Confession: A prayer to God

There comes a time in life when one is rooted to an uncomfortable spot, but sees a promising landscape ahead of him that he can't wait to charge forward - though the road to the destination is concealed by foliage and god knows what creepy crawlies are hidden in the midst of it all.

A part of me says, "let's go, the journey will be interesting"; the other says, "go take a nap, you're tired".
The former whispers, "you will find inspiration - as it is, you already have a direction isn't it?" The other replies, "come on, isn't it time for dinner? Go take a walk".
The former hints, "didn't you promise to accomplish something before the end of the month, to prove to your mum that you're still the old resilient self?"
The other nudges at me, "You are afraid aren't you? Afraid of having to be faced with another challenge like today?"
The former pauses. "Look," he says. "You know you want to do something. You have a rough idea of what you want to achieve."
The other remains silent - deafening silence, and gives a sly smile.
"The thing admirable about the human spirit," the former continues, "is that you know others trust you. Even without full faith in your own capability, try while you can. You'll never know what you can achieve at the end."
The silent me interjects. "You know you are lonely isn't it? You know you want to rely on your close friends and brothers. You know power is at play, and the stakeholders at different levels of the education system harbour their own agendas. There is nothing as trust."

Shut up!

"Yes, I need to eat and sleep well", I say to the optimist.

"But", to the pessimist, "you know I have faith in what I'm doing. And I know that while close friends are often silent, I have faith in them - unwavering belief that they are there for me. The only thing now is, I no longer want to rely on them because I know my own shoulders can bear more weight than theirs can withstand my leaning head. Liberation comes from within me. As for the stakeholders, let me keep faith in the belief that so long as I am doing something to improve learning standards for the children, they will not see me as harbouring personal goals or feel pressurized by my presence. I do not seek to dominate. I only hope to bring the state of things one level up. Sincerity shall beget help and trust, I hope."

And so, I move forward. Fatigue becomes an impetus to push myself on.

If things were easy, what does the society need scholars for? Taxpayers sponsored me to contribute to the system, didn't they?

All I ask for is Trust. I will not hide from my own feelings or conceal my weakness, but I hope true friends, whom I've always tried to be there for, will not be surprised at my confession of helplessness. Instead, may they know that beneath all the whining lies a soul who tries to preserve his strength by keeping a pure faith in his task at hand. May boundaries of the heart be overcome, and let love enshrine all. That is, after all, what education is all about.

May God hear my prayers.

- A sole leaf flying in the wind, hoping he will land on the ground soon and fertilize the next tree that grows from the mud in which he slowly disappears...

涂鸦：《甲虫》

浑浑噩噩，一只甲虫

背着厚重的行囊，踩着破洞的布鞋，独自攀爬。

径直向前，身躯，好似稳固，却不过是甲壳的幻想。

谁与它为伴？

新上装的钟楼，憎恶它的污秽；

绿中呈黄的叶子，在寒冷中摇摆。

蓝天，白云飘过，

却为何起飞之时，却只见雾？

爬着，动着，它依然前进着

上苍，请收敛那美妙之歌

甲虫听不见

却知道音符在凉风中飘着。

晨阳当头，轻轻照耀

鸣叫的小鸟

路边小花高傲地招惹着蝴蝶

甲虫却只能躲

在那没有光的角落。

爬着，动着，它依然前进着

上苍，请收敛那美妙之色

甲虫看不见

却知道景致在凉风中等着。

等着，等着

它如此立着

浓雾总会散去，光线总会移动

即使死去，它也会在凉风中

留下长长的身影。

读者来信评《母性的力量》

虽然说只有2封来信，但能得到回响，就足以让人觉得鼓舞。


读者一：看了你写的文章，颇有同感。希望你能一如既往的写此类报道。


读者二：你好，我在新加坡联合早报的网站上读到你的文章，很欣赏你那份凝视民生的细心。同时，我在阅读中遇到不明白的地方，恰巧网页上显示着你的电邮，因此发信向你请教。你在文章倒数第二自然段中提及“软性价值观”这个说法，它的内涵到底是什么呢？它是与“硬性价值观”（如果有的话）相对吗？谢谢你的指教。

回复读者二：关于您"软性价值观"的问题，那是我对soft culture的翻译。如果说，一个国家有"硬性实力"（军备、GDP等）和"软实力"（文化、艺术等），那么，在"文化"内部，其实也可以略作区分。在现代社会中，有些values是相对外在的，如政治为了凝聚人民而赋予的国家身份、"民主主义"认同等；有些则是比较深层、内在的，如以印度而言，就是文中提到的"男尊女卑"等由宗教与传统塑造并遗留下来的价值观。我是在这个意义上，将价值观大致区分为"硬性"与"软性"的。当然，我不否认，两者可能相互纠结、渗透，但也可能出现矛盾，相互排斥。也正是这样，我避免使用"外在-内在"、"表层-深层"来进行区别，而选择以个人所感受的强加力量进行区分。您在内地，不知是否也有这样的感觉：儒家价值，比起共产党赋予的各种身份，更加强烈地扎根在文化基因中，更贴近您的心？至少，在新加坡，我是如此觉得的：父母辈通过身教所传授的价值观，总比起国家通过机制而试图塑造的价值观，显得更加的"软"。

我只所以要提"软性价值观"，是因为在印度，这些价值在人民心中扎得很深。除非来一次类似文革的价值扫荡，要铲除这些价值观内部与现代文明发展不符的因素，或至少减低它们对印度发展的阻碍，不能靠自上而下的硬性政治压力，只能是人民改变自身对个人与社会结构的信念，在基层慢慢地通过教育与对话等软性手法，进行疏导，促成改变。

网上动态：

（1）评论： 每个人都可以发挥自己的影响力。

（2）有人转载文章，却把最后一句改成“至于女人是否能如***所言，顶着半边天，则有赖于政治上与国际组织所给予她们的关注、资源与支援”。有意思。

母性的力量，就在于她所蕴含的爆发力，以及对个人和社会的影响。这也是它千百年来不断触动人心的原因。写这篇文章的初衷，便是希望分享这份感动。

如今已化为现实，在天际凝望我一举一动的那位，应该会欣慰地微笑吧？

母性的力量

备注：这篇文章刊登于今天的《联合早报》。


奶粉事件，闹得人心惶惶。在一片谴责、讨伐与反思的声浪中，我却注意到香港新闻中的这些画面：一些母亲在假日依然紧紧抱着孩子在医院的铁栅前排队，脸上露出焦虑，等待铁栅拉起；医生向一位母亲说，孩子情况良好，该母亲明显松了一口气，却再三地向医生确认检验的结果；奶粉下架，一位妇女站在空空的架子前，茫然若失，并叹了一声，轻轻地向记者说：“该给孩子喝什么好呢……”

这些影像，让我为之动容。同时，脑海中也联想到许多与此有关的例子。不久前的四川地震，废墟中不也是有母亲在护着孩子，最后母丧子存吗？南京大屠杀纪念馆展厅的录影中，不也有老人家泣不成声地叙述母亲如何在被日本军人用剑刺伤后，鲜血直流，手中却紧抱着襁褓中的弟弟，继续喂奶吗？似乎，在中国的历史叙述中，特别是描述一场灾难面时，总喜欢注入甚至凸现母性的成份，以这种超越民族、语言、文化差异的人性本质，通过激起些许暖和与温馨，拉近看客与历史的距离。

有人或许会说，这不过是刻意的做作。但我认为，这却恰恰表现出中国人某种人生观与思维范式的惯性。古代中国虽以父权思想为核心，但母性所折射与体现出的道德力量，也为历史添加几许色彩，并使身为男性的名人更加“伟大”。

说到这里，突然想起近来翻阅的一本书，名为《见证中国》（该书目前只发行了英文版，名为China Witness - Voices from a silent generation）。这本书，收录了作者薛欣然访问十一位具有代表性的毛泽东时代“遗民”后所整理的访谈纪录。“后记”前的最后一篇，是与郑州一位女鞋匠的访谈。这位鞋匠，二十八年来，风雨不改地替人补鞋，并靠自己与修脚踏车的丈夫所赚来的钱，徒手养大子女二人。更令人敬佩的是，在不拿政府一分钱资助的情况下，她把儿子送到了西安交通大学念博士，还供小女儿上北京大学。这位鞋匠妈妈在书中说，自己一家因在文革时被人陷害，打成了反革命，因此虽然自己名列前茅，却无缘完成大学梦。因此，她立志以自己的力量，供孩子上大学，而且不让孩子拿政府一分钱的资助。

作者问她，既然已经圆了梦，是否已经满足。鞋匠妈妈只回答了一句，“西安交大不如北大、清华，北大、清华又不如牛津、剑桥。” 一个受文革迫害的女人，能够有这种骨气，也难怪作者会以她的访谈作为压卷的章节。

同样的母性力量，也适用于印度。当时，在贫民窟教了一个月的书，对贫困问题发生了兴趣。于是，某一天与该非政府组织的负责人聊起，她告诉我，在充斥传统宗教思想的印度社会中，男尊女卑的观念浓厚，因此，女生到了十六岁，就差不多要嫁人，于是辍学率也就相当高。不过，由于“男主外，女主内”也是主流思想，“家政”大多由女性掌管。教育属于“内政”，因此女性对孩子是否受教育，也有一定的说话权。在很大程度上，社会的软性价值观与思维模式，其实由母亲与祖母们主导。因此，要改善社会运作，就应该从女性的观念开始，特别是身为人母与丈母娘的，更需要进行再教育。只看见“男尊女卑”而忽略女性在社会改造方面所具有的潜质，贫困问题将无法得到根源性的解决。

因此，听闻该组织在今年头成立了女性教育中心，令我非常兴奋。而联合国在上个月召开“千禧年发展目标”会议前夕，联合国亚太经济与社会委员会执行秘书Noeleen Heyzer在《海峡时报》上所发表的《戴着“性别”眼镜审视发展目标》（A hard look at goals with genderised lens）一文，也恰恰表明了，就算是在次发达国家中，女性与母性，也是社会进步不可忽视的力量泉源。至于女人是否能如毛泽东所言，顶着半边天，则有赖于政治上与国际组织所给予她们的关注、资源与支援。


后记：每年十月，是令我感伤的季节。今年的10月31日，是我母亲三周年忌日。这文章，虽然谈的还是近来的时事与我的见闻，但纸背的情感，则源于我对母亲的思念。

古典的启示

有时，真的很讨厌自己，虽然说，最后也就爱上了所讨厌的自己。

在不足与满足、谦卑与自负之间，不停的徘徊；

慢慢的，才发觉，我是如此不清醒，却那样踏实而真切地活着。

所喜欢的那个，原来唤起许多“旧我”的回忆；

所期盼的那个，则是死水中静谧地游着的鱼儿。

音符，在空中飘荡

顺势流着微笑的眼泪

橘黄的灯下，一只手臂

肌肉瘦实，指如丝般柔静

放松而带劲

看不见的琴键，在心中滑动

奏响

疲惫、希望、迷惘、幸福，

在历史与生命的长空中

寻，寻，寻。

冰，心

允许我
在冰山中沉浸
尘封不动的水泡


心，微微若若

跳

跳，

跳……

耳际传来静寂，
一片深邃。



蓝，
深似海的眼眸。

郁郁……



等。

背景音乐：Forgotten Season

送给妈妈。三年了。

Even now, it is in my remembrance 到现在我还记得

The last night of October 十月的最后一夜

Leaving only words with unknown meanings 留下的，只有意思不明的文字

We’ve parted our ways 我们就此分离

An expression of loneliness on that day 那天孤单的表情

Would that be your truth 是你的真相吗

Unable to say a word of justification 无法再说一字辩解

Must I be forgotten 难道，我得被遗忘

A season that always returns 一个不断归来的季节

Bestows me with a dream, however. 却赐予我一个梦

A dream that cannot be realized is sorrowful 一个无法实现的梦，悲伤

Brings me to tears 使我落泪

Mindfulness

Mindfulness of Ourselves
Mindfulness of Others
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Peace Walk 2002
September 28, 2002
Memphis, Tennessee

Let us enjoy our breathing.
Breathing in--I feel I am alive.
Breathing out--I smile to life.
To Life…smiling to life

Anger. There's a seed of anger in every one of us. There is also a seed of fear, a seed of despair. And when the seed of anger manifests, we should know how to recognize it, how to embrace it, and how to bring [ourselves] relief. When the seed of fear manifests itself as energy in the upper level of our consciousness, we should be able to recognize it, to embrace it tenderly, and to transform it. And the agent of transformation and healing is called mindfulness.

*****

Mindfulness is another kind of energy that is in us in the form of a seed also. If we know how to practice mindful breathing, mindful walking, mindful smiling, then we should be able to touch the seed of mindfulness in us and transform it into a zone of energy. And with that energy of mindfulness, we can recognize our anger, our fear, our despair. We practice recognizing and embracing.

When a mother working in the kitchen hears the cries of her baby, she puts anything she is holding down and goes to the room of the baby, picks the baby up and holds the baby dearly in her arms. We do exactly the same thing when the seed of anger and fear manifest in us; our fear, our anger is our baby. Let us not try to suppress and to fight our fear and our anger. Let us recognize its presence; let us embrace it tenderly like a mother embracing her baby.

When a mother embraces her baby, the energy of tenderness begins to penetrate into the body of the baby. The mother does not know, yet, what is the cause of the suffering of the baby, but the fact that she is holding the baby tenderly can already help. The energy of tenderness and compassion in a mother begins to penetrate into the body of the baby, and the baby gets some relief right away. The baby may stop crying. And if the mother knows how to continue the practice of holding the baby mindfully, tenderly, she will be able to discover the cause of the suffering of the baby.

*****

When the seed of anger is watered, when the seed of fear is watered, whether by yourself or by another person or by the mass media--because the mass media in this country has watered a lot the seed of anger and fear in us--we should know how to recognize, embrace and bring relief to our anger and our fear.

The attitude is the attitude of non-duality, non-violence. Our fear, our anger are not our enemies; they are us. We have to treat our fear, our anger in a most non-violent way, the most non-dualistic way, like we are treating our own baby. So if you are a good practitioner of meditation, you will know exactly what to do when the seed of anger is watered and begins to manifest in the upper level of your consciousness. With the practice of mindful breathing or mindful walking, you generate the energy of mindfulness, and exactly with that energy, you can recognize the energy of anger, of fear in you.

Anger is… energy number one. By practicing mindful breathing or mindful walking, we generate the energy number two: the energy of mindfulness. We call it in Buddhist terms: mindfulness of anger. Mindfulness is always mindfulness of something. When you drink your water mindfully, that is called mindfulness of drinking. When you eat mindfully, that is called mindfulness of eating. When you breathe mindfully, in and out, that is called mindfulness of breathing. When you walk mindfully, it is called mindfulness of walking.

So, when you recognize your anger, embrace your anger tenderly with that energy of mindfulness, it is called mindfulness of anger, mindfulness of despair, mindfulness of fear. We should be able to learn and help the young people to learn how to do it. It's very important.

The Buddha offers us very concrete and simple exercises in order to become mindful. The first exercise on mindful breathing is: Breathing in--I know I am breathing in. Breathing out--I know I am breathing out. You can reduce the length of the sentence to one word. In. Out. While you are breathing in, you just recognize that this is your in breath, and you use the word, in. And you are wholly concentrated on your in breath. Nothing else.

You become your in breath. You're not thinking of anything. You're not thinking of the past, of the future, of your projects. You release everything. You just follow your in breath, and you become one with your in breath. And the energy of mindfulness is generated together with the energy of concentration.

*****

If you are an organic gardener, you know that a flower is made of several elements that may be called non-flower elements: the sunshine, the cloud, the minerals and the seed. And among the non-flower elements, there is the element compost… garbage. The garden always produces garbage.

If you are an organic gardener, you know how to handle the garbage. You know the techniques of transforming the garbage back into compost and into flowers. You don't have to throw away anything at all. So, the energy of fear, of anger should be considered to be the garbage. Let it be produced, because it can become the art of mindful living.

So, now we should learn how to handle the garbage in us, namely, craving, anger, fear and despair. We should not be afraid of the garbage in us if we know how to transform it back into joy, into peace.

*****

…Mindfulness has the power, has the capacity of helping us to recognize what is there in the present moment. When anger is there, we recognize the fact that anger is there. When fear is there, we recognize the fact that fear is there. And the practice is not to fight, to suppress, but to recognize and to embrace.

"Oh my little anger, I know you. You are my old friend. I will take good care of you. Oh my little fear, I know you are always there. I will take good care of you." That is the attitude of non-duality, the attitude of non-violence, because we know that mindfulness is us; love is us; but fear and anger are us, also.

Let us not fight. Let us only take care and transform. The organic gardener doesn't have to fight the garbage placed in (or created by) the garden. She knows exactly what to do in order to handle the garbage, in order to transform it back into cucumber, into tomatoes, et cetera.

The first function of mindfulness is to recognize what is there, positive or negative. The second function of mindfulness is to embrace it and to get deeply in touch with it. If it is a positive thing like a blue sky or the beautiful face of a child, that becomes something very nourishing, very healing for us. And if it is something negative, like hatred or fear, we should be able to embrace it and bring relief to it.

The third function of mindfulness is to help us look deeply into the nature of what is there; in this case, fear or anger. The nature of something means the root of that something: how this fear has been created; how this anger has manifested. Look deeply into the nature of our fear and our anger in order to see their true nature. When we understand, when we have insight into the nature of our fear and our anger, that insight will help transform our fear, our anger into positive energies.

Looking deeply helps us to recognize, to realize things that we have not realized before. In the past three years, we have been bringing groups of Israelis and Palestinians to Plum Village (where we live and practice) to support their practice. We have learned a lot from them, also. When they arrive, they always bring with them a lot of fear, a lot of anger, a lot of suspicion. They could not talk to each other, because everyone has a lot of suspicion and anger and fear in himself or herself....

The groups of Israelis and Palestinians, when they arrive, they are introduced to the practice of mindful breathing and mindful walking right away. The practice helps to generate the energy of mindfulness so they can recognize and embrace their fear, their anger, their suspicion, their despair. We do it together with the support of the International Community of Meditation.

The Jews and Palestinians practice sitting together, eating mindfully and silently together, walking together, breathing together for a number of days -- seven days, eight days, nine days. Every day they listen to a Dharma talk in order to receive the teachings on how to do the practice of mindfully recognizing their fear, their anger, their suspicion and their despair, how to embrace them and how to treat them with nonviolence and non-duality.

About ten days are necessary for each of them to be able to see more clearly, because anger and fear prevent us from seeing things clearly, especially when anger or fear has become collective.

When anger has become collective, when fear has become collective, it's extremely dangerous for our nation and for the world. That is why we should practice not only as individuals but also as communities, as nations.

With the support of the international community, the Jews and the Palestinians are able to come down, and now they are assisted in the practice of listening deeply with compassion to the other groups.

Listening to our own suffering, our own fear, our own anger is the first thing we have to do as a person and as a community. After that, when we have some insight about the roots of our fear, our anger, our despair, then we can listen to other groups of people.

While listening, you have to practice mindful breathing in order to keep calm, to maintain compassion in you, because that practice of deep listening is also called the practice of compassionate listening.

Compassionate listening means to listen with one purpose: helping the other side, the other person to express himself or herself and to get relief. You don't listen to criticize. You just listen in order to give the other person a chance to empty his heart; to empty her heart in order to get relief.

*****

When you can listen like that for one hour to the other person, he or she will get relief. During the whole time of listening, you keep your practice of mindful breathing, in order to maintain compassion. If these two things do not exist during the time of listening, your listening will not have a good effect.

Even if the other side says things that are full of wrong perceptions, blaming and judgment, you are still capable of listening with compassion. This is extremely important. And that is possible only with the practice of mindful breathing and the maintaining of compassion during the whole time of listening. We have to train ourselves for at least one week in order to be able to do it and to help our beloved one get relief.

When you are the person who speaks, you practice gentle speech, loving speech. You have the right, and you have a duty to tell the other group of people, the other person, what is in your heart. But you have to use the kind of language that can convey your feelings, that can convey your insights, your suffering to the other person; namely, the language of love and kindness.

If you do not use the language of love and kindness, then you touch off the energy of anger and hatred in the other person, and he or she will not be able to listen to you. That is why it is very important to practice loving speech, gentle speech. That is the subject of the fourth mindfulness training in the Buddhist tradition.

So, with the assistance and the support of the Plum Village community, the two groups sit down and practice listening to each other and using gentle speech. It works very well always. Listening like that in the presence of many, many other practitioners, you realize-- maybe for the first time-- that on the other side they are human beings also, and they have already suffered very deeply because of anger, of hatred, of violence, of despair.

The moment that you realize they are human beings who have suffered deeply also, compassion begins to arise in your heart, and now you are able to look at them with the eyes of compassion. You have become a Bodhisattva, capable of using the eyes of compassion in order to look at other living human beings.

Fourteen days or twenty-one days can produce a miracle. There are people who say, after having been in Plum Village, "I believe that peace is possible in the Middle East." Both groups want to bring home the practice; to organize sessions of practice among friends. Now they have set up Sanghas, communities of practice--a little bit everywhere in the Middle East. And they want to maintain their practice, because their practice helped them maintain compassion and insight, [and allowed them] not to be drowned in the ocean of despair.

It is our conviction that if their leaders come together and practice the same kind of practice, they will be able to bring peace and reconciliation to the Middle East.

If we practice, if we organize a peace conference supported by many nations, and if we organize so that the two parties have a chance to try this kind of practice, then the peace conference will bring a wonderful result. Because if you still have a lot of anger, a lot of suspicion, a lot of hatred, it would be extremely difficult for you to come to an agreement that will really bring peace and well-being to the two nations, the two people.

*****

I would like to tell you the story of a couple who live in California. They have practiced in this mindful way. The lady, who is a Catholic, wanted to commit suicide, because she had suffered so much. There was no joy in her life anymore. Her husband was like a bomb, ready to explode at any time. He had a lot of anger, a lot of bitterness, a lot of frustration, a lot of violence in him. The three children, who attended university, were very afraid of coming close to their father. Their father would get angry at anything--would explode at any time. He believed that his wife and his three children were boycotting him, and that made his anger and frustration grow bigger and bigger every day.

*****

The lady had a friend, a Buddhist practitioner, who was aware of her situation, and who had tried to persuade her to listen to a Dharma talk given by her teacher. The title of the Dharma talk, in the form of a cassette tape, is "How to Diffuse a Bomb."

When you contain within yourself too much violence, too much anger, you become very tense. You become like a bomb. You suffer very much, and you spill your suffering all over the people who live with you, and people are afraid of you. They don't want to approach you, and then you believe that everyone is boycotting you. You are extremely lonely.

The Buddhist lady believed that if her friend listened to the Dharma talk, she would know how to help diffuse the bomb in her husband. But that lady considered herself a Catholic. She said, "I am a Catholic. Why should I listen to this kind of stuff?"

But the morning that [the lady] called and announced that she was going to die, her Buddhist friend asked her to come over right away. She wanted to see her for the last time, and this time she tried her best to convince the lady to listen to the talk. She said, "You always said that I am your best friend, and the only thing I ask you to do is to listen to the Dharma talk of my teacher. I don't think that you are truly my friend." That challenge helped. The lady told herself, "Now, I am going to die. Why don't I satisfy the person I consider to be my friend." So she agreed to listen to the Dharma talk.

The Buddhist lady withdrew in order to allow her friend to be alone in the living room, and she began to listen to the cassette tape. As she listened to the Dharma talk, insight came to her. She recognized the fact that the suffering in her had not been created only by her husband, but by herself. And the suffering in her husband had not been created by her husband alone, but she had participated in creating the suffering in him.

When she listened to the Dharma talk, she realized that in the last six years, she never used the kind of language that is called loving speech. She always blamed him. She always used a very sour language, full of blaming and judgment. She realized she had made the situation worse every day, and she felt that she was partly responsible for her own suffering and the suffering of her husband.

When you suffer, you have the tendency to blame the other person as the only source of your suffering. You don't recognize that you are responsible to some extent for your suffering, and you have also created the suffering of the other person. That was her insight during the time that she listened to the talk, and her heart opened, and for the first time in so many years, she felt sorry. She felt compassion for herself and for her husband.

She was animated, inspired by the idea of going home and helping her husband by practicing listening deeply, listening with compassion. She became very enthusiastic. But her Buddhist friend said, "No, my friend. You are still very weak. You have to train yourself at least one week in order to be able to do so. Because if you listen to him, and if his language is full of blaming and wrong perceptions, you will interrupt him and spoil everything. You have to train yourself first. Let me propose to you this. My teacher is coming from France, and he is going to offer in the Bay area two retreats, one for the Vietnamese-speaking people and one for the English-speaking people. Why don't you sign up for the first retreat?"

The Catholic lady accepted, and during the six-day retreat, she practiced with all her heart, because for her it was a matter of life and death. That is why she invested herself entirely into the practice. She learned how to breathe, how to walk, how to embrace the suffering in her, how to use the kind of loving speech that will be able to open the heart of her husband. And with the support of other practitioners, she went very deeply into the practice.

The night that she came home, she put into practice what she had learned on the retreat. She was very silent that night, practicing mindful breathing, mindful walking. And, finally, she came and sat down close to [her husband], and she began to speak. She said, "My husband, I know that you have suffered terribly during the past six or seven years. I have not been able to help you, and I have made the situation worse. I am sorry. I did not know how to listen to you. I didn't know what was going on in your heart, in your mind. I was blind. I was unable to see. And that is why I have made the situation worse. I didn't want you to suffer. I wanted you to be happy, but because I did not know how, I have made the situation worse. So, please, my husband, please help me. Please tell me what is in your heart. I want to understand so that I will not repeat the unskillful things I have done. I am very sorry. You have to help me; alone I cannot change."

She was very surprised to see him begin to cry like a little boy. Seeing that, she knew that the door of communication had opened. So she practiced mindful breathing, deeply, and she insisted, "Please, my husband, please tell me what is in your heart. I will try to listen. I will try to understand. I want you to be happy. I don't want you to suffer."

It turned out, that that night was a very healing night for both of them. She was very successful in her practice of deep listening and using loving speech, and she was able to restore communication. She was able to convince him to sign up for the second retreat of mindfulness. And during the last day of the second retreat, he stood up and he introduced his wife as a bodhisattva. (A bodhisattva in Buddhism means an enlightened being who is able to help other people to be enlightened, also.)

*****

It is my conviction that the practice of the Israeli and Palestinian groups, the practice of that couple in California can be applied as the practice in the international political scenery. The principle of the practice is to go home to yourself and listen to your own suffering and raise your own suffering and despair and fear. That is what I proposed last year after 9/11.

Two days after the 9/11 event, I spoke to four thousand people in Brooklyn. I proposed that America should go back to herself, practicing mindful breathing and embracing the pain, the suffering, the fear, the anger, and listening to the suffering of America. On the 25th of September that year, I spoke at the Riverside Church in New York City with Ambassador Andrew Young. We went to Ground Zero the day after, and I again proposed that [America] should embrace this practice of going home to herself, listening to her own suffering; that she must bring relief to herself before she can do something to help the situation in the world.

In the United States of America, there are people-- sections of the population-- who feel that they are victims of social injustice and discrimination. They feel that they have never been listened to. Suffering is there in America, and America has to practice listening to her own pain and suffering.

This is the first step. There are vast resources of peace in this country. There are those of us in America who have the capacity to listen deeply and with compassion to the suffering of America. We should be able to look around, to identify them, and to invite them to come in order to form a parliament for deep listening, a kind of counsel of sages, in order to practice listening to the suffering of our own nation, of our own people.

Then we should be able to invite those people who have felt that they're victims of social injustice and discrimination to come in order to tell us about their suffering. We should have people who come and help them to practice calming, embracing their suffering, help them use the kind of language that can convey the suffering, the feeling within themselves, exactly like in the case of that couple, exactly like in the case of the Palestinians and Israelis in Plum Village.….

America can act compassionately within her frontiers in order to heal the wounds, to mend the wounds within America first. This is the first step. We cannot do the second step before we can make the first step. If you want to help other countries, other groups of people like Afghanistan and the others, we have to help ourselves first, …all of us know that this has to begin with one's self. So, acting with compassion and wisdom within our own frontiers is the first step.

*****

Then bringing that practice into the international levels, America can ask other nations to help create sessions of deep listening where America can participate.

Around the world there are those who are capable of being compassionate, of being attentive, of being able to listen deeply. You shall invite them to come and listen. Other groups who believe that they have been victims of injustice, that they are mistreated by America and other big nations, they are invited to come and to tell the world about their suffering, their fear, their anger.

If we have not been able to listen to our fear, our anger, we cannot listen and understand the fear and the anger of other nations and people. Then there are those of us who can come as volunteers to help these people to breathe, to walk, to calm down, to use the kind of language that can convey what is deep in their heart.

*****

…Looking deeply, we realize that hate, violence, anger, and terrorism are born from wrong perceptions. [Others] may have wrong perceptions of themselves, and they may have wrong perceptions of us, and they have acted on the basis of these wrong perceptions.

In order for them not to continue, the only way is to help them remove these wrong perceptions of themselves and of us, and that work cannot be done by the Army. That work cannot be done by bombs and guns. That can only be done with the practice of deep listening, compassionate listening, and loving speech. We have to support our political leaders in this practice.

*****

One of the deepest teachings given by Buddha is that you should not be too sure of your perceptions. You have to practice looking deeply in order not to be fooled by your perceptions. If you are a doctor, you have to be very careful. Even if you are sure, check again. This kind of practice should be applied in our political life also.

The mass media has the duty of informing the people about what is happening. Journalists, reporters should be able to be calm, not to be carried away by their emotions, their feelings, their anger, their despair, in order to report well, to reflect the situation with more accuracy.

Our political leaders have to train themselves in order not to be carried away by fear, by anger. They should be able to retain their lucidity for the sake of the nation and of the world. When fear and anger has become collective, the situation becomes extremely dangerous for everyone. That is why we have to bring a spiritual dimension to our political life.

*****

You have elected your government. You have elected your House of Representatives and your Senate. You should continue to support them. You should continue to give them the kind of information that helps them correct their poor perceptions.

The situation of our country, of our world, is [too important] to be entrusted only to politicians. As a mother, as a father, as a school teacher, as a doctor, you have to practice in order to remain calm, in order to look deeply, in order to understand, and you have to convey your insight, your compassion to your elected people. You have to practice. We cannot leave the matter only to our politicians.

In Buddhist psychology, we speak of consciousness in terms of seeds. In the lower level, lower layer of our consciousness, there is a part that is called store consciousness. Store consciousness is the place where all the seeds of mental formations are preserved.

There is a seed of fear; there is a seed of anger; there is a seed of despair; there is a seed of peace; there is a seed of joy; there is a seed of loving kindness--all the good seeds and all the negative seeds that have been transmitted to us by our ancestors, our parents. It depends on the environment where we live, [but] such seeds can be watered several times a day.

Our children watch television three hours a day or even more. And during the time they watch television, their seed of fear, of anger, of craving may be watered, and they continue to grow. We have to create, we have to produce television programs that are able to water the seed of compassion, joy, peace, loving kindness.

That is why mindful consumption is very important. When you read a magazine, you consume. When you listen to music, you consume. When we begin a conversation, we consume, because a conversation can also be highly toxic.

If a man or a woman is full of fear, of despair, of hatred, and if we listen to him or to her for an hour, the poisons will penetrate into store consciousness, and make the seed of fear and anger grow very quickly. That is why the practice of mindful consumption, including consumption of conversation, is very crucial for self-protection, for the protection of our family and society.

*****

... We should be able to stop violence and to take up the path of reconciliation and peace. This is possible. I have the conviction that America has enough wisdom and courage and compassion in order to pick up that path of reconciliation and healing.

*****

When we listen to the other person, to the other group of persons, you get insight about their suffering, their difficulty, their fear, and their anger. And at the same time, you realize that we do have wrong perceptions also. We have done, we have said things that have created misunderstanding. We have not understood us completely. We have not understood them completely. We vow to practice in order to have a better understanding of ourselves and of them so that our action will be in the direction of peace.

America will learn a lot with the practice of deep listening and compassionate listening. The insights she will get will be able to serve as the ground for repairing the damage she has done to herself in America and she has done in other parts of the world. She will be able to help remove the wrong perceptions of the people outside of America, about America, and about themselves.

It is my conviction that [she must work to] remove wrong perceptions--for that is the base, the foundation of hatred and violence and terrorism. That work cannot be done by the bombs. It should be done by the practice of deep listening, compassionate listening, and loving speech.

*****

My dear friends, peace is not something we can only hope for. Peace is something we can contemplate in our daily life by our practice of mindful breathing, mindful walking, embracing our fear, our anger, producing the energy of understanding and compassion. And with that element of peace in us, we should be able to support our government, our Congress.

And let us remember that peace is in our hands. We can do something for peace every day. Let us practice as individuals. Let us practice as communities, as Sanghas, and let us give peace a chance.

Copyright 2002 Thich Nhat Hanh

A letter to someone I cared about

Let me begin with today's horoscope from SCMP:

Inspiration comes in many forms and at the moment they're likely to come from unexpected sources. This being the case don't worry about other people's moods or your own anxiety if you don't find enlightenment immediately. Trust that it will come in the next few weeks.

Finally, something that seems to be very relevant for me.

These days, I have been worried about your silence. Not that I need comfort or whatever, but because in the past you'd always tell me that you are just busy and that I don't have to worry, but this time round you are unusually quiet. I cannot but uncontrollably think whether something not good has happened, though in my heart I'm praying it's not. This is especially so since you mentioned before that your loved ones are not in good health. So you see, I am not pestering you because I want attention or whatever. I am just worried. All I need from you is simply "oh, you've been thinking too much. Everything's fine, don't worry". Just one sentence, to set my heart at ease.

The reason why I am so concerned is because while most of my other friends will be forthcoming when they face problems, you seem to like to hide your feelings thinking that this is the way to show that you can handle everything well. It's not wrong, except that it sometimes makes those who care about you feel lost and worried because the real side never shows itself. If you can be frank in what's happening in your life and your feelings, I think you wouldn't see such a kind of worried response from me.

Having to hide one's feelings is a pathetic state of being. I've been through the same phase, so I know. Rather than being strong, on hindsight, I see it as a form of escapism and cowardice. Precisely because we lack confidence, that's why we need to hide in a shell like a hermit and hope that we can deal with things or simply hope they'll blow over soon.

It is also such a kind of personality that makes it tiring to care for you as a friend.

That said, you know I seldom give up totally on people. What I have decided, however, is that if you still remain to stay like this, I will certainly have to stay further away, because getting myself overly involved is painful for me too, in case you don't know. There's a metaphor that goes, if the sand keeps slipping through your fingers, let them be and don't bother to hold them back, for you'll never will.

I think it is true that after going through a phase where I helped to heal a little bit of your broken heart, you would like to move on relying more on yourself. I acknowledge that, and so, do whatever you want and live in the way that you think you can find happiness. I don't need reciprocation in any form, because like the horoscope said, inspiration comes in many forms. If I have a healing hand, I would like to use it on those who need it more.

So, feel free to contact me whenever my help is needed. Otherwise, I will presume that you are living well, and you can just focus on the piece(s) of the jigsaw that you feel is most important now - which I would presume to be work and family. So long as we live with a peaceful heart and mind, that's enough, isn't it?

Just a few last words. I am writing in the most cool-headed mood, and all I want to say is, all my pestering calls and mails just seek the answer to this one question of "are you fine". That's all. But if you feel that work and other commitments are holding you back from giving me something as simply as even that, then I think I shall respect you. It is just that you have to realize that occasional spurts of "bad blood" will inevitably spoil relationships and distant people. We may think we have reason for feeling how we feel and for choosing to hide away, but always remember that this is ultimately being self-centred. Whether it is with family, your love partner or friends, never condone yourself to negligence because of the problems you are facing. Otherwise, the day when you finally step out of your own shadow, you will realize that most of the doors beyond yourself would have closed on you. When that day comes, you may not get any responses no matter how hard you knock - and you'll be all the more isolated.

That's all I hope you can understand. It's not the first time I'm saying things like this. I know, you'll say you need time, and "slowly and surely" things will change. I seriously hope so. In the meantime, I shall go on to my other focuses in life, and seeking inspiration in those other aspects. There is no longer any anticipation on my part of your responses or "long letters", because in case you don't know, waiting is a terrible chore.

I shall begin with mountain-climbing this evening. In the past, I may have hope that you'll be able to share the sceneries with me. Today, however, I think I'll feel contented just being on my own, and feeling at ease with seeing you like a passing cloud above the mountains, ever-moving and disappearing from sight after a while.

The smile has not been lost on my face, and I hope it is the same with you. =)

余光中新诗《藕神祠》

藕神祠
──濟南人在大明湖畔為李清照立藕神祠

天妒佳偶，只橫刀一分
就把美滿截成了兩半
一半歸戰前，一半給亂後
亦如金兵劈大宋的江山
成南宋與北宋，即使岳飛
也無力用頭顱討還
無情的刃鋒啊過處
國破之痛更添上家亡
憑愛情，怎麼能拼得攏呢
才女淪落江湖成難民
愛妻一回首成了遺孀

菩薩蠻
鷓鴣天
聲聲慢
難堪最是遲暮的心情
最怕是春歸了秣陵樹
人老了偏在健康城
夢裏的滄桑，鏡中的眉眼
難掩半生曾經的明艷
曾經戰前兩小的親暱
綽約風姿，只能尋尋覓覓
向小令的字裏行間

蓮子雖心苦，藕節卻心甘
情人遺憾，用詩來補償
歷史不足，有廟可瞻仰
你是濟南的最愛，藕神
整面大明湖是你的妝鏡
映照甜蜜的哀愁，高貴的美
藕斷千年，有絲纖纖
嫋嫋不絕，仍一縷相牽
恰似黑瓦紅扉的藕神詞前
四足銅爐的香燭迎風
仍牽動所有禱客的思念

──2008.3.28

近作〈藕神祠〉（二ＯＯ八年），哀悼中國最令人瞻仰而又低迴的女詩人李清照，對應初作〈沙浮投海〉 所寫的希臘女詩人，是穿越六十年歲月的巧合，或是神秘繫聯？

孔雀之珠，守护着坚贞不渝的爱情

午餐时间，在优酷上看完《海角七号》。

我不说艺术，也不谈手法。既然以一颗休闲的心看戏，就该凭借感官与直觉，把想法写出来。

只能说，这部戏确实“本土”。原住民、本省人、外省人；台湾、日本；过去、现在——种种的binaries，总是夹杂着爱恨情仇，却和谐地在国境之南的海边小镇，谱写出一格小团体的温馨故事。

且不论许多地方带有漏洞，结局却让渴望爱情和亲情的灵魂，留下犹如音乐般eternal的泪，克服时间把人的心相互联系。

夕阳、彩虹、沙滩，大自然的美，也许总是有力量，把人的渺小放大，最后化为乌有，留下晚霞那一丝的红、一丝的绿、一丝的黄、一丝的蓝……

带着这份感动，我期盼着18日聆听龙应台在港大关于“文学启蒙”的演讲。

秋心

十月，总是个容易被遗忘的季节
秋神跨过香港的门槛，让低垂的半月
淡黄多了一份冰凉
但不像上海 刺皮
只是爽朗
却刚巧遇上重阳
登高
为何我如此畏怯
也许，站了上去
不知是忆兄弟
或是他，或是她
在天际的微笑
都以各色的沉寂让我揪心
也许这样，十月
应该被遗忘
在落叶被世人残踏的时候。

Art and Ritual: A Comparison of the Ritual use of Paintings in Ch'an and Pure Land Buddhism. (A.W. Barber) 艺术与仪式：比较佛教禅宗与净土宗绘画的仪式作用

(Adapted from the "Conclusion" section)

We have seen that the Pure Land tradition as understood by the line of development passing through Shan-tao used paintings of Amitaba and his Pure Land in two distinct ways; meditational aids in the quest for a vision of that pure abode and as an inspirational and devotional aids when not associaed with the meditative vision.



The use of paintings as meditational aids are excellent aids in the visualization process because both the primary and secondary texts left details out that a painting must provide (Note: for example, in 《净土论》, the description of the Pure Land is often fraught with ambiguities and unknown details. This results in people practising meditation having difficulty in visualizing the entire picture.). The type of meditation that was gained in this way included both calm abiding and insight based on the understanding provided by Vasubandhu's Pure Land writings. Being on the calm abiding/ insight axis of meditational practice does not distinguish the rituals from other Mahayana rituals of a similar nature in this tradition. It is in the application of the three bodies of the Buddha that distinctions can be seen.

According to Shan-tao's understanding of the Pure Land, the visualization meditation is clearly associated within the Sambhogikakaya the level of Buddha bodies becuase Amitabha's Pure Land was understood to exist at this level. Thus the ritual use of art was to aid in a Sambhogikakaya vision of Amitabha Buddha and his land. Information was also offered that this visualization was not understood to include the realization of the mind of the Buddha and thus the inclusion of the Dharmakaya is not found, as is the case in some Tibetan Buddhist visualization rituals.

Although both calm abiding and insight meditations are well implemented in the Ch'an tradition and painted art expressing this is found, the use of art in Ch'an goes well beyond this application.Ch'an art begins with the Mahayana doctrine of emptiness and the prajna wisdom it instills. From this emptiness forms merge with the able hand of the artist expressing his/her realization. However, in Ch'an art much of the painting still retains the emptiness and a smaller percentage has forms. This was connected with the Prajnaparamita sutras ideas.


The expression of realization in both the production and the viewing of Ch'an art was presented and the movement from the form and emptiness as expressed in art works such as landscape paintings was discussed. The fact that the paintings contain representations of both form and emptiness means that the painting had to point to something else for there to be movement. Like in the use if kung-ans the function of the art was to produce a leap in the view of the practitioner. That leap was to the realm of the emptiness of emptiness considered the ultimate in Mahayana writings on wisdom. This emptiness of emptiness is a synonym of the Dharmakaya of the Buddham the summum bonum in the Mahayana.

Daniel B. Stevenson in his article on T'ien-t'ai lay Buddhist rituals notes that Tz'u-yun Tsun-shir (964-1032) claimed that the chanting of the name of Amitabha would grant the guarding gods and bodhisattvas protecting one, the suffering of afflictions by ghosts, demons, etc. would not occure, Amitabha will eliminate their sins, and give them dreams of him and his land, and other benefits. We also learn that inspired by Tsun-shir people would gather in front of images of Amitabha performing rituals and hoped for visions of him in addition to other worldly and this worldly benefits. Such visionary and dream granting in association with the Pure Land tradition is to be considered a regular feature.

Thus, we get some indication of images being used in a way that is very similar to the use noted by John Elsner in his abovementioned article within the Pure Land tradition. But the art of Ch'an had a completely different ritual associated with it. That is one leading to a gestalt transpersonal like experience as understood in psychology theory.

十年回归，十年艺术

到香港快一个月，听说艺术中心正举办《面值十岁——香港艺术1997 – 2007》的展览，便本能地觉得有参观的价值，希望能“以小见大”地窥探香港回归后的文化。

艺术中心塞在湾仔一个不起眼的角落，离繁忙街道其实不太远，却仿佛与川流不息的午休人群有着看不见的距离。也许，那是艺术中心周围环境的静谧，给予我的错觉。不过，艺术不就应该这样，与“忙碌的功利性”保持若即若离的关系吗？特别在香港这个“闷锅”之中，偶尔的平静其实是一种幸福。

乘搭电梯上五楼展厅，视觉捕捉到的第一幅，名为《维多利亚城》。港岛上具有标志性与历史性的建筑，如国际金融中心（IFC）、中国银行大厦、AIG大厦等，一一化身为婀娜多姿的女郎，钢铁水泥玻璃成了女郎的外衣。每个女郎头上，都标有建筑名称与建成的年份。更有趣的是，每个女郎通过体态、姿势所散发的气质，恰恰凸现每个建筑所具备的特征：IFC女郎的尊贵、中银女郎淡淡的高傲、文华东方酒店女郎的羞涩……

海港线上的建筑标志，往往是游客认识香港的第一道窗，并且常在夜晚时分，在灯花的衬托下，给都市人一种奇异的浪漫感。《维多利亚城》似乎就象征着城市建筑与人之间那份说不出道不明的微妙情感联系。

历史与国际化的进程，使不同的文化汇聚于香港，但如何相互融合，确立个体的身份，似乎是许多人的困扰。对此，艺术家的呈现方式各异：有画家以“恶搞”的方式，将“马背上的拿破仑”替换成了关羽，把卡拉瓦乔的《圣保罗的死难》替换成了《西游记》十四回唐僧让悟空带上紧箍咒的一幕；有将中、英、粤三种语言与历史交叉成艺术作品的；也有纯粹通过抽象主义与艺术手法，试图在中西文化和传统与现代之间寻求精神与心灵平静的。然而，殊途同归的结果，总是反映出一种“未完成”状态——艺术的、心灵的、个体的。

政治讽喻意味的作品，也是展览的重要组成部分。《一元乐队》刻画了邵逸夫、何鸿燊、李嘉诚、龚如心等六位“商界元老”，收持乐器，唱着“All I need is love!”。画家的解释只有一句“If all these senior people can rock, Hong Kong can be totally astonishing”。意思浅浅，令人失笑，却有力地传达某种在我看来既有对商业文化，也有对传统的多层次隐含意义。

《三国演义》，也相当有新意，由三幅鲜艳非凡的画组成。第一幅“死亡”，在一片白莲、黄雛菊（英国葬礼上常用的花）与都铎玫瑰（英国国花）中，刻画了最后一个港督克里斯•培顿（Chris Patten）及其女儿艾丽丝，还有象征港民的“纳粹忠实者”，带出回归前的不舍与对殖民地的爱恨交加。第二幅“诞生”，画家把董建华刻花为一个巨大的机器人，在熊熊烈火中摧毁城市。第三幅“重生”，则是铁笼中的曾荫权。大量交错的亮色，反衬港人对回归后的政治领袖的疏离与不啻。

正当我在思索着香港政治对港人的意义时，赫然发觉自己走进了一堆“死蟑螂”之中，险些反胃。这也是艺术品之一，名为《曾荫权是一只只有消化系统的甲虫》，讽刺特首如何拆除古迹，将其化为经济数据“吞回肚中”。在展厅另一处，艺术家也把北京的“鸟巢”塑造成了一只肥硕的大蟑螂。长久以来，政治总是对艺术起着刺激与契机的作用。立法会选举刚过去，我只觉得自己是个看客。但是，当报章评论与艺术加工相结合，自己仿佛能很直接并感性地体会港人对政治的复杂情怀。

我曾通过龙应台的文字，略窥港人的身份危机。看完展览，我却觉得，模糊不清的个体认同，虽然令人不适，但只要不忘自省，不放弃思索，不确定性其实也是无限的可能性。香港的艺术家，明显对此有着清楚的意识。

那么，新加坡又如何呢？

（此文章刊登于上星期天的《联合早报》新声带栏目。）

Taking stock of Life

生命就像列车，行使在不断转角弯曲的轨道上。

每个人都一样，只不过我们是否有意识地注意前进的道路。

有时，我们选择把注意力放在窗外的风景，所以也就不在乎列车怎么走，

或把我们带到哪里。

今晚，走回家的路上，我有一股冲动，

决定take stock of Life（“点算生命”）

其实，理由很简单：

因为我感到无比的平静和幸福。

一清早，空气中带有出奇的凉意，

让我这个已经把洪炉热风当成理所当然的外来人

第一次觉得香港的天，终于张开双臂拥抱我。

十一国庆，约了几个香港朋友到西贡半月湾。

坐上游船，向大海出发

蓝天映衬绿水，太阳从白云后微微照射

远处群山围绕，朦朦胧胧

温和的风吹来，海鸥在远处翱翔

浪，时而大，时而小

经过灯塔，白色而不张扬

心，想起了曾经看过的一段韩国影片中的场景

身临其境，虽然情感不同于看影片时的浪漫

但还是吸了口气，吐出

同时，幸福地微笑。

到了海滩，人很多

虽然说，防鲨鱼的保护网因之前的台风损害

但谁也不管，通通下水

借了朋友的goggles

如鱼得水

来来回回在浮标与岸边之间游着蛙式

就这样，玩到四点

回到西贡吃糖水，点了碗“富贵蛋白”

温温滑滑，整个口腔仿佛涂了润滑剂

吞下去，甜在心里。

一切如此简单，却是我失却已久的

那单纯，很美。

回到“世间”，突然想起自己在香港

脑中回顾这一个月，觉得长进了好多

对自己的认识

对中西的“混合”

对教育的热忱

对知识的理解

还有

对生命的看法

其实，活着

就像每天都是最后一天

因为对明天不再奢望

只愿如果早上张开了眼，

能感受和昨天一样的阳光。

23年

命运替我安排了一个好家庭

一群好朋友，以及

世俗中一条坦荡的石路。

能活得真切，活得实在

有时被担忧困扰，却从不去畏惧世人所回避的。

我，还需要什么？

JBJ走了，一个“反对党的战士”

活着的人，战友以及政见不同的，

都这么称呼他

Stubbornly passionate, passionately stubborn

有时，我会觉得自己能够如此

更多时候，我希望自己能够始终秉持这样的态度

为了自己所在乎的

我想，没有必要丧气

但也无需觉得自己有历史任务

世界在改变，人也一样

没有了定点，就必须接受

今天的革命，是明天的反革命

明天的皇帝，是后天的百姓

政治，将会接受新的使命

而我到今天才明白，原来我们的父母

从来分不清“政策”和“政府”

政府不能经常换

政策却能不断修订

批评，总是不够的，除非没有人提出问题的实质

意见和远见，才是这一代人需要努力掌握的。

这很矛盾，但生命不都这样？

变来变去，到最后

唯有当那颗心忠贞不渝，洁白无瑕

才能在星空下，迎着微风

让她抚摸你的头发，

觉得肉体就是灵魂

淡淡飘忽，却步履坚定。