the differences are the same

置頂：散筵席

2008-03-31T23:59:00.000+08:00

平日的 updates。（最後更新：2008/2/11 花落誰家）

我諗過喇，若要搵工作，第一要盡量畀多 d 人知道你搵緊o野做；第二要畀人知道你曉做 d 乜。

天下無不散之筵席。小衲響間中資巨無霸做o左四年，差不多係時候請同事食蛋糕咯。況且，做 IT o既，不許人間見白頭，想順便轉埋行。

各位老友記如果識人想搵一個曉：

project coordination 帶兵、
寫商業、政府、NGO、公共事業文案、
搭 web application（Java、J2EE、JSP、PHP、AJAX —— 電信管理局、信和集團兩個大型資料庫網站都係小衲當年帶隊搭o既）、
寫雜誌、報紙稿、
度橋、評論時事、
講 talk 做 presentation、
翻譯、
XML、
web design（Amazing Twins 同齋記歐陽應霽o既第一個 web site 都係小衲砌o既；前者呃o左個 HKDA 雙年展銅獎）、
企業-size database admin（Oracle）、
Flash、PhotoShop、
攝影 + 黑房、
UNIX sys admin（Solaris、Linux）、
寫小說、
教書、
梵文、藏文、
寫詩（英‧中）、
武功、
講佛偈同搞漫畫

o既伙記，無論長工、外援定做救火隊，請多多關照。

合十。

花落誰家

2008-02-11T10:14:00.000+08:00

初二睇完煙花睇李克勤。

日出照舊

2007-12-23T02:45:00.000+08:00

...ppy holidays folks.

「夾心階層」

2007-11-03T02:03:00.000+08:00

荷里活道。

讀書人

2007-11-03T01:56:00.000+08:00

天星碼頭。

夜色

2007-11-03T01:23:00.000+08:00

David Sylvian

2007-10-28T04:01:00.000+08:00

The concert that yours truly has waited for, well, 25 years:

The few pics which david managed to take like a dumb teenage fan, like 25 years ago.

Oh well.

卑利街 2007

2007-10-20T04:27:00.000+08:00

卑利街頂的茶居，恬淡知足，等「執笠」。

卑利街，以暴易暴，等發達。

卑利街腳的人，不知悔改，亦係等「執笠」。

élégance

2007-10-20T02:05:00.000+08:00

Enough of causeway bay lah (sorry for the Malayanglish).

Upon this once-every-16-blue-moons occasion during which david actually accompanied a friend to shopping, we were chit-chatting about "good taste," as opposed to "MK"—Mongkok, Hong Kong's more common fashion ecology.

So the story went, we strolled past this cigar shop...

where the sales lady calmly waited for business reading a magazine in a better shawl—and dress and hairdo, and shoes—than anything we saw on the street level.

The topic of discussion promptly screeched to a close, and we quietly moved on.

substance

2007-10-20T00:38:00.000+08:00

亦名：重陽節。

Causeway Bay again.....

mini-time
this poster-ad outside a chemist's says, roughly, "up, up and away!"
好高興「勃勃素」係香港製造的，真係好高興！
taken by mefriend Grace

small-time
ad for "fat-bursting" technology
爆脂科技………
仲以為香港地「潮」可以「爆」嘖，原來脂都可以爆。

big-time

premier league

This was supposed to become the largest applause for real estate in the world?

causeway bay

2007-10-19T23:55:00.000+08:00

causeway bay 2007

銅鑼灣確實無奇不有，臨近番邦鬼節 d road-薄-loc 都奇怪過人。東角中心。

metta

2007-10-07T03:47:00.000+08:00

At the Multi-faith Prayer Gathering for Peace in Burma, 2007/10/6, outside the Hong Kong City Hall (in response to the Global Day of Action for Burma):

Rev. Li Ding-xin of Hong Kong Christian Council leads a prayer

Ven. Dhammapala Bikkhu, my Sanskrit teacher, chants Metta

Metta ("compassion and loving kindness" in Pali, the Indian dialect with which the Buddha is believed to have taught) is what the Burmese monks advocate,

and is probably what was going through their minds when they were whacked by soldiers with rifle-butts, to remind themselves to never return the violence.

Download a heavenly rendition of Metta by Ms. Imee Ooi, Malaysia. (mp3)

Metta

Pali	English

Aham avero homi	May I be free from hostility
abyāpajjho homi	May I be free from affliction
anīgho homi	May I be free from distress
sukhī-attānam pariharāmi	May I live happily.

Mama mātāpitu ca ācariya ca ñatimitta ca sabrahmacārino ca averā hontu	May my parents, teachers, relatives and friends, fellow Dhamma-farers, may they be free from hostility
abyāpajjhā hontu	May they be free from affliction
anīghā hontu	May they be free from distress
sukhī-attānam pariharantu	May they live happily.

Imasmim ārāme sabbe yogino averā hontu	May all yogis in this compound, may they be free from hostility
abyāpajjhā hontu	May they be free from affliction
anīghā hontu	May they be free from distress
sukhī-attānam pariharantu	May they live happily.

Imasmim ārāme sabbe bhikkhu-sāmaņerā ca upāsaka-upāsikāyo ca averā hontu	May all monks in this compound, novice monks, laymen and laywomen disciples, may they be free from hostility
abyāpajjhā hontu	May they be free from affliction
anīghā hontu	May they be free from distress
sukhī-attānam pariharantu	May they live happily.

amhākam catupaccayā-dāyakā averā hontu	May our donors of the four requisites, may they be free from hostility
abyāpajjhā hontu	May they be free from affliction
anīghā hontu	May they be free from distress
sukhī-attānam pariharantu	May they live happily.

amhākam ārakkha devatā imasmim vihāre imasmim āvāse imasmim ārāme ārakkha devatā averā hontu	May our guardian devas in this monastery, in this dwelling, in this compound, may they be free from hostility
abyāpajjhā hontu	May they be free from affliction
anīghā hontu	May they be free from distress
sukhī-attānam pariharantu	May they live happily.

Sabbe sattā averā hontu	May all beings be free from hostility
abyāpajjhā hontu	May they be free from affliction
anīghā hontu	May they be free from distress
sukhī-attānam pariharantu	May they live happily.

Please say a prayer with us for these oppressed folks living in lack and fear in Burma.

Dignity - into the shadows

2007-09-28T12:33:00.000+08:00

甚堪咀嚼的軼事，令人低首。摘自 Matt Frei - Bush on Burma:

On my last visit to Burma in 1999, I was walking through the once beautiful streets of Rangoon when an elderly woman in rags sidled up to me. Her face was smeared with dirt. Her ragged clothes were disintegrating on her crippled body.

I assumed she had come to beg. But instead of an outstretched hand, she offered a greeting in perfect English.

"Forgive me for asking," she said in a whisper. "But are you from England? I apologise for my appearance. It has become so difficult to be normal and dignified in this country. Thank you for visiting. Don't forget us. Please don't."

I wanted to ask her where she had learnt her English, why she had fallen on such hard times, where she lived, what she intended to do in the future?

But the old woman, who was probably not that old at all, sidled off into the shadows.

The Burmese have borne their suffering with plenty of dignity - few more so than Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader who won the general election in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

意大利羅馬市長韋爾特羅尼展開昂山素姬的肖像海報，紀念她 61 歲生日

By rights she should be Burma's leader. Instead, she is the best-known dissident alive in the world today.

明月夜

2007-09-27T12:01:00.000+08:00

中秋，7‧1 吧。圓月、燈籠、佳餚、老友記……

和纔嘴又不怕人的兔子。

完美的秋節。

BunnyBunny

2007-09-24T10:27:00.000+08:00

舊年影燈籠應景，今年影免仔。

另，阿 Roy 個頭若在明月夜移動幅度太大，會留低光暈。

貓貓近況

2007-09-20T13:14:00.000+08:00

前事

話說小衲的老伴「貓貓」今年三月得了嚴重腎病，短短兩星期便變了皮包骨，瘦得眼睛也凸了出來：

住院五日脫離危險期後，終生也須每天吃藥和注射皮下水。

一個月過去，貓貓還是沒什麼胃口，整天還顯得很倦。橫豎是「活馬當死馬醫」，小衲便把藥師如來也拖下水幫忙……

每天也得為她注射，起初甚是不慣，手顛腳震的，一不留神貓便跑掉躲起來，壓力很大，人什麼時份都覺得累。後來貓貓發覺自己注射後便有胃口，就餐前定時趴在床上由得小衲怎弄了。

人貓合作半年下來，貓貓掙回了一、兩磅，神清氣爽，回復了在屋裡跟著小衲邊跑邊嘮叨的壓寨夫人本色了。

還有閒心欣賞藝術作品。

家裡有患腎病的貓的街坊相信不少，這是小衲的經驗之談：最重要的是讓貓兒增加胃口，其他可往後再說。貓兒若恢復元氣，往後的好辦；若長期貧血，便大事不好了。

順道介紹一下小衲家裡另外一頭「大帝」：

她叫 mui mui，不怎愛親近人，「攪屎棍」的力量卻是天下無雙。洗衣機在猛轉把衫 fing 乾時，她愛跳上機頂趴下享受 OSIM 樂趣。

下班回家

上班離家

米蘭掠影

2007-09-19T11:50:00.000+08:00

966 X 768

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

耐人尋味

2007-09-03T13:39:00.000+08:00

於是我就開始撕個 six pack o既包裝……

米蘭大教堂

2007-09-03T11:27:00.000+08:00

844 X 768

因為搬屋，廿幾年前影個張 Il Duomo di Milano 浮番出黎。相底一早冇左嘍；得番自己沖曬既 8R 一大張，要 Colan 幫手 scan 先有得貼出黎。

穿秋水

2007-08-24T12:37:00.000+08:00

上週六一早起身去買o左五千幾蚊 David Sylvian 飛。呼… 這個 live，一等就廿幾年。

打撈番咸豐年前整o個 d fan 屎手作仔出o黎擺擺先！

Forbidden Colours
David Sylvian/Ryuchi Sakamoto

The wounds on your hands

never seem to heal.

I thought all I needed

was to believe...

Here am I,

a lifetime away from

You.

The Blood of Christ

or

the Beat of my Heart.

My love wears forbidden colours.

My life believes.

Senseless years THUNDER by.

Millions
are willing to
give their lives
for

You.

D O E SN O T H I N GL I V EO N?

Learning to cope with feelings aroused in me.
My hands

in the soil,

buried

inside

of

myself.

My love wears forbidden colours.

My life believes in youonce again.

while
doubting

the very ground beneath me;

trying
to

show

unquestioning

faith
in
everything.

Here
am
I,

a lifetime
a
w
a
y
from you.

The Blood of Christ

or

a Change of Heart.

My love wears
forbidden colours.
My life
believes.

My love wears
forbidden colours.
My life believes in you

once again.

鏡華

2007-05-25T12:19:00.000+08:00

在 Gmail 箱裡重遇兩張咸豐年前拍下的照片……

其實，吳哥窟的日落所以聞名遐邇，是因為窪裡的倒影遠看永遠比實物還真。

如是我聞

2007-04-04T10:44:00.000+08:00

近來聞說我這種為人叫「乖僻」，是要不得的。

是嗎？原來如此。

dāi look

2007-03-20T16:40:00.000+08:00

A friend forwarded these pics to gawk at Arabs:

Hmm... it's not quite what i heard. Methinks:

wrinkles

2007-03-09T15:19:00.000+08:00

phantom of the opera

2007-02-02T11:20:00.000+08:00

後日立春，掛番兩個春天大燈籠先！

不過唔知會唔會招惹厲鬼呢？

水涼夜

2007-01-22T10:00:00.000+08:00

半夜三更心血來潮，取出手機學 metalmickey《佗寂》的格局拍照。

紅

2006-11-03T11:36:00.000+08:00

罕會見到空行母被塗在櫃門上。

夜路

2006-10-12T11:50:00.000+08:00

話說有一晚興至散步返屋企……

在休息的珠寶店

？？？

同意 —— 若你用 visa 或 master 買裡面的「潮品」的話。

永永……

行過一向都覺得佢離奇o既「文化村」，
「貴賓廳 VIP Room 天天特價」霓紅管如是說。
望望手機，兩點三十七分。

呼，幻海奇情。

明月夜

2006-10-12T10:56:00.000+08:00

中秋華釆

2006-10-04T11:14:00.000+08:00

每年中秋前數星期起，在西營盤皇后大道西的紙扎舖在晚上皆會「燈光火著」、將數百個燈籠都掛出舖面，也會營業得晚一點至九時許。

在下家住堅尼地城。每年這個時候，回家途中瞧見那些斑斕的彩色，會提早下車，在秋風裡走走看看。

與香港各大殮房冷氣商場相比，風味實在好多了。看完還可漫步到正街源記喫碗糖水才走。

地圖（紅色十字處）

文物

2006-09-28T11:58:00.000+08:00

有張廿幾年前影o既 slide 出土 — 居然仲搵得番：

牆紙 size (1024 X 768)

多謝 Joey 借出 slide scanner。

o黎刷喇喂！

2006-09-19T10:27:00.000+08:00

一位《老友偈偈》的常客讀了一篇令她「精神為之一爽」的文章，來郵詢問施食給地獄及鬼道老友記的步驟。

小衲把答案整理好時，覺得可能對其他人有用，便決定把它貼出來。因為祇是學佛人才會對這些資料感興趣，所以打消把它貼在《老友偈偈》的念頭，就貼在這裡好了。

妳來電郵恰好對時對機啊！昨晚和一個修金剛乘的朋友笑談那些放生完要去供齋，供完齋要去灌頂，灌完頂要趕去待候師父，待候完師父便跑上佛堂打點閒聊的善信。忙得不可開交，但修止觀、學智慧卻說「沒時間」。嘻，小衲問她們為何終日不是跟著師父跑來跑去，便在法會間穿花蝴蝶團團轉……

「師父主持的放生和供養特別有力量嘛！」

「力量？」

「為我去除障礙。」

「天天無事忙原地跑步，儘管所有障礙也拿掉了，妳又想上哪裡去？」

「………」

人皆以為是僧尼「專利」的佛門法儀，其實許多非是必須花錢給「專業出家人」主持不可的；施食便是一例。在《佛說施餓鬼甘露味大陀羅尼經》裡，世尊明言「比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞（居士）、優婆夷（女居士）、童男、童女及諸人天」皆可亦皆應施食。注意了，「童男、童女」也能學會的法門，不會複雜得到哪裡去。

容許小衲先談一談妳介紹的那篇叫《準提咒利益鬼道眾生》的文章。李居士徹夜在山野施食，豪邁不凡、令人欽敬；但需要的膽子不小啊，佛提及的「童男、童女」便不能有樣學樣。另外，李居士是單持準提咒來施食的。雖然《顯密圓通成佛心要》明言：

「上來供佛利生諸真言等，若不能都各誦持書寫得，皆用準提真言亦得。」

所以不能算是不當。但小衲覺得李居士的方法是仗他多年的悲心修為，未必是每位居士也有這份功力的噢。

釋尊說法四十多年，詳述了施食方法的經典相信不少；但末學接觸過的，只有《佛說救拔焰口餓鬼陀羅尼經》和《佛說施餓鬼甘露味大陀羅尼經》兩部。它們記載的儀軌，是依仗佛親傳的密咒之力量的，對學人的 “system requirement” 低至幾乎沒有，所以人人可行。

列出步驟前，讓小衲一提事先必須注意的事項：

施食任何時候皆可，但鬼道眾生難支烈陽，若中午或以前施食，請面向東方。
同樣原因，施食最好在蔭下進行，但勿在柳樹或桃樹下行之。
家裡或陽台非施食的合適地方。
勿用菜蔬。
無具格上師親傳，切忌依書亂結手印。
施食是透過和「街坊」們分享分享來增長慈悲心和福德的法門，不是「救濟」人家。態度千萬不要大刺刺的，否則惡業自負。

資具：

淨水（裝在小礦泉水瓶裡）
七顆以上的生米（可裝在放小首飾的 zip-loc 袋裡）
兩只小茶杯
optional：木／石板一塊
咒語「貓紙」（熟習了便不用了）

儀軌：

把水倒進兩只杯子裡至七、八分滿。
於其中一杯加米。
右手先持沒有加米的那只杯，跟著「貓紙」唸誦「召請神咒」七遍：

Namo Bhū-būri Tathāgatāya
讀：Namo Boo-boori dataa-gadaaya

《佛說施餓鬼甘露味大陀羅尼經》：
「召請彼已，爾時十方一切六趣餓鬼鬼神悉赴集，瞻仰行者，如見父母。」
誦「開咽喉陀羅尼」七遍：

O.m Bhū-pud-tri-gātri Tathāgatāya
讀：Om Boo-pud-daree-gaadaree Dataa-gadaaya

《佛說施餓鬼甘露味大陀羅尼經》：
「是諸鬼等以此咒力，咽喉通息猛火息滅，無復痛惱身心泰然。爾時行者當先施水。」
誦「施甘露漿陀羅尼」七遍：

Nama.h Su-rūpāya Tathāgatāya. Tadyathā, O.m sru sru, pra-sru pra-sru svāhā
讀：Nama Su-roobaaya Dataa-gadaaya. Da-dyataa, Om sru sru bra-sru bra-sru swaahaa

把沒米之杯的水向上散灑著於空中。

《佛說施餓鬼甘露味大陀羅尼經》：
「其水以此陀羅尼力一渧墮地，變成十斛天甘露漿，諸鬼神等充足飽滿歡喜無量。。」
誦「施甘露食陀羅尼」七遍：

Nama.h sarva tathāgatāvalokite. Om sa.m-bhāra sa.m-bhāra hūm
讀：Nama sawa dataa-gada-walogidae. Om sambaara sambaara hoong
稱多寶如來名號：

Namo Bhagavate Prabhūta-ratnāya Tathāgatāya
讀：Namo Baga-watae Brabooda-rad-naaya Dataa-gadaaya（用中文來持亦可：「南無多寶如來」）

《佛說救拔焰口餓鬼陀羅尼經》：
「由稱多寶如來名號加持故，能破一切諸鬼，多生已來，慳吝惡業，即得福德圓滿。」
稱妙色身如來名號：

Namo Bhagavate Su-rūpāya Tathāgatāya
讀：Namo Baga-wadae Su-roobaaya Dataa-gadaaya（用中文來持亦可：「南無妙色身如來」）

《佛說救拔焰口餓鬼陀羅尼經》：
「由稱妙色身如來名號加持故，能破諸鬼醜陋惡形，即得色相具足。」
稱廣博身如來名號：

Namo Bhagavate Vipula-gātrāya Tathāgatāya
讀：Namo Baga-wadae Wipula-gaadaraaya Dataa-gadaaya（用中文來持亦可：「南無廣博身如來」）

《佛說救拔焰口餓鬼陀羅尼經》：
「由稱廣博身如來名號加持故，能令諸鬼咽喉寬大，所施之食，恣意充飽。」
稱離怖畏如來名號：

Namo Bhagavate Abhaya.m-karāya Tathāgatāya
讀：Namo Baga-wadae Aba-yang-garaaya Dataa-gadaaya（用中文來持亦可：「南無離怖畏如來」）

《佛說救拔焰口餓鬼陀羅尼經》：
「由稱離怖畏如來名號加持故，能令諸鬼，一切恐怖，悉皆除滅，離餓鬼趣。」
稱罷四如來名號，彈指七遍（真的，是用左手 snap fingers「啪、啪、啪、啪、啪、啪、啪」），「展臂瀉之」在乾淨的石面或地面。

把米食隨便撒在草叢、路邊等地方，不是那麼恭敬。若找不到乾淨平整的平面，便需自備一塊小木／石板（例如惠康八蚊店的砧板）。

《佛說施餓鬼甘露味大陀羅尼經》：
「是時十方一切餓鬼，以陀羅尼威德力故，皆得食喫，亦不變化作膿血，亦無遮禁。自恣啖食，充足飽滿，滅飢湯火，身體安樂無諸痛惱。復有清涼柔軟微風，來觸其身，慳垢除滅，身無熱苦泰然快樂，身諸長毛惡虫墮落，亦無一切毒惡禽獸來相殘毀。心意勇悅以此因緣，罪畢得出生人天中，受天尊勝微妙快樂殊勝自在。」

《佛說救拔焰口餓鬼陀羅尼經》：
「作此施已，於其四方，百千那由他恒河沙數餓鬼前，各有摩伽陀國七七斛食，受此食已，悉皆飽滿。是諸鬼等，悉捨鬼身，生於天上。」

這儀軌雖簡單，初學時仍難免手忙腳亂，這是正常的。可先只施水，習慣了、不再緊張後再施食。另，因《佛說救拔焰口餓鬼陀羅尼經》祇記載了步驟 6 - 11，忙時不施水祇施米食也不礙事。

若居住環境不容許這麼多的「裝備」，可把一小瓶裝滿水，唸罷「召請咒」和「開咽喉陀羅尼」時，把半瓶撒向空中；再往瓶裡加米，唸完「施甘露食陀羅尼」和四佛名號時，彈指七遍和把小瓶裡剩下的倒在淨地上。

施食利益：

《佛說救拔焰口餓鬼陀羅尼經》云：
「若有比丘，比丘尼，優婆塞，優婆夷，常以此密言及四如來名號，加持飲食施鬼，便能具足無量福德，則同供養百千俱胝如來功德等無差別，壽命延長，增益色力，善根具足，一切非人，夜叉羅剎，諸惡鬼神，不敢侵害。又能成就無量福德壽命。」

《佛說施餓鬼甘露味大陀羅尼經》云：
「此陀羅尼譬如摩尼寶王，能滿有一切意願，亦明月能令優曇鉢花映媚開敷。善男子，若有菩薩不著己樂，救於彼苦，薰修大悲，一切利安，如法施行，此人真是大悲菩薩，是人已為行觀音行，一切諸佛授手摩頂，諸尊菩薩所苦愛護，一切賢聖視之如子，諸天龍神隨侍衛護。月愛！當知此人功德與彌勒菩薩等。所以者何？是善男子，若能振發丈夫之人日日修行，一日施食，一天下餓鬼皆得食喫，多日施食，十方六趣一切餓鬼盡得飽滿，如是菩薩所得福聚不可思議，難可測量。不覺不知，自然而得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」

《準提咒利益鬼道眾生》一文也說：
「現今李居士往來兩岸，事業興旺，善行不斷。年過五旬，然氣色光艷，相貌堂堂，若彌陀佛現世。蓋因善得善報也。」

據微末如小衲的經驗，每趟若施食七天不輟，必會心情開朗，事事順境，交上個多月的好運。

世尊總結云：「善男子，誰有智者見如是利而不受持，當知此人失大利益。」即是佛弟子「唔學就笨」。

BTW，《佛說施餓鬼甘露味大陀羅尼經》裡有這一句：「爾時世尊觀察大眾，舒顏含笑。」它可能是少數記述了佛輕鬆一面的經典。

迴夢心經

2006-08-15T16:44:00.000+08:00

在友儕間，小衲的睡得快、睡得死是聞名的。轉身躺定，很少能數至 10。像關了總掣般，「黑嘛嘛」一動不動便太陽出來了 —— 床鋪常常還是直的。若有作夢，能記起的每年不及十個。在小衲人生最低潮那幾回，還是照睡不誤，天掉下來當被蓋。

但，朋友中被無眠所苦的卻不在少數 —— 往往是女性。所以時常有人問小衲取經。

經過數次愈幫愈忙後，便發覺在下睡得香甜大抵是不記仇、不愛與人糾纏之性格和日常的止觀練習使然。但後者也要數年的火候噢，沒能提供朋友需要的速效。

然而事情除了吃藥不是沒辦法的。藏傳佛教之眾大德躲在喜瑪拉雅世界屋脊上，花了一千數百年鑽研身、心之本質和關係。若對失眠這般稀鬆的問題也未能開發解決之道，時間精神便是白花的了。事實上，藏教中有不少段數甚高的行者，能把心凝住在一件事物上數以小時計，非是浪得虛名的。

近日小衲在譚錫永（王亭之）先生的近作《生與死的禪法》裡碰到一個在藏教裡頗普遍的治失眠法門，小衲樂得「慳番」作文，一於 copy and paste 是也。大家皆有失眠的親人、朋友的嘛，讓在下和大家分享分享：

「觀想自己喉間有一朵四瓣紅蓮，花瓣鮮豔柔薄，充滿生機，甚至還帶著露水，中央是一粒深紅色的明點，如豌豆大，光明燦爛。」

「要領是將全部知覺都放在那明點之上，尤其是意念，不容許離開那粒明點。」

「這時候，雜念不可能不生起，但一生起，立刻便將其形象融化入明點之中，例如這時你忽然想到有人來找你談一件頭痛的公事，不管甚麼，你應該立刻放大明點的紅光將這個人籠罩住，然後像捕蟲草融化昆蟲一樣，將他融入紅光之內，再收縮為蓮心的一粒紅寶石。」

「無論意念初起時，出現的形象為人、為物、為境，都統統可以將其融化。你是主宰自己意念的神，在意念中你可以隨心所欲，只不過一旦隨心所欲便會失眠，因此才須要將你的主宰功能限制為守持一顆喉間的明點。」

現代人百事求解，那麼讓在下稍談上文的原理罷。佛家「身」、「口」、「意」三業，喉頭的脈輪主司「口業」。「口業」不單指「說話」，它還涵蓋了（令我們胡思亂想輾轉反側的）概念思維。把思想鎖死在「口輪」，除了有強大的定心效果，修習久了還可能會「知夢」—— 即是在夢裡清楚知道自己在造夢，不再執之為實境。

至於王亭之先生這本書用不用買，Well，裡面引用了大量的密教名相；若沒有一定的金剛乘知識，準會摸不著頭顱。小衲愚見：是不用了。

流野

2006-08-03T14:42:00.000+08:00

流聲：Armik - Alone with you PLAY:

昨夜在夢裡我是一條河

再不須掙扎

祇是流著   沿著坦途到大海

遇到密竹   我散成涓流
大石擋路   我悠然繞過

對大地的引力我沒異議   我的脖子不疼

再不須計較

路過的村莊
      孩子哇哇的玩
      小犬汪汪的吠
      冤家洶洶的鬧
      小偷默默的看

漂浮在永恆裡   有什麼好想的？

再不須求勝

無教條須宣
無敵人須滅
無立場須守
亦不用照妖的明燈

再不須匆忙

山邊陡峭   便快一點
河套太曲   便慢下來

很簡單      很簡單

亦再不須記罣

我祇是在途上

十一年前造了個琉璃清澈的夢。醒時便把它寫下來，成了一闕叫作 on my way 的 verse。

十一年後抓了抓痕的屎忽，將它翻了中文。

打格

2006-07-19T14:45:00.000+08:00

這陣子常看見創作人遇上頗無奈的被審查狀況。Well，搬弄是非雖然不好，但寫出來可以讓大家看看本地創作人除了花心思攪腦汁捱窮之外還需面對的問題。況且，成品應該經已「見街」了，會展有售，不能算是洩漏了什麼人家不願給人看見的事罷。

話說三聯出版（香港）有限公司推出了一本回顧二十五年來本地自主漫畫創作人的書（好像叫《路漫漫── 香港獨立漫畫廿五年》），由漫畫家阿齋歐陽應霽及智海編集奔走，三聯出版方面由副總編輯李安小姐策劃。內容是橫跨三代二十八位漫畫家的畫和訪問。

本地自主漫畫向來不大受口味傾向單一的主流社會重視，漫畫人之間亦不常聚首，三聯此舉本該是香港漫畫界的盛事。但在七月十日下午，尊子以電郵知會其他的漫畫家，說明書裡他的部份的漫畫結果過不了三聯高層的關（尊子的用詞是“censored”），書出版時不會載有他的漫畫。他表明：“no hard feelings”，旨在通知大家。

數小時後，漫畫《五碼六》（5 m 6）作者阿鬼黃仁逵發出電郵，表示已告知會李安小姐他退出的決定。

在往後兩天的討論過程裡，李安小姐向漫畫家們說明尊子的圖已在互相溝通後換過一次，奈何仍不被批准。尊子於是決定，與其放一些無關痛癢的圖，不如只留訪問。但同時，另外兩位作者提及他們也曾有政治漫畫被三聯要求輯改的經驗。尊子得悉此事時決定退出，其他政治漫畫作者也極有可能跟隨，出版計劃瀕臨完蛋。

幸好，經過阿齋、智海、李安小姐的斡旋，書結果如計劃付印。但沒有了尊子的圖和黃仁逵，在下認為不祇是這本「回顧二十五年來本地自主漫畫創作人」的書的遺撼，感覺上亦十分突疙。

「情況好比打倒『四人幫』後發表中央政治局的照片時，『執』走了四人幫，留下四團白影一樣經典。」一木如此形容。

此刻大家大概會想：「開始便知道是中資的三聯嘛。」事實上，馬龍兄在討論時也曾提出這點。但作為旁觀者無事人的在下，卻祇看見香港創作人的窘境：一方面須倚靠像三聯的大出版社的財力及銷售能力，另一方面自知將被審查。

另，月餘前碰見一位攝影師朋友 Roy Lee 李錦棠。他一面一肚子氣地跟我說他拍的裸體人像遭到封殺，一面地笑謔藝術作品被「按指引行政」的人指為「露三點」的荒謬。

「若『三點』的範圍之外全部『打格』，沒有了 context，還算不算『露三點』？」阿 Roy 如是說。

我們也談了年前在廣告裡的大衛像被要求「打格」的鬧劇，跟著便愈說愈遠了。

至於「三點」的範圍之外全部抹黑還算不算「露三點」呢？嘻，大家評評：

BTW，阿 Roy 在本月底將在藝穗會舉行喚作“The Square”（是的，「格仔」的意思）的個人影展。我為他把介紹翻了英文（Roy 通英、法語，懶者也）：

The body arrives with us at birth, and we're stuck with it until we leave. Yet it seems we have little say of it. Wouldn't it really have been the root of all evil? Otherwise, why is public nudity almost universally frowned upon? That said, explicit, even "graphic" references to the sex organs appear regularly in tabloids with public approval in the form of silence.

Moreover, while artworks involving nudity are treated with understanding tolerance in the "conservative" China, the government of Hong Kong the World City clamps down on such things in galleries—but not porn. "Guidelines" which dictates the addition of mosaic to cover things like King David's gear-shift are not only an insult to the creative community and the public's intelligence, but also proof of ignorant bureaucracy in its original form.

"The SQUARE," by Roy Lee, comprises life-size portraits of human bodies that are owned and run with pride, but also censored with squares.

李錦棠曾為香港不少一線雜誌拍攝封面，造詣毋容置疑。況且，創作人給自己的東西「打格」作無聲抗議，同意的不妨支持一下。

光天化日：【蘋果日報】「中資的香港三聯書店出版新書《路漫漫 ── 香港獨立漫畫 25 年》，因要臨時抽起書中兩幅由漫畫家尊子創作的「六四」和「23 條」漫畫，令新書要押後到書展結束前一天才能推出，三聯書店強調抽起漫畫是因為「題材過時」，否認存在政治審查」云云……

延伸閱讀：李大同：又是龍應台，我X

david 仔有好介紹

2006-07-05T15:04:00.000+08:00

甘拜下風。

Hosted on Zooomr

「行動」藝術

2006-06-30T01:11:00.000+08:00

留意到 Bubi 同花苑 D 支筆掂o既街坊耐不耐會提起 “illustration friday”，但唔知係乜東東。Anyways，今日係 friday，等俺又有樣學樣 illustrate 一o下。

起番個稿先！

送o左條 bow tie 畀 Grace o黎「出」大青。

你睇，即刻禮儀都好o左！

忍辱波羅蜜

2006-06-27T11:59:00.000+08:00

話說數月前的某個週日黃昏，我獨自坐在 Club 7-1 吧納悶。數小時前，友人掉了錢包，把滿肚冤屈氣都發作到我頭上來。我明白友人的感受，便慍慍的受了。

當時只有我和 Grace 在她的店裡。Grace 一面抹酒杯，一面淡淡問道：「怎麼坐了整小時也不發一言？」

「小衲在修『忍辱波羅蜜』。」

「六波羅蜜」為佛家語，二十年前我初次接觸到時，還以為是某種飲品——像「甘露」的什麼。其實，「波羅蜜」是梵文 “parama” 的音譯。“parama” 的意思是：最遠的、最後的、最高的、最優秀的等等。漢譯有「極」、「最極」、「最勝」、「無比」。至於「六波羅蜜」，分別為「布施」、「持戒」、「忍辱」、「精進」、「禪定」和「般若（梵文 prajña：不二智慧）」—— 能把凡夫領過苦海，到達圓滿彼岸的六個修行法門。

Grace 聽完解說，便說：「哦；我本來也以為『菠蘿蜜』是一個 drink。」

嘿；俺忽然心血來潮，環顧清楚店裡仍未有其他客人，便答道：「不是又怎樣？咱們發明一個！Grace，架上什麼酒最苦？」

倒一份 Campari on the rocks。

加進菠蘿汁。

加檸檬。

完成。

居然有街坊願付錢一試！

Grace 選了 Campari，是因它「入口時沒什麼，但愈嚼愈苦。然而苦味過了，便又沒什麼」……

小衲和多數常客一樣，到七‧一吧未必是為了喝酒，而是歡喜和 Grace 與 Ricky 兩位城中奇人聊天。Grace 的睿智和 Ricky 的 mellow，常頗令人汗顏。

BTW，「忍辱波羅蜜」在 Club 7-1 真的是可以 order 的，滿肚子氣時不妨一試。

蛇麻Loo…

2006-04-16T21:17:00.000+08:00

早兩個禮拜走o左去添馬艦睇露天吹漲銀幕大電影。

好似俺 D 絕頂厭尖o既戲迷 —— 即係根本唔鍾意睇戲 —— 國際電影節只係揀o左一齣仮面ライダー the First。

800X600

個介紹話：

Grown men in grasshopper-inspired masks engaging in pseudo kung-fu fights with other grown men in monster costumes! This series, now newly updated, still remains popular after three decades.

冇理由唔睇。

結果係喜出望外！除o左隻「旋風號」同 D 飲衫型o仔左之外，所有好似 D「嘰嘰嘰」交叉走位 D 騎呢 detail 全部響番哂度。美中不足o既係兩個幪面超人花響媾女o既時間同精力遠超用o黎對付怪獸；但係個女主角又唔靚喎…

同行o既日本籍朋友響開場睇到本鄉猛畀震旦幫捉o左去改造跟住出主題曲時，笑到天花亂墜。佢話真係好多、好多回憶。小弟想像好多老友記都會有同感，所以不如將隻「蛇麻 Loo」post 埋出o黎畀大家懷舊一下。

click button to play

By the way，幪面超人響 Wikipedia 都有記述，果然。

warmth

2006-01-31T01:01:00.000+08:00

Chinese new year dinner. Good.

Russian.

General idea of the place. Not busy.

The following pit-stop.

The pace.

The vague memory of senseless ideals.

The realization.

The end.

Happy new year. 恭喜發財，謝謝。Thank you.

images ©2005 idiotSupremo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License

狗仔式 — 7‧11 贈品即興行為藝術

2006-01-10T15:03:00.000+08:00

早兩日得到兩隻 7‧11 狗仔。不嬲覺得呢 D 贈品又冇用又唔環保；可以做 D 乜呢？

a christmas fable

2005-12-19T00:18:00.000+08:00

Oh well...

Once upon a time, there lived in Japan a feudal warlord. He had an only daughter. The general would do anything the princess asked.

Well, the general would make the servants do anything the princess asked.

One day, it poured down outside. When the rain stopped, bubbles formed on the pond in the garden. "Wow," the princess gasped when she saw the colourful bubbles, "they're so beautiful!" She begged the general to string some of the bubbles into a necklace for her.

So the general summoned his gardeners, and ordered them to do the job. The men peered at the bubbles and then at each other, slowly shaking their heads. "Dear Master," they ventured, "this is impossible. Bubbles burst upon touch. How are we supposed to work with them?"

"If none of you could carry out my order," the general threatened, "you will not be leaving yourselves much choice besides hara-kiri."

In the unsettling silence, the court's sideshow fool came forth. "Piece of cake, my master," he volunteered, "I'll do it."

"Good, good," encouraged the warlord. "If you really could come up with the necklace for my beloved princess, I will spare these men's lives."

"Your Highness," the fool respectfully approached the princess and asked, "such pretty bubbles in the pond: big ones, small ones, shiny ones, colourful ones. They are so lovely. Sadly, the fool is too stupid to know which ones tickle the Princess's fancy. Would Your Highness pick out those you like? The fool will make the necklace right away."

The princess went to the edge of the pond to choose the bubbles. As you might expect, each one that she touched burst at once.

"What could be the delay, Your Highness?" the fool humbly inquired. "The Princess does not want the bubbles anymore?"

"Yes, yes," answered the princess. "I have changed my mind. My Highness rather prefers a hoop of pretty flowers now."

The general watched how the situation unfolded, and laughed heartily. "Your necks," he growled at the gardeners, "are spared. Now get your silly peasant asses out of my sight!" The folks followed the command immediately with a brisk jog.

Making the flower-hoop for the princess, the sideshow fool turned around and looked at the warlord with a puzzled smile.

"My dear master, would you like some bubbles?"

The "official" moral of the Japanese fable:
Like the iridescent bubbles, which come from rain-water hitting pond-water, people and events are simply impersonal products of causes and conditions. As attractive or ugly as they seem, they have no intrinsic, independent existence. Due to their nature of flux, when you become attached to people, they change; when you cling to things, they disappear. More peace of mind is attained by expecting less from them than forcing life to always unfold your way. As the Buddha advises in the Arya Vajra Cchedaka Prajña Paramita Nama Mahayana Sutra:

All conditioned phenomena
are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows,
dew and also lightning.
Thus should they be contemplated.

The sideshow idiot's private take:
Avoid saying "no" directly into the boss's face, and leave the ladies to do their own Christmas shopping.

Anyways. My wishes of a blessed and peaceful Holiday Season, folks. Yell if you feel like getting together for a pint of Guinness.

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濕碎

2005-11-09T12:57:00.000+08:00

What's below is pretty self-explanatory. 不過要留意：以下大部份係古印度（唔係神州中華上國）o既概念。睇睇對恆河o既 reference 同 D 梵文字根就知。

大事：

10⁰ = 一
10¹ = 十 = 10
（一個零）
10² = 百= 100
（兩個零；如此類推）

10⁸ = 億
10¹² = 兆
10¹⁶ = 京

10⁴⁸ = 極
（「極」原來唔係終極）

10⁵² = 恆河沙
10⁵⁶ = 阿僧祇
10⁶⁰ = 那由他
（梵文 niyūta；不是「那便由得他」forget it 的意思。）
10⁶⁴ = 不可思議
（That's incredible!）
10⁶⁸ = 無量
（「無量」原來有「量」）
10⁷² = 大數

10⁷⁵⁺ …冇咯。（中亞 D 人幾千年前諗到o黎呢度都算誇張）

小事：

10^-1 = 分 = 1/10
（一個零）
10^-2 = 釐 = 1/100
（兩個零）
10^-3 = 毫 = 1/1000
（三個零；如此類推）

10^-8 = 沙
10^-9 = 塵
10^-10 = 埃
10^-11 = 渺

10^-13 = 模糊
（都開始咯…）

10^-15 = 須臾
10^-16 = 瞬息
10^-17 = 彈指
10^-18 = 剎那

原來「須臾」、「瞬息」、「彈指」、「剎那」都唔關時間事；係十進制單位…… 「須臾米」技術 as opposed to 「納米技術」？

10^-20 = 空虛
10^-21 = 清淨

10 X 清淨 = 空虛…… i see.

By the way，與其係數手指，佛家用比喻o黎形容一「劫」（梵文kalpa）o既長度：若每百年用絲巾將一座高十二由旬（一「由旬」≈ 9km）o既山輕輕抹o下。座山磨到冇o左，一「劫」都應該未過哂喎。

是這樣的。

cool money

2005-09-18T02:12:00.000+08:00

This must be the most stylish "central bank" in the world. Yup, the "bank" is the building in the note.

And this is the flip-side with, besides the dragons, a dorje (Tibetan. Sanskrit: vajra):

What doubles this piece of paper's coolness is that virtually everyone david knows doesn't even know that the country exists.

And what makes it truly chic is, well {chuckle}, check out the length of their tai-pan's name across the bottom.

diamond life

2005-09-02T15:59:00.000+08:00

Yeah, there are times to celebrate.

buddy bar

2005-08-29T12:18:00.000+08:00

尋晚個牛一夜飯都算係俺咁大個仔最成功o既生日聚會咯。人齊、和洽、冇冷場、D o野都幾好食。

阿踢（上圖）仲泡製o左個 Buddy Buddy 扭蛋擦紙膠公仔送俾小衲：

嘻，個公仔加埋個背景比 Buddha Bar 自己個封面更加貼題…

aquellos ojos verdes

2005-08-28T01:26:00.000+08:00

Old friend Craig—and Millie his much better half—bought david an exquisite birthday dinner this evening.

Or the evening of the 27th is supposed to be "yesterday evening"? No, sun's not up yet; this evening.

The couple then brought david to a new-age sort of tea house in SoHo to hang a bit before their journey home:

Well, david saw "lotus" in the menu, and asked for it:

Sipping the "lotus tea"—which actually was quite nice and refreshing—david saw a black cat lounging on the mat outside the restaurant across the small street:

The cat so utterly ignored the patrons entering and leaving the restaurant that she stirred up some wondering:

Oh I see.

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中招

2005-08-23T16:08:00.000+08:00

個 blog 兩個月冇更新，係因為前排發生o左 D 事，david 唔痛快o左一陣。冇耐諗通o左「若事還可救，云何不歡喜？若已不濟事，不樂有何益？」於是就結夏安居，專心搞o下漫畫（三十期嘍），個 blog 本來決定初秋先再理。

唏，點知都係要俾阿修羅揪番出o黎。

這個串連遊戲嘛…前排睇到，覺得不以為然。要自揭所謂「怪癖」… 嘿，抖得出o黎o既，睇白都唔 fetish、唔「怪」得去邊。唔通喜愛 PVC 易服、震蛋或男人都公告天下？況且 Sidekick 話齋，俺係關人隱士，冇乜同 D 自詡 “blogger”o既街坊來往。若果有人點俺出o黎，俺個 response 相信同太公唔會差好遠。

不過呢次呢，OK 啦，推薦三本好書，比之前個有意思得多。況且係阿修羅兄叫到…

講起阿修羅，我倆素未謀面；但仁兄佢對藏傳佛法 — 特別係甯瑪派「大圓滿」、「大中觀」所知甚深，所以小衲耐不耐會向佢請益（用o黎諗漫畫）。不過，阿修羅兄 D 回覆門檻勁高，唔係個個小衲都抵受得住。睇睇：

般若智慧能斷煩惱，如「金剛」能斷萬物。然般若智能被斷乎？曰：能。唯斷般若智者亦般若智也。

般若經有大般若(十萬偈)、中般若(二萬二千偈)、小般若(四仟偈)。中般若含攝大般若之精要，小般若則為中般若之攝集(見《大智度論》)。小般若之攝集更兼具堅利之性者，《金剛經》也。

佩服。

言歸正轉，三本俺最喜歡o既書。唔……

Hermann Hesse - Siddhartha: Hermann Hesse 大膽咁將釋尊同釋達多太子分拆成兩個人，然後用優美絕倫o既 prose — david D prose 都係同大哥老笠o既 — 將王子由富貴（皇宮享福）變閉翳（苦行）又變富貴（富商）又變閉翳（船夫）然後睇穿摩羅面紗成佛o既古仔娓娓道來。呢本著作既奧妙之處係：逢五年多o左人生經驗，佢又變o左第本書；再過五年再多 D 人生經驗，佢又再變第本書… 我o個本揭到條書脊散哂；抵睇。
Ernest Hemingway - The Old Man and the Sea: 海明威寫《老人與海》用o既英文簡約到接近禪家妙境。示範o左用文字時愈克制唔濫情，個故事就愈見深刻。david 老友 Colan 話：睇見書中個老人家拼盡所有都結果係輸時，就明白「投哂降」係乜感覺…
村上春樹 - 1973 年的彈珠玩具: 愉快o既嘻笑同銷費下面，係一個淡淡然但好傷感既古仔；好似一舊雨水色o既水晶。冇再版好耐咯。如果你好彩仲搵得到o既話，算執到好o野嘍…

呼，D hyperlink 打到手軟。留意呢三本書冇本過百五頁，可以想像 david 幾咁怕睇書…

Ta da！又到揀下家o既時間；答案係冇o既。唔係怕人炳，確實係乜人都唔識。

Voila! OK? 各位街坊，下不違例。再有 D 咁o既串連，唔該唔好搵我咯喎。

識時務者為俊傑

2005-07-07T13:11:00.000+08:00

兩年幾前俺同何家超先生幫政府泡製o左個響 2002 年國際電聯亞洲電信展度代表香港o既「電子導遊」；叫 Nova。

我o地問秘書處可以玩幾癲；佢地阿姐出奇咁話：「去盡。」

於是我o地決定俾個滅火筒公仔同特首愈企愈近，含情默默咁望住佢笑。弦外之意盡在不言中。

呢個可能係香港第一個夠膽響「政府物料」裡面囉 “C.E.”o黎玩，又過到政府 approval o既 project。

順手玩埋響開幕禮唱歌o既 CoCo Li：

星沉海底當窗見，雨過河源隔座看。

text ©2002-2005 Esperanto Design Workshop
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.....

2005-07-03T00:35:00.000+08:00

A fanatically religious friend invited him one December to a Zen Buddhists' retreat at a monastery in Japan.

"My man," the friend said, "you must join me this time! This retreat is yearly and special. It commemorates the Buddha's final enlightenment, and the training is double as tough!"

He had turned down his friend twice before. He doubted the system of superstition and dogma which people had brewed since the Buddha passed away could produce another Buddha. But, this time, he accepted because his life was in a downward spiral. He wanted to get away for a while to check his bearing.

"Who knows?" he thought. "It might even be fun..."

The Zen Master gave everyone a private interview the first morning.

"What are you doing here?" The master, who looked ordinary in each way, asked him bluntly. He noted, however, that the monk, in indescribable calm, never hesitated with anything the way he usually would.

"To let go," he said to impress, but it was true.

The master leaned forward, looked intently into his eyes for a moment, and grinned. "Sit outside at the porch through the night, and listen to the song of the wind," he ordered. "Sing me the song tomorrow."

He was still scratching his head when he walked outside from the meditation hall that night.

It was a clear night. Nobody was around; everyone else had been asked to just sit in the lotus posture and count their breaths. He lit a cigarette and settled down on the steps.

"What the heck?" he asked himself again. There was only a little wind combing the trees. "Hell!" He snapped the cigarette into the dark, and wrapped the robe more tightly around himself. It was going to be a long night of vegetating in the cold.

All he could hear in the stillness was the usual rapid chatter in his head, which was putting him to sleep. He wanted to stay awake, or the prefect might sneak up from behind and whack him on the shoulder with the bat. He decided that, if he was too stupid to understand what the wind had to sing, he would at least hear what his own mind wanted to say.

He soon noticed that the chatter made no sense. The murmur was incoherent, fragmented, self-contradictory, and chased its own tail in loops. "If I wrote it down word for word, and showed it to people," he mused, "they'd think I'm mad."

"So all this shit forms my thinking mind?" He became annoyed.

As he had nothing better to do, he alternated his listening between the mind's gibberish and the wind. At three o'clock, the wind rose. Amidst the empty howling, other voices joined in.

His dying mother, full of cancer, moaning softly in pain; the cry of his ex-wife, who followed through by throwing an ashtray into the back of his head; his kitten purring, asleep, in his lap like a tiny nuclear reactor; voices of everyone he'd ever seen; phone-calls, judgements, accusations...

When he was aware of himself again, he was sobbing; but his mind had become still. The voices had become less distinct to each other. They were mingling to form a single stream.

Then, like lightning, it struck him that the wind itself had never made a sound; the sound happened only when it brushed against something. People and events had no inherent meaning in themselves; the meaning came from his heart which he, alone, had spent years jerking around with abandon.

He was listening not to the song of the wind, but that of his life.

"Now; tell me," the master walked briskly towards him the next morning and asked aloud, "what is the sound of one hand clapping?"

He straightened an arm and stretched the fingers. The master laughed heartily, and slapped the high five.

text ©1997-2005 idiotSupremo
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maverick meets nemesis

2005-06-20T12:03:00.000+08:00

棋逢敵手。結果係我輸。

holland bank cheque

2005-06-19T23:34:00.000+08:00

有日路過金鐘廊，見到 ABN-AMRO 擺人肉路障。個哥哥仔攔住我，問我要唔要信用咭，我話唔愛。跟住問我要唔要貸款，我又話唔愛。我反問佢可唔可以就地開個支票戶口，佢話我要自己去分行；但幾有興味咁問俺點解淨係要支票戶口。我老實講佢聽話我想開荷蘭銀行支票畀 D 老友記開心o下。哥哥仔一 D 都唔覺詫異，轉身繼續向其他行人推銷。

講開，holland bank 果然係 holland bank。佢o地個富人銀行服務叫

眾所周知，Vincent Van Gogh 佢老哥除o左畫風天下無雙之外，最出名就係窮。Van Gogh Preferred Banking 係咪表示佢地唔介意好似俺 D 兩袖清風o既客呢？想像又唔係喎，真奇怪。

dead ringers

2005-06-15T00:22:00.000+08:00

david 有個 pet theory 解釋點解卓古華拉死後可以響拉丁美洲成為歷久不衰o既革命英雄標誌：

卓古華拉 1967 年十月被美國支持之玻利維亞軍人鎗殺

眾裡尋它千百度

2005-06-05T02:22:00.000+08:00

I may have the gift of prophecy,
and know every hidden truth.
I may have faith strong enough to move mountains,
but if I have not love,
I am nothing.
Corinthians 14: 12

Figure 73.

MONKEY STEALS THE PEACH

This is the classical name for the upward groin slap. Drop to the right knee, swinging the arms like windmills to distract the enemy and deflect any defense he may offer. The left arm ends in jodan, the rising forearm block, protecting the head as you drop low and slide forward without stepping. The right arm swings up and back, circling from the shoulder. Turn the palm up as it swings between the enemy's feet to stun him (Figure 73).

Figure 74.

Application of the Monkey Steals the Peach

Whip the arm as described and strike the enemy's groin with the open palm, fingers bent at the first joint in a Monkey Paw or Tiger Claw Fist (Figure 74). The impact will lift the enemy off the ground. Those skilled in chi kung can direct energy up the Ch'ueng Mo channel of the body and stop the heart. Followers of the Iron Hand styles immediately clench their fists tightly, with a crushing grip, and jerk the hand sharply back to the near hip, effectively ripping away the genitals.

PS：出招前千祈唔好唔記得 swing the arms like windmills to distract the enemy and deflect any defense he may offer 喎。

釋摯友疑書

2005-05-26T12:39:00.000+08:00

J；或者我應該補充一下…

david 響 My Funny Valentine 2005 o既結局篇曾經話：

「一個人不假思索地相信的所謂『實情』，通常不是真的 —— 往往些許質疑也經不起。」

J，須知多數人係相信：呢個世界係一個基於利益（唔係友情）o既互動遊戲；各人（媒體、商人、情人、同事、甚至子女）嘗試去影響他人時，都係從利益o既平衡或 maximization 出發。我幫人地洗腦、自己又俾另一批人洗腦、人云亦云，於是就產生o左呢個輕重是非不分o既反智世代：

「千祈唔好叫我用腦！」(點解冇人工加o既呢？)
「出o黎吹下牛，relax o下！」(亂講說話同鬆馳有乜關係？)
「我諗住疊樓實會升家嘛！」（兩、三萬蚊尺o個陣）
「你話點就點，我咪好冇面？」
blah, blah, blah...

我唔係高高在上搞道德批判 (妳知我唔興)，而係經過o左無數教訓，我發覺o左如果學以上 D 街坊咁樣過生活，而仲想開心，成功o既機會非常接近零。

……

david o既朋友有兩批。一批係「甩甩漏漏」窮開心o既波希米亞「浪人」，另一批係「乜都有」o既所謂專業人士。Well，數數手指，前o個批統統冇事、自得快活。後者有近一半睇緊心理／精神醫生 — 思覺失調又有、緊張又有、抑鬱又有……

感慨良多。

Life is not remotely like what we're asked—or brainwashed—every day to see.

david 仔好彩o既話，一生已經過o左一半，唔好彩o既就過左大半咯。所以自知實行起上o黎對人o地、對自己o既安樂、自由都冇助益o既行動，幾 norm、幾「合理」(如炒樓、追名牌、求發達之類) 都無謂制咯。相比之下，俾人覺得所謂「唔合作」、「唔成熟」係小事一件。

是這樣的。

且送上（明）憨山德清大師o既《醒世歌》：

|休|生|麝|人|榮|喫|是|從|休|紅|
|得|前|因|從|華|些|非|來|將|塵|
|爭|枉|香|巧|終|虧|不|硬|自|白|
|強|費|重|計|是|處|必|弩|己|浪|
|來|心|身|誇|三|原|爭|弦|心|兩|
|鬥|千|先|伶|更|無|人|先|田|茫|
|勝|萬|死|俐|夢|礙|我|斷|昧|茫|
|　|　|　|　|　|　|　|　|　|　|
|百|死|蠶|天|富|退|彼|每|莫|忍|
|年|後|為|自|貴|讓|此|見|把|辱|
|渾|空|絲|從|還|三|何|剛|他|柔|
|是|持|多|容|同|分|須|刀|人|和|
|戲|手|命|定|九|也|論|口|過|是|
|文|一|早|主|月|不|短|易|失|妙|
|場|雙|亡|張|霜|妨|長|傷|揚|方|
|　|　|　|　|　|　|　|　|　|　|
|頃|悲|一|諂|老|春|世|惹|謹|到|
|刻|歡|劑|曲|病|日|界|禍|慎|處|
|一|離|養|貪|死|纔|由|只|應|隨|
|聲|合|神|瞋|生|看|來|因|酬|緣|
|鑼|朝|平|墮|誰|楊|多|搬|無|延|
|鼓|朝|胃|地|替|柳|缺|口|懊|歲|
|歇|鬧|散|獄|得|綠|陷|舌|惱|月|
|　|　|　|　|　|　|　|　|　|　|
|不|富|兩|公|酸|秋|幻|招|耐|終|
|知|貴|鍾|平|甜|風|軀|愆|煩|身|
|何|窮|和|正|苦|又|焉|多|作|安|
|處|通|氣|直|辣|見|得|為|事|分|
|是|日|二|即|自|菊|免|狠|好|度|
|家|日|陳|天|承|花|無|心|商|時|
|鄉|忙|湯|堂|當|黃|常|腸|量|光|

不知何處是家鄉……

五體投地。德清大師公認係「頂莊嚴」；苦口婆心，好明顯唔係敷衍緊我o地 D 小輩。

J；肺腑之言。共冕。

慵

兩岸猿聲啼不住，輕舟已過萬重山

2005-05-22T15:53:00.000+08:00

William-Adolphe Bouguereau - Orestes Pursued by the Furies

頭先有人o禁鐘，響個魚眼窿仔見到兩位女仕想傳教。

小衲即刻除o左件 T-shirt 同條 501，穿住孖煙通人字拖開門，用主恩賜o既肥美身體，嚇走o左兩位神o既使者；場面悲壯。

出土文物

2005-05-20T13:03:00.000+08:00

小踢將小衲 1998 年個 homepage o既鬼魂招o左番o黎。

內文區幅圖片係千禧年第一個日出。呼，自己睇到都百感交集。

happy birthday Old Chap

2005-05-15T00:01:00.000+08:00

The Shakyamuni Buddha at Samye（桑耶寺）,
the oldest monastery in Tibet.

On his birthday, david would like to reiterate a charming tale about the Buddha.

After Prince Gotama Siddhartha had attained nirvana, the final liberation from greed, aggression, ignorance, and the self, he rose from his spot underneath the Bodhi tree, and walked down the road in bliss.

Now, legend has it that the prince was an outrageously handsome man before he flipped from the palace to become a samana. So, here's this good-looking man walking down the road—peace and equanimity down to his fingertips and radiating perfect happiness... he did not even look human. People could not help but walked up to the man and greeted him.

"Sir, you look so special," the folks bowed and enquired. "Are you a deity, a deva?"

"No," the prince answered.

"Are you some kind of mahasiddi or magician then?

"No."

"So, what are you, Sir?"

"I am awake."

Apparently that's how the prince got the title "Buddha," which is Sanskrit for "the Awakened One." The new nickname stuck.

今天與其去放生（放生落香港個海？），不如考慮幫o下 D 想自助天助o既老友記…

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

2005-05-08T01:02:00.000+08:00

A friend of david's who works in the medical profession is beaten aback by the passing-away of a patient who was, eh, different.

.....

Here's how she felt:

‘

he was said the best guy, he lived without spite, he was so benovolent to help ppl who needs help, he was gracious to forgive those who blasted him, there was no gossip from his mouth, he always had a book on his hands...he's only 50s...

such a good man who left without giving us a sign, without envoi...he left so silent,so sudden...

saying that the death isn't awesome to me...

but when it's really close to u, how can u cope with it...?

’

Dear Goodness, i'd have taken it personally, too. In all due admiration for the deceased and the thoughts of my friend, this was my response:

‘

david would have thrown a party to celebrate the honour that a real man has lived among us.

And i would make dead sure of the three cheers before the customary silence.

david never met the man; i'm missing him already.

’

It's a life-aim of mine, among very few other ones, to somehow become as giving, understanding, and righteous as the man. But, instead of the 50-something years which he had, idiotSupremo is planning without much hope to reach where he was in fewer than sixteen lifetimes.

好慚愧；好慚愧！

Please. Click on the "COMMENT" link below, and give the man a round of applause.

Guys.

what's the difference a date makes?

2005-05-01T00:33:00.000+08:00

Oh well...

The best remedy to parting ways with a dead-end date or—for that matter—having no dates, is getting six of them.

Yes, you heard it. Got doubts? Make it 10 then.

I have put the remedy to the test. It works. Trust me.

Three years ago, the woman whom i had been seeing justly figured that i wasn't "security" material {My name is Bond; Junk Bond.} and walked.

The next few days—as you can imagine—i was in a brooding mood. It didn't take long though (≈3 days and 10 hours) before i decided that's no way to remain. I asked myself the obvious question: "How does one stop dwelling on a dating partner?"

"Dwell on 10," a voice in my head blurted.

Although the answer came from myself, it still sounded like a bad joke. But it began making good sense after some contemplation. For one, it's hard to be obsessed with one date when there are half a dozen. Two; the idea sounded like so much fun that it might be worth a shot just for the hell of it.

So david went a-trying. Among the "haves" that most women seemed to look for—physique, looks, security, status, top education—I got none, so I focused on what I could do. During the next few weeks, I smiled and said hello to everyone whose eyes caught mine. Yes, guys too; hell knows if they aren't going to introduce david to their sisters. Smiling and hellos are free, aren't they?

"Seem" indeed it was. It turned out that a smile and bit of empathy were rarer attributes in Hong Kong than the deep pocket. david ended up going out with seven new friends in the following month—among them an architect with a delightful blush, and a Colombian emerald trader.

The bull-market in the shares of idiotSupremo continued to run until a year later. Then i decided that kind, stylish friends were infinitely more interesting than a "life-partner." There is more respect, laughter, and fewer value projections. I stopped asking for phone numbers.

It was fun while it lasted and, hey, I learnt a few things...

Millions of folks around the world believe that a date is something they wait for Fate to hand out. {Chuck the date into my mailbox with the newspaper please, and ring my doorbell.} In this night, therefore, many of them are entering their nth dateless month, or year. Goodness knows what kind of pressure they would put upon themselves when a date finally comes along. They will probably be lime green and bent out of shape at the rendezvous. That being the case, you can guess the outcome...

On the flip-side, if you had three or four dates lined up for the coming week, you wouldn't feel like a deity if any one goes well, or take it too personally if it flopped. Equanimity is more attractive than confidence, which is often faked anyways. On top of that, you may also discover that there's a galaxy of adorable qualities out there besides what you deem to be your "type."

Armed with the "cold-blooded" knowledge that there are heaps more of them dates down the line, you may also develop some psychological room to actually smile and be yourself at the dinner without sweaty palms.

One last thing. Many folks david knows harbour a self-image that's dismal in comparison to the exquisite person whom others see in them. Meeting some strangers might finally hammer home the realization that everybody else has a higher regard of their qualities than themselves. The ego is indeed one's worst enemy.

Epilogue:

Two years down the road, about half of the women whom I saw during the aforementioned days have remained close buddies. In fact, I made an effort to treat four of them to dinner in the past three weeks. So... the "crazy" array of dates turned out to be a sound move after all. The friendships forged that year have sailed through the test of time.

So david should perhaps start asking for telephone numbers again. Leave me yours, my friend, if you like, and let's go get a glass of wine.

俺都有幅印象派

2005-04-24T00:10:00.000+08:00

畫展剛散，嘗同街坊提起小衲睡房都有幅印象派…

「Poster？」

「真跡。」

「黐線。」

講電話時同畫呢幅畫o既 Joey 提起，Joey 姐維持一貫溫婉，微笑不語。大家繼續談天嘻笑完畢，小衲順便提出將幅畫由個 blog o既底抽番上頂，畀 D 老友記雀躍雀躍。Joey 維持一貫溫婉，微笑不語。

The Flowers of Manet. Joey Lee. Oil on canvas

再次合十多謝 Joey 幅畫、同 d 平頭筆。

on my way

2005-04-05T01:42:00.000+08:00

SpewTrack: Armik - Alone with you PLAY:

Last night, when I was asleep, I was a river.

I didn't need to strain.

I just flowed,
taking the easiest path to the sea.

When I met dense bamboo,
I trickled quietly through.

When there was a big rock,
I simply went round it.

It's not my nature to fight the earth's pull.
I had no stiff shoulders.

I didn't need to think.

I passed villages where
    kids played,
    puppies barked,
    couples quarrelled aloud,
    thieves peered from the roof in the night.

I was bathing in eternity.
What was there to think about?

I didn't need to win.

I had
    no teachings to preach,
    no enemies to beat,
    no position to defend,
    and no beacon in the distance to judge anyone against.

I didn't need to rush.

When the hillside was steep I sped up.

Sharp bends would slow me down.

It's quite simple.

And I didn't need to remember.

I was only on my way.

text & image ©2004-2005 idiotSupremo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License

david 最歡喜o既男人

2005-04-01T00:18:00.000+08:00

左手拈花、右手喳住樽水又唔飲… 大家估下呢位仁兄係邊個？

張肖像係響個意大利網站度碰到o既；下面係o個頁o既內容：

Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva

Tramite la pratica profonda della Prajna Paramita

Capi che i cinque skandhas sono vuoti

E fu salvato di ogni sofferenza ed ogni sconforto

Sariputra, la forma non e diversa della vacuita;

La vacuita non e diversa della forma.

Cio ch'e forma e vacuita;

Cio ch'e vacuita e forma.

Ed e lo stesso colle sensazioni, le percezioni, le volizioni e le coscienze.

Sariputra, tutti i Dharma hanno questo carattere della vacuita;

Non appaiono ne scompaiono,

Non sono ne sudici ne puri,

Non crescono ne decrescono.

Percio nella vacuita, ne forma,

Ne sensazioni, percezioni, impulsioni, coscienze;

Ne occhi, ne orecchi, ne naso, ne lingua, ne corpo, ne mente;

Ne colore, ne suono, ne odore, ne gusto, ne tatto, ne oggetto del pensiero;

Non c'e reame della visione eccetera, sino a non c'e reame del pensiero-coscienza;

Non c'e ignoranza e non c'e neanche estinzione dell'ignoranza, sino alla vecchiaia e alla morte e neanche estinzione della vecchiaia e della morte

Ne sofferenza, ne origine, ne cessazione, ne via;

Non c'e conoscenza e non c'e realizzazione.

Non vi essendo nulla da realizzare

Il Bodhisattva dipende della Prajna Paramita

Ed il suo mentale non e un osctacolo.

Senza ostacoli, non vi e paura;

Lontano di ogni concetto pervertito, rimane nel Nirvana.

Nei tre mondi, tutti i Buddha dipendono dalla Prajna Paramita

E giungono all'Anuttara-samyaksambodhi.

Sappiate dunque che la Prajna Paramita

E' il grande mantra transcendente,

Il grande mantra luminoso,

Il mantra insorpassabile,

Il mantra supremo,

Capace di alleviare ogni sofferenza

Autentico e non falso.

Proclamate dunque il mantra della Prajna Paramita,

Proclamate il mantra che dice:

Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate! Bodhi! Svaha!

呼，我都睇到 ow 哂頭；Autentico e non falso（真實不虛）。

謎底

hell

2005-03-19T13:29:00.000+08:00

This's how david's been feeling since monday; sigh...

progressive blues. chris rea - road to hell PLAY:

'This ain't no upwardly mobile freeway...'

Act I - Ghost

Stood still on a highway

I saw a woman

By the side of the road

With a face that I knew like my own

Reflected in my window

Well she walked up to my quarterlight

And she bent down real slow

A fearful pressure paralysed me in my shadow

She said 'Son, what are you doing here?

My fear for you has turned me in my grave.'

I said, 'Mama I come to the valley of the rich

myself to sell.'

She said,

'Son, this is the road to hell.

On your journey 'cross the wilderness
from the desert to the well,
You have strayed upon the motorway to hell.'

William-Adolphe Bouguereau - Dante and Virgil in Hell

Act II - Hell

Well I'm standing by a river
But the water doesn't flow
It boils with every poison you can think of
And I'm underneath the streetlight
But the light of joy I know
Scared beyond belief way down in the shadows
And the perverted fear of violence
Chokes the smile on every face
And common sense is ringing out the bell
This ain't no technological breakdown
Oh no, this is the road to hell

And all the roads jam up with credit
And there's nothing you can do
It's all just bits of paper flying away from you
Oh look out world, take a good look
What comes down here
You must learn this lesson fast and learn it well
This ain't no upwardly mobile freeway
Oh no, this is the road
'said this is the road

This is the road to hell.

my funny valentine 2005, endgame

2005-03-13T00:16:00.000+08:00

答小冰書‧殘局

掩上薄薄的綾紗
換來默默的期待
揮去幽幽的寒寂
綻開洋洋的華釆
陳慵‧焙箕歌

«首回（章一）
«上回連載（章四）

「夏侯小姐，我絕無冒犯之意。我之所以質問妳，祇是要令妳體驗一下：一個人不假思索地相信的所謂『實情』，通常不是真的 —— 往往些許質疑也經不起。是了，妳會否經常覺得自己漂亮聰明、心腸也不壞，是『應該』不乏男士追求的？」

「有時會。」

「這個『應該』是否真的？『實情』是怎麼樣？」

「『應該有男人追求』該是不會錯的……但事實卻恰恰相反。」

「夏侯小姐，既然『事實』在定義上一定是真的 —— 最少在此刻是，那麼與實情不符的所謂應該什麼什麼的，便是幻覺嘍？」

「妳可以這樣說。但我喜歡我的『應該』，它們令我的生活好過一點。我若要抱著它們過日子，那又怎樣？」

「那是求仁得仁。妳喜歡，沒人會阻止。但夏侯小姐，阿拉伯人有句諺語：

『儘管和事實對睹！但你輸的機會率不多不少：是百份之一百。』

既然知道了投注在主觀幻想上是輸定的，而且絕無例外；妳為什麼還要讓它們牽著妳的鼻子跑？」

夏侯冰皺起眉頭：「可是……若將妳的觀點繃至極限，那連『我需要一個疼我的伴侶』也是主觀幻覺嘍？」

「舉一反三，孺子可教。」

「這話怎說？」

「什麼是『浪漫』？什麼是『幸福』？若妳仔細觀察，妳會發覺這些概念無獨立不變的特質。我們先說『浪漫』。收到花束浪漫不浪漫？買花的人妳喜歡，便叫『浪漫』；不喜歡的，妳便謂之『nuisance 多此一舉』。海傍漫步浪漫不浪漫？清風明月便叫『浪漫』，又濕又冷便是『冷雨夜』嘍。燭光晚餐浪漫不浪漫？融洽和悅便『浪漫』，若雙方城府深的，小心部署優勢，那便不如喚作『戰略洽談』更貼切。嘻！妳看！全部是相對的！總括來說，『浪漫』只是主觀投影，沒有任何可以掌握的實質。況且，任何感覺生起時，最終也必然會逝去啊……」

「我應該拒絕這種感覺？」

「非也。我只是說不要對『浪漫』苛求它從來沒有的性質，例如要它恆久和實在。平日有興的話，儘管製造多些浪漫的因緣。它出現時便盡情享受。消逝時便應放手由它過去。」

「………『幸福』呢？」

「大致如是。我們往往對『幸福』寄望太大，由它澎脹至不合比例的地步。究竟是不是豐衣足食、夫妻如魚得水、兒孫孝順，便天下太平呢？須知對美夢愈執著，日常生活愈蒼白。而且花無百日紅，陳義太高，事情未如理想時，便難保持平常心噢。『幸福』好此海傍一列妳不知道哪一截靠才得住的欄杆。祇把腳擱上去綁綁鞋帶無傷大雅；不由分說便把整個身子的數十 kilo 壓上去，一個不好掉了進海裡，可不要說曇影子沒勸過妳。」

「但妳剛才說什麼『海市蜃樓』的，所指為何？」

「若小姐妳想清楚，一個伴侶其實不會為妳帶來多少妳現時沒有的東西的。海市蜃樓…遠處看時，又有奔馬、又有湖泊，緊張刺激。但愈接近愈虛幻透明。到步時，原來什麼也沒有。一個人能了知人、事的限制，沒有伴侶也能過得平和安樂。不然的話，便註定一生在白日夢裡遊蕩了。」

「妳說的這些，日常如何才能拿捏得好？」

「這個簡單；平常心是道。」

夏侯冰開始有點捨不得這個「曇影子」了：「我滿意了。我還有三個最後的簡短問題。」

「曇影子」笑著揚揚手。

「一；妳這些揮春真奇怪。『口舌』、『惡習』、『慳貪』、『怨恨』、『怠慢』、『桃花』—— 新正月真不吉利；算是什麼揮春？」

「吉利，當然吉利！這些是小妹的『紫微斗數速成』；用來送給環境不好沒錢算命的街坊隨喜的。」

「？」

「紫微斗數命盤的所有排列中，對主人煞傷力最厲害的幾個格局，成因不出『口舌』、『惡習』、『慳貪』、『怨恨』、『怠慢』、和『桃花』。若把這六幅揮春貼在心頭、日日警惕，便可持盈保泰；斗數亦無用矣。」

「有用；我會記住。二；我很佩服妳的觀察能力，但妳的占卜術不是神通，可不會連我的姓名也測到罷？以及 —— 最後一件事 —— 相金盛惠多少？」

「…… 夏侯小姐，現在什麼時份了？」

「八時許罷？」

「妳怎樣知道？」「曇影子」摘下墨鏡；眼珠竟是像夏侯冰的一樣的顏色。

夏侯冰看看手錶，發覺錶面上的時、分針不見了。

「曇影子」吃吃的笑：「小姐您又怎知道揮春上面寫著的，確是我們剛談過的『六煞』呢？」

夏侯冰抬頭一看，臉上血色沒有了；她只是印象上知道揮春寫著什麼，但每張揮春上面，其實是黑色一團團的墨，像符但不是字。

「夏侯小姐，夢裡是看不見讀數的。嘻，妳問我如何曉得妳的名字……夢境是妳的，我怎樣知道？By the way，妳的電話已響了好幾回，是時候醒來了。小妹雖只是一個投影，但也愛漂亮的噢。不若咱們分別之前，把您的花送我作為相金好不好？」

夏侯冰毫不猶豫便把花束送過去。「曇影子」抱著花，起來轉身把油燈逐盞吹熄；市街的燈光和行人也隨之一一隱去。

夏侯冰差不多是跳起來的；立即便伸手在皮包裡亂抓。流動電話給抓到了，鈴聲仍繼續哇哇的鬧，原來在響的是辦公桌子上的電話。

「怎麼盹著了？」夏侯冰急得臉蛋紅通通的，埋怨自己道：「唏，瘋了！做夢也要給人家算命！」說著便提起聽筒……

「夏侯冰命理……唏！老公，是你，我還以為有生意上門……生意淡薄，睡著了啊……花？好喜歡噢；多謝……吃飯？好哇…………」

夏侯冰笑著抬頭往窗外看了看，天橋上機場列車的燈光，在淡紫色的黃昏裡劃出一條白練。

fin

本著作係採用Creative Commons 授權條款授權

my funny valentine 2005, part 4

2005-03-04T11:32:00.000+08:00

答小冰書‧四

竹密不妨流水過山高豈礙白雲飛
佚

«上回連載（章三）

「其實每一個人心裡皆有個靈驗的水晶球，就是這個實用問題：『若我把這件事重複一百、一千、或一萬次，我會怎樣？』若時常使用這個『水晶球』，我們會漸漸發覺，許多答案我們其實是一早知道的。讓我們試演一次罷：若妳在未來的三個月裡，每個週末也留在家中或固有的朋友圈子裡……妳認為與『他』遇上的機會有多少？」

「接近零。」

「六個月呢？」

「一樣。」

「一年、五年、十年呢？」

「………」

「曇影子」攤開雙手，盯著夏候冰默然不語。

「妳不是勸我上婚姻介紹所罷？」夏候冰問道。

「我不是剛說完嗎？介紹所代客把雙方 digitize 數碼化（『妳的收入幾多個零？』），像不像掮客做買賣？而貨品中的其中一半 —— 則是妳；沒用的。兼且夏候小姐愛惜羽毛；諒妳也不會去。是了，為什麼不考慮參加 Tango Tan 學阿根廷探戈？永遠男女各半不用臉紅。極端一點的，可以選一些男性專利的興趣；包管妳全場矚目。」

「例如呢？」

「我可不是說笑的。小妹有位好友跑了去學日本太鼓。情人嘛，結果遇不到，卻得了一條羨慕死人的小蠻腰，和十幾個像少林僧的大塊頭護花使者；呼，春風得意。」

「有意思。」夏候冰那雙近乎黃色的眼珠子瞳孔放大時，隔張桌子也看得見。「還有什麼好點子？」

「夏候小姐，妳一般用多少時間決定和一個剛相識的人有沒有發展空間？」

「直覺……三分鐘？」

「真的是『直覺』？抑或是『成見』？」

「是什麼意思？」

「卦象說妳相人像購物，經常希望以最少的『投資』—— 在妳而言是時間 —— 得到最大的『回報』。遇到一個不是妳喜歡那型的人，或是不合妳的條件者，便立即『止蝕』，或歸類為『普通朋友』。這一套，妳日間在錢莊上班時也許管用，找伴侶便不行了。」

「有什麼不對？」

「『用最少的時間，憑直覺考慮一段搞不好是一生一世的關係』，這句話說出來也令人發噱。而且世上沒有『開始發展感情後，才付出多一點心力』這回事。初時之購物心態，會像癌細胞般擴散進往後的日子。一個慳吝感情的人，和一個『天空海闊』的 —— 妳喜歡的那型 —— 在一起……他拔營退兵只是遲早的事。冒昧；小姐的前夫是一聲不響便往異鄉跑掉了的罷？至於後來的兩段感情，一聲不響消失的是妳。好多沉默噢。」

「……… 妳有什麼建議？」

「首先妳得明白，所謂妳特別喜歡的那幾類型，是從未受到質疑之主觀決定。例如：身高。矮小的歷史偉人不少，昴藏六呎的縮骨爬蟲類我也見過；一個人脊椎＋腿骨＋頭骨的長度，和他的人格丁點關係也沒有噢。樣貌嘛，亦復如是。所以曇影奉勸一句，下回遇到個『可能性』，若對方非無禮下流之輩，不妨耐心等到有三數面之緣才再作打算。不然，單憑高度、相貌之類的微末枝節，給妳的真命天子溜了怎辦？須知妳現在需做的是邀人家進妳的生活，不是踢他出去噢。」

「合理。還有呢？」

「儘量不要分分秒秒也老是計較自己的得失：『他對我好，他對我不好，他對我好，他對我不好……』不如瀟灑一點。妳且看看歷史、看看妳身邊周圍，君不見凡事願意兼顧人家觀點立場的人，皆有一份奇怪的安詳。反之然，什麼也先計算自己益處的，往往不是患得患失，便是長困愁城。這些因果關係到處可見，毋須聖賢指點。」

「妳是在說我應該多付出、還是我應該學忍耐？」

「我是在說『智慧』。深知『以自我為中心的喜惡，皆是投影，一百居其九十九不是真的』之智慧。」

「？」

「說一點妳對前夫的感覺來聽聽。」

「他好懶散，不求上進。」

「是不是真的？」

「當然！」

「有什麼証據？」

「喔…」

「曇影子」揚了揚眉，把身子欠前一點。

「現在想清楚，他只是不愛酬酢、不愛拼命賺錢。下班便回來坐在家裡。」

「曇影子」假裝不耐煩：「唏，究竟他是『懶散』、還是『知足』？」

「知足。」

「他下班急急回家做什麼？」

「陪我。」

「『懶散』、『不求上進』的評價是從那裡來的？」

「我。」

「沒安全感的是誰？」

「…… 可能也是我。」

且聽下集大結局。

本著作係採用Creative Commons 授權條款授權

my funny valentine 2005, part 3

2005-02-23T15:32:00.000+08:00

答小冰書‧三

「一剎那恍惚若有所失的感覺
不知不覺已變淡心裡愛」
Beyond‧海闊天空

«上回連載（章二）

「妳的意思是……」夏侯冰問。

「世上無『強人』，只有裝強的人。夏侯小姐，妳在找的，也許祇是一個疼妳的善心腸。」「曇影子」正色坐直了身子，目光藏在墨鏡後面看不見。

「………」

「人皆云：『可以共富貴，不可以共患難。』但曇影閱人無數，發覺其實不然噢。『可以共患難，不可以共富貴』可能較接近今天的常情。」

「這話何解？我可不要扛著一件平庸無用的包袱窮快活。」

「小姐有所不知；『財富』、『成就』、『閒暇』皆無自性；載舟或是覆舟，是取決於主人的修為 —— 像凸透鏡，可以放大，可以放火。有名有利有時間，固能解人急難。但若人是貪心的，十倍的財富祇會令其十倍投機；人忿怒，十倍的成就會令其十倍自大；人迷糊，十倍的閒暇會令其十倍空虛。現今的人，以為經濟獨立了，心也可以一併宣布獨立，毋須體恤將就他人；動不動就『向左走，向右走』。所以根據本小姐所見，兩人花開富貴，往往就是緣盡時矣。」

「我離過婚。」

「我知道。」

「是不是愈說愈沉重了？Anyway，妳剛才說的第二點是……『行動』？」

「『行』：『行動』、『行為』、『行徑』。 “action”、“behaviour”和“methodology”可不一樣噢。」

「大開眼介！」夏侯冰樂了。

「小女子雖是擺攤子為業，洋文總要曉些少的；千萬不要見笑啊。是了，夏侯小姐工餘時間歡喜做什麼？」

「唉，何謂『工餘時間』？下班一般已是八、九時了；唯有打道回府煮東西吃打掃看書聽音樂睡覺。」

「周末呢？」

「好累啊……睡到日上三竿，跟著和朋友逛街看電影；不過時常連這個心力也沒有。那便留在家裡煮東西打掃看書聽音樂睡覺。」

「妳不是國際恐怖分子罷？」

「？」

「妳不是恐怖分子，天天留在家裡可不會平白有全身披甲的男士游繩下來跳進妳的客廳噢。」

「喔…… 我明白。」

「夏侯小姐信不信因緣？」

「姻緣？」

「因緣。『原因』的『因』，“root-cause and conditions” —— 俗稱『因果』。記不記得小時候儲汽水蓋掩換獎品？四個蓋掩換一枝『孖條』，『哥喇』十個；儲齊了沒遺失的話，獎品便是妳的了，是之為因緣具足。沒有一個叫『天命』的東西會無端的把汽水拋給妳的。」

夏侯冰慍慍的說：「但我信姻緣是天註定的。」

「夏侯小姐是明理的人。我想像妳從不會認為作事粗心大意、不求甚解的人會能支到像妳般的高薪；妳亦知道待客常帶笑容才能生意如輪轉。這些子都是初級因果。小妹敢問，為什麼在「情」這骨節子裡，妳卻會信奉一套 180º 全然相反的理念呢？」

且聽下回分解。

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my funny valentine 2005, part 2

2005-02-18T00:34:00.000+08:00

答小冰書‧二

硬是不歸歸便得故園風雨亦忘懷
陳慵‧夢遊歌

«上回連載（章一）

「妳怎樣知道我這些事情的？」夏侯冰問道。

相士自得的笑笑：「小姐，這攤子是算命的。」

「……… 說的也是。但妳好像什麼也知道，還有什麼好算的？不如爽快說些實用的給我聽聽罷。」

「曇影子」托一托她的怪雞墨鏡：「我剛才為招生意說的，是妳的現狀和過去，是已成的事實。老實說，一般江湖術士若肯勤練他心通，加上仔細推理，也能知道七、八成。但妳此刻要問的，是未來的事，那便不如光顧小號占一支卦了。嘻…… 我沒猜錯的話，小姐要算姻緣？」

「我真的是這樣容易便給人家看穿？」夏侯冰開始有點惱自己了。

「小姐不用太介意。女孩子十個算命九個問姻緣；何況今天是情人節？分別在於妳是已有對象，問婚姻呢，還是未有對象，想問『他』何時出現。恕我冒昧，妳是後者。」

「怎樣可以看出來？」夏侯冰的好奇心給勾起了。

「妳的衣服時款稱身、質料名貴。很明顯妳不缺金錢。但戒指、項鍊、耳環等等首飾在妳身上統統不見。再看妳那雙鞋子，價錢大概是妳那皮包的兩、三倍；可知妳是務實型。妳不戴首飾，只是因為妳的性格喜歡簡單……」

「妳還沒有答我的問題。」

「愈是妳這類人，愈是會把情人送的東西天天戴在身上。」

「佩服！」夏侯冰笑了。「請為我占一卦；姻緣。」

「夏侯小姐，讓我先說明幾個要點。小妹學法的宗門，喚作『妙吉祥』，全盤建基於因與果之相依關係，不承認宿命。所以無論我為您求得哪個卦象，它顯示的是各項客觀條件此刻的排列，與及 —— 若妳祇是隨波逐流的話 —— 最可能出現的結果。如果卦象不如您意，往往可以憑心力、努力改變的。這點您務必緊記。」

「好。」

「曇影子」從一個橘黃色的軟袋子裡取出一串念珠，收攝心神，一面唸唸有詞，一面用姆指把珠子逐顆逐顆的向後撥。一百零八顆撥了一半五十四，她便把珠串輕輕收作一團，隨意拈著其中兩顆之間的虛位；然後把那一顆特別大的，俗稱「佛頭」的珠子和她兩指之間的數十顆小珠，六顆六顆的數去，看剩下多少。

周而復始兩次之後，她輕鬆的站起來，轉身給後面的菩薩像合什上香，唸了幾句像咒語的東西：

因緣生，
因緣滅，
是因緣，
如是說。

「曇影子」收歛笑容：「可惜哦，是卦。讀 na ca，是西藏文；卦象是『沙丘』。恕曇影按卦直言，妳雖漂亮聰穎，卻經常月復月、年復年地無人問津。從前的戀愛和婚姻都曇花一現，而且消失得莫名其妙，往往一句最後的『再見』也沒有。」

「……」

「『沙丘』這卦，就姻緣來說，可分三方面觀察：」

「『見』：夏侯小姐妳對人家的要求不切實際 —— 虛浮像流沙；」
「『行』：妳罕會付出合理、恆久的努力 —— 飄忽如熱風；」
「『果』：對『浪漫』、『幸福』的本質和限制，妳的認識模糊不清 —— 如幻似海市蜃樓。」

「『見』、『行』、『果』皆欠實質地基 —— 沙漠格 —— 妳的緣份註定難免像沙丘般隨風聚散噢…」

「可以詳細點為我解釋一下嗎？」

「當然；咱們先說『見』。妳習慣了把活生生的人，像動畫閃咭般量化為無血無肉的『規格』來比較 —— 武器、戰鬥力、裝甲…… 嘻，而妳的辭典裡的代數符號，則是『儀表』、『收入』、『地位』之類。還有，妳沒來由地期望『他』的所謂條件會是比妳更好……」

「這有什麼不妥？」

「一；沒有人喜歡被人家當作商品般比較。人同此心，心同此理；換了是妳給人同樣品評，也可能逃之夭夭。二；合乎妳的標準的人，大概百中無一。加上此人須是自由身，並且與妳有緣、及欣賞妳的優點……妳說機會是多少？」

夏侯冰揚了揚眉：「？」

這時當相士的，也開始沒好氣了：「夏侯小姐，『千一』的意思是：妳可能需要認識數以百計的男士才能與『他』碰上 —— 實情是也許會，也許不會。走馬看花式的每週一約會，減半也是十年光陰噢……」

「妳有更好的見地？」

「我在想……為何妳不考慮一些較為實用的角度？」

「例如？」

「他會否無論月圓月缺、順景逆景也關心、包容妳？」

「……… 有道理。還有呢？」

「他會不會為了自尊、名利、或純貪好玩去傷害另一個人？」

「會又如何？在社會力爭上游，非戰之罪啊。」

「嘿嘿。兩個人長線發展，分岐、磨擦是少不免的噢。但若弄得不好，到時以攻擊距離來算，以妳為最短啊！」

且聽下回分解。

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my funny valentine 2005, part 1

2005-02-14T01:01:00.000+08:00

答小冰書‧一

「斷石分金光勝青霜
難斷心裡恨綿綿」
黃霑‧春雨彎刀

漆黑一片裡，我們看見幾個霓虹招牌閃呀閃的亮起。黃色、綠色、紅色、白色……便利店、小吃攤、其他都是賣酒的。哦，是一條市街。

在街角旁的小酒館裡、燈光都是或深或淺的藍色。所以在這天朗氣清，幾乎是紫色的傍晚，酒館顯得特別清冷。

酒館好大好大幅的落地玻璃後面，坐著一個抱著好大好大的一束鮮花的女子，漠然的看著街上的路人。

夏侯冰坐在窗旁，把雙腿綣到沙化上，再挪了挪身子使自己舒服一點，便把額角擱在涼涼的玻璃上。

讓我們看看這個女子……廣額、高顴，吊梢眼，標準的塞外美人；眼珠子是琥珀色的。

她確是複姓夏侯。據她祖父說，族譜可考至曹操的親族；是夏侯淵或是夏侯惇卻不知道了。這一點她相信。不然，幹嘛要取一個當年先祖逃跑到那裡也會給人追殺來領賞的姓氏？

她不自覺地把花束再抱緊一點。花光給臉蛋添了些許顏色，人卻仿佛是盹著了。

夏侯冰踏出酒館時，給市街的熱鬧嚇了一跳。今天正月初六，還有個多星期才到元霄，怎麼這樣多算命和小飾物攤子？

「也好。」看見亮如白晝的燈光下那些五彩斑瀾但毫無用處小商品，她的心情頓時好起來，便隨興了。她沿著市街翻翻這、掀掀那的。買了幾幅剪影，也沒有議價。

「噓！名將之後。榮幸之至。本小姐今晚且給妳看個前程；不靈驗的，不取分文！」

「名將之後……」花了半秒，夏侯冰才省覺說的是自己。轉過身來，看見一個奇奇怪怪的攤子，和一個奇奇怪怪的人。

「曇影子算命」術士幡如是說。後面一般用來放貨品飾架的地方，什麼也沒有，只是點了十數盞小油燈和一座鎏金菩薩像。燈下六福揮春，分別寫著「口舌」、「惡習」、「慳貪」、「怨恨」、「怠慢」、和「桃花」。

做生意的人更奇怪了。明明是女的，卻穿著黃飛鴻式的長衫短打。頭髮挽了一條長辮，架著一副溥儀墨鏡，大刺刺地繞起二郎腿，笑嘻嘻的像個無賴。

對自已聰明理性素來自負的夏侯冰這回興起了。她朝相士筆直行去，準備拆人家的招牌。

「曇影子」懶洋洋的繼續道：

「小姐姓夏侯，洋名 Bing，虛齡三十有四。分離婚離，無子嗣。身為狀官，在外族錢莊幹活。目中無人，抱著的花是卻是自己買的。今晚是番邦元宵，是妳給沒有約會的自已解嘲解嘲的。嘿……」

「妳……」這趟是夏侯冰給唬著了。

「請座！」相士仍是嘻皮笑臉。

欲知後事如何，且聽下回分解。

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round and round...

2005-02-13T23:55:00.000+08:00

A fascinating anonymous email, signed "timwees," that david received for creating the "Mandala MTV":

Thank you for that. You have kept alive for us a wonderful lesson.

I once had the privilege of observing the creation of a mandala such as this. It was in Courtenay, British Columbia (Canada) about eight years ago. A group of monks came to town and created their work in the community centre. At the conclusion of the experience, the Buddhist monks struck up the band .. banging and blowing and loud noises and pure joy being blasted into the ether. And then the art work was swept into a pile. We had a cavalcade to the ocean. The leading monk hoisted his robes above his knees and waded into the ocean and released the sand back into the sea.

In my life this experience had a remarkable effect for which I am most grateful. It is not germane to this conversation to get into the detail. Suffice it to say that I had lost everything and everyone I loved and felt shunned and devastated. Observing the monks gave me the insight and strength and dogged persistence to let it all go and start anew. And then to watch what I had created, newly, itself fade and disappear. There was remorse, regret .. and then remembering the lesson and again .. letting go. Experiencing and doing this and learning, year after year. Learning ... though the produced result gives bite to the creative idea, being first formulated as thought and then manifested as physical reality, the creative idea is what is real and lasting. The creative idea only lives in motion. It lives in the creating of it and instantly vanishes. It is amazing the freedom I feel when I can release remorse and regret, the freedom to be newly me in every new moment.

Not to say that it always happens that way, but if things get tough and my mind gets around to focusing on solutions, I remember those monks and their gift to my life.

Letting go.

Thank you.

ice cream

2005-01-28T17:00:00.000+08:00

Boddingtons, the "Cream of Manchester."

Ice, the cream of Antarctica:

Click image for large version (1024 X 768, 116K).

This surreal mama of a pic courtesy of my colleague David Lee, who recently returned from his year-end vacation with family at, well, the South Pole.

Feel free to use as screen wallpaper.

良辰美景

2005-01-28T11:21:00.000+08:00

漁護署表示，他們昨日已將凹頭楊屋村發現的 6 個疑似紅火蟻的蟻丘，以及濕地公園 40 個疑似蟻丘中的 19 個撲滅。市民毋須恐慌。

天花亂墜

2005-01-26T10:30:00.000+08:00

「星沉海底當窗見，雨過河源隔座看。」
李商隱‧碧城三首

《星島日報》好文筆！張力直逼《太陽》同《蘋果》。令一眾市民掌聲雷動，興奮莫名：

人蟻大戰半數村民被咬傷

（星島日報 1 月 26 日報道）紅火蟻攻陷台灣之際，疑隨「回收垃圾」出口，越洋遠走廣東，進軍幅員廣大的內地，引起民眾恐慌。據本報記者到官方證實受毒蟻侵襲的湛江吳川市直擊發現，紅火蟻兵團大舉侵襲一條小村落——陳村，半條村村民被咬傷。當局急派杜蟻藥，眾人撒藥兼火攻，三個月來與紅火蟻大戰後，毒蟻暫時敗陣，殘餘部隊退守八百米外農地築巢，相信第二次人蟻大戰一觸即發。

「殘餘部隊退守八百米…」david 實在佩服得無話可說。

samsara

2005-01-23T04:20:00.001+08:00

「今天少年人，他朝老年人，不知有沒有改變…」

幾星期前，我做事間雜貨鋪個 marketing manager 隨興提起霑叔。佢話始終覺得霑叔咁多年來填o既詞一定係有個章法o既…

『我番屋企聽多兩次「輪流轉」然後話你知。』

david 心諗…

佛經。

報章隨口話霑叔「晚年信佛」。david 覺得未必；皆因廿幾年前已經有跡可尋。《上海灘》脫胎自楊慎填o既《臨江仙》：

「滾滾長江東逝水，浪花掏盡英雄。事非成敗轉頭空…」

頗有出塵之意；到o左《上海灘龍虎鬥》話「忘掉愛癡怨恨」，都幾明白係講緊「貪、嗔、癡」三大戒咯。

至於「輪流轉」，嘻…

言歸正轉；講起與佛有緣，呢篇o野係整o黎送畀我老死韻儀o既。前排當 david 仔仲等緊雙糧萬事都得個諗字個陣，韻儀話笛就笛，走左去尼泊爾索柏喇嘛座下間寺院度坐左一個月禪。

佢番o黎後畀本功課簿我睇；係源自阿底峽尊者《菩提道燈》o既法寶。小弟掀開八卦o下，韻儀二話不說就隨手指住個「輪迴」；就係上面幅公仔。

呢個「生死輪」o既中心係鴿、豬、同蛇；分別代表霑叔時不時提起
o既「愛、癡、怨恨」。貪嗔癡三隻小動物你追我，我咬你，團團轉就轉o左個大鑊出o黎…

釋尊話過，佢成佛之後無論直接或間接講o既所有開示，絕無例外係教人點可以唔駛再響「天、人、阿修羅、地獄、餓鬼、畜牲」六道入邊一世復一世咁夢遊。世尊係如語者、實語者、不妄語者；從不嘩眾取寵。可見呢句說話其實講得幾重。

但係 david 呢個門外漢之所見，十個自謂「佛教徒」（包括和尚），似乎有九個對出火宅走投冇乜興趣；都唔知幾鍾意紅塵十方。學法只係想睇o下點樣可以響得失榮辱聚散入面過得舒服少少（GOD，住好D？）。一頭話學「無常、苦、無實我」，轉頭夾錢起個健力士世界大銅佛搞乜鬼？所以見到韻儀乜o野發財密咒、禱文都唔理，一手指住個輪迴；小衲確實覺得有 D 奇…

小衲抬頭望望；弊傢伙，好似見到韻儀頭頂隱隱有個光圈添。

曹仁超 05 年持盈保泰七部曲

2005-01-04T13:40:00.000+08:00

（摘自 2005 年 1 月 4 日《信報》曹仁超《投資者日記》）

2004 年你做過乜令你賺錢？2005 年請繼續做。2004 年你做過乜令你損失？2005 年請唔好再做。這些睇落好簡單，卻將人分成成功與失敗。祝各位 2005 年更富有、更健康同時更聰明。

2005 年財政上持盈保泰七部曲：

增加儲蓄，減少無謂消費。
千萬不可用信用卡貸款，此乃壞習慣。
重整投資組合，賣掉蝕本貨，留住賺錢貨，但記住落止蝕盤，一旦從高位回落 10-15% 便計數離場。
檢討一下保單，睇睇係咪足夠日後退休用，唔好相信 2005 年較 2004 年更好。
停止細屋換大屋行動。
最少將收入 5% 留起o黎作不時之需。
建立「危機基金」，即撥出一筆錢作不時之需。

2005 年投資策略以穩定甚至略帶保守為主。

按：曹大哥有的是睿智、關係、同經驗；小弟其實冇置喙餘地。但我 D 老友記之中能人異士唔少；人人出街過節花費時，david 見到佢地一個個反而潛龍勿用，只管塞實個龍門。雨林冇哂雀，可能真係要小心…所以將《信報》篇o野節錄出o黎比大家參考o下。

祝各位街坊新年退步！

2004-12-27T13:09:00.000+08:00

「採菊東籬下，悠然見南山…」
陶潛‧【飲酒詩二十首】其五

下面張四格係 david 舊老友 — 漫畫家歐陽應霽幾年前送俾在下生日
o既。

唔係；唔係專為 david 畫o既。係阿齋響準備出版D原稿隨手拈起一張眼望望等我句「多謝」o個隻。

當時意識到呢四格有D禪機，但又太蠢睇唔通。覺得 personal，所以冇點俾朋友睇過。

時隔近五年，香港人急功近利o既，大多跌番入大氣層咯。當日o既深意，今天明白不過。所以 post 出o黎同大家咀嚼o下…

來年點睇？我有位良師益友話：「雖然環境好似好o左，唔駛趕住去不勞而獲喎…」

「趕住去不勞而獲」… 呢個 oxymoron 確係一針見血，david 甘拜下風。

共冕。望大家 05 年「悠閒快活，萬事如意」。

《信報》投資者日記曹仁超大哥o既建議

2004-12-22T22:33:00.000+08:00

最佳聖誕禮物通常係「你」o既出現。
最悶o既聖誕禮物係收到別人送o既禮券。
許多人送禮往往想及別人有冇用，其實禮物o既真正意義係平時想買但似乎又冇真正用途o既o野。
送錢畀太太或子女過聖誕，只代表閣下係一位並唔關心太太及子女o既丈夫或父親。人人以為禮物係物質，點解唔諗諗非物質o既o野，例如帶太太去睇燈飾或同子女一齊唱聖誕歌？

附：曹兄口頭禪「木宰羊」意謂「不知道。」傳是閩南話。david 祖籍廣東，所以實情嘛…木宰羊。

forbidden colours

2004-12-12T04:12:00.000+08:00

david created this "online poem" back in 1997 for fun; to see how far one could stretch the then embryonic web-page technology—which was none—for expressiveness.

Last Friday, me friend Anne told me that she enjoyed the stuff I posted into the net during those years, and I shouldn't just let them all be lost to time. So david went digging. This is the only piece extant.

Forbidden Colours was written by Ryuichi Sakamoto and David Sylvian for the soundtrack of the movie Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence which has since become a cult-classic for some reason.

As Broadway Cinematique is going to show the movie again in December, thought I might as well revive the piece with a soundtrack.

Forbidden Colours
David Sylvian/Ryuchi Sakamoto

homage to a Holy Man

2004-11-20T15:45:00.000+08:00

Ever wondered why it's considered impolite to gaze into a stranger's face in the lift, in the subway train, in a city?

The reasons must be varied and number in the dozens. But david suspects that the main one is people do not want to admit that their private ennui lays bare on their faces for everyone to see. So they don't want you to look.

If you sit at a sidewalk bar and observe the faces of passers-by, you'll probably see quite a bit of impatience, mild desperation, veiled anger... Battle-stations against "reality"—so to speak.

This is not news but, if you don't just look but also count, you may discover like I did how few exceptions one can find.

Our friends and relatives scatter over a spectrum ranging from being "successful" and "confident" to frustrated and debt-ridden. If those in the unfortunate group walked around with a blank, hard expression like a ski-mask, we would just dismiss that as "fair enough." Then we half-expect, as a simple-minded 180º flip, that the lucky ones should dance merrily down the streets each day with Gucci shopping bags...

"If just a third of my friends are screwed, at least a tenth of the remainder should be basking in heaven, right? They can't all be unhappy."

Not really. david notices the "better-offs" often wear their facial muscles even tighter, colder, and they are lonier. Exceptions are so far in between that it might be more accurate to take low-grade neurosis as a universal human condition.

That's why yesterday was a day of days for me. For a change, I beheld with my own eyes at a close distance someone whom I believe to be a holy man.

Those few friends of david's who have zig-zagged Nepal and Burma to seek dharma gurus would be giggling now. This's the first time david saw a mahasiddi in person, all right? So shut up and read on.

The Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche—the highest scholar of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism—was in Hong Kong for a few days to give three talks on Shantideva's Entering the Path to Enlightenment.

At the venue, there's a large hall where the Rinpoche would give the discourses to the 200 folks who wanted Chinese translation. The small "English" room next door was where the twenty of us squeezed together in front of a live TV to hear the translation by a Caucasian monk. It so happened that our room was adjacent to the Rinpoche's temporary office. So he had to pass among two dozens of unenlightened "language anti-socials" en route to the big hall.

I'd have imagined that a master of the Rinpoche's standing would coolly breeze past with his small entourage of student-monks. It turned out that, when the Rinpoche saw us, he stopped, humbly placed his palms together, and gave us his trademark big smile and wished us well in Tibetan.

Then david's heart missed a beat.

I saw a happy man. I mean, I saw a happy man.

A happy man... joyous to the bones, beyond plight, through and through; so happy that nobody could miss the infectious radiance for anything else. In that moment, it striked me that I had never seen a completely happy person in the flesh before.

It's quite, eh, refreshing.

I'll have to be a conceited fool to start elaborating at this point my *guesses* of how the man attained that level of serenity. There's no need anyways. Ask the Rinpoche and he'll say "follow the Buddha's teachings diligently." Yeah right.

On the other hand, david did learn something. The man has taken half a century of unsettling exile life in his stride with not much more than three robes and a toothbrush to his name. Yet he still oozes happiness, I suppose this says a lot about the efficacy of "security," "romance," and Prada bags as reliable agents of true joy. I suppose this also says a lot about Hong Kong.

keep sloth at bay with insults

2004-11-17T17:57:00.000+08:00

david is lazy.

I never do things that are outright heavy; stuff like taking a mortgage, reading thick books, or being romantic. I also avoid what others think I ought to do; namely networking after work for "opportunities," getting an MBA, blah blah. But the thing is—I don't do most of the things that are clearly good for my well-being either.

I've read some "motivational" books. Their presumptions that I eventually had to own a harmonious relationship, Porsche, and a million dollars did not tickle me. david's still a bit stupid to grasp the instrinic joy which these things supposedly offer...

In the decades of deep-chair lounging, however, I noticed that certain "wholesome" activities—like a date with meself going to an utterly silly movie—did leave me with a rewarding glow of satisfaction afterwards...

That is, if david ever managed to endure past the first few steps of executing the whims at all.

What gives? Each time david is about to really, really "get down to it," a dense, techni-color, heavy picture of the end-goal—and how painful the striving would be—would instantly shroud my resolution. My reaction? You guessed. I scurry back to customary comfort double-time.

That said, david still has an iota of wisdom which says "when something obviously doesn't work, consider the exact opposite." So I chopped the lofty ideals into retail, almost insulting chunks.

Well it worked.

Let's say I could actually do 20 minutes of Tai-chi (hard, because you remain in half-ducked positions throughout, which make your knees shake), I would start the session with a resolution of doing five minutes. Yes, five; and all david's obligations to Creation for the day is fulfilled.

Y'know what? After the initial push, it's never as bad as the ego wants me to believe. Every time I'd end up doing 25 or 30 minutes of it on principle to thwart the implied dare in the original aim.

If my stamina ever grows to 40 minutes, for example, I'd shift the yardstick to 10. The point of the deliberately easy goal is only in bypassing the ego's excuses. If you're tempted to set it lower than a quarter of your true capability, the supposed results may not be important to you in the first place.

I suspect the approach only works for some mindsets and not others. But, hey, why not give it a shot with patterns that have kept you fenced-in for years despite of the good ol' positive self-programming? At a minimum, you can't really justify with righteousness that you failed at doing less, can you?

But I digress to the words "keep sloth at bay" in this entry's title. I didn't say "destroy sloth," for too much struggle with anything is poison. And, clever strategy or none, I'm still not going to get the mortgage, read thick books, or try being romantic; for to david these things represent Dante's furnaces, not the garden-variety laziness which I was talking about.

廣本心經曼陀羅 MTV

2004-11-17T13:00:00.000+08:00

Prajñā Pāramitā Mandala MTV

My friend Colan emailed me a hyperlink that leads to pictures of two Buddhist monks creating a stunning mandala. i happened to have a copy of the Prajñā Pāramitā Hrdaya Sūtram (the "Heart Sutra," 心經) chanted by Wong Faye—one of Asia's favourite divas. So i spent a rainy weekend throwing them together.

Click image or link to open mtv in new window. The button in mtv begins play. If you read Chinese, the "lyrics" is below.

BTW, most of the folks who emailed to tell david they loved the piece were, not so surprisingly, neither Chinese nor Buddhist.

link: http://home.netvigator.com/~vajrasattva/mandala

佛說聖佛母般若波羅蜜多心經
西天譯經三藏朝奉大夫試光祿卿傳法大師賜紫臣施護奉詔譯

誦經：王菲

如是我聞一時世尊在王舍城鷲峰山中與大苾芻眾千二百五十人俱并諸菩薩摩訶薩眾而共圍繞

爾時世尊即入甚深光明宣說正法三摩地

時觀自在菩薩摩訶薩在佛會中而此菩薩摩訶薩已能修行甚深般若波羅蜜多觀見五蘊自性皆空

爾時尊者舍利子承佛威神前白觀自在菩薩摩訶薩言若善男子善女人於此甚深般若波羅蜜多法門樂欲修學者當云何學

時觀自在菩薩摩訶薩告尊者舍利子言汝今諦聽為汝宣說

若善男子善女人樂欲修學此甚深般若波羅蜜多法門者當觀五蘊自性皆空何名五蘊自性空耶所謂即色是空即空是色色無異於空空無異於色受想行識亦復如是

舍利子此一切法如是空相無所生無所滅無垢染無清淨無增長無損減舍利子是故空中無色無受想行識無眼耳鼻舌身意無色聲香味觸法無眼界無眼識界乃至無意界無意識界無無明無無明盡乃至無老死亦無老死盡無苦集滅道無智無所得亦無無得

舍利子由是無得故菩薩摩訶薩依般若波羅蜜多相應行故心無所著亦無罣礙以無著無礙故無有恐怖遠離一切顛倒妄想究竟圓寂

所有三世諸佛依此般若波羅蜜多故得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提

是故應知般若波羅蜜多是廣大明是無上明是無等等明而能息除一切苦惱是即真實無虛妄法諸修學者當如是學

我今宣說般若波羅蜜多大明曰

tadyatā gate gate pāragate pārasamgate bodhi svāhā

舍利子諸菩薩摩訶薩若能誦是般若波羅蜜多明句是即修學甚深般若波羅蜜多

爾時世尊從三摩地安詳而起讚觀自在菩薩摩訶薩言善哉善哉善男子如汝所說如是如是般若波羅蜜多當如是學是即真實最上究竟一切如來亦皆隨喜

佛說此經已觀自在菩薩摩訶薩并諸苾芻乃至世間天人阿修羅乾闥婆等一切大眾聞佛所說皆大歡喜信受奉行

佛說聖佛母般若波羅蜜多心經

the differences are the same

置頂：散筵席

花落誰家

日出照舊

「夾心階層」

讀書人

夜色

David Sylvian

卑利街 2007

élégance

substance

causeway bay

metta

Metta

Dignity - into the shadows

明月夜

BunnyBunny

貓貓近況

米蘭掠影

耐人尋味

米蘭大教堂

穿秋水

鏡華

如是我聞

dāi look

wrinkles

phantom of the opera

水涼夜

紅

夜路

明月夜

中秋華釆

文物

o黎刷喇喂！

迴夢心經

流野

打格

david 仔有好介紹

「行動」藝術

忍辱波羅蜜

蛇麻Loo…

warmth

狗仔式 — 7‧11 贈品即興行為藝術

a christmas fable

濕碎

cool money

diamond life

buddy bar

aquellos ojos verdes

中招

識時務者為俊傑

.....

maverick meets nemesis

holland bank cheque

dead ringers

眾裡尋它千百度

釋摯友疑書

兩岸猿聲啼不住，輕舟已過萬重山

出土文物

happy birthday Old Chap

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

what's the difference a date makes?

俺都有幅印象派

on my way

david 最歡喜o既男人

hell

my funny valentine 2005, endgame

my funny valentine 2005, part 4

my funny valentine 2005, part 3

my funny valentine 2005, part 2

my funny valentine 2005, part 1

round and round...

ice cream

良辰美景

天花亂墜

人蟻大戰 半數村民被咬傷

samsara

曹仁超 05 年持盈保泰七部曲

祝各位街坊新年退步！

《信報》投資者日記曹仁超大哥o既建議

人蟻大戰半數村民被咬傷