Nurture a Plant
At first glance, this may seem like a strange or superficial suggestion. What good could it possibly do to nurture a plant?
One of the goals of spiritual life and one of the requirements of inner peace is to learn to love unconditionally. The problem is it’s really hard to love a person, any person, unconditionally. The person we are trying to love inevitably says or does the wrong thing, or fails to meet our expectations in some way. So, we get upset and put conditions on our love, “I’ll love you, but you have to change. You must act the way I want you to act.”
Some people are better at loving their pets than the people in their lives. But to love a pet unconditionally is hard too. What happens when your dog wakes you up with unnecessary barking in the middle of the night or ruins your favorite carpet with an accident? Do you love him just as much? My children have a bunny. It was really hard to love that bunny when he chewed a hole in my beautifully crafted wooden gate!
A plant, however, is easy to love just the way it is. Therefore, nurturing a plant offers us an excellent opportunity to practice unconditional love.
Why does virtually every spiritual tradition advocate unconditional love? Because love has such transformational power. Unconditional love brings forth peaceful feelings in both the giver and the receiver.
Select a plant, indoor or outdoor, that you will see every day. Practice taking care of and loving that plant as if it were your baby (it’s easier to care for your plant than your baby —no sleepless nights, no diapers, no crying). Talk to your plant; tell it how much you love it. Love your plant whether it blooms or not, whether it lives or dies. Just love it. Notice how you feel as you offer this plant your unconditional love. When you offer this type of love you’re never agitated, irritated, or hurried. You’re simply in a loving space. Practice this type of love each time you see your plant, at least once a day.
After a short while, you’ll be able to extend your loving kindness beyond your plant as well. As you notice how good it feels to love, see if you can offer a similar love to the people in your life. Practice not needing them to change or be different to receive your love. Love them just the way they are. Your plant can be a wonderful teacher—showing you the power of love.
乍眼一看，这条建议似乎有些怪异或肤浅。栽培一株植物有何益处呢？
学会无条件地去爱是精神生活的目标之一，也是内心安宁的条件之一。只是，无条件地去爱一个人或任何人的确非常艰难。不可避免地，我们尽力去爱的人会说错或做错什么，或者在某些方面不能达到我们的期望。因此，我们变得心烦，给我们的爱加上一些条件：“我会好好爱你，但是你必须改变。你必须按我希望的那样去做。”
有些人对他们的宠物爱护有加，超过了对他身边人的爱。但是，无条件地爱一只动物也是很艰难的。午夜你被小狗无谓的狂吠吵醒会怎么做呢？或者它意外地毁坏了你心爱的地毯你又会怎样？你还会像原来那样爱它吗？我的孩子有一只兔子，当它在我漂亮的手工艺木门上咬了一个洞时，让我爱它真是很难。
然而，那样去爱一株植物却很容易。所以，培养一株植物为我们练习无条件去爱，提供了一个极好的机会。
事实上，为什么每种精神传统都鼓励无条件的爱呢？因为爱有这样一种转换的力量。无条件的爱能够给施爱者与被爱者带来平和之感。
挑选一株植物，养在室内或室外都好，只要你每天都能看到。练习着照顾和爱护植物，就像它是你的孩子一样（照顾植物比照顾你的孩子容易得多——没有不眠之夜，没有尿布，没有哭闹）。与你的植物交谈，告诉它你是多么爱它。不管你的植物是否开花，是否有生命，你都要爱它，只是爱它。当你无条件地爱这些花时，留意一下你的感受。当你付出这种爱时，你不再激动、不再恼怒或匆忙，你就这样简单地到达了爱的国度。每次看到你的植物，你就练习这种爱，至少每天一次。
不久，你就能够将爱意延伸到植物之外。因为你明白了爱是怎样美妙的感觉，看看你是否能将这样的爱给予你生活中的其他人。试着施予你的爱，无须他们改变或有所不同，去爱原原本本的他们。你的植物会是名出色的教师——告诉你爱的力量。
1. Some people are at loving their pets than the in their lives. But to love a pet unconditionally is hard too. What happens your dog wakes you up with unnecessary barking in the middle of the night ______ruins your favorite carpet with accident?
2. A plant, , is easy to love just the way it is. Therefore, nurturing a plant ______ us an excellent opportunity to practice unconditional .
3. When you offer this of love you’re never agitated, irritated, or _. You’re simply in a loving . Practice this type of love each you see your plant, at least once a day.
1. 只是，无条件地去爱一个人或任何人的确非常艰难。
2. 当你无条件地爱这些花时，留意一下你的感受。
3. 试着施予你的爱，无须他们改变或有所不同，去爱原原本本的他们。
1. Practice taking care of and loving that plant as if it were your baby...
take care of：照顾；注意；抚养
2. After a short while, you’ll be able to extend your loving kindness beyond your plant as well.
as well：也；同样地；还不如
