85 Bathing a Baby

【给婴儿洗澡】

洗碗就像
给小佛陀洗澡。
凡俗即神圣。
平常心即佛心。

当你在清洁厨房或洗碗时，要像在清洁祭坛或给婴儿洗澡一样去做。以这种方式洗碗，喜悦和宁静可以在你内心和周围散发。认为洗碗不愉快的想法只会在我们不做的时候出现。一旦我们站在水槽前，卷起袖子，把手放进温水中，其实并不坏。我享受慢慢地洗每一个碗，完全意识到碗、水和我的手的每一个动作。我知道如果我急着洗碗去吃甜点或喝茶，洗碗的时间就会变得不愉快。这将是一种遗憾，因为碗本身以及我在这里洗碗的事实都是奇迹！

如果我不能愉快地洗碗，如果我想快点洗完去吃甜点和喝茶，我也同样无法愉快地做其他事情。即使手中拿着茶杯，我也会想着下一步要做什么，茶的香味和味道，以及喝茶的乐趣都会消失。我总是被未来拖着，永远无法活在当下。洗碗的时间和任何其他时间一样重要。

[Bathing a Baby]

Washing the dishes
is like bathing a baby Buddha.
The profane is the sacred.
Everyday mind is Buddha mind.

When you are cleaning the kitchen or washing the dishes, do it as if you were cleaning an altar or washing a baby. Washing in this way, joy and peace can radiate within and around you. The idea that doing dishes is unpleasant can occur to us only when we are not doing them. Once we’re standing in front of the sink with our sleeves rolled up and our hands in warm water, it’s really not bad at all. I enjoy taking my time with each dish, being fully aware of the dish, the water, and each movement of my hands. I know that if I hurry in order to go and have dessert or a cup of tea, the time of dishwashing will be unpleasant. That would be a pity, because the dishes themselves and the fact that I am here washing them are both miracles!

If I am incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish them quickly so I can go and have dessert and a cup of tea, I will be equally incapable of doing these other things joyfully. With the cup in my hands, I will be thinking about what to do next, and the fragrance and flavor of the tea, together with the pleasure of drinking it, will be lost. I will always be dragged into the future, never able to live in the present moment. The time of dishwashing is as important as any other time.