You Are the Gardener
You can fill your heart and truly enjoy your life. This is your potential.
Imagine that you have inherited a small piece of land. The land was already there, but you didn’t know about it. Now that you realize it, you can make it into a beautiful garden.
When a farmer sows a crop, first he has to plow and cultivate the land. He knows he cannot throw the seeds on rocks, in the river, or just anywhere. He must water and nurture the seeds so they will grow.
This piece of land is our life, our existence. It was there, and slowly, we became aware of it. It can be impeccable, beautiful, filled with the sweetest fragrance. This is possible.
你是园丁
你能充实自己的心尽情地享受生命。那是你的潜力。
设想你承袭了一小片土地。地早已归你所有，只是你并不知晓。现在你已弄清该地属你所有。何不将之辟成美丽的花园。
农夫要种庄稼，先得耕耘土地。农夫知道不能把种子撒在石头上、河水中或者其他地方。要让庄稼茁壮成长，必须浇水，施肥。
这块地就是我们赖以生存的方式。土地已在那里，我们只是慢慢意识到它的存在。它可以变得那么美丽无瑕，弥漫着最沁人的芬芳。这是可能的。
For that to happen, design your garden well.
Everything you do has a consequence. If you plant thorns, you will be the one pricked by them. So cultivate the land within and make it smooth. Take out the weeds of fear and plant forgiveness. Make sure you water the seeds of clarity and joy so they will sprout and bloom. Take good care of this garden so it will get more and more beautiful. It is your privilege—not your duty— to make it as beautiful as you can.
The process of transformation begins with one simple thing: you saying, “Yes, I want to do it.”
You are the gardener. Begin with your heart. Begin with forgiveness. Evolution takes patience. You cannot push the seeds to grow. Yes, the seasons will come and go, and your plants will weather a little, but they will keep growing, flowering, and maturing.
为此，你要好好地规划你的花园，你做的一切都会有结果。种荆棘者，会被荆棘所刺。所以你的心田要精心耕耘，让它平整。除去畏惧的杂草，种下宽容。一定要浇灌那清澄、欢乐的种子，使之发芽、开花。精心照料这花园，使之日益美丽。让花园变得美上加美，是你的殊荣，不是你的责任。
花园日臻完美的过程始因很单一：你说：“是的，我愿做这件事。”
你是园丁。一切从内心开始，从宽容开始。衍化过程需要耐心，你不能催促种子生长。是啊，季节轮转不断，你的花草会经风受雨，但是它们会不断成长，会开花，会结果。
Your garden will thrive, and you will be able to go back again and again to rest in the wonderful shade. And it will speak of a beauty that you made possible.
Fulfill this life. It doesn’t matter how old you are. Make your garden green, and you will be able to enjoy it for the rest of your life.
花园定会欣欣向荣，你也将一次次回去在清凉的庇护下休息。那田野的胜景会诉说这一切都来自你的努力。
实现生命的愿望，不管你多大年纪。让花园常青常绿，你将在花园中，怡然地享受余生。
Hone Those Skills
Whatever we do most, we become good at. If we practice anger, we get good at it. If we practice kindness, we get good at that. That is our nature.
Once, a famous archer was showing off his skills. Everyone in the crowd was impressed, except for one man, who yelled out, “It’s just a matter of practice.” The archer was upset by this. “What do you mean? I’m really good!” And the man repeated, “Yes, but it’s only a matter of practice.” So then the man, who sold oil in the village, took out a bottle with a long, narrow neck and poured a pot of oil into it without spilling a drop. Then he handed another bottle to the archer and said, “Now you try it.” When the archer started pouring, the oil spilled everywhere, and he understood. “Yes. It is a matter of practice.”
熟能生巧
无论做什么事，总会熟能生巧。你若常发怒，你会习以为常。你若常有慈心，仁慈便扎根于你心。这是我们的本性。
以前，一个著名的弓箭手在献艺，围观人群为之倾倒。唯独一位男子，大声喊道：“不过熟能生巧而已。”弓箭手满心不悦。“你说什么？我明明技法过人。”他说。那男子又道：“没错，无非熟能生巧罢了。”原来那男子是村中油贩，他取出一只狭口长颈瓶，随即将一勺油灌入瓶中，滴油不外漏。接着，他把另一只瓶子递给弓箭手，说：“你试试。”弓箭手刚开始倒油，油便满地流淌。他当即明白：“真的，不过是熟能生巧。”
If you practice being worried, you’re going to get so good at it that everything will worry you— including problems you don’t have. If you practice anger, you will get so good at it that you won’t even need a reason to be angry. If you practice complaining, soon you will complain about everything. When you are gazing up at the harvest moon and your friends are in awe of this beautiful evening, without a second thought, you’ll say, “Yes, but it’s so damp!”
This is your life. What do you want to practice? Do you want to practice being kind? To practice kindness, you need to be conscious. Being conscious isn’t hard. Just take a moment before you act and ask yourself, “What is it I am about to do? How do I want to feel afterward?” Of all the things you can do, the easiest one is to just take a little time.
如果任由事事担心，你会变得每每杞人忧天，以至于凡事都使你忧心，包括那些并不存在的问题。如果惯于恼怒，你会变得一触即怒，无需任何理由即可怒不可遏。如果养成抱怨的习惯，你便会变得事事抱怨。当你望着中秋的满月时，朋友们个个赞叹不已：夜色这么美丽！你却不假思索地说：“没错，可惜就是太潮湿了！”
这是你的生命。你打算练就什么技巧？你是否打算培养仁慈之心？你若要培养仁慈，你得有意识地努力。要有意识地去做并不困难，只要在做一件事之前静心自问：“现在我要做的是什么事？事后我想要得到什么感受？”能做的事千千万万，最容易做的莫过于在行动前稍作思考。
I propose you practice admiring the beauty in life. I propose you practice enjoying the moment. All the other skills wear down with age. Hone those skills, and you will have something that age can’t touch.
我建议你学会赞美生命的美好；我建议你学会尽情享受当下。所有其他技巧会随着岁月变得荒疏，练就这些技巧，你会拥有的东西是岁月无法触及的永恒。
The Humility to Receive
It takes humility to understand life. And we, for the most part, are drunk with pride. Some of us are proud of our physical strength. We are proud of how we look. We are proud of our accomplishments. We are proud of our education, our friends, our family, our job.
All the while, subtly, the worm is making its hole. The time is approaching when none of our strengths are going to be of any use. Once, we may have been able to lift 200 pounds, but there will come a time when we won’t be able to lift a twig, when we won’t be able to depend upon our accomplishments. That time will come—not “might” or “maybe.” And there’s nothing we can do about it.
We don’t know what humility means. We have seen the world through our pride. We have seen ourselves as a victor. Yet, that’s an illusion, an image, a reflection.
谦虚卑躬
谦卑之人才能了解人生。可是我们常常沉醉于傲气之中。有人为自己身强力壮而骄傲，有人为自己的貌美而骄傲，有人为自己的成就而骄傲，有人为自己所受的教育、结交的朋友、自己的家庭、自己的工作而骄傲。
岁月之虫自始至终悄无声息挖着洞。岁月流逝，终于到了这么一天，人们的所有优势都变得毫无用武之地。从前，我们也许能举起两百磅，然而有一天，连一根树枝也显得过于沉重，我们再也无法凭借昔日的辉煌。这一刻一定会到来，不是“可能”，也不是“或许”，我们对此毫无办法。
我们不知谦卑的含义，我们一直都傲视世界，我们视自己为胜利者，然而，这都只是错觉、形象和幻影而已。
We have learned to believe in our ideas, because through them, we can create any illusion we want. In our dreams, anything can be real, except reality. We have been taught to think, not to feel. And we have gladly learned.
When it comes to learning about this life, we need a very special kind of humility— a desire of the sincerest kind to know, to be fulfilled. Have the humility to be a very special kind of a student— a student of life.
Rise to the occasion of your existence. Accept with great humility the life you have been given. Have the humility to receive, to enjoy every moment with gratitude.
我们学会相信自己的想法，因为通过这些想法我们可以创造所要的幻觉。在梦中万事皆可成真，除了现实之外。人们教导我们去思考，而不是去感觉。我们已经乐此不疲。
一旦谈到领悟生命的真谛时，我们得具备一种特殊的谦卑：一种最诚挚的求知欲，一种最真诚的实现自我的欲望；谦谦恭恭地去当一种特殊的学生─亦即生命的学生。
迎接你存在的挑战，非常谦卑地接受所赋予你的生命。怀着感恩之情，谦卑地接纳、享受生命的每一刻。
So Easy to Forget
Life isn’t about problems. Yet, how much do we focus on our problems? If you have patience, a lot of them just disappear.
We teach ourselves to cope. If it’s noisy where we live, we get earplugs. If there is a bad smell, we burn incense.
We each have a finite time on this earth. It takes focus to give purpose to each day.
The first man to climb Mt. Everest endured many obstacles, but he had a very clear focus. Nothing came between him and his objective.
Life is about being alive. When we have that focus, we can enjoy our existence. When we lose it, we are like a little child who gets lost.
别把最重要的忽略了
人生并非全部充满问题，可是，我们把多少精力集中在问题上？你要是稍有耐心，许多问题就遁形消逝。
我们教会自己去应付。如果住所太吵，就戴上耳塞；如果臭味扑鼻，就点上柱香。
每人在世上都有定限，需要集中焦点，才能让每天活出意义。
首位登上珠穆朗玛峰的人经历各种险阻的煎熬；在他心中有明确的目标，任啥也无法阻拦他登顶决心。
生命就要活出意义。一旦我们聚焦于此，就能享受自己的存在。一旦失去它，我们便如同迷路的小孩。
Imagine a little boy whose parents take him to a big fair. He holds on tightly to his parent’s finger. As they walk along, he sees balloons and toys and candy, and he points, “Look at this; look at that.” Slowly, the child’s attention goes toward those things. Before he even realizes it, he’s let go of his parent’s finger. Suddenly, he looks around. He can’t find his mother and father. All the glitter of the fair is still there, but it doesn’t matter anymore. He can’t enjoy it. He has lost the most important thing. And he starts to cry.
It is the same for us. We are here in this world, and we do many different things. But the real thing is so easy to forget.
You are alive. And life is not just something to cope with. You can actually enjoy your life. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it happens. Priorities will change, but the priority to be fulfilled need never change.
设想一个小孩，父母带着他去一个大型集市，孩子紧紧握着大人的手。他们走着、走着，孩子一路上看到气球、玩具、糖果，他指着说：“快看这边儿，还有那边儿。”慢慢地，孩子的注意力集中到了这些东西上去。不知不觉之中，松开了大人的手。他猛一回头，突然发现已经找不到爸妈。集市依然鼎沸热闹，但一切已经失去意义：孩子无法享受周围有趣的一切，他丢掉了最为重要的东西，于是开始放声大哭。
我们的情况跟这孩子一模一样。我们来到这世上，从事各种各样的活动，可是往往容易忘却最重要的事。
你活着，生命并非可以草草应付，你本应该好好享受生命。这并不会瞬间实现，但迟早会降临。轻重缓急会有变化，但让生命历程圆满这是优先大事，永远不应该改变。
A Little Patience
When problems and hard times come, just wait. Have patience. Know that they will pass. It all has a way of changing.
Anger, fear, and frustration are enemies that attack you, and you need protection from them. For that, you have the gift of patience. Learn how to use it. And everything will change.
When a new problem comes, all you have to do is be a little unconscious, and trouble will come your way. If you want to avoid trouble, a little bit of consciousness goes a long way.
So awaken, and feel what it is like to be fully alive.
Today is magnificent. It’s raining in your desert today. However arid and hopeless it may look, when the rain comes, it will be transformed.
一点耐心
问题显现，时世艰难，这时，需要等待，需要耐心。要明白，一切都会过去，事情总有转机。
愤怒、恐惧和无奈，是你的敌人，不时对你袭击，你需要保护，才不致受伤害。说到保护，上苍已赋予你一份礼物：即耐心。只要学会保持耐心，一切都会出现转机。
新问题一旦出现，只要你稍不留神，麻烦便会找上门来。你想要避开麻烦吗？稍稍留意，便能帮上大忙。
所以，你要保持清醒，让自己充分领略到幸福活着的滋味。
今天多么美好。今天你居住的沙漠下着雨，不管沙漠显得多么干旱、无望，雨水会带来无限生机。
The seeds in the desert have infinite patience.
They know the rain will come. In your heart, let it rain. And maybe it will not be a struggle. You will understand, and you will prosper, grow. And your garden will become green.
Evolving happens at its own pace. You cannot push it, and you cannot slow it down. Patience does not mean you have to wait. It means being in synch with life.
In that moment in which I have patience, I am moving with life. It is like being on an escalator. You’re standing still, and yet you are moving.
Your life is afoot. Do you want to know your future? The future is coming. You don’t have to run after the train. It will be here. It’s headed your way. All you need is a little patience.
沙漠里的种子耐心十足，它们明白雨水总要降临，让雨水流经心田。也许这并非难事，但你会明白，你定会茁壮成长，你的花园会变得郁郁葱葱。
衍化过程有其自己的步伐，不为你所左右，也不能让它放慢脚步。耐心并非一味等待，耐心就是保持与生命同步。
我显现耐心的那一刻，就是我和生命同步的时刻。宛如行进在移动式电梯上，你静站在原地，却又不停地前进。
生命在朝前行进。你想知道自己的未来吗？未来正向你姗姗而来。你不必在火车后面追赶，火车会来到你面前。它正朝着你开来，你唯独需要一丁点耐心。
Rock into Powder
The river flows. It is strong but supple. It doesn’t ask permission: “Which way should I flow?” Whichever way is most convenient is the way it goes. Maybe it comes across some rocks in its path. The rocks say to the water, “We’re not going to move. You move.” And the water says, “Okay. I’ll move.” The rocks may even think, “We won.” They haven’t. Because as supple as water may appear to be, it has one quality that is amazing: persistence.
The water will start carving the rock— slowly but surely. The next thing you know, the rock has moved, and the water is flowing where the rock was. For all the rigidity of the rock, it has sacrificed persistence. Who ultimately ends up winning?
水滴石穿
河水川流不息，强劲却又柔顺。它无需征求许可：“我该流向何方？”哪个方向最顺畅它便往那儿流去。途中它也许会流经岩石，岩石对河流说：“我们不会挪动半步。你得改道。”河流答道：“行，我改道。”岩石以为：“我们胜利了。”但它们没有得胜。河水虽然看似柔柔顺顺，却具有惊人的特质：坚韧不拔。
河水开始雕塑岩石──缓缓地，却又坚定地。稍不留神，岩石已经挪了位，河水正从岩石固有的位置流过。尽管岩石又坚又硬，而它却抵不过河水。你说谁是最终胜利者？
When you look at a huge canyon, clearly the water won over the rocks. It took the persistence of water to flow the way it wanted to and transform the rocks. That which seemed indestructible gave in, surrendered, could not resist. And that liquid substance, so flexible, was the strongest. Water turned the indestructible rocks into sand and powder.
Persistence. To persist every day in your pursuit. Not to give up.
It doesn’t matter who you are, how strong or how weak you are. That’s one quality each one of us has. If you persist, you will win. You might ask, “How do you know I will win?” Water doesn’t say that. Water says, “I can turn rock into powder, and I can turn the desert green.”
Learn from water what it wants to teach you.
看看巨大的峡谷就清楚了，
河流明显胜过岩石。江水靠着锲而不舍的精神，流经自己要流的道，终于使岩石变了样。乍看无坚不摧的岩石，却只得让步、投降，无以抗拒。灵活的细流是最后的胜者。江水把无坚不摧的岩石碾成了细沙和粉末。
锲而不舍，每天都当如此努力，不要放弃。
无论你是何许人氏，不管你多强或多弱，每个人都具有这一素质。假如你坚持，你就会得胜。你可能会问：“你怎么知道我会得胜？”河水可没有这样说。它只是说：“我能让岩石碾成粉末，我能使沙漠变成绿洲。”
从水滴石穿获取教益吧。
What would it be like if there was nothing within us to push us toward excellence? Who would even want to wake up? But it is not like that. Each person has a yearning for excellence.
Excellence doesn’t come from just saying the word “excellence.” True excellence comes when a human being is content. Some companies may think excellence is making a good profit. True excellence starts when a person falls in love with life, with their existence.
That is when a person understands that whatever they do, they want to do it well. They may want to be a good mother or father. But they never want to forget the value of the life that allows them to be a mother or a father or to have a job. When they do forget, it can be dangerous.
如果人们内心缺乏追求卓越的动力，生命将会如何？何必开始新的一天？实并非如此，每个人对于卓越都有一份渴求。
只靠着说一声“卓越”，卓越并不会应声而至。真正的卓越在人们满足时飘然而至。有些公司会认为，卓越意味着创造丰厚的利润。真正的卓越始于一个人爱上生命，爱上存在之时。
这就是指一个人懂得无论何事都要尽善尽美。比如，他们可能想要做个好母亲或好父亲，他们从不想要忘记生命赋予他们的价值让自己为人父母，以及能有工作。如果忘却此价值，就可能险象环生。
I am an airplane pilot,
and I have seen some pilots become sloppy in their approach to flying. Their attitude is, “What can I get away with?” They shorten their checklists or take off without their map. When they land safely, they think, “I must be a good pilot, because I am getting away with so much.” Then one day, disaster.
What about the commitment to life? When that is there, strength collects within a person to live life well. That’s where excellence begins.
Each day offers a new opportunity. We have another chance to do it right. Every day that you get it right is yours. And the day you get it wrong, you didn’t live fully. It is completely up to us how we want to do it, whether or not we want to live with consciousness, with excellence, every day.
我是一名飞行员，曾见一些飞行员对于飞行的态度变得马虎。他们持的态度是：“如何草率行事而不被发觉？”于是，他们随意删减应该一一检查的项目，或起飞时也不带飞行图。一旦安全着陆后，他们会想：“我一定是个优秀飞行员，因为我省掉那么多步骤也没出事。”终于有一天，灾难降临。
那么人对生命的许诺又如何呢？当许诺在的时候，活得好的力量在人的内心聚集。卓越就于此时此地诞生。
每一天都有新的机遇，我们又有一个机会把事情做好。把事情做好了，那一天就是你的。你没有把事情做好的那一天，你就没有活得淋漓尽致。怎样过每一天完全由我们自己决定，我们决定是否要活在有知觉里，要活在卓越里，没有一天不是如此。
