Love of the Teacher / 老師的愛心

Threesome / 三個人

我想像我們七月要去的高山音樂會，畫放在客廳，有一天陽光打在畫面上，美麗地讓我們趕快拿出相機記錄‧‧‧‧‧‧

I imagined the mountain concert we are going to in July. The painting is placed in the living room, and one evening this week even the sun reveled in the cool atmosphere of the picture. It was so fascinating that we couldn't help recording the instant with the camera.

Orange / 橘子

因為對於剝橘子有很多五官上的想像，所以真的去買了一些來品嚐。握一顆橘子在手中，是整個饗宴的起端，先是芳香的嗅覺刺激，接下來是剝橘子皮，手指和水果皮的交纏，構成視覺、嗅覺、和觸覺的三奏曲，最後把橘子剝開，黃橙橙的汁液留得到處都是，每一口自然的酸酸甜甜，之前的所有步驟都是為了最後送進嘴中，至高的味覺享受。

I had kept imagining the moment of peeling an orange and the stimulation it would bring to my five senses, so I ended up buying some for the real experience. The feast begins with the fragrance the orange exudes when I hold the little orange ball in my hands. Next comes the excitement of peeling an orange. Apart from the visual stimulation,  with my fingers lacing the thick yet juicy peel, I get to feel the orange through olfactory and tactile contact. Then inevitably the golden juice will drip and smear my hands and face. The climax lies in sending the beautiful fruit into my mouth for it to savor the sublime taste, which is a perfect mix of sour and sweet love. 

生活的每一刻都是五味的綜合演出，吃橘子的當下即永恆。

Every instant in life is a beautiful combination of five senses. There is an everlastingness to the moment of eating an orange, and any other moment. 

In You / 在你心裡

這世界上所有的答案都在你心裡，所有不快樂和痛苦都可以在那裡找到解脫的方法。

In you the answers to your unhappiness and pain can be found, so if you are seeking for liberation, look inward rather than outward. 

Genuine bliss / 真的幸福

從英國回來整整一年，雖然這一年比在倫敦開心許多，但是以一個幸福感如此強烈的人，我只能給自己打上60分。

It has been a year since I came back from London. I know I have found my place, but I give myself a 6 out of 10, given the fact that I've always been full of joy. 

    剛回來時因為整個人煥然一新的感覺，同事問：你是不是好事近了？我說還沒，但是看著朋友一個接著一個走進婚姻生小孩，我也相信這是我該走的路，雖然我總是坐在家裡作白日夢。

   I had that brand-new feel from head to toe right after I returned. One of my colleagues asked, "Do you have any good news?" I said no, but seeing almost all of my friends head into marriage one after another, I was made to think of it as the path I should take as well. (The truth was that I did nothing but daydream at home all the time.) 

    這當中我有一些情緒要面對，可是沿途我聽了很多人的故事，覺得上帝一直在給我修練的機會，春天結束時我找到答案：我怎麼能依賴另一個人給我全部的快樂？與其不斷預期將來會如何，我應該要面對現在這一刻，全心全意活在當下。

   I had to confront some conflicted emotions in me. Fortunately, I heard many stories along the way, and it felt like God was giving me opportunities to gain my perspective. I found my answer at the end of spring: How can I depend on someone I don't know well for all my happiness? Instead of predicting what my future will hold, I should turn to the present and live in it.

    放下期望和慾望，我覺得很輕鬆，上週泰文老師發了兩本佛經解釋，讀完化普樂寫的「佛陀的啟示」，我的幸福指數飆高到90分以上，我很喜歡其中的一段話：

   Letting go of my expectations and desires, I feel relieved. Last week my Thai teacher gave us two books on the lessons taught by the Buddha. After reading What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula, I felt I could score a 9 on the scale of happiness. I love one excerpt a lot:

    不論在做什麼事情的時候，動手也好，日常起居也好，從事公私工作也好，要時刻念茲在茲了了分明於你的每一舉動，你或臥或立或坐或行，或安眠，或曲臂伸腿，回顧前瞻，穿衣吃飯，言談靜默，大小便利，凡此一切以及其他種種活動，你必須時時刻刻了了分明於你所作的每一動作。也就是說，你必須生活在當前的瞬間中、在現在的行為中。這並不是說你不應想到過去未來。相反的，你在與眼前的時刻行為有關的方面，一樣可以想到過去未來。

   Another very important, practical, and useful form of 'meditation' (mental development) is to be aware  and mindful of whatever you do, physically or verbally, during the daily routine of work in your life, private, public or professional. Whether you walk, stand, sit, lie down, or sleep, whether you stretch or bend your limbs, whether you look around, whether you put on your clothes, whether you talk or keep silence, whether you eat or drink, even whether you answer the calls of nature--in these and other activities, you should be fully aware and mindful of the act you perform at the moment. That is to say, that you should live in the present moment, in the present action. This does not mean that you should not think of the past or the future at all. On the contrary, you think of them in relation to the present moment, the present action, when and where it is relevant. 

    一般的人，並不生活在他們眼前的生活中，他們都生活在過去或未來裡。雖然看外表他們似乎是在此時此地做著些什麼，實際上，他們是生活在他們思想中的另一世界裡，生活在虛構的問題與苦悶裡。通常他們是活在過去的記憶中，或對未來的欲望和懸揣之中。因此，他們並不生活在他們目前在做的工作裡，也不樂於這工作。所以他們就對現況不滿、不開心，而自然而然的不能對當前像是在做的工作，獻出全部的身心。

   People do not generally live in their actions, in the present moment. They live in the past or in the future. Though they seem to be doing something now, here, they live somewhere else in their thoughts, in their imaginary problems and worries, usually in the memory of the past or in the desires and speculations about the future. Therefore they do not live in, nor do they enjoy, what they do at the moment. So they are unhappy and discontented with the present moment, with the work at hand, and naturally they cannot give themselves fully to what they appear to be doing. 

今天有機會問了小朋友一個問題：你在急什麼？你為什麼要趕到下一階段的人生？看起來好像是我在輔導別人，其實我也在問自己同樣的問題。

Today I had a chance to ask Sophy the questions: Why are you hurried? Why do you want to rush to the next stage of life? It looked like I was counseling her, but I was asking myself the question.

英國的生活離我越來越遠，但是我從來沒有如此確定這就是我要做的工作，這就是我的人生，而我的任務就是擴大我的幸福感，因為還有好多人不知道這三個字的意思。

I am leaving behind my British life, but I have never felt so sure that this is the job I want to do and that this is my life. My mission is to expand my bliss because there are so many people out there who have no idea how it feels.

現在，我是真的幸福。

Now I feel truly blissful.

Law of the universe / 法則

每天都有一些人和我說他們的故事，以前會想，我知道這些故事的用處為何？而現在，我從裡面看到很重要的人生法則。

Every day people come to tell me their life stories. I used to wonder what was the use of knowing so much, but now I've come to see some very important rules and patterns of life. 

這兩天學到的一課是：世上的人事物都有其位置和它們之間的平衡，不要強求。打開心好好體驗，也許可以因此創造新的平衡。

I've learned an important lesson lately: All the objects and people in the world have their places and balance among one another. Don't ask for what doesn't belong to you. Instead, open your heart and feel  what life wants to say. I believe we can thus create a new and better balance through introspection.
.

The Present / 當下

太多時候我的思緒跳躍到下一件或下下件待做的事情，這時候我會想起一行禪師說的，要享受剝橘子的當下‧‧‧‧‧‧

Most of the time my train of thought lunges forward to the next task on my to-do list. At moments like this, I will think of Thich Nhat Hanh's words: Live in the moment of peeling an orange ...

PENNYLANE / 青春巷

上週去台大附近找佩倪玩，喝完茶後她提議騎腳踏車穿過台大載我回家，雖然內心有一點害怕，但是聽到阿倪拍胸脯保證，便欣然答應了。

I met up Penny last week near National Taiwan University. In the evening, she offered to give me a ride home. Truth be told, I wasn't very sure, but seeing her trying so hard to convince me, I believed it'd be fun.

阿倪的路線很有趣，我一度以為我們要踏上大馬路，還好最後還是繞進校區裡，一邊作校園導覽，到了PENNYLANE時我興奮地大叫：去年秋天我就想告訴你這裡有專屬你的巷子！腳踏車之旅的高潮在於阿倪想在十一秒之內穿越後門的四線大馬路，結果我們成功了！

In the beginning, I was puzzled by Penny's route. Once I thought we were veering away from the campus. Fortunately, she found a way to ride across the university and gave a interesting tour. When we headed into PENNYLANE, I couldn't help telling her: Since last fall I've wanted to tell you that there is a lane named after you here! The climax of our little trip took place when Penny wanted to sail across a four-lane road near the back gate in 11 seconds! And, WE MADE IT!

雖然我這個年紀應該要當貴氣的歐巴桑，可是偶爾體驗青春還真是很棒的經驗！

Though I am way older the age of being a uni student, I have to admit it's really awesome to re-experience youth once in a while!

At the end of the day / 一定有星星

週末見識了好多人生故事。夜晚回家的路上我想著，雖然有時候也羨慕別人擁有的生活，但我最喜歡的還是自己的人生，有一望無際的夜空，而且夜空裡一定有星星。

I have heard many life stories over the weekend. On my way home in the evening I can't help thinking, though sometimes I envy others for what they have, at the end of the day, I still prefer mine because there is a vast clear sky and in the sky there are bound to be stars no matter what.