Jackie Tabick: The balancing act of compassion

譯者: Pin-hsien Kuo 審譯者: Chih-Yuan Huang

One of my favorite cartoon characters is Snoopy.

我最喜歡的漫畫人物之一是史努比。

I love the way he sits and lies on his kennel and contemplates the great things of life.

尤其喜愛他坐躺在小屋上里思考人生大事的情景。

So when I thought about compassion,

所以當我想到“同情心”這個話題的時候，

my mind immediately went to one of the cartoon strips,

我的腦海立刻浮現出了一集漫畫：

where he's lying there and he says,

他躺在那裡，然後說：

"I really understand, and I really appreciate

「我的確很了解，也很贊同，

how one should love one's neighbor as one love's oneself.

一個人應當愛他周圍的人，跟愛自己一樣。

The only trouble is the people next door; I can't stand them."

但唯一的問題是：隔壁那些人，我實在受不了！」

This, in a way, is one of the challenges

其實在某種程度上，這是一種挑戰：

of how to interpret a really good idea.

如何把一個好的想法付諸行動。

We all, I think, believe in compassion.

我想，我們大家應該都相信同情心的價值。

If you look at all the world religions, all the main world religions,

如果你去了解全世界的宗教，全世界的主要的宗教，

you'll find within them some teaching concerning compassion.

你會發現其實他們都涵蓋了有關於同情心的教導。

So in Judaism, we have, from our Torah,

在猶太教義的摩西五書裡，我們有：

that you should love your neighbor as you love yourself.

你應當如愛自己一樣愛你的鄰人。

And within Jewish teachings, the rabbinic teachings, we have Hillel,

在猶太人的教誨里，希伯來教義中，我們有Hillel (著名猶太宗教領袖)的教導，

who taught that you shouldn't do to others what you don't like being done to yourself.

告訴我們，己所不欲，勿施於人。

And all the main religions have similar teachings.

幾乎所有其他的主要宗教都有這樣的教誨。

And again, within Judaism,

還有，在猶太教，

we have a teaching about God,

我們有關於神的一課：

who is called the compassionate one, Ha-rachaman.

神Ha-rachaman， 是被叫做“同情者”的。

After all, how could the world exist without God being compassionate?

如果神沒有同情心，這個世界怎麼能存在呢？

And we, as taught within the Torah that we are made in the image of God,

正同摩西五書講的，我們是依照神的樣子被創造出來，

so we too have to be compassionate.

所以我們一樣，也要有同情心。

But what does it mean? How does it impact on our everyday life?

但這意味著什麼呢？同情心是如何影響我們的生活的呢？

Sometimes, of course, being compassionate

的確，有時候有同情心

can produce feelings within us that are very difficult to control.

會使我們產生一些難以控制的情感。

I know there are many times when I've gone and conducted a funeral,

我知道，有很多次我去參加葬禮，

or when I have been sitting with the bereaved, or with people who are dying,

和那些失去親人的朋友們坐在一起，或和垂死的人在一起，

and I am overwhelmed by the sadness, by the difficulty,

我埋沒在悲傷，艱困，

the challenge that is there for the family, for the person.

個人或是家庭所面對的挑戰中。

And I'm touched, so that tears come to my eyes.

我深受感動，淚眼盈眶。

And yet, if I just allowed myself to be overwhelmed by these feelings,

但是，如果我就這麼埋沒在情感之下，

I wouldn't be doing my job --

就無法做好我的工作，

because I have to actually be there for them

因為我必須陪著他們，

and make sure that rituals happen, that practicalities are seen to.

確定儀式順利進行而細節有顧及到。

And yet, on the other hand, if I didn't feel this compassion,

另一方面，如果我不感到同情，

then I feel that it would be time for me to hang up my robe

那我想也是收起我的長袍，

and give up being a rabbi.

辭去拉比之職的時候了。

And these same feelings are there for all of us as we face the world.

我們在面對這世界時也一樣要面對同樣的感受。

Who cannot be touched by compassion

誰不因同情而動容呢？

when we see the terrible horrors of the results of war,

眼看戰爭所帶來的恐怖後果，

or famine, or earthquakes, or tsunamis?

饑荒，地震，海嘯之時？

I know some people who say

我知道有些人會說

"Well, you know there's just so much out there -- I can't do anything,

：「這個世界上發生的事情太多了，我無能為力。

I'm not going to even begin to try."

我甚至連試一下都不想了。」

And there are some charity workers who call this compassion fatigue.

有些慈善界的人員稱之為"同情心疲憊"。

There are others who feel they can't confront compassion anymore,

還有那些再也無法處理同情感的人，

and so they turn off the television and don't watch.

乾脆關掉電視，不去看它。

In Judaism, though, we tend to always say, there has to be a middle way.

我們猶太教則一直傳達中庸之道的必然存在。

You have to, of course, be aware of the needs of others,

你理所當然要關心到他人的需要，

but you have to be aware in such a way that you can carry on with your life

但你關心的方式要讓你能繼續生活

and be of help to people.

同時能給予他人幫助。

So part of compassion has to be an understanding of what makes people tick.

所以同情心也包含了對於人們作事動機的了解。

And, of course, you can't do that unless you understand yourself a bit more.

當然，在那之前你得先更了解自己一點。

And there's a lovely rabbinic interpretation of the beginnings of creation,

猶太教裡有這麼一個關於創世紀的故事：

which says that when God created the world,

上帝創造了世界，

God thought that it would be best to create the world

神認為創世最好的方法，

only with the divine attribute of justice.

是單單以正義為神聖的元素。

Because, after all, God is just.

因為上帝是公正的。

Therefore, there should be justice throughout the world.

所以，全世界都應該是公平的。

And then God looked to the future and realized,

然後上帝預見了未來，發現，

if the world was created just with justice, the world couldn't exist.

不可能存在以絕對公正的世界。

So, God thought, "Nope, I'm going to create the world just with compassion."

所以，上帝想到，「不如，我就創造一個全都是同情心的世界吧。」

And then God looked to the future and realized that,

然後上帝再一次預見了未來，發現，

in fact, if the world were just filled with compassion,

實際上，如果世界只有同情心，

there would be anarchy and chaos.

那麼這個世界將充滿混亂。

There had to be limits to all things.

一切事物都要有限度。

The rabbis describe this as being like a king

拉比將這比喻成一位國王，

who has a beautiful, fragile glass bowl.

擁有一個美麗卻易碎的玻璃碗，

If you put too much cold water in, it will shatter.

若你倒進太多的冰水，它會碎裂。

If you put boiling water in, it will shatter.

若你倒進沸騰的水，它也會碎裂。

What do you have to do? Put in a mixture of the two.

那你該怎麼辦呢？把冰水同滾水混合了再倒進去。

And so God put both of these possibilities into the world.

所以上帝把這兩種可能性都放入了這個世界。

There is something more though that has to be there.

然而還得融入更多東西。

And that is the translation of the feelings

那就是感覺的轉譯

that we may have about compassion

我們可以讓同情心

into the wider world, into action.

進入更廣的世界，付諸行動。

So, like Snoopy, we can't just lie there

一如史奴比，我們不能一味躺著

and think great thoughts about our neighbors.

懷抱著對我們鄰居偉大的想法。

We actually have to do something about it.

我們得實際做出行動。

And so there is also, within Judaism, this notion of love and kindness

也因此在猶太教裡，這愛與慈悲的概念

that becomes very important: "chesed."

變得很重要。

All these three things, then, have to be melded together.

這三者必須融合在一起。

The idea of justice, which gives boundaries to our lives

正義這個觀念讓我們的生命有界線

and gives us a feeling of what's right about life, what's right about living,

也使我們感受到生命和活著本身什麼是正確的，

what should we be doing, social justice.

我們應當在做什麼，社會正義。

There has to be a willingness to do good deeds,

有做善事的意願是必須，

but not, of course, at the expense of our own sanity.

但不是以犧牲明理為前提。

You know, there's no way that you can do anything for anyone

你如果做得太超過，

if you overdo things.

就不可能幫到任何人。

And balancing them all in the middle is this notion of compassion,

而取得中庸之道就是同情的原則。

which has to be there, if you like, at our very roots.

它必得存在於我們的根中。

This idea of compassion comes to us

我們之所以有同情心

because we're made in the image of God,

是因為我們是依照神的樣貌打造的。

who is ultimately the compassionate one.

祂是終極具同情心的那位。

What does this compassion entail?

這同情心包含什麼呢？

It entails understanding the pain of the other.

包含了解他人的痛苦

But even more than that,

不只這樣

it means understanding one's connection to the whole of creation:

還代表對個人與萬物之間之聯繫的理解

understanding that one is part of that creation,

了解個人屬於萬物

that there is a unity that underlies all that we see,

了解在我們所見、所聞、所感之深處

all that we hear, all that we feel.

有個一致性。

I call that unity God.

我稱這一致性為神。

And that unity is something that connects all of creation.

這一致性聯繫起萬物。

And, of course, in the modern world, with the environmental movement,

當然，在現代，因為環境運動

we're becoming even more aware of the connectivity of things,

我們更加留意到萬物之間的聯繫

that something I do here actually does matter in Africa,

留意道我在這裡所做的事情會影響到非洲，

that if I use too much of my carbon allowance,

如果我用的碳超出限度

it seems to be that we are causing

就有可能造成

a great lack of rain in central and eastern Africa.

非洲中部和東部大幅缺乏雨水。

So there is a connectivity,

所以聯繫是存在的。

and I have to understand that -- as part of the creation,

我必須了解身為萬物之一

as part of me being made in the image of God.

身為神的樣貌

And I have to understand that my needs

我必須了解我的需要

sometimes have to be sublimated to other needs.

有時得昇華成其他的需要。

This "18 minutes" business, I find quite fascinating.

這18分鐘的生意，還蠻美妙的。

Because in Judaism, the number 18, in Hebrew letters,

因為猶太教中18這個數字的希伯來文字

stands for life -- the word "life."

代表生命，生命這個字。

So, in a sense, the 18 minutes is challenging me to say,

所以也可以說18分鐘挑戰我說

"In life, this is what's important in terms of compassion."

在生命中，這是以同情心來說重要的事

But, something else as well:

但其他的也一樣。

actually, 18 minutes is important.

事實上，18分鐘的確重要。

Because at Passover, when we have to eat unleavened bread,

因為踰越節我們吃沒發酵的麵包時

the rabbis say, what is the difference between dough that is made into bread,

拉比訴說做成麵包的麵團和做成沒發酵麵包的麵團

and dough that is made into unleavened bread, or "matzah"?

有什麼不一樣。

And they say "It's 18 minutes."

他們說是18分鐘。

Because that's how long they say it takes for this dough to become leaven.

因為這就是麵包發酵的時間長度。

What does it mean, "dough becomes leaven"?

麵包發酵是什麼意思？

It means it gets filled with hot air.

就是麵團充滿了熱空氣。

What's matzah? What's unleavened bread? You don't get it.

什麼matzah，沒發酵的麵包？你不懂。

Symbolically, what the rabbis say is that at Passover,

象徵性的，拉比這麼說，是在踰越節，

what we have to do is try to get rid of our hot air -- our pride,

我們要做的是試著擺脫我們的熱空氣，我們的傲氣，

our feeling that we are the most important people in the whole entire world,

我們以為自己是全世界最重要的人的感覺，

and that everything should revolve round us.

以為所有事物都繞著我們轉的感覺。

So we try and get rid of those,

我們因此試圖擺脫這些，

and so doing, try to get rid of the habits, the emotions, the ideas

如此一來，試著擺脫那囚困我們的舊習、情緒、想法，

that enslave us, that make our eyes closed, give us tunnel vision

那遮掩我們雙眼、使我們短視

so we don't see the needs of others --

無法看見他人所需

and free ourselves and free ourselves from that.

讓我們自己獲得解放。

And that too is a basis for having compassion,

而這也是有同情心的基礎

for understanding our place in the world.

了解我們在這世上位置的基礎。

Now there is, in Judaism, a gorgeous story

在猶太教中有個很好的故事

of a rich man who sat in synagogue one day.

有一天一個富人坐在猶太聖殿

And, as many people do, he was dozing off during the sermon.

而跟很多人一樣，在禮拜的時候打瞌睡了。

And as he was dozing off, they were reading from the book of Leviticus in the Torah.

他正進入夢鄉時，其他人正在讀摩西五書的利未記

And they were saying that in the ancient times in the temple in Jerusalem,

他們說古代在耶路撒冷的聖殿裡，

the priests used to have bread,

那時候祭司都把麵包

which they used to place into a special table in the temple in Jerusalem.

擺在耶路撒冷聖殿中特別的桌上。

The man was asleep, but he heard the words bread, temple, God, and he woke up.

那男人原本睡著了，但他聽到麵包、寺廟和神這幾個詞卻醒了。

He said, "God wants bread. That's it. God wants bread. I know what God wants."

他說：「上帝要麵包。沒錯！上帝要麵包。我知道上帝要什麼。」

And he rushed home. And after the Sabbath, he made 12 loaves of bread,

然後他衝回家。安息日後他做了12條麵包，

took them to the synagogue, went into the synagogue,

拿到猶太聖殿，帶進去，

opened the ark and said, "God, I don't know why you want this bread, but here you are."

打開約櫃，說：「上帝，我不知道你為什麼要麵包，但我幫你做好了。」

And he put it in the ark with the scrolls of the Torah.

接著他把麵包放進約櫃中，和摩西五書擺在一起。

Then he went home.

然後回家。

The cleaner came into the synagogue.

清潔員來到了猶太聖殿。

"Oh God, I'm in such trouble. I've got children to feed.

「噢天哪，我麻煩大了，我得餵小孩。

My wife's ill. I've got no money. What can I do?"

我妻子病了。我沒錢。該怎麼辦？」

He goes into the synagogue. "God, will you please help me?

他進入猶太聖殿。「神啊，求求您幫幫我！

Ah, what a wonderful smell."

啊！什麼東西怎麼那麼香！」

He goes to the ark. He opens the ark.

他走到約櫃前，打開約櫃。

"There's bread! God, you've answered my plea. You've answered my question."

「有麵包！神，您成全了我的請願，您回答了我的問題。」

Takes the bread and goes home.

他拿了麵包，回家。

Meanwhile, the rich man thinks to himself,

與此同時，富人自己想著，

"I'm an idiot. God wants bread?

「我真白痴。上帝要麵包？

God, the one who rules the entire universe, wants my bread?"

上帝，一個掌管全宇宙的神，要我的麵包？」

He rushes to the synagogue. "I'll get it out of the ark before anybody finds it."

他衝回猶太聖殿。「我要趁別人還沒發現前把它拿出約櫃來。」

He goes in there, and it's not there.

而麵包卻不見了。

And he says, "God, you really did want it. You wanted my bread.

他說：「神啊，您真的要啊！您要我的麵包。

Next week, with raisins."

下星期，再加葡萄乾。」

This went on for years.

就這樣持續了許多年。

Every week, the man would bring bread with raisins,

每週，富人都帶來加葡萄乾的麵包，

with all sorts of good things, put it into the ark.

和許許多多的好東西，放進約櫃裡。

Every week, the cleaner would come. "God you've answered my plea again."

每週，清潔員都會來。「神哪您又再次成全了我。」

Take the bread. Take it home.

把麵包拿走，帶回家。

Went on until a new rabbi came. Rabbis always spoil things.

直到新的拉比來的。拉比總是壞好事。

The rabbi came in and saw what was going on.

拉比來後看見是怎麼一回事。

And he called the two of them to his office.

他於是把這兩個人叫到他的辦公室。

And he said, you know, "This is what's happening."

他說：「事情是這樣的。」

And the rich man -- oh, dear -- crestfallen.

然後富人羞愧的說：

"You mean God didn't want my bread?"

「你的意思是上帝不要我的麵包？」

And the poor man said, "And you mean God didn't answer my pleas?"

窮人則說：「那上帝並沒有成全我？」

And the rabbi said, "You've misunderstood me.

拉比說：「你們誤解我了。」

You've misunderstood totally," he said.

「你們完全誤解了」他說。

"Of course, what you are doing," he said to the rich man,

「當然，你在做的事，」他向富人說，

"is answering God's plea that we should be compassionate.

「是成全神要我們有同情心的懇請。」

And God," he said to the poor man, "is answering your plea

「而上帝，」他向窮人說，「也成全了你

that people should be compassionate and give."

希望人們有同情心並布施的請願。」

He looked at the rich man. He held the rich man's hands and said,

他看著富人。握著他的手說：

"Don't you understand?" He said, "These are the hands of God."

「你難道不懂嗎？」他說：「這雙是上帝的手。」

So that is the way I feel:

所以這就是我的感覺，

that I can only try to approach this notion of being compassionate,

我只能試著接近這有同情心的概念，

of understanding that there is a connectivity, that there is a unity in this world;

瞭解關連性的存在，一致性的存在，

that I want to try and serve that unity,

而我想試著為這一致性效勞。

and that I can try and do that by understanding, I hope,

而我可以試圖藉由了解來達成，我如此希望，

trying to understand something of the pain of others;

試著了解他人的痛苦，

but understanding that there are limits, that people have to bear responsibility

但了解是有限的，人們必須擔起責任

for some of the problems that come upon them;

為一些發生在他們身上的問題，

and that I have to understand that there are limits to my energy,

我也必須了解我個人的精力有限，

to the giving I can give.

在布施這方面。

I have to reevaluate them,

我必須重新評估，

try and separate out the material things

試著隔離出物質的東西

and my emotions that may be enslaving me,

和可能駕馭我的情緒，

so that I can see the world clearly.

好讓我清楚的看這世界。

And then I have to try to see in what ways

接著我必須試圖看看有什麼方法

I can make these the hands of God.

讓我這雙手成為上帝的。

And so try to bring compassion to life in this world.

試著為世上萬生帶來同情心。