CHAPTER V THE MENTAL UNIVERSE
第五章 精神宇宙

"The Universe is Mental--held in the Mind of THE ALL."--The Kybalion.
宇宙是精神，它保有在全能者的思想之中。
——Kybalion

THE ALL is SPIRIT! But what is Spirit? This question cannot be answered, for the reason that its definition is practically that of THE ALL, which cannot be explained or defined.
全能者是灵，但什么是灵呢？这是一个无法被答复的问题 。因为人们很难给全能者做出解释或者下一个明确的定义。

Spirit is simply a name that men give to the highest conception of Infinite Living Mind
--it means "the Real Essence"--it means Living Mind, as much superior to Life and Mind as we know them, as the latter are superior to mechanical Energy and Matter.
灵仅仅是人们给充满无限生命力的思想所起的一个简单的名字，
——其代表真正的本质
——远远超过我们所知的生活和思想，远远超过机械能量与物质。

Spirit transcends our understanding, and we use the term merely that we may think or speak of THE ALL.
For the purposes of thought and understanding, we are justified in thinking of Spirit as Infinite Living Mind,
at the same time acknowledging that we cannot fully understand it.
We must either do this or stop thinking of the matter at all.

灵超出人们的理解，我们仅仅应用它的形式而认为它就是一切。
从思想和理解的目的来说，事实证明，灵就是充满无限生命力的思想。
同时，我们并没有完全理解它。
我们必须选择理解这些或者彻底停止再想这些问题。

Let us now proceed to a consideration of the nature of the Universe, as a whole and in its parts.
What is the Universe?
We have seen that there can be nothing outside of THE ALL. Then is the Universe THE ALL?
现在，让我们着手从整体和部分两方面思考虑宇宙的本质。
什么是宇宙呢？
我们知道，全能者之外不存在任何东西。既然如此，宇宙就是全能者吗？

No, this cannot be, because the Universe seems to be made up of MANY, and is constantly changing,
and in other ways
it does not measure up to the ideas that we are compelled to accept regarding THE ALL, as stated in our last lesson.
不，我们可以明确地说，不是的。因为宇宙看起来像是由很多部分组成的，而且处于不断的变化之中，
换句话说，
它不符合上节课所讲的、我们被迫接受的、关于全能者的理念。

Then if the Universe be not THE ALL, then it must be Nothing--such is the inevitable conclusion of the mind at first thought.
那么，既然宇宙不是全能者，它就是虚无――这是我们起初所想的思想的必然结论。

But this will not satisfy the question, for we are sensible of the existence of the Universe.
Then if the Universe is neither THE ALL, nor Nothing, what Can it be? Let us examine this question.
但这个答案并不能让我们满意，因为我们感受到宇宙的存在。
如果宇宙既不是全能者又不是虚无，那么它到底是什么呢？让我们来论证这个问题。

If the Universe exists at all, or seems to exist, it must proceed in some way from THE ALL
--it must be a creation of THE ALL.
如果宇宙存在或者看似存在，它一定是以某种方式存续于全能者中。
它一定是全能者的一种创造。

But as something can never come from nothing, from what could THE ALL have created it？
但既然任何事情都不可能是无中生有的，那全能者从何创造这一切？
Some philosophers have answered this question by saying that THE ALL created the Universe from ITSELF--that is, from the being and substance of THE ALL.
一些哲学家曾如此回答此问题：全能者从其自身创造宇宙――即是，从全能者的存在体和实质而来。

But this will not do, for THE ALL cannot be subtracted from, nor divided, as we have seen,
and then again if this be so, would not each particle in the Universe be aware of its being THE ALL
--THE ALL could not lose its knowledge of itself, nor actually BECOME an atom, or blind force, or lowly living thing.
但这种说法是不正确的，因为正像我们所看到的，全能者是不可被分割成块的。
――反过来说，如果这种说法成立的话，岂不是每一个宇宙中的微粒知道自已是全能者？
――全能者不可能失去对自己的认知，也不会真变成一个原子、盲目的力量或者低级生命。

Some men, indeed, realizing that THE ALL is indeed ALL, and also recognizing that they, the men, existed, have jumped to the conclusion that they and THE ALL were identical, and they have filled the air with shouts of "I AM GOD,"
to the amusement of the multitude and the sorrow of sages.
The claim of the corpuscle that: "I am Man!" would be modest in comparison.

一些人认为，全能者真的就是万物本身，他们误以为自己和全能者是平等的，满世界宣称自己就是上帝。
大众自以为是的消遣，与圣贤们略显忧伤的谦逊成为鲜明的对比，圣贤认为，自己只是宇宙中一个微小的人。

But, what indeed is the Universe,
if it be not THE ALL, not yet created by THE ALL having separated itself into fragments?
What else can it be-- of what else can it be made? This is the great question.
但到底什么才是宇宙呢？
如果它不是全能者，也不是由全能者分离成碎片所创造的，
它还能使其他什么东西或者由其他什么东西而来呢？
这是一个大问题。

Let us examine it carefully. We find here that the "Principle of Correspondence" (see Lesson I.) comes to our aid here.
The old Hermetic axiom, "As above so below," may be pressed into service at this point.
让我们详细地论证它，我们发现，第一个法则，一致法则切合了我们在此的论证。
古老的赫尔墨斯神秘学，将给我们的论证提供有力的帮助。

Let us endeavor to get a glimpse of the workings on higher planes by examining those on our own.
通过对我们自身的审查，让我们努力在更高层面窥见这个神秘学法则的运作。

The Principle of Correspondence must apply to this as well as to other problems.
一致法则将会像解决其它问题一样帮我们解决掉这个问题。

Let us see! On his own plane of being, how does Man create?
让我们来看看，在其自身存在体的层面，人如何创造？

Well, first, he may create by making something out of outside materials. But this will not do, for there are no materials outside of THE ALL with which it may create.
首先，他能够用外在的一些物质来造出些什么来。这无法办到，因为在全能者之外没有其它的物质，可以用于这个造化。

Well, then, secondly, Man pro-creates or reproduces his kind by the process of begetting, which is self-multiplication accomplished by transferring a portion of his substance to his offspring.
其次，人类的创造或者复制自己的物种，是通过一个生产的过程，这个自我生殖过程的实现是靠转移自己物质的一部分到他们的后代。

But this will not do, because THE ALL cannot transfer or subtract a portion of itself, nor can it reproduce or multiply itself--in the first place there would be a taking away, and in the second case a multiplication or addition to THE ALL, both thoughts being an absurdity.
但这也是不行的，因为全能者不能转移或者分割它自己的一个部分
——它也不再复制或者倍增自己
——在第一点里要拿来点什么，第二点里要给全能者增加点什么，这两种想法都是不可能的。

Is there no third way in which MAN creates? Yes, there is--he CREATES MENTALLY! And in so doing he uses no outside materials, nor does he reproduce himself, and yet his Spirit pervades the Mental Creation.
人就没有创造的第三条路了吗？有的，这就是——他精神创造！
这样做的话，他不需用到外在的物质，也不用复制自己，并且他的灵弥漫着精神创造。

Following the Principle of Correspondence, we are justified in considering that THE ALL creates the Universe MENTALLY, in a manner akin to the process whereby Man creates Mental Images.
根据一致性法则，我们认为宇宙是由全能者的精神创造出来的，在某种程度上类似于人类创造一个精神图像经历的过程。

And, here is where the report of Reason tallies precisely with the report of the Illumined, as shown by their teachings and writings.
而且，这个合理的解答与先觉者（光明天使）的教导和著作中的记录完全相符，

Such are the teachings of the Wise Men.
Such was the Teaching of Hermes.

正如智者的教导，
正如赫尔墨斯的神导。

THE ALL can create in no other way except mentally,
without either using material (and there is none to use), or else reproducing itself (which is also impossible).
在没有其他资源的情况下（当然，也没有其他资源可用），也不能经过复制其自身（这个也是不可能的），
全能者只有精神创造而别无它法。

There is no escape from this conclusion of the Reason, which, as we have said, agrees with the highest teachings of the Illumined.
可见，除了赞成先觉者（光明天使）的最高教导，我们别无选择。

Just as you, student, may create a Universe of your own in your mentality, so does THE ALL create Universes in its own Mentality.
正如你可以在精神中创造一个自已的宇宙，全能者也是在其精神中创造了宇宙。

But your Universe is the mental creation of a Finite Mind, whereas that of THE ALL is the creation of an Infinite.
但我们自己的宇宙是一个有限思想的精神创造，而全能者的宇宙是无限思想的精神创造
。
The two are similar in kind, but infinitely different in degree.
这两种世界在种类上是相似的，而在等级层次上则有所不同。

We shall examine more closely into the process of creation and manifestation as we proceed.
接下来，我们应该进一步验证这种创造和显化的过程。

But this is the point to fix in your minds at this stage: THE UNIVERSE, AND ALL IT CONTAINS, IS A MENTAL CREATION OF THE ALL. Verily indeed, ALL IS MIND!
但在这里，你的思想里有一点需要修正：
宇宙，和它包括的一切，是全能者的精神创造。的确，万物都是思想！

"THE ALL creates in its Infinite Mind countless Universes,
which exist for aeons of Time--and yet, to THE ALL, the
creation, development, decline and death of a million Universes
is as the time of the twinkling of an eye."--The Kybalion.
“全能者从无限的思想中创造出无数的宇宙，其恒万古，然而对于全能者，千万个宇宙的创造、发展、衰退、死亡都只是眼中的一闪。” ——Kybalion

"The Infinite Mind of THE ALL is the womb of Universes."--The Kybalion.
全能者的无限思想是众宇宙的子宫。 ——Kybalion