工作會是我最重大的寬恕課程嗎?

Q #169: 一直以來，我都有就業方面的困擾。

我原本的想法是，人生苦短，不該浪擲在工作上。或這樣說吧，我覺得為了賺那一點點錢，不值得投入那麼多時間。

後來我開始察覺，這些想法其實是在掩飾我的自卑感、害羞、自覺無法與他人平起平坐的感覺；而我其實還真不知道怎麼面對雇主的期待，和職場上的社會人際壓力。

雖然我在《奇蹟課程》和寬恕上，日有進境，但一說到求職與工作，我就分不出是小我還是聖靈在對我說話，一個說「工作沒什麼意義，我大可把時間奉獻於寬恕之上」，另一個想法卻說「藉由工作，可以學習我最重大的寬恕課程」。

我想請問你，這其中哪一個是小我？哪一個是聖靈？

Q #169: In the past, I have had problems in gaining employment. I used to think life was too short to work, or money is not worth the time involved. I came to realize my excuses had to do with my inferiority complexes, shyness, inequality, etc., and I could not handle the expectations of an employer or social pressure within the workplace. Although I have made great advances with A Course in Miracles, and with forgiveness, I can’t seem to distinguish between ego or Holy Spirit with regard to employment. It seems that there is no point in working, and I could devote my time to forgiveness. Or maybe by working I could learn my Biggest lesson in forgiveness. Which is ego? Which is Holy Spirit?

答：分別小我與聖靈，有時候確實令人氣餒，但在《奇蹟課程》的學習上，這樣的分別，卻是最需要鍛鍊的關鍵概念。

在你抵達真實世界以前，自然難以分辨自己的思想與行為哪些是出自聖靈的思想體系。這時你只能盡力而為，然後觀察你努力的結果。

這就是《課程》裏談的「真理的考驗」：「有一個試金石，靈驗有如上主，能驗出你所學的是否真實。如果你內心一無所懼，而你所遇見的人，甚至想起你來的人，都能分享你的圓滿平安，那麼你才能肯定自己所學的必來自上主，而非你自己。」(T.14.XI.5:1,2)

A: Discerning between the ego and the Holy Spirit can be a daunting task at times, and yet one of the most important, if not the most important, to master in your study of A Course in Miracles.Until such time comes as your certainty that all your thoughts and actions come from the Holy Spirit (the real world), the best one can do is do the best one can do, and then observe the “fruits of one’s labor,” or as the Course would call it, “The Test of Truth”: “You have one test, as sure as God, by which to recognize if what you learned is true. If you are wholly free of fear of any kind, and if all those who meet or even think of you share in your perfect peace, then you can be sure that you have learned God's lesson, and not your own” (T.14.XI.5:1,2).

雖然你在生活中已有不少寬恕經驗了，但由你對工作與否的搖擺不定來看，你的寬恕經驗可能還不夠圓滿。

在你探詢聖靈要（或不要）你做某件事之前，你必須對他誠實到毫不隱藏的地步。

「你若有意躲避交流，你就無法接受完美的交流。因你想要隱藏的，你就無由得知。因此，你的修持只是防備自欺而已，不再設法保護那些你想隱藏的想法。讓聖靈的聖潔光輝驅散它們，使你能專注地準備接受祂所賜你的聖潔。」 (T.15.IV.9:6,7,8,9)

也就是說，好好檢視你對工作所抱持的所有心態，無論好壞，正面還是反面，只要跑進你意識裏的想法，都把它列出來。唯有先讓所有跟工作有關的的雜亂念頭全都冒出來了，你才可能聽見真正指導你的「那聲音」。

你會發現，你不再執著於答案的「形式」（注：工作或不工作），反而能夠專注於答案的「內涵」，看到自己心中是否還有罪咎。這樣的練習，可以幫助你跳脫「形式」的束縛，專注於「內涵」之上，也就是跳脫「後果」，指向「肇因」。

While you have experienced forgiveness in various areas of your life, it seems incomplete with regard to employment due in part to your seeming ambivalence toward it. Before you can become aware of what the Holy Spirit would have you do (or not do), you must be willing to hide nothing: “You will not be able to accept perfect communication as long as you would hide it from yourself. For what you would hide is hidden from you. In your practice, then, try only to be vigilant against deception, and seek not to protect the thoughts you would keep to your-self. Let the Holy Spirit's purity shine them away, and bring all your awareness to the readi-ness for purity He offers you.” (T.15.IV.9:6,7,8,9). In other words, examine all of the thoughts you hold in your mind regarding employment. Make a list of “good and bad,” “for and against” — just let whatever is there come into your conscious awareness. Once all of the “chatter” about this topic has been voiced, then you are more able to hear the Voice which will guide you. You will find that your focus on the answer in form will recede as the content of being with or without guilt becomes more important. An exercise such as mentioned above will help you practice shifting your focus from the form to the content, from the effect to the cause.

也別忘了J兄很重要的一個指導：

「當你碰到了自己不敢確定的情況時，首先應反省的即是『我想要得到什麼結果？這到底是為了什麼？』一開始就應澄清目標，因為目標決定了結果。小我的程式，則正好相反，常把外在條件當成決定其結果的因素，因此什麼事都可能發生。這程式之所以本末倒置，理由很明顯。小我並不清楚自己在那狀況下想要得到什麼結果。它只意識到自己所不想要的，僅僅如此而已。它根本沒有什麼積極的目標。」 (T.17.VI.2 舊譯，經修訂).

如此反省，你就有明確的目標了，只要你能在心靈裏，為聖靈的溫柔指引挪出空間來，必會達成目標。

And remember too the important lesson Jesus teaches us about purpose: “In any situation in which you are uncertain, the first thing to consider, very simply, is “What do I want to come of this? What is it The clarification of the goal belongs at the beginning, for it is this which will deter-mine the outcome. In the ego's procedure this is reversed. The situation becomes the deter-miner of the outcome, which can be anything. The reason for this disorganized approach is evident. The ego does not know what it wants to come of the situation. It is aware of what it does not want, but only that. It has no positive goal at all” (T.17.VI.2). But now you have a definite goal, and by making room within your mind to hear the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit, you are ensured of reaching that goal.