The most important of all the LifeTools that arepresented in all the DCI Levels is The Pen Thing. If you understand The Pen Thing well, thenyou can achieve all of the Five Goals, or anything else you want in your life.
在金刚商学院的工具中最重要的就是笔的道理，它遍布于金刚商学院12阶的课程中。如果能很好地理解笔的道理，你就能达成所有的五个目标，或是你生命中梦寐以求的一切。
So here we go.
我们来开始吧。
I hold up a pen in front of you, and I ask you, “What is this thing?”
我在你面前拿出一支笔，并问你,”这是什么？”
“It’s a pen,” you say.
“是一支笔” 你回答道。
“Now suppose,” I continue, “that a small puppycomes in the door right now. I squatdown on the floor and hold out this same thing to the dog. What will they do with it?”
“但是试想，”我继续道，“当一只小狗走进来时，我蹲下，在它面前挥一挥这同样的东西，它会有什么反应？”
You think a moment and say, “Well, I guess theywould bite it.”
你思考了一刻然后说，“也许小狗会咬它吧。”
“Good! So do you think the dog sees this thing as apen?”
“很好！那你认为小狗把这个物体看作是笔吗？”
“Well no, they don’t see it as a pen. They see it as…something to chew on. We could say that the dog sees it as achewtoy.”
“不会，它们不会认为这是笔。它们可能把它当成是…某种磨牙的东西。我们可以说，狗把它当成是磨牙玩具。”
“So the human sees it as a pen, and the dog sees itas a chewtoy.”
“所以，人看到它是一支笔，狗看到它是磨牙玩具。”
“Right.”
“没错。”
“Nextquestion: Who’s right? The human or the dog?”
“下一个问题：谁是对的？人还是狗？”
You think for a moment and answer, “Well, I guessthey’re both right. After all, the human can use it as a pen; and the dog can equally use it as something fun to chew on. So both of them are right.”
你思考片刻，回答道，“我想，他们都是对的。毕竟，人类可以将它作为笔使用；同样地狗可以用它作磨牙玩具。所以这二者都是对的。”
“Good. Nextquestion then. Suppose I put the penhere, on the top of this table. And thenall the humans in the room leave the room, and all the dogs in the room leavethe room as well. There’s nobody at allleft in the room. At that time, whichone is this thing: a pen, or a chewtoy?”
“很好。下一个问题。那假设，我将这个物品放到桌上。所有房间内的人都离开房间，所有房间内的小狗们也都离开房间。此时房间里空无一人。在那时，这个物品是哪一个：笔还是磨牙玩具呢？”
You think for a bit longer of a moment, and then yourespond with a shrug of your shoulders, and shake your head. “Well, I suppose, at that moment when it’sjust sitting on top of the table and everyone has left the room, then we can’treally say whether it’s a pen or achewtoy. At that particular time, it’sneither one. It’s just a thing…it’s sort of available, to be either one.”
你思考的时间久了一点，然后耸耸了肩膀，摇了摇头。“我想，当它位于桌子上，每个人都离开房间时，我们无法说它是一支笔还是一个磨牙玩具。在那个特定的时刻，它二者都不是。它只是一个物体……可以说它具备某种潜能，成为二者中的任意一个。”
“Good. I like that word you used,‘available.’ Sort of like a blank moviescreen, right? Waiting for someone toturn on the projector and project something on to it. So what happens, if the human walks back intothe room? What does this thing on thetable become?”
“很好。我喜欢你用了”潜能”这个词，仿佛是一面空白的电影屏幕，对吗？等待某人开启投影仪并在电影屏幕上投射出某些东西。所以当人走进房间，会发生什么事呢？桌上的物体会变成什么呢？”
“Well, as soon as the human walks back into theroom, this thing becomes a pen again.”
“人一旦走回房间，这个物体就再次变成了一支笔。”
“Good. Andwhat happens if the dog walks into the room instead of the human? What does this thing on the table become then?”
“很好。如果狗走回房间，而不是人，那会发生什么事情呢？桌上的这个物体会变成什么呢？”
“Well, in that case, it becomes a chewtoy.”
“那样的话，它就变成了一个磨牙玩具。”
“Good. Sonow let’s go a little bit deeper. Canyou tell me what happens if both thehuman and the dog walk back into the room together, at the very same time?”
“很好。现在让我们再深入一点。你能不能告诉我，如果人和狗同时走回房间，会发生什么事情？”
You scratch your head. “Well, in that case this thing on the tablegoes back to being both—both a pen, and a chewtoy.”
你抓了抓脑袋。 “这样的话，那么桌子上的物体就回到了两者都是的状态---既是笔，又是磨牙玩具。”
“Great. Inthat case then, we can say there are two realities going on in the room at thesame time. They are both in the sameroom, and they are both really here. Itisn’t like the human’s reality is pushing the dog’s reality out of the room. The two realities are running in parallel, ina single room. Am I right?”
“很好。这样来看，我们可以说在这个房间内，有两个现实在同时进行。它们共处一室，并都真实存在。而不是说人类的现实把狗的现实驱逐出房间。这两个现实平行运行，在一个房间之内。我说的对吗？”
“Exactly.”
“正是如此。”
“Okay. Sonow let me ask you another question. Ifthe pen only becomes a pen when the human walks back into the room, then is thepen coming from the pen, or is the pen coming from the human, from the human’smind?”
“好的。所以现在让我来问你另一个问题。如果只有当人回到房间后，这支笔才成为笔，那么笔是来自于这支笔本身，还是笔来自于人，来自于人的意识呢？”
You answer: “Well if the pen only becomes a penwhen the human walks back into the room, then the pen has to be coming from thehuman, from the mind of the human. Ifthe pen were coming from the pen, then the pen would be a pen before the humanwalked back into the room.”
你回答道：“如果只有当人回到房间后，这支笔才成为笔，那笔一定来自于人，来自于人的意识。假设笔是来自于这支笔本身，那么这支笔在人走回房间之前就应该也是一支笔。”
Now this is where we want to be, to reallyunderstand where things are coming from in our life—things like a successfulcareer, or a beautiful partner. We neverreally think about it carefully; but if we do, then it’s quite obvious.
这就是我们要做的，真正去理解生命中事物的来源——无论是成功的事业还是美丽的伴侣。我们从未仔细思维过；但如果我们好好想想，结论倒是显而易见。
Everything is coming from us.
所有一切都来自于我们自己。
But how arethey coming from us? Is it something wecan control? For the answer, let’s go onto another LifeTool, called The Video Camera.
但具体是以什么方式呢？我们可以控制吗？为了寻得答案，让我们看看另一个生命工具，它叫做摄像机。
02
How Seeds Make Things
种子如何创造事物
Ahuman and a dog look at the same long, silver-colored stick. The human sees it as a pen, and the dog seesit as a chewtoy.
人和狗看着同一根长长的银色棍子。人看到是一支笔，狗看到的是一个磨牙玩具。
But why?
但为什么会这样？
Wecan explore one opinion about this right away. Some people talk a lot about positive thinking. I can make the world right if I just stayhappy and positive. If the pen issomehow coming from my own mind, then I can just look at the silver-coloredstick and make it a pen by wishing itwas a pen. By positive thinking!
我们现在就可以来探讨一个相关的观点。很多人常提到正面思维，认为人只要保持开心和积极就能事事如意。如果笔来自我的意识，那我只需要看着这根银色的棍子并许愿，希望它变成一支笔，那愿望就会实现，只需要正面思维！
Well,as we’ve seen, it must be true that the pen is somehow coming from my ownmind. Whether I can control the processin the present moment—whether I can change this silver-colored stick intoanything I want, just by thinking positive—is something we have to check out.
正如我们已经明白的，笔一定是来自我的意识，这没有错。但我是否能在当下控制这个过程——是否能之需通过正面思维就能将这根银色棍子变成任何我想要的东西——对此我们定要一探究竟。
Solet’s do that. Say to yourself, “We justproved, with the dog and the human thing, that this pen is coming from my ownmind. If that’s true, then maybe I canjust think of it in a different way, and it will become a different thing.”
我们不妨试试。告诉你自己：“通过狗和人的例子，我们已经证明了这支笔是来自我的意识。如果那是真的，或许我只要用不同的方式想想，它就会变成别的东西。”
Let’scheck and see if that’s true.
这是不是真的呢？让我们试试看。
Right now, wherever you’re sitting to read these lines, please find apen and pick it up. Hold the pen up inyour hand, tightly, and close your eyes. Go into a really peaceful place—go ahead, we’ll give you a minute.
现在，当你读着这些字里行间时，无论你在哪里，请找一支笔，将它拿起来。把笔紧紧地握在手上，闭上眼睛。让意识真正地平静下来——试试看，我们会给你一分钟的时间。
Therenow? Okay. Keep your eyes shut, and think realhard. Or you can wish real hard, or evenpray real hard. Wish that the pen was a big diamond. Focus your thoughts on the pen, think positive, and say to yourself: “If this thing is coming from me,then I choose that it will be a big diamond,instead of a pen!”
好了吗？好的。继续闭着眼睛，然后认真地想，或者你也可以使劲地许愿，又或努力地祈祷。愿这支笔是一颗大钻石。将你的意念专注在笔上，正面地思考，然后告诉自己：“如果这个东西是来自我的，那我选择把它变成一颗大钻石，而不是一支笔！”
Saythat to yourself for about a minute and then open your eyes and look at thestick.
持续默念一分钟，然后睁开眼睛，再看看这根棍子。
“What do you see?”
“你看到了什么？”
“Apen. The thing is still a pen.”
“一支笔。这个物体还是一支笔。”
“Is it coming from you?”
“它是来自于你的吗？”
“Yesit is, we proved that already, with the human and the pen and the dog and thechewtoy.”
“是的，通过人看到笔和狗看到磨牙棒的例子，我们已经证明了这点。”
“Sojust because it’s coming from you, is it coming from you because you want it to? Canyou choose what it’s going to be, in this present moment? Can you just close your eyes, think positive,and wish this thing into being adiamond?”
“那么，仅因为它是来自于你，就能代表它是来自于你的愿望吗？此刻你是否能将它变成你想要的东西呢？你能不能仅通过闭上眼睛并正面地思考，就能将它‘许愿’成一颗大钻石？”
You laugh and say, “Well, apparently not!”
你笑着说道：“明显不能！”
Pleaserealize that this is a very important thing to understand when we’re trying tofigure out where pens—or great careers and great relationships—are comingfrom. It must be true that the pen is somehow coming from me, from my ownmind. But it must equally be true that this doesn’t mean that I can turn it intoanything I want, just by wishing, in the present moment.
请一定要明白，真正地懂得这点对我们去理解笔或成功的事业和圆满的关系来自哪里是非常重要。不论如何，这支笔来自于我，来自于我的意识，这肯定是真的。同样地，这不意味我只需在现在许个愿就能将它变成任何我想要的东西。
So then how is the pen comingfrom me, from my own mind? PLEASE UNDERSTAND that if we can figurethis out, then we can make anythinghappen that we want to happen.
所以，那这支笔是以什么方式来自于我，来自于我的意识的呢？请一定要明白，如果我们能弄清楚，那就能心想事成了。
Solet’s look at where the pen is really comingfrom.
所以，让我们来看看这支笔真正来自哪里。
Inside of our mind, inside of all of our minds, are millions andmillions of tiny seeds. When somebodyholds up a silver-colored stick in their hand, something happens—in just a tinyfraction of a second.
在我们的意识里，在我们所有人的意识里，有着成千上万不可计数的微小种子。当某人用手拿起一根银色棍子时，就在那短暂的一秒内，某件事情发生了。
IfI have a pen seed in my mind, then in the same millisecond that the personpulls the pen out of their pocket and holds it up in front of me, the pen seedbreaks open.
如果我意识中有笔的种子，那在别人把笔从口袋拿出放到我眼前的那同一毫秒内，笔的种子便破壳而出。
Out comes a small, luminous image of a pen;you can imagine this image as being about a quarter inch high, and shining likea light bulb.
创造出一个小小的、发光的笔的图像；你可以想象这个图像大概有四分之一英寸高，且像一个亮灯泡一样闪闪发光。
In the next split second, the mind throws this image out there, on topof the silver-colored stick—sort of like somebody sticking an adhesive pricetag on something at the store. Thismakes the silver-colored stick look—tome—like a pen.
在一秒钟内的下一刹那，意识就将这个图像投射出来，覆盖于这根银色棍子——有点类似于有人往商店里的商品贴上价标。这就让这根银色棍子看起来——对我来说——像一支笔。
It all happens so fast that—unless we are meditating very deeply, veryregularly—then we never, in our whole life, catch our mind doing it. That’s why everybody instinctively feels thatthe stuff around them, and the people they meet, must be coming from out there, from their own side, ratherthan from their own mind.
这一切发生得如此快速——除非我们持续深入并规律地冥想——不然我们永远都无法在此生捕捉到意识中的这个动作。这也是为什么每个人生来都会感觉周遭的事物以及他们所遇到的人都肯定来自外面，来自人事物本身，而不是来自自己的意识。
Justbecause things are coming from our own mind doesn’t mean they’re not real. If you think that’s true, then draw amoustache on your face right now with a big thick black pen. Then go and spend the better part of an hourtrying to wash it off.
我们不能仅凭“一切事物来自我们的意识”这个原因，就说这意味着一切事物就不是真实的。如果你是这样想的，那你可以用一支粗大的黑笔在脸上画个胡子。接着你会发现你要花上净一个小时去将它洗掉。
The lesson: Things are coming from my mind, but that doesn’t meanthey’re not real. Mental seeds are so good at making allthe stuff around us thatthings work:wecan use the pen that our mind makes to write a letter! And that letter can get us a new job, or getus in trouble with our girlfriend or boyfriend!
故事的意义在于：事物是来自我的意识的，但这不意味着它们就不是真的。意识的种子创造了周遭的一切，且效果如此之好，以至于事物得以顺利运作：我们可以用意识创造的笔写一封信！这封信能让我们获得一份新工作，又可以让我们陷入与男女朋友的麻烦中。
(Bythe way, this is all because the letter that the pen that comes from our mindmakes is also coming from our mind—and the place where one makes the other isalso happening in our mind. But more onthat in another DCI level! For now, wecan say it’s 100% definite that things are real: that pens are out there,outside of our mind, and that we can pick them up and write with them. You know that!)
（顺便提一句，之所以有上面的状况，全是因为这封由我们意识创造的笔所写的信，以及用笔写信的地方，也都是来自我们意识的。但我们就不在这里多说了，更多的内容会在金刚商学院另外一阶的课程中教授！现在，我们可以百分百确切地说事物是真的，也就是说笔的确在外面，在我们的意识之外，我们可以拿起笔来写字。这点你该知道！）
Ifall this is true, then we can design theworld and the people around us, just by learning to plant the right seeds. We can’twishthings into happening, but we very surely canplantthings to happen.
如果所有的这些都是对的，那我们只要学会种下正确的种子，就可以设计这个世界以及周围的人。我们无法仅凭许愿心想事成，但确信可以种出心想事成。
Solet’s look at how we plant a seed in our mind, for something like a pen!
让我们一探究竟，看看如何在我们的意识中种下种子，种出点什么呢，例如一支笔！
03
The Video Camera
摄像机
So we’ve already learned how a mental seed turns into a pen: the seedcracks open, and out comes a quarter-inch, luminous image of a pen. And then the mind slaps this image onto asilver stick and it becomes a pen.
我们已经学到一颗意识种子如何变成一支笔：种子裂开，出来一张大概四分之一英寸高，发光的笔的图像。然后意识将这张图像贴到一根银色棍子上，它就变成了一支笔。
IfI had had a different seed, I might have seen the same silver rod as achewtoy. And that would make me a dog, do you see? But that’s a discussion for another day.
如果我有一颗不同的种子，我或许就会将同样的银色棒子看成是一个磨牙玩具，那我就成为一只小狗，明白吗？但关于这点，让我们另择他日来探讨。
Let’sstick to exploring how we plant aseed, for something like a pen. Once weunderstand that, then we can plant seeds for all the things we want in ourlife—for all 5 Goals.
让我们专注于探索种子是如何种下的，比如说一支笔。一旦我们能理解，我们就能为我们生活中想要的任何东西种下种子——实现那五大目标。
To plant a pen seed, the first step is to find someone else who wants apen. Because, you see, seeds are a lotlike echoes, or basketballs. To plantone, you have to have someone to bounce against.
要种一支笔的种子，第一步是要找一个想要笔的人。因为，种子就像是回音或篮球。要种下种子，你必定需要另一个人才能回弹。
Yousend the energy out, and then you plant a seed for what you want to bounce backto you. One detail: if you want a blueball to bounce back to you, you have to send out a blue ball first. This has to do with the fact that the seeds forthings—even things like watermelons—make the same thing as what they came from.
你将能量发送出去，然后就为想要的东西种下了一颗种子并回弹到你身上。其中一个细节是，如果你想要回弹一个蓝色的球，你就要先将一个蓝色的球发送出去。这与一个事实有关：种子创造出的事物与种子的来源是一致的，甚至像西瓜这样的事物也不例外。
Thatis, you will never get a watermelon plant from a lemon seed. The reason for this has to do with theborders that separate “you” from “me”; but that’s a discussion for another day!
也就是说，如果种下柠檬种子，你决不会得到西瓜。其中原因与让“我”与“你”分离的界限有关，但这个话题我们还是改日再谈吧。
Afteryou find someone who wants a pen, you have to give them one. Now in this act of giving there’s a lot oftechnique involved, but we’ll go over that later.
在你找到一位想要笔的人之后，你必须给对方一支笔。这个给予的行为过程涉及到很多的技巧，这点之后再谈。
Nowas you’re handing your pen to another person who needs a pen, who iswatching? Obviously the other person is;but you are watching too. As I watch myown arm reach out and as I watch my fingers open and let go of the pen, animage of what I see is making its way into my brain, through the window of myeyes.
现在当你拿着你的笔，把它给到那个需要笔的人的时候，有谁在看着这个过程？很显然对方在看；然而你也在看。当你看着自己的手臂伸出，手指打开，放开笔，所看见的图像通过我的眼睛这扇窗户进入了大脑。
Thisimage enters the mind and actually “presses” on it, in the way that you mightpress your thumb hard into the palm of your other hand. If you press your thumb hard enough, and thenlet go suddenly and lift up your thumb, you can see an indentation left on theskin of your palm.
这张图像进入到意识中，并实际“摁压”在上，就像是你用拇指用力摁压在你另外一只手上。如果你用力摁压你的拇指，然后突然松开你的拇指，你就会看到掌心中留下了一个压痕。
Thisim-pression made on the mind turns into a seed in the mind. What this means is that our mind is like avideo camera, recording everything we ever see. In fact, the mind also makes a recording of everything we hear, orsmell, or taste, or touch, or even just think.
留在意识中的铭印会变成一粒种子。这就意味着我们的意识就像是一台摄像机，一直在记录着我们所见的一切。事实上，意识也同样在记录我们所听到、闻到、尝到、触到，甚至包括所想到的一切。
This is especially true if we see ourselvesdoing anything at all—good or bad—towards somebody else. So in the Diamond Cutter System, everythingwe do really is recorded somewhere:in our own mind. It doesn’t matter ifsomeone else ever witnesses what we do or not, because we witness everything we do just by being there when we do it, justby being aware of ourselves; and this witnessing automatically plants a seed inthe record of our own mind. In fact, itis said that when we reach a certain level in meditation, we can actuallyaccess all these past recordings.
尤其是我们对他人所做的一切，不管好或坏，全部都意识记录在案。所以，在金刚体系，我们所做的一切都被一一录制：在我们自己的意识中，不管是否有他人见证。因为当我们在做任何事时，我们自己都会在现场并有所察觉，仅是这份觉知就见证了一切并自动在我们的意识中种下一粒种子。实际上，据说当我们在冥想中到达一定境界时，我们就可以进入这些过去的所有记录。
It’sgood to know that nothing we ever do to help someone else—such as a visit to anelderly person at the nursing home—is everwasted. It always comes back to us, as something wonderful. This is one of the most important principlesof the Diamond Cutter System.
知道这点是件好事：我们曾经对他人的任何帮助——比如去老人院探访一位老人——都绝不会浪费。它总会回来，给我们带来美好的体验。这是金刚体系其中最重要的法则之一。
The seeds created by the recordings stay in our mind for our entirelife, until they ripen and open into something or somebody in the world aroundus. How fast and how strong theyopen is something that depends on how wehave planted the seed, and how well we take care of it after planting.
如此录制下来的种子会在余生中都停留在我们的意识中，直到它们成熟开花成我们周遭的人、事、物。而至于它们开得有多快以及多强烈，那就要取决于我们是如何种下种子的以及种下过后我们有多用心地照料它。
注：转自微博