寧靜的真諦

寧靜的真諦1

國王提出一大筆賞金，看誰畫得出最能代表平靜祥和的意象。很多畫家將自己的作品送到皇宮，有的畫了黃昏森林，有的畫了寧靜的河流，小孩在沙地上玩耍，彩虹高掛天上，沾了幾滴露水的玫瑰花瓣。

國王親自看過每件作品，最後只選出兩件。

第一件作品畫了一池清幽的湖水，周遭的高山和藍天鉅細靡遺倒映在湖面上，天空點綴了幾抹白雲，仔細看的話，還可以看到湖的左邊角落有座小屋，打開一扇窗户，煙囱有炊煙裊裊升起，表示有人在準備晚餐，菜色簡單卻美味可口。

第二幅畫也畫了幾座山，山形陰暗嶙峋，山峯尖鋭孤傲。山上的'天空漆黑一片，閃電從烏雲中落下，也降下了冰雹和暴雨。

這幅畫和其它作品格格不入，不過如果仔細一看，可以看到險峻的巖石堆中有個小縫，裏面有個鳥窩。儘管身旁風狂雨暴，小燕子還是蹲在窩裏，老神在在。

國王將朝臣召喚過來，將首獎頒發給第二幅畫，他的解釋是：“寧靜祥和，並不是要到全無噪音、全無問題、全無辛勤工作的地方才找得到。寧靜祥和的感覺，能讓人即使身處逆境也能維持心中一片清澄。寧靜的真諦就只有這麼一個。”

寧靜的真諦2

There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering (adj.高聳的, 傑出的, 激烈的)mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy (adj.絨毛似的, 蓬鬆的) white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged ( adj.高低不平的, 崎嶇的)and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled ( vi.翻倒, 滾動) a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.

But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest-in perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?

"Because,"explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

很久以前,曾有一個國王向畫家們懸賞徵集一幅最能表現安寧主題的畫。畫家們紛紛嘗試。然而國王看完所有的畫後,只挑中了兩幅,他得在二者中擇其一。

第一幅畫畫的是一個寧靜的湖泊。水波不興的湖面就像一面完美的鏡子,為靜靜挺立的羣山所環抱。湖的上方則是白絲絨般的雲朵,飄浮於蔚藍的蒼穹。所有看到此畫的人無不稱讚其對寧靜主題的完美體現。

另一幅畫畫的也是羣山。但這些山卻崎嶇不平,寸草不生。羣山上空是狂怒的天空,電閃雷鳴,暴雨傾盆。在山的一側還有瀑布翻騰而下,撞擊出白色的水沫。這幅畫看來毫無安寧可言。

但是國王凝神細看的時候,卻發現瀑布後面巖石的縫隙中有一小叢灌木,一隻鳥媽媽已在灌木叢中築好了自己的巢。在如此狂奔四泄的瀑布旁,鳥媽媽卻安詳地端坐巢中,完全沒受到打擾。

你認為哪一幅贏得了賞金?國王選中了第二幅。知道是什麼緣故嗎?

"那是因為,"國王解釋道:"寧靜並非意味着身處沒有噪音、沒有煩擾、毫無艱辛的環境之中。寧靜是一種處亂不驚的內心祥和。這才是寧靜的真諦。"