Words that click

Henri Cartier Bresson

on composition

Our eye must constantly measure, evaluate.

We alter our perspective by a slight bending of the knees; we convey the chance meeting of lines by a simple shifting of our heads a thousandth of an inch...

We compose almost at the same time we press the shutter, and in placing the camera closer or farther from the subject, we shape the details - taming or being tamed by them.

I captured this decisive moment in a street

near Toledo, Spain.

In a sense

The Paradox of our age

We have bigger houses, but smaller families; more conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgements, more experts, but more problems; more medicines, but less healthiness.

We have been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever before, but have less communication.

We have become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are times of fast foods, but slow digestion; tall man, but short character; steep profits, but shallow relationships.

It is a time when there is much in the window, but nothing in the room.

[By His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama]

Kyoto, Japan.

tree of life

剛剛好

很多人都曾經見過路邊的大樹，但我們不曾好好地觀賞這棵大樹；覺得它的出現和我們無關，好像我們只是碰巧遇見它似的。

這棵出現在路邊的大樹和我們相遇絕非偶然，而是萬緣具足的情況下才會顯現在我們的外境中。

假如我們走錯了路，這棵樹便不會出現。

又或者在夜間沒有街燈的環境中經過，而沒注意到它。

若剛巧發生林火，這棵大樹或已遭殃。

早三十年走這條路，我們也無緣和大樹見面。

要是不走路經過，而是坐在車內的左側，這棵在大路右邊的樹也會悄悄的從我們的眼界中溜逝。

或在車內，有人和我們說話而套住了我們的注意力。或手機剛好響起，我們急着接應而忽略了這棵大樹的存在。

若有一位伐木工人在我們之前先經過而把樹砍了。我們也無緣見到這棵樹。

雷劈也會取了大樹的生命。白蟻能夠將它化為烏有。酸雨久能使之腐朽。

這棵樹早在幾十年前只是一粒種子。經由一只小鳥，松鼠或蜜蜂的傳播而落身此地。經過陽光，雨水，泥土，垃圾養份的滋潤，還有二氧化碳的催化下，這棵大樹才有可能茁壯成長。

我們能夠只是說，和這棵大樹相遇，只是我們剛好經過嗎？

只要缺少或碰上以上其中一個外緣，我們就沒有機會和這棵大樹擦身而過。

老實說，我們有好好去欣賞過這棵大樹嗎？

有細細地看過，摸過，抱過或爬過它嗎？

萬事出現在我們的人生境界中絕非湊巧，而是無以計

數的前世因緣成熟，才有可能浮現。

不只是一顆大樹，一切的人，事，物應作如是觀。

好好珍惜你生命中的每位朋友，你生命中所發生的每件事，和你生活中所出現的每樣東西。

它們並非剛好出現，你也並非剛好經過。