New Words

serenity 平靜
tangerine 橘子
blossom 花
peel 剝/削去...的皮
fragrance 香味
multify 加乘 、加倍
sane 頭腦清楚的、明智的、健全的
wondrous 奇妙的、不可思議的

「橘子禪」~深觀
Yesterday, in our retreat, we had a tangerine party. Everyone was offered
one tangerine. We put the tangerine on the palm of our hand and looked
at it, breathing in a way that the tangerine became real. Most of the time
when we eat a tangerine, we do not look at it. We think about many other things.
To look at a tangerine is to see the blossom forming into the fruit, so see the
sunshine and the rain. The tangerine in our palm is the wonderful presence and
smell its blossom and the warm, moist earth. As the tangerine becomes real,
we become real. Life in that moment becomes real.
Mindfully we peeled our tangerine and smelled its fragrance. We carefully took
each section of the tangerine and put it on our tongue, and we could feel that
it was a real tangerine. We ate each section of the tangerine in perfect mindfulness
until we finished the entire fruit. Eating a tangerine in this way is very important,
because both the tangerine and the eater of the tangerine become real. This, too, is
the basic work for peace.

~extracted from page 52 & 53 of "The Heart of Understanding"