烟火

我们人生中的许多遭遇，
原来都是一场一场缤纷炫丽的烟火，
因为只有刹那，
所以美得令人心悸。
然而，如果能够明白，
烟火在盛开的同时，
也注定了凋谢的命运，
是自然而不可违逆的，
或许，我们都能愿意
去领受千般滋味，甘之如饴。

因为，我们还是可以等待下一场烟火，
还可以预约另一场缤纷炫丽。

《男身》 孙梓评

向日葵之恋

我的恋情是一朵向日葵
夏天里绚烂
没等到秋天
便已夭折

梦见大树

我做了一个梦。

梦里，我问：“你的心，究竟是什么？”

他想了很久，说：“我想，像一颗树吧。
春天有花，夏天有荫，秋天有果，冬天挡风，
四季都有不同的美丽，
时刻都可以为他人奉献些什么。
而你，我也希望你是我身旁的一颗大树，
春天一起开花，夏天一同遮荫，秋天一起献出果实，冬天一

齐挡风遮雨，
在地底下，我们的根紧紧交缠，谁也不能把我们分开。”

那只是一个梦。

somewhere i have never travelled

by E. E. Cummings

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond
any experience,your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully ,suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility:whose texture
compels me with the color of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

遗憾

很多东西，错过了，遗憾了，反而美。

看见孙梓评的《男身》中的这一句时，忽然有一种震撼。

错过的人、事或物，会感到遗憾的，都是美的。

但如果当初真的得到了，
如今是否依然觉得那是美的呢？
会不会看清了真相或是厌倦了，
而不再眷恋？

我不清楚。

但我突然觉得，或许，
当初的错过、遗憾，
未必都是都是可悲的。

至少，如今还留下了
美丽的幻想、回忆与印象。

Buddhist signs

I am clearing my computer of some old stuff and came across some signs (as in sign language) which I created a couple of years ago to help my interaction with a few hearing impaired friends. I haven't been keeping in touch with them and have almost forgotten about these.

I was going to delete them but then thought perhaps someone could find these useful.

Buddha
The sign for Buddha consists of a B resting on a open palm.


Shakyamuni Buddha

The Bhumisparsa mudra, hand touching the earth is distinct to the historical Buddha and hence most appropriate sign to represent Him.

Amitabha Buddha
The Varada mudra or the Blessing mudra, i.e. open palm pointing downward, is a mudra Amitabha Buddha is often depicted in.

Bodhisattva
Make the Buddha sign and then move the B sign to the side. The idea being "next to the Buddha."

Ananda
Make the Buddha sign, then the standing palm changes to a A sign by the side. This represents the idea that Ananda was the Buddha's close attendant.

Dhamma
This is modified from the SEE sign for Law. Instead of L, the hand forms a ring by touching the middle finger to the thumb, which is the mudra for preaching (the Dharma).

Precept
Also modified from the sign for Law. Replace the L with P.

Refuge
Modified from the SEE sign for Shelter. Replace the S with R.

Who do you want to spend eternity with?

I came across Catherine Lim's blog on her exchange with a Christian.

http://catherinelim.sg/2010/01/02/a-most-awful-scenario/

I thought it very funny. Yet, I believe it's something many non-Christians can relate to. It's so exasperating dealing with these evangelical Christians. Not everyone can handle it as well as Catherine, with such humour and patience.

I thought she said it best when she said, ‘Well, if God decides to send me to Hell despite the glaring injustice, then maybe He’s not exactly someone whom one would like to spend eternity with.’