在我們的生活當中食物是不可或缺的生存資糧；我從以前到現在一直深信著均衡的飲食是維持健康與快樂的最佳良藥。以下有一則實用的小資訊（雖然全都是英文，歹勢喔！）可以告訴我們針對特別情況的天然療法。但我還是奉勸大家：如果持有任何保留或懷疑的話還是去看一生比較好，以免讓原本的問題更嚴重！

Source / 資料來源: http://www.greentidings.blogspot.co.nz/

]]> http://ahoardofgoodwill.wordpress.com/2012/07/12/food-is-always-the-best-medicine-%e9%a3%b2%e9%a3%9f%e6%89%8d%e6%98%af%e6%9c%80%e4%bd%b3%e8%89%af%e8%97%a5/feed/ 0 peace4journey Natural remedies http://ahoardofgoodwill.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/722/ http://ahoardofgoodwill.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/722/#comments Sun, 24 Jun 2012 23:18:27 +0000 Carrie http://ahoardofgoodwill.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/722/ ]]>

Reblogged from naturalfemina:

Good people give you happiness

Bad people give you experience

Worst people give you a lesson

And best people give you memories

° ◦╰ ◦ ° ◦ ╮ღ╭ ◦ ° ◦  ╯◦ °

Now if you please, just pause for a moment and think of anyone you wish to contribute gratitude to. It seems we are not practising gratefulness as much as we should. The world would be such a wonderful place if we do this every day.

(Photo credit: massdistraction)

在你的有生之年請不要指責任何人

好人會帶給你歡樂

壞人會帶給你經驗

最爛的人會給你上一堂課

而最棒的人將給你無限的回憶

° ◦╰ ◦ ° ◦ ╮ღ╭ ◦ ° ◦  ╯◦ °

那麼現在，請將身邊所有的事物放下並好好地想一想你現在有甚麼想要感謝的人。在目前忙碌的日子裡我們似乎忘記要時常感恩，甚至是該如何感恩了。試想，如果我們每天都花一點時間好好地對周遭的事物存一點感激，那麼這世界將會變得多麼美好？！

Reblogged from naturalfemina:

Reblogged from naturalfemina:

Reblogged from naturalfemina:

Reblogged from Small Potatoes:

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"If a seed of lettuce will not grow, we do not blame the lettuce. Instead, the fault lies with us for not having nourished the seed properly."  ~Buddhist Proverb

I've been teaching and working with young children in some capacity for 21 years. But it wasn't until just over a year ago that I set up to work professionally in my home.

Read more… 2,064 more words

I have received a valuable gift from my most recent and also the last training session: a quote from Mahatma Gandhi. This is what he said:

Man often becomes what he believes himself to be.
If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it.
On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.

These words struck me for a while, as they ring very true with me. Ever since childhood I have hold certain core beliefs about myself that are still carried forward to today. Some good, some not so good. And these beliefs have absolutely affected how I am and do things today. These wise words from Gandhi are just another gentle reminder to know what I am worth and keep good faith in myself more!!

I hope they also mean the same to you.

Mohandas K. Gandhi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

不要低估心靈的力量：相信自己就是肯定自我。

最近在我最後一節的輔導受訓過程中我收到了一份非常珍貴的禮物：聖雄甘地的至理名言。那些話是這麼說的：

通常當一個人相信自己是個甚麼樣的人，他往往就成為那樣的人。
如果我一直對我自己說我沒辦法完成某件事情，到最後我可能真的對那件事情變得無能為力。
反之，如果我認定我絕對能做到，就算剛開始毫無頭緒，我之後一定能擁有達成任務的本領。

這些話就像是給我得當頭喝棒，因為這說得實在是太正確也太符合現在的我了。從小我就持有著特定的信念，至今還是很深刻地影響我。有些好，而有些不怎麼好。但甘地的這些智慧妙語也適時地提醒我去肯定自己的長處，並且要保持自己對自己的信心！

希望這些話也能令你受益匪淺。

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請勿抄襲 ~ 版權聲明

Taking care of my lips has been a tricky goal to reach. They get dry and chapped fairly easily and I have been struggling to find the perfect lip balm that not only moisturizes my lips, but also soothe and hydrate them underneath. Sometimes I do wonder if it is a mission impossible because I have come across a few that’s making my lips even drier??? Until one day I came across the lip balm series by Burt’s Bee!!

I have been eyeing on them for some time now as they are another brand striving for natural and eco-friendly skincare products, I have heard good reviews about them. Finally the pharmacy close to where I worked had a promotion on them and I knew I just had to try them out, and I am surely happy I did!! They not only moisturize well, they also deeply hydrate the fragile skin and my lips certainly flake less. I simply fell in love with them over the past year.

I started with their Beeswax Lip Balm and oh dear me, it is extremely cooling and tingles a little because of the peppermint content which I had to get used to after a while. Though it is really soothing and moisturizing which keeps the flakes at bay! Yay!! Plus I love its tender sweetness which is mild and not too overpowering. I then moved on to its Honey Lip Balm. This is richer than the one above and it is full of the pleasing honey scent. It does not give me the tingling feeling but it sure protects my lips very well. Very easy to use as it glides smoothly on my dried lips.

Since I bought them as a packet on special, I was really curious what would the Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil feels like!! So I jumped to it without even finishing the honey one (how greedy!!), so I have been using these three interchangeably for quite some time. And oh my word, I think I have found my ideal lip balm at last!! It is slightly greasier than the other two, but the richness gets absorbed very easily and my lips would feel like desert finally received its deserving rain, seriously!! It also gives me a fruity fragrance so absolutely a delight to use!! Pomegranate oil just started being a star ingredient in my skincare range as it provides extra soothing and hydrating effect.  I actually decided using it as my night lip balm, especially before I go to bed.

Each tube would last me about 2 to 3 months, which is pretty reasonable to me~ Since I have been alternating amongst the three, they pretty much lasted over 9 months!! So when it is time to restock, I chose Burt’s Bee again, yet with two different flavours, Nourishing Lip Balm with Mango Butter and Rejuvenating Lip Balm with Açaí Berry. I’d say that the nourishing lip balm is just as rich as and as effective as the honey lip balm, or perhaps sits in between the honey one and the pomegranate one. Personally I feel it did not hydrate as well as it claims to be, and I do find the sugary mango scent a bit overpowering. It’d be great if it is a dessert though LOL The rejuvenating lip balm is just as superb as the replenishing one, and yes it is extremely soothing and sweet, with a lovely berry taste. The balm does not feel as greasy as the pomegranate one so at times I feel like I need to rub it on my lips a bit more so I’d get enough ‘coating’ to protect them. Though I’d say that both the replenishing and the rejuvenating balm are perfect for winter!

Overall, I really like the lip balms from Burt’s Bees as all of them did what I expect them to do, so I am a total convert now. Another bonus I love about them is that they do not leave a weird aftertaste on my cup after I drink water, which some of the lip balms of different brands do, and it is absolutely disgusting!! My favourite is still the replenishing lip balm with pomegranate oil, closely followed by the rejuvenating lip balm with açaí berry. And to be honest I will only repurchase these two coz you really only need a few really good lip balms instead of a whole stash right?

  ° ◦╰ ◦ ° ◦ ╮ღ╭ ◦ ° ◦  ╯◦ °

想要好好保養我的嘴唇真的是一項很難達成的目標；因為它們很容易乾裂，所以要找到既保濕又補水的唇膏真的很困難。有些唇膏我是越擦越乾呢！我有時候甚至懷疑這根本是不是不可能的任務啊？直到有一天我遇到了我的救星：FFCC66小蜜蜂爺爺的唇膏系列 。

我其實已經觀察這牌子觀察很久了。他們也是一個提倡以天然以及環保為宗旨的保養品牌，而且我也從很多地方得知他們的口碑很不錯。有一次離我上班很近的一間藥妝店剛好在促銷他們的唇膏，我怎麼能夠錯過這個機會咧？當然就馬上給它們買回家囉～用了之後我就知道我的決定是對的！這牌子的唇膏非常地滋潤又保濕，擦了它們之後我的唇部乾裂的現象也逐漸減少了。過去這一年我基本上就拜倒在它們的石榴裙下了　XD

我先用他們的蜂蠟護脣膏，而天啊！因為它含有薄荷的關係擦上去好涼，一開始還有點不適應呢！但其實擦上去感覺挺滋潤的，而最主要的是我的嘴唇乾裂的次數變少了～耶！！這支唇膏也帶有很清淡的香甜味，令人感覺挺舒服的。之後我又用了蜂蜜護唇膏；這比先前的更滋潤一點，而且充滿了濃郁的蜂蜜香味。它沒有涼涼的刺激感，但是卻也把我的雙唇保護得很好！使用時也只要輕輕地滑過嘴唇，很方便。

既然我是買小蜜蜂爺爺的特價唇膏組合我也就迫不及待地想快點體驗石榴保濕滋潤護唇膏到底有多讚，所以我在還沒有用完前面兩個唇膏前也將它拆封了（天音：真是貪心哦～～）。之後有一段時間我大概就是這三支唇膏相替交換用吧。重點是，我想我大概找到我心目中理想的護唇膏了！天啊～真是感動！！它是三者裡面最滋潤的，觸感也稍微油一點，但是非常容易被吸收；用過之後就好像那乾熱的沙漠總算等到一場難得的大雨，真神啊！因為石榴油的關係這也帶有甜甜的果香味，用起來非常舒適。因為它有令我出乎意料的滋潤及保濕成度，石榴油最近大概成為我在保養品裡的不可或缺的要素了吧！我之後甚至把它當作晚上專用的護唇膏，尤其是在睡前更要抹上一層這保護層呢！

All the natural goodness form pomegranate fruit ~ 淺藏在石榴裡天然優質的精華

每一條唇膏我大概會用 2~3 個月，這對我來說是個合理的使用範圍。既然我是三隻連著用，它們也陪伴我快 10 個月了吧？！在補貨時我當然還是選這牌子囉，不過是另外兩種配方：保濕芒果護唇膏以及巴西莓果性感護唇膏（我其實有點搞不懂為啥台灣一定要多加 “性感” 這兩個字）。對我來說這芒果唇膏和蜂蜜唇膏的滋潤度差不多，或許介於蜂蜜和石榴油唇膏之間吧。個人覺得它不錯用但是沒有像它官網上所說得那麼好… 剛開始用的時候覺得它很香甜，真的有想吃吃看的衝動，但之後覺得這香味有點太濃了（又不是甜點！），如果淡一點會更好。而巴西莓果唇膏跟石榴唇膏一樣地優！非常地滋潤，也帶有莓類的芳香，用起來挺享受的。唯一比較不一樣的是它的觸感沒有石榴唇膏油，所以有時候我得在唇上抹多一點。但是這莓果根石榴這兩支唇膏絕對很適合冬天乾冷的季節使用。

總而言之，我真的超愛小蜜蜂爺爺的唇膏系列，因為它們完成了先前其他唇膏無法達到的使命。另一個好處是這些唇膏也不會在我喝過的杯子上留下奇怪的餘味；我之前有用過幾個會在杯子上留下一股油味，現在想想還真是噁心。我目前最愛的還是石榴保濕滋潤護唇膏，而巴西莓果唇膏排列第二。但說老實話，我如果以後再補貨的話我也可能只會買這兩隻了。對我來說東西一定要用最好的，但是數量不一定要多

Do Not Copy ~ Copyright Policy
請勿抄襲 ~ 版權聲明

One day, Buddha was preaching at Jetavana Monastery. Brahmā came down to Earth from Heaven to seek guidance from Buddha.

 “What is the sharpest sword, the most vicious poison, the fiercest fire, and the darkest night?” asked Brahmā.

 Buddha replied, “Evil speech is the sharpest sword, desire is the most vicious poison, afflictions is the fiercest fire, and ignorance is the darkest night”.

Very true and wise words… This teaching allows me to reflect my past, and resonates strongly with my perception of life, which was slowly shaped through the journey of my life…

When one’s speech is harsh and mean, especially when it comes from your beloved ones or people you care so much and have respect for, it hurts more than a stabbing knife. Unlike scratches or bruises, such mental wounds cannot be easily healed or reversed. It seems inevitable to come across people behaving this way, or is it just too easy to express foully in the heat of the moment? At least we can always be the first ones to be cautious when we speak, and not to cause distress towards others. If you have never encountered such a person in your life, you are probably one of the luckiest people in the world.

Desire comes from greed, which seems to be the root of all evil. When we do or could not get what we wanted, we become angry, or we become sad. It is a hole that can never be filled; because we are always looking for things that are better or prettier. We seldom know it, but what follows is the suffering and anguishes of “why can’t I…” or “if only…” etc, when we are not satisfied with what we currently have. Do we even realize how amazingly we could endure such unhappiness since we never stop asking these questions? I must say I highly admire people who are easily contented with their current status. They always seem a lot happier about because they have made the choice not to worry about too much other things.

Upon writing this, I feel greed also sets the basis for afflictions we have today. We are constantly worried about things in our lives, regardless if we have what we wanted or not… We can be happy and content, yet this may be short-lived as we seem to have more capability to dwell on the things that makes us angry or sad rather than staying focused and appreciating on what we already have or achieved. I guess underneath the worrying we brought to ourselves is the fear of not being good enough, or rich enough or pretty enough… What is the point of endless worrying when no one can fully cherish what they have until it is gone? We kept on putting these burdens on ourselves unconsciously that slowly grows into agony and making ourselves rather miserable.

Without acknowledging all of the above, it is as if we were blinded by our own egos that can never be satisfied with oneself. The metaphor of expressing ignorance as the longest dark night is just so right and so powerful. I really couldn’t think of any other ways to put it. However, when there is the night, there also comes the day. I am absolutely grateful to have come across the teachings of Buddha in the early stages of my life, and I do anticipate the day when I become enlightened also.

 ° ◦╰ ◦ ° ◦ ╮ღ╭ ◦ ° ◦  ╯◦ °

° ◦╰ ◦ ° ◦ ╮ღ╭ ◦ ° ◦  ╯◦ °

有一天，佛陀在祇園精舍說法，大梵天主從天而降，來到佛陀座前，向佛陀請法。

梵天問：「甚麼是最銳利的劍？甚麼是最劇烈的毒藥？甚麼是最凶猛的火？甚麼是最黑暗的夜？」

佛陀答：「惡口是最銳利的劍，貪欲是最劇烈的毒藥，煩惱是最凶猛的火，無明是最黑暗的長夜。」
  

這真是充滿智慧的真理。佛陀的這則教誨讓我反省了從前的我；從以前這麼一路走來，這法語也同時與我目前的人生觀起共鳴…

當別人說話很刻薄又很無情的時候，尤其是來自你身邊最親近或是最在乎、最敬仰的人，那種痛往往比一般的刀劍傷得更身。而這種心理的傷痛往往很難平復，不像平時刮傷瘀青等皮肉之苦。我們這一生中似乎難免會遇到這種人，還是說在衝動時更容易說出傷人的話呢？但至少我們可以從自己開始言行謹慎，除了可以減少是非也能夠避免去傷害他人。如果你這一生中從來沒有遇到別人用言語傷害你，那麼你就是這世界上少數的幸運兒了。

貪婪，似乎是萬惡之源，導致欲望。當我們少了什麼或是沒辦法得到什麼時，我們失意、生氣、難過等等。我們不斷地想要得到更多、更好、更美，因此欲望這空洞是永遠也填不滿的。我們很少明白在這空洞帶給我們有多少的苦悶及不滿： “為什麼我不能…？＂或者“假如可以…？＂也許很少人發現我們忍受這種不滿足的苦有多強，但是我們卻曾未停止問這些問題呀！我必須承認我非常敬佩那些知足常樂的人。正也是因為他們做出了不去奢望太多的緣故，他們比一般人來的要快樂許多。

寫到這我的感觸很深，我同時也覺得貪欲是導致一切苦惱的開始。不管我們現在有了什麼或是缺了什麼，我們總是不能停止煩惱。當然，我們也能夠體會快樂，但是時間都不長久。比起感恩或專注於人生許多的美好，我們似乎更執著於那些讓我們不快樂的事情。我想在這煩惱的掙扎中似乎透露著一種害怕，害怕我比別人差、不夠有錢、不夠漂亮等等。但在還沒擔心完之前若不懂得珍惜現在，那麼就只有失去當下的後悔。我們時常無意識地增加自己心靈上的負擔，煩悶到一定程度的時候只會讓我們更折磨自己。

無法意識到這些問題的我們，就如同被自己的自我所盲目一樣。沒有什麼比無知更可怕，而用最漫長的夜晚來形容無明實在是太貼切了太強大了。我實在是找不出更好的比喻。但既然有黑夜，那麼一定也有白天。我真的非常感恩我在很小的時候就接觸佛法，而我也非常期待當我開悟得道的那天。