One
I have been on a business trip for 9 days, and I still have about 10 days to stay here.
Zeze and I took the plane on the morning of the 27th. We have both become accustomed to choosing China Southern Airlines' Pearl Economy Class for several business trips this year, so we upgraded the booked tickets. While making the payment, I couldn't help but feel that "it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality". The money for upgrading the class is not reimbursable, why is it so extravagant? While scolding myself, I entered the bank card password.
From 2018 to 2021, I fly about 20 times a year on average, which is not considered a lot, but seeing that it exceeds 90% of users on the travel website, it seems to be more than many people. I also have about 20 long-distance trips by other means, I don't know how many people this data can surpass.
I'm not saying this to show off, just to indicate that I travel frequently. So, I always have a small insistence, not to treat myself poorly on the road.
Buying Pearl Economy Class and First Class seats for myself is because of this small insistence, and upgrading the seats that others have bought for me is also because of this small insistence.
Every time I travel, I have a feeling of roughing it (in fact, it often is). If I can't treat myself a little better within the range of my financial ability, I will have even less sense of happiness.
Two
I am used to being on the go, but if someone asks me if I like to travel frequently, my answer will definitely be no.
I don't know if I have always been psychologically suggesting to myself, as a Cancer, what I want is a stable home. However, what is a home, what does it feel like, I don't know how to describe it.
Since 2020, I have been living in Guangzhou for a long time, and I only go back to Beijing occasionally for work. Beijing has never given me a sense of home, even though there is a place where I can stay at any time.
Guangzhou is different. Although I don't have a household registration in Guangzhou and I don't speak Cantonese, I feel a sense of home there, very peaceful and relaxed.
Last month, when I was in Beijing, after a year of separation, the first few days felt fresh, but the more time passed, the more I wanted to go back to Guangzhou. I asked Zeze, and he had the same feeling and thoughts as me. So, every night before going to bed, we would plan when we could return to Guangzhou, back to our little nest.
Three
Zeze is the kind of person who can relax when he has nothing to do. Although he is meticulous when he starts working, he will never tire himself out, which is much smarter than me. I am the type of person who worries a lot, which means I usually "fall ill" after completing a project.
Doctors and senior monks have reminded me many times to learn to "pick up and put down lightly". A person who learns Zen must be able to handle things freely. But I don't have that wisdom, I always can't learn it, so I often self-deprecatingly say, "Standing on the top of a high mountain, walking at the bottom of the deep sea" is worth a try.
The more I do things, the more I admire Master Shengyan and Master Huihui. In the past, Master Shengyan had to work for the Chinese Buddhist Association while building temples and accommodating monks in Berlin Zen Temple, and he also had to give lectures and teachings everywhere. It seems that every task was not only stress-free for him, but also came naturally. I have heard from senior brothers that the old monk could chop wood, cook, sew, and wash very skillfully. After finishing a day of physical work, he could still stay up late and write Buddhist articles full of wisdom and philosophical thoughts. During the day, he would take a minibus from Zhao County to the train station in Beijing to attend a meeting, and then take a tricycle back to the temple at night. The next morning, he could go to the meditation hall to give a sermon at five or six o'clock.
I have a shallow connection with Master Huihui and did not hear his teachings during his lifetime. However, I am certain that this old monk is not an ordinary old monk, otherwise I would not feel more and more connected to him. The 20th of this month is the tenth anniversary of Master Huihui's passing, and I have already made an appointment to go to Huangmei Sizusi Temple together to commemorate him and pay tribute to him.
Four
Yesterday, I changed the input method on my computer to Squirrel because I saw a great configuration called "Ice Pinyin". I highly recommend it to friends who are not satisfied with the default input method on Apple systems.
I have been using the Rime Pinyin configuration on Squirrel for many years, but eventually gave up because of system bugs at that time. After switching back to the system's default input method, I couldn't maintain my own word library, which often frustrated me. This time, the Ice Pinyin configuration caught my attention. The author not only maintains the word library meticulously but also simplifies the configuration. After downloading it, you can basically start using it right away.
I haven't found a good input method on my phone yet, so I downloaded Gboard and will try it for a while. If I'm not satisfied, I guess I'll have to make do with the system's default input method. If you know of any good input methods, please let me know, except for Sogou, Baidu, Xunfei, and WeChat.
In these past few days, I also saw discussions on WeChat and Twitter about WeChat's input method uploading user data. If even the input method is being monitored, then there really is no privacy (in fact, there is already no privacy). Just look at the incident where Pinduoduo exploited an Android vulnerability to obtain user information, it's truly horrifying.
Five
Maybe it's because of my sources of information, or maybe Twitter itself is a mixed bag. I have already seen several vicious incidents with bloodshed.
With the continuous decline of the economy, all the contradictions that were covered up by the rapid economic growth of the past two or three decades have been exposed. When we go out, we still need to pay attention to safety. If we encounter danger, we should do our best to protect ourselves.
As the saying goes, "Don't hit a smiling face with a raised hand." Normally, how big of a grudge or resentment can we hold against others, right?
The stories picked up by Hanshan often say:
In this world, people slander me, deceive me, insult me, laugh at me, belittle me, despise me, harm me, and deceive me. How should I deal with them?
Just endure them, let them be, leave them, avoid them, tolerate them, respect them, don't pay attention to them, and wait a few more years, and you will see.
Life is a practice, and circumstances change with the mind. From the perspective of Buddhism, all the people, things, objects, and scenes we encounter are the result of karmic affinity. So, if we can be like Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, "showing great compassion to those without affinity, and having great mercy for all beings," or like Maitreya Bodhisattva, "having a broad mind to accommodate all difficult things in the world and laughing at all ridiculous people," then we will not easily encounter people, things, objects, and scenes that make us angry or unhappy.