《光明戰(zhàn)士手冊》——在成為勇士的征途上

保羅·柯艾略（Paulo Coelho， 1947～），巴西作家、小說家。保羅生于巴西里約熱內(nèi)盧，從小就向往成為一名作家，但在父母的逼迫下一度放棄這一夢想，后成為一名歌詞創(chuàng)作者。1982年，保羅出版了他的第一本書，但影響甚微。1988年，保羅的《牧羊少年奇幻之旅》（The Alchemist）出版，獲得了巨大的成功。該小說已被譯為近60種語言出版，成為歷史上最暢銷的小說之一。

《光明戰(zhàn)士手冊》（Manual of the Warrior of Light）實際上是一部箴言集。這些箴言都來自保羅·柯艾略在1993～1996年間發(fā)表于《圣保羅日報》的“天命”專欄。在1997年集結(jié)成書時，保羅又加上了序曲和尾聲，使其成為一個更加完整的故事。書中，保羅結(jié)合中西方文化，從《道德經(jīng)》《莊子》《圣經(jīng)》《可蘭經(jīng)》等經(jīng)典著作中擷取精華，極具啟發(fā)性地記述了光明戰(zhàn)士尋找生命真諦的故事，為讀者開啟獨特的內(nèi)心探索之旅。

下節(jié)文選自該書的“序曲”部分。

精彩片段

\"Just off the beach to the west of the village lies an island， and on it is a vast temple with many bells，\" said the woman.

The boy noticed that she was dressed strangely and had a veil covering her head. He had never seen her before.

\"Have you ever visited that temple？\" she asked. \"Go there and tell me what you think of it.\"

Seduced by the woman's beauty， the boy went to the place she had indicated. He sat down on the beach and stared out at the horizon， but he saw only what he always saw： blue sky and ocean.

Disappointed， he walked to a nearby fishing village and asked if anyone there knew about an island and a temple.

\"Oh， that was many years ago， when my great-grandparents were alive，\" said an old fisherman. \"There was an earthquake， and the island was swallowed up by the sea. But although we can no longer see the island， we can still hear the temple bells when the ocean sets them swinging down below.\"

The boy went back to the beach and tried to hear the bells. He spent the whole afternoon there， but all he heard was the noise of the waves and the cries of the seagulls.

When night fell， his parents came looking for him. The following morning， he went back to the beach； he could not believe that such a beautiful woman would have lied to him. If she ever returned， he could tell her that although he had not seen the island， he had heard the temple bells set ringing by the motion of the waves.

Many months passed； the woman did not return and the boy forgot all about her； now he was convinced that he needed to discover the riches and treasures in the submerged1） temple. If he could hear the bells， he would be able to locate it and salvage2） the treasure hidden below.

He lost interest in school and even in his friends. He became the butt3） of all the other children's jokes. They used to say： \"He's not like us. He prefers to sit looking at the sea because he's afraid of being beaten in our games.\" And they all laughed to see the boy sitting on the shore.

Although he still could not hear the old temple bells ringing， the boy nevertheless learned about other things. He began to realise that he had grown so used to the sound of the waves that he was no longer distracted by them. Soon after that， he became used to the cries of the seagulls， the buzzing of the bees and the wind blowing amongst the palm trees.

Six months after his first conversation with the woman， the boy could sit there oblivious to all other noises， but he still could not hear the bells from the drowned temple.

Fishermen came and talked to him， insisting that they had heard the bells.

But the boy never did.

Some time later， however， the fishermen changed their tune4）： \"You spend far too much time thinking about the bells beneath the sea. Forget about them and go back to playing with your friends. Perhaps it's only fishermen who can hear them.\"

After almost a year， the boy thought： \"Perhaps they're right. I would do better to grow up and become a fisherman and come down to this beach every morning， because I've come to love it here.\" And he thought too： \"Perhaps it's just another legend and the bells were all shattered during the earthquake and have never rung out since.\"

That afternoon， he decided to go back home.

He walked down to the ocean to say goodbye. He looked once more at the natural world around him and because he was no longer concerned about the bells， he could again smile at the beauty of the seagulls' cries， the roar of the sea and the wind blowing in the palm trees. Far off， he heard the sound of his friends playing and he felt glad to think that he would soon resume his childhood games.

The boy was happy and—as only a child can—he felt grateful for being alive. He was sure that he had not wasted his time， for he had learned to contemplate Nature and to respect it.

Then， because he was listening to the sea， the seagulls， the wind in the palm trees and the voices of his friends playing， he also heard the first bell.

And then another.

And another， until， to his great joy， all the bells in the drowned temple were ringing.

Years later， when he was a grown man， he returned to the village and to the beach of his childhood. He no longer dreamed of finding treasure at the bottom of the sea； perhaps that had all been a mere product of his imagination， and he had never in fact heard the submerged bells ring out on one lost childhood afternoon. Even so， he decided to walk for a while along the beach， to listen to the noise of the wind and to the cries of the seagulls.

Imagine his surprise when， there on the beach， he saw the woman who had first spoken to him about the island and its temple.

\"What are you doing here？\" he asked.

\"I was waiting for you，\" she replied.

He noticed that， despite the passing years， the woman looked exactly the same； the veil hiding her hair had not faded with time.

She handed him a blue notebook full of blank pages.

\"Write： a warrior of light values a child's eyes because they are able to look at the world without bitterness. When he wants to find out if the person beside him is worthy of his trust， he tries to see him as a child would.\"

\"What is a warrior of light？\"

\"You already know that，\" she replied with a smile. \"He is someone capable of understanding the miracle of life， of fighting to the last for something he believes in—and of hearing the bells that the waves sets ringing on the seabed.\"

He had never thought of himself as a warrior of light. The woman seemed to read his thoughts. \"Everyone is capable of these things. And though no one thinks of themselves as a warrior of light， we all are.\"

He looked at the blank pages in the notebook. The woman smiled again.

\"Write about that warrior，\" she said.

“就在小村西邊的海岸處，坐落著一座孤島；島上有座很大的寺廟，廟里有許多鐘。”女人說。

男孩注意到她衣著奇特，頭上罩著一層薄紗。他以前從未見過她。

“你去過那座寺廟嗎？”她問道，“去看看吧！然后回來告訴我你對那里的看法。”

男孩被女人的美貌所吸引，去了她說的那個地方。他在海灘上坐下，緊緊盯著地平線看，但卻只看到他平日常見的碧海藍天。

他失望地走到附近的一家漁村，詢問那里是否有人知道一座孤島和一座寺廟。

“哦，那是好多年前的事了，那時我的曾祖父母還活著，”一位年邁的漁夫說，“當時發(fā)生了一場地震，那座小島被海水吞沒了。不過，雖然我們無法再看見那座島，但我們?nèi)阅苈牭綇R里的那些鐘在海底被海水沖擊晃動時發(fā)出的陣陣聲響。”

男孩返回海邊，努力傾聽那鐘聲。整個下午，他都待在那兒，但他聽到的只有海浪聲和海鷗的啼鳴。

夜幕降臨，男孩的父母來尋他回家。次日清晨，他又回到了海岸邊。他無法相信那么美麗的一個女人會撒謊騙他。如果她回來了，他就可以告訴她，盡管自己沒見到那座島，卻聽到了那些海浪翻騰時引發(fā)的鐘聲。

好幾個月過去了，那個女人沒有回來，男孩也已把她忘得一干二凈。現(xiàn)在他確定的是，他需要找到那海底寺廟里的財寶。如果他能聽到鐘聲，他就可以確定寺廟所在的具體位置，然后打撈出藏匿于海底的寶藏。

他對上學失去了興趣，甚至覺得他的那些朋友都變得索然無味。他淪為了其他孩子的笑柄。他們時常這樣說：“他跟我們不一樣。他更愿意坐在那兒看海，因為他怕在游戲中被我們打敗。”而且，他們看到男孩坐在海邊就會笑話他。

盡管男孩還是沒能聽到古廟的鐘聲，他卻漸漸學會了其他事情。他開始意識到，自己已對海浪聲習以為常，不會再因它們而分心。很快，他也漸漸習慣了海鷗的啼鳴、蜜蜂的嗡嗡聲以及海風吹過棕櫚樹時所發(fā)出的聲音。

自男孩同那女人首次交談的六個月之后，他已經(jīng)能夠心無旁騖地坐在海邊，忽視周遭的任何聲音。但是，他依舊聽不到來自那沉沒的古廟的鐘聲。

漁人們過來跟他交談，堅持說他們聽到過鐘聲。

可是男孩卻一次也沒聽到過。

但是一段時間之后，那些漁人又換了一種說法：“你思考海底鐘聲花了太多時間了。忘記它們，回去跟你的朋友們一塊玩吧！也許那鐘聲只有我們漁夫才能聽見。”

過了差不多一年的光景，男孩想：“也許他們是對的。我最好長大后成為一名漁夫，然后天天早上來這片海灘，因為我已經(jīng)喜歡上這里了。”他又想：“也許這只是又一個傳說罷了。那些鐘或許在當年地震時就全部被震碎了，然后就再也沒響過。”

那天下午，他決定回家。

他走向大海，與它告別。他又看了看周圍的自然風景，因為他不再想著古廟鐘聲，他又能感覺到海鷗的啼鳴、大海的咆哮還有海風拂動棕櫚樹的聲音是那么美麗了，又能因此而微笑了。他聽到了遠處傳來的朋友們的嬉戲聲，一想到自己馬上就要回到那些兒時的游戲中去，他就感到很高興。

男孩很開心，并因為活著而心生感激——只有孩子能做到這點。他很確信自己并沒有蹉跎時光，因為他已經(jīng)學會了如何去思考自然、尊重自然。

而后，就在他傾聽著海的呼嘯、鷗的啼鳴，聽著棕櫚樹間的沙沙風聲以及朋友們的嬉戲聲時，還有一聲鐘鳴傳入他的耳畔。

接著，又一聲。

接著，又一聲，直至沉沒的古廟中的所有鐘全部響起。這讓他狂喜不已。

數(shù)年后，他已長大成人，又回到了童年時去過的那個村莊和那片海灘。他已不再夢想著找到海底的財寶。興許一切都只是他想象出來的。或許在那個遺失的童年的午后，他從未真正聽到過海底的鐘聲。盡管如此，他仍然決定沿著海灘走一走，聽聽風聲與鷗鳴。

你可以想象得到他有多驚訝，因為就在那片海灘上，他看見了那個最初和他交談并告訴他有關(guān)那個小島和寺廟的故事的女人。

“你在這里做什么呢？”他問道。

“我一直在等你。”她回答。

他注意到，盡管流年似水，她卻容顏依舊，連包裹發(fā)絲的那層薄紗都沒有隨時光消逝而褪色。

她遞給他一本空白的藍色筆記簿。

“請在上面寫下：光明戰(zhàn)士珍視孩子的眼睛，因為他們眼中的世界沒有痛苦。當光明戰(zhàn)士想要弄清他身邊的人是否值得信任時，他會努力用孩童的眼光去看他。”

“什么是光明戰(zhàn)士？”

“你已知曉答案，”她笑著回答，“光明戰(zhàn)士能夠理解生命的奇跡，能夠為了自己的信仰而奮戰(zhàn)到底，也能夠聽到海底浪潮拍打那些鐘而響起的鐘聲。”

他從來沒有想過自己就是一個光明戰(zhàn)士。女人似乎猜透了他的心思，說道：“每個人都可以勝任這些事。盡管沒有人認為自己是光明戰(zhàn)士，但我們每個人都是。”

他看著那本筆記簿中的一頁頁白紙。女人又笑了。

“在上面寫些關(guān)于那個光明戰(zhàn)士的東西吧。”她說。

1.submerged [s?b?m??d?d] adj. 淹沒的；水下的

2.salvage [?s?lv?d?] vt. 打撈

3.butt [b?t] n. （嘲弄等的）對象，笑柄

4.change one's tune： 改變調(diào)子，變卦

賞析

《光明戰(zhàn)士手冊》全書共包含133則短篇，以箴言的形式講述了光明戰(zhàn)士尋找生命真諦的故事。作者在書中將東西方智慧濃縮于簡潔、詩意的語言之中，從一個看似平淡無奇卻懸念重重的寓言出發(fā)，探尋生活中常常被忽略的真實以及真實背后隱藏的那些深邃的哲理。其實，這本書可以有各種各樣的解讀。你可以隨時放下，又可以隨時開始，閉上眼睛隨便翻到哪一頁，總會有那么幾句話驀地觸動你的心靈。你也可以把它當做一本特殊的“旅行指南”，將光明戰(zhàn)士的所作所為與自己對比，從而使自己的思想“地圖”更加清晰。你還可以結(jié)合序言和尾聲中的寓言故事，慢慢地領(lǐng)悟在成為勇士的征途上到底需要什么，又會得到什么。

也許你會說：“我從未想過自己能成為勇士，那只是少數(shù)人能做到的事。”故事中的男孩也曾這樣想過。那時他還只是一個懵懂的小男孩，僅僅因為對一個神秘的美麗女子的傾心而日復(fù)一日地獨自坐在海灘上，期冀著能夠聆聽到海底寺廟的鐘聲。雖然他心無旁騖，卻始終一無所獲。然而，在他決定向大海告別的那一刻，神奇的事情發(fā)生了：他聽到了海底深處傳來的連綿不絕的鐘聲！長大成人后的他再次來到海灘上，奇跡般地遇到了多年前向他說起海島和寺廟的那個神秘的女人。盡管男孩從未想過自己會成為光明戰(zhàn)士，但女人告訴他：“每個人都可以勝任這些事。盡管沒有人認為自己是光明戰(zhàn)士，但我們每個人都是。”

什么是光明戰(zhàn)士？故事中的神秘女人給出了解釋：光明戰(zhàn)士能夠理解生命的奇跡，并會為了自己的信仰而奮戰(zhàn)到底。聽到海底的鐘聲是男孩最初的目標，男孩一心一意只為聽到鐘聲，日復(fù)一日地等待，默默地堅守。但在漫長而孤獨的等待之后，他漸漸懂得了欣賞周遭的風景，懂得了尊重自然，意識到了活著就是幸福，明白了生命的美麗。正是在大自然中，他學會了靜心沉思和心懷敬畏，他的心靈也得以凈化，變得堅忍而純粹。此時，最初的目標對他來說已然不再重要，因為他找到了更重要的東西。當他漸漸放下，靜心感悟，就發(fā)現(xiàn)自己想要找的就在眼前。因此，對于光明戰(zhàn)士來說，在成為勇士的征途上，過程最重要。譬如爬山時，可以沉醉于鳥語花香，靜聽泉水叮咚，可以欣賞層巒疊嶂、冷山云霧，也可以感受心跳的加快、身體的疲憊，正是這樣的體驗賦予了登上頂峰時那種“一覽眾山小”的感覺更多的意義。譬如一粒種子，只有在經(jīng)歷冬的嚴酷、春的溫柔、夏的熱烈后才能夠破土而出、茁壯成長并結(jié)出累累碩果。人的生命又何嘗不是如此呢？正如書中的一條箴言告訴我們的：“如只一心追求目標的達成，他就無法意會到征途上的啟示；如只一味追問，他也將錯過隱藏在身邊的萬千答案。”

然而，光明戰(zhàn)士要做的不僅僅是要欣賞沿途的美麗，更要秉承信念、堅持正義，讓自己的生命更加絢爛，讓他人的生命因自己而幸福。他總有一套為人處世的準則，而這些準則是他歷經(jīng)挫折、困難和逆境時得來的，是他體味生活、感悟生命的每一刻時得來的。故事中的男孩邁出了第一步，學會了欣賞生命、用孩子的眼光看待世界，而他以后的每一步都會記錄在那本藍色的筆記簿里。書中的那133條箴言正是光明戰(zhàn)士的心路歷程，是光明戰(zhàn)士的人生感悟和行事準則，教我們擁有信心、愛心和敬畏之心，教我們獨立、憐憫和忍耐……

或許你會說，書中這133條箴言流于說教，甚至相互矛盾，沒什么價值，但讀過本書的尾聲部分后你就不會這么認為了。在尾聲部分，男孩在聽完女人對光明戰(zhàn)士的描述（也就是那些箴言）之后，發(fā)出了和我們一樣的疑問：“可是，您說的很多都是相互矛盾的啊？”此時，女人告訴了男孩對于光明戰(zhàn)士來說最重要的一點：“真正的戰(zhàn)士不必徒勞分清涇渭，他必須學會接受生活原本，明白生活總是禍福相倚，矛盾共生。”這才是生命的本質(zhì)。因此，在成為勇士的征途上，要記得：“只有當你意識到海浪呼嘯、鷗鳥啼鳴和棕櫚樹的沙沙聲與那鐘聲總是融匯在一起的時候，你才能真正聽得到鐘聲。”