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Since Buddhism is primarily an educational system,
佛教原本就是一個教育性的體系。
meditation is a key component of that educational system.
冥想則是這教育性體系中的關鍵部分。
Meditation is the way you become viscerally and directly aware of all these deep connections and connectivenesses to the universe.
冥想是一種途徑，讓你從內心直接感受自身與宇宙深層次的關聯和互通。
And you have to become directly aware of it to become free of being controlled by unconscious processes.
你必須自覺擺脫種種無意識因素的擺布。
And that freedom is liberation, that freedom is Nirvana.
這種自由就是解放，就是涅槃。
I'd been invited by a group of trainee Buddhist monks to experience meditation for myself.
幾位沙彌邀請我親身體驗冥想。
Members of the Sangha can spend hours each day meditating.
僧伽們每天會花費數小時做冥想。
The way they sit, the position of their hands, is copied from the practice of the Buddha himself.
他們的坐姿和手的位置都模仿當年佛陀修行時的樣子。
They are still and concentrate on their breathing...not doing anything to alter the way they breathe, not worrying about whether they're doing it right or wrong...
他們保持平靜，專注于自己的呼吸。不做任何改變呼吸方式的事情，也不擔心這么做是對還是錯。
Clearing their minds of thoughts, of feelings, of fear and anger...of the distractions of the outside world.
清空一切雜念和感知，惶恐與憤怒。摒除源于外部世界的干擾。
Just following the breathing and becoming one with each breath.
只要跟隨著呼吸，讓自己與呼吸合為一體。
I can't say I've managed to completely block out the sound of the world going on.
我不敢說我能對外界聲響完全不做反應。
And it feels hard to stay this still for so long.
而且這樣長時間靜止不動確實是蠻難的。
But if someone were to ask me if I had any anger in my head or my heart right now, I would have to say there is none.
但如果有人問我此刻腦海中或內心里是否有戾氣，我不得不說，沒有了。
The Pali Canon advises that there are particularly good places to meditate:
巴利文大藏經推薦了一些適合冥想的極佳地點：
A mountain, a hillside, a rock cave, a cemetery, an open field, an open forest, the root of a tree, deep in the jungle.
高山上、山坡上、石洞內、墓園中、曠野上、疏林中、大樹下，叢林深處。
And this place certainly fits some of those criteria.
這個地方肯定符合上述的某些標準。
But I have to say, I'm probably going to carry on meditating in my own sweet way for a while.
但我想說，我可能會以自己喜歡的方式進行冥想吧。
I am not quite ready yet to do the deep breathing and the lotus position.
此時的我還不太擅長對深呼吸和蓮花坐。
But still I have huge respect for the practice of meditation.
但我仍然對冥想練習滿懷敬意。
Not least because it is a firm vote of confidence in the power of the human mind.
這不僅僅因為它是對人類心靈力量的充滿信心的堅定支持。
It suggests that in order to transcend the difficulties of this world,
它還表明，為了超越世間的種種困難，
we don't just need to appeal to a higher, divine authority...but to look to our own consciousness.
我們無需寄希望于高高在上的神權，而是應當關注自身的覺悟。
Well, certainly the people of Cambodia have had more cause than most to find internal resources to deal with the troubles that the world has thrown at them.
很明顯，柬埔寨人民比大多數人更需要尋找自身的力量來解決世界拋給他們的難題。
