Vegetarian? 素了嗎？

有位素食的朋友，去年開始在她自己家園翻土種菜。那時她對我說，在翻土時殺傷一些蟲，心很不好受，為了要種菜卻殺生。
我那時很理性的回應她，我們每天都會殺生，如煮水，很多小到無法肉眼看到的菌。只要無蓄意，也不是很大的罪。

我還不是素食者，但這幾年自己煮食，都煮素食。

前幾天另一位朋友給我她家園的菜，當我洗菜時，注意每片葉前後上下左右，不僅耗時，越洗越難受，我邊洗邊唸起往生咒。。

沒有殺蟲劑的菜，當然是牠們的天堂。
一片葉是蟲的一生。
我的一餐是幾只蟲的生命？

煮水燒菜，雖然看不到微細生物，但知識中，我是在殺生。
我真的能素嗎？

A vegetarian friend started growing vegetables in her back yard last year. She shared her discomfort about killing some worms while she was digging the garden. It was killing.
I replied to her in rational thought that we are killing everyday, like when boiling a pot of water, many germs are killed that we can't see. That's not a big deal as long as we are not doing it intentionally.

I am not a vegetarian yet, but I cook vegetarian food mostly since I must cook.

Last week, another friend gave me some vegetables from her garden. It took several hours to wash the leaves, because I needed to look all around on every leaf. I felt discomfort while washing them, so I started chanting for those tiny insects, may they get that transfer of merit...

The place without chemicals is heaven to the worms and insects.
A leaf is the life of insect.
How many insects in a meal of mine?

When boiling water and cooking meals, even though I can't see those tiny creatures, but in knowledge, I am killing.
Can I really be vegetarian?

He found the Heart

One evening, when the light was on in the living room. Steve found it.
Steve: Is this placed for a purpose?
I was in the other room.
Me: What about?
Steve: You come and see the heart is there.

一晚，客廳燈亮着。Steve 發現它。
Steve：這是特意擺的嗎？
我在另一間房。
我：是什麼？
Steve：你來看，有心在那。

Me: Oh, that's really a heart. I was searching for some CDs and moved the holder, and I didn't notice it came out.
我：噢！真的是心。我找CD時移到那架子，沒注意它出現。

Steve is sensitive with heart now?
Steve 對心敏感了？

一天內得知兩位善者永別

    

我來到美國還能親近到法師，一位比丘及兩位姐妹的比丘尼，尤其是三位出生自馬來西亞，倍增親切。

每次到佛寺見到空幻法師都是笑臉迎人，和善，慈祥。而且是佛寺的主廚。有一次，我做了黃梨酥去供養，法師說很久沒吃到了，向我多拿了兩塊。

去年聽說法師被珍斷癌症，我很傷感。

照片是在今年中，見到法師(左)似乎治療有些起色，我很欣喜的希望法師痊愈。

想不到，法師的癌細胞擴散至腦部。

當我參加一工作坊，你也是去上這工作坊時及你任職於輔導中心，我們再相遇，我很驚訝，你竟然修學輔導了。

之前，我第一次見到你時，對你印象深刻。那時是，我和輔導義工同伴應邀去馬大的佛教會禪修營給一項活動。我是在你的那組，活動完後的組員分享時，你的分享讓我有點不能釋懷，大意是，你不認為輔導有效果，佛法才是最究竟的。

不被認同，我也沒有解釋。

過後，我跟同伴秀秀說起這點，秀秀對我說，她認識你，麗真，你的人是無惡意的。

過了幾年，工作坊及輔導中心再遇見你時，我的記憶特好，可能你不記得我，我還記得你及分享的話，當然很好奇你為什麼選擇修學輔導，跟你說起那段往事。你說因為一些事讓你改變了觀念。

雖然我也是認為佛法才是究竟，但人在面對煩惱時，輔導是有效能助人處理的。你認同了，我也沒有多加解釋。

接著你一直是禪修和輔導工作並行。

這張照片，是我結婚時，美麗的伴娘。

對不起，沒得到同意就放上照片，我想兩位都是灑脫的，一定不會介意。

願兩位善者，即使我們在不同時空，也持續修証究竟解脫。

Own vegetables

I was thinking to wait a little longer before harvesting sweet potato leaves for a dish from my garden again, but there was a frost a few nights ago. They're all gone.
The greens that survived are Chinese radishes.
我還想再等幾天割所種的番薯葉，炒來吃。那里知道前晚的寒冷凍死全部。
綠色的還活著，那是白蘿卜。

Same with the basil. They were gone too.  The greens are mint.
同樣的，九層塔也凍死了。綠的是薄荷。

My friend shared some vegetables from her garden.
朋友給我她園子的一些菜。

Almost every leaf has holes. That tells these are real organic. My garden's vegetable leaves are the same.

It took me two hours to wash them, you know why?
幾乎每片葉子透光，這就是真正的有機。我的番薯葉也是如此。
我用了將近兩小時洗菜。你知道為什麼嗎？

After washing two times, I found these worm eggs stuck on when I cut the leaves. 

That's why it took me so long.  I need to clean the front and back of every leaf thoroughly.

洗了兩次後，切菜時，我看到有蟲蛋黏著。
我每片葉前後都檢查清洗。

Fall in Love 秋戀