T-4.V:The Ego-Body Illusion

1. 1All things work together for good. 2There are no exceptions except in the ego’s judgment. 3The ego exerts maximal vigilance about what it permits into awareness, and this is not the way a balanced mind holds together. 4The ego is thrown further off balance because it keeps its primary motivation from your awareness, and raises control rather than sanity to predominance. 5The ego has every reason to do this, according to the thought system which gave rise to it and which it serves. 6Sane judgment would inevitably judge against the ego, and must be obliterated by the ego in the interest of its self-preservation.

2. 1A major source of the ego’s off-balanced state is its lack of discrimination between the body and the Thoughts of God. 2Thoughts of God are unacceptable to the ego, because they clearly point to the nonexistence of the ego itself. 3The ego therefore either distorts them or refuses to accept them. 4It cannot, however, make them cease to be. 5It therefore tries to conceal not only “unacceptable” body impulses, but also the Thoughts of God, because both are threatening to it. 6Being concerned primarily with its own preservation in the face of threat, the ego perceives them as the same. 7By perceiving them as the same, the ego attempts to save itself from being swept away, as it would surely be in the presence of knowledge.

3. 1Any thought system that confuses God and the body must be insane. 2Yet this confusion is essential to the ego, which judges only in terms of threat or non-threat to itself. 3In one sense the ego’s fear of God is at least logical, since the idea of Him does dispel the ego. 4But fear of the body, with which the ego identifies so closely, makes no sense at all.

4. 1The body is the ego’s home by its own election. 2It is the only identification with which the ego feels safe, since the body’s vulnerability is its own best argument that you cannot be of God. 3This is the belief that the ego sponsors eagerly. 4Yet the ego hates the body, because it cannot accept it as good enough to be its home. 5Here is where the mind becomes actually dazed. 6Being told by the ego that it is really part of the body and that the body is its protector, the mind is also told that the body cannot protect it. 7Therefore, the mind asks, “Where can I go for protection?” to which the ego replies, “Turn to me.” 8The mind, and not without cause, reminds the ego that it has itself insisted that it is identified with the body, so there is no point in turning to it for protection. 9The ego has no real answer to this because there is none, but it does have a typical solution. 10It obliterates the question from the mind’s awareness. 11Once out of awareness the question can and does produce uneasiness, but it cannot be answered because it cannot be asked.

5. 1This is the question that must be asked: “Where can I go for protection?” 2“Seek and ye shall find” does not mean that you should seek blindly and desperately for something you would not recognize. 3Meaningful seeking is consciously undertaken, consciously organized and consciously directed. 4The goal must be formulated clearly and kept in mind. 5Learning and wanting to learn are inseparable. 6You learn best when you believe what you are trying to learn is of value to you. 7However, not everything you may want to learn has lasting value. 8Indeed, many of the things you want to learn may be chosen because their value will not last.

6. 1The ego thinks it is an advantage not to commit itself to anything that is eternal, because the eternal must come from God. 2Eternalness is the one function the ego has tried to develop, but has systematically failed to achieve. 3The ego compromises with the issue of the eternal, just as it does with all issues touching on the real question in any way. 4By becoming involved with tangential issues, it hopes to hide the real question and keep it out of mind. 5The ego’s characteristic busyness with nonessentials is for precisely that purpose. 6Preoccupations with problems set up to be incapable of solution are favorite ego devices for impeding learning progress. 7In all these diversionary tactics, however, the one question that is never asked by those who pursue them is, “What for?” 8This is the question that you must learn to ask in connection with everything. 9What is the purpose? 10Whatever it is, it will direct your efforts automatically. 11When you make a decision of purpose, then, you have made a decision about your future effort; a decision that will remain in effect unless you change your mind.

1. 世间万物同心协力，纯粹是为人类的益处。
此言不虚，绝无例外，除非你听信了小我的判断。
小我殚精竭虑地把守意识的门坎，只允许它认可之物进来，这绝不是保持心灵平衡之道。
小我不让你意识到它最深的动机，它为了掌控你，不惜压制你清明的神智，而使得小我的处境更为失衡。
小我这种作风，有它不得已的苦衷，因它受制于那营造小我且要它效命的整套思想体系。
神智清明的判断，必然与小我的判断背道而驰，小我为了维护自身的利益，不能不将它斩草除根。
2. 构成小我处境失衡的主因，在于它无法分辨身体与上主圣念之间的差异。
小我无法接受上主的圣念，因为它公然指出小我不存在这一事实。
因此，小我不是加以扭曲，便是全力抵制。
但它消灭不了上主的圣念。
为此，小我只好改用隐藏策略，不只藏起它“难以认同”的身体本能，连上主的圣念也一起打入了冷宫，因为两者对小我构成了同等的威胁。
小我为了自身的存亡，不能不把两者都视为同一威胁。
唯有把它们打为一丘之貉，小我才能不受其害；否则，真知一旦现前，小我便无立足之地了。
3. 只有神智失常的思想体系，才会把上主与身体混为一谈。
然而，这一混淆正是小我存在的核心，它所有的判断都是根据“有威胁”或“无威胁”而定的。
从某一方面来讲，小我对上主的恐惧可说是情有可原的，因为“上主”的观念确实否定了小我的存在。
但是小我一样害怕自己密切认同的身体，则毫无道理可言。
4. 身体是小我亲自选择的居所。
唯有与身体认同，小我才有安全可言，因为身体的不堪一击，是它证明你不可能来自上主的最好证据。
因此小我才会不遗余力地拥护这一信念。
然而，小我又不能不痛恨身体，因为它认为身体不配作为它的居所。
这是心灵最感茫然无措之处。
小我一边告诉自己，我是身体的一部分，身体是我的保护者；一边又告诉自己，身体无法保护我。
于是心灵不能不问：“那么我应向哪儿寻求保护才对？”小我会回答说：“投奔于我吧！”
心灵会理直气壮地反驳：小我一直强调自己和身体原是一物，求助于它的保护又有何用？
小我对此质问哑口无言，因为它确实无言以对；但小我还有它最拿手的一招。
它干脆把这问题由人心的意识中彻底抹去。
问题一旦被小我剔除于意识之外，人心只会感到一股无名的焦虑，但既然连反问的余地都没有，便也永无获得解答的机会了。
5. “我应向哪儿寻求保护？”这是你迟早都得提出的问题。
圣经有言：“你们去找，终会找到的。”这并非叫你盲目地去找，拼命追求你根本认不得的东西。
有意义的寻找，需要意识清明地开始、意识清明地策划、意识清明地前进。
应先把目标界定清楚，而且矢志不移，须臾不忘才行。
学习，不能没有真心想学的渴望。
当你相信自己有心学习之物对你极其重要时，你的学习才会产生最佳效果。
然而，并不是你想学的每一件事情都具有持久的价值。
实际上，不少事情正因它们的价值短暂，你才会想要学它。
6. 小我认为不要投入任何涉及永恒的事物才是明智的选择，因为永恒之物必然来自上主。
永恒性是小我一直想要开发的能力，结果一败涂地。
于是，小我只好在永恒的问题上头妥协，这是它面对任何真实问题时的一贯伎俩。
它把注意力转向外在的事物，借此回避真正切身的问题，冀望你从心底将它彻底忘怀。
小我爱在琐碎事物上忙个不停，其目的不外乎此。
小我存心阻碍心灵的学习进度，它最爱玩的把戏就是让你终日操心那些注定解决不了的问题。
这种牵制战术使得身陷其中的人始终无暇反问一句：“这究竟是为了什么？”
日后，不论你碰到什么事情，都应学习如此反身自问。
这究竟是为了什么？
不论目的为何，你都会身不由己地为它效力。
目标一定，等于决定了你未来的努力方向；除非你中途改变主意，否则你会一直受制于先前的决定。
1.所有的事物一向都會一同運作。
除非以小我的方式來判斷，否則這點絕無例外。
小我會嚴加看管什麼能進入覺知、什麼不能，而平穩的心卻不是以這種方式統合起來的。
小我把自己的主要動機排除在了你的覺知外，並使控制而非清明佔據主導，但這也令它變得更不平穩。
依據衍生出小我、亦是它所效忠的那套思想體系，這麼做絕對情有可原。
清明的判斷不可避免的會對小我不利，而它若想自我保全，就不得不加以封殺。
2.小我之所以無法平穩，主要是因為它對身體和對上主的聖念不加區別。
小我接受不了上主的聖念，因為它們明確指出小我並不存在。
為此之故，小我要不扭曲它們，要不拒絕接納它們。
然而，它無法除掉它們。
為此，小我試圖隱藏的除了「不該有」的身體衝動，還有上主的聖念，因為兩者都會威脅到它。
小我將它們等同視之，因為在面臨威脅之際如何自保乃是小我的主要考量。
真知一旦臨在，小我必然會被掃除，藉由將它們等同視之，小我便可企圖阻止這種結局。
3.所有把上主與身體相互混淆的思想體系都是神智不清的。
但這種混淆對小我而言實屬必需，因為「是否構成威脅」乃是它下判斷的唯有依據。
從某個角度來說，小我對上主的恐懼至少是合乎邏輯的，畢竟上主的觀念確實可以驅逐小我。
但它對身體的恐懼卻一點道理也沒有，因為它緊緊地與之認同。
4.身體即是小我親自選定的居所。
只有這種認同才能使它心安，畢竟身體的脆弱就是它的最佳說詞，說明你並非出自上主。
小我大力支持的就是這種信念。
但它卻又憎恨身體，因為在它看來，身體不夠格成為它的居所。
在此節骨眼上，心靈變得無比困惑。
小我告訴它，它就是身體的一部份，而身體是它的保護傘，隨後它又被告知，身體保護不了它。
於是，心靈問道：「我該上哪兒尋求保護？」而小我的回答是：「到我這兒來。
」心靈給小我的提醒也頗為合理：堅持小我就是身體的正是小我自己，所以向它尋求保護一點道理也沒有。
小我確實回答不了這個問題，因為它沒有答案，但小我有其慣用的解決辦法。
它會讓心靈覺知不到這個問題。
一旦脫離覺知，它仍能也仍會使你不安，但你問不出它來，所以也得不到答案。
5.你須要問的是這樣的問題：「我該上哪兒尋求保護？
」「尋找，你就會找著」並不意謂你要盲目且拚命地去尋找那些你認不出來的東西。
你的尋找要有意義，就必須有意識的去進行、組織、和引導。
必須制定清晰的目標，並謹記在心。
學習與對學習的渴望是分不開的。
只有相信自己努力學習的道理有其價值，才能達到最佳的學習效果。
然而，並不是所有你想學的都具備永恆的價值。
的確有很多你想學的東西，正因為它們並無永恆的價值，你才選擇了它們。
6.小我不願投身於任何永恆的事物，並相信這種做法有其好處，因為永恆之物必然出自上主。
永恆乃是小我企圖發展的一種能力，但卻面臨系統性的失敗。
小我在永恆的議題上採取了妥協的姿態，而任何議題一旦以任何方式觸及真正的問題，它都會加以妥協。
小我企圖藉著埋頭處理種種膚淺的議題來隱藏真正的問題，並使心靈覺知不到它。
小我的典型特徵就是為了雞毛蒜皮之事忙進忙出，為的正是這一目的。
埋頭解決種種解決不了的問題乃是小我用以阻礙學習進步的最佳招術。
然而，在這一切轉移焦點的伎倆中，其追尋者卻從不會提出這種疑問：「目的何在？
」這就是你須要學習去問的，不論遇到了任何事。
「究竟是為了什麼？
」不論有何解答，它都會自動引導你做出的努力。
所以，一旦決定自己的目的，你就替未來的努力也做了決定；除非你回心轉意，否則它就會持續發揮作用。