The second lesson I learned from meditation might have been even more

important than the experiences of pure awareness. Here it is. You always have a choice.

Let me explain.

第二个我冥想中悟到，比全然的觉察还重要，那就是你总会有一个选择的。我来解释一下（为什么我会这么说）

In meditation, you practice letting everything go. The more you do that,

all thoughts and feelings become objects. They lose their distinction. Whereas

some thoughts are more potent than others, like the ones that triggered all

that stress and anxiety, in meditation you treat them all the same. You let

them go and let them be.

冥想中你会练习放下一切。当你越这样做的时候， 所有的想法和感受都成了（你要观察的）对象。它们变得并无二致。尽管还是有一些想法会更难缠，比如那些会引发压力和焦虑的想法。放下他们，随他们去，让他们呈现本来的样貌。

All of them.

Of course, it’s harder to let go of some thoughts more than others. That’s

because we have more deeply ingrained responses to some thoughts and feelings.

But meditation is like a grand equalizer. You apply the same basic approach to

everything. You accept it as it is and you don’t try to change it. In fact, you

do nothing at all.

当然，放下一些想法有点难。那是因为对某些想法和感受，我们有根深蒂固的反应。但是冥想就像一个神奇的平衡装置（让他们看起来一样）。你对一切都使用这个方法。你接纳他本来的样子，你不试图改变它。实际上就是什么都不做（按兵不动）

So for me, I eventually had the experience of seeing this anxiety—and the

thoughts and feelings that triggered it—become like every other thought or

feeling. And in that process, it lost it’s teeth as I learned how to let it go.

就我而言，我最后看到了焦虑，以及触发它的想法和感受，它们跟其他的想法、感受是一样的。而且，在那个过程中，当我学习如何放下它的时候，它就失去了（攻击我的）力量。

And more importantly, I learned that I had the choice to let it go. And

through exercising that choice over and over again, I proved to myself that I

was bigger than that thought pattern and the anxiety it triggered.

然而更重要的是，我学习到我可以选择放下它。而且通过一遍又一遍的练习放下，我向我自己证明了：我实际上比它所触发的思考模式和焦虑更强大。

When that happened, something shifted in me. I let go on some deeper level

and slowly but surely the anxiety diminished. It no longer had me in it’s

grips. In truth, I learned that it was me holding on to it. I learned that it

was my choice all along. And that’s how I conquered it.

当（练习放下）的时候，我的内在发生了改变。我继续到深入到更深的层次，慢慢的，我很确定，焦虑的程度减弱了。事实上，我意识到，是我抓住了它，而不是被它（焦虑）所裹挟。我还了解到自始至终，选择权都在我。这就是我克服焦虑的方法。