西塔拉之旅 Journey to Sitara

Written in 2023 by James Mahu

中文翻譯校稿：AI+Dadael

西塔拉之旅 Journey to Sitara

E2 : S2

這段旅程對訪客來說並不容易。她在駱駝背上，離沙漠地面大約十英尺高，她的駱駝每走一步，她就幾乎失去平衡，特別是當他們登上沙丘時。當時是傍晚時分。她的東道主包括兩個女人和一個男人，他們正護送她到一個他們尊敬的老師居住的地方，一個像她一樣的老婦人。

The journey was not easy for the visitor. She was on the back of a camel, approximately ten-feet above the desert floor, and with each step her camel took, she nearly lost her balance, especially as they went up a sand dune. It was early evening. Her hosts consisted of two women and one man who were escorting her to a place where their revered teacher lived, an elderly woman like herself.

他們只在晚上旅行，以保持舒適。沙漠在凌晨2點到6點之間會降溫，如果沒有風的話，溫度會很低，如果有風的話，會有令人吃驚的刺骨的寒冷。上午8點到晚上8點之間，不是在沙漠中旅行的好時機，連駱駝都不例外，更不用說人了。只有在過渡時期，溫度才會舒適。

They only traveled at night to stay comfortable. The desert would cool down between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., to a chilly temperature, if there was no wind, and a surprisingly bone-chilling cold, if there was wind. Between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., it was not a good time to travel in the desert, not even for camels, let alone humans. It was only during the transition times, that the temperatures were comfortable.

"晚上9點到午夜之間的時間是他們最喜歡的旅行時間，至少在天空沒有雲的時候。如果星星出來了，人們在晚上可以看得很清楚，特別是如果月亮至少是半圓的話。而在沙漠遊牧民族的眼中，星星是導航的標誌。

「The times between 9 p.m. and midnight were their favorite times to travel, at least when the sky was clear of clouds. One could see remarkably well at night if the stars were out, especially if the moon was at least half full. And stars were navigational signs in the eyes of desert nomads.

那人停下駱駝，以90度角舉起手臂。"你聽到了嗎？"

The man stopped his camel and raised his arm at a 90-degree angle. 「Do you hear that?」

另外兩頭駱駝停下來聽了聽。有一種遙遠的呻吟聲，彷彿一隻動物在痛苦中。

The other two camels stopped and listened. There was a distant moaning, as if an animal was in pain.

"你認為那是什麼？"其中一個女人問。

「What do you think it is?」 one of the women asked.

"那是一隻山獅，"他說。"或者，可能是一隻山羊..."

「It’s a mountain lion,」he offered.「Or, possibly a goat...」

"那必須是一隻非常大的山羊，"她壓低聲音說。她的話下面隱藏著一個微妙的笑聲。

「It would have to be a very large goat,」 she said in a lowered voice. There was a subtle chuckle hidden underneath her words.

"我猜它就在那個沙丘上，"他指了指他的左邊。他的駱駝跪了下來，那人下了車。他拿起他的步槍，開始向他剛才所指的沙丘的山頂走去。"我去看看。"

「I’m guessing it’s right over that dune,」 he pointed to his left. His camel knelt down and the man got off. He grabbed his rifle and started off to the crest of the sand dune he had just pointed to. 「I’ll go have a look.」

天空依然是美麗的紫藍色。銀河系的星星已經把它們的臉貼向大地。

The sky remained a beautiful violet-blue. The galaxies of stars were already pressing their faces to earth.

"我也想去，"訪客說。

「I would like to go, too,」 the visitor said.

"這可能很危險，"她的東道主回答。"和我們呆在一起。讓我們先看看他發現了什麼。如果是山獅，我們就不要給它攻擊的機會。它不會攻擊駱駝的，我們很安全。"

「It could be dangerous,」 her host replied. 「Stay with us. Let’s see what he finds, first. If it’s a mountain lion, let’s not give it options for attack. It won’t attack camels, we’re safe.」

訪客優雅地從駱駝邊上走下來，幾乎無聲地落在柔軟的沙地上。"抱歉！我的好奇心比我的服從更強。"訪客向那人的方向走去。這時，另外兩個女人從駱駝上下來，跟著訪客走了。"等著我們！"

The visitor shuffled off the side of the camel with grace, landing almost silently in the soft sand. 「I’m more curious than I am compliant. My apologies.」 the visitor walked off in the direction of the man. At this point, the other two women dismounted from their camels and followed the visitor. 「Wait for us!」

訪客放慢了腳步，但繼續朝那人的方向前進。

The visitor slowed her pace, but continued forward in the direction of the man.

呻吟聲明顯變大了，當他們接近沙丘的頂峰時，更讓他們感到不安。這是一種悲哀的聲音，在廣闊的沙漠中，頭頂上無邊無際，它的悲哀被放大了。

The moaning became noticeably louder, unnerving them more as they neared the crest of the sand dune. It was a mournful sound, and in the expanse of a desert with the infinite overhead, its mournfulness was amplified.

那人到達山頂後，向婦女們發出信號，讓她們走近。當他們這樣做時，他指著兩個沙丘之間的最低點的一個地方，在沙丘匯合的一側有一塊岩石突出。那裡，在靠近岩層最高點的一個凹陷的地方，有一隻山獅。

The man, when he reached the crest, signaled back to the women to approach. As they did, he pointed to a place at the lowest point between two sand dunes, a rock outcropping on one side where the dunes converged. There, on a hollowed out spot near the highest point of the outcropping was a mountain lion.

"它肯定受傷了，"那人說。"看起來它很痛苦。"

「It must be injured,」 the man said. 「Seems like it’s in a lot of pain.」

"它的痛苦來自這裡，"她指著自己的心，"不是身體的痛苦。"

「It’s suffering from here,」 she pointed to her heart, 「not pain of the body.」

"好吧，不管它是什麼，我們應該在這個地方周圍做一個大的停留。如果那只獅子營養不良，它可能會把我們當作晚餐。最好回到我們的駱駝上。" 當他們轉過身來時，他們注意到訪客已經不在他們身邊了。"她去哪兒了？"其中一個女人問。

「Well, whatever it is, we should make a wide berth around this place. If that lion is suffering from malnutrition, it might see us as supper. Better to get back on our camels.」 As they turned around, they noticed the visitor was no longer with them. 「Where’d she go?」 one of the women asked.

"她在那裡！"那人說，指著往獅子方向走的訪客。

「She’s there!」 the man said, pointing to the visitor walking in the direction of the lion.

"這不安全，"那人半喊半叫地小聲說。"如果你想活著，現在就回來！"！我真的不擅長用這把步槍......尤其是在晚上，在這個角度，面對一頭奔跑的飢餓的山獅。"

「It’s not safe,」 the man half-yelled and whispered. 「If you want to stay alive, come back now! I’m really not good with this rifle...especially at night, at this angle, with a running, hungry mountain lion.」

訪客轉過頭，但繼續走著。"我對學習更感興趣，而不是對走人更感興趣。而那，"她指著獅子，"是我的下一課。"

The visitor turned her head, but continued walking. 「I’m more interested in learning than I am in walking away. And that,」 she pointed to the lion, 「is my next lesson.」

當訪客離山獅更近時，她從兩側舉起手臂，雙手張開，顯示其空虛。山獅重新定位，在她走近時面對訪客。哀傷的聲音，安靜下來，歸於平靜。

As the visitor got closer to the mountain lion she raised her arms out from her sides and her hands open to show their emptiness. The mountain lion repositioned itself, facing the visitor as she approached. The mournful sounds, quieted to silence.

訪客停了下來，坐在沙地上，抬頭看著山獅。她對它說話，像對待一個朋友一樣稱呼它。"你為什麼在呻吟？"

The visitor came to a stop, and sat down on the sand, looking up at the lion. She spoke to it, addressing it as one would a friend. 「Why are you moaning?」

"我想得到關注，我想，"獅子說。"有什麼目的？"訪客問。

「I want attention, I suppose,」 the lion said. 「For what purpose?」 the visitor asked.

"我很無聊......我想。"

「I’m bored...I suppose.」

"那你為什麼感到無聊？"

「And why are you bored?」

"因為我的伴侶已經走了。"

「Because my mate is gone.」

"那是為什麼呢？"

「And why is that?」

"他離開了我，我不知道他是被殺了，還是受傷了，還是迷路了，或者只是找到了一個新的伴侶。我不知道是哪一種，這讓我很痛苦......所以我呻吟。"

「He left me and I don’t know if he was killed, or injured, or lost, or simply found a new mate. I don’t know which of these it is, and it makes me miserable...and so I moan.」

"你的伴侶已經失蹤多久了？"

「For how long has your mate been missing?」

"我不知道。很久了。"

「I don’t know. A long time.」

"你覺得你已經完成了你的悲痛嗎？"

「Do you feel you have completed your grief?」

"不，我怎麼能？我對我配偶的處置沒有明確的答案。"

「No. How can I? I have no definitive answer to my mate’s disposition.」

"有些事情你必須留在神秘的地方。"

「Some things you have to leave in the mystery.」

"為什麼？"

「Why?」

"我們是所有的一切，就像我們是一個身份一樣--就你而言，是沙漠中的一隻山獅。"

「We are all things, as much as we are one identity — in your case, a mountain lion in the desert.」

"一隻飢餓、孤獨的山獅。"母獅插話說。訪客笑了笑，保持沈默。

「A hungry, lonely mountain lion,」 the lioness interjected. The visitor smiled, remaining silent.

"我意識到，我不僅僅是一隻山獅。我知道我是大自然的一部分。"

「I’m aware that I am more than a mountain lion. I know I am a part of Nature.」

"那麼你就看到了大自然是如何適應和前進的，"訪客說。

「Then you see how Nature adapts and moves on,」 the visitor said.

"是的......"

「Yes...」

"那麼你已經學會了悲傷的課題。為什麼不嘗試一下新的學習呢？"

「Then you have learned the lesson of grief. Why not try a new lesson?」

母獅嘆了口氣，然後嘁了一聲。"一個新的學習，我不是一個孩子。"

The lioness sighed, and then chortled her breath. 「A new lesson, I am not a child.」

"你和我沒有什麼不同。你不是孩子、成人、母獅、女人，你不是這些東西，你知道這一點。我也知道。所以現在是時候繼續前進了。讓自己在新的經歷和表達中前進。正是在這些事情中，你對你的生活和你周圍的人，包括大自然，表示敬意。如果你允許自己停留在一個課程上，你只是在那個課題的範圍內拉長了時間。這是一個選擇。它總是一個選擇。"

「You are no different than me. You are not a child, adult, lioness, woman, you are not these things, and you know it. And I know it. So it is time to move on. To allow yourself to move through new experiences and expressions. It is in those things that you honor your life and those around you, including Nature. If you allow yourself to be stuck on one lesson, you simply elongate time within the boundaries of that lesson. It’s a choice. It is always a choice.」

"如果我不是山獅，那麼我到底是什麼？"母獅問。

「If I am not a mountain lion, then what exactly am I?」 the lioness asked.

"你是我們，就像我們是你一樣。"

「You are we, just as we are you.」

"我們是誰？"

「Who is we?」

"自然。"

「Nature.」

"所以自然就是我，我就是自然......這就是你的意思？"

「So Nature is me and I am Nature...that’s what you’re saying?」

"你兩者都是。你的"我"部分是你。你的"我們"部分是我們。而我們是萬有。萬有是自然。

「You’re both. The I part of you is you. The we part of you is us. And us is all. All is Nature. Nature is held within the unknowable, which is the only name that rightly defines it.」

"但是，即使我同意你的觀點，我仍然是一隻沒有伴侶的獅子，而你剛才所說的知識......並不能改變這一現實......也不能改變我的心情。"

「But still, even if I agree with you, I am a lion without a mate, and the knowledge of what you just said...it doesn’t change that reality...nor my mood.」

訪客開始說些什麼，然後停下來，竪起食指。"不是它是否改變你的現實，而是你是否決定改變你的現實。這永遠是你的選擇。我所做的一切是為了提醒你。有時，如果你把生命看成是一個人和萬有的學習，而不是一些痛苦的命運或懲罰性的損失，只有你一個人，那麼繼續前進就更容易。"

The visitor started to say something and then stopped, and put up her index finger. 「It isn't whether it changes your reality, it’s whether you decide to change your reality. It’s always your choice. All I’m doing is to remind you of that. Sometimes it’s easier to move on if you look at life as learning for one and all, and not some bitter fate or punishing loss meted out to you, and you alone.」

"為什麼，這有什麼區別？"

「Why? What difference does it make?」

訪客短暫地停頓了一下，但她的食指一直舉著，彷彿在指向某個天體，與她的想法完全無關。"因為我們無論以什麼形式體現出來，都是為了學習。而學習總是新的，它不是一種重複。重複是對一種模式的掌握。學習是演變你的實相範圍的藝術，這與掌握是不同的。模式涉及大腦和身體的記憶。學習涉及到想像力和直覺—腦力和心--通過變化而生活，就好像它們是設置在這個時空實相中的一個意識，以學習和閃耀。

The visitor paused for a brief moment, but kept her index finger raised, as if it were pointing to some celestial object, quite independent of her thoughts. 「Because we embody, in whatever form we’re in, to learn. And learning is always new, it is not a repetition. Repetition is mastery of a pattern. Learning is the art of evolving the scope of your reality, and this is different from mastery. Patterns engage the memory in the brain and body. Learning engages the imagination and intuition — the mind and heart — living through change as if they are one consciousness set within this reality of spacetime to learn and shine.

"如果你把自己放在命運或懲罰的籠子裡，那麼“你是什麼”的範圍，就被關在這個籠子裡(註：陷入重複裡)。正是這種削弱導致你掙扎和失去希望。不是嗎？"

「If you place yourself in the cage of fate or punishment, then the scope of what you are, is held within that cage. It is this diminishment that causes you to struggle and lose hope. Is it not?」

"它是，也許，它的一部分，"那女山獅回答。"我所感受到的是失去了一個伴侶，那是我的一半。而無論怎樣的學習都無法抹去那種空虛感......我感覺到我體內的空虛。"

「It is, perhaps, a part of it,」 the lioness answered. 「What I feel is the loss of a partner that was half of me. And no amount of learning can erase that sense of emptiness...that hollowed out space I feel inside me.」

"那就不要抹去它。透過繼續學習下一個課程向它致敬。你在這裡，是你自己，自然在你面前，是它自己，你可以在對你的損失的記憶中轉身離開它(註：指”自然”)，或者在對個體、群體和全體意識的進化的學習中擁抱它。你不能同時做這兩件事。如果你擁抱它，它就會擁抱你"。

「Then don’t erase it. Honor it by moving on to the next lessons. You are here as you are, and Nature is in front of you as it is, and you can either turn away from it, in the memory of loss for you, or embrace it in the learning of evolution for the one, many and all consciousness. You cannot do both simultaneously. If you embrace it, it will embrace you.」

"怎麼做？"

「How?」

"它將引導你進入下一課。它將慢慢地填補那個空位，一個接一個的新經驗。"

「It will lead you to the next lesson. It will slowly fill that empty space, new experience by new experience.」

"如果我不想要下一堂課呢？"

「And what if I don’t want the next lesson?」

"那你就轉身離開。"

「Then you turn away.」

"我的選擇？"

「My choice?」

"是的。" 訪客點了點頭。

「Yes.」 The visitor nodded.

"你要麼生活在你所創造的籠子裡，要麼就去上下一堂課。等待你的新事物就在那裡，可以填補那個空虛。它所需要的只是時空和我們向前邁進的意願，走出那片空虛，擁抱大自然的一切，讓它的魔力和數學般的精確性在我們的生活中發揮出來。"

「You either live in the cage you have created or you move on to the next lesson. The newness that awaits you is there to fill that emptiness. All it needs is spacetime and our willingness to step forward, out of that emptiness and embrace Nature for all that it is, allowing its magic and mathematical precision to avail itself in our life.」

"基本上要給它許可？"母獅說。

「To basically give it permission?」 the lioness said.

"也許不是許可，而是夥伴關係。"

「Maybe not permission, but rather partnership.」

"我怎麼能成為屬於一切萬有的夥伴呢？我那微不足道的小生命對那一切萬有怎麼可能重要呢？這沒有任何道理吧？"

「How can I be a partner to something that is All? How could my measly little life matter to the thing that is all? It doesn’t make any sense?」

不管是她的手臂累了，還是那天體莫名其妙地消失了，訪客的手臂突然下來，落在她的腿上，緊緊抓住她的另一隻手。"大自然的複雜性是我們的感官和智力所無法理解的，"她說。

Whether her arm got tired or somehow the celestial object had disappeared, the visitor’s arm came down in a sudden gesture, landing in her lap, clasping her other hand. 「The complexity of Nature is incomprehensible to our senses and intellect,」 she said.

"即使是我們的想像力和直覺的天性也無法理解它。我們喜歡把我們的能力投射到自然身上，認為它和我們一樣，其實它不是。然而，自然共同依賴於我們所有的人。這就是它的複雜性，也是它在每個層面上都是無限的原因。"

「Even our imagination and intuitive natures are unable to understand it. And we love to project our capacities upon Nature, believing it is like us, when it is not. And yet, Nature co-depends on all of us. This is its complexity and why it is infinite in every dimension.」

"那如何回答我的問題呢？"母獅問。

「And how does that answer my question?」 the lioness asked.

訪客站起身來。"我已經回答了你的問題。你可以決定我如何回答它。"

The visitor stood to her feet. 「I have already answered your question. You get to decide how I answered it.」

說著，她轉身開始走了。

With that she turned and began to walk away.

"等......等......等。" 雌獅站起身來。"你要去哪裡？你是第一個和我說話的人類。我希望你能留下來。"

「Wait...wait...wait.」 The lioness stood to her feet. 「Where are you going? You’re the first human who has ever spoken to me. I want you to stay.」

訪客繼續走回她的東道主身邊。母獅爬下岩壁，撲向沙漠中的沙地，開始向訪客跑去。那人用槍指著衝鋒的山獅，訪客舉起了她的手臂。"不要開槍！"

The visitor continued walking back to her hosts. The lioness climbed down the rock outcroppings and pounced to the desert sands and began running toward the visitor. The man pointed his gun at the charging mountain lion, and the visitor held up her arm. 「Do not shoot!」

然後她轉身面對母獅，母獅突然停了下來，並開始來回踱步，偶爾瞥一眼訪客。"你來了，然後你就離開我，"母獅說。"甚至在我告訴你，我內心有這種空虛之後。你這樣做很殘忍，你沒看到嗎？"

She then turned to face the lioness, who came to an abrupt stop, and began pacing back and forth, occasionally glancing at the visitor. 「You arrive and then you leave me,」 the lioness said. 「Even after I told you that I had this emptiness within me. You are cruel to do this, do you not see?」

"我是你的下一堂課，而你是我的(下一堂課)。我完成了我的課程，如果你沒有完成，那是你的選擇，但不要因為我繼續前進而說我殘忍。我希望你一切順利。我對你只有好意。我認為你是一個新發現的朋友。這有什麼好殘忍的？"

「I was your next lesson, and you were mine. I finished with my lesson, if you are not finished, that is your choice, but do not call me cruel for moving on. I wish you well. I have only good intentions for you. I consider you a newfound friend. How is any of that cruel?」

獅子繼續踱步。"你有一個朋友，他揮舞著槍直指著我。"

The lion continued pacing. 「You have a friend who wields a gun pointing directly at me.」

訪客轉向那個人。"請你，我求你，把槍放下，現在。" 她的聲音，堅定而堅決。

The visitor turned to the man. 「Please, I beg you, put the gun down, now.」 Her voice, firm and resolute.

那人的手臂慢慢放下，他的步槍也隨之放下。

The man’s arm slowly descended, and his rifle with it.

訪客轉向母獅。"我並不控制我的朋友，但你可以看到，我已經聽了你的話。"

The visitor turned to the lioness. 「I do not control my friends, but you can see that I have listened to you.」

獅子停止了踱步，用後腿坐下來。"你真的想知道是什麼在啃噬著我嗎？是什麼東西在用我的每一次呼吸將審判的手指指向我？"

The lion stopped her pacing, and sat down on her hind legs. 「Do you really want to know what is gnawing at me? The thing that is pointing the finger of judgment upon me with every breath I take?」

"什麼？"訪客問。

「What?」 the visitor asked.

"就是我沒有告訴我的伴侶我的真實感受。"

「That I had told my mate nothing of how I really felt.」

訪客保持沈默，坐下來，面對獅子。

The visitor stayed quiet and sat down, facing the lion.

"我告訴他，我愛他。我告訴他，他是生命的中心。我告訴他，他是我最親愛的朋友，但我從未告訴他我的真實感受。我對失去他所帶來的空虛感到恐懼。死亡及其過程--無論是他的還是我的--已經如此生動地充斥著我的生活，以至於我只害怕這個。它已經成為我的恐懼的總和，而當它真的發生時，我才意識到我沒有告訴他這些。"

「I told him that I love him. I told him that he was the center of life. I told him that he was my dearest friend, but I never told him how I really felt. That I felt afraid of the emptiness that would result from his loss. That death and its process — either his or mine — had filled my life so vividly that I feared only that. It had become the sum of my fears, and when it actually happened, only then had I realized that I had not told him this.」

"也許你對言語的意義過於重視，"訪客平靜地說。"言語？"

「Perhaps you attach too much significance to words,」 the visitor said quietly. 「Words?」

"他知道你的感受，"訪客說。"他也感覺到了。所有的生命在時空中都是如此，因為時空分割了我們是什麼，而我們本能地知道這一點。時空把我們分成小塊，我們作為一塊，而不是整體來遊蕩。而這一塊，似乎是有時間性的。也許這不是我們小時候注意到的東西，但在我們生命中的某個時刻，我們意識到我們的死亡，從那一刻起，它只會越來越大。

「He knows how you feel,」 the visitor said. 「He feels it too. All life does in spacetime, because spacetime divides what we are, and we know this instinctually. Spacetime puts us into small pieces and we wander about as a piece and not the whole. And that piece, it appears to be temporal. Perhaps it’s not something we notice as a child, but at some point in our life we realize our mortality, and from that point forward it only grows.

"在我們找到安慰的任何關係中，我們知道時空最終會進行干預，迫使這種關係結束。結束是我們的恐懼。我想對你說的是，結束既可以是關押你的牢籠，也可以是通往新奇跡的發射台。"

「In any relationship that we find comfort in, we know spacetime will ultimately intercede and force that relationship to end. Ending is our fear. All I’m saying to you, is that the ending can either be the cage that holds you, or the launching pad to new wonders.」

獅子第一次眼對眼地看著訪客。"你可能是對的。我會考慮一下，然後摸索出對我有用的東西。"

The lion looked at the visitor for the first time eye to eye. 「You may be right. I will think about it, and then feel out what is useful to me.」

訪客站了起來。"我們現在必須走了。很高興能認識你。也許我們在以後的旅程中還會見面。"

The visitor stood up. 「We must go now. It was a pleasure to get to know you. Perhaps we will meet again later in our journeys.」

獅子也站了起來。"你要去哪裡？也許我可以跟著......"

The lion stood up as well. 「Where are you going? Perhaps I could follow...」

訪客轉向她的東道主，她的東道主對她在一個可以在幾秒鐘內殺死她的野獸中如此平靜的表現表示敬畏。"我們要去的地方，你會被獵殺。"

The visitor turned to her hosts, who looked in awe of how she was so calm amid a beast that could kill her within seconds. 「Where we are going, you will be hunted.」

"我在這裡也會被獵殺。"

「I am hunted here, too.」

"你吃我們養的食物來養活自己。我們把你看作是一個競爭者，而不是大自然的一個重要組成部分。"

「You eat the food we raise to feed ourselves. We see you as a competitor, not an important part of Nature.」

"我理解，但這是我們生存的方式。我們生活在一個艱難的世界裡，我們必須要有進取心和聰明才智，否則就會滅亡。"

「I understand, but it is how we survive. It is a hard world we live in, and we have to be enterprising and clever or we perish.」

訪客轉向她的東道主。"拿一些我們的食物來，我們可以分享。" 其中一位婦女跑到駱駝那裡，收集了一些食物。

The visitor turned to her hosts. 「Bring some of our food, we can share it.」 One of the women ran to the camels and collected some food.

"你會和我分享你的食物嗎？"母獅問。

「You will share your food with me?」 the lioness asked.

"我們有足夠的食物。"

「We have enough.」

"謝謝你。你們也有水嗎？"

「Thank you. Do you also have water?」

"還請帶點水來！"訪客喊道。

「And bring some water, please!」 the visitor shouted.

"我沒料到會這樣...... "獅子心不在焉地嘟囔著。

「I was not expecting this...」 the lion mumbled absentmindedly.

"你看到奇跡是如何來到你身邊的嗎？"

「Do you see how the wonders came to you?」

巨大的、棕褐色的頭顱傾斜著進行反省。"......我......我在呻吟......獨自在沙漠中，在沙漠裡......然後......然後你發現了我？"

The massive, tan-colored head tilted in introspection. 「...I was...I was moaning...alone in the desert...and...and you found me?」

"只是因為你在呻吟。你在表達你的悲痛。而我們發現了你。我站出來是因為我不害怕你，也不害怕你的悲痛。這是因為我把你看作是我的一部分，所以我可以對你開放，為你服務，與你共情。這就是大自然如何將自己與它的自我聯繫起來。如果我們這樣看待它，我們就能找到和諧、驚奇、敬畏、意義的時刻，以及對生命如何為一個人、許多人和所有人演變的感覺。這個進化的故事是如何為每個人以他們自己的方式進行體驗的"。

「Only because you were moaning. You were expressing your grief. And we found you. And I came forward because I do not fear you, nor do I fear your grief. And this is because I see you as a part of me, so I can be open to you, serve you, empathize with you. This is how Nature connects itself to its Self. And if we see it this way, we can find moments of harmony, wonder, awe, meaning, and a sense of how life evolves for one, many and all. How this evolutionary tale is spun for everyone to experience, in their own way.」

女人帶著食物過來，把食物遞給訪客，訪客接過來，把食物放在地上，放在一塊桌布上面。然後她倒了一碗水。當訪客為山獅準備了一場微型盛宴時，獅子開始踱步。

The woman came with food, handing it to the visitor who took it, setting it down on the ground, atop a table cloth. She then poured a bowl of water. The lion began to pace as the visitor prepared a micro feast for the mountain lion.

"讓我和你一起去吧，"母獅說，"我將擔負起在你們之中注意安全的責任。"

「Let me come with you,」 the lioness said, 「and I will bear the responsibility of minding my safety among your people.」

"不，"訪客用尖銳的語氣說。

「No,」 the visitor said in a sharp tone.

"為什麼？"

「Why?」

"我不希望看到你的死亡。特別是要成為它的原因。"

「I do not want to see your death. Especially to be the cause of it.」

訪客退後一步，簡單地宣佈。"它已經為你準備好了。"

The visitor stepped back with a simple announcement. 「It’s ready for you.」

母獅小心翼翼地走上前去，但也對食物和水充滿了期待。食物的氣味和視覺已經激起了她的感官。她迅速吞下了食物，並把水舔得一乾二淨。"謝謝你，"獅子邊走邊說，向她的巢穴方向走去。

The lioness stepped forward cautiously, but also with great anticipation of food and water. The smell and sight of food had already stirred her senses. She quickly devoured it, and lapped the water to emptiness. 「Thank you,」 the lion said as she walked away, in the direction of her lair.

"謝謝你，"訪客回答說，微微鞠躬。

「Thank you,」 the visitor replied, bowing slightly.

獅子停了下來，轉過身來，面對著訪客，後者被留下來撿起桌布和空的木碗。"你的善意不會被忘記。在我的未來，你的聲音將以善意和尊重來迎接。你是對的，我需要找到其他同類，並以任何方式與他們在一起。我希望你能有好運氣。" 母獅轉身繼續向她的巢穴走去，在那裡她可以休息，也許還可以做夢。

The lion stopped and turned, facing the visitor who was left to pick up the tablecloth and empty, wooden bowls. 「Your kindness will not be forgotten. The sound of your voice in my future will be greeted with kindness and respect. You’re right, I need to find others of my kind and be with them in whatever way I can. I wish you good fortune.」 The lioness turned and continued to her lair, where she could rest, and perhaps dream.

東道主驚奇地看著母獅穿過沙地，走向她的岩壁和她隱藏的巢穴。現在，由於她的缺席，他們膽子大了起來，跑到了訪客面前。"那是怎麼了！？你是一個獸語者嗎？"其中一個女人問。

The hosts had watched in amazement, as the lioness strode through the sands to her rock-faced cliff and her hidden lair. Now, emboldened by her absence, they ran to the visitor. 「What was that!? Are you an animal-talker?」 one of the women asked.

"有時我是，"訪客回答。

「Sometimes I am,」 the visitor answered.

"那你說的是什麼意思？"男人問道，稍微有點喘不過氣來。

「And what did you talk about?」 the man asked, slightly out of breath.

"她既孤獨又飢餓，這是生活中最糟糕的組合之一，因此，像所有處於這種情況下的人一樣，她在為自己的存在而呻吟著。"

「She was lonely and hungry, one of the worst combinations of life, and so, like anyone in that circumstance, she was moaning about her very existence.」

"那你是同時解決了她的孤獨和飢餓，還是只解決了她的飢餓？"那女人問。

「And did you solve both her loneliness and hunger, or just her hunger?」 the woman asked.

"她自己解決了，"訪客回答。"我只是提醒了她。" 訪客看了看她三位東道主的每個人。"我們可以走了嗎？"

「She solved it,」 the visitor replied. 「I just reminded her.」 The visitor looked at each of her three hosts. 「Shall we go?」

他們點了點頭，仍然被他們所看到的一切驚呆了。

They nodded, still stunned by what they had witnessed.

當他們走過沙丘的頂峰時，駱駝站起身來，打著呼嚕，承認新的旅程即將開始。

As they walked over the crest of the sand dune, the camels stood to their feet and snorted their recognition that a new journey was about to begin.

一旦他們在駱駝頂上安頓下來，他們就向沙漠深處走去。一位婦女轉過身來面對訪客，似乎是為了確認她仍然和他們在一起。

Once they were settled on top of their camels, they wandered deeper into the desert. One the women turned to face the visitor, as if to confirm she was still with them.

訪客似乎是這樣一個奇怪的混合體，在有形的身體裡有一個無形的存在，就像一個友好而強大的幽靈突然出現在他們面前。"她是如何解決她的孤獨感的？"

來The visitor seemed like such a strange mix of an invisible presence within a physical body, like a friendly, powerful ghost suddenly appeared before them. 「How did she solve her sense of loneliness?」

訪客望著星光亮片的黑毯下一望無際的沙漠的廣闊。"沒有解決孤獨感的辦法。我們是獨立的生命，因此我們都會有孤獨感。沒有人能夠完全擺脫這種感覺。它是我們，憎恨它，就等於憎恨自己。"

The visitor looked out at the expanse of an endless desert beneath the black blanket of starlight sequins. 「There is no solution to loneliness. We are separate beings, therefore we will all be lonely. No one is entirely free of this sense. It is who we are, and to hate it, is akin to hating oneself.」

"然後愛它？怎麼做到？"

「Then love it? How?」

"你也不愛它。"

「You don’t love it either.」

"然後呢？"

「Then what?」

訪客停頓了一下，因為她目睹了一顆流星划過黑色畫布的情景。

The visitor paused as she witnessed a shooting star streak cross the black canvas.

"有了理解，然後是重新想像。你明白，孤獨是我們的一部分，我們接受這一點。然後我們轉向"群體"，在那裡我們找到關係。而且我們在現實世界中看到這些關係。它們不僅是與其他人類的關係，而且是與岩石、風景、沙子、風、動物、樹木、空氣、星星......我們的呼吸的關係。“群體”比我們能想像的還要多。"

「There is understanding and then reimagining. You understand that loneliness is partly who we are and we accept that. We then move to the Many, where we find relationships. And we see these relationships in the real world. They are not only relationships with other human beings, but with rocks, landscapes, sand, wind, animals, trees, air, stars...our breath. The Many is more than we can imagine.」

"一切......？"女人問，她的話語拖入了由領悟和希望交織而成的沈默中。

「Everything...?」 the woman asked, her words trailing into a silence woven from realization and hope.

"這就是為什麼它被稱為「群體」，"訪客說。"我們只需記住，"群體"是自然，而自然是我們的一部分，我們是它的一部分。有了這種認識，我們就能處理好孤獨，那種永遠存在的分離感。"

「That’s why it’s called Many,」 the visitor said. 「We have only to remember that the Many is Nature, and that Nature is a part of us and we it. With that understanding we can manage loneliness, that ever present sense of separation.」

"那重新想像的部分呢？"這位女士提醒訪客。

「What about the reimagining part?」 the woman reminded the visitor.

"我們的想像力沒有被調整到認識這些我們每時每刻都帶著的無限的關係。有些是我們熟悉的，如我們的日常生活夥伴或家庭，但有些是各方面都很新穎的，如青蛙或樹。因此，我們必須把我們的想像力調到這些無限的關係上，因為它們是如同一個Sovereign和一個Integral意識去活著的橋梁。

「Our imaginations are not tuned to recognizing these infinite relationships we carry with us every single moment of our existence. Some are familiar like our daily life partners or family, but some are novel in every way like a frog or tree. So we must tune our imagination to these infinite relationships, because they are the bridge to living as both a Sovereign and an Integral consciousness.

"我的sovereign與我，和所有的生命—"群體”—是一種夥伴關係。我們正在建造一些未知和不可知的東西。那是以前從來沒有人建造過的東西。因此，我們是在一條無限的道路上的親密夥伴。這就是我們的想像力必須掌握的東西，一旦被我們的心眼和心耳所掌握，我們就開始重新想像自己和生命本身。"

「My sovereign and I are in a partnership with all life — the Many. We are building something that is unknown and unknowable. That has never been built before by any hands. So, we are intimate partners on an infinite road. That is what our imaginations must grasp, and once held within our mind’s eye and the heart’s ear, we begin to reimagine ourselves and life itself.」

"這樣做很難嗎？"

「Is it hard to do this?」

"這並不比不做更難。它只是一種選擇。努力總是包含在選擇中。實際做的時候可能看起來更難或更容易，但做的時候只是時空中的一個瞬間，它召喚你進入真實體驗和表達的新奇世界。你決定你的想像力是如何被調整的。在所有氣息中，它是調諧到分離還是調諧到相互連結？"

「It is no more difficult than not doing it. It is simply a choice. The effort is always contained in the choice. The actual doing may seem harder or easier, but the doing is just a moment in spacetime that calls you forward into the novel world of real experience and expression. You decide how your imagination is tuned. Is it attuned to separation or interconnectedness in all of its flavors?」

"要怎樣才能真正做到這一點呢？"其中一位婦女問道。

「What does it take to really do that?」 one of the women asked.

"好吧，這有助於看到我們都是多麼令人驚奇的生物，以我們自己的方式。這是一個很好的開始，然後看到我們的差異是我們整體性的網點。然後你簡單地選擇這個觀點，而不是認為我們是獨立的、像機器一樣的身體和大腦，毫無目的地在時空中移動，或在一個高級智能的控制下。

「Well, it helps to see what amazing creatures we all are, in our own way. That is a good place to start, and then to see that our difference is the mesh point of our wholeness. And then you simply choose this perspective over the perspective that we are separate, machine-like bodies and brains that move through spacetime purposelessly or under the control of a superior intelligence.

"我們不是一個由原子和分子、細胞和神經元、骨骼和肌腱、肌肉和能量組成的小丘，它被容納在我們承認為自己的皮膚裡。這些東西誕生於時空，最終消亡於時空。它們是單一生命的時間窗口。它們開了又關，但它們所處的家園，就是Sovereign。這個家在規模上是無限的，然而我們的一扇窗戶卻把我們鉚接在單一時空的外部世界。"

「We are not a mound of atoms and molecules, cells and neurons, bones and tendons, muscle and energy that is held within the skin we recognize as ourselves. These things are born into spacetime and ultimately perish into spacetime. They are temporal windows of a single lifetime. They open and close, but the home they are a part of, that is the Sovereign. That home is infinite in scale, yet our one window rivets us to the outside world of a single spacetime.」

她停頓了一下。"如果我們轉過身來，看看我們真正的家，如果我們把我們的夥伴關係放在腦力和心上，如果我們卸下想像力和直覺，如果我們重新學習如何學習，我們可以做到。我們可以轉過身來，看到我們的家。當我們總是生活在哪裡。而一旦看到這一點，我們可以把我們的Sovereign帶到任何窗口，我們可以通過那扇窗戶看到我們無限的家。"

She paused. 「If we turn around and look inside the home of which we truly are, if we set our partnership on the mind and heart, if we unsheath our imagination and intuition, if we relearn how to learn, we can do it. We can turn around and see our home. Where we live when we always are. And once this is seen, we can bring our Sovereign to any window and we can see through that window of our infinite home.」

當訪客說完她的話，他們遇到了腳下的沙海和頭頂的星星的深沈寂靜。四個旅行者在沈默中騎行了很長時間，直到他們能看到一束蒼白的光從沙丘上探出頭來。

When the visitor finished her words, they met the deep silence of the oceans of sand beneath them, and the stars above them. The four travelers rode in silence for a very long time, until they could see a pale light peeking over a sand dune.

"那是西塔拉住的地方，"那人說，興奮之情溢於言表。然後，在他的呼吸下，他盡可能小聲地說："......這應該很有趣。"

「That’s where Sitara lives,」 the man said, excitement filling his words. And then, under his breath, he spoke as quietly as he knew how, 「...this should be interesting.」