Videos of goats and chickens 羊寶錄影
Chickens 雞
Voice of goats 山羊的叫聲
Goat feed 山羊愛吃的食物
Books and Movies Review 讀書和電影心得
Back Yard Bio-Charcoal 自製木炭
Recipes 中西食譜
Edible Garden 可食庭園
Property Development 買山容易養山難
玫瑰堡雖僅兩萬人口, 但教堂特多, 基督教, 天主教, 摩門教, 回教, 猶太教, 還有些叫不出名稱的宗教, 獨缺佛教.
幾乎每五步一家教堂, 且信眾動輒數百家庭, 每月做廚房義工的教會, 甚至號稱有九百個 "家庭" 會員.
每個教堂都有所謂的讀書會, 但其實是以住家附近社區為單位, 研讀聖經的小團體. 非信教人士亦歡迎隨時加入; 圖書館也有以小說為主, 每週定期聚會的 book club.
四個月前, 無意中發現了這個小團體, 不讀聖經, 而是由會員決定研討心靈禪修書籍, 買不買皆可, 教堂裡的小圖書館借得到
聽說創始時, 有四五十人參加, 但因選讀的第一本大部頭書, 費時將近兩年才讀完, 多人因此陸續退出, 之後就都選簡單易讀, 能在 3 個月內完成的小書, 目前念的是 When you are Falling, Dive: Acceptance, Freedom and Possibility, 每週大約 10-15 人固定參加 (我是惟一非白人).
這讀書會有個很獨特的開場儀式, 就是等大家圍成圓圈坐定後 (可選坐無扶手, 或有扶手的椅子), 點上蠟燭, 然後依序由自願者開始, 選一至數顆彩石 (聽說顏色有代表的特定意義, 例如快樂, 祝福, 好運...), 說出自己想祝福或祈禱的對象 (可以是自己, 親友, 寵物, 災民, 世界和平), 再將石子投入玻璃水杯.
之後, 由自願者, 拿起生鏽的水龍頭, 報告一週來的生活或心情, 訴苦, 開心的事都行, 但規定非團體輔導或婚姻諮商, 因此只能互相關懷, 傾聽與鼓勵, 不能評斷或給意見, 且出了大門就要忘掉, 不許傳出去, 不想說的人可以跳過.
創始會員告知. 因為每個人的生活, 就像生鏽的水龍頭一樣, 老舊, 漏水, 需要修整, 因此用它來開始心靈禪修的閱讀儀式.
由於不是每個人都買了書, 且會員來來去去. 每週不同, 因此採取每人輪流讀一或數段文字方式, 讀完一個段落, 大家可以發表自己的看法, 詮釋文字, 或提出生活中相對應的經驗.
禪修的書也讀過一些, 但從未聽如此多的人用英語發表看法, 且會員多退休老人, 豐富的人生經驗, 和禪修英文, 增長不少知識.
全程只有一個半鐘頭, 自己很少發表意見, 一則是禪修英文字彙不足, 再則有時用英文解釋一些觀念, 例如 "無我", "空性"... 力有未逮, 為免越說越糊塗, 乾脆閉嘴聽別人說, 學得更多.
讀書會結束前五分鐘, 每人輪流讀一小段和本書相關的英文精選名人佳句 (摘錄於下), 縱然在閱讀主選書的 3-5 個月期間, 每週都讀同樣一頁佳句, 但隨著時間的累積, 會有不同的領悟.
雖說是讀書會, 仍具聯誼功能, 會員在結束後, 常互約吃午餐, 或看電影, 心靈和生理皆充了電, 又可奮鬥一星期了
美國總統詹森在做參議員時，在辦公室上掛了一個牌子，上面寫著：
英國思想家培根說：「做事首重敏捷，說話則著重謹慎。」
不要急著說、搶著說，而要想著說
Special Words about Acceptance, Freedom and Possibility
Letting go doesn't mean that you don't care about someone anymore. it's just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself. -- Deborah Reber, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. -- Lao Tz
Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it. -- Ann Lande
The best way is not to fight it, just go. Don't be trying all the time to fix things. What you run from only stays with you longer. When you fight something, you only make it stronger. -- Invisible Monsters Chuck Palaniuk
You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.
-- Thomas Merton
When you throw everything up in the air anything becomes possible.
-- Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses
Anything at all is possible. Some things are unlikely. Some things will never happen. But they always could, at any time. -- Ashly Lorenzana
Prophets are those who take life as it is and expand it. They refuse to shrink a vision of tomorrow to the boundaries of yesterday. -- Joan Chittister OSB
Regardless of your faith, you can never escape uncertainty -- Shannon L. Alder
I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will. -- Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre
Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind. -- Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own
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