读者文摘:如何随时随地找到安宁(2)

The second thing that changed my mind about meditation¹ is that it does not necessarily entail² a lot of the "weird³" stuff I feared it might.

第二件改变了我对冥想看法的事情是，冥想不必包含我担心的很多“怪”事。

Contrary to popular belief, meditation does not have to involve folding yourself into a pretzel,

与普遍的看法相反，冥想不需要把自己折成椒盐卷饼，

joining a group, or wearing special outfits⁴.

加入一个团体，或穿着特殊服装。

The word meditation is a little bit like the word sports; there are hundreds of varieties.

冥想这个词与运动一词有点类似，有数百种形式。

The type of meditation discussed here is called mindfulness meditation,

这里讨论的冥想类型称为正念冥想，

which is derived⁵ from Buddhism⁶ but does not require adopting a belief system or declaring oneself to be a Buddhist⁷.

它源于佛教，但不需吸纳信仰体系或宣称自己是佛教徒。

I began my practice slowly, with just five to ten minutes a day, which is what I recommend everyone aim for at the start.

我慢慢地开始练习，每天只花5到10分钟，我建议大家开始时都这么做。

(Frankly, if you find time for even one minute a day, you can count that as a win.)

（坦率地说，如果你每天抽出一分钟时间这么做，就是一种胜利。）

The practice does get easier the longer you keep at it,

坚持的时间越长，就越容易，

but even after doing it for years, I get lost all the time.

但即使做了很多年，我也总是走神。

Here's a random⁸ sample of my mental chatter⁹ during a typical session: In. Out.

以下是我在一次典型的冥想中出现杂念的例子：吸气、呼气。

Man, I am feeling antsy. What's the Yiddish term my grandmother used to use for that? Shpilkes. Right.

天啊，我感到烦躁。我祖母过去常说的那个犹太语的词是什么？Shpilkes，对。

Words that always make me giggle¹⁰: ointment¹¹, pianist. Wait, what? Come on, man. Back to the breath.

总能让我咯咯笑的词：软膏、钢琴家。等一下，什么？得了吧，重新关注呼吸。

In. Out. Likes: baked goods. Dislikes: fedoras, dream sequences, that part in techno songs where the French accordion¹² kicks in.

吸气、呼气。我喜欢的：烘焙食品。我不喜欢的：软呢帽、梦境，数码歌曲中法式手风琴演奏的部分。

Dude. Come On. In. Out. In.

伙计，干嘛呢，吸气、呼气、吸气。

Alternative jobs: papal nuncio, interpretive dancer, working double time on the seduction line ...

另类工作：罗马教皇、诠释性舞者、在诱惑中努力工作......

You get the idea.

你明白了吧。

To give you a sense of exactly how simple it is, here are the three-step instructions for beginning meditation.

为了让你明白冥想到底有多简单，以下是开始冥想的三个步骤。

1 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

2 entail   

vt.使承担，使成为必要，需要

参考例句：

• Such a decision would entail a huge political risk.这样的决定势必带来巨大的政治风险。
• This job would entail your learning how to use a computer.这工作将需要你学会怎样用计算机。

3 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

4 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

5 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 Buddhism   

n.佛教（教义）

参考例句：

• Buddhism was introduced into China about 67 AD.佛教是在公元67年左右传入中国的。
• Many people willingly converted to Buddhism.很多人情愿皈依佛教。

7 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

8 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

9 chatter   

vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战

参考例句：

• Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
• I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

10 giggle   

n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说

参考例句：

• Both girls began to giggle.两个女孩都咯咯地笑了起来。
• All that giggle and whisper is too much for me.我受不了那些咯咯的笑声和交头接耳的样子。

11 ointment   

n.药膏，油膏，软膏

参考例句：

• Your foot will feel better after the application of this ointment.敷用这药膏后，你的脚会感到舒服些。
• This herbal ointment will help to close up your wound quickly.这种中草药膏会帮助你的伤口很快愈合。

12 accordion   

n.手风琴；adj.可折叠的

参考例句：

• The accordion music in the film isn't very beautiful.这部影片中的手风琴音乐不是很好。
• The accordion music reminds me of my boyhood.这手风琴的乐声让我回忆起了我的少年时代。