鹿怡苑　林钰堂

绿苑人迹鲜，静深鹿驻频；
麀麑怡浓荫，叶间鸽雀鸣。

跋

寓所后院，除每日撒米喂鸟，上香供山神、土地，以及两日一次的超渡烧化符纸之外，罕有人到。近来有一母鹿率其幼儿，常来憩止。有时甚至在晨间到来，直至日落方去。也曾于夜间来顾前院，而不食花朵，异于寻常他鹿之习性。麀麑或立或坐，吃草或食米（余撒院中以施鸟雀的），或自理皮毛。彼等坐憩时，喜停驻于树荫之内。鹿野苑乃佛陀初次说法之圣地。修行、弘法者之苑地，麀麑自来，或可仿之而称为“鹿怡苑”。每见彼等悠然憩止，即觉一片祥和。彼等见我家人，或闻门窗响声，皆安然如常，余因此得以拍摄相片，分享亲友。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　二○○○年四月二日　
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　养和斋　　　于加州

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Deer Leisure Park　Yutang Lin

Green yard infrequently visited by people;
Deep silence there invites deer to frequent.
Doe and fawn enjoy sitting in thick shadow,
While pigeons and sparrows chirp among leaves.

Comment:

Daily I scatter some rice for birds in our backyard. There I also offer incense to the local mountain god and earth god. Every other day I burn some mantra sheets for deceased beings there. Besides these activities we seldom visit the backyard. Our house is in a quiet neighborhood on the hill. Our city has deer that roam in small groups on the hills. Recently a doe and her fawn frequented our backyard almost daily. Sometimes they stayed from around 9 o'clock in the morning until sunset. Sometimes they came to our front yard at night. However, they did not eat the blooming tulips as what other deer used to do. When they were in our backyard they sat or stood, grazed grass or eat some rice that I scattered for birds. They ate only little bit of rice. Sometimes they cleaned their own fur with the mouth. When they sat resting they usually stayed in the shade. Where Buddha gave the first teaching is called "Deer Park"; now that the green yard of a practitioner is frequented by doe and fawn on their own, perhaps it could be called similarly as "Deer Leisure Park." Whenever I saw them sitting in peaceful rest a sense of peace and harmony naturally permeated. When they saw us or heard the noise of doors and windows they remained calm and relaxed. Therefore, I could take photos of them to share with friends and relatives.

Written in Chinese and translated on April 2, 2000
El Cerrito, California

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