Monday, December 31, 2007
Happy 2008!
Long lasting happiness
Near to the end of the year of 2007, I'm sitting in front of my desk in my small cozy room, relaxing, and drinking tea. While at the same time, thousands of people are outside everywhere in the greater Boston area celebrating the New Year's coming.
Suddenly I start to think a common question, the meaning of life. I'm not saying that short term happiness is nothing, but at this moment, I know that the meaning of life is to seek for the long lasting happiness. Not how many parties, not how many fair-weather friends, not how luxurious are the meals, and of course not how much money and power you have gotten throughout this life. At least, I myself failed to gain a genuine happiness in them. But I always feel that I'm being fulfilled by, when, and after:
Doing something really good for myself and for others, strengthening myself and helping people in needs or at risks;
Respecting the life of all of the creatures;
Saving and cherishing as much as possible the resources on our blue and green earth;
Working with the people who I really feel comfortable with, and who have similar perspectives on many things as mine; and,
Being with my beloved one who I feel that every second he is being with me, mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Thinking and doing should not be separated. The point is 修己及人, to trim your own mind and deeds first, to refer to and help others second. We cannot actually ask for happiness from any deity, other people, fevered events, or the world. Happiness can only be found from internality. I think all of the above can be done even when you are in an unavoidable party. If it is right that think is a verb; than do it.
Near to the end of the year of 2007, I'm sitting in front of my desk in my small cozy room, relaxing, and drinking tea. While at the same time, thousands of people are outside everywhere in the greater Boston area celebrating the New Year's coming.
Suddenly I start to think a common question, the meaning of life. I'm not saying that short term happiness is nothing, but at this moment, I know that the meaning of life is to seek for the long lasting happiness. Not how many parties, not how many fair-weather friends, not how luxurious are the meals, and of course not how much money and power you have gotten throughout this life. At least, I myself failed to gain a genuine happiness in them. But I always feel that I'm being fulfilled by, when, and after:
Doing something really good for myself and for others, strengthening myself and helping people in needs or at risks;
Respecting the life of all of the creatures;
Saving and cherishing as much as possible the resources on our blue and green earth;
Working with the people who I really feel comfortable with, and who have similar perspectives on many things as mine; and,
Being with my beloved one who I feel that every second he is being with me, mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Thinking and doing should not be separated. The point is 修己及人, to trim your own mind and deeds first, to refer to and help others second. We cannot actually ask for happiness from any deity, other people, fevered events, or the world. Happiness can only be found from internality. I think all of the above can be done even when you are in an unavoidable party. If it is right that think is a verb; than do it.
# posted by Chao=Sabiy : 7:57 PM
Sunday, December 30, 2007
one of the journals forMovement Observation class
October 30, 2006
July 20, 2006, a week before I came to the United States, I went to visit a friend in Danshui, Taipei. At the time I was waiting for my friend in my car, I saw this old lady near a subway station who was collecting recyclables items. She was crouched over, her back was shortening and narrowing, rarely lengthening up for stretch. She was so concentrated on her duty that even though I watched her for fifteen minutes, I never saw her feet move and never got a chance to see her face. It seemed to me like she would not leave that area until she found enough treasure there.
As she worked, her hands were spreading apart the large plastic bag, with free flow effort. She used her right hand to pick up a green plastic bottle, with advancing and direct movements. To flatten the bottle for recycling, first she twisted and opened the bottle top. She used her right palm and wrist in a strong, small range screw motion, while her elbows and upper arms formed a light but bigger screw motion. After that, she put down the bottle gently, her body sinking, then rising back up a little, she stamped her left foot on the bottle with direct, strong and sudden action. She successfully made the bottle flat by trampling several times, with indirect, strong and sudden motions. This was the only time that I saw her foot leave the earth.
# posted by Chao=Sabiy : 1:33 PM
Saturday, December 29, 2007
bike path 上走著走著
跳起舞來
walking on the bike path
I think over and over
I feel
I dance delightedly
# posted by Chao=Sabiy : 8:38 PM
Friday, December 28, 2007
今冬雪比去年多，前兩週常常可以走進一片雪白，享受空氣的冷，感受心靈的暖。前兩天有雨，把屋頂和路面積的三到十英吋不等的冰雪溶了大半。
盼雪，依舊。
# posted by Chao=Sabiy : 8:35 PM
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Can this explain the distorted phenomenon of encouraging people "to be yourself"?
"A person who lacks a stable center feels an urgent need to fill the gap—he needs something to orient himself as he tries to navigate to the world. Since he cannot use the limbic tools that penetrate to the core of self and others, he will look to external cues—those he can be sure about" (Lewis et al., 2000, A general theory of love, p. 211).
「做自己」或「活出自己」應是自我內在的課業：去認知自己根源、純粹的喜惡、個人特質、限制與潛能；而非灌輸自己愛做甚麼就做甚麼的想法，或者光在外貌上加油添醋、「標新立異」。矛盾地，"be yourself" 的美意，現在成了鼓勵追求時髦，去穿上最流行的衣服、背起最新款的背包、聽唱最新發行的「制服」歌曲、吸收並擅用不知道是誰發起的觀念和口號…，結果，關起門以為自己獨特，走到街上，其實和別人無異。
Do you feel where is "yourself"?
# posted by Chao=Sabiy : 9:40 PM
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
泡茶 喝茶
比如人生
要細心沖泡 要用心、享受它的過程
茶淡 茶香
同一杯 每一口嚐起來都不同
時壞時好 無常
但 總有平凡的香醇
這句
徐則甘而不固，疾則苦而不入
很好咀嚼
用一生的時間
# posted by Chao=Sabiy : 10:53 AM
Monday, December 24, 2007
反省
這學期與實習都結束後，過三天，才終於動手歸納堆積如山的課業資料，也順便整理一年半來的 '成績'。讀了多少、多少未讀？一邊工作一邊心想，好像在反省，反省一切曾經努力和怠惰，咀嚼求學過程的甘苦，雖漏學很多，也學到很多，而且可能多過自己可察覺的。因為反省，心懷感謝。
如搬家，每次搬家就是重整一次自己擁有多少，哪些是餘？哪些該珍惜？
如出遊，每次離家，尤其長程旅行，也是一種反省。往往發現物質可以帶著走的、必需帶著走的其實不多；真正必需的大概是那些帶上飛機的。然而最重要的仍是去體驗旅行、去與人事物接觸的這個身心。
又如生死。生與死當刻大概沒有機會，只有覺知自己正在兩者之間才能反省。讀了多少、多少未讀？擁有多少，哪些是餘？哪些該珍惜？物質可以帶著走的，零。
最後，自己的身心也帶不走的。但透過這個被自己滋養和珍惜的身心，我們可以為後人留下好的言、行、心意和回憶。
反省，不是坐著思考光用大腦，要起而行。
如搬家，每次搬家就是重整一次自己擁有多少，哪些是餘？哪些該珍惜？
如出遊，每次離家，尤其長程旅行，也是一種反省。往往發現物質可以帶著走的、必需帶著走的其實不多；真正必需的大概是那些帶上飛機的。然而最重要的仍是去體驗旅行、去與人事物接觸的這個身心。
又如生死。生與死當刻大概沒有機會，只有覺知自己正在兩者之間才能反省。讀了多少、多少未讀？擁有多少，哪些是餘？哪些該珍惜？物質可以帶著走的，零。
最後，自己的身心也帶不走的。但透過這個被自己滋養和珍惜的身心，我們可以為後人留下好的言、行、心意和回憶。
反省，不是坐著思考光用大腦，要起而行。
# posted by Chao=Sabiy : 9:44 PM
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Hinet webmail 廣告：睡到自然醒，月入五萬、花樣少女買豪宅…，幾週前甚至交友廣告的 banner 也四處可見。從來沒有興趣點選一覽究竟，但不可否認，眼見一次心唸一次，很不舒服。我想起以前看見電視新聞，無論內容是喜是憂，無不誇大其詞的；某某事件有戲劇性發展等等，現在甚至記不得有哪些例子 (早已不看電視)，只記得以媒體聳動浮誇的標題和言詞為 '模範'，電視機前觀眾也跟著用那些其實不恰當、不堪入耳目的字眼，形容 '個人' 對事的看法和態度，而不自覺。只能說憂心，傳媒為現代社會帶來便利有功，但媒體渲染事實、默化群眾思維的能力似乎無邊。成年人有較好的判斷力 (理論上)，能自我思索、反省是非；我擔心，年輕孩子在這環境中成長，大人無心，卻仍讓他們不斷 '吸收'，如何教？怎麼救？
# posted by Chao=Sabiy : 8:34 PM
Monday, December 03, 2007
Sunday, December 02, 2007
不知何時起，下雪了
上週一 (11/19) 早，天空飄落幾片雪。週二 (11/20) 一個上午小雪，我們和小朋友在教室裏舞，雪花們也在窗外舞。賞心悅目，我希望自己也在雪中；可惜當天過午雪成雨，不再來。這兩天難得又見氣象報導明後天有雪，滿心期待。
早了
今晚記得開始一個作業前心裏才想，週遭寂靜；而且氣象報告今晚頂多 cloudy。兩小時埋頭寫完一個 reflection，驚見氣象 snow snow showers!! 看看窗外，雖然天早已黑，視線不佳，卻可見鄰居屋簷、車頂、路面，一層雪白。難怪這麼靜。
喜
雪無聲
# posted by Chao=Sabiy : 6:06 PM
