08 思考主宰你的行動

In this Part you will find that you may freely choose what you think but the result of your thought is governed by an immutable law! Is not this a wonderful thought? Is it not wonderful to know that our lives are not subject to caprice or variability of any kind? That they are governed by law. This stability is our opportunity, because by complying with the law we can secure the desired effect with invariable precision. It is the Law which makes the Universe one grand paean of Harmony. If it were not for law, the Universe would be a Chaos instead of a Cosmos. 本週你會學到，雖然你可以自由選擇思考的方向，但你的思想會造成何種結果，永遠由一條鐵錚錚的定律來決定！這不是一件光想就覺得很神奇的事嗎？知道自己的生活並非受制於任何一種反覆無常、善變不定的無常，難道不是件很美好的事嗎？我們的生活依循定律而行，定律的穩定性就是我們的機會，因為我們只要依循定律行事，就可以準確地獲得渴望的成果。正因為宇宙依循著定律運行，才能讓宇宙如同一首和諧圓融的盛大讚歌。正因為宇宙依循著定律運行，才能讓宇宙如同一首和諧圓融的盛大讚歌。若不是因為它，宇宙將就是一片混沌亂象，而不是井然有序的體系。

Here, then, is the secret of the origin of booth good and evil, this is all the good and evil there ever was or ever will be. 這就是善惡源頭的奧祕。現在、過去與未來皆然。

Let me illustrate. Thought results in action, if your thought is constructive and harmonious, the result will be good; if your thought is destructive or in harmonious, the result will be evil. There is therefore but one law, one principle, one cause, one Source of Power, and good and evil are simply words which have been coined to indicate the result of our action, or our compliance or non-compliance with this law. 且容我進一步闡明。思想會創造行動，如果你的思想具有建設性、正面和諧，結果理當美好；但要是你的思想具有破壞性、毫不諧調，結果必將不妙。也就是說，宇宙間只存在一條定律、一項原則、一個起因、一股力量之源，所有善與惡不過只是用來區分我們採取的行動所造成的結果，也可以解讀成我們是否遵循或違背這條定律。

The importance of this is well illustrated in the lives of Emerson and Carlyle. Emerson loved the good and his life was a symphony of peace and harmony, Carlyle hated the bad, and his life was a record of perpetual discord and inharmony. 這一點的重要性可以從美國思想家拉爾夫．瓦爾多．愛默生（Ralph Waldo Emerson）與作家湯瑪士．卡萊爾（Thomas Carlyle）的生活經歷中窺見端倪。前者熱愛美好事物，他的一生像是一首寧靜、和諧的交響樂；後者厭惡一切不良事物，使得他的一生像是永遠喧鬧不和的紀錄檔。

Here we have two grand men, each intent upon achieving the same ideal, but one makes use of constructive thought and is therefore in harmony with Natural Law, the other makes use of destructive thought and therefore brings upon himself discord of every kind and character. 這兩位偉大的思想家都矢言實現同一個理想，但其中一位善用具有建設性的思想，因此得以與自然法則和諧共進；另一位卻鑽研破壞性的思想，結果是為自己帶來各種永不止息的不和噪音。

It is evident therefore that we are to hate nothing, not even the "bad," because hatred is destructive, and we shall soon find that by entertaining destructive thought we are sowing the "wind" and in turn shall reap the "whirlwind." 因此，我們顯然不應該厭惡萬事萬物，甚至是「惡性」本身，因為厭惡深具破壞性，而且我們很快就會發現，抱持具有破壞性的想法就像是播下「風」的種籽，最終我們將收穫「風暴來襲」。

PART EIGHT

1. Thought contains a vital principle, because it is the creative principle of the Universe and by its nature will combine with other similar thoughts. 思想涵蓋一個至關重要的原則，因為它是宇宙的創造性原則，就本質來說，將會與其他性質相近的思想互相結合。
2. As the one purpose of life is growth, all principles underlying existence must contribute to give it effect. Thought, therefore, takes form and the law of growth eventually brings it into manifestation. 正如生命的目標之一就是「成長」，所有存在的基本原則都必須為此出一分力。因此，思想得以成形，並透過成長法則彰顯它的存在。
3. You may freely choose what you think, but the result of your thought is governed by an immutable law. Any line of thought persisted in cannot fail to produce its result in the character, health and circumstances of the individual. Methods whereby we can substitute habits of constructive thinking for those which we have found produce only undesirable effects are therefore of primary importance. 你大可自由選擇思考方向，但你的思想將造成何種結果，由一條鐵錚錚的定律掌管著。任何堅定不移的思維，一定會在個人的人格特質、健康和外在環境產生實質的影響。因此，找到有效方法，讓建設性的思維習慣汰換所有帶來不良效應的思維習慣，這件事至關重要。
4. We all know that this is by no means easy. Mental habits are difficult to control, but it can be done and the way to do it is to begin at once to substitute constructive thought for destructive thought. Form the habit of analyzing every thought. If it is necessary, if its manifestation in the objective will be a benefit, not only to yourself, but to all whom it may affect in any way, keep it; treasure it; it is of value; it is in tune with the Infinite; it will grow and develop and produce fruit an hundred fold. On the other hand, it will be well for you to keep this quotation from George Matthews Adams, in mind, "Learn to keep the door shut, keep out of your mind, out of your office, and out of your world, every element that seeks admittance with no definite helpful end in view." 我們都知道，達成這一點並非易事。儘管精神習慣難以掌控，但仍可以做到，方法即是，從這一刻開始，讓那些建設性的思想取代破壞性的思想，並養成分析每個想法的習慣。倘若一個想法有其必要性，倘若它最終產出的客觀結果有益於人，請勿獨自享用，要讓周遭的人雨露均霑。請保留它、珍視它，因為它彌足珍貴，而且與無窮智慧協調一致，因此會成長、發育並結出沉甸甸的果實。另一方面，請謹記美國電視專欄作家喬治．馬修斯．亞當斯（George Matthew Adams）的名言：「要學著小心門戶，任何看起來無法給你的未來帶來明確益處的事物，都會試圖闖進你的心門、你的心靈、你的工作與你的世界，請務必拒它們於外。」
5. If your thought has been critical or destructive, and has resulted in any condition of discord or inharmony in your environment, it may be necessary for you to cultivate a mental attitude which will be conducive to constructive thought. 倘若你的想法多具批判性、破壞性，無論在任何條件的環境下，都只會招致混亂不安與喧鬧不和。所以，你必須為自己培養具建設性思維的心態。
6. The imagination will be found to be a great assistance in this direction; the cultivation of the imagination leads to the development of the ideal out of which your future will emerge. 想像力在這一方面大有裨益。發展想像力有助發掘你的人生理想，而你的理想就是你的未來。
7. The imagination gathers up the material by which the Mind weaves the fabric in which your future is to be clothed. 發揮想像力好比蒐羅各種素材，然後交由心智編織成你未來要穿著的衣裳。
8. Imagination is the light by which we can penetrate new worlds of thought and experience. 想像力就像是一道光，讓我們可以看見一個全新的思維與經歷的世界。
9. Imagination is the mighty instrument by which every discoverer, every inventor, opened the way from precedent to experience. Precedent said, "It cannot be done;" experience said, "It is done." 對所有探險家、發明家而言，想像力是強而有力的工具，他們依靠想像力開闢出一條由「前例」通往「經驗」的道路。前例總說：「這辦不到。」但經驗會說：「搞定了。」
10. Imagination is a plastic power, molding the things of sense into new forms and ideals. 想像力是一種具可塑性的力量，會把所感知的事物塑造成新的形態和想法。
11. Imagination is the constructive form of thought which must precede every constructive form of action. 想像力是一種具建設性的思維，這種思維是所有具建設性行動的基礎。
12. A builder cannot build a structure of any kind until he has first received the plans from the architect, and the architect must get them from his imagination. 建築工非得先拿到建築師繪製完成的藍圖，否則無法施工；而建築師的藍圖必得從想像力出發。
13. The Captain of Industry cannot build a giant corporation which may coordinate hundreds of smaller corporations and thousands of employees, and utilize millions of dollars of capital until he has first created the entire work in his imagination. Objects in the material world are as clay in the potter's hand; it is in the Master Mind that the real things are created, and it is by the use of the imagination that the work is done. In order to cultivate the imagination it must be exercised. Exercise is necessary to cultivate mental muscle as well as physical muscle. It must be supplied with nourishment or it cannot grow. 企業領袖非得先在腦中透過想像力安排整套工作計畫，否則根本無法建立一個大型企業──協調數百間小公司、數千名員工，動用數百萬元資金的大集團。客觀世界裡的物質好比陶藝家手中的陶土，真實的事物都是由偉大的心智孕育而生，最開始也必須借助想像力發揮作用。你若想培養想像力，就要充分練習。就如同肌肉訓練一樣，發展精神力量也要多加練習，並提供其營養，否則不會成長。
14. Do not confuse Imagination with Fancy, or that form of day dreaming in which some people like to indulge. Day dreaming is a form of mental dissipation which may lead to mental disaster. 請不要混淆想像力和幻想，幻想是在做白日夢，有些人就是喜歡耽溺在白日夢。那是一種揮霍浪費精神的無用行為，最終將導致精神疾病。
15. Constructive imagination means mental labor, by some considered to be the hardest kind of labor, but, if so, it yields the greatest returns, for all the great things in life have come to men and women who had the capacity to think, to imagine, and to make their dreams come true. 具建設性的想像力指的是精神勞動，有人甚至認為它是一種最辛苦的勞動。確實如此，但它也會回報當事人最豐碩的果實，因為生命中最美好的一切事物都會朝著那些會思考、想像，並驅策自己實現夢想的人靠近，讓他們美夢成真。
16. When you have become thoroughly conscious of the fact that Mind is the only creative principle, that it is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent, and that you can consciously come into harmony with this Omnipotence through your power of thought, you will have taken a long step in the right direction. 當你意識到心智是唯一的創造原則，知道它無所不能、無所不知、無所不在，你就可以自發自覺地運用思想的能量，與造物者和諧一致，朝著正確的方向大步往前邁進。
17. The next step is to place yourself in position to receive this power. As it is Omnipresent, it must be within you. We know that this is so because we know that all power is from within, but it must be developed, unfolded, cultivated; in order to do this we must be receptive, and this receptivity is acquired just as physical strength is gained, by exercise. 下一個步驟，你要把自己安放在能夠接收這股能量的位置。由於它無處不在，因此必將與你同在。我們都知道一切能量都是由內而生，但這股能量必須用心發展、提升、培育。為此，我們必須先做到樂於接納，這種接收的能力也需要經過訓練而成，一如鍛鍊身體。
18. The law of attraction will certainly and unerringly bring to you the conditions, environment, and experiences in life, corresponding with your habitual, characteristic, predominant mental attitude. Not what you think once in a while when you are in church, or have just read a good book, BUT your predominant mental attitude is what counts. 吸引力法則會準確無誤地依據你的習慣、性格以及心態，在你的生活中呈現相對應的景況、境遇與經歷。這並非你偶爾去教堂沉思或有時閱讀一本好書，就會產生影響，必須是你的主要心態才真正算數。
19. You can not entertain weak, harmful, negative thoughts ten hours a day and expect to bring about beautiful, strong and harmonious conditions by ten minutes of strong, positive, creative thought. 一天二十四個小時裡，你若是花費了十個小時耽溺在軟弱、有害而且負面的想法中，就別想指望自己只花十分鐘就能萌生強力、積極、具有創造性的想法，還以為自己可以開創美好、強大、和諧的景況。
20. Real power comes from within. All power that anybody can possibly use is within man, only waiting to be brought into visibility by his first recognizing it, and then affirming it as his, working it into his consciousness until he becomes one with it. 貨真價實的力量源自內心。我們所有人可以發揮的所有力量其實都源自我們的內在力量，只不過得等你開始認識它，才能讓它變得清晰可見；但此後你就能主張這股力量的所有權，並把它融入你的意識，直到你與它合而為一。如此，這股力量才能顯現在有形世界中。
21. People say that they desire abundant life, and so they do, but so many interpret this to mean that if they will exercise their muscles or breathe scientifically, eat certain foods in certain ways, drink so many glasses of water every day of just a certain temperature, keep out of drafts, they will attain the abundant life they seek. The result of such methods is but indifferent. However, when man awakens to the truth, and affirms his oneness with all Life, he finds that he takes on the clear eye, the elastic step, the vigor of youth; he finds that he has discovered the source of all power. 人們都說希望自己能夠長命百歲，他們的確想要。然而很多人以為想要長命百歲，就得勤加鍛鍊肌力、採用科學方式呼吸、挑選健康的飲食方式與食物，每天喝大量溫水，杜絕飲料，這樣就能延年益壽。但這種做法的結果其實根本無關緊要。不過，若是有人及早醒悟這項事實，並確信自己與「生命之源」的一致性，他將發現自己變得耳聰目明、腳步輕快，而且再度盈滿青春活力；此時他將理解自己終於找到一切能量的泉源。
22. All mistakes are but the mistakes of ignorance. Knowledge gaining and consequent power is what determines growth and evolution. The recognition and demonstration of knowledge is what constitutes power, and this power is spiritual power, and this spiritual power is the power which lies at the heart of all things; it is the soul of the universe. 所有錯誤都源於無知。學習知識會因此得到力量，這是成長和進步的決定性因素。對知識的認知與展現構成了力量，這股力量是精神力量，精神力量是萬物的核心，是宇宙的靈魂。
23. This knowledge is the result of man's ability to think; thought is therefore the germ of man's conscious evolution. When man ceases to advance in his thoughts and ideals, his forces immediately begin to disintegrate and his countenance gradually registers these changing conditions. 知識是人類思考能力產生的結果，因此，思想就是人類意識進化的種籽。當我們的思想與理想停止進步，個人的力量就會開始崩壞，外觀也會隨之改變，反映諸多變化的狀況。
24. Successful men make it their business to hold ideals of the conditions which they wish to realize. They constantly hold in mind the next step necessary to the ideal for which they are striving. Thoughts are the materials with which they build, and the imagination is their mental work-shop. Mind is the ever moving force with which they secure the persons and circumstance necessary to build their success structure, and imagination is the matrix in which all great things are fashioned. 成功人士總是緊守他們期望實現的理想，把要達成目標的下一個步驟銘記在心。思想是他們建構理想的建材，想像力則是他們的精神工班。心智是他們用以掌控周遭必要環境和人物永不止息的動力，這是他們成功的必要條件；而想像力正是一切偉大事物誕生的基礎。
25. If you have been faithful to your ideal, you will hear the call when circumstances are ready to materialize your plans and results will correspond in the exact ratio of your fidelity to your ideal. The ideal steadily held is what pre-determines and attracts the necessary conditions for its fulfillment. 倘若你對自己的理想有堅定的信念，一旦周遭環境成熟有利實現計畫時，你就會聽到發自內心的召喚，結果終將與你對理想的堅定程度成正比。你若能堅定不移地捍衛理想，便能為成功做準備，也能吸引必要的條件。
26. It is thus that you may weave a garment of spirit and power into the web of your entire existence; it is thus that you may lead a charmed life and be forever protected from all harm; it is thus that you may become a positive force whereby conditions of opulence and harmony may be attracted to you. 如果你可以把靈性與力量融入生活，你就可以過上一帆風順的生活，免受一切患難折磨。你也因此可以產生積極向上的正向力量，將富足與和諧磁吸到你的生命中。
27. This is the leaven which is gradually permeating the general consciousness and is largely responsible for the conditions of unrest which are everywhere evident. 對這些知識的無知，就像逐漸滲透大眾意識的病毒，也是世上種種動盪不安發生的主要原因。
28. In the last Part you created a mental image, you brought it from the invisible into the visible; this week I want you to take an object and follow it back to its origination, see of what it really consists. If you do this you will develop imagination, insight, perception, and sagacity. These come not by the superficial observation of the multitude, but by a keen analytical observation which sees below the surface. 你在上週已經學會如何創造精神圖像，並將它從隱不可見轉化成清晰可見。這個星期我希望你挑選一個目標，追本溯源，看看它實際上如何組成。倘若你這麼做，將有助於培養你的想像力、洞察力、感知力與敏銳度。這些能力並不是單靠多數人膚淺的觀察力就能手到擒來，而是需要參透事物表面，採用分析的態度看清表象以下的實景。
29. It is the few who know that the things which they see are only effects, and understand the causes by which these effects were brought into existence. 只有少數人明白，自己眼前所見的一切事物都只不過是後果，並且真正理解形成這些後果的起因。
30. 【本週練習】Take the same position as heretofore and visualize a Battleship; see the grim monster floating on the surface of the water; there appears to be no life anywhere about; all is silence; you know that by far the largest part of the vessel is under water; out of sight; you know that the ship is as large and as heavy as a twenty-story skyscraper; you know that there are hundreds of men ready to spring to their appointed task instantly; you know that every department is in charge of able, trained, skilled officials who have proven themselves competent to take charge of this marvelous piece of mechanism; you know that although it lies apparently oblivious to everything else, it has eyes which see everything for miles around, and nothing is permitted to escape its watchful vision; you know that while it appears quiet, submissive and innocent, it is prepared to hurl a steel projectile weighing thousands of pounds at an enemy many miles away; this and much more you can bring to mind with comparatively no effort whatever. But how did the battleship come to be where it is; how did it come into existence in the first place? All of this you want to know if you are a careful observer. 請像先前一樣坐在同一處位置，開始具體化想像一艘戰艦。你看見這艘龐然大物載浮載沉在海面上，它毫無生機，整個畫面寂靜無聲。你很清楚，絕大部分船體都在水面下，因此你無法看清楚；你很明白，這艘船就好比一幢二十層的摩天大樓一般高聳巨大，幾百名船員蓄勢待發，執行命令；你知道船上每一部分都是由能力出眾、訓練有素，而且技巧純熟的軍官負責駕馭，他們已證明自己足以勝任重責大任；你知道，儘管它看起來渾然不覺，但周遭幾英里內的每一樣事物都逃不過它的觀測儀，一切盡在它的掌控中；你還知道，儘管它看起來平靜、順從、無害，卻隨時準備好可以對著幾英里以外的敵軍發射幾千磅的炮彈。這些背景資料你毫不費力就能一一想起，但這艘戰艦究竟是如何從無到有，甚至能在今天出現在這片海域上？倘若你是心細如髮的觀察者，所有這一切你都會想一探究竟。
31. Follow the great steel plates through the foundries, see the thousands of men employed in their production; go still further back, and see the ore as it comes from the mine, see it loaded on barges or cars, see it melted and properly treated; go back still further and see the architect and engineers who planned the vessel; let the thought carry you back still further in order to determine why they planned the vessel; you will see that you are now so far back that the vessel is something intangible, it no longer exists, it is now only a thought existing in the brain of the architect; but from where did the order come to plan the vessel? Probably from the Secretary of Defense; but probably this vessel was planned long before the war was thought of, and that Congress had to pass a bill appropriating the money; possibly there was opposition, and speeches for or against the bill. Whom do these Congressmen represent? They represent you and me, so that our line of thought begins with the Battleship and ends with ourselves, and we find in the last analysis that our own thought is responsible for this and many other things, of which we seldom think, and a little further reflection will develop the most important fact of all and that is, if someone had not discovered the law by which this tremendous mass of steel and iron could be made to float upon the water, instead of immediately going to the bottom, the battleship could not have come into existence at all. 看到船體巨大的鋼板，讓你想起鑄造廠。你看到，眼前有成千上萬名員工正在參與生產過程；再往前推，看看取自礦山的鐵礦石，被運上貨車或卡車，然後送進火爐裡熔化、鍛造。請任由思緒引領你回溯，為什麼他們計劃打造一艘龐大戰艦。你會看到，現在你的思緒返回戰艦最初還只是看不見、摸不著的形態中，也就是說，它還僅存在工程師的腦海中。但是，打造這艘戰艦的指令究竟發自何處？也許是國防部長的指令，但更有可能的答案是，戰爭都還沒開打就已經有打造戰艦的構想了；於是國會同意並提撥預算。很有可能在表決時出現反對聲浪，到處有人為了支持或反對四處演說。這些國會議員各自代表什麼人？他們代表你和我這些人民，所以我們會發現，當進入分析的最後層次，我們自身的想法就是這艘戰艦以及其他諸多事物的起因，而這些是我們經常忽視的事實。一旦我們抽絲剝繭就會明白一個最重要的事實──如果不是有人發現了可以使這座鋼筋鐵骨打造的龐然大物行駛在海上卻不會下沉的定律，這艘戰艦根本不會存在。
32. This law is that, "the specific gravity of any substance is the weight of any volume of it, compared with an equal volume of water." The discovery of this law revolutionized every kind of ocean travel, commerce and warfare, and made the existence of the battleship, aircraft carriers, and cruise ships possible. 這條定律便是：「任何物質的比重，都是它的重量除以同體積水的重量比。」這條定律一問世便徹底改變所有型態的航海、商業與戰爭，因而催生出打造戰艦、航空母艦、巡航艦的可能性。
33. You will find exercises of this kind invaluable. When the thought has been trained to look below the surface everything takes on a different appearance, the insignificant becomes significant, the uninteresting interesting; the things which we supposed to be of no importance are seen to be the only really vital things in existence. 你會發現，這類練習將為你帶來無以倫比的價值。一旦我們的思想能夠看穿事物表象，一切就會與先前印象截然不同，原本瑣碎無比的事物變得寓意深遠，索然無趣的事件也會變得興味盎然。我們曾經認為毫無用處的事物，反而可能成為生命中至關重要的存在。

Look To This Day

For it is Life, the very Life of Life.

In Its brief course lie all the Verities and Realities of your existence;

The Bliss of Growth; The Glory of Action; The Splendor of Beauty;

For Yesterday is but a Dream,

And tomorrow is only a Vision:

But Today well lived makes every

Yesterday a Dream of Happiness, and Every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.

Look well, therefore, to This Day!

—— From the Sanskrit.

Study Questions with Answers

1. What is the imagination? A form of constructive thought. The light by which we penetrate new worlds of thought and experience. The mighty instrument by which every inventor or discoverer opened the way from precedent to experience. Q1：何謂「想像力」？A：一種具有建設性型態的思想。想像力就像是一道光，讓我們可以看見一個全新的思維與經歷的世界。所有發明家或探險家都藉由想像力開啟一條從「前例」通往「經驗」的道路。
2. What is the result of imagination? The cultivation of the imagination leads to the development of the ideal out of which your future will emerge. Q2：培養想像力會產生什麼結果？A：培養想像力有助發掘你的人生理想，使你的未來朝此方向發展。
3. How may it be cultivated? By exercise; it must be supplied with nourishment or it cannot live. Q3：如何培養想像力？A：熟能生巧，在鍛鍊的同時也須補充營養，否則它將無法生長。
4. How does imagination differ from day dreaming? Day dreaming is a form of mental dissipation, while imagination is a form of constructive thought which must precede every constructive action. Q4：想像力與白日夢有何不同？A：白日夢是一種揮霍浪費精神的無用行為，想像力是一種具建設性的思維，這種思維是所有具建設性行動的基礎。
5. What are mistakes? The result of ignorance. Q5：世上的錯誤源自哪裡？A：源於無知的結果。
6. What is knowledge? The result of man's ability to think. Q6：「知識」從何而來？A：知識是我們思考能力的結果。
7. What is the power with which successful men build? Mind is the very moving force with which they secure the persons and circumstances necessary to complete their plans. Q7：成功人士打造願景的力量為何？A：透過心智的力量，來獲取達成目標所需的人、事、物。
8. What pre-determines the result? The ideal held steadily in mind attracts the necessary conditions for its fulfillment. Q8：什麼東西預先決定了結果？A：你若能堅定不移地捍衛理想，便能為成功做準備，也能吸引到必要的條件。
9. What is the result of a keen analytical observation? The development of imagination, insight, perception and sagacity. Q9：敏銳的觀察將可以培養什麼特質和能力？A：可以培養想像力、洞察力、感知力與敏銳度。
10. To what do these lead? Opulence and harmony. Q10：這些特質會帶來什麼好處？A：具備這些特質的人將獲得富裕且和諧的人生。