一位真正的靈性導師並不是要教你詞語的傳統意思，也不是要給予你或者給你添加任何東西，比如新的信息、信仰、或者是行為準則。靈性導師的唯一功能就是要幫助你移除障礙，這些障礙將你與你已是的真相分離，也將你與你內在深處已知的分離。靈性導師在此向你揭開並顯露那個內在深處的向度，也就是寧靜的向度。
如果你來到一位靈性導師面前，或這本書面前，是為了尋找一些刺激的理念、理論、信仰，或者知識的討論，那你將感到失望。換句話說，如果你在為思想尋找食物，你不會找到。這樣的話你會錯過這個教導的本質，這本書的本質並不在詞語之間，而是在你之內。當你聆聽這教導時，如果你能記得這一點，感受到這一點，將會很有幫助。
這些詞語僅僅是指示牌。它們所指向的無法在思想的層面被找到，而是在一個比思想更深的、更寬廣的層面，那就是在你的內在深處。這個層面的特徵之一就是一種不斷振動的充滿活力的寧靜。所以當你正在聆聽這教導時，如果感到內在的寧靜正在升起，就表示這本書正在發揮它作為你的靈性導師的功效。它正在提醒你你是誰，並且直指著回家的路。
這不是一本要你從頭讀到尾，然後束之高閣的書。與它生活在一起。經常拿起這本書。而且，更重要的是，經常放下它。或更多時候是捧著它而不是閱讀它。很多讀者在讀完一小條之後會很自然地想要停下來，暫停一下，思考它，然後變得安靜。每一次停止閱讀總是比繼續閱讀更有幫助也更加重要。允許這本書完成它的工作，將你從那古老的叢林，也就是你的重複的、受限的思維中喚醒。
這本書的形式可以被看作是從前記錄的靈性教導- 古印度的經文- 的最古老形式的現代復興。這些經文是對真相的強有力的指示，它們以格言或短句的形式存在，輔以很少的概念上的闡述。《吠陀經》和《奧義書》就是以經文形式記錄下來的早期的關於神性的教導，記錄的都是佛陀說的話。如果把耶穌所說的箴言和譬喻從後人敘事性的上下文中摘取出來，也可以被看作是經文。而在那本古代中國人關於智慧的書《道德經》中所包含的深奧的教導也同樣以經文的形式存在。
經文的優點就在於它的簡潔扼要。它不鼓勵任何不必要的思考。它沒有說出來的，那個它所指向的，比它所說出來的要重要得多。
在這本書中，那些像經文一樣的短句被特別編輯在第一章“靜默與寧靜”裡，這一章只包含那些最簡潔的短句。這一章囊括了整本書的精髓，對於一些讀者來說，也許他們需要的全部都在這一章裡面了。其他的章節是提供給需要的人一些更多的指示牌。正如古老的經文一樣，這本書裡的語句是神聖的，它們來自於意識，我們也可以稱之為寧靜。然而，與古老經文所不同的是，它們不屬於任何宗教教派或是靈性傳統，而是整個人類都可以立即觸及的教導。
現在這件事的緊迫性有所增強。人類意識的轉換再也不是一件奢侈品，可以這麼說，它不再僅僅是少數幾個與世隔絕的人才可以達到的。如果人類不自我毀滅的話，意識的轉換將是一件必須完成的事情。此時此刻，舊有意識的功能失調和新意識的揚升同時都在加速。看似矛盾的，事情正在同時變壞也變好，雖然變壞的那部分由於製造了很多噪音而更加明顯。
當然，這本書也是在你閱讀或者聆聽的這個行為中，利用詞語來使它們成為你頭腦中的思想。但是這些並不是普通的思想：那些重複的，嘈雜的，自私的，吵鬧著想要引起注意的思想。就像每位真正的靈性導師一樣，也像古老的經文一樣，這本書中的思想不會說：“看著我”，而是說“看穿我”。因為這些思想來自於寧靜，它們擁有力量，這個力量將帶你回到它們來自的那個寧靜。那個寧靜也就是內心的安詳。而這寧靜與安詳就是你的本質。正是這寧靜將要拯救和轉化這個世界。
翻譯：遊由
~~~原文如下~~~
Eckhart Tolle
Stillness Speaks
Introduction
A true spiritual teacher does not have anything to teach in the conventional sense of
the word, does not have anything to give or add to you, such as new information,
beliefs, or rules of conduct. The only function of such a teacher is to help you
remove that which separates you from the truth of who you already are and what
you already know in the depth of your being. The spiritual teacher is there to
uncover and reveal to you that dimension of the inner depth that is also peace.
If you come to a spiritual teacher or this book looking for stimulating ideas,
theories, beliefs, intellectual discussions, then you will be disappointed. In other
words, if you are looking for food for thought, you won't find it. And you will miss
the very essence of the teaching, the essence of this book which is not in the words
but within yourself. It is good to remember that, to feel that, as you listen.
The words are no more than signposts. That to which they point is not to be found
within the realm of thought but a dimension within yourself that is deeper, and
infinitely vaster than thought. A vibrantly alive peace is one of the characteristics
of that dimension. So whenever you feel inner peace arising as you listen, the book
is doing it work and fulfilling its function as your teacher. It is reminding you of
who you are and pointing the way back home.
This is not a book to be read from cover to cover and then put away. Live with it.
Pick it up frequently. And, more importantly, put it down frequently. Or spend
more time holding it than reading it. Many readers will feel naturally inclined to
stop reading after each entry, to pause, reflect, become still. It is always more
helpful and more important to stop reading than to continue reading. Allow the
book to do its work, to awaken you from the old groves of your repetitive and
conditioned thinking
The form of this book can be seen as a revival for the present age of the oldest form
of recorded spiritual teachings, the sutras of ancient India. Sutras are powerful
pointers to the truth in the form of aphorisms or short sayings with little conceptual
elaboration. The Vedas and Upanishads are the early sacred teachings recorded in
the form of sutras, as are the words of the Buddha. The sayings and parables of
Jesus, too, when taken out of their narrative context could be regarded as sutras as
well as the profound teachings contained in the Tao Te Ching, the ancient Chinese
book of wisdom .
The advantage of the sutra form lies in its brevity. It does not engage the thinking
mind more than is necessary. What it doesn't say, but only points to, is more
important than what it says.
The sutra-like character, of the writings in this book is particularly marked in
chapter 1, Silence and Stillness, which contains only the briefest of entries. This
chapter contains the essence of the entire book and may be all that some readers
require. The other chapters are there for those who need a few more signposts.
Just like the ancient sutras, the writings contained within this book are sacred and
have come out of a state of consciousness we may call stillness. Unlike those
sutras, however, they don't belong to any one religion or spiritual tradition, but are
immediately accessible to the whole of humanity.
There is also an added sense of urgency here. The transformation of human
consciousness is no longer a luxury, so to speak, available only to a few, isolated
individuals, but a necessity if human kind is not to destroy itself. At the present
time, the dysfunction of the old consciousness and the arising of the new are both
accelerating. Paradoxically, things are getting worse and better at the same time,
although the worse is more apparent because it makes so much noise.
This book, of course, uses words that in the act of reading or listening, become
thoughts in your mind. But those are not ordinary thoughts: repetitive, noisy, selfserving,
clamoring for attention. Just like every true spiritual teachers, just like the
ancient sutras, the thoughts within this book don't say “look at me", but “look
beyond me.” Because the thoughts came out of stillness, they have power, the
power to take you back into the same stillness from which they arose. That stillness
is also inner peace. And that stillness and peace is the essence of your being. It is
the stillness that will save and transform the world.
摘自： Stillness Speaks
翻譯：遊由
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