Just as a man has two parents, and four grandparents, and eight great-grandparents, and sixteen great-great-grandparents, and so on until when, say, forty generations are calculated the numbers of ancestors run into many millions--so it is with the number of causes behind even the most trifling event or phenomena, such as the passage of a tiny speck of soot before your eye.
如同一个人有双亲，四个祖父辈，八个曾祖父辈，十六个曾曾祖父辈的亲人，如此，上推到四十代前，那是几百万的祖辈——同样，即使最微小的事物和现象背后的原因数目也是如此，哪怕是你眼前面的一粒灰尘。
It is not an easy matter to trace the bit of soot hack to the early period of the world's history when it formed a part of a massive tree-trunk, which was afterward converted into coal, and so on, until as the speck of soot it now passes before your vision on its way to other adventures.
要追踪这个小灰粒到星球历史的较早期阶段绝非容易的事，那时候它是大树的一部分，从树桩转化为煤，如此等等，直到它成为一粒煤灰来到你的眼前，继续它的下面的经历。
And a mighty chain of events, causes and effects, brought it to its present condition, and the later is but one of the chain of events which will go to produce other events hundreds of years from now. One of the series of events arising from the tiny bit of soot was the writing of these lines, which caused the typesetter to perform certain work; the proofreader to do likewise;
一个事物如此巨大的链，原因们和结果们，把这个灰尘带到现在的状态，此后它依然是在事情的链条中，进入此后数百年的其它事物中。从这个些微的灰尘，升起的一个事物系列中的，一个就是写出的这几行文字。排版工人进行了工作，校对员也做了贡献。
and which will arouse certain thoughts in your mind, and that of others, which in turn will affect others, and so on, and on, and on, beyond the ability of man to think further-and all from the passage of a tiny bit of soot, all of which shows the relativity and association of things, and the further fact that "there is no great; there is no small, in the mind that causeth all."
这些文字会在你的心理中产生某些想法，这些想法可能又会影响其他人，如此下去，下去，再下去，远到超越人的想象能力——所有这都来自一粒灰尘，所有这些都显化着事情的关系和联系，进一步的事实是，在导致一切的思想中，没有什么伟大，没有什么渺小。
Stop to think a moment.
If a certain man had not met a certain maid, away back in the dim period of the Stone Age--you who are now reading these lines would not now be here. And if, perhaps, the same couple had failed to meet, we who now write these lines would not now be here.
让我们停下来想一下。
如果远在石器时代的晦暗的日子里，一个人如果没有遇到某个女人——你这位现在正在读这些文字的就不会在这里。如果，这样的一对没有相遇，我们写这些文字的现在不会在这里。
And the very act of writing, on our part, and the act of reading, on yours, will affect not only the respective lives of yourself and ourselves, but will also have a direct, or indirect, affect upon many other people now living and who will live in the ages to come.
我们的写作行动，你的阅读行动，不仅会影响到你的和我们的特别的生命，也会直接或者间接地影响许多其他的人，现在的和以后世代会来到的。
Every thought we think, every act we perform, has its direct and indirect results which fit into the great chain of Cause and Effect.
我们思考的每一个心理，我们显化的每一个行动，都有它直接和间接的效果，汇合到巨大的因果链条之中。
We do not wish to enter into a consideration of Free Will, or Determinism, in this work, for various reasons.
出于多种原因，在这个工作中，我们不希望涉入到自由意志和决定论中去。
Among the many reasons, is the principal one that neither side of the controversy is entirely right-in fact, both sides are partially right, according to the Hermetic Teachings. The Principle of Polarity shows that both are but Half-Truths the opposing poles of Truth.
在这些原因中，最主要的是对立的双方没有一个是绝对正确的——事实上，按照赫尔墨斯教导，两方面都有部分的正确。极性法则显示了，两个方面都只是部分的真理，真理的相对的两个极性。
The Teachings are that a man may be both Free and yet bound by Necessity, depending upon the meaning of the terms, and the height of Truth from which the matter is examined.
教导是说，人既需要自由又要束缚，靠着对事物的检验，得到内里的认识，并且从这里达到之上的真理层面。
The ancient writers express the matter thus: "The further the creation is from the Centre, the more it is bound; the nearer the Centre it reaches, the nearer Free is it."
古老的作者这样来表达这个意思，创造物离中心越远，束缚就越多。离中心越近，离自由就越近。
The majority of people are more or less the slaves of heredity, environment, etc., and manifest very little Freedom.
大部分的人或多或少是遗传、环境，等等，的奴隶，只显化出很少的自由。
They are swayed by the opinions, customs and thoughts of the outside world, and also by their emotions, feelings, moods, etc.
他们随着外部世界的议论、习俗和心理摆动着，还有他们自己的情绪、感受、心态，等等。
They manifest no Mastery, worthy of the name.
他们很少显化出大师的样式，那和这个名字相配的行动。
They indignantly repudiate this assertion, saying, "Why, I certainly am free to act and do as I please--I do just what I want to do,"
他们激愤地做这样的断言，难道我不是按自己的喜好自由地在行动吗？我做的正是我想要做的。
but they fail to explain whence arise the "want to" and "as I please." What makes them "want to" do one thing in preference to another; what makes them "please" to do this, and not do that? Is there no "because" to their "pleasing" and "Wanting"?
他们却无法说明想要做的和自己喜好的来自何处。是什么让他们想要做这个，而不是别的？是什么让他们喜好做这个，而不是那个？难道对于他们的喜好和想要就没有原因了吗？
The Master can change these "pleases" and "wants" into others at the opposite end of the mental pole. He is able to "Will to will," instead of to will because some feeling, mood, emotion, or environmental suggestion arouses a tendency or desire within him so to do.
大师可以改变这些喜好和想要，去到心理极性的相对一端。他能够有意志地去做，而不是被在内里升起的一些感受、心态、情绪的驱动或者欲求，还有周围的暗示，而去做。
The majority of people are carried along like the falling stone, obedient to environment, outside influences and internal moods, desires, etc., not to speak of the desires and wills of others stronger than themselves, heredity, environment, and suggestion, carrying them along without resistance on their part, or the exercise of the Will.
大多数人，有如落下的石头，服从着环境，外在的影响和内在的心态、欲望，等等，更不要说那些强过他们自己的人的欲望和意志、环境、暗示，把他们推动着，他们无法抵抗，或者有自身意志的练习。
Moved like the pawns on the checkerboard of life, they play their parts and are laid aside after the game is over.
生命如同象棋棋盘上的兵卒一般被挪动，他们扮演着他们的角色，当棋局结束就被搁置一旁。
But the Masters, knowing the rules of the game, rise above the plane of material life, and placing themselves in touch with the higher powers of their nature, dominate their own moods, characters, qualities, and polarity, as well as the environment surrounding them and thus become Movers in the game, instead of Pawns-Causes instead of Effects.
但是大师们，知道游戏的规则，上升到物质生命的层面之上，让自己接触他们本性中更高的能量，支配他们自己的心态、特质、品性，和极性，对围绕他们的环境也是如此，这样，他们成为游戏中的博弈者，而非棋盘上的兵卒——用原因取代结果。
The Masters do not escape the Causation of the higher planes, but fall in with the higher laws, and thus master circumstances on the lower plane.
大师们不能逃避更高层面的原因，而是变得与更高的法则相和谐，这样控制了在较低层面上的环境。
They thus form a conscious part of the Law, instead of being mere blind instruments. While they Serve on the Higher Planes, they Rule on the Material Plane.
他们这样构成了法则的意识部分，而不是它的盲目的工具。当他们服务于更高层面，他们就控制了物质层面。
But, on higher and on lower, the Law is always in operation. There is no such thing as Chance. The blind goddess has been abolished by Reason.
但是，在较高的层面和在较低的层面上，法则总是运作着。没有偶然这种事情。盲目的女神已经被理性废除了。
We are able to see now, with eyes made clear by knowledge, that everything is governed by Universal Law-that the infinite number of laws are but manifestations of the One Great Law-the LAW which is THE ALL.
我们现在能够看到，知识使我们的眼睛明亮起来，万物都是由宇宙法则管理的——无限的法则只是显化着的一的伟大法则——这个法则就是全能者。
It is true indeed that not a sparrow drops unnoticed by the Mind of THE AL--that even the hairs on our head are numbered
这是真的，在全能者的思想里没有一只麻雀的掉落会不被注意到——就是你头上的头发也是被数算过的——正如《圣经》经文所说的。
--as the scriptures have said There is nothing outside of Law; nothing that happens contrary to it. And yet, do not make the mistake of supposing that Man is but a blind automaton-far from that.
没有什么是在法则之外的，没有什么是违反法则发生的。也不要错误地假设，人只是一个盲目的自动机器——远不是这样。
The Hermetic Teachings are that Man may use Law to overcome laws, and that the higher will always prevail against the lower, until at last he has reached the stage in which he seeks refuge in the LAW itself, and laughs the phenomenal laws to scorn. Are you able to grasp the inner meaning of this?
赫尔墨斯教导这样说，人能够利用法则去克服法则，较高的总是胜过较低的，直到最后他抵达这个站点，在那里他寻找在这个法则自身里的庇护，并且讥笑现象法则们的不屑。你能不能抓住在这里面的内在意义呢？