Tuesday, March 8, 2016

京都の夏の思い出 - 2013 Princeton Global Seminar Program: Zen Buddhism

桜の季節はすぐに来る。日本にもう一度行きたい。これは京都の旅行について、中国語で書いたブログです。懐かしいね。



夏天也不都是一样的。
小坡的夏天一如既往地充满年轻人奋斗的热血。走在路上,你可以看见塞着耳机边听BBC边背单词的;学校里有刚在lecture上睡醒睡眼朦胧开始刷SAT的;宿舍里也到处都是不战斗到半夜两点自习室关门不停止的,小坡的那四年充满着我对未来的所有理想和抱负。但小坡毕竟小,政府又管得紧,所以这素来以安静著称的城市却总是不能让人宁静。心情好的时候,你觉得出租车司机的唠嗑是一种亲切,觉得社区里uncle/auntie的家常话是一种温馨;心情不好的时候,你只觉得烦。没有历史的小坡总显得单调,而四季皆是夏天,让这个城市更显得浮躁。
夏天的颜色,配上罗马应该是很相宜的。去年七月,我们结束了德国的交流顺路来到罗马感受古文明的气息,只可惜当时浮躁的心境遇上了言语粗鲁的意大利人,又遇上酷暑,于是最后也是草草结束行程,连照片也遗失了。
京都的夏天,是安静的。
城市里因为到处都是寺庙,加上现在是夏天,游客又少,所以很多时候即使很热闹,也不会太吵。京都最美的时候应该是在春秋时节吧,届时樱花会包围整个城市,枫叶会布满桥的两旁。但游客少也是一件好事,和京都人一起走在这个城市里,时间久了,也就忘了自己游人的身份,四处参观的时候就是不一样的心境了。
作为一座世界闻名的城市,京都没有像纽约和东京那样,到处挤满了高楼大厦。从二条到七条,除了繁华的四条商业区,很多时候都是分布整齐、间隔有序的木制民居,一眼望去只让人觉得宁静。我们教授的房子有一百多年历史,很有意思的是,京都人不是以自己房子多大多现代而自豪的,大家都觉得房子越老、祖辈在这里的时间越长,才是真正值得自豪的事。京都的生活节奏也没有随着网络时代而变得趋近于光速。这里大学居多,走在路上的都是充满“元气”的大学生。我也经常看见很多老人推着车慢悠悠地走在大街上,他们的身影遍布在充满朝气的年轻人中,让京都的节奏慢下了不少。
京都其实有很多故事可以说。京都有大大小小三千多所寺庙和神社,我们这次只是去了禅宗佛教的大约十所寺庙,大脑就已经承载了不少信息,更不要说其它门派的佛教在京都的历史,甚至是日本文化在京都发展的故事了。我很羡慕京都人,因为京都人总有说不完的故事。他们可以带你去龙安寺的石庭,静坐着体会禅的本意;可以带你去金阁寺,感受永恒的美丽;可以带你到和果子堂亲手用樱花瓣做精致的甜点;可以带你去各处皇家园林欣赏园林大师对自然的美妙诠释;也可以带你在七条上走一天看老房子的历史痕迹;带你去某条巷口的小店排队吃熬了一个早上的豚骨拉面。如果你想要体会传统文化,可以去天龙寺做一天佛家弟子;如果你喜欢现代一点的,可以去漫画馆看一天的漫画。京都就是一本永远也看不厌的书。
生活在京都,要细心才能发现惊喜,因为京都的很多故事都藏在那角角落落里,不注意的话即使每天走过也不会察觉。三条通和某条小路的交叉口,有一个大西清右卫门美术馆。表面看起来非常不起眼,但馆主居然是世传十六代的专门制作茶道用铁壶的大师。茶道对烧水用的铁壶要求非常严格,制作一个铁壶往往需要好几年。虽然大师祖上流传下了很多模制和道具,但很多样式的做法并没有流传下来,有的只是先人保存下来的成品,而且这些成品之间也因为各代风格喜好的不同略有差异。所以大师便用排除法尝试所有可能的制作方法,有一次他为了研究一个具体的花样是怎么浇制,花了十五年的时间。我从来不知道,坚持原来可以这么久,尤其是在不知道自己的努力会不会有结果的时候。浇制铁壶,是要长时间和熔炉为伴的,炎炎夏日,就有这么一个人对艺术的热情超过了夏天的温度。
京都也不是任何时候都那么美好的。火灾已经是京都历史上的标志性事件,吞噬了无数的生命、房屋和文物,但很多房屋和寺庙都是烧了再建,哪怕还是会被烧。京都人就是这么顽强地生活了下来,他们脸上也总是能看到一种平和,我不禁感叹京都在这平静之中蕴含的无限生命力。或者,也许是京都真的太美了,美到能给人勇气继续生存在这里,并不懈地保护这里的文化。
当我意识到这一切的时候,京都的夏天已经成为了生命中最美好的一段回忆。我很感激教授让我们从佛教的角度去感受京都,再也没有比平和的心态更好的方式去体会京都的文化和美丽了。试想如果从日本近代史的角度,或是其它角度来看,京都应该又是一番不一样的景象了吧。
山其实也不都是一样的。
当车行驶在蜿蜒的山路上时,我脑海里浮现出了这三年夏天经历过的山路。西藏的山是11年的夏天,那是我第一次去西部旅行,也是第一次感受高原上的山。我只记得西藏的山遍布着绿色,脚下就是成片的草原和摆着尾巴的牦牛。或许是西藏的山和天的距离特别近,山上又到处飘着藏传佛教的风马旗,让其有一种神圣感,而我对其也多数时候带着一种敬意。
12年的夏天是阿尔卑斯山,自此之后我对白雪皑皑、布满崎岖不平的山路和岩石的山只剩下了畏惧。因为山里没有一条游人专用道,教授常走的路又封了,我们在数次迷失方向以后已经完全不知所措,只能遇难而上。于是我第一次爬下了近九十度的峭壁,第一次以秒速十米滑下了雪坡并惊险地躲过了途中的岩石,第一次在雨后一人宽的下坡路上走了近两个小时,那也是我第一次对自然产生了敬畏和恐惧感。
京都的山和它们都不一样,它是亲切的。京都的山高,却布满了郁郁葱葱的树,也只有树,这种终年不变的自然气息也许不再让它变得不可接近,或许也是山脚下水稻田中的房屋和行驶在田中的小卡车给它平添了不少人情味,又或许只是参观者自己的心境不同罢了。山是什么样,最后还是要看的人来决定,也许正巧这时候我的心情和山所体现的氛围相投,才觉得它如此友好吧。所谓投缘,不就是在对的时间对的地点遇上了所谓的对的事么。
京都的人也是一样友好的。今天在Global Seminar的告别会上,我们很多的buddies都哭了;他们还是一如既往的待我们真诚,连感情流露都丝毫不掩饰。我记忆中所有的毕业典礼都是没有人哭的,要么是彼此之间感情不够深,要么就是所有人都选择用不哭来掩饰自己感情的脆弱。我还记得十五岁第一次到新加坡的时候,每天晚上大家排队打电话没有人是不哭的,我却从来没哭过,好像是因为这样才显得更坚强。其实当时无论是哭与不哭,都不能改变初次出国内心的脆弱,自己却幼稚地以为那是成熟的标志。现在想来,如果内心真够强大,又何必在意哭还是不哭?哭的时候就大声哭,笑的时候就开心笑,和京都人一样最好不过了。
京都的夏天只有一次。虽然整理了大量的照片,但就在写这篇文章的时候,当时的很多思绪和心情都已经如流沙逝于掌心,再想握也握不住了。我想,如果现在要我描述我这个夏天的经历,也许我会选择沉默,因为在京都、奈良、大阪、和歌山、神户、宇治、名古屋各处的所思所想、所见所闻,都超越了语言所能表达的范畴。它们都将和这个夏天一起,被埋藏在记忆里。What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence.
再见,京都。

Sunday, May 3, 2015

The Spiritual Journey that Never Ends

In this last required post for this course, I would like to circle back to the very first English post that we wrote at the beginning of last semester - why are you interested in learning Japanese?

At that time, I just thought of a bunch of things I really liked about Japan: food, architecture, calligraphy, etc. It seems that the intensity of one's interest in a language is positively correlated to the things that associate with this language that "click" with our personal desires.

But it doesn't answer the question: what do I find fulfilling in learning this language and its related expressions of human life?

The answer for me is spiritual.

My entrance into real Japanese culture is through the spiritual journey into Zen Buddhism. That summer in Kyoto is one of the turning points of my life. All the beautiful things that express Zen (peaceful mind) and speak to me from the soul.

Temples: I sat in the courtyard of Ryoanji and appreciated the simple yet deep intricacy of the stone garden. Kinkakuji is a place to feel eternity by watching the golden pavilion from faraway in awe (or fear) of its standing on its own.

Nature: lakes, trees, mountains, seas, birds, I hear the voice of life speaking to me through spirit. I remember in Wakayama, as I sat on the bus that drove on the tortuous roads in the mountains and looked at the vast blue sea, I forgot all my worries and felt great inner peace.

Ceremonies: during the Gion Matsuri, tea ceremony, celebration in the Shinto shrine, it was full of joy, serenity, sincerity, and hope from all the earnest souls.

But more importantly, things that impress our souls are the most ordinary, or sometimes even tragic.

I remember sitting in a small ramen place located in a narrow street in Kyoto, watching the chef preparing the ramen with care. There was nothing special in how he handles the noodles, but the loving and responsible attitude towards every single bowl of ramen was conveyed to me every second. I also recalled every time I bought postcards or presents, I really enjoyed the moment the shopkeeper was wrapping the gifts. That was a tranquil moment of mutual appreciation for us: the gratitude that the presents are treated with care from the customer and the happiness that the customer is satisfied with this gift from the shopkeeper.

The two history courses I took on Japanese history with Garon-sensei are very depressing and tragic-driven. One is on the bombing (atomic bomb, air raids, etc) of Japanese cities, and the other is on modern Japanese history, in which I read a bunch of books on the lost decade of the 1990s. War, death, recession, loss of hope, I heard all those voices speaking to me from the readings and videos. I heard the silent endurance of suffering and was really saddened. But the most assuring is that, even if there was all darkness during the worst times, there was always a narrow beam of light of hope, seen from the people who continued to stay together and support each other, thinking for each other's good when their very own lives are at stake.

The detective novels, especially those by Higashino Keigo, are also very grim, in the sense that he explored the evil of human nature and presented it in all possible places of a detective story. Be it motives of crime, deeds during a crime, and thoughts/interactions with other people after a crime, the sins of human nature lie bare to the eye - both shocking and grieving. But I think that, evil and good are just separated by a thin piece of paper. Extreme evil is ultimately a result of pursuing excessive goodness. Perhaps the author hopes us to be awakened by our very nature, and hence acknowledge and strive to be good.

The novels and excerpts of Haruki Murakami write straight to the deepest corners of one's soul. The unfortunate reality is that the deepest part of our soul is also the darkest, because never has there been light shone on it. But it is always reassuring that Murakami wraps it in a subtle package, telling the uncomfortable truth with sadness yet always end in hope.

Anime and drama, such as the Death Note, Liar Game, Kaiji, Hanzawa Naoki, many of them ask the questions of who we are as human beings, and what are we looking for in this life. There is never an answer, but thinking about those issues always brings some enlightenment.

I could go on and on but I am sure you got what I mean. "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So is with everyone born of the Spirit." Learning Japanese, to me, is a spiritual journey in which one's soul witnesses, communicates, and seeks in one's life. This process is of great joy, enlightenment and pleasure.

At the end of the semester year, learning Japanese also circles back to my original starting point (makes one wonder at life in awe more), as I "ended up" adopting Christianity as truth and personal faith. On the surface it seems that I have formally ended learning Japanese in school, but the spiritual journey actually never ends and is in fact taking me to see and appreciate more things. And it is the very reason that I am able to come up with a satisfying answer to why I study Japanese.

Good luck to everyone embarking on his/her own journey with Japanese! (:

Friday, April 17, 2015

ビデオブログ ーー 子供の病気

今日健康(けんこう)について話そうと思う。子供の時、気分がよく悪(わる)くなった。3歳(さい)の時から一年に少なくとも3回ぐらい入院していた。十歳まで喘息(ぜんそく)もあった。その時、せきも出たし、風邪(かぜ)も引いたし、嫌(いや)な生活(せいかつ)だった。よく効(き)く薬を飲んでも、あまり良(よ)くならなかった。病院によく行ったから、医者は私をよく知っていた。先生は‘私はいい子供だ’って言った、苦(にが)い薬をよく飲むし、泣(な)かなかったからだと思う。学校に行けなかったから、祖母は私によく本を読んでくれた。その時、漢字(かんじ)や中国の詩(し)や計算(けいさん)を自分で勉強していた。習字(しゅうじ)も興味(きょうみ)を持つようになった。4歳の時から毎日練習(れんしゅう)している。今体が健康になった。毎日運動(うんどう)したり、体にいい食べ物を食べたりしている。そういえば、変なアレルギーがある。’seafood’の中で、魚だけ食べられない。いつそのアレルギーが始(はじ)まったか分からない。とりあえず、勉強が忙(いそが)しくても、健康のために体にいい習慣(しゅうかん)を守(まも)るのは大切(たいせつ)だ。みんなも健康に気をつけてね!

言葉(ことば)のリスト:
喘息(ぜんそく):asthma
効く(きく):to be effective
苦い(にがい):bitter
詩(し):poem
計算(けいさん):calculation (arithmetic)
習字(しゅうじ):calligraphy
興味(きょうみ):interest
習慣(しゅうかん):habit
守る(まもる):to preserve




Tuesday, March 24, 2015

PE 6: Reflection and Goal Statement

This semester my main goal for PE is to improve the naturalness of speech, use a variety of grammar structures to say longer sentences, and get used to casual speech. I have tried to keep up with the following:
1. Go to Japanese table every week. Now I start to go to the Forbe's table on Monday too, it is really helpful for training my listening skills and improving the speed of my speech. I also learnt a lot of useful short phrases.
2. Watch one anime episode every week. Currently following Kaiji, and sometimes I would watch drama episodes like Hanzawa Naoki. But recently I have been a bit slack on this, need to keep up.
3. Go to sensei's office hours every week. I have tried to make it twice each week, one to practice casual speech and the other for general conversation. But near midterm period I have been slack too.

What I will do for the next half of the semester:
1. Continue the above practice and don't slack.
2. Self-study some Nakama 2 chapters and try to practice the grammar structures with sensei.
3. Have more conversations with friends.

Miscellaneous:
Some preparation work for continuing to learn Japanese after graduation (if possible), such as asking sensei about what materials to follow for the 2nd year and up classes.

Monday, March 23, 2015

故卿(3)ーーお花見(はなみ)

三月に春になって、いろいろな花が咲(さ)きました!
今週末、祖母といっしょに湖(みずうみ)のそばにある公園で散歩したとき、たくさん桜(さくら)が咲いていてビックリしました。


花見をした人が大勢いましたけど、うれしかったです!


ほかの自然も美(うつく)しいですね!



この橋は一番いい花見のところです。でも桜はまだ咲いていませんけど、残念ですね。

さあ、いつか写真を撮るのを習いたいね。。。

Friday, March 20, 2015

故卿(2)ーー山

ウーシーに低い山がたくさんあります。その中に有名なのが二つあります。父は山に登るのが好きだから、暇な時山の公園に行きました。

山に登る前に、ふもとで古い通りを通りました。ここにたくさん店があるから、お土産を買うことができます。人は散歩したり、買い物に行ったりします。


この山は'Hui Shan'という山で、400mの高度(altitude)です。30分ぐらい登りました。自然はとてもきれいで、空気がよかったですよ。


山に登った後で、美味しい食べ物をたべるのは気持ちがいいです!^_^





これは故卿の一番美味しい食べ物(Xiaolongbao)です。みなさん、食べたいですか。

今度ウーシーの近くの町に旅行するのを書きます。じゃあ、また!

Monday, March 16, 2015

故卿(1)--梅見(うめみ)

春休みに帰国しました。故卿(Hometown)はシャンハイ(Shanghai)の西の方にある小さいまちのウーシー(Wuxi)です。今ちょうど春です。故卿にたくさん自然があるから、祖母といっしょに旅行して、楽しかったです。

This is the beginning of the series of my hometown entries.

故卿にたくさん公園があって、入園料もあまり払わなくてもいいです。今日梅園(ばいえん)に行きました。梅の花は一年に一度咲きます。咲く時間はよく二月の終わりから三月までです。いろいろな色があります。たとえば、白やピンクがあります。緑(みどり)もありますよ!







みなさん、どう思いますか。