Chapter 11: Spiritual Practice

Spiritual Practice: How to Find Your Purpose in Life
精神实践：如何找到你的生命目的

As revealed to God’s Messenger Marshall Vian Summers on April 7, 1992 in Boulder, CO
1992年4月7日，在科罗拉多州博尔德(Boulder, CO)，向上帝的信使马歇尔・维安・萨默斯(Marshall Vian Summers)揭示

In order to progress and to begin to fully comprehend all that is being revealed to you in these pages, you must at some point undertake spiritual practice. This cannot be just any form of spiritual practice but a specific kind of spiritual practice that prepares you to engage with and discern intelligent life from beyond your human boundaries. This is essential if you are to truly understand the nature of human evolution at this particular time and the greater opportunities for yourself and for humanity that are now arising as a result of the world’s emergence into the Greater Community.

为了进步并开始完全理解这些页面中向你揭示的所有内容，你必须在某个时候进行精神实践。这不能仅仅是任何形式的精神练习，而是一种特殊的精神练习，使你准备好与来自人类边界之外的智慧生命打交道并加以辨别。如果你要真正理解人类在这个特殊时期的进化性质，以及由于世界出现在大社区而为你自己和人类带来的更大机会，这一点是至关重要的。

I can illustrate over and over again the magnificent results when one begins to engage with Knowledge and learns to follow Knowledge. The rewards are so great and so pervasive that they indeed establish a new foundation for life and a new life as a result. But as much as I may extol the virtues of this undertaking and its great achievements, I must emphasize that you have to prepare in order to reach this new vantage point. It does not come in a streak of lightening. It does not come in a dream. It is not magically bestowed upon you one day. You must prepare. You must train your mind. You must undergo a process of preparation that you did not invent for yourself.

我可以一次又一次地说明，当一个人开始接触内识并学会追随内识时，就会产生巨大的结果。这些回报是如此之大，如此之普遍，以至于它们确实为生命建立了新的基础，并由此产生了新的生命。但是，尽管我可以颂扬这项事业的美德和它的伟大成就，我必须强调，你必须做好准备，以达到这个新的有利地位。它不会在一道闪电中出现。它不会在梦中出现。它不会在某一天神奇地赐予你。你必须做好准备。你必须训练你的心智。你必须经历一个不是你自己发明的准备过程。

Consider for a moment those who demonstrate any great skill that you admire. Did not the individuals who demonstrate this skill have to prepare, perhaps arduously, over a long period of time? And did they not have to make some sacrifices along the way in order to devote the necessary time, energy and focus to their preparation? If you look closer, you will see that their preparation was guided and enhanced by the presence of individuals who trained and prepared them and was also accompanied by tremendous support from those in their immediate range of relationships.

请考虑一下那些展示你所欣赏的任何伟大技能的人。难道展示这种技能的人不需要准备，也许是艰苦的准备，在很长一段时间内？他们难道不需要在这一过程中做出一些牺牲，以便将必要的时间、能量和注意力投入到准备工作中吗？如果你仔细观察，你会发现，他们的准备工作得到了训练和准备他们的人的指导和加强，同时也得到了他们直接关系范围内的人的巨大支持。

The proper form of preparation, the proper form of teaching and adequate support all add up to a guaranteed accomplishment. Think of any great skill and certainly all of these must apply. It is no different in the preparation in The Greater Community Way of Knowledge. There is training, instruction and support. This is important because in The Way of Knowledge you are not merely adding something on to your life or simply perfecting some aspect of yourself; you are indeed engaging yourself with your entire life. This takes far more willingness and courage than, say, learning to play a musical instrument well or learning to climb a mountain. Here you must face yourself again and again; here you must face all of your deficiencies and errors with courage and a desire for resolution. You must in a sense go far beyond what most people are willing to do.

适当形式的准备、适当形式的教学和充分的支持，所有这些加在一起，保证了成就的实现。想想任何伟大的技能，当然这些都必须适用。在大社区内识之路的准备工作中也不例外。这里有培训、指导和支持。这一点很重要，因为在内识之路中，你不仅仅是在你的生命中增加一些东西，或者仅仅是完善自己的某些方面；你确实是在让自己的整个生命参与其中。这需要更多的意愿和勇气，比如说，学习弹好一件乐器或学习爬山。在这里，你必须一次又一次地面对自己；在这里，你必须以勇气和解决问题的愿望来面对自己所有的不足和错误。从某种意义上说，你必须远远超出大多数人愿意做的事情。

Your incentive for this must come from within you, from Knowledge, for only Knowledge can take you to Knowledge. All other goals and ambitions sooner or later will fall away. What carries you on beyond them is the desire for truth, the need to know your purpose, the need to find genuine relationships and the need to answer the fundamental questions and solve the greater problems of life. It is within you to do this.

你的动力必须来自你的内心，来自内识，因为只有内识才能带你走向内识。所有其他的目标和野心迟早都会落空。带领你超越它们的是对真理的渴望，是知道你的目的的需要，是找到真正的关系的需要，是回答根本问题和解决生命中更大问题的需要。做到这一点是在你的内心。

This preparation is not reserved for one or two unique individuals. Though it will not be claimed by the majority of people, it is meant to be received by individuals who realize and sense that they have a spiritual calling in the world, a mission and an important contribution that exceeds their normal boundaries. Preparation in The Greater Community Way of Knowledge is specifically designed for those who realize that they have a Greater Community aspect to their nature and who feel an allegiance with life beyond the normal spectrum of human interaction. It is specifically designed for people who have a sense of life and affinity with life beyond the world and who are drawn to the reality that intelligent life is now entering the world from beyond. It is for these people that The Greater Community Way of Knowledge and its specific preparation in Steps to Knowledge are being provided.

这种准备不是为一两个独特的个人保留的。虽然它不会被大多数人所接受，但它是为了让那些意识到并感觉到自己在这个世界上有精神召唤、有使命、有超越正常界限的重要贡献的人所接受。大社区内识之路的准备工作是专门为那些意识到自己的本性中有大社区的一面，并感到对生命的忠诚超出了正常的人类互动范围的人设计的。它是专门为那些有生命感并与世界之外的生命有亲和力的人设计的，他们被智慧生命正在从世界之外进入的现实所吸引。正是为这些人提供了大社区内识之路及其在《内识的阶梯》中的具体准备。

Very few people are really trained or developed to be able to practice something repetitively over a long period of time. Other than the simple manual tasks that people learn in childhood, there is not a great deal of emphasis on practice and training. In your schooling, you learn something temporarily to pass the test, and once you pass the test, it is forgotten and discarded. Only in those situations or those avenues of learning where there is a real incentive for progress do training and ongoing preparation have any emphasis at all. So, not very many people are prepared to practice something diligently, consistently and on an ongoing basis. It is not that people are incapable of doing this; it has simply not been a large emphasis in their education. Certain mundane activities are learned in childhood, and these are repeated over and over until they become habitual. But when I speak of preparation, I am not speaking of habits. I am speaking of following a greater incentive for learning, choosing a method of learning and staying with it, progressing through many stages of development and staying with it whether you feel like it or not on a particular day.

很少有人能真正被训练或发展到能够长期重复练习某件事情。除了人们在童年时学习的简单手工作业外，并不十分强调实践和训练。在学校教育中，你暂时学习一些知识以通过考试，一旦通过考试，就会被遗忘和丢弃。只有在那些对进步有真正激励作用的情况下或学习途径中，培训和持续的准备才会受到重视。因此，没有多少人准备好勤奋地、持续地、不断地练习一些事情。这并不是说人们没有能力做到这一点；这只是在他们的教育中没有得到很大的重视。某些平凡的活动是在童年时学会的，而且这些活动被反复重复，直到它们成为习惯。但是当我谈到准备时，我不是在说习惯。我说的是遵循更大的学习动力，选择一种学习方法并坚持下去，通过许多发展阶段取得进展，无论你在某一天是否觉得喜欢，都坚持下去。

To prepare correctly, one must have proper instruction and the correct methods. The methods are being provided now. The instruction is available when it is necessary. Support and assistance will gather as you learn to exercise discernment in relationships and seek out individuals who share your sense of mission and purpose in life. Here old relationships must often be abandoned or altered significantly. Here old attachments and alliances fall away in time, and you are faced with the need to establish a different kind of foundation for choosing whom to engage with and what purpose your relationship must serve. This change in emphasis is very natural because it is the result of a deepening commitment within yourself to realizing your purpose and mission in life. Naturally, then, your values and priorities will change and what you seek to experience in relationships will change accordingly.

为了正确准备，必须有适当的指导和正确的方法。现在正在提供这些方法。必要时可以得到指导。当你学会在人际关系中进行辨别，并寻找与你有共同使命感和生命目的的人时，支持和援助将聚集起来。在这里，旧的关系必须经常被放弃或被大大改变。在这里，旧的依恋和联盟随着时间的推移而消失，你面临着需要建立一种不同的基础来选择与谁交往，以及你的关系必须为什么目的服务。这种重点的改变是非常自然的，因为它是你内心对实现你的生命目的和使命的承诺加深的结果。那么，你的价值观和优先事项自然会改变，你在关系中寻求的经历也会相应改变。

The Greater Community Way of Knowledge is not something you learn in a weekend. It is not something you learn as a result of reading a book. It is not something you learn by following ten easy steps. It is a much higher mountain to climb. To climb this mountain, you must understand how high it is in order to prepare accordingly and to set your expectations of yourself in such a way that they will serve you rather than discourage you. The Greater Community Way of Knowledge is a great mountain to climb. It is not an easy stroll up a hillside one day. It is not a casual pursuit when you have the free time. It is not something you will be able to do without preparation, without the proper incentive and without the proper companionship.

大社区内识之路不是你在一个周末学到的东西。它不是你读一本书就能学到的东西。它不是你通过遵循十个简单的步骤就能学到的东西。它是一座需要攀登的更高的山。要攀登这座山，你必须理解它有多高，以便做好相应的准备，并将你对自己的期望值设定为能够为你服务而不是使你气馁。大社区内识之路是一座需要攀登的大山。它不是某天在山坡上轻松漫步的事。它不是你有空闲时间时的随意追求。它不是在没有准备、没有适当的激励和没有适当的陪伴的情况下就能做到的。

It is not correct to say that the way is difficult, for this is relative to what you are used to. Indeed, the way may seem very easy to those who are used to trying to accomplish things that do not represent their deeper needs and motives. What could be more difficult than attempting the impossible by attempting to like something you don’t really want or need or by attempting to be somebody else in order to fulfill other people’s expectations? What could be more arduous and difficult than this? Therefore, it is not correct to say that The Greater Community Way of Knowledge is difficult. Different, yes. Difficult? At times. At other times, wonderfully easy. But whether you consider it to be difficult or not at any given moment, it does require a great deal of effort and focus. Indeed, it requires ongoing and consistent concentration. For some, this will be easy; for others, it will be hard; for everyone, it will be difficult at certain junctures when you must face something within yourself that is challenging or when you are having a new range of experiences that perhaps are difficult to integrate.

不能说这条路是艰难的，因为这取决于你过去的经历。实际上，对于那些习惯于尝试实现不代表他们深层需求和动机的事情的人来说，这条路可能看起来非常容易。有什么比尝试去喜欢你并不真正想要或需要的东西，或者为了满足他人的期望而试图成为另一个人更困难的呢？有什么比这更艰难和困难的呢？因此，不能说大社区的内识之路是艰难的。不同，是的。困难？有时。但有时，它也会非常容易。然而，无论你在任何时刻认为它是困难还是容易，它确实需要大量的努力和专注。实际上，它需要持续不断和一致的集中注意力。对某些人来说，这将很容易；对其他人来说，这将很困难；对于每个人来说，在面对自己内心的挑战或者经历一系列新的、可能难以整合的体验时，这将会在某些时刻变得困难。

So, hard and easy are not the appropriate terms here. The appropriate emphasis is that The Greater Community Way of Knowledge will take a great deal of focus and a certain amount of time. Focus and time. This will be true in all cases. Nobody glides past you easily learning The Way of Knowledge. Everyone must undertake the preparation. If people alter the preparation to make it more palatable to themselves or to make it more comfortable or appealing, they will not move forward.

所以，困难和容易在这里并不是合适的术语。适当的强调是，大社区内识之路将需要大量的关注和一定的时间。专注和时间。这在所有情况下都是真实的。没有人能够轻松地掠过你，轻易地学会内识之道。每个人都必须进行准备工作。如果人们为了让准备过程更符合自己的口味，或者让它变得更舒适或更有吸引力而对其进行修改，他们将无法前进。

The Way of Knowledge has been given very specifically. Everyone has the same preparation. It is only in the future at more advanced stages that the preparation itself becomes highly individualized. Everyone must learn certain basic things. People must learn discernment; they must learn to engage with inner knowing and to realize how Knowledge expresses itself through them individually; they must learn to remain silent when silence is necessary; they must learn to speak when speech is necessary; they must learn to conserve their energy; they must learn to accept Mystery in their lives; they must learn to develop emptiness or openness; they must face relinquishing many ambitions and goals as these clearly become obstacles to their progress. These are things that everyone must face.

内识之路已经被非常明确地赋予了。每个人都有同样的准备。只有在未来更高级的阶段，准备工作本身才会变得高度个性化。每个人都必须学习某些基本的东西。人们必须学会辨别；他们必须学会与内在的内识打交道，并认识到内识是如何通过他们个人表达的；他们必须学会在需要沉默的时候保持沉默；他们必须学会在需要说话的时候说话；他们必须学会保存自己的能量；他们必须学会接受生命中的神秘；他们必须学会发展空虚或开放；他们必须面对放弃许多野心和目标，因为这些显然成为他们进步的障碍。这些都是每个人必须面对的事情。

Therefore, everyone has the same challenges though individuals may experience them at different junctures along the way. One person may be feeling, “This is wonderful. I love this!” Another may be feeling, “Oh, God. This is so difficult. I don’t understand it.” Comparisons from one person to another are never helpful here, for you cannot see the overall development of other people. Perhaps they are enjoying it in the moment while you are not, or vice versa. Can you make an adequate evaluation of how well they are doing and how well you are doing? Some people think that if they are not enjoying it, something is wrong. Either they are wrong or the preparation is wrong, so as soon as it becomes difficult, they go find some other kind of preparation that is new and exciting. There are so many fallacies here to be revealed, so many errors to be corrected and so many false assumptions to be disappointed and recognized.

因此，每个人都有同样的挑战，尽管个人可能在沿途的不同时刻经历这些挑战。一个人可能会觉得，”这真是太好了。我喜欢这个！”另一个人可能会觉得，”哦，上帝。这真是太难了。我不明白。”从一个人到另一个人的比较在这里永远没有帮助，因为你无法看到其他人的整体发展。也许他们在当下很享受，而你却没有，或者反之亦然。你能对他们的表现和你的表现做出充分的评价吗？有些人认为，如果他们不享受，那就是出了问题。要么是他们错了，要么是准备工作错了，所以一旦变得困难，他们就去找一些其他种类的准备工作，那是新的和令人兴奋的。这里有太多的谬误需要揭示，有太多的错误需要纠正，有太多的错误假设需要失望和识别。

All of this takes time, patience, persistence, openness and the willingness to change one’s thinking and behavior. All of this takes time. How long will it take? Well, if you are serious about this, then consider that it will take the rest of your life to learn it and to master it effectively and sufficiently. Having this understanding draws an important line that must be emphasized: Do not undertake The Greater Community Way of Knowledge unless you intend to carry it through. If you are walking across a long footbridge over a deep chasm in the earth, it is important once you embark to make sure that you are going to reach the other side. If you stand still, falter and look down, you will lose heart. You must keep going. There are times when you will love the experience. There are times when you will be deeply concerned about it, for it is not meeting your expectations or you are experiencing something you cannot yet understand. You must press on to the other side. This is most important.

所有这些都需要时间、耐心、毅力、开放性以及改变自己思维和行为的意愿。所有这些都需要时间。这需要多长时间呢？好吧，如果你是认真的，那么考虑一下，这将需要你的余生来学习它，并有效和充分地掌握它。有了这种认识，就划出了一条必须强调的重要界限。除非你打算将其贯彻到底，否则不要进行大社区内识之路。如果你要走过一座长长的天桥，跨越地球上的深渊，一旦你踏上了天桥，就必须确保你会到达另一边。如果你站着不动，摇摇晃晃，往下看，你就会失去信心。你必须继续前进。有的时候，你会喜欢这种经历。也有的时候你会对它深感担忧，因为它没有达到你的期望，或者你正在经历一些你还不能理解的事情。你必须坚持到另一边。这是最重要的。

Knowledge is a great and abiding power within you. If you begin to tap into its resources, then please continue on. If you tap into its resources and then quit or try to escape, you will leave yourself in a state of much confusion, and there will be very little relief here. If you are going to engage with Knowledge and release its tremendous power into your life, then go all the way with it. Don’t dabble with it. Don’t play with it. It is too potent, too powerful and too important to treat in this manner.

内识是你内心深处的一种伟大而持久的力量。如果你开始使用它的资源，那么请继续下去。如果你使用它的资源，然后放弃或试图逃跑，你会让自己处于一个非常混乱的状态，这里将没有什么缓解。如果你要与内识打交道，并将其巨大的力量释放到你的生命中，那就一路走下去吧。不要涉足它。不要玩弄它。它太有力了，太强大了，太重要了，不能以这种方式对待。

Practice, then, is a foundation upon which you build. Though you may be having a wide variety of experiences studying The Greater Community Way of Knowledge, your practice keeps you anchored and focused. One day you may feel this way; another day you may feel that way. But both days you practice. This assures that you will continue onward and progress. Like walking across the long footbridge, if you keep taking steps and keep focused on your goal, you will reach the other side and you will spare yourself much anxiety and aggravation. This is how you surpass self-doubt; this is how you continue forward and transcend those things that obstructed you previously.

那么，实践是一个基础，你在此基础上建立。尽管你在学习大社区内识之路时可能会有各种各样的经历，但你的实践使你保持固定和专注。有一天你可能会有这种感觉；另一天你可能会有这种感觉。但这两天你都在练习。这就保证了你会继续前进，不断进步。就像走过长长的天桥一样，如果你不断地迈出步伐，保持对目标的关注，你就会到达另一边，你就会使自己免于许多焦虑和恶化。这就是你超越自我怀疑的方式；这就是你继续前进并超越那些之前阻碍你前进的方式。

Practice, then, is a gift that gives itself every day. It renews you every day. It reinforces you every day. On some days you will understand and appreciate it; on other days you will not understand it and won’t know whether you should appreciate it at all. But the fact that you continue will guarantee your progress. Likewise, if you are prepared to climb the mountain, then you must keep going. Even if it gets hard or confusing, you must keep going. And, as you proceed, many of your expectations will prove to be wrong, and you will need to establish new expectations and new evaluations.

那么，实践是一个每天都会给自己的礼物。它每天都在更新你。它每天都在强化你。在某些日子里，你会理解并欣赏它；在其他日子里，你会不理解它，不知道你是否应该欣赏它。但你继续下去这一事实将保证你的进步。同样地，如果你准备爬山，那么你必须继续前进。即使它变得困难或令人困惑，你也必须继续前进。而且，随着你的前进，你的许多期望将被证明是错误的，你将需要建立新的期望和新的评价。

Knowledge is a great mountain. You climb it slowly, and you learn to live at its higher altitudes. You cannot simply run up this mountain eagerly. You must progress in such a way that you can integrate all of the steps of learning as you go. This requires an extremely wise form of preparation. It also requires the presence of wise companions who can help you to understand what you are doing and can give you a good perspective on yourself.

内识是一座大山。你要慢慢地爬上它，并学会在它的高海拔地区生活。你不能只是急切地跑上这座山。你必须以这样一种方式前进，即你可以在前进过程中整合所有的学习步骤。这需要一种极其明智的准备方式。它还需要有明智的同伴在场，他们能帮助你理解你正在做的事情，并能让你对自己有一个好的看法。

As you begin the ascent of Knowledge, you will realize the way that you learn—your predispositions for learning, your limitations and your disabilities as a learner, all things that must be fully revealed to you. So, at the outset, understand that you will have to contend with these things as you become aware of them. Do not resist or avoid them. You must become aware of them. They will show you your current state and ability. This must be the starting point; otherwise, your expectations of yourself will far exceed your capabilities. You learn your abilities, your limits, and your current state of effectiveness by proceeding on. Holding back and trying to judge yourself are never successful here. Following the way will illustrate this to you very clearly. It will also show you a great deal about the way your mind works and how you are designed.

当你开始攀登内识之巅时，你会意识到你的学习方式——你的学习倾向，你作为一个学习者的局限性和缺陷，所有这些都必须向你充分揭示。所以，在一开始，要明白你将不得不与这些东西作斗争，因为你已经意识到了它们。不要抵制或逃避它们。你必须意识到它们。它们会向你展示你目前的状态和能力。这必须是一个起点；否则，你对自己的期望将远远超过你的能力。你通过继续前进了解你的能力、你的极限和你目前的效率状态。隐忍和试图判断自己在这里永远不会成功。沿着这条路走下去，你会很清楚地看到这一点。它还会向你展示大量关于你心灵工作的方式和你的设计方式。

Let us talk a little bit now about design. Everyone is specially designed to fulfill a certain purpose. This design is perfect to serve this purpose if it is wisely developed and appropriated. The difficulty here is that people do not know what they are designed for, so they do not understand their design or their nature. Often they try to change themselves to look like others whom they hold to be more valuable or whose virtues they want to claim for themselves. But you cannot climb the mountain of Knowledge like anyone else, though your preparation will be shared to a large extent. The way that you learn and the way that you integrate new experiences are very unique to you. Your uniqueness here is important to realize and to accept. One of the great rewards of following The Way of Knowledge is learning to objectively discern your nature. Here you learn how to work with your nature effectively rather than denying it, criticizing it or trying to alter it to be like someone else.

现在让我们来谈一谈设计。每个人都被特别设计来实现某种目的。这种设计如果被明智地开发和挪用，就能完美地服务于这个目的。这里的困难在于，人们不知道他们被设计的目的是什么，所以他们不理解他们的设计或他们的性质。他们常常试图改变自己，使自己看起来像其他人，他们认为这些人更有价值，或者他们想为自己宣扬他们的美德。但是你不能像其他人一样攀登内识之山，尽管你的准备工作在很大程度上会被分享。你的学习方式和你整合新经验的方式对你来说是非常独特的。意识到并接受你在这里的独特性是很重要的。遵循内识之路的巨大回报之一是学会客观地辨别你的本性。在这里，你学会了如何有效地与你的本性合作，而不是否认它、批评它或试图改变它，让它变得像其他人一样。

Your uniqueness has to do with your contribution in the world. Uniqueness in any other regard will limit you and hold you back and create a great deal of misery and suffering. Your real uniqueness has to do with the kind of contribution you make. Here people have fantastic notions of who they could be or should be or would be if only conditions were right or if only they had no conflict within themselves. This is all foolishness. One discerns one’s nature by engaging in life in a very conscious and determined way. Here you find your natural attributes and you find ways to balance them with your overall nature. Here you learn and balance, learn and balance, learn and balance. Like walking across a great tightrope, you take a step and then balance. You take the next step and then balance. Learning The Way of Knowledge is like this too. It is not about running, and it is not about stopping. It is a step and then balance, a step and then balance. This is a good analogy for understanding the stages of learning in your life. You take a great stride forward, have new experiences, and then you must integrate it.

你的独特性与你对世界的贡献有关。任何其他方面的独特性都会限制你，使你退缩，并造成大量的不幸和痛苦。你真正的独特性与你做出的贡献有关。在这里，人们有一些奇妙的想法，认为只要条件合适，或者只要他们的内心没有冲突，他们就能成为或应该成为或会成为什么人。这都是愚蠢的。一个人通过以非常有意识和坚定的方式参与生命来辨别自己的本性。在这里，你找到了你的自然属性，你找到了平衡它们与你整体性质的方法。在这里，你学习和平衡，学习和协调，学习和制衡。就像走过一条漫长的钢丝，你走了一步，然后平衡。你走下一步，然后再平衡。学习内识之路也是如此。它不是在跑，也不是在停。它是一个步骤，然后是平衡，一个步骤，然后是平衡。这是一个很好的比喻，可以理解你生命中的学习阶段。你大步向前，有了新的经验，然后你必须整合它。

How does this relate to practice? You practice while you are stepping and you practice while you are balancing. The preparation that has been given in The Greater Community Way of Knowledge is perfectly suited to learning in this way. Here you are able to advance in a very direct way, and you are able to integrate your learning effectively, which provides safety and security and enables you to utilize what you are learning to the best advantage. Here you progress slowly and consistently.

这与实践有什么关系？你在迈步的时候练习，你在平衡的时候练习。在大社区内识之路中所提供的准备工作，完全适合以这种方式学习。在这里，你能够以一种非常直接的方式前进，你能够有效地整合你的学习，这提供了安全和保障，使你能够使用你正在学习的练习来获得最大的优势。在这里，你的进步缓慢而持续。

Whenever people begin a formal preparation, especially something that is more long term, through the early stages of their practice they must realize what to expect from themselves and what not to expect. Many of their expectations will be clearly disappointed in that they will not be able to achieve great heights or great levels of ability in short periods of time. As they proceed, they will also realize that the journey is greater and requires a great deal more than they had previously considered. Only real participation can reveal this correctly.

每当人们开始一个正式的准备，特别是一些比较长期的准备，通过实践的早期阶段，他们必须意识到对自己的期望和不期望的内容。他们的许多期望显然会失望，因为他们不可能在短时间内达到很高的高度或很大的能力水平。随着他们的前进，他们也会意识到，这个旅程比他们之前考虑的要大，需要的能力也多。只有真正的参与才能正确揭示这一点。

As you learn to learn, you learn to teach and to impart this to others. As you advance, you will be able to do this with increasing patience, compassion and understanding. Beginning teachers, like beginning students, all expect tremendous advancement with a minimum of investment. Only a wise practitioner realizes that the greater rewards come as a result of a more prolonged and consistent practice. The rewards are what one discovers along the way. It is not like reaching a pot of gold where the entire reward is given at the end of the journey. In the reclamation of Knowledge, which is the discovery of purpose in life, all of the rewards are given along the way. Therefore, you must pass along the way to receive them. You cannot take a detour, there are no shortcuts and you cannot rocket yourself to the top of the mountain. You must journey up. Here is where the rewards are discerned, received and accepted.

当你学会了学习，你就学会了教导，并将此传授给他人。随着你的进步，你将能够以越来越多的耐心、同情和理解来做这件事。初学的老师，就像初学的学生一样，都期望以最少的投资获得巨大的进步。只有明智的实践者才会意识到，更大的回报来自于更长时间的持续练习。奖励是一个人在路上发现的。它不像到达一个金罐，在旅程结束时就能得到全部奖励。在内识的开垦中，也就是在生命中发现目的，所有的奖励都是在路上给予的。因此，你必须沿途经过才能得到它们。你不能绕道而行，没有捷径，你不能用火箭把自己送到山顶。你必须向上走。这里是辨别、得到和接受奖赏的地方。

People often ask, “How can I find my purpose in life? What is my purpose in life? How can I gain access to my spiritual nature? How can I discover why I am in the world and what I am here to do?” All of these are important questions, but they call for a form of preparation and not simply an answer. In fact, the form of preparation is the answer. How could there be any other kind of answer? What other answer could there be? If you told people the truth about their lives, it would not help them unless they were in a position to receive it, accept it, and put it into practice. How could they be in this position unless they had advanced through the stages of development that await them? So, the correct answer is a process of development.

人们经常问：”我怎样才能找到我的人生目标？我的生命目的是什么？我怎样才能获得我的精神本性？我怎样才能发现我为什么在这个世界上，我在这里要做什么？”所有这些都是重要的问题，但它们需要一种准备形式，而不仅仅是一个答案。事实上，准备的形式就是答案。怎么会有其他类型的答案呢？还能有什么别的答案呢？如果你告诉人们关于他们生命的真相，除非他们有能力接纳它，接受它，并把它付诸实践，否则它不会帮助他们。除非他们已经完成了等待他们的发展阶段，否则他们怎么可能处于这种位置？所以，正确的答案是一个发展的过程。

The questions that I have just mentioned are very great. They represent great achievements in life. They are not small pursuits. Their rewards are enormous. The rewards are life giving and life changing. The preparation, then, must be commensurate with the rewards. Achievement here is far more difficult than simply learning a particular skill. It involves the re-establishment of one’s life and an entirely new experience of life and what life is. Therefore, the preparation is great. Do not set out on it unless you intend to complete it. Do not dabble with it. That will not give you anything. You will not understand it, and you will not be in a position to evaluate it.

我刚才提到的问题是非常伟大的。它们代表了生命中的伟大成就。它们不是小的追求。它们的回报是巨大的。这些回报是给予生命和改变生命的。因此，准备工作必须与回报相称。在这里，成就远比简单地学习某项技能要难得多。它涉及到一个人的生命的重新建立，以及对生命和生命是什么的全新经历。因此，准备工作很重要。除非你打算完成它，否则不要着手进行它。不要涉足它。那不会给你任何东西。你不会理解它，你也不会有能力评估它。

The Greater Community Way of Knowledge is an answer to a great set of questions. It is given at a time to prepare humanity for its destined encounter with other intelligent life. This represents the greatest threshold of learning that humanity has yet faced, for this interaction will change the way that people think of themselves, each other and the world around them. What they consider to be their practical life and their spiritual life change tremendously. That is why The Greater Community Way of Knowledge is being introduced. It is not the only way for everyone. It is a special way for certain people. I am speaking to you now and encouraging you to receive the answer that has been given to your sincere request for purpose, meaning and direction in life. This is a genuine answer. Now the challenge is to learn to receive it. To receive it, you must welcome it, accept it and embark upon it.

大社区内识之路是对一系列伟大问题的答案。它是在一个为人类准备好与其他智慧生命的命中注定的相遇的时候给出的。这代表了人类迄今所面临的最大的学习门槛，因为这种互动将改变人们对自己、对彼此和对周围世界的思考方式。他们所认为的实际生活和精神生活都会发生巨大的变化。这就是为什么要引入”大社区内识之路”的原因。它不是每个人的唯一途径。它是某些人的特殊方式。我现在对你说话，鼓励你接受你对生命目的、意义和方向的真诚请求所给予的答案。这是一个真正的答案。现在的挑战是要学会接收它。要接纳它，你必须欢迎它，接受它，并着手于它。

Your commitment to the answer is reinforced every day as you choose to practice. This takes you through thresholds of learning where you have to find a deeper motivation for continuing. All of the false motives for beginning this journey will be disappointed. These disappointments represent thresholds of learning where, if you choose to continue, you do so because something greater and deeper is urging you on. Perhaps the journey will not give you the things you wanted. Perhaps it will not relieve all of your anxieties as quickly as you want. But something inside of you is saying, “Continue, continue, continue.”

当你选择练习时，你对答案的承诺每天都会得到加强。这将带你穿过学习的门槛，在那里你必须找到继续学习的更深层次的动机。所有开始这段旅程的错误动机都会被失望。这些失望代表了学习的门槛，如果你选择继续，你这样做是因为有更大、更深的内识在催促你前进。也许这个旅程不会给你你想要的东西。也许它不会像你想要的那样迅速缓解你所有的焦虑。但你内心的内识在说，”继续，继续下去，继续保持”。

These are called thresholds of learning, where you choose again to go on. And your decision carries you forward. You do not have these experiences every day. You can experience self-doubt every day; you can struggle with yourself every day, but a real threshold of learning does not come every day. This is very important. Here you choose a Greater Power to follow within yourself, and with it, a greater reason for proceeding and a greater motivation. This is what enables true advancement to occur. You will have to do this even if your beloved companion falls away or chooses another way. It is when you have to go back and question yourself, “Why am I doing this? Why?” that you find Knowledge.

这些被称为学习的门槛，在那里你再次选择继续前进。而你的决定带着你前进。你不是每天都有这些经历。你可以每天经历自我怀疑；你可以每天与自己斗争，但真正的学习门槛并不是每天都有的。这一点非常重要。在这里，你在自己的内心选择了一种更大的力量来追随，随之而来的是更大的前进理由和更大的动力。这就是使真实的进步发生的原因。即使你心爱的同伴离开或选择了另一种方式，你也必须这样做。当你不得不回头问自己：”我为什么要做这个？为什么？”你才能找到内识。

Knowledge is not a bolt of lightning. Knowledge is not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Knowledge is an inner voice and a prompting, and it becomes real in your experience as you attempt something of the utmost importance. Do not seek to experience Knowledge in things that are not essential to you or in things that are not primary to your life and your fulfillment. Seek Knowledge within those things that are primary. Then you will begin to experience the power, the presence and the grace of Knowledge. This will renew your faith in yourself, and this will provide a real basis for self-love and appreciation and a real basis for respect and regard for others.

内识不是一道闪电。内识不是彩虹尽头的金罐。内识是一种内在的声音和提示，当你尝试一些最重要的事情时，它在你的经历中变得真实。不要在对你不重要的事情或对你的生命和你的成就不主要的事情上寻求体验内识。在那些主要的事情中寻求内识。然后你将开始经历内识的力量、存在和恩典。这将更新你对自己的信仰，这将为自爱和欣赏提供一个真正的基础，为尊重和重视他人提供一个真正的基础。

After you have advanced to a certain degree, you will begin to see the basis upon which people succeed and the basis upon which they fail. You will see failure and success within your own experience, and you will see it in others who share this undertaking with you. This, then, is where you learn to become wise, as real experience replaces expectations, ambitions, beliefs and assumptions. This leads to real Wisdom.

在你进步到一定程度后，你将开始看到人们成功的基础和失败的基础。你将在你自己的经验中看到失败和成功，你也将在与你分享这项事业的其他人身上看到它。那么，这就是你学习变得明智的地方，因为真实的经验取代了期望、野心、信念和假设。这就导致了真正的智慧。

Wisdom always has compassion, patience and regard, for it represents a state of mind attained by one who has proceeded onward past the normal places where people quit, give up or lose heart. Only as you advance up the mountain will you understand this and understand what it offers you. Move onward and upward. Those who quit early will quit in disgust, thinking it is not the right pursuit. Yet, they cannot make this evaluation because they have not proceeded far enough to realize what they are attempting.

智慧总是具有同情心、耐心和重视，因为它代表了一个人的心智状态，他已经越过了人们退出、放弃或失去信心的正常状态，继续前进。只有当你在山上前进时，你才能理解这一点，并理解它为你提供的智慧。继续前进，向上攀登。那些早早退出的人会厌恶地退出，认为这不是正确的追求。然而，他们无法做出这样的评价，因为他们还没有走得足够远，没有意识到他们正在尝试的智慧。

Learning even a mundane skill and taking it to a highly developed state takes you through certain thresholds of understanding and self awareness. How much greater, then, is learning The Greater Community Way of Knowledge. And how much greater the rewards, the thresholds of learning and the Wisdom and maturity that are acquired along the way. And as you go, you practice.

即使是学习一项平凡的技能，并把它带到一个高度发达的状态，也需要你通过某些理解和自我意识的门槛。那么，学习大社区内识之路是多么的伟大。一路走来，收获有多大，学习的门槛有多高，获得的智慧和成熟度有多大。当你走的时候，你就会练习。

The forms of practice will change. Your practices will be repetitive and then they will change. Here you practice until practice becomes a way of life, something that is integrated into your experience and is part of your overall approach. This is when practice becomes easy and natural. This is when your mind practices to learn rather than simply learns to practice. This is when your skills begin to emanate from you naturally rather than you trying to express them or demonstrate them. This is when Knowledge speaks through you and its silence abides within you. Things which before were difficult to comprehend and seemingly impossible to experience now become natural and effervescent within you, flowing from you like a fragrance from a great bouquet.

练习的形式会改变。你的练习将是重复的，然后它们将改变。在这里，你一直练习，直到练习成为一种生活方式，成为融入你生活的经验，成为你整体方法的一部分。这时，练习变得容易和自然。这时你的心灵会通过练习来学习，而不是简单地通过学习来练习。这时，你的技能开始自然地从你身上散发出来，而不是你试图去表达它们或展示它们。这时，内识通过你说话，它的沉默在你内心深处存在。以前难以理解和似乎不可能经历的事情，现在变得自然而然，在你身上流淌，像伟大的花束的香味一样从你身上流淌。

Practice. Have your questions. Seek for answers. But practice. That will take you where you need to go. Practice is not the only thing that you must engage with, and it is not the only element in your learning to discover purpose, meaning and direction in life. But without it, nothing proceeds and everything remains only in a state of potential.

练习。有你的问题。寻求答案。但要练习。这将把你带到你需要去的地方。练习不是你必须参与的唯一事情，也不是你学习发现生命中的目的、意义和方向的唯一因素。但是，没有它，一切都不会进行，一切都只停留在潜在状态。

Practice is a gift to be given every day. When you come to practice, come to give yourself. Do not come just wanting something, saying, “Give me, give me, give me!” Practice is a form of devotion. It is where you give yourself. Then what is given in return can be experienced. People often start with a desire to receive, so they begin practice with great expectations about all that they will acquire and how quickly it will come to them. Of course, it does not come quickly, and they must re-evaluate their motives. Here they must seek for deeper reasons for their participation. This leads to self-awareness, and this leads to self-inquiry. This is part of learning and is essential.

练习是一个每天都要给予的礼物。当你来练习时，要来给自己。不要只是想得到什么，说：”给我，给我吧，请给我！”练习是一种奉献的形式。它是你给予自己的地方。然后可以经历到所给予的回报。人们开始时往往渴望得到，所以他们在开始练习时，对他们将获得的一切以及这些练习将如何快速到达他们手中抱有很大期望。当然，它不会很快到来，他们必须重新评估自己的动机。在这里，他们必须为自己的参与寻找更深层次的原因。这导致了自我意识，也导致了自我探索。这是学习的一部分，是必不可少的。

At a certain point, you realize that you must come to practice to give something, not just to get something. Something in you wants to give, and this yearning to give can be expressed in practice. Here you give yourself, your experience deepens, your understanding ripens and you begin to see and know things you could not see and know before.

在某一点上，你会意识到，你必须来练习，以付出一些东西，而不仅仅是为了得到一些东西。你心中的内识想要给予，而这种给予的渴望可以在实践中表达出来。在这里，你给予了自己，你的经验加深了，你的理解成熟了，你开始看到和知道你以前无法看到和知道的事情。

Think of spiritual practice as a form of ongoing devotion. It is giving yourself to life; it is giving yourself to the mystery and the wonderment of your life; it is giving yourself to the Divine Presence that is beckoning you onward and is infusing you with itself through your Knowledge. Then your practice will fulfill itself and will become a natural expression of life.

把精神实践看作是一种持续的奉献形式。它是把自己交给生命；它是把自己交给你生命的神秘和奇妙；它是把自己交给神圣的存在，它在召唤你前进，并通过你的内识为你注入自身。然后，你的实践将实现自身，成为生命的自然表达。