靈魂的心堡-林順明神父主講
First step: beauty and dignity of the soul, self-knowledge
In preparing my reflection, I have found the thought of the Confucian sages helpful in understanding St Teresa. Their writings added colour to the writings of St Teresa on prayer and they seemed to have practiced the various virtues that St Teresa strongly recommended. I would like to share my reflections with you, and I hope that you will find them useful.
孟子曰：「人皆有不忍人之心。先王有不忍人之心，斯有不忍人之政矣。以不忍人之心，行不忍人之政，治天下可運之掌上。所以謂人皆有不忍人之心者，今人乍見孺子將入於井，皆有怵惕惻隱之心。非所以內交於孺子之父母也，非所以要譽於鄉黨朋友也，非惡其聲而然也。由是觀之，無惻隱之心，非人也；無羞惡之心，非人也；無辭讓之心，非人也；無是非之心，非人也。惻隱之心，仁之端也；羞惡之心，義之端也；辭讓之心，禮之端也；是非之心，智之端也。人之有是四端也，猶其有四體也。有是四端而自謂不能者，自賊者也；謂其君不能者，賊其君者也。凡有四端於我者，知皆擴而充之矣，若火之始然，泉之始達。苟能充之，足以保四海；苟不充之，不足以事父母。公孫丑上
Mencius said, ‘All men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others. ‘The ancient kings had this commiserating mind, and they, as a matter of course, had likewise a commiserating government. When with a commiserating mind was practised a commiserating government, to rule the kingdom was as easy a matter as to make anything go round in the palm. When I say that all men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others, my meaning may be illustrated thus: even now-a-days, if men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress. They will feel so, not as a ground on which they may gain the favour of the child’s parents, nor as a ground on which they may seek the praise of their neighbours and friends, nor from a dislike to the reputation of having been unmoved by such a thing. From this case we may perceive that the feeling of commiseration is essential to man, that the feeling of shame and dislike is essential to man, that the feeling of modesty and complaisance is essential to man, and that the feeling of approving and disapproving is essential to man. The feeling of commiseration is the principle of benevolence. The feeling of shame and dislike is the principle of righteousness. The feeling of modesty and complaisance is the principle of propriety. The feeling of approving and disapproving is the principle of knowledge. Men have these four principles just as they have their four limbs. When men, having these four principles, yet say of themselves that they cannot develop them, they play the thief with themselves, and he who says of his prince that he cannot develop them plays the thief with his prince. Since all men have these four principles in themselves, let them know to give them all their development and completion, and the issue will be like that of fire which has begun to burn, or that of a spring which has begun to find vent. Let them have their complete development, and they will suffice to love and protect all within the four seas. Let them be denied that development, and they will not suffice for a man to serve his parents with.’
人之初，性本善。性相近，習相遠。
The Three-Letter Classic affirmed that the original nature of man is good, and habits （both good and bad） are learnt from good or bad examples that man is exposed to. Mencius was of the same opinion when he stated the goodness of man gave rise to that compassion which is the beginning of the virtue of altruism, the supreme virtue for the Confucian gentleman.
Man as created by God was given free will to choose the good and avoid the bad. The misuse of free will resulted in sin entering the soul. God’s love provided the means for our salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord and the cultivation of virtues conforms us more and more like our Creator.
The soul in the state of grace is the brilliant diamond that the Lord showed St Teresa. Marred by sin, it turns dark, but does not remove the innate dignity of the soul as how the Creator wanted it. Awed by this discovery, St Teresa to put into practice what the Lord showed her and wrote down her experiences in her much celebrated work: ‘The Interior Castle’.
Knowing who we are to God sets us on the right footing to want the best for ourselves, and this self-knowledge can be perfected through practice. Others help us in our self-knowledge. Using others as mirrors of ourselves can assist us in better recognizing our faults and appreciating our gifts. We learn from the good examples that we see in others in the practice of virtue and avoid the vices that we notice.
子曰：「三人行，必有我師焉。擇其善者而從之，其不善者而改之。」述而
This is similar to what Confucius said, “When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them.”
Self-knowledge is the basis of the virtue of humility. Without self-knowledge, we cannot be living in truth. For St Teresa, truth consists in knowing who we are （as creatures） and who God is （the Creator）. Seeing ourselves as how the Creator sees us will show us the false images of ourselves, accept our limitations, and free us to live for God, trusting in his providence. The image of our souls has been marred by sin, and we cannot find our way in the interior castles of our souls if we do not direct our search to God.
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