（从左至右：阿南达·莫亨·拉悉利（拉悉利·玛哈夏的孙子，并且他还是尤高达萨特-僧伽的一位主管），上师圣·尤蒂斯瓦尔，斯瓦米·尤迦南达吉，斯瓦米·萨提亚南达吉。拍摄于加尔各答，斯瓦米·尤迦南达的父亲的房子前。）
传承
有几个和尚在阅读圣人的传记。这时，上师给了我们关于选择性阅读传记的以下建议:
“只阅读和我们传承相同(in our own line)的圣人传记:例如，阿西西的圣方济，阿维拉的圣泰瑞莎。”
他的表达，“和我们传承相同的”，令我思索了很久。上师不可能是指“那些直接由我们的古鲁传承下来的”，因为我们无从得知这些人是谁。他的意思只可能是，内在达到与神深度交融的圣人。显然，不是所有圣人，即便是那些被教堂封圣的，都属于这一高级范畴。
耶稣基督
一位新来者问，“您将耶稣基督放置在祭坛上是出于政治原因吗?——因为这里主要是信仰基督教的国家?”
“不是，那不是原因，”上师答道，“耶稣基督是我们传承的五位古鲁之一。”
“此话怎讲?”新来者进一步问道，“还有为什么您将他放置于中心?”
上师解释道，“是耶稣基督，出现在喜马拉雅山巴巴吉的面前，请他将这个讯息送到西方。‘我的追随者，’他说，‘正在做好的工作，但是他们忘记了内在与上帝的交融。让我们一起派一个人去西方，教导他们冥想的艺术吧。’
“那就是我被派来的原因。耶稣在中心，因为给西方的这一讯息开始于他。 在他的左边是巴巴吉，然后是巴巴吉的弟子拉希里·玛哈夏。其右边是圣尤蒂斯瓦尔，然后是他的弟子(即尤迦南达——译者注)——如我的上师告诉我的，巴巴吉派给他接受他训练的。”
阿维拉的圣女泰瑞莎
上师很喜欢讲述这个故事:“阿维拉的圣女泰瑞莎和几个修女一起过一条河，她们要去找一个新的女修道院，此时的泰瑞莎已经年老体衰。”
“突然，她所骑的马被卷入了暴雨引发的急流中。她的修女们都无力救她免于溺水。她们都肯定她难以幸免了。”
“泰瑞莎突然看到了耶稣基督站在河的对岸。立刻，她发现自己全身干燥地站在他的面前。”
“‘要放心(be of good cheer)，泰瑞莎!’耶稣对她说，‘我都是这样对待我的朋友。’”
“泰瑞莎喜悦地答道，‘我主，所以你的朋友才这么少!’”
“那是个诙谐的回答，但却很真实!”
(“在世上，你们有苦难;但你们可以放心(be of good cheer)，我已经胜了世界。”——约翰福音 16:33)——译者注
托马斯·肯培思
上师给了我和另外几人一本托马斯·肯培思(Thomas à Kempis，多默·耿裨思，1380-1471，德国隐修士——译者注)的《效法基督》(Imitation of Christ) 作为圣诞礼物。当我向他表达感谢时，他说，“这是一本非常好的书。它不仅仅是效法基督:它就是基督。我不会经常鼓励人们读别的什么书，但是这本书我毫无保留地推荐。”
我说，“托马斯·肯培思，一定是一位了不起的圣人，对吗?”
“一位非常了不起的圣人。”他回答道。
罗摩克里希那
下面的故事有两部分。一个部分是上师在他的人生中不断遇到的小气反对: 不幸地，这是每一个伟人的人生中常见的现象，尤其是在圣人和大师的人生中。另一个部分是上师在面对反对时展现出的永远不变的宽容。这些故事一般他是不会讲的。不过，他的确和我讲过它们，也许是为了鼓励我要一直保持无宗派主义态度。我起初犹豫过要不要把这些包含在本书里。然而在太常见的人类品性上它们传递出有益的教训。宗派主义是“人心的卑劣性”之一，如圣尤蒂斯瓦尔所称的“血统骄傲感。”甚至在伟人的追随者里——罗摩克里希纳(Sri Ramakrishna) 当然是一位伟人，也是一位了不起的大师——宗派主义的态度仍然，不幸地， 太常见了。
在他的好莱坞小教堂沿着侧墙的壁龛里，上师摆放了代表其他宗教道路的神圣画像。如此，他强调了他曾经以该教堂之名所述的真理:“所有宗教之自性了悟教堂。”
他对一个印度弟子德比·穆克吉(DebiMukherjee)说，“我很想将罗摩克里希纳的画像摆放在壁龛里面，虽然他不属于我们传承的古鲁，我对他始终怀有深深的崇敬，也很想尊荣他。然而，在这个国家，太多他的弟子对印度教诲的其他表达展现出宗派主义的偏狭态度。由于他们的态度，我将他省略了。”
很明显，上师担忧那些弟子可能会提出抗议。他不希望他的崇敬好意反而招来不和谐。
经常，当上师和我单独在一起时，他会回忆他的人生插曲。他清楚地表明， 他不赞成宗派主义，正如他指出的，宗派主义实在是太普遍了，即便是在优秀道路的真诚弟子中也能看到。一次他对我说:
“一群来自吠檀多社会的和尚从印度来到了美国。出于对他们的上师罗摩克里希纳的爱和崇敬，我希望向他们表达欢迎，就邀请他们来到恩西尼塔斯的修道院参加午餐会。我们招待了他们一顿丰盛的印度大餐。当他们离去时，我问他们是否愿意在我们的访客簿上留名。他们犹豫地看了看彼此，仿佛在问在我们的簿上签名会不会造成他们的名誉受损。最后他们的解决之道是用孟加拉语签下了他们的名字。”
“目睹他们的举动，我很想对他们说，‘算了，还是别玷污你们的名声了!’”
我(沃尔特)记得当上师告诉我这个故事时，我在想，如此狭隘的精神绝对不会进入上师弟子的心里!他在对我们的训练中已经明白无误地展现了普世性的包容和爱的态度。
现在是否依然如此呢?这是我唯一想问的问题。
——以上内容摘自《与尤迦南达的对话》
一天晚上，我、布恩和上师正在车库旁做注能练习，布恩问了他一个问题，：“那位在恩西尼塔斯向您显现的圣人。他是谁？”
“我不知道你指的是哪位。”上师回答。
“是在海上的悬崖上，先生，在修道院后面。”
“在那里有许多圣人来到我面前，我经常看见他们。有些已经离世，有些还在世。”
“太奇妙了！”我惊叹道。
“为什么惊讶？”上师问道。
“上帝所在的地方，他的圣人们就在哪里。”
他做了几个练习，接着说道：“昨天，我想要知道罗摩克里希那的生平。当时我坐在床上做冥想，罗摩克里希那物质化显现在我身边的床上，我们手握着手，一起走了很久。”
“他有没有告诉你他的生平？”我问道。
“通过振动的交换我得到了全部的画面。”
——摘自演讲《在尤迦南达身边的岁月》
中英人名对照表
阿西西的圣方济 Saint Francis of Assisi
阿维拉的圣泰瑞莎 Saint Teresa of Avila
托马斯·肯培思 Thomas àKempis
罗摩克里希纳 Sri Ramakrishna
In our own line
Several ofthe monks were reading the lives of saints. At this time, the Master gave usthe following recommendation as to what we should read of those lives:
“Read the lives only of those in our own line: Saint Francis of Assisi, forexample, and Saint Teresa of Avila.”
His expression, “those who are in our own line,” was one I pondered for a longtime. The Master could not have meant, “those who are directly connected with our line of gurus，" for we’d have had no way of knowing who such persons were. He could only havebeen referring, then, to saints who had attained deep states of inner communionwith God. Not all saints, certainly, even among those canonized by the Church,belong in this higher category.
Jesus Christ
“Was it for political reasons,” anewcomer asked, “that you put Jesus Christ on youraltar—because this is a mostly Christian country?"
“No, that was not the reason,”the Master replied. “Jesus Christ is one of our line of five gurus,
“In what way?” pursued thenewcomer. “And why have you placed him at the center?”
“It was Jesus Christ,” the Masterexplained, “who appeared to Babaji in the Himalayas andasked him to send this message to the West. ‘Myfollowers，’he said, ‘are doing good work, but they are forgetting inward communion with God. Togetherlet us send someone to the West to teach them the art of meditation.，
"That is the reason I was sent. Jesus is at the center because this message to the West began with him. To the left of him is Babaji, then Babaji’s disciple Lahiri Mahasaya. To the right is Swami Sri Yukteswarji, then his disciple—whom, as my Master told me, Babaji had sent to him for training.”
Saint Teresa of Avila
The Master loved to relate this story: “Saint Teresa of Avila was crossing a stream with a few nuns. They were ontheir way to found a new convent. Teresa by this time was old and infirm.
“Suddenly the horse she was on was swept away in thestream, which was swollen by heavy rains. Her nuns were helpless to save herfrom drowning. They were sure she was lost.
"Teresa suddenly beheld Jesus Christ on theopposite bank. In no time, she found herself standing before him, completelydry.
“‘Be of good cheer, Teresa!’ Jesus said to her. This is how I treat all my friends.’
"Teresa answered joyfully, ‘That, my Lord, is why You have so few!’
“That was a witty answer, but what a true one!”
Thomas à Kempis
Master had given me and others forChristmas a copy of The Imitation of Christ, byThomas à Kempis. When Ithanked him, he said, “That is a wonderful book. It is no mere imitation ofChrist: It is Christ. I don’t often encourage people to read other books, but thisone I recommend unreservedly.”
“Thomas a Kempis，” I remarked, “must have been a great saint. Is that so?”
“A very great saint,” he replied.
Sri Ramakrishna
There are two aspects to the following stories. One is the pettyopposition the Master had to face continually in his life: a common phenomenon,unfortunately, in the life of every great human being, especially in the livesof saints and masters. The other aspect is the unfailing charity the Masteralways displayed before opposition. These stories were not ones he would havetold generally. He did tell them to me, however, perhaps to encourage me alwaysto keep a nonsectarian attitude. I hesitated, at first, to include them in thisbook. Yet they convey salutary lessons on an all-too-common human trait.Sectarianism is one of the “meannesses of the heart," as Sri Yukteswar calledthem: “pride of pedigree.” Even among the followers of great men—and Sri Ramakrishna was certainly a great man, and also agreat master—sectarian attitudesare, unfortunately, all too common.
In niches along the side walls of his little church in Hollywood, theMaster placed sacred images to represent other religious paths. Thus, heunderscored the truth he’d proclaimed in the very name of the church: “Self-Realization Church of All Religions.”
To Debi Mukherjee, an Indian disciple, he said, “I would have liked to have a representation of SriRamakrishna in one of those niches, for although he isn’t in our line of gurus, I have always had deep devotionto him, and would have liked to honor him. In this country, however, too manyof his disciples display a sectarian intolerance toward other expressions ofIndian teachings. Only because of their attitude, I have omitted him.”
The Master was concerned, evidently, that those disciples might protest.He didn't want his sweet act of devotion to become a cause for disharmony fromothers.
Often,when the Master and I were alone, he would reminisce about episodes in hislife. He made it clear, among other things, that he deplored sectarianism,which, as he indicated, is all too prevalent among even the sincere followersof good paths. Once he told me:
"Agroup of monks from the Vedanta Society arrived in America from India. Out oflove and devotion for their Master. Sri Ramakrishna, I wanted to make them feelwelcome, and invited them to a lunch at the Encinitas hermitage. We gave them agood Indian feast. As they were leaving, I asked them if they would like tosign our guest book. They looked at one another hesitantly, as if askingwhether, by signing our book, they might in any way compromise themselves. Theyresolved their dilemma by signing their names in Bengali.
“Seeing them do that, I feltlike saying to them, ‘Please, don’t sully your names!”’
I (Walter)remember thinking when the Master told me that story, Such narrowness of spiritcould never enter the hearts of Master’s disciples! He has trained us too clearly in attitudes of universalgenerosity and love.
Has thisremained so? I only ask the question.
The Masterfaced opposition from several of the Indian swamis in America. He told me, “The Vedanta swami in Hollywood once told someone about me, ‘Oh yes, I know Yogananda. He’s a very good—cook.’”
How itsaddened the Master to relate this story. He himself had such deep devotion forSri Ramakrishna.
“One day,” he said, “I met that swami at a publicfunction. He came over to me and said, ‘Here is a line. On one side of it is Sri Ramakrishna; on the other side’—he concluded with a look of contempt—‘you!’ How Ramakrishna would have grieved over such absenceof generosity among his own disciples!”
——from Conversations with Yogananda
