The only certainty is uncertainty 有相无相不定相

I remember when I was in the army in 1999, I had to walk for 15 minutes to the train station to take the train to camp and upon arriving, a further 10 minutes from the train station into the camp and my unit. I was wondering what to do with the daily 25 minutes of walking and decide to chant sutra. That was the period where I got no homework to do, no quizzes to prepare and no formulas to remember. I can not read while walking. Hence chanting seems to be the best thing to do.

我记得在九九年服兵役时，每天需要步行十五分钟到地铁站，之后再从下站的地铁站步行十分钟到达兵营以及单位。我拿捏着每天二十五分钟的步行，该如何打发，并决定边走边诵经。服兵役这段时期，没有任何功课要做，没有测验要准备，没有公式要记。又不能边步行边阅读，因此，诵经似乎是成了最佳的选择。

Why do I need to chant? Back in 1999, my understanding of Buddhism is limited. My grandmother told me once that if you chant a lot of sutra, when you are dead and cremated, there will be many relics. That time, I thought that it is good to have relics, so I decide to chant.

为什么我选择诵经？九九年时，我对佛法是一知半解。祖母曾经告诉过我，如果人生诵过很多经文，往生以及火化后，会有很多舍利子。当时，我认为有很多舍利子是件好事，所以决定诵经。

It started with chanting the Great Compassion Mantra thrice daily. Later, after realizing that there is still time left during the walking journey, I added the chanting of the Heart Sutra thrice daily as well.

我开始每日诵念大悲咒三遍。后来，发现步行时还有空余的时间，便加上心经，也是每天诵念三遍。

Come to think of it, that is close to 9 years of continuous chanting. No wonder, during Lisa's funeral, several SGs and Andy told me that my chanting skills are good. After 9 years of daily practice, I remembered the sutras by heart a long time ago. I learned a few new Mantras at Lisa's place and was able to pick it up pretty fast and eventually chant them by heart at Lisa's funeral.

不知不觉，已有近九年不间断的念诵。这也就难怪，为何在理珊的助念及葬礼仪式上，数位师姑和Andy不约而同的告诉我，我诵经诵得好棒。九年间日复一日的诵念，经文早已背了起来。在理珊的助念仪式上，学了几部新的经文，也学得相当快，最终能够在理珊的葬礼仪式上，不用观看经书而能诵念。

I was looking through my old pictures that day and came across this picture below. It was taken in my previous lab on 5 Jul 06. If you look closely, there is a big logo of Tzu Chi, partially hidden, just on the right side of the big monitor. I took it from lecture hall 10-250, wondering when Tzu Chi ever had events in MIT.

那一天，我在游览旧照片时，从新发现下边的这张照片。这张照片的地点是我读硕士时的实验室，并拍摄与零六年七月五日。仔细观看照片，在电脑银幕的右边有一个很大的慈济标志，部分被隐藏起来。那时我从10-250讲堂取走的。那时我还怀疑，慈济几时在麻省理工有活动。

Anyway, this Feb mark my first year with Tzu Chi. Unknowingly, times flies. I am sure that I will have many more years with Tzu Chi.

今年二月，不知不觉间，我便加入慈济满一年。我深信，我与慈济的缘还有很多很多年。

Japanese bringing their own chopsticks to restaurant 日本人为环保上餐馆自带筷子

This is a very good article. Maybe we can learn something from the Japanese while encouraging people not to use disposable chopsticks. Making it a fashion statement may make it more acceptable to the Americans.

一份非常好的报道。也许我们在鼓励大众不要使用一次性筷子时，可以向日本取经。把环保包装成时尚，相信美国人会更容易接受。

日本人为环保 上餐馆自带筷子 - 符祝慧

日本推动环保，靠的不光是口号，更讲究“时尚”。日本餐厅内，“方便筷”开始变成陌路人，超市内的塑料袋也渐渐被日本妇女抛弃。取而代之的是与时尚、潮流挂钩的“环保袋”以及设计美观的“携带筷子”。

根据日本林野厅木材产业部门的调查，日本从中国进口“方便筷”数量近两年明显下降。这不仅是因为中国生产的方便筷价钱比以前贵了三倍，许多日本餐馆都改用“耐久筷”。更主要的是，日本人喜欢自行带筷子出门的人增加。

近期，为响应环保潮流，有不少日本餐馆联合策划“我筷”运动。响应环保的顾客，只要带筷子上馆子吃饭，就有特别优待。

横滨市的一家饭店，自去年11月开始就实施“我筷”餐。到那里进餐的人们，自备筷子非但能获得优待，吃饱饭后，服务员还会上前来问：“要我帮你洗筷子吗？”

据该店店长统计，开始实施顾客“洗筷子”服务后，自行带筷子的人与日俱增。而且，该店也发现，餐厅里的许多女顾客，已把带筷子入店当成是一个时髦话题。

常和友人结伴到店内吃饭的日本太太森田说：“我喜欢到这里吃饭，因为看到不会是千篇一律的方便筷，而是可以欣赏到各种各样可爱，有品味的携带筷。”

“我筷”的流行，也带动东京时尚街掀起一阵“筷子店”风。摆着大约500多种设计精巧的筷子和筷子盒的店铺，目前是妇女们的逛街热点。她们除了会给自己选上一双心爱的筷子外，更喜欢买筷子送朋友。在日本筷店内，一双设计精致品质好的筷子，最贵的可标高到日币一万元(约130新元)。

原宿的一筷子店主受访时说：“我筷运动的掀起，让追求高品味筷子的人增多。我认为，环保讲究的是要爱护物品，给自己选上一把贵的筷子，就不容易喜新厌旧，是鼓励节约的一个好途径。

日本的环保时尚，也吹进了名牌服装名。日本波能登（Benelton）公司近期设计推出的“我筷”和“我袋”就成为时尚杂志的焦点宣传对象。

该公司商品开发部经理锅岛隆说：“在样样讲究时尚的时代，环保产品讲究的不仅是便利好用，也当重视设计。”

最讲究“点子”产品的日本Tokyu Hands ，近期的一个卖点是在环保楼层展览日本著名设计师设计的“环保袋”。一个个设计别致的环保袋，挂在墙上，又像图画，又像服装。一日本妇女在店内购买了一设计师签名的“环保袋”后，高兴的告诉本报：“有了这设计漂亮的环保袋，我下定决心，每天到超市买东西坚决不用那些破坏环境的塑料袋。”

日本环境部统计，自1970年开始使用塑料袋以后，日本人每年消耗的塑料袋数量不下300亿个。若以作为原材料的石油换算，这一数量相等于日本一天的石油进口量。

为环保，日当局不久前要制定法律规定超市向顾客收纸袋钱。近期，越来越多的日本超市也开始推动“我袋”运动，希望顾客自备纸袋。

联合早报 - 2008年2月25日

CNY greeting cards 新年贺卡

Several weeks ago, during our Tzu Ching gathering at Jing Jia SG place, Victoria gave us a book each. A gift from her mum at Hawaii. It was a book explaining the various manners and protocols Tzu Chi volunteers are encouraged to observe. Two-third of the books is postcards with various related "Still Thoughts".

数星期前，在静嘉师姑家的慈青聚会，鈺梅给了每位慈青一本书，是她母亲在夏威夷与我们结的缘。这是一本讲述慈济“克己复礼”的理念，书中二分之三是写着静思语的明信片。


Since CNY is coming, I detached the postcards from the book, decorated them as CNY greeting cards and send them out to my friends, spreading both the joy of CNY and Master teachings.

由于农历新年将至，我便把明信片从书本撕下，改装成新年贺卡送与朋友们，把新春喜悦及上人教诲和朋友分享。


It does not make much sense to send "Still thoughts" CNY greeting cards to our own Tzu Chi volunteers. It so happen that a year ago, our department of Ocean Engineering was incorporated into the department of Mechanical Engineering. Hence, many blank Ocean Engineering invitation cards lost their use. I decided to recycle them into CNY greeting cards for our Tzu Chi volunteers. I gave these greeting cards to most Tzu Chi volunteers that I knew, except Charles SB, Isabelle SG, Hui An SG and Li Feng SB, whom I did not meet till after CNY.

把静思语贺卡送给自己慈济人没多大意义。刚好一年前，我就读的海洋工程系被纳入机械工程系。因此，许多没用过的海洋工程系邀请柬失去了其作用，被推至于一旁。我决定把它们改成新年贺卡，送给认识的师姑和师伯们，除了Charles师伯、玲惠师姑、惠安师姑以及李峰师伯因无法在农历新年前见到面而例外。


Both the postcards and Ocean Engineering invitation cards do not have envelopes. Hence, I made them myself, using waste paper that has one unwritten side. One of my friend commented that he was surprise to receive my greeting card, but he was more surprised to open up the envelope to find a list of fluid mechanics formula on the inside!

静思语明信片及海洋工程系邀请柬都没有信封。因此，我把用过一面的白纸折成信封。我的一位朋友事后告诉我，他很惊讶地收到我的贺卡，不过让他更惊讶的是当他打开信封后，赫然发现信封内写满着流体力学的公式！

人文学校春节联欢 Chinese School CNY celebration

二月三日，是慈济人文学校的春节联欢会。那一天没上课，只有游戏、表演和素食。联欢由许校长和济逢师伯的舞狮表演拉开序幕，跟着是同学们的各种文化表演如中国舞蹈和二胡演奏，当然不可或缺的是师姑们的手语表演。

3 Feb is the CNY celebration at Tzu Chi Chinese School. There is no class that day, but games, performance and food. The celebration kicked of with lion dance by our principal Xu SB and Ji Feng SB, followed by various cultural performances like Chinese dances and erhu by our very own students. Not to be missed out, our sign language performance by many of our SGs is a must for such activities.

表演后，大家分成各小组，守着不同游戏摊位，好让同学参与。慈青想出来一个游戏，既有趣又能宣导环保理念。同学须把呼啦圈抛出，圈住不远处的各种可回收瓶罐。不只要圈住，还须把圈到的可回收瓶罐放入正确的回收桶。如此，同学将能换取一张奖券，经过积累，便能拿去交换小礼物。慈青的游戏摊位，由Alice看守，也是最热闹的摊位。可能是明白其中道理后，比较容易发挥。也因为如此，许多同学不断的回过头来慈青的摊位，不断的复习环保分类，达到了我们宣导环保的目标。

After the performances, we break into small groups, manning different game stalls for our students to participate. Tzu Ching came up with a game that is fun and educates students on recycling as well. They have to toss the hoop around various recyclable bottles, cartons and cans. After tossing and capturing an item, they have to place it into the correct recycle bin. That will earn them a coupon from us, to accumulate and exchange for gifts. Tzu Ching stall, manned by Alice, was the most popular among all the stalls, partly because it is easier to play once you got the hang out of it. Well, as long as students remember how to sort recyclable items, our aim is achieve.

一个早上下来，记得最多的是，很多食物，很多人，很多师姑抢着要慈青过来帮忙。这是一个十分有趣的早上。

At the very end, what I remember most are, there are plenty of food, a lot of people and many SGs fighting to get Tzu Ching to go over and help them. It was a fun day.