THE SKIES WERE open and full. There were not the big, wide-winged birds that float so easily from valley to valley, nor even a passing cloud. The trees were still and the curving folds of the hills were rich in shadow. The eager deer, consumed with curiosity, was watching, and suddenly darted away at our approach. Under a bush, of the same colour as the earth, was a flat horned toad, bright-eyed and motionless. To the west the mountains were sharp and clear against the setting sun. Far below was a big house; it had a swimming pool, and some people were in it. There was a lovely garden surrounding the house; the place looked prosperous and secluded, and had that peculiar atmosphere of the rich. Farther down a dusty road was a small shack in a dry field. Poverty, squalor and toil, even at that distance, were visible. Seen from that height the two houses were not far apart; ugliness and beauty were touching each other.

天空是敞开的、完全的。 这里没有那巨型的、宽大翅膀的鸟 —— 那种鸟能轻易从一个山谷滑翔到另一个山谷， 也没有一朵路过的云。 树木静止不动，层峦叠嶂的山丘有浓重的倒影。 那只热切的、充满了好奇心的鹿在观察， 当我们接近时，突然地跳走了。 在灌木丛下，在与大地颜色相同的，是一只扁平的角蟾蜍， 眼睛明亮，一动不动。 西面的山峰，在夕阳的映衬下，锋利而清晰。 远处是一座大房子。它有一个游泳池，有几个人在里面。 房子的周围是一个可爱的花园； 这个地方看起来很繁盛而隐蔽，具有富人特有的氛围。 沿着一条布满尘土的道路向下，有一个小棚屋，坐落于干涸的田地中。 即使在那么远的地方，贫穷、肮脏和辛劳也是可见的。 从这个高度来看，两栋房子相距不远。 丑陋和美丽彼此触摸。

Simplicity of the heart is of far greater importance and significance than simplicity of possessions. To be content with few things is a comparatively easy matter. To renounce comfort, or to give up smoking and other habits, does not indicate simplicity of heart. To put on a loincloth in a world that is taken up with clothes, comforts and distractions, does not indicate a free being. There was a man who had given up the world and its ways, but his desires and passions were consuming him; he had put on the robes of a monk, but he did not know peace. His eyes were everlastingly seeking, and his mind was driven by his doubts and hopes. Outwardly you discipline and renounce, you chart your course, step by step, to reach the end. You measure the progress of your achievement according to the standards of virtue: how you have given up this or that, how controlled you are in your behaviour, how tolerant and kind you are, and so on and on. You have learnt the art of concentration, and you withdraw into a forest, a monastery or a darkened room to meditate; you pass your days in prayer and watchfulness. Outwardly you have made your life simple, and through this thoughtful and calculated arrangement you hope to reach the bliss that is not of this world.

心灵的简单 比财产的简单重要得多。 对很少的东西感到满意，是一件相对容易的事情。 放弃舒适，或放弃吸烟等习惯， 并不表示心灵的简单。 在一个被衣服、舒适和冷漠所占据的世界里，穿上缠腰布， 并不表示一种自由的存在。 一个人放弃了世界和它的方式， 但他的欲望和激情正在吞噬他。 他穿上了僧侣的长袍，但他不知道和平。 他的眼睛在不断地寻找，他的头脑被他的怀疑和希望所驱使。 在外表上，你持戒和舍弃，你一步一步地规划你的路线，以达到目的。 你根据美德的标准来衡量你达成的进展： 你舍弃了这个或那个，你对自己的行为有多少的控制， 你有多大的宽容和善良，等等。 你已经学会了专注的艺术， 你隐退到森林、寺院或黑暗的房间里冥想； 你在祷告和警觉中度过你的日子。 从表面上看，你已经让你的生活变得简单， 通过这种深思熟虑和精心策划的安排， 你希望抵达不属于这个世界的至乐。

But is reality reached through external control and sanctions? Though outward simplicity, the putting aside of comfort, is obviously necessary, will this gesture open the door to reality? To be occupied with comfort and success burdens the mind and the heart, and there must be freedom to travel; but why are we so concerned with the outward gesture? Why are we so eagerly determined to give an outward expression of our intention? Is it the fear of self-deception, or of what another might say? Why do we wish to convince ourselves of our integrity? Does not this whole problem lie in the desire to be sure, to be convinced of our own importance in becoming?

但是，真实是通过外部控制和处罚来实现的吗？ 虽然外在的简单，放下舒适，显然是必要的， 但这种姿态会打开真实的大门吗？ 被舒适和成功所占据，会给头脑和心灵带来负担， 必须有旅行的自由； 但是，为什么我们如此关心外在的姿态？ 为什么我们如此热切地向外表达我们的意图？ 是害怕被自我欺骗，还是害怕别人可能说出的话？ 为什么我们希望说服自己相信我们的真诚？ 这整个问题，难道不就在于渴望被确定， 想要确定我们自己在‘成为’的过程中所取得的重要成果吗？

The desire to be is the beginning of complexity. Driven by the ever-increasing desire to be, inwardly and outwardly, we accumulate or renounce, cultivate or deny. Seeing that time steals all things, we cling to the timeless. This struggle to be, positively or negatively, through attachment or detachment, can never be resolved by any outward gesture, discipline or practice; but the understanding of this struggle will bring about, naturally and spontaneously, the freedom from outward and inward accumulation with their conflicts. Reality is not to be reached through detachment; it is unattainable through any means. All means and ends are a form of attachment, and they must cease for the being of reality.

‘成真’的欲望，是复杂的开端。 在不断增长的欲望的驱使下，无论是内在还是外在， 我们都在积累或舍弃，培养或否绝。 看到时间偷走一切，我们执着于非时间的东西。 这一场挣扎：‘成为’或‘不要成为’，执着或超脱， 永远不能通过任何外在的姿态、纪律或实践而消除； 但是，对这场挣扎的理解，会自然地、自发地 解散掉从外到内所积攒的所有的冲突。 真实不是通过超脱来达到的；不能通过任何手段而达到。 所有的手段和目的都是一种执着形式，它们必须停止存在，真实才能存在。