这篇问答是关于一个人前来问他该怎么做出选择,提问者希望别人帮他做出一个最佳的决策。所以克氏说了没人能够帮另一个人做决定,一个人只能自己负责。但是一个人也应该明白,自己为什么会走到需要选择的那一步,因为实际上,只要一个人有选择存在,那么他就已经处于冲突和对立之中了。因此我们应该去分析和理解自己的整个选择的过程,动机等等。
所以克氏的回答比较简单,也就是我们应该有完整的思考,感觉,这样才能知道自己实际面临的问题,而不是通过意志力或者通过得失来计算哪种选择最有利。如果这么做,那么一个人只能永远处于混乱的冲突之中。
在我们的生活中,我们无时无刻都在进行选择,比如大家可以选择花同样的时间,看那一篇文章或者视频。大家有着相似又有区别的各种评价标准,于是这个市场提供了绝大多数,或者精确定位的细分市场的人们的精神读物。于是我们以为我们的选择是最佳的,因为这种选择会被自己证明和加强自身的正确性。就好比一个人买了一个比较贵重的商品,他就会一直衡量比较自己买的到底值不值。
所以我们的精神世界也变成了一种“什么值得买”的比赛,每个供给方都在试图说服你,做出自己的卖家秀,来吸引更多的买家的信任和投靠。而这种模式,千古不变的一直在继续,而作为消费者的灵性追求者们却自我感觉良好地在评价整个人类、世界和宇宙,因为他们一直在被不知不觉地喂养着,以为自己已经或者将要得到全宇宙的终极真理。
第24章:在人生的十字路口
H. 在一种困惑的相当激动的状态中前来,他解释说他面临着两到三种行动的选择;他走到了人生的十字路口,他不确定自己该走什么路。他可以结婚,追随他多年来一直在发展的艺术冲动,或者他可以离开去某个地方,静下来,学习,冥想。他该做什么,对他来说什么是正确的,他应该选择什么?
经过进一步的交谈,他很快意识到,没有人可以替他选择或帮助他做出决定。如果另一个人说服他采取任何特定的行动,这不仅不再是他的责任,而且他可能会后悔,因为他会觉得自己被说服而做出的选择导致了他缺乏成就感等等。他必须意识到这对自己的重要性(他必须自己负责进行抉择)。
他为什么让自己处于一个可以选择的位置?这是一个选择的问题吗?选择意味着什么?选择,区分不同的选项。是什么动机,是什么力量让你决定选一个而拒绝另一个?你的偏见、倾向、经验、环境影响等等。也就是说,选择取决于你的喜欢和不喜欢,取决于满足感,取决于收益(获得 gain)和利益(profit),取决于你最终或不断变化的欲望等等。这种选择-欲望的冲突是否会引向理解、清晰和无偏见(unbiased)的感知?在这个区分性(歧视性 分别性 discriminative)的过程中,选择的困惑和冲突难道不会一直存在吗?
因为,在选择中难道没有一种对立,一种二元性的感觉吗?在冲突、混乱和对立的状态下,有可能感知到什么是真实的吗?选择的冲突难道不应该停止吗,从而能够有清晰的感知和理解?难道选择不是还处在渴望造成的自我封闭限制之内吗,因此选择永远不能成为解放情感思想的手段?相反,选择不是强化了固执、渴望的意志、对“我”和“我的”的认同(识别),导致孤立和排他性,导致痛苦和悲伤,导致由此产生的幻觉和无知吗?
通过感觉完和思考完选择所包含的东西,通过觉察到选择的整个过程;渴望的困惑和不确定性,以及冲突和对立的意志或选择,就会被理解和化解。这种理解就是冥想,因为没有正确的思考,对立的冲突就会继续。
本文仅对翻译部分和评论申明原创↓下面是本篇文章的英语原文
Chapter 24 AT THE CROSSROADS OF LIFE
H. came, in rather an excited state of perplexity, explaining that he was faced with the choice of two or three actions; he had come to the crossroads of his life, and he was uncertain of what course he should follow. He could marry, follow an artistic impulse which he has been developing for a number of years, or he could go away somewhere, to be quiet, to study, and to meditate. What was he to do, what was the right thing for him, which should he choose?
After further talk, he soon realized that no one could choose for him or help him in his decision. If another persuaded him to any particular action, it would not only cease to be his responsibility, but also later he might regret, feeling that what he had been persuaded to choose had led him to a state of lack of fulfilment and so on. He must realize the importance of this for himself.
Why had he put himself in a position of choice? Was it a question of choice? What does choice mean? To select, to discriminate between different alternatives. What is the motive, the power that makes you decide on one and reject the other? Your prejudice, inclination, experience, environmental influence, and so on. That is, choice depends on your like and dislike, on satisfaction, on gain and profit, on your ultimate or changing desire, and so on. Does this conflict of choice-desire lead to understanding, to clear and unbiased perception? In this discriminative process, will not the confusion and the conflict of choice always exist?
For, is there not in choice an opposition, a sense of duality? Is it possible to perceive what is true in a state of conflict and confusion and antagonism? Must not the conflict of choice cease in order to have clear perception, to understand? Is not choice still within the self-enclosing limitation of craving and so can never become the means of liberating emotion-thought? Does it not on the contrary strengthen obstinacy, the will of craving, the identification of the 'me’ and the 'mine’, leading to isolation and exclusion and to the pain and sorrow, to the illusion and ignorance that arise from it?
By feeling out-thinking out what is involved in choice, by becoming aware of its process, the confusion and uncertainty of craving, with its conflicting and antagonistic wills or choices, is understood and dissolved. This understanding is meditation, for without right thinking the conflict of the opposites will continue.
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