觀察者與角色

Observers and Characters

「哇哦，」瑪蒂爾達驚呼，終於進入了巨石陣。「真是恐怖！恐怖，對吧！」

“W ow,” gasped Matilda, finding herself inside the megalith finally. “Right horror! Horror, right!”

「現在我們到家了，」伊特夫特說。

“Now we’re home,” said Itfut.

在穿越黑暗的詭異行走後，這黑暗似乎是粘稠的，朋友們回到了他們在超現實中開始的地方。

After the eerie walk through the darkness, which as it turned out, might have been viscous, the friends returned to the place where they began their stay in meta-reality.

「芙蒂！如果這是我們的家，那麼情況看起來不太好。」

“Futi! If this is our home, then things aren’t looking great.”

「好吧！好吧！至少這裡有光，而且看到了嗎？桌子和椅子還在這裡，我相信他們會再次給我們食物。」

“All right! All right! At least it’s light in here, and see? The table and chairs are still here, and they’ll feed us again I’m sure.”

他們走近黑色圓柱，坐在桌旁休息。

They approached the black cylinder and sat down at the table to rest.

「現在輪到你了。」瑪蒂爾達說。「你要餵我，我會招待你。」 「你說的『招待我』是什麼意思？」伊特夫特問。

“Now it’s your turn.” said Matilda. “You will feed me, and I will treat you.” “What do you mean, ‘treat me’” asked Itfut.

「你會看到的。來吧，試著給圓柱你的菜單。我想嘗試你的家鄉菜。」

“You’ll see. Go on, try and give the cylinder your menu. I want to try your home dishes.”

「如果不管用怎麼辦？」

“What if it does not work?”

「圖夫提，勇敢的女祭司！你讓我驚訝。你怎麼能在緊急情況下如此大膽，而現在卻在沒有什麼可怕的時候如此猶豫不決？」

“Tufti, the brave priestess! You surprise me. How can you be so bold in an emergency and now, when there is nothing to fear, so indecisive?”

「而你，聰明的女神伊莉特，你不明白這就是命中註定的嗎？在緊急情況下，普通人會陷入沉睡，而那些看見現實的人則相反，會醒來。你也是一位先知，蒂莉。」

“And you, Ilit the wise diva, do you not understand that this is how it is meant to be? In emergencies, normal people fall asleep, whereas those who see reality do the opposite and wake up. You are a seer too, Tili.”

「這和做夢無關！我只是當感到危險時就開始失控。」

“It has nothing to do with dreaming! I just start to lose it when I feel I’m in danger.”

「沒錯！你失去了自我，這意味著你沒有完全在自己之中。恐慌也是一種恍惚狀態。當你沒有完全在自己之中時，你就無法自控。」

“Exactly! You’re beside yourself, which means, you’re not properly in yourself. Panic is a kind of trance too. When you aren’t properly in yourself, you have no self-control.”

「對，這是真的。當我失控時，我被恐懼或焦慮、憤怒或怨恨所控制。」

“True, that’s true. When I lose it, I am controlled by fear or anxiety, anger or resentment.”

「幾乎是這樣，但實際上情緒只是讓你沉浸在夢中。真正控制你的是你沉浸其中的電影。」

“Almost but actually the emotions only immerse you in the dream. It’s the movie you get immersed in that really controls you.”

「我被一部電影控制？這是一個有趣的想法，還有點奇怪……」

“I’m being controlled by a movie? That’s an interesting thought, a rather strange thought…”

「這沒什麼奇怪的。你不記得嗎？我們剛才在談論觀察者和角色。一旦進入夢境空間，注意力就會運行電影並像觀眾一樣觀看它。在現實中，情況正好相反：電影自行運行，注意力生活在其中，像虛構角色一樣。」

“There’s nothing strange about it. Don’t you remember? We were talking about the observers and the characters just now. Once in the dream space, attention runs the movie and watches it like a viewer. In reality, it’s the opposite: the movie runs by itself and attention lives inside it like a fictional character.”

「是的，你確實這麼說過。我們在那裡和這裡都是角色。雖然很難相信。」

“Yes, you did say that. We’re characters, both there and here. It’s hard to believe though.”

「即使經歷了這麼多，你還是難以相信嗎？」

“You’re still finding it hard to believe even after everything you’ve experienced?”

「我就是無法理解自己是電影中的角色這個想法。」 「那就成為觀察者吧！要停止成為角色，你必須醒來。你的情緒應該喚醒你，而不是讓你沉睡。這是一種習慣，只是它反過來運作。」

“I just can’t get my head round the idea of being a character in a movie.” “Then be an observer instead! To stop being one of the characters, you have to wake up. Your emotions should arouse you, not lull you into sleep. It’s a kind of habit only it works the other way around.”

「看來你有這種習慣，芙蒂？我也想擁有這種習慣。」

“You have this habit it turns out then, Futi? I’d like to have that habit too.”

「如果你努力，你也可以養成這種習慣。」

“You can acquire it, too, if you try.”

「那努力會是什麼樣子？」瑪蒂爾達問。

“And what would trying look like?” asked Matilda.

「在我的國家，那些能看見的人學會培養這種逆向習慣，」伊特夫特回答。「當有什麼讓你害怕、警覺、惹惱你的時候，瞬間，你不是像在夢中那樣沉溺於激情，而是醒來並開始有意識地行動。與情緒恍惚不同，覺醒的狀態讓你能夠果斷、正確和清晰地行動。」

“In my country, people who see, learn to develop this reverse habit,” replied Itfut. “The moment something scares you, alarms you, pisses you off, then instantly, instead of indulging in your passions like in a dream you wake up and begin to act with conscious awareness. Unlike an emotional trance, a state of awareness enables you to act decisively, correctly and clearly.”

「但那樣的話，你可能會變成一個沒有情感、沒有激情的大理石雕像……」

“But that way, you could end up turning into a marble statue, without emotion, without passion...”

「誰說你必須壓抑你的情感？盡情表達你的激烈情感。害怕、憤怒和充滿仇恨，但要有意識地去感受。」

“Who says you have to suppress your emotions? Express your stormy passions to your heart’s content. Be fearful, angry and full of hate but be aware of it.”

「太棒了！但這怎麼運作？我怎麼能在有意識的情況下感到害怕、憤怒或充滿仇恨？你是說故意的嗎？」

“Wonderful! But how does that work? How can I be afraid, angry or full of hate with awareness? Deliberately you mean?”

「不，不是故意的，而是有意識的。不要混淆這兩者。處於覺醒狀態意味著完全掌控你的感官，並對你所做的事情負完全責任。你可以做你想做的事。最重要的是在你害怕、憤怒和充滿仇恨時觀察自己。掌控你的注意力。追蹤它的焦點在哪裡，屬於你還是屬於你沉浸其中的電影。當你能控制注意力的方向時，你就擁有了自我控制。」

“No, not deliberately but with awareness. Don’t get the two confused. To be in a state of awareness means to be in full charge of your senses and able to be completely responsible for what you are doing. You can do what you want. The most important thing is to observe yourself while you are being afraid, angry, and full of hate. Own your attention. Track where it is focused and to whom it belongs, to you or to the movie in which you are immersed. When you can control where you direct your attention, you have self-control.”

「芙蒂，你談論的事情簡單明瞭，但在你這裡卻變得完全不明顯！你開始記起你的知識了嗎？」

“Futi, you talk about things that are simple and obvious but with you they become totally unobvious! Are you starting to remember your Knowledge?”

「是的，隨著門檻的承諾，有些事情在我腦海中逐漸變得清晰。」

“Yes, some things are gradually becoming clearer in my mind as Threshold promised.”

「你所說的這種覺醒狀態。你是怎麼獲得的？」 「非常簡單。你只需要啟動你的見證者。」

“This state of awareness you’re talking about. How do you acquire it?” “Very simply. You just have to engage your Witness.”

「那到底是什麼？」

“What’s that exactly?”

「就是關注注意力本身，像一種超結構。見證者可以追蹤你的注意力集中在哪裡：在你自己內部、在你的思想中，還是在外部的日常現實中。對普通人來說，見證者幾乎總是沉睡的，所以他們不關注自己的注意力沉浸在哪裡。對於那些能看見的人，情況正好相反，當有事情發生時，他們的空間中稍微有一絲波動，他們的見證者立刻醒來，將他們的注意力從沉浸區域拉出來，提升到覺醒中心：我看見自己，我看見現實。」

“It’s paying attention to attention itself, like a kind of superstructure. The witness can track what your attention is focused on, where it is: inside yourself, in your thoughts, or outside, in your everyday reality. In ordinary people, the Witness is almost always sleeping, so they pay no attention to what their attention is immersed in. In those who see, it’s the opposite, the moment something happens, the slightest waft in their space and their Witness is instantly awakened and drags their attention out of the immersion zone and up into the awareness center: I see myself and I see reality.”

「原來是這樣運作的！」瑪蒂爾達驚呼。「我想我現在明白了！我真的可以看到我的注意力在哪裡。而且我可以同時看到現實和現實中的自己。哇！我可以觀察自己！」

“So that’s how it works!” exclaimed Matilda. “I think I understand now! I really can see where my attention lies. And I can see reality and myself within reality both at the same time. Wow! I can observe myself!”

「沒錯，」伊特夫特說。「當你觀察自己時，你的見證者被激活。它不再沉睡，你對自己的行為有意識。激活你的見證者並不難，隨時隨地都可以做到。困難的是在『情境』中啟動它。情境會吸引你的注意力。你會忘記並陷入夢境或恍惚狀態。」

“That’s right,” said Itfut. “When you observe yourself, your Witness is activated. It stops sleeping, and you are aware of your actions. It’s not difficult to activate your Witness, just like that, whenever you want to. What is difficult is to include it in a ‘situation’. A situation absorbs your attention. You forget and fall into a dream, a trance.”

「是的，哇！這是真的！那麼你怎麼學會及時激活它？」

“Yes, wow! That’s true! So how do you learn to activate it in time?”

「設定一個目標去做到這一點。字面上設定一個目標。對自己說，『每當有事情發生，或當我感到沮喪，或當外部現實出現問題時，我會醒來。』」

“Set yourself the goal of doing that. Literally set yourself the goal. Say to yourself, ‘I will wake up every time something happens or when something is getting me down or when something goes wrong in my external reality.’

「好吧，從現在開始，只要有事情發生，我就會立刻醒來。接下來呢？」

“Okay, from now on, as soon as anything happens, I’ll wake up straight away. What next?”

「你看到自己，也看到現實。你完全意識到自己的行為。你可以害怕、憤怒、氣憤……任何情緒，只要你有意識地觀察自己和現實。」

“You see yourself and you see reality. You are fully aware of your actions. You can be afraid, enraged, fuming...anything, as long as you are being consciously aware, observing yourself and reality.”

「那有什麼好處？」

“And what’s the benefit?”

「我告訴你有什麼好處。它讓你回到自己身上。在這種覺醒狀態下，你可以應對任何問題，並在任何情況下完美行動。」

“I’ll tell you what the benefit is. It returns you to yourself. In this state of awareness, you can cope with any problems that come your way and act impeccably in any situation.”

「太棒了！就是這樣。我打算這麼做。我想成為那樣的人！我需要練習多久？」

“Wonderful! That’s it. I’m going to do it. I want to be like that! How long will I have to practice?”

「直到沉睡的習慣變成相反的，醒來的習慣。你一開始需要逼自己。就像刷牙一樣。一開始你懶得刷，然後你強迫自己做幾十次，然後它就成為一種習慣，這個過程就會自動運行，不再覺得是件麻煩事。」

“Until the habit of falling asleep becomes the opposite, the habit of waking up. You have to push yourself at first. It’s like cleaning your teeth. At first, you’re too lazy to, then you make yourself do it a couple dozen times and then it becomes a habit and the procedure runs of its own accord no longer feeling like it’s a chore.”

「太好了！而且這麼簡單！這是一個有用的習慣。甚至比學習培養意志力或其他技能更好。你不必覺得自己在擠出什麼東西。這很容易做到，因為這是一種習慣。太棒了！」

“Great! And it’s all so simple! A helpful habit. It’s even better than learning to develop willpower or some other skill. You don’t have to feel like your squeezing something out of yourself. It’s easy to do because it’s a habit.

「是的，是的，是的，就是這樣，就是這樣！」

Brilliant!”

「我們甚至有句諺語說，『好習慣勝過好禮儀』。還有一句說，『一個聰明的人因為壞習慣而被稱為傻瓜』。」

“Yes, yes, yes, that’s exactly it, that’s it exactly!”

「精闢的諺語。我會記住它們。」

“We even have a saying that goes, ‘Good habits are better than good manners’. And there’s another that goes, ‘a smart person can be called a fool on account of a bad habit’.

「芙蒂卡，現在我們吃飯吧，」瑪蒂爾達說，然後起身走向圓柱。「我們聊了這麼多。雖然和你聊天，任何小話題都能變成哲學討論。」

“Pithy sayings. I’ll remember them.”

「我不喜歡哲學化，」伊特夫特回答，也從椅子上站起來。「我更喜歡實證的東西。」

“Futichka, let’s eat now,” said Matilda and then got up and went over to the cylinder. “We’ve been chatting so much. Although with you any little chat can turn into a philosophical discussion.”

「那好吧，那就餵我吧！如你所說，快快地！」

“I don’t like to philosophize,” replied Itfut, also rising from her chair. “I prefer things to be empirical.”

「蒂莉-蒂莉，你在考驗我！我真的怕它可能不管用。」

“All right then, so feed me! As you say, quickly-quickly!”

「那就害怕並觀察自己。嘿嘿！別擔心，芙蒂。它不可能不管用。畢竟你是女祭司！」 「但我沒有像你那樣的弓。」

“Tili-Tili, you’re testing me! I really am afraid that it might not work.”

「別說了！你知道弓和這無關。這是一種觸發器。你叫它什麼來著？」

“Then be afraid and observe yourself. Teee-hee! “Don’t worry, Futi. It can’t not work. You’re a priestess after all!” “But I don’t have a bow like you.”

「我忘了它真正的名字和怎麼用。再告訴我一次你怎麼用你的弓。」

“Give over! You know the bow has nothing to do with it. It’s some kind of trigger-lever thing. What did you call it?”

「我其實並沒有用弓做什麼。它只是提醒我一些事情，一種在我脊椎區域的感覺。」

“I have forgotten what it’s really called and how to use it. Tell me again what you do with your bow.”

「什麼樣的感覺，你具體在哪裡感受到？」

“I don’t actually do anything with the bow as such. It just reminds me of something, a kind of sensation in my spine area.”

「什麼樣的感覺，你具體在哪裡感受到？」

“What kind of sensation and where do you feel it exactly?”

「大概在我肩胛骨後面，也許稍微低一點，距離脊椎大約半個前臂的寬度，給我一種沉重的感覺。我無法更好地解釋。你知道，試試這個。想像有什麼東西從你胸口中間穿過身體向後推，穿過脊椎然後從另一側出來。這不重要是什麼，只是給你一個感覺的概念。然後抓住你背後的那種感覺，想像你想要的東西。」

“It’s somewhere behind my shoulder blades, perhaps a little lower about half a forearm’s width out from the spine and it gives me a kind of heavy feeling. I can’t really explain it any better than that. You know, try this. Imagine something pushing from the middle of your chest through your body towards the back, through your spine and then coming out the other side. It does not matter what it is, it’s just to give you an idea of the feeling. Then hold on to that sensation in your back and imagine what you want.”

「好吧，我試試看。」

“Okay, I’ll give it a try.”

伊特夫特話音剛落，圓柱就開始嗡嗡作響，從中伸出像架子一樣的段落，每個段落上都有不同的菜餚。

Barely had Itfut spoken these words than the cylinder started buzzing and ledge- like segments emerged from it, each carrying a different dish.

「圖夫提-圖夫提！」瑪蒂爾達驚呼。「女祭司-女祭司，哇！你剛才還在抱怨『我害怕！我不行！』怎麼這麼快就成功了？」

“Тufti-Тufti!” cried Matilda. “Priestess-priestess, wow! And there you were complaining, ‘I’m afraid! I can’t!’ How come you managed it so quickly?”

「這只是自然而然的，就像一個隨機的想法。當你描述該怎麼做時，我在想像和感受，然後我想像一張擺滿美味佳餚的桌子，好像我們在為慶祝準備一樣。」

“It was just spontaneous, like a random thought. While you were describing what to do, I was imagining and feeling it, and then I imagined a table covered in delicious dishes as if we were getting it ready for a celebration.”

「哇！這些菜色真是美味！看起來都很高級！」

“Wow! What a delicious range of dishes! It all looks really swanky!”

「是啊，是啊！試試看吧。」

“Quite, quite! Try some.”

瑪蒂爾達拿起兩個盤子，坐到桌旁。

Matilda picked up two plates and sat down at the table.

「好吧，你看！不僅看起來好吃，吃起來也好吃。這是什麼？」 「特製海藻。」

“Well, there you have it! It not only looks tasty, it is tasty. What’s this one?” “Seaweed, specially prepared.”

「誰會想到呢。這個呢？某種甲殼類動物？」 「是的，我們的飲食主要以植物和海鮮為主。」

“Who would have thought it. And what’s this? A crustacean of some kind?” “Yes, our diet is mainly based on plants and seafood.”

「好吃，芙蒂，這太美味了。我比不上這個。」

“Yum, Futi, this is way too delicious. I can’t compete with this.”

觀察者與角色

Observers and Characters

「哇——」 Matilda倒吸一口氣，終於發現自己正處於那塊巨石之中。「真是太驚悚了！驚悚，對吧？」

“W ow,” gasped Matilda, finding herself inside the megalith finally. “Right horror! Horror, right!”

「現在我們算是回到家了，」 Itfut說。

“Now we’re home,” said Itfut.

在那段詭異且彷彿黏稠的黑暗漫步之後，朋友們回到了他們最初進入超現實（meta-reality）境界時所落腳之處。

After the eerie walk through the darkness, which as it turned out, might have been viscous, the friends returned to the place where they began their stay in meta-reality.

「Futi！如果這就是我們的家，那情況可就不妙了。」

“Futi! If this is our home, then things aren’t looking great.”

「好啦！好啦！至少這裡還有光亮，而且看——桌子和椅子都還在，我敢打賭他們很快又會給我們送餐。」

“All right! All right! At least it’s light in here, and see? The table and chairs are still here, and they’ll feed us again I’m sure.”

他們走向那個黑色圓柱體，並坐到桌旁稍作休息。

They approached the black cylinder and sat down at the table to rest.

「現在輪到你了。」 Matilda說，「你得給我送飯，而我就請你一頓。」 「‘請你一頓’是什麼意思？」 Itfut問。

“Now it’s your turn.” said Matilda. “You will feed me, and I will treat you.” “What do you mean, ‘treat me’” asked Itfut.

「你就會知道的。快去吧，試著把你的菜單遞給那圓柱，我想嘗一嘗你家鄉的菜。」

“You’ll see. Go on, try and give the cylinder your menu. I want to try your home dishes.”

「如果它不起作用怎麼辦？」

“What if it does not work?”

「Tufti，勇敢的女祭司！你真令我吃驚。緊急關頭你怎麼能如此大無畏，而現在明明無所畏懼，卻又這般猶豫不決？」

“Tufti, the brave priestess! You surprise me. How can you be so bold in an emergency and now, when there is nothing to fear, so indecisive?”

「還有你，智慧的天后Ilit，你難道不明白這本來就是規定如此嗎？在緊急時刻，普通人會選擇沉睡，而那些能看透現實的人則恰恰相反，會迅速覺醒。Tili，你也是先知之一。」

“And you, Ilit the wise diva, do you not understand that this is how it is meant to be? In emergencies, normal people fall asleep, whereas those who see reality do the opposite and wake up. You are a seer too, Tili.”

「這與做夢毫無關係！只要我感到危險，就會失去自制。」

“It has nothing to do with dreaming! I just start to lose it when I feel I’m in danger.”

「正是如此！你已近乎失控，也就是說你根本沒能掌握自己。恐慌本身也是一種昏迷狀態，當你失去了自我掌控，自然就無法自持。」

“Exactly! You’re beside yourself, which means, you’re not properly in yourself. Panic is a kind of trance too. When you aren’t properly in yourself, you have no self-control.”

「的確如此。當我失去自制時，就會被恐懼、焦慮、憤怒和怨恨所左右。」

“True, that’s true. When I lose it, I am controlled by fear or anxiety, anger or resentment.”

「差不多，但實際上那些情緒只會讓你更加深陷於夢境中。真正控制你的是那部你全然投入的‘電影’。」

“Almost but actually the emotions only immerse you in the dream. It’s the movie you get immersed in that really controls you.”

「是電影在控制我？這個念頭真有趣，也確實非常怪異……」

“I’m being controlled by a movie? That’s an interesting thought, a rather strange thought…”

「這並不奇怪，你還記得嗎？我們剛才談到過觀察者與角色。一旦進入夢境空間，注意力就會推動‘電影’的運行，並像觀眾一樣觀看；而在現實中，情況正好相反：電影自動運轉，而你的注意力則宛如虛構角色般生活其中。」

“There’s nothing strange about it. Don’t you remember? We were talking about the observers and the characters just now. Once in the dream space, attention runs the movie and watches it like a viewer. In reality, it’s the opposite: the movie runs by itself and attention lives inside it like a fictional character.”

「是的，你曾那麼說過——我們既是那邊的角色，也是這邊的角色。雖然，說實話，這概念真令人難以置信。」

“Yes, you did say that. We’re characters, both there and here. It’s hard to believe though.”

「經歷了這麼多，你竟還覺得難以置信？」

“You’re still finding it hard to believe even after everything you’ve experienced?”

「我就是無法接受自己竟然成為了電影中的一個角色。」 「那就成為觀察者吧！要擺脫成為角色的狀態，你必須覺醒。你的情緒應該激勵你，而不是讓你沉睡。這只是一種習慣，只不過它的運作方式剛好相反。」

“I just can’t get my head round the idea of being a character in a movie.” “Then be an observer instead! To stop being one of the characters, you have to wake up. Your emotions should arouse you, not lull you into sleep. It’s a kind of habit only it works the other way around.”

「原來你竟然養成了那樣的習慣，Futi？我也想有那種習慣。」

“You have this habit it turns out then, Futi? I’d like to have that habit too.”

「只要你努力，這習慣你也能學會。」

“You can acquire it, too, if you try.”

「那麼，‘努力’到底該怎麼做？」 Matilda問道。

“And what would trying look like?” asked Matilda.

「在我國，有眼光的人會學會培養這種逆向習慣，」 Itfut回答道，「當某件事讓你害怕、警覺、甚至激怒你的那一刻，你必須立刻醒來，不再像在夢中般沉溺於自己的情感，而是用有意識的覺知去行動。與情緒性恍惚不同，這種覺知狀態能讓你決斷果斷、行事正確而清晰。」

“In my country, people who see, learn to develop this reverse habit,” replied Itfut. “The moment something scares you, alarms you, pisses you off, then instantly, instead of indulging in your passions like in a dream you wake up and begin to act with conscious awareness. Unlike an emotional trance, a state of awareness enables you to act decisively, correctly and clearly.”

「但那樣一來，你或許最終會變成一尊冷冰冰的石像，既無情感也無熱情……」

“But that way, you could end up turning into a marble statue, without emotion, without passion...”

「誰說你必須壓抑情緒？任由你澎湃的激情盡情釋放吧。可以害怕、憤怒、充滿仇恨，但關鍵是要自己清楚這些情緒的存在。」

“Who says you have to suppress your emotions? Express your stormy passions to your heart’s content. Be fearful, angry and full of hate but be aware of it.”

「太好了！但這到底怎麼運作？我怎麼才能在保持覺知的同時，又能感受到恐懼、憤怒或滿腔仇恨？你是說要刻意做到嗎？」

“Wonderful! But how does that work? How can I be afraid, angry or full of hate with awareness? Deliberately you mean?”

「不，不是刻意，而是以覺知來體現。不要把刻意和覺知搞混。處於覺知狀態意味著你能完全掌控自己的感官，並對自己的每一個行為負起全責，你可以隨心所欲。最重要的是，在你感到害怕、憤怒和充滿仇恨時，要觀察你自己，掌控你的注意力，追蹤它集中在哪裡，以及它屬於誰——屬於你，還是屬於那部你沉浸其中的「電影」。當你能控制自己把注意力指向何處時，就擁有了自我掌控力。」

“No, not deliberately but with awareness. Don’t get the two confused. To be in a state of awareness means to be in full charge of your senses and able to be completely responsible for what you are doing. You can do what you want. The most important thing is to observe yourself while you are being afraid, angry, and full of hate. Own your attention. Track where it is focused and to whom it belongs, to you or to the movie in which you are immersed. When you can control where you direct your attention, you have self-control.”

「Futi，你說的那些看似簡單明了的事，在你口中竟變得如此難以捉摸！你開始回想起你那份知識了嗎？」

“Futi, you talk about things that are simple and obvious but with you they become totally unobvious! Are you starting to remember your Knowledge?”

「是的，有些事情正如Threshold所承諾的，漸漸在我腦海中變得更加清晰。」

“Yes, some things are gradually becoming clearer in my mind as Threshold promised.”

「你剛才所說的這種覺知狀態，到底該如何獲得？」 「其實很簡單。你只需要啟動你的見證者（Witness）。」

“This state of awareness you’re talking about. How do you acquire it?” “Very simply. You just have to engage your Witness.”

「見證者究竟是什麼？」

“What’s that exactly?”

「它就是專注於注意力本身，就像一種超結構。這個見證者可以追蹤你的注意力集中於何處：是內在自我、你的思緒中，還是外在於你日常現實之中。在普通人身上，見證者幾乎總是處於沉睡狀態，所以他們根本無法察覺自己注意力所沉浸的地方；而對於能看透現實的人來說，情況則截然相反：只要有哪怕一絲變化，在你周遭空間中輕微的波動，見證者便會迅速被喚醒，並把你的注意力從那沉浸區拉出，帶到覺知中心——那時你會說：‘我看見了自己，我也看見了現實’。」

“It’s paying attention to attention itself, like a kind of superstructure. The witness can track what your attention is focused on, where it is: inside yourself, in your thoughts, or outside, in your everyday reality. In ordinary people, the Witness is almost always sleeping, so they pay no attention to what their attention is immersed in. In those who see, it’s the opposite, the moment something happens, the slightest waft in their space and their Witness is instantly awakened and drags their attention out of the immersion zone and up into the awareness center: I see myself and I see reality.”

「原來如此！」 Matilda驚呼道，「我想我現在懂了！我真的能看見我的注意力集中在哪裡，同時我也能看到現實以及我在現實中的存在。哇！我竟能觀察到自己！」

“So that’s how it works!” exclaimed Matilda. “I think I understand now! I really can see where my attention lies. And I can see reality and myself within reality both at the same time. Wow! I can observe myself!”

「沒錯，」 Itfut說，「當你開始觀察自己時，你的見證者就會被激活，它會停止沉睡，你也會對自己的行為有更清楚的認識。激活見證者其實並不難，就這樣，隨時都可以。真正困難的是如何把它融入‘情境’中。情境會吸引你的注意力，讓你忘卻自我而陷入夢境或恍惚之中。」

“That’s right,” said Itfut. “When you observe yourself, your Witness is activated. It stops sleeping, and you are aware of your actions. It’s not difficult to activate your Witness, just like that, whenever you want to. What is difficult is to include it in a ‘situation’. A situation absorbs your attention. You forget and fall into a dream, a trance.”

「是啊，哇！這倒是真的！那你說，要怎樣及時學會激活它呢？」

“Yes, wow! That’s true! So how do you learn to activate it in time?”

「你就給自己定個目標，字面意思地對自己說：‘每當外界發生什麼事情、讓我感到沮喪或出現問題時，我都要醒過來。’」

“Set yourself the goal of doing that. Literally set yourself the goal. Say to yourself, ‘I will wake up every time something happens or when something is getting me down or when something goes wrong in my external reality.’

「好，從現在開始，無論發生什麼事情，我都會馬上覺醒。然後呢？」

“Okay, from now on, as soon as anything happens, I’ll wake up straight away. What next?”

「你看見自己，也看見現實。你完全意識到自己的行為，無論是恐懼、憤怒、還是沸騰的情緒，只要你保持有意識的覺知，觀察著自己與現實，就都沒問題。」

“You see yourself and you see reality. You are fully aware of your actions. You can be afraid, enraged, fuming...anything, as long as you are being consciously aware, observing yourself and reality.”

「那有什麼好處呢？」

“And what’s the benefit?”

「好處就是它能讓你真正回歸自己。在這種覺知狀態下，你能應對任何出現的問題，並在任何情境中舉止得體。」

“I’ll tell you what the benefit is. It returns you to yourself. In this state of awareness, you can cope with any problems that come your way and act impeccably in any situation.”

「太好了！就是這樣。我決定這樣做！我想成為那樣的人！我得練習多久呢？」

“Wonderful! That’s it. I’m going to do it. I want to be like that! How long will I have to practice?”

「直到你那沉睡的習慣徹底變成醒來的習慣。起初，你必須逼自己，就像刷牙一樣。剛開始可能懶得去做，但當你反覆做到二三十次時，它就變成一種習慣，完全自動化，再也不覺得像是一件苦差事。」

“Until the habit of falling asleep becomes the opposite, the habit of waking up. You have to push yourself at first. It’s like cleaning your teeth. At first, you’re too lazy to, then you make yourself do it a couple dozen times and then it becomes a habit and the procedure runs of its own accord no longer feeling like it’s a chore.”

「太棒了！而且一切都如此簡單！這是一個有用的好習慣，比學習培養意志力或其他技能還要好。你不用感覺好像在強迫自己什麼，因為一旦變成習慣，就輕而易舉。」

“Great! And it’s all so simple! A helpful habit. It’s even better than learning to develop willpower or some other skill. You don’t have to feel like your squeezing something out of yourself. It’s easy to do because it’s a habit.

「太妙了！」

Brilliant!”

「是的，就是這樣，正是如此！」

“Yes, yes, yes, that’s exactly it, that’s it exactly!”

「我們甚至有句話說‘好習慣勝過好禮貌’，還有‘聰明人因惡習慣也可被稱作愚者’。」

“We even have a saying that goes, ‘Good habits are better than good manners’. And there’s another that goes, ‘a smart person can be called a fool on account of a bad habit’.

「這些精煉的話，我記住了。」

“Pithy sayings. I’ll remember them.”

「Futichka，我們現在去吃飯吧，」 Matilda說，然後起身走向那圓柱體。「我們聊了這麼久，雖然跟你在一起的閒聊常常會變成一場哲學討論。」

“Futichka, let’s eat now,” said Matilda and then got up and went over to the cylinder. “We’ve been chatting so much. Although with you any little chat can turn into a philosophical discussion.”

「我不喜歡探討哲學，」 Itfut回答，同時從椅子上站起來。「我更偏好那些切實可驗的東西。」

“I don’t like to philosophize,” replied Itfut, also rising from her chair. “I prefer things to be empirical.”

「好吧，那就快點給我送飯！正如你所說，快、快、快！」

“All right then, so feed me! As you say, quickly-quickly!”

「Tili-Tili，你在考驗我呢！我真怕這方法會不起作用。」

“Tili-Tili, you’re testing me! I really am afraid that it might not work.”

「那就害怕吧，同時觀察你自己。嘻嘻！‘別擔心，Futi，它肯定會起作用，畢竟你是個女祭司（priestess）嘛！’ ‘但我不像你那樣有弓呀！’」

“Then be afraid and observe yourself. Teee-hee! “Don’t worry, Futi. It can’t not work. You’re a priestess after all!” “But I don’t have a bow like you.”

「別再鬧了！你知道那把弓根本與這件事無關；那只是一種觸發機械裝置。你剛才怎麼稱呼它來著？」

“Give over! You know the bow has nothing to do with it. It’s some kind of trigger-lever thing. What did you call it?”

「我已經忘記了它真正叫什麼，以及怎麼使用它。再跟我說一遍，你是怎麼用你的弓的？」

“I have forgotten what it’s really called and how to use it. Tell me again what you do with your bow.”

「說實話，我並不會真正用那弓來做什麼。它只會喚起我某種記憶，一種從我脊椎區域傳來的感覺。」

“I don’t actually do anything with the bow as such. It just reminds me of something, a kind of sensation in my spine area.”

「是什麼樣的感覺？你究竟感覺到哪裡？」

“What kind of sensation and where do you feel it exactly?”

「大概是在我肩胛骨後面某處，也許比脊椎稍低，約有半個前臂寬的距離，感覺沉甸甸的。說明不來更加精確，你試著想像一股力量從你胸部中央推向背部，穿過你的脊椎後，再從另一邊推出。無論那是什麼，只是為了讓你感受那股力量。然後牢牢抓住你背上的這種感覺，並開始想象你真正想要的東西。」

“It’s somewhere behind my shoulder blades, perhaps a little lower about half a forearm’s width out from the spine and it gives me a kind of heavy feeling. I can’t really explain it any better than that. You know, try this. Imagine something pushing from the middle of your chest through your body towards the back, through your spine and then coming out the other side. It does not matter what it is, it’s just to give you an idea of the feeling. Then hold on to that sensation in your back and imagine what you want.”

「好，我試試看。」

“Okay, I’ll give it a try.”

Itfut話音未落，那圓柱體便開始嗡嗡作響，隨後從中浮現出像層板般的分段，每一段都盛著一道不同的佳餚。(Note: 形容圓柱體分段呈現，如梯狀層板)

Barely had Itfut spoken these words than the cylinder started buzzing and ledge- like segments emerged from it, each carrying a different dish.

「Тufti-Тufti！」 Matilda大聲喊道，「女祭司——天后，哇！而你剛才還在抱怨‘我好怕！我做不到！’ 怎麼就能這麼快搞定呢？」

“Тufti-Тufti!” cried Matilda. “Priestess-priestess, wow! And there you were complaining, ‘I’m afraid! I can’t!’ How come you managed it so quickly?”

「這純粹是自發的，就像一個突如其來的靈感。當你描述該怎麼做的時候，我正隨著想象和感受那情境，然後又想象出一張桌子，上面擺滿了美味佳餚，就好像我們要舉行慶典一樣。」

“It was just spontaneous, like a random thought. While you were describing what to do, I was imagining and feeling it, and then I imagined a table covered in delicious dishes as if we were getting it ready for a celebration.”

「哇！這一桌的菜餚看起來真是美味極了！每一道看上去都十分豪華！」

“Wow! What a delicious range of dishes! It all looks really swanky!”

「正是如此！嘗嘗看吧。」

“Quite, quite! Try some.”

Matilda拿起兩個盤子，然後坐到桌邊休息。

Matilda picked up two plates and sat down at the table.

「看吧，不僅看起來美味，實際上也真是美味。這道是什麼？」 「這是特製海藻。」

“Well, there you have it! It not only looks tasty, it is tasty. What’s this one?” “Seaweed, specially prepared.”

「真令人意想不到。那這個呢？某種甲殼類動物？」 「是的，我們的飲食主要以植物和海鮮為主。」

“Who would have thought it. And what’s this? A crustacean of some kind?” “Yes, our diet is mainly based on plants and seafood.”

「啊，好吃極了，Futi，這真是美味無比，我根本無法與之匹敵。」

“Yum, Futi, this is way too delicious. I can’t compete with this.”