讀點好英文:A TurtIe Brought Me“EnIightenment”一只讓我悟道的烏龜

所屬教程:英語漫讀

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2022年02月25日

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A TurtIe Brought Me“EnIightenment”一只讓我悟道的烏龜

·Michael Chase·

Life is good, really good. Sometimes I feel like the good karma train picks me up, and simply refuses to let me off.I have an amazing wife, a teenage son that makes me glow with pride, good health, a wonderful family and the best friends a guy could ask for.I have a lot to be grateful for.For many years now，“thank you”has become my meditation as I start each day.

But the truth is, life was not always this good. It wasn't all that long ago, when the resume of my life looked radically different.At one time, my life was filled with nearly everything that people try to avoid.Experiencing everything from unhappy relationships to financial struggles, poor health, depression, and an endless stream of negative habits was a part of my daily life.It seemed that no matter how hard I tried, happiness was constantly eluding me and disappointment became my shadow.It also seemed as if I was paving the way for a future that sadly resembled my father's, until he took his own life at the age of 54.This was a defining moment for me.Once the shock of losing my father began to fade, cIarity and a new sense of purpose became the dominant force in my life.I remember feeling as if I had“met myself”for the very first time while also became conscious of my life's true purpose.It was in that moment that I had made a major decision.Not only would I change my own life, but I would also make a difference in the lives of others.

Enlightenment and epiphanies can show up in some pretty strange ways. The Buddha found it under a Boddhi tree, Nelson Mandela in prison and spiritual guru Ram Dass through psychedelic drugs.Little did I know, mine would arrive in the form of a hard-shelled reptile simply trying to cross the road-a turtle.

But this wasn't just any turtle, this was the world's most optimistic one. He was tenaciousIy determined to cross twenty feet of tar as cars zoomed by at 55 mph.But today was his lucky day.My wife's quick reflexes not only ensured that“turtle soup”would not be for dinner that night, but her act of kindness would eventually become the foundation for everything I teach today.As unusual as this sounds, the simple act of pulling our car over, removing this little turtle from harms way, and placing him back into the wild, caused something extraordinary to happen inside of me.As I stood there holding this tiny creature in my hands, a wave of pure joy came over me.It was that warm, teary-eyed sensation that we feel during life's greatest moments；like falling in love or the birth of a child.I honestly felt as if my heart was completely opening up as everything stood still around me.In no way would I have described it as“enlightenment”，but there was no doubt about it-helping this little turtle just felt so damn good！But why?After all, it was just a turtle, right?

And then it hit me. I finally realized what was happening.At that point, a flood of inspiring thoughts surged through me.I walked back to the car, opened my journal and wrote eight words that would later prove to be life changing for me：“kindness creates happiness”and“l(fā)ive a life of kindness”.It was the answer I had been looking for.The secret to inner peace and lasting happiness was kindness.Not“random acts of”or simply being nice, but rather as a way of life.I had already known the benefits of kindness through studying many eastern philosophies, but I had never actually considered it as a lifestyle.

But, this day was just beginning.

Just thirty minutes after my mini-epiphany, my wife and I arrived at our original destination-a country garden show. After walking around for just a few minutes, a gentle faced 60-something looking man waved me over to the front porch of his farmhouse, for no apparent reason.The entire setting was like a scene out of an old movie-weathered rocking chairs-the smell of cookies baking-and a coon cat that looked as old as the farmhouse itself.“Let her look around.Come and sit with me.”he said.

I had no idea what to expect, but as I sunk into the large wicker chair beside him, I couldn't help feeling that he was going to say something profound. After all, if a turtle can change my life, why not a wise old farmer?After a brief hello and a polite introduction, we simply sat in silence and let the sunlight warm our faces.After what seemed like an eternity, he finally spoke.“You know，”he said，“I've often thought that the meaning of life is making things a little bit easier for those around us, what do you think?”I was speechless.It felt like I had just been hit on the head again by life's big karma stick.He went on to tell me his version of“the secrets to life”and how“true happiness can only be found by loving and serving others”.Finally he finished with“Oh, and don't forget you really gotta'love the one you’re with yourself.”

Life was obviously trying to tell me something. In the days and weeks that followed, the world looked completely different to me.The more I studied and tested my“kindness creates happiness”theory, the more I was blown away by its life-changing power.I realized that most of my disappointments in life were simply because I had been unkind to others and especially to myself.

After spending much of my life thinking“What's in it for me?”，my new inner mantra became“Am I being kind?”This one simple question changed my life. So, whenever I feel the need to disagree with my wife, lash out at a rude employee in the mall or even before I shove ten cookies into my mouth, I go within and ask，“Am I being kind?”These four little words have become my source to inner peace.It has created many positive changes in me such as recycling and acting more“green”and consciously respecting all of life.I even stopped setting the mousetraps in the garage.（My wife is going to kill me when she reads that last one.）Another big change in my life was the irresistible urge to perform“spontaneous acts of kindness”.Things like buying coffee for strangers and giving money to the homeless just seemed natural.Each kind act felt like a blissful surge of energy through my chest.But what became even more exhiIarating were the intense feelings of warmth towards everyone around me-especially difficult people.Whether there was someone who acted rude in traffic or an inconsiderate person in line at the grocery store, I no longer felt anxious or offended-I simply wished for their happiness.That's when I realized what it truly meant to be living kindness.

All thanks to an unexpected turtle crossing the street that day.

麥克·馳思

生活不錯，很不錯。有時我覺得仿佛坐上了一列善有善報的列車，想下車都不行。我有個人人夸好的妻子，有個給我臉上增光的十幾歲的兒子，我們身體健康，家庭美滿和睦，還有一幫世上最棒的朋友。我有好多值得感恩的東西。多年來，“感謝老天”已經(jīng)成了我開始每一天的默禱詞。

可是事實上，生活并不總是這么美好。就在不久前，我的人生簡歷看上去還是迥然不同。曾經(jīng)一度，我的生活充滿了令每個人都想躲避的東西。從讓人沮喪的婚姻到困窘的經(jīng)濟狀況，糟糕的健康，抑郁的心情和無窮無盡的壞毛病，都是我每天生活的一部分。似乎不管我怎么努力，快樂總是躲著我走，而失望則如影隨形。而且似乎我在亦步亦趨地把日子過成父親那樣，他在五十四歲的時候自殺了。那一刻成了我人生的轉折點，失去父親所受的打擊開始消退，清楚明確的目標感開始支配我的生活。我覺得好像有生以來第一次發(fā)現(xiàn)了自己，認識到了生命的真正目的。從那一刻起，我便做了一個重大的決定，我不僅要改變自己的生活，而且要令別人對生活改觀。

令人茅塞頓開的靈光會以相當奇特的方式出現(xiàn)。佛祖在菩提樹下悟道；納爾遜·曼德拉在獄中覺醒；靈魂大師瑞姆·達斯則在致幻劑中獲得升華。我從未曾料到，我的啟示會以一只試圖穿越馬路的硬殼爬行動物的形象出現(xiàn)，它是一只烏龜。

但這可不是一只普通的烏龜，這是世上最樂觀的一只烏龜。它不屈不撓地打算穿越一條寬二十英尺的柏油馬路，路上是川流不息的以時速五十五英里行駛的車輛?？墒墙裉焓撬男疫\日。我妻子的快速反應不僅保證了它不會以“烏龜湯”的形式成為今晚的餐桌一景，而且她接下來的善舉還成就了我今天要講述的一切的基礎。這聽上去要多玄有多玄，一個簡單的將車停到路邊，把這只小烏龜救離險境并將之歸還給大自然的舉動引發(fā)了我內(nèi)心深處一場驚天動地的變革。當我站在那里，手捧著這個小生命，一種純粹的喜悅感席卷了我。那是一種溫暖的催人淚下的感覺，往往發(fā)生在人生最偉大的時刻，比如墜入愛河，比如嬰兒降生。我真的覺得我的心完完全全地向著我周圍靜止的萬物開啟。我不想把這稱之為“啟示”，但它又千真萬確就是——幫助這只小烏龜感覺真是太棒了！可是，為什么會這樣？它終究不過是一只烏龜而已，是吧？

然后事情發(fā)生了。我終于明白自己頓悟了什么。彼時彼刻，思想的潮水洶涌而至。我走回車里，打開筆記本，寫下八個字，事后證明這八個字成為了我的人生轉折點：“善生樂”，以及“人生須行善”。這就是我孜孜以求的答案。內(nèi)心寧靜和永遠快樂的奧秘就是善。不是“偶爾為之”或簡單發(fā)發(fā)善心，而是變成一種生活方式。以前我已經(jīng)通過研究許多東方哲學知道了善的妙處，但從沒想過要把它變成一種生活方式。

可是，這一天來臨了。

就在我小小頓悟完畢的三十分鐘后，我和妻子到了原定的目的地，那是一個鄉(xiāng)村花園展覽所。四處走了一小會兒，一個六十歲左右的慈眉善目的男人在他的農(nóng)舍門前向我揮手，好像沒什么明顯的理由。這一幕完全像是老電影中的場景：老舊的搖椅，烘烤糕點的氣息，一只看上去和農(nóng)舍一樣老的長毛貓?！白屗S意走走，你過來坐坐?！彼f。

我不知道將要發(fā)生什么，但當我坐進他身旁那張寬大的藤椅里，不由覺得他會對我說些意味深長的話。畢竟，一只烏龜都能改變我的人生，為什么一位睿智的老農(nóng)不能呢？簡單寒暄之后，我們都靜靜地坐著，陽光溫暖地照著臉龐。好像過了一輩子那么久，他終于開口了。“你瞧，”他說，“我常以為，生命的意義是讓周圍的人過得好一點兒，你說呢？”我啞口無言，好像腦袋上又挨了人生的一記悶棍。他繼續(xù)跟我說起他理解的“人生奧秘”和“真正的快樂只能從關愛和服務他人中獲得”。最后他說：“哦，別忘了……你必須得愛你與之相伴的那個人，就是你自己?！?/p>

顯然，生活會讓我領悟到些什么。隨后的幾天和幾個星期，整個世界在我眼中完全變了模樣。我越是研究和驗證我的“善生樂”理論，我越是為它那改變?nèi)松牧α克鶅A倒。我發(fā)現(xiàn)生活中絕大多數(shù)失望都是源于我對別人的不善，尤其是對自己的不善。

花了大半輩子琢磨人生的意義，我的新靈魂咒語變成“我有沒有為善？”這個簡單的問題改變了我的生活。當我想和妻子爭論的時候，當我想對粗魯?shù)纳痰晔圬泦T訓斥的時候，甚至當我想往嘴巴里狂塞餅干的時候，我都會自問：“我有沒有為善？”這幾個字成為我內(nèi)心平靜的源泉。它在我內(nèi)心生出許多好的變化，比如循環(huán)再利用資源，做環(huán)保人士，而且有意識地尊重一切事物。我甚至不再在車庫里安置捕鼠器（我妻子要是讀到這最后一句可能會殺了我）。另一個大變化是我控制不住地要去做“自然而然的善行”，比如給陌生人買咖啡、把零錢給流浪漢等，這樣的行為做起來是那么自然。每個善行都好似一股幸福的能量在我胸膛里洶涌澎湃。但最讓人愉快的是對我周圍每一個人的強烈的親切感，尤其是對那些壞脾氣的人。不管是粗野無禮的司機，還是食品店排隊加塞兒的家伙，我不再覺得焦灼不安或是怒不可遏，我只是希望他們能快樂。當然那是當我明白了人生須行善的真意之后。

所有這一切，都要歸功于那天的那只不期而至穿過馬路的烏龜。

核心單詞

meditation[medi'tei??n]n.沉思，默想；冥想

cIarity['kl?riti]n.清楚；明晰；清澈

epiphany[i'pif?ni]n.顯現(xiàn)；頓悟

tenaciousIy[ti'nei??sli]adv.堅持地；頑強地

eternity[i（：）'t?：niti]n.永遠，永恒；來世；永恒的真理

version['v?：??n]n.譯文；譯本

mantra['m?ntr?]n.真言；（印度教、大乘佛教中的）祈禱文

spontaneous[sp?n'teinj?s]adj.自發(fā)的；無意識的，不由自主的

exhiIarate[ig'zil?reit]v.使振奮；使高興

實用句型