扬州中学951班网志

还没读完的童话: Zen Shorts

Dec-13th-2005 at 06:52pmby daerhuazhi

期末终于来临，窗外的莱拉湖也被白雪覆盖，有点像我所向往的恬静。还记得几个星期前安娜堡下第一场大雪的时候，我跟同寝室的Boss-Zhou（今年刚来的同学）和Vincent（正在UM访问的挚友）建议：“一起到外面玩雪去!”我们走到湖上的木造平台，凭栏观雪。恰如徐志摩的诗，在半空娟娟飞舞的雪花，认明了湖水是它清幽的住处。如今，雪花终于成功地在湖面定居。

这真是一个holiday season，到处洋溢着节日的气氛！Thanksgiving还留有余韵，白色圣诞已然眼前。朋友们大多抗拒安娜堡的天寒地冻，布置起了行程不一的西部之旅。转瞬之间，Vincent也结束了为期三个月的访问，乘坐后天上午的班机回归暖意洋洋的香港。

我们到京华小馆为Vincent稍作饯行之礼，路过Borders书店，门口站着一个红衣红帽的圣诞老人，他手摇着铃铛，对路过的行人说：

You all have a blessed evening。

真是一句温馨美妙的祝福，我愿转送给大家:-)

好像是习惯：从京华小馆出来，从物质到精神，我们会依次流连于Dawn Treader二手书店和Borders书店，时常淘到价廉物美的新旧图书。今晚在Borders，我在一本新出的童话前面停留。吸引我的不光是它的书名『Zen Shorts』，更有封面上可爱的大熊猫，于是从头翻起。这是一本由著名的插图画家Jon J Muth用水彩技法阐释的禅语。可惜由于时间关系，我没能全部读完，下面是在Bookpage找到的一点介绍：

In Muth’s newest offering, Zen Shorts, siblings Michael, Karl and Addy are playing on a summer day. They meet a large panda bear named Stillwater who has floated in on the current, held up by an umbrella.

“‘I am sorry for arriving unannounced,’ said the bear. ‘The wind carried my umbrella all the way from my backyard to your backyard. I thought I would retrieve it before it became a nuisance.’ He spoke with a slight panda accent.”

Needless to say, Stillwater is no ordinary giant panda. He is a storyteller. The three stories he tells in Zen Shorts are Stillwater’s gift to the children and to us, the readers. Gently philosophical, the stories are actually short meditations from two Zen traditions, Zen Buddhism and Taoism. In an accompanying Author’s Note, Muth explains Zen and the origins of the stories. Even the name of the bear has a root in Zen, which values meditation and being still as key routes to understanding.

The three stories-within-the-story are meant to bring enlightenment, something like the parables in the New Testament. The short tales address the existence of good and bad luck, the nature of frustration and forgiveness, and the role of material possessions. Though the stories ask the reader to slow down and think about the nature of life, these are not morality tales. There is no summary sentence at the end to help the reader figure out what the story is trying to teach. However, there is a quiet tone that invites the reader to pause and think.

In Zen Shorts, Muth has created a lovely introduction to the habit of reflection that Zen encourages.

Entry Filed under: 似水年华. Tags: 圣诞, 雪花, 淘书, 童话, Borders