But the idea intended seems to be that of the employment of the Divine Attention. "Attention" is a word derived from the Latin root, meaning "to reach out; to stretch out," and so the act of Attention is really a mental "reaching out; extension" of mental energy, so that the underlying idea is readily understood when we examine into the real meaning of "Attention."
但这个概念似乎倾向于对神圣的注意的利用。“注意”一词来自拉丁词根，本意是“伸出”（to reach out;to stretch out）。所以注意这个行动实际上是心智的“伸出”，或者心智能量的延伸出来。
这样，当我们查验了“注意”的真正意思，就容易理解它的内在观念了。

The Hermetic Teachings regarding the process of Evolution are that, THE ALL, having meditated upon the beginning of the Creation
--having thus established the material foundations of the Universe
--having thought it into existence
--then gradually awakens or rouses from its Meditation and in so doing starts into manifestation the process of Evolution, on the material mental and spiritual planes, successively and in order.
关于演化进程的赫尔墨斯增是这样的：
全能者，已经冥想着关于创造物的开始
——就这样建立了宇宙的物质基础
——已经构想着它存在
——然后从它的冥想中逐渐苏醒或者觉醒，就这样开始了演化的呈现过程，在物质、心理和精神层面上，连续而有目的地进行。

Thus the upward movement begins--and all begins to move Spiritward. Matter becomes less gross; the Units spring into being; the combinations begin to form; Life appears and manifests in higher and higher forms; and Mind becomes more and more in evidence--the vibrations constantly becoming higher.
这样，向上的运动开始——一切都开始朝着精神化的方向运动。物质变得不那么粗陋；各个单元涌现而存在；相互组合开始形成；生命出现了，并在越来越高的形态上显化；思想明显越来越多——振动持续地变得更高。

In short, the entire process of Evolution, in all of its phases, begins, and proceeds according to the established "Laws of the Indrawing" process.
简言之，整个演化的过程，在它的所有阶段开始，然后按照吸入法则的建立过程继续着。

All of this occupies aeons upon aeons of Man's time, each aeon containing countless millions of years, but yet the Illumined inform us that the entire creation, including Involution and Evolution, of an Universe, is but "as the twinkle of the eye" to THE ALL.
所有这些始终占据着一艾昂（Aeon）又一艾昂的人类时间，每艾昂包含着无数个百万年的时间，然而先觉者（光明天使）如是说，整个宇宙的创造过程，包括进化和演化，对于全能者来说，只不过是一眨眼的时间。

At the end of countless cycles of aeons of time, THE ALL withdraws its Attention--its Contemplation and Meditation--of the Universe, for the Great Work is finished--and All is withdrawn into THE ALL from which it emerged. But Mystery of Mysteries--the Spirit of each soul is not annihilated, but is infinitely expanded--the Created and the Creator are merged. Such is the report of the Illumined!
在一艾昂又一艾昂时间的无数周期的最终，全能者抽回它对宇宙的注意——它的注视和冥想，因为伟大的工作已经完成——然后一切都从它所出现的状态退回到全能者之中。但是种种的神秘——每一个灵魂的精髓都不会被彻底毁灭，不过可以无限地被扩散——被造物和造物主融为一体。先觉者（光明天使）如是说！

The above illustration of the "meditation," and subsequent "awakening from meditation," of THE ALL, is of course but an attempt of the teachers to describe the Infinite process by a finite example.
And, yet: "As Below, so Above." The difference is merely in degree.
以上关于全能者冥想和随后从冥想中苏醒的解说，当然只是老师借助一个明确的例子来描述无限过程的一个尝试。
然而支流怎样，源头就怎样。不同只在于程度上。

And just as THE ALL arouses itself from the meditation upon the Universe, so does Man (in time) cease from manifesting upon the Material Plane, and withdraws himself more and more into the Indwelling Spirit, which is indeed "The Divine Ego."
正如全能者自己从对宇宙的冥想中苏醒，人也停止在物质层面上显现自身，而越来越多地退回到内在的精神中，这就是真正的神圣自我。

There is one more matter of which we desire to speak in this lesson, and that comes very near to an invasion of the Metaphysical field of speculation, although our purpose is merely to show the futility of such speculation.
在这一节课中，还有一个我们希望说明的问题，它接近甚至侵入了形而上学思索的领域，尽管我们的目的只是表明这样的思索毫无意义。

We allude to the question which inevitably comes to the mind of all thinkers who have ventured to seek the Truth.
我们间接提及这个问题，因为它不可避免地出现在所有冒险寻求真理的思想者的思想里。

The question is: "WHY does THE ALL create Universes"
这个问题是：为什么全能者创造宇宙？

The question may be asked in different forms, but the above is the gist of the inquiry.
或许这个问题被以不同的形式问到，但以上就是各种询问的要旨。

Men have striven hard to answer this question, but still there is no answer worthy of the name. Some have imagined that THE ALL had something to gain by it, but this is absurd, for what could THE ALL gain that it did not already possess?
许多人殚精竭虑地想回答这个问题，但仍然没有什么有价值的解答。一些人猜想全能者通过创造宇宙来获得一些东西，但这非常荒唐，因为全能者怎么获得它事先所没有的东西呢？

Others have sought the answer in the idea that THE ALL "wished something to love" and others that it created for pleasure, or amusement;
or because it "was lonely" or to manifest its power;
--all puerile explanations and ideas, belonging to the childish period of thought.
其他人在全能者需要一些事物来爱的观念中寻求答案；还有其他人说，它是为了高兴、为了娱乐，因为它孤独或为了显现它的力量而创造它。
――所有这些幼稚的解释和观念，都属于儿童期的思想。

Others have sought to explain the mystery by assuming that THE ALL found itself "compelled" to create, by reason of its own "internal nature"--its "creative instinct."
其他人已通过假想全能者发现自己由于自身内在本质——它的创造本能——而被迫创造宇宙来寻求对这个奥秘的解释。

This idea is in advance of the others, but its weak point lies in the idea of THE ALL being "compelled" by anything, internal or external. If its "internal nature," or "creative instinct," compelled it to do anything, then the "internal nature" or "creative instinct" would be the Absolute, instead of THE ALL, and so accordingly that part of the proposition falls.
这个观念领先于其他人，但是它的弱点在于全能者被某些内在或外在的事物所逼迫。如果它的内在本质或创造本能逼迫它做一些事情，那么这个内在本质或创造本能就是绝对的主宰，而不是全能者，因此，这个主张就不成立。

And, yet, THE ALL does create and manifest, and seems to find some kind of satisfaction in so doing. And it is difficult to escape the conclusion that in some infinite degree it must have what would correspond to an "inner nature," or "creative instinct," in man, with correspondingly infinite Desire and Will.
然而，全能者确实创造和显现，似乎通过这么做来找到某种满足。而且，很难避开这样的结论，即在某种无限的程度上，它一定与人类的一种内在本质或创造本能相一致，具有相应的无限渴望和意志。

It could not act unless it Willed to Act; and it would not Will to Act, unless it Desired to Act and it would not Desire to Act unless it obtained some Satisfaction thereby.
它不能行动，除非它愿意行动；同样，它不愿行动，除非它渴望行动；它也不渴望行动，除非它因此而获得某种满足。

And all of these things would belong to an "Inner Nature," and might be postulated as existing according to the Law of Correspondence.
所有这些情形都属于一种内在本质，按照一致法则，它们有可能被视为一种理所当然的存在。

But, still, we prefer to think of THE ALL as acting entirely FREE from any influence, internal as well as external. That is the problem which lies at the root of difficulty--and the difficulty that lies at the root of the problem.
但，我们依然宁愿相信全能者是完全自由运行的，而不是受到各种内在或外在因素的影响。这是根本的难题——而困难就在于问题的根本。

Strictly speaking, there cannot be said to be any "Reason" whatsoever for THE ALL to act, for a "reason" implies a "cause," and THE ALL is above Cause and Effect, except when it Wills to become a Cause, at which time the Principle is set into motion.
严格来讲，不能说有任何理由使全能者运行，因为一个理由隐含着一个原因。而全能者超越因与果，除去当它愿意成为一个原因，此时有关法则开始运行。

So, you see, the matter is Unthinkable, just as THE ALL is Unknowable.
Just as we say THE ALL merely "IS"
--so we are compelled to say that "THE ALL ACTS BECAUSE IT ACTS."
At the last, THE ALL is All Reason in Itself; All Law in Itself; All Action in Itself
因此，你明白，这个问题不可想象，就像全能者不可知一样。
正如我们已经说的，全能者只是存在
——所以我们不得不说全能者运行因为它运行。
最终，全能者自身是一切理由，是一切法则，是一切运行

--and it may be said, truthfully, that THE ALL is Its Own Reason; its own Law; its own Act--or still further, that THE ALL; Its Reason; Its Act; is Law; are ONE, all being names for the same thing.
——也可以说，真的，全能者是它自己的理由，它自己的法则，它自己的运行——或者，更进一步说全能者，它的理由，它的法则，它的运行，是一，一切都是称呼同一事物。

In the opinion of those who are giving you these present lessons, the answer is locked up in the INNER SELF of THE ALL, along with its Secret of Being.
按照目前正在给你这些课程的人的观点，答案被锁在全能者的内在自我里面，与它存在的秘密伴随始终。

The Law of Correspondence, in our opinion, reaches only to that aspect of THE ALL, which may be spoken of as "The Aspect of BECOMING."

Back of that Aspect is "The Aspect of BEING" in which all Laws are lost in LAW; all Principles merge into PRINCIPLE--and THE ALL; PRINCIPLE; and BEING; are IDENTICAL, ONE AND THE SAME.
在我们看来，一致法则只是触及了全能者的表层，或许也可以说是形成的层面。表层的背面是本质的层面，在那里所有的法则都消失在大法则中，所有的法则都融合成大法则——而全能者、大法则和一切存在，都是一样的、是一、是同一事物。

Therefore, Metaphysical speculation on this point is futile.
因此，形而上学关于这一点的思索是毫无意义的。

We go into the matter here, merely to show that we recognize the question, and also the absurdity of the ordinary answers of metaphysics and theology.
我们在这里提及这个问题，只是为了表明我们认识到这个问题，同时也指明形而上学和神学关于这个问题的各种常见答案的荒谬。

In conclusion, it may be of interest to our students to learn that while some of the ancient, and modern, Hermetic Teachers have rather inclined in the direction of applying the Principle of Correspondence to the question, with the result of the "Inner Nature" conclusion,
最后，我们的学生可能有兴趣弄清楚这个问题，而一些古代和现代的赫尔墨斯神秘学说的老师宁可倾向于运用一致法则来指导，结果得出内在本质的结论。

--still the legends have it that HERMES, the Great, when asked this question by his advanced students, answered them by PRESSING HIS LIPS TIGHTLY TOGETHER and saying not a word, indicating that there WAS NO ANSWER.
据说，当伟大的赫尔墨斯被他进步的学生们问及这个问题时，他以嘴唇紧闭来回答他们，一个字也不说，表示这个问题没有答案。

But, then, he may have intended to apply the axiom of his philosophy, that: "The lips of Wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding,"
believing that even his advanced students did not possess the Understanding which entitled them to the Teaching.

但是，接着，他可能有目的地运用他的哲理箴言来回答：智慧的嘴唇是紧闭的，除非聆听它的耳朵才能理解。相信即使他进步的学生们都没有真正理解这个问题。
At any rate, if Hermes possessed the Secret, he failed to impart it, and so far as the world is concerned THE LIPS OF HERMES ARE CLOSED regarding it. And where the Great Hermes hesitated to speak, what mortal may dare to teach?
无论如何，如果赫尔墨斯拥有这个秘密，那么他也无法传授它，以致就世人而言，赫尔墨斯的嘴唇对它始终紧闭着。

But, remember, that whatever be the answer to this problem, if indeed there be an answer the truth remains that: "While All is in THE ALL, it is equally true that THE ALL is in All."
但是，请记住，无论这个问题的答案是什么，如果真有一个答案——真理依然是：一切存在于全能者之中，同样，全能者存在于万物之中也是正确的。

The Teaching on this point is emphatic.
关于这一点的教导非常重要。

And, we may add the concluding words of the quotation:
"To him who truly understands this truth, hath come great knowledge."
我们或许可以在它后面加上结论性的话语：
对于真正领会这个真理的人，他已经获得大智。