavad Gita As It Is to get a better look at Krishna.
我已经很多年没有逛过韦泽，甚至没有去过曼哈顿，我的老朋友约翰也带着禅宗书籍和LSD消失得无影无踪了。但是帕布帕德从未离开过我一步，我仍然翻着《博伽梵歌》以便更好地看奎师那。

—Umapati Swami, June 19, 2023
—— 2023年6月19日，乌玛帕提·斯瓦米

Eternally touching my head to the floor at the lotus feet of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, for showing me all this.
永恒地将我的头置于我的灵性导师施瑞拉·帕布帕德的莲花足下，他向我展示了这一切。

(Note: The opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any organization or any other person.)
(注：本文所表达的为本人观点，不一定反映任何机构或任何其他人的观点。)

Photo top: Naughty Krishna holding a piece of candy (Jishnu Das)

Write to me: hoswami@yahoo.com

© Umapati Swami 2023
Scriptural passages © Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

Srila Prabhupada

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the teacher who brought Krishna Consciousness from India to the West and then to the rest of the world. He is the founder of the worldwide Hare Krishna Movement as well as the author and compiler of many works of Vedic knowledge. He left this world in 1977.

Umapati Swami

One of the first American devotees of the Hare Krishna Movement, he became Srila Prabhupada’s disciple in 1966. Since then, he has preached Krishna Consciousness in many countries and is the author of “My Days with Prabhupada,” available from Amazon. Now 86 years old, he has started this blog to share what he has learned.