On Life (生命)

生命的本身充滿著神秘與奇蹟。

Life is full of miracles and mysteries.

在生命的吉光片羽中，我們偶爾可窺見一絲天機。
If we live with our soul, sometimes we can see our destination in a fraction of a second.

當我年輕的時候，我以為生命只是一連串幸運的偶然與巧合。一切人事的因緣，無端而來、隨意而去；緣至則聚，緣盡則散。
當我越過生命旅途的中點，偶爾回首，才明白生命其實是一連串的抉擇。每個時刻的起心動念，緣生一個抉擇；每一個抉擇都為自己種下另一個因緣。
When I was young, I thought life was but a journey of coincidences and good luck. Everything comes and goes with no reason.
Standing in the second half of my life's journey and looking back, now I realize that life is but my own choices. Each choice originated from the seat of our soul plants a seed for another "coincidence".

流動，使得一切生命與事物得以健康地延續--水在大氣層與地球之間的不斷變幻與流動；冰雪的形成與幻化；空氣的流動；花朵的綻放與凋零；四季的變遷；我們內心情緒的流動、體內血液的流動；金錢來去的流動……
The constant flowing of everything is essential for everything to be existing in a healthy condition--the flowing and changing of water between the atmosphere and the Earth; the forming and disappearing of ice and snow; the free flowing of the air; the blooming and the decay of flowers; the change of the seasons; the flowing of our emotions and blood; the coming and going of money...

在2010年4月的一個學術會議，請來北京大學中文系的王岳川教授開講。王教授亦以書法有名，是我多年來難得見到的真正學者。他轉述了這麼一個故事—
廣西灕江地區以風景優美著名，近年來吸引了不少外國觀光客。有個美國年輕人慕名而去。有天一早這個美國年輕人背起了背包，迫不及待地想要飽覽當地風光。他看到一個老婦人，悠閑地坐在江岸，似乎什麼事也不做。這位美國人快步繼續走向他當天的行程。一整天這裏看看、那裏看看，倒也看了不少湖光山色。這期間，老婦人仍從容地待在江邊，肚子餓了，便就地摘點野菜野果吃吃。到了傍晚時分，年輕人走了一大圈看足了風光之後回來，看到那位老婦人仍坐在原地。那位美國年輕人對整個事情實在想不透，便問老婦人何以整天如此悠閑自在。老婦人緩緩對年輕人說；“急什麼呀？路的盡頭就是墳墓哪！”
Professor Yuechuan Wang from the Chinese Department of Beijing University was the keynote speaker of a conference in April, 2010 in New Jersey. Professor Wang, also a very famous calligrapher in China, is a true scholar that I have ever seen in decades. He mentioned the following story he heard from another place--
The beautiful scenery of Li River area in Guangxi, China, has attracted a lot of foreigners during the past years. An American young man was traveling there. One early morning he put on his backpack setting out for his exciting journey of the sightseeing. On his way he saw an old lady sitting by the river doing nothing. This young man just moved on in haste because he had so many places to visit that day. During the day, the old lady continued to stay by the river. She picked some wild vegetables and fruits to eat when she was hungry. At the end of the day, the American young man came back. Seeing the old lady still sitting there composedly and leisurely, he was bewildered. So he asked the old lady why she was able to stay there the whole day in such a relaxing way. The old lady told him gracefully: "What's the hurry? At the end of the road is the grave yard."