禅 Zen

我有一个从南美洲来的朋友同事，最近读了一本西班牙语的禅宗书籍，了解了一些禅宗教义，与我分享。到底他对这些教义的了解有多深，有无误解，我不清楚，因我对禅宗了解不深。

基本的部分教义如下：
人生最重要的是“现在”。
不相信昨天明天，过去未来。
人应该了解他们每一刻都在“存在”着。
因此，人应该懂得享受此时此刻。
不但吃喝玩乐要享受，
连劳苦，淋雨，发呆，生病，行走等都得懂得享受那一刻。

我想这样的人的却会比较快乐开心吧！

虽说这样的人比较快乐，但人生中心却在于自身，却非我认同。
享受归享受，但人生中心该在于助人为己任。

（在此叙述的禅宗教义乃来自友人，准确程度未得验实。对禅宗的认识较深的朋友们不妨多留言与纠正。）

Efficient Sleeping

I wonder if one could split our 8hrs sleeping time to 4hrs and 4hrs.
If this is possible, it would make our work and play much more efficient.

Unless 4hrs is not enough to get our body into the deep sleep stage for regeneration?
Any experts on this subject?

水火不容

你生命中是否遇见过一个与你水火不容的人？
即使你对他没有任何恶意，
没做过任何对不起他的事，
没说过任何不中听的话；
但在他眼中你就是那么讨人厌，
使他觉得必须时时防范，时时攻击，
就好像你得罪了他的十八代祖宗，
或前世欠了他人情还没还清！

（当然这只是比喻，我并不相信前世因缘。）

The Gift of Life

The ultimate gift of God to us is His gift of Life to us.

It is already worth giving thanks to be alive,
and all other things we have in life should be considered as a bonus,
whether it be our family, relatives, or freinds...
or the butter on the bread that melts in the mouth when we have breakfast every morning,
or the mattress that we sleep upon comfortably every night,
or simply the shelter we have over our heads every day...

This way we can be easily contented,
and always have a grateful heart,
no matter what we have in this life.

Life is His beautiful gift for us.

Aussie Greeters

I find it very annoying when Aussies 'greet' you.
They'd say...
"How's it going mate?"
"How'r ya today mate?" etc
If these were opening lines for a conversation then its okay, I use it too.
If they mean what they say, usually they don't, its okay too.

However, they seem to overuse these lines as a form of greeting even to strangers and whoever they see, and everytime they 'ask' these 'greetings' I'd have to say 'great' and 'ask' him back. Then he replies the same and heads off because we're just passing each other. I find this meaningless.

Nowadays, we're just walking too fast to pause and reply-then-ask. So usually I'd just reply and not 'ask' them how are they anymore.
Or I'd just say "g'day or g'morning" (or whatever's appropriate) and they'd do the same. I find this works quite well. More so for mates that have worked with me for some time. They hardly say "How's it going mate?" anymore.

Hope this blends into the culture soon. =D