Chapter 26: Stillness

As revealed to God’s Messenger Marshall Vian Summers on June 10, 1988 in San Francisco, CA
1988年6月10日，在加州旧金山(San Francisco, CA)，向上帝的信使马歇尔・维安・萨默斯(Marshall Vian Summers)揭示

Developing stillness is very essential to the cultivation of Knowledge and to the resolution of personal difficulties. We have not talked about stillness a great deal because many people are not yet practitioners in the reclamation and development of Knowledge. Stillness is relevant because it will give you an emphasis to use in developing your own abilities and in recognizing the requirements that are necessary for you to utilize your greater powers of mind.

发展静止对于培养内识和解决个人困难是非常重要的。我们没有大量谈论静止，因为许多人还不是内识的开垦和发展的实践者。静止是有意义的，因为它将给你一个重点，用来发展你自己的能力，认识到你利用你更大心智力量所需要的要求。

People are very anxious to have very big answers to very big questions. They seek resolution to long-term problems, but when it comes time to talk about practice, well, that is a different matter. Many of the things that are your true goals in life require much development to achieve because you cannot be satisfied with explanations or philosophy or answers alone. Answers are not enough. You must cultivate the real abilities that are essential for successful living here. There is no way around it. There are many shortcuts that are promised, but the methodology is secondary to your will in the matter and to your desire for truth and resolution, which in time will be greater than all other things.

人们非常急于对非常大的问题有非常大的答案。他们寻求长期问题的解决，但当谈到实践的时候，嗯，那就是另外一回事了。许多作为你生活中真实目标的东西需要很多发展才能实现，因为你不能仅仅满足于解释或哲学或答案。答案是不够的。你必须培养真正的能力，这是成功生活在这里所必需的。这是没办法的事。有很多承诺的捷径，但方法是次要的，要看你在这件事上的意愿，以及你对真理和解决的渴望，这在时间上会比其他所有事情都要大。

Why is stillness of mind essential? Its rewards are quite apparent if you think about it. A still mind is a focused mind. It is a mind that is using all of its resources. It is concentrated upon one thing. It is without the vexation of little distractions. You are able to concentrate your greater strength of mind on one area, and this gives you much more profound insight than you would normally have. Because your mind is quiet, you are not trying to give the situation answers or explanations, so you are able to witness things as they truly exist. Simple enough, but very profound.

为什么心灵的静默是必不可少的？如果你想一想，它的回报是很明显的。静默的心是一个专注的心。它是一个正在使用其所有资源的心。它专注于一件事。它没有一点杂念的困扰。你能够把你更大的心智力量集中在一个领域，这给你带来比你通常情况下更深刻的洞察力。因为你的心是安静的，你并不试图给这种情况以答案或解释，所以你能够见证事物的真实存在。很简单，但非常深刻。

With stillness, you can exercise the greater powers of your mind; you can have a greater ability for observation and discernment, and you are able to see the necessary way that you must follow. In stillness, things become obvious that would never be apparent to a mind that was in distress or in conflict. This power of concentration will give you tremendous ability in the world, but that is the lesser of its rewards. Its greater reward is that you begin to discern and to experience your own Knowledge, which is the true Mind that you have brought from beyond this world to contribute here.

有了静止，你就可以行使你心智的更大力量；你可以有更大的观察和辨别能力，你能够看到你必须遵循的必要途径。在静止中，一些事情会变得很明显，而这些事情对于处于困境或冲突中的心灵来说是永远不会明显的。这种专注的力量会给你在世界中带来巨大的能力，但这是它较少的回报。它更大的回报是，你开始辨别和经历你自己的内识，这是你从这个世界之外带到这里来的真实心智。

Not all of you wish for the complete reclamation or discovery of Knowledge. Many of you just want to have a problem solved. Here the lesser rewards of developing stillness of mind will give you what you need as well. But We do not want to talk only about the incredible resolution and sense of purpose, meaning and direction this state of mind will yield to you. We would also like to talk about what happens along the way.

并非所有的人都希望完全开垦或发现内识。你们中的许多人只是想让问题得到解决。在这里，发展静心的较少回报也会给你们带来你们所需要的。但我们并不想只谈论这种心智状态会给你带来的不可思议的解决方法和目的感、意义和方向。我们还想谈一谈这一路上发生的事情。

You are where you are. You cannot be somewhere else in your development. You may dream or think or wish that you could be in a much higher state of mind with greater abilities to contribute, with greater powers over mundane things and so forth. Yet the most valuable thing is the means for getting there. Getting to a place of stillness is even more important than the result, for in achieving this you begin to have the fundamental qualities of concentration, discernment, patience, perseverance, faith, compassion and forgiveness—all things which are very essential.

你在哪里，你就在哪里。在你的发展中，你不可能在别的地方。你可能梦想、思考或希望你能处于一个更高的心智状态，有更大的能力做出贡献，对世俗事物有更大的权力，等等。然而，最宝贵的东西是到达那里的方法。到达静止的地方甚至比结果更重要，因为在实现这个目标的过程中，你开始拥有专注、辨别力、耐心、毅力、信心、同情心和宽恕等基本品质，所有这些都是非常重要的。

When you are concerned about a problem and are in conflict regarding it, the last thing you want is to become still. You are very eager for answers. “I need the answers right now. I am desperate!” And you go through all the possible answers that you have ever considered or heard about. Maybe the problem is emotional. Maybe it is physical. Maybe it is medical. Maybe it is philosophical. Maybe it is spiritual. And so you go all through the inventory of answers and possibilities because you are afraid. How can you afford stillness of mind? It does not seem to yield any result.

当你关心一个问题，并在这方面发生冲突时，你最不希望的就是变得沉默。你非常渴望得到答案。”我现在就需要答案。我很绝望！”而你会把你曾经考虑过或听说过的所有可能的答案都过一遍。也许问题是情感上的。也许是生理问题。也许是医学问题。也许是哲学上的问题。也许是精神问题。于是你就去盘点所有的答案和可能性，因为你很害怕。你怎么能负担得起心灵的静止？它似乎并没有产生任何结果。

Very few of the problems you consider require immediate action. So the first step is to withdraw from the situation. Do not try to answer the question. The first step is recognizing that you must take a more comprehensive approach rather than simply trying to resolve the situation by putting an answer on top of it. This separates you from the problem and establishes that you are greater than the problem itself because you are establishing the means for its resolution.

你考虑的问题中很少有需要立即采取行动的。所以第一步是退出这个情况。不要试图回答这个问题。第一步是认识到你必须采取更全面的方法，而不是简单地试图通过把答案放在上面来解决这个问题。这就把你和问题分开了，并确定你比问题本身更大，因为你正在建立解决问题的手段。

Next, you must take inventory of your preferences regarding the matter. “What are my preferences regarding this situation?” To the degree to which you have strong preferences, it will be more difficult for you to experience Knowledge or know what to do. You will think you know what to do. You will think you have the answer or possible answers, but you have not found the real answer because the greater mind deep within you is not yet able to speak to your conscious mind.

接下来，你必须清点你对这件事的偏好。”我对这种情况的偏好是什么？”在你有强烈偏好的程度上，你将更难经历到内识或知道该怎么做。你会认为你知道该怎么做。你会认为你有答案或可能的答案，但你还没有找到真正的答案，因为在你内心深处的伟大心智还不能与你的意识心智对话。

Therefore, withdraw from the problem and then begin to review your preferences or anxieties about it. Preferences and anxieties are very similar. They both distract you from focusing upon that place within yourself where the answer can emerge.

因此，从问题中退出来，然后开始回顾你对问题的偏好或焦虑。偏好和焦虑是非常相似的。它们都会分散你的注意力，使你无法专注于自己内心的那个地方，在那里答案会出现。

Then you must see if you really want resolution. “Do I really want resolution?” It requires a great degree of honesty to come to a genuine answer here. If you are not sure, it is better to say no. If you say yes, then in order for this to be genuine, you must be willing to follow any course of resolution, even if it leads away from the preferred outcome that you seek.

然后你必须看看你是否真的想要解决问题。”我真的想要解决吗？”要在这里得出一个真正的答案，需要有很大程度的诚实。如果你不确定，最好说不。如果你说”是”，那么为了使之成为真正的答案，你必须愿意遵循任何解决问题的途径，即使它导致远离你所寻求的首选结果。

You see, problems are not hard to solve. The problem is that people do not want their problems solved. What people seek is a resolution which will give them their preferred outcome and relieve them of the discomfort which they are feeling. Here there is plotting and scheming. Here outcomes are considered to be more important than the truth until the truth becomes more important than the outcomes. When you finally reach stillness of mind, you do not care about any of this. You are past negotiation.

你看，问题并不难解决。问题是，人们并不希望他们的问题得到解决。人们所寻求的是一个能给他们带来理想结果的解决方案，并解除他们所感受到的不适感。这里存在着阴谋和诡计。这里的结果被认为比真理更重要，直到真理变得比结果更重要。当你最终达到心灵的静止时，你就不关心任何这些了。因为你已经过了谈判的阶段。

To approach stillness—this deep state of alert observation in the face of difficulty or dilemma—means that you are at least willing to become quiet and observant rather than struggle for resolution or to achieve something.

要接近静止——这种面对困难或困境时警觉观察的深层状态——意味着你至少愿意变得安静和观察，而不是为解决问题或实现某种目标而挣扎。

Developing stillness is one of the essential qualities in healing, in spiritual evolvement and in practical problem solving. Yet it seems so impractical, and this makes you confront your own personal conflicts. This is good, for it makes you confront these things in order to achieve stillness, not to resolve things. If you are attempting to have a still mind and you are still trying to resolve something or get something, you will not be successful.

培养静止是治疗、精神进化和解决实际问题的基本素质之一。然而这似乎是不切实际的，这使你面对自己的个人冲突。这很好，因为它使你面对这些事情，以达到静止的目的，而不是解决事情。如果你试图拥有一个静止的心灵，而你仍然试图解决什么或得到什么，你将不会成功。

Another by-product of developing stillness is that you develop trust—a very deep trust in your true nature, a very deep trust in God and a very deep trust that there are forces working on your behalf. This means that you do not trust your thoughts or feelings alone. You are trusting something greater within you and beyond you. This is an inherent trust.

发展静止的另一个副产品是你发展了信任——对你的真实本性非常深刻的信任，对上帝非常深刻的信任，对有力量为你工作非常深刻的信任。这意味着你不单单相信你的思维或感觉。你信任的是你内心和你之外的更大的内识。这是一种内在的信任。

People say, “Oh, I have a terrible problem. You must help me,” and We say, “Well, the first step is stillness.” “Stillness? What about the answer?” And We say, “Stillness is the answer.”

人们说，”哦，我有一个可怕的问题。我们说，”好吧，第一步是静止”。”静止？那答案呢？”我们说，”静止就是答案”。

Most people’s problems are hypothetical anyway. There is the problem and there is the interpretation of the problem, which can be quite different from the problem itself. People say, “I want to have a relationship in my life now,” which may not be the problem. So why try to resolve something that is not the problem? The problem is not that they do not have a relationship, but that they need to develop something else that is more important. That is very often the case, but people do not see that as the avenue that they must follow. They are lonely, so they want a mate. But We say “stillness.”

反正大多数人的问题都是假设的。有问题，也有对问题的解释，这可能与问题本身完全不同。人们说，”我现在想在我的生活中拥有一段关系”，这可能不是问题。那么为什么要尝试解决不是问题的假设呢？问题不在于他们没有关系，而在于他们需要发展其他更重要的品质。情况往往如此，但人们不认为这是他们必须遵循的途径。他们是孤独的，所以他们想要一个伴侣。但是我们说”静止”。

In some situations, people must not attempt stillness because the problem facing them is quite immediate and they must take action. But overall, to realize what Knowledge is, to experience its power and efficacy in the world, you must develop some degree of stillness. To achieve this, you must persevere and have patience because you do not get instant results. You must fortify your faith that this is genuine and within your reach.

在某些情况下，人们必须不尝试静止，因为他们面临的问题相当直接，他们必须采取行动。但总的来说，要实现内识是什么，要经历它在世界中的力量和功效，你必须发展某种程度的静止。要做到这一点，你必须坚持不懈，有耐心，因为你不会立即得到结果。你必须强化你的信心，相信这是真正的，而且是在你的能力范围之内。

Do not be satisfied with answers. It is really the experience that matters. We bestow experience. Experience requires involvement, participation and trust. Anyone can play with answers. We have given many answers and they are like seeds. They can be planted in the mind and grow over time. But it is still your preparation and experience that are most important.

不要对答案感到满足。真正重要的是经历。我们赐予经历。经历需要投入，参与和信任。任何人都可以玩弄答案。我们已经给出了许多答案，它们就像种子。它们可以被种植在心灵中，并随着时间的推移而成长。但最重要的仍然是你的准备和经历。

People often ask, “How can I be in contact with my own Inner Teachers?” We say, “stillness.” They are still; you are not. That is why you cannot perceive them. Here you are rushing about with your mind grinding thoughts down into powder, always trying to sort things out or see a new way around things, always trying to get the better angle, and your Teacher is standing there. In stillness, you will feel the presence of your whole Spiritual Family. They are calm. You are not.

人们经常问：”我怎样才能与自己的内在老师接触？”我们说，”静止”。他们是静止的；你不是。这就是为什么你不能感知他们。在这里，你匆匆忙忙地用你的心智把思维磨成粉末，总是试图把事情理清或看到事情的新方法，总是试图得到更好的角度，而你的老师就站在那里。在静止状态下，你会感觉到你整个精神家庭的存在。他们是平静的。你却不是。

Therefore, unless immediate action is required, calmness is often the best first step. It cannot be a complacent or a passive calmness. It is calmness with a very great intent. It is an intention for resolution without attempting to resolve the situation yourself.

因此，除非需要立即采取行动，否则冷静往往是最好的第一步。它不能是一种自满或被动的冷静。它是具有非常大意图的冷静。它是一种解决的意图，而不是试图自己去解决这种情况。

In all ages, in all societies, even in all worlds, stillness is one of the primary challenges. Even if you live a very busy life and have lots of work and commitments, it is still relevant. Only a few minutes a day in stillness is necessary. It is not appropriate to say, “Well, I do not have time. I cannot fit it in.” If you cannot fit it in, then you should eliminate some things because your life is out of balance and out of proportion with your true needs.

在所有的时代，所有的社会，甚至所有的世界中，静止是主要的挑战之一。即使你的生活非常忙碌，有很多工作和承诺，它仍然是相关的。每天只有几分钟的静止是必要的。说”嗯，我没有时间。我无法适应。”如果你不能适应，那么你应该取消一些事情，因为你的生命已经失去了平衡，与你的真实需求不相称。

People in modern society have a great deal of information available. You are concerned with many things and are very intelligent, but you are not very strong—either physically, mentally or emotionally. Part of the reason for this is that your mind is concerned with so many things that are unrelated. The fewer things you focus on, the more powerful your concentration will be and the greater the results you will achieve, if a result can be achieved. Therefore, to achieve any degree of stillness or depth within yourself, there must be greater simplicity in your life.

现代社会的人们有大量的信息可以利用。你关心很多事情，而且非常聪明，但你不是很坚强——无论是身体上、心理上还是情感上。造成这种情况的部分原因是，你的心灵关注着许多不相关的事情。你关注的事情越少，你的注意力就越强大，你所取得的结果就越大，如果能够取得结果的话。因此，要想在自己内心达到任何程度的静止或深度，你的生活中必须有更大的简单性。

One of Our main themes is the cultivation of Knowledge. This is a profound state of knowing, which can be applied to immediate and practical problems as well as to a greater emphasis in life. Knowledge is not something that you can simply dabble with if you have any hope for success because it is more important than this. Since its rewards are so great, it requires a greater investment on your part. That is why it is very important to settle down into a form of practice sooner or later. You have read enough books. There are enough issues to concern yourself with. You have seen all these techniques. Now it is time to practice.

我们的一个主要主题是培养内识。这是一种深刻的知道状态，可以应用于眼前的实际问题，也可以应用于生活中的更大重点。如果你有任何成功的希望，内识不是你可以简单涉猎的东西，因为它比这更重要。由于它的回报是如此之大，它需要你有更大的投资。这就是为什么迟早要安下心来进行某种形式的实践是非常重要的。你已经读了足够多的书。有足够的问题需要你去关注。你已经看到了所有这些技术。现在是练习的时候了。

It is very important in practice not to try to get results. Most forms of spiritual practice—which is training your mind and applying your abilities—involve simple observation without judgment. This is practicing stillness. Here you begin to set aside the agenda that is wrapping you all up. For students of Knowledge, there are different kinds of practice. There is practice for when you cannot settle the mind down. There is practice for when you can settle it down a little. And there is practice for when it settles down all by itself. There is practice for the dabbling student. There is practice for the semi-serious student. Then there is practice for the serious student. By semi-serious, We are not being critical. It is just that you want some Knowledge, but not all Knowledge. And if you are a dabbler, you just want to see what it is all about and get your feet a little wet. If you want all Knowledge, well, you just jump in! So We have three overall categories. You do not give similar practices to people in different categories.

在实践中非常重要的是不要试图获得结果。大多数形式的精神实践——也就是训练你的心智和应用你的能力——都涉及到简单的观察，没有判断。这就是练习静止。在这里，你开始把包裹着你的议程放在一边。对于内识的学生来说，有不同类型的练习。当你不能把心静下来时，就有练习。有一种练习是当你能把它安顿下来一点的时候。还有一种练习是当它自己平静下来的时候。有为涉世未深的学生而设的练习。有针对半认真的学生的练习。然后是认真的学生的练习。我们所说的半认真，并不是批评。只是你想要一些内识，但不是所有的内识。如果你是一个涉猎者，你只是想看看这一切是怎么回事，让你的脚有点湿。如果你想要所有的内识，那么，你就跳进去吧!因此，我们有三个总体类别。你不要给不同类别的人以类似的做法。

When your mind is very noisy, you practice counting or breathing or listening to your pulse. If your mind is a little unsettled and there is a possibility you may settle down, then you practice with sound. If your mind is settled down, well, you are practicing already. Then We guide your mind to the presence of the Teachers directly. The Teachers are like a reflection from Heaven. They fill your mind full of light. You cannot enter Heaven and still be in the world, but you can experience yourself as an intermediary. Overall, that is the final goal. When Heaven, your Ancient Home, has been partially established here, then you will be able to serve in a higher capacity. That does not mean the world looks any better. It simply means that you are carrying your Ancient Home within you.

当你的心非常嘈杂时，你就练习计数或呼吸或听你的脉搏。如果你的心有点不平静，有可能你会安定下来，那么你就用声音练习。如果你的心安定下来了，那么，你已经在练习了。然后我们将你的心灵直接引导到教师的面前。老师们就像来自天国的反射。他们使你的心灵充满光明。你不能进入天国而仍然在这个世界上，但你可以作为一个中间人经历自己。总的来说，这就是最终的目标。当天国，你的古老家园，已经在这里部分建立，那么你将能够以更高的身份服务。这并不意味着世界看起来有多好。它只是意味着你在你的里面携带着你的古老家园。

Our practices are mind-proof. No matter how clever your mind is, the practices are more clever. Why? Because they make conflict unnecessary. If We say, “Look at the floor for thirty minutes,” who can do that? If We say, “Say this word for thirty minutes,” how many people can do that? We can say, “Say your name for thirty minutes,” how many people can do that? “But my relationship? What can I do about it?” We say, “Say your name for thirty minutes. Nothing else.” How many people can do that? Not many. To be able to do that means that you have the power of concentration and other qualities as well that are most beneficial to you and to others.

我们的练习是防患于未然的。无论你的心智有多聪明，实践都是更聪明的。为什么？因为它们使冲突成为不必要的。如果我们说：“盯着地板看三十分钟”，谁能做到？如果我们说：“重复这个词三十分钟”，有多少人能做到？我们可以说：“重复你的名字三十分钟”，有多少人能做到？“但是我的关系呢？我能做些什么？”我们说：“重复你的名字三十分钟。别的什么都不要做。”有多少人能做到呢？不多。能做到这一点意味着你拥有专注力和其他对你和他人都非常有益的品质。

We are going to drive the point home. People say, “I am having so much trouble with my practice!” Stillness. “I can’t.” We say you do not want it. You are still trying to settle things yourself. Observation and tremendous alertness are all you need for most problem-solving. To be alert, you cannot be thinking of something else. Nor can you be satisfied with thoughts or emotions. You are looking for a deeper feeling of resolution. Anyone who has achieved even a small incremental state of stillness of mind is such an asset to other people. You give them your calmness. Most people, you know, simply need a little reassurance that it will be okay and that they have the ability to take effective action.

我们要把这一点说出来。人们说，”我在练习中遇到了很多麻烦！”静止。”我做不到。”我们说你不想要它。你还在试图自己解决事情。观察和极大的警觉性是你解决大多数问题所需要的。为了保持警觉，你不能想别的事情。你也不能满足于思想或情绪。你正在寻找一种更深层次的解决感觉。任何一个实现了哪怕是一个小的增量的静心状态的人，对其他人来说都是这样的财富。你给了他们你的平静。你知道，大多数人只是需要一点保证，即一切都会好起来，他们有能力采取有效行动。

No matter what you are facing in life, no matter what you have or do not have, develop stillness of mind. You will not know what the result will be, but even at the outset you will feel a tremendous relief and relaxation if you are successful. If you have difficulty, you will begin to realize what is standing in your way in everything.

无论你在生活中面临什么，无论你拥有或不拥有什么，都要培养静心的态度。你不会知道结果是什么，但即使在一开始，如果你成功了，你会感到巨大的解脱和放松。如果你有困难，你将开始意识到在一切事情上有什么在阻碍你。

A mind that is unfocused cannot perceive correctly, cannot recognize resolution and cannot act effectively. That is why We often recommend for students of Knowledge to simplify their lives so that they can draw on greater resources of energy and concentration and have time to experience some peace. Now people want many things that they do not need at all. Isn’t that true? And sometimes things people never think of are absolutely the essential thing.

一个没有焦点的心智不能正确感知，不能识别解决，不能有效行动。这就是为什么我们经常建议内识的学生简化他们的生活，以便他们能够吸取更多的能量和注意力资源，并有时间经历一些和平。现在人们想要许多他们根本不需要的东西。这不是真的吗？而有时人们从未想过的东西，绝对是必不可少的东西。

We can teach stillness because We are still. Particularly when We are not in the fish tank with you, when We are Home, We are still. We are not rushing about, solving the problems of the universe. You have your own little life to try to manage. We have so much more to manage. But We do not have a busy schedule with a secretary because We have learned in life, as you are learning now, how to distinguish between action and contemplation. There is a time to act. And there is a time not to act but to be alert, like a hunter who must wait oh so long for the right moment to act. This ability to stalk your prey, whether it be an animal on the hunt or Knowledge within yourself, is something that has been lost in modern society to a great extent. People are so over-stimulated that they have no sense of proportion.

我们可以教导静止，因为我们是静止的。特别是当我们不在鱼缸里和你在一起时，当我们在家时，我们是静止的。我们不急于解决宇宙的问题。你有你自己的小生活要设法管理。我们有这么多的事情要处理。但我们没有一个繁忙的日程表和一个秘书，因为我们在生活中已经学会了，就像你们现在正在学习的那样，如何区分行动和沉思。有一个行动的时间。也有不行动的时候，但要保持警惕，就像一个猎人必须等待这么久才能采取行动的正确时机。这种跟踪猎物的能力，无论是狩猎中的动物还是自己内心的内识，都是现代社会在很大程度上丧失的东西。人们被过度刺激，以至于没有均衡感。

Everything becomes clear when your mind is still. Make a problem list, practice stillness and things will come to you. You do not need to try to work it out or create a better angle. If a problem requires a resolution, an answer will come through you. It will come through you in stillness or it will come to you when you are not thinking about it. That is why it is good when people play musical instruments, do sports or something like that where they are not trying to fix anything. Or if they are trying to fix something here, it is often something so totally unrelated to their dilemmas that there is a possibility that the mind may have an opening and the resolution will simply slip through, like someone escaping from prison. Answer got through! Messenger got through the enemy lines!

当你的心灵静止时，一切都会变得清晰。列一个问题清单，练习静止，事情就会出现在你面前。你不需要试图去解决它或创造一个更好的角度。如果一个问题需要解决，答案会通过你而来。它将在静止时通过你而来，或者当你不去想它时，它将来到你身边。这就是为什么当人们演奏乐器、做运动或类似的事情时，他们不试图解决任何问题是好的。或者，如果他们在这里试图解决什么问题，往往是一些与他们的困境完全无关的事情，以至于有一种可能性，即心灵可能有一个开口，而解决将简单地滑过，就像有人从监狱中逃脱。答案通过了!信使穿过了敌人的防线!

Stillness is related to escaping fear. Why is this? Because you cannot be still if you are afraid. So you must get tired of being afraid or give up on it to some degree to relax enough to be still. Here you must affirm either consciously or unconsciously that you have faith in a greater power and that your Home is not this world. When you know, truly, that your Home is beyond this world, then you can begin to relax in the world. Then the world’s consequences are not so dire. This does not give rise to passivity. It calls upon a greater responsibility, which indicates that you have come here for a purpose. You have come here to contribute something. This requires development and preparation, focus and true priorities. It calls upon a greater and much more substantial emphasis in life, which is hardly passive. The luxury of being able to relax and to be truly alert, which is not being asleep, is that you are settling into a greater reality, which you yourself possess.

静止与逃避恐惧有关。为什么是这样呢？因为如果你害怕，你就不能静止。所以你必须厌倦恐惧或在某种程度上放弃恐惧，才能放松到足以静止。在这里，你必须有意识地或无意识地肯定你对更伟大的力量有信心，你的家不是这个世界。当你真正知道，你的家在这个世界之外，那么你就可以开始在这个世界上放松。那么世界的后果就不会那么可怕了。这并不产生被动性。它要求有更大的责任，这表明你来这里是有目的的。你来这里是为了做出贡献。这需要发展和准备，专注和真实的优先事项。它要求在生活中更多和更实质性的强调，这很难是被动的。能够放松和真正警觉的奢侈，这不是在睡觉，是你正在进入一个更大的现实，你自己拥有。

You have a very noisy world here. Lots of noise. Why is there noise? Because people are addicted to stimulation. They are afraid of stillness and must have noise constantly going. They must have an outer environment that correlates to their inner state, which is continually turbulent. Turbulence is very stressful and causes all manner of pain and disease. Therefore, for those of you who realize that you are seeking peace more than stimulation, stillness is the way.

你们这里有一个非常嘈杂的世界。很多的噪音。为什么会有噪音？因为人们对刺激上瘾了。他们害怕安静，必须不断地有噪音。他们必须有一个与他们内心状态相关的外部环境，而他们的内心状态是持续动荡的。动荡是非常有压力的，导致各种形式的痛苦和疾病。因此，对于那些意识到自己在寻求和平而非刺激的人来说，静心是一种方式。

There are some very fundamental premises for approaching stillness. The first premise is that you possess Knowledge and that you have thoughts. These are the two aspects of mind within you. There is your personal mind, which contains all of your beliefs, assumptions, demands, requirements, feelings, fears, wishes and so forth. Then there is Knowledge, which you have brought with you from beyond, and which is still, concentrated and cannot be defiled. It is hidden within you until you have developed enough for it to emerge.

接近静止有一些非常根本的前提。第一个前提是，你拥有内识和思维。这是你内心深处心智的两个方面。有你的个人心智，它包含你所有的信仰、假设、要求、需求、感觉、恐惧、愿望等等。然后是内识，它是你从世界之外带来的，它是静止的、集中的，不能被玷污。它隐藏在你的体内，直到你发展到足以让它出现。

Another premise is that you need great assistance to truly develop yourself, assistance both within the world and from beyond. A third premise is that you have come here from your Ancient Home to contribute something and that you are not doing this for yourself alone. The next premise is that there is God somewhere and that God is always seen as watching. The next premise is that you must become very honest, so much more honest than you thought. Instead of knowing what you want, you must want what you know. That is the honesty We speak of.

另一个前提是，你需要巨大的援助来真正发展自己，在世界范围内和来自世界之外的援助。第三个前提是，你从你的古老家园来到这里，是为了做出一些贡献，你不是为自己一个人做这件事。下一个前提是，在某个地方有上帝，而且上帝总是被看作是在观察。下一个前提是，你必须变得非常诚实，比你想象的要诚实得多。与其说你知道自己想要什么，不如说你必须想要你所知道的。这就是我们所说的诚实。

Given all of these premises, you can begin to develop stillness. To do this, you must enter a formal preparation at some point. A person who can prepare will achieve the true results. That is being intelligent. To think about things and not prepare is not intelligent. If you cannot prepare, it is then better to go out in the world, be a totally worldly person, enjoy the fruits of this world and accept its pains and tribulations.

鉴于所有这些前提，你可以开始发展静止。要做到这一点，你必须在某个时候进入一个正式的准备。一个能够准备的人将取得真正的结果。这就是智慧。思考事情而不做准备，就不是智慧。如果你不能准备，那么最好到外面的世界去，做一个完全世俗的人，享受这个世界的成果，接受它的痛苦和磨难。

If you are really interested in cultivating Knowledge and in deepening your experience of God and your sense of purpose, then be very active in your pursuit. Do not hold back and say, “I don’t know. I must think about it some more.” Take action. Then your life will be moving, and you will not be standing by the side of the road thinking and pondering and wondering. Sometimes it is better to go down some road actively than not to move at all. Many people wish to pursue relationships that have no purpose or promise. They cannot be dissuaded, so We say, “Go. Do it.” And then they do it. They come back and say, “You told me to do it!” Boom! “But you told me to do this. It did not work. Why?” We had no other choice. There was only one answer to your question. “I must have what I want to have. I must, I must.” Now if a person is a little bit more open, then We say, “Practice stillness. Cultivate Knowledge.” If a person is even more open, We say, “Oh, better not go that way. Nothing there. There is something over here, however.”

如果你真的有兴趣培养内识，加深你对上帝的经历和你的目的感，那么你要非常积极地去追求。不要退缩，不要说：”我不知道。我必须再考虑一下”。要采取行动。然后你的生命就会动起来，你就不会站在路边思考、思索和怀疑。有时，积极地走一些路比完全不动更好。许多人希望追求那些没有目的或承诺的关系。他们不能被劝阻，所以我们说，”去吧，做吧”。然后他们就去做了。他们回来说，”你叫我做的！”轰！”。”但你告诉我做这个。它没有成功。为什么？”我们没有其他选择。对你的问题只有一个答案。”我必须拥有我想拥有的东西。我必须，我必须。”现在，如果一个人稍微开放一点，那么我们说，”练习静止。培养内识。”如果一个人更开放，我们说，”哦，最好不要走那条路。那里没有东西。不过，这里有一些东西。”

If you cultivate stillness, you will cultivate many other things that go along with it. If you allow Knowledge and your true reality to gradually arise within your mind and your outer life, then you will take the most expedient way to true achievement. That is why We place such a great emphasis on preparation. We could be more dramatic. We could talk about popular, metaphysical subjects and get you very stimulated. But We will tell you something. Most metaphysical information is not worth very much. It is more playthings, more things for the mind to chew on, more things to do before you truly prepare.

如果你培养静止，你将培养许多其他与之相伴的品质。如果你允许内识和你的真实现实在你的心智和你的外部生活中逐渐产生，那么你将采取最便捷的方式获得真实的成就。这就是为什么我们如此强调准备。我们可以更夸张一些。我们可以谈论流行的、形而上学的话题，让你们受到很大的刺激。但我们要告诉你一些事情。大多数形而上学的信息都没有什么价值。它是更多的玩物，更多供心灵咀嚼的食物，更多在你真正准备之前要做的事情。

How many people can be truly intimate with another? Not many. But many people have a great deal of information on the study of relationships—“The Dynamics of Relationships and Communication.” They can talk about relationships all day long, but how many people can be truly intimate? Many people talk about spiritual things, but how many people can be quiet while their mind settles down? Do you see the difference? Your time is precious in the world. It is such a precious opportunity to be here. When you truly prepare, you have cast your fate a little bit. That is good. It is good to move in a true direction. If you are making a mistake, you will know soon enough.

有多少人能够与另一个人真正亲密无间？不多。但很多人都有大量关于关系研究的资料——“关系和沟通的动力”。他们可以整天谈论关系，但有多少人可以真正亲密无间？许多人谈论关于精神的事情，但有多少人能够在心灵沉淀的时候安静下来？你看到其中的差别了吗？你的时间在这个世界上是宝贵的。在这里有如此宝贵的机会。当你真正准备好的时候，你就已经把你的命运投向了一点。这很好。朝着一个真实的方向前进是好的。如果你正在犯错，你很快就会知道。

Therefore, to practice stillness, let all things come to a rest except the keenness of your mind. Here your mind is all looking and no thinking. Your ears are all listening. Your body is all feeling. Of all practices, stillness is the greatest and the most useless. We say that because to your personal mind, it will be the most useless and to your true Mind, it will be the most useful. The mind that is still can permeate anything in physical life.

因此，为了练习静止，让所有的事情都停下来，除了你的心智的敏锐性。在这里，你的心智只看不思考。你的耳朵都在听。你的身体是所有的感觉。在所有的练习中，静止是最伟大和最无用的。我们这么说是因为对你的个人心智来说，它将是最无用的，而对你的真实心智来说，它将是最有用的。静止的心可以渗透到物质生活中的任何关系。

The life of Knowledge is such a greater life. We cannot compare it to your life here favorably because it possesses such great, great joy. It is still. That is why We practice the state of mind that replicates your true state of mind. Then the bridge between your personal state and your greater state becomes so small that you slip over it easily. The gap has been narrowed and now the transition occurs.

内识的生命就是这样一种更大的生命。我们不能把它与你在这里的生活作有利的比较，因为它拥有如此巨大的、成倍的快乐。它是静止的。这就是为什么我们练习复制你真实心智状态的心境。然后你的个人状态和你的更大状态之间的桥梁变得如此之小，以至于你很容易滑过它。差距已经缩小了，现在过渡发生了。