Why a “Forgiveness Movement”
為什麼要發起一場「寬恕運動」
After studying A Course In Miracles for 25 years, I finally got the message. How many different ways does its author, Jesus, need to say that forgiveness is our only function in the world? And why is it the key element in our remembering what is true? Quite simply it is this: The foundation of our belief, the filter through which all our thinking flows, is the conviction that there is something wrong with us—that we are somehow guilty for something we cannot quite define. The effect of this belief is to generally feel unworthy, constantly strive to improve ourselves and identify who we are with what we do. This establishes an attitude of judgment of ourselves and others, effectively separating us from them. The peace and harmony, the joy and love of our God created union with our brother is lost in the turmoil and confusion that results.
學習《奇蹟課程》25年後，我才體會出：它的作者J兄，是怎樣想方設法提醒我們「寬恕是我們在世的唯一任務」。為什麼它是我們憶起真相的關鍵？理由很簡單：我們的基本信念乃是「我是有問題的」。它認定我們做了什麼說不清，道不明的錯事，所以罪孽深重。這個信念過濾我們的一切思想，我們因此普遍感到沒有價值；一刻不停地改善自我；以為我們是什麼人，端看我們做了什麼。我們開始評判自己和他人，分裂與焉而生。上主把我們與弟兄造為一體的平安與和諧，喜樂與愛在分裂導致的混亂中隱沒不見了。
Forgiveness releases the condemnation that guilt has imposed and opens our mind to a way of thinking and seeing that is not dedicated to finding fault. In the most direct way possible it denies that the ego’s unworthy perception is true and offers the peace of acceptance in its place. Since it refuses to condemn, our natural union with one another can be remembered. Because of this, forgiveness is the fundamentally most important thing for us to practice.
寬恕釋放罪咎激起的定罪心態，為我們開啟一種思考和看的方法，這種方法不再著眼於錯誤，最直截地否定了小我的無價值感，代之以自我接納的平安。因為不再定罪，我們遂憶起自己與弟兄的合一本質。因此，寬恕是我們最需要學習的功課。
Forgiveness is what accomplishes the whole complex business we call awakening. It is the practice of undoing our story that there is something wrong with us. It does take a lot of learning to understand why we think and behave the way we do, but once we have understood this, the way we actually change our beliefs is to make different choices and feel the different emotional feed-back we get from them. It is discovering and appreciating how good we feel when we respond to a loving impulse rather than one motivated by fear and guilt. That is the purpose of forgiveness; responding to someone or to our world in a loving way with an intention of joining with them. Creating a new experience entirely the opposite of our “normal” need to make someone wrong because we didn’t like ourselves very much.
寬恕是通向覺醒之路。它能化解我們“我們有問題”的人生劇本。瞭解我們思維方式和行為方式的源頭縱然不易，可是我們一旦瞭解，就可以重新作選擇，改變我們的信念，享受隨之而來的迥異於前的正面的情感回饋。寬恕讓我們聽從愛的召喚，擺脫恐懼與罪咎的誘惑，這樣，我們會欣喜地發現原來我們真的很好。寬恕的目標就是在合一的願望下以愛回應他人和世界。透過寬恕，我們經歷到一個嶄新的世界，跟以前的因為恨自己而歸咎他人的人生大異其趣。
Forgiveness is an attitude that dissolves all our thoughts of something being wrong in the desire just to love. It is the practice of making loving choices to find the freedom and happiness they bring. We have spent lifetimes developing the habit of condemning what is wrong—us—then making up stories that hide the truth about everyone. Practicing forgiveness now takes back our judgment and lets us experience what we had missed before.
只要我們懷著全心去愛的渴望，寬恕會為我們化解一切「我是有問題的」的念頭。它教我們做出愛的選擇，體驗它所帶來的自由和快樂。我們耗盡一生學會了定罪，先是判定我們自己有罪，然後又編造出他人的罪過來隱藏每個人的本來面目。通過練習寬恕，我們收回那些判斷，再次經驗到我們早已遺忘的真實身份。
What else could be more effective or helpful? The simplicity of seeing this as the “fast track,” to paraphrase what Jesus says, rolled around in my mind for several days. I have understood the teaching of forgiveness for many years so I wondered why I had not seen the power of it this clearly before. I asked. Jesus said it wasn’t a matter of not previously understanding that forgiveness was our function, but what I was feeling here was that we, our consciousness, was now ready to accept that this was true. We were ready now to begin to apply it on a broader scale and allow it to take us Home.
還有比這更有效的方法嗎？好幾天我都在想：J兄言簡意賅地用「捷徑」來形容「寬恕」。我早已領會寬恕的真意，為什麼以前沒有這麼清晰地看出它的力量呢？於是我問J兄，祂說並不是我以前不知道寬恕是我們在世的任務，而是現在，我們及人類的集體意識已經準備好接受這個真理。把這個方法廣傳出去，讓它帶領我們「回家」的時機已經到來。
A few days later, I awoke with the image of a billboard in my mind. It said simply, “The Forgiveness Network.” With that image came a myriad of thoughts of what its form was to be: a web site, what the “network” could do, what it could offer in the way of giving and receiving support, sharing forgiveness experiences, and more. I also saw an image of the earth turning gently in space, with pin-points of light radiating outward to show the location of forgiveness “net-workers” willing to witness to what was real in our world. The ideas will continue to unfold as those who want to participate join in and add suggestions. I suspect and hope this will always be true.
之後有一天，剛一睡來，我的心中就出現一塊看板，上面寫著：「寬恕網路」。接著有關它的具體形式的想法接踵而至：一家網站，它的功能，它能給予什麼服務，分享寬恕經驗等等。我還看到地球在太空中緩緩地轉動著，世界各地有心與我們一起見證我們的世界何者為真的「寬恕網路志工」遍佈世界，他們所在的地方也被用光點標示出來，在地圖上閃閃發光，那光芒直達穹蒼，。隨著志願者不斷加入以及大家的集思廣益，這些想法還會繼續展開。我感覺並希望這始終是真的。
The movement of forgiveness has actually been underway since the moment we seemed to “fall asleep” and forget what is true about ourselves. God placed the Holy Spirit in our mind to show us the way to remember, to “awaken” to that truth. The Forgiveness Movement and Network are a way for us to consciously acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s purpose and to pursue it together with conscious intention.
寬恕運動其實在我們「進入夢境」，忘記我們真實身份的那一刻已經開始了。上主把聖靈放進我們心內，讓祂引導我們踏上憶起真相或悟入真理的道路。寬恕運動和寬恕網路只是給我們一個機會，有意識地肯定聖靈的目標，並且自覺地參與這一寬恕大業。
Everyone has an idea now of what forgiveness means to them. The Holy Spirit will use them all to bring about His goal of revealing a forgiven and a peaceful world. ACIM teaches what “real” forgiveness is, and we will look in depth at what that means. But when I think about forgiveness in its simplest form, I am reminded of a line from my favorite Rumi poem:
“Out beyond ideas of right doing and wrong doing, there is a field. I will meet you there.”
「寬恕」是什麼？仁者見仁智者見智。聖靈會善用這一切達成祂的目標——為我們展現一個被寬恕的平安世界。《奇蹟課程》教導什麼是真寬恕，我們會深入探討它的意義。但當我想用最簡單的語言來表達寬恕的含義時，我最喜愛的一句魯米（Rumi）的詩浮現於腦海：
“是非對錯的叢林之外，有一片田野，我就在那兒等你。”
If the prospect of this reunion resonates with you, welcome to the Forgiveness Movement.
如果這重逢的景象引起了你的共鳴，歡迎加入寬恕運動。
The world as we know it is a place of great uncertainty. The path we walk through it seems filled with challenges. There are periods of happiness and satisfaction followed by those of grief and pain; moments of beauty and moments of despair. Love is illusive, while fear is easily found. And in the end, the one certainty is that everything dies.
我們知道這個世界充滿了不確定性。生命之路似乎處處皆有挑戰。歡樂與滿足之後緊跟著悲傷與痛苦；絕美與絕望好似形影不離。愛情虛幻不實，恐懼卻無所不在。最後，唯一能確定的是一切終將灰飛煙滅。
We have come to assume this is simply the way it is, and so spend our time here trying to make a safe haven within the world’s uncertainties, competing with others and the “natural elements” for our share of what we perceive as limited resources. We measure our worth and happiness by how successful we are in our pursuit of these “things.”
我們以為世界理當如此，窮盡一生只為在在動盪不安的世界裏建造一個安樂窩，競爭，奪回那些我們認為有限的世上的物質資源。我們用追逐到的東西衡量我們價值幾何，幸福與否。
There have been teachers in our history who have had insights and revelations that there was a more joyful way to live in the world and taught of how to achieve a more harmonious state of mind. Through time, some began to learn it was possible to live more in harmony instead of constant opposition to one another. Our awareness has evolved and opened now to the greater possibility of a brotherhood of man. One such teacher in our history was a man called “Jesus” who brought us this awareness two thousand years ago, and has extended it to us in a present teaching called A Course In Miracles. Here he explains how to use forgiveness to “undo” our misperception that there is something wrong with us.
歷史上有些先知先覺已經領悟到還有一種更快樂的生活之道，他們教導人們怎樣使心靈更和諧。漸漸地，一些人開始看出人們確實可以過得更加和諧，而非永不休止地你爭我奪。其中一位先知就是那個叫做“耶穌”的人，兩千年前，他將這個覺悟帶給世人，現在他又通過一本叫做《奇蹟課程》的書將他的覺悟推恩給我們。這本書裏，他教我們怎樣用「寬恕」化解「我是有問題的」的錯誤知見。現在，人類的意識已經進化到準備好接受四海皆兄弟的世界了。
Forgiveness is a way to change your mind and so to change your world. It is learning you cannot change what God created whole and pure by choosing not to judge what a meaningless thought of guilt has made. It shows you that there is peace where only pain was known before. Forgiveness lifts the weight of guilt from every mind it touches and sets it free to love of again.
寬恕是改變你的心靈，世界隨之改變之道。我們如果決心不去評判出自罪咎的無謂念頭所造的一切，便能看到上主完整，純潔的創造是永恆不易的。寬恕讓人們在原先只有痛苦之處，看到平安的臨在。寬恕撥開每顆心靈上的罪咎重負，使它們重回愛的懷抱。
The Forgiveness Movement as outlined in my book is an application of the principles for awakening to truth as taught in A Course in Miracles. Forgiveness is the process ACIM uses to deny the illusions of our “human” ego perception and to bring to our consciousness an alternative way to “see” and react to the world. It is a means to literally change our experience of the world to a place of peace and joy. The use of what it calls “true forgiveness” is also the means ACIM uses for ultimately enabling us to awaken from our dream of guilt and separateness.
《奇蹟課程》為我們指出了回歸之道，我在這本小書裏所講「寬恕運動」則是對這些原則的一個具體應用。《奇蹟課程》教我們用寬恕來否定人類「小我」知見造成的幻相，代之以另一種「看」和對待世界的方式。寬恕徹底改變我們的在世經驗，讓我們看到一個平安喜樂的世界。《奇蹟課程》所講的「真寬恕」能幫我們從罪咎與分裂之夢裏覺醒。
This explanation is not a short cut for studying A Course In Miracles. Without a full understanding of all that it teaches and the daily practice of application, it is not possible to truly forgive in a way that will bring real change to our awareness. I hope these pages are a stimulus to pursue more deeply or begin anew this profound and beautiful teaching
這本小書並非學習《奇蹟課程》的捷徑。如果不能充分理解《奇蹟課程》全書的教誨，以及在日常生活中實際應用這些原理，我們不可能真正領會那能夠真正改變我們的意識的寬恕法門。我希望這本小書能夠激發世人更深入學習或重新認識這深奧又美麗的教誨。
Aside from what I have directly quoted from ACIM, much of what I have written here is what I have learned from my own association with Jesus, the author of the Course. We have been in dialogue since 1989, some of which has been earlier published in 1992, in our book, “Dialogue on Awakening.”
除了直接引用《奇蹟課程》之外，這本書裏大部分的內容都出自我與J兄（《奇蹟課程》的作者）的互動。我們從1989年開始對話，其中一部分已經在1992年出版的《耶穌的禪意——覺醒的對話》一書裏公諸於世。
The Forgiveness Movement, as supported by The Forgiveness Network, is a way to join with others while bringing a focus to the principles Jesus teaches in A Course in Miracles by practicing them in our daily lives. But until one has a fuller understanding of what ACIM teaches, the freedom it offers can be misperceived as a way to avoid dealing with pain and suffering, instead of being the means to heal it. Many ask how can you forgive “genocide?” How can you forgive torture, child abuse and starvation? These are questions for which we will suggest an answer that will bring a lasting peace to all the world.
由「寬恕網路」發動的「寬恕運動」可以讓人們攜起手來，在日常生活中練習寬恕，關注J兄在《奇蹟課程》裏教導的寬恕原理。但在我們徹底地理解《奇蹟課程》之前，很可能誤以為它所提供的自由乃是逃避痛苦之路，而非治癒之道。很多人問我「你怎麼能寬恕『種族滅絕』？你怎麼能寬恕酷刑，虐童和饑餓？」我們將為這些問題找出一個能為全世界帶來持久和平的答案。
It is the purpose of this book to begin to open our mind to another way of thinking that can end for all time the hatred and suffering in our individual and collective experience.
這本書的目的正是為了開啟我們的心靈，學習另一種思考方式，它可以永遠終結人類的仇恨和痛苦，無論其出自個人層面還是人類的集體。
作者：Tom Carpenter 張紅雲譯．若水審訂
