我经常在想一个问题，我是一个怎么样的人？我是谁？我是一个乐观开朗的人？还是一个内向腼腆的人？有时候我很热情的和朋友们聊天，有时候我会安安静静的自己呆着，我喜欢放一首轻音乐，比如，高山流水这样的曲子，在点一根禅香，我开始看书，或者看花，或者看曾经朋友写给我的信件，总之我是很享受这样的安静！
我不认识比尔·波特这个人，但是戴维斯老师和比尔·波特是很好的朋友，在戴维斯老师无数次的给我讲关于比尔·波特来中国，来西安，来终南山的很多事情以后，我就对波特这个人有了很不错的印象，我想着读一下他的著作《空谷幽兰》！
我在想，一个美国汉学家为何要来中国呢？他来中国干什么？是因为原因让他想来中国呢？还来了终南山，而我每天都可以去的终南山，会对一个美国汉学家有如此大的诱惑？
我开始产生了好奇，中国有句古话好奇害死猫，而我因为我的好奇心，当然了也是失去了我的钱，我花46元购买了这本书，结果书是盗版的，里面的内容和戴维斯老师手上的书还不一样，于是我又找戴维斯老师购买了一本正版的，当然戴维斯老师没有收我的钱，他还给我邮寄了一本有波特签名的书！不管怎么样？我是非常高兴的！
我收到书是2023年的2月16日，我没有第一时间去拜读这本书，我是把这本书很认真的欣赏了三天以后，才开始认真的拜读的。
开篇的自序是波特2006年8月10于华盛顿汤森港，自序中写到
我总是被孤独吸引。当我还是个小男孩时，我就很喜欢独处。那并不是因为我不喜欢跟其他人在一起，而是因为我发现独处有如此多的快乐。有时候，我愿意躺在树下凝视着树枝，树枝之上的云彩，以及云彩之上的天空；注视着在天空、云彩和树枝间穿越飞翔的小鸟；看着树叶从树上飘落，落到我身边的草地上。我知道我们都是这个斑斓舞蹈的一部分。而有趣的是，只有当我们独处时，我们才会更清楚地意识到，我们与万物同在。
我们都需要有时间独处，有些人需要更多独处的时间。有人却能从独处中变得更有智慧、更为仁慈，这是我遇到中国隐士后让我吃惊的事。他们是我见过的最幸福、最和善的人。在美国，隐士只是那些喜欢自个儿待着的人，往往都有点神经质。但是，在中国，我发现隐士往往是社会的精英，扮演着重要的角色。
当美国人要我类比中国的隐士传统与美国社会的一些现象时，我告诉他们隐士很像研究生，他们在攻读他们精神觉醒的博士在中国，很多人在佛教寺庵、道观、儒家书院、大学乃至家里获得他们精神觉醒的“学士”，但不是所有的人都有欲望、有能力、有精力攻读“博士”。然而“中国社会从那些获得觉醒的“博士”的人身上受益甚巨。过去如此，现在亦然。
我并未打算为此著书，我仅仅是一名译者。但我居住在台湾时翻译的作品恰恰是中国最伟大的隐士们的诗——《寒山诗》、《石屋山居诗》。我仅仅想知道这种生活方式在中国是否还存在。当台湾有人告诉我中国大陆不但没有人修行，隐士传统也不复存在时，我决定亲自去弄个明白，不久之后，我发现隐士传统不仅存在得很好，而且是中国社会很有活力的部分，我觉得必须把这个情况介绍给西方人。
这就是我写作本书的缘由。我想让西方各种宗教的修行者知道，尽管中国大陆曾经历战争、革命但修行人仍然坚持修持，我希望由此给西方的修行人以鼓励。他们怎会无动于衷？
本书出版后，我很惊奇地发现，在美国很多大学都能看到。无论我在哪里演讲，听众既有学院的学者，也有来自社区的普通居民。我在美国从没遇到对此不感兴趣的人。我想这是因为我们羡慕这些隐士，他们所做的是我们的梦想，希望，是我们某一天也会去做的事情。我感到荣幸的是，尽管还有不足和缺点，《空谷幽兰》仍被译成了中文出版。我希望它能像鼓励西方读者那样，鼓励中国读者追寻并找到生活中“独处”的乐趣—不是离群索居，而是因为更深的觉语和仁费，与大家更为和谐地共处。
我很难想到这样的一个美国学者，会不远万里来终南山，来探索终南山到底有没有真正的隐士？这样的一个精神让我非常受鼓励！在我的一生中，我自认为我是一个坚持力非常强的人，但是读完这篇自序，我才发现我的坚持力还需要更加努力！
读一篇文章，就如同认识一个人一样，有对你提高的一面，就是值得的，我深深的感恩我能读这本书，我也深深的感恩，我能和这本书的作者生活在同一个时代，那怕我们两个永远不会见面，但是我知道这个世界上存在着这样的一个灵魂，去过终南山，这就足够给我鼓励了！
终南山是可以治愈一切的良药，生活就是用一二分的甜，去冲淡那八九分的苦，终南山对于我而言，就是那一二分的甜！关于一切与终南山有关的书，对于我而言就是那一二分甜的代表！我要慢慢品读这种甜！然后理智平静的去生活！
译文
Reading Bill Porter's "The Lonely Valley" —— Talking about the preface.
I often think about a question, what kind of person am I? Who am I? I am an optimistic and cheerful person? Or an introverted and shy person? Sometimes I chat with my friends enthusiastically, and sometimes I stay quietly by myself. I like to play a light music, such as high mountains and flowing water. After lighting a Zen incense, I start reading books, flowers or letters written by my friends. In short, I enjoy this silence!
I don't know Bill Porter, but Mr. Davis and Bill Porter are very good friends. After Mr. Davis told me many things about Bill Porter's coming to China, Xi 'an and Zhongnanshan, I had a very good impression on Potter. I want to read his book "A Lonely Valley"!
I wonder, why did an American sinologist come to China? What's he doing in China? Is it because of the reason that he wants to come to China? I also came to Zhongnanshan, which I can go to every day. Will it have such a great temptation for an American sinologist?
I began to be curious. There is an old saying in China, curiosity kills the cat, and I lost my money because of my curiosity. I spent 46 yuan to buy this book. As a result, the book was pirated, and the contents in it were not the same as those in Mr. Davis' hand, so I asked Mr. Davis to buy a genuine one. Of course, Mr. Davis didn't accept my money, and he sent me a book with Potter's signature! Anyway. I am very happy!
I received the book on February 16th, 2023. I didn't have the first time to read it. It was after three days of serious appreciation that I began to read it seriously.
“The opening preface is Porter's August 10th, 2006 in Port Townsend, Washington. In the preface, he wrote ".
I am always attracted by loneliness. When I was a little boy, I liked being alone very much. That's not because I don't like being with other people, but because I find that being alone has so much happiness. Sometimes, I would like to lie under the tree and stare at the branches, the clouds above the branches, and the sky above the clouds; Watching the birds flying through the sky, clouds and branches; Watching the leaves fall from the trees and fall on the grass beside me. I know we are all part of this beautiful dance. Interestingly, only when we are alone will we realize more clearly that we are with everything.
We all need time to be alone, and some people need more time to be alone. Some people can become wiser and kinder from solitude, which surprised me when I met a hermit in China. They are the happiest and kindest people I have ever met. In America, hermits are just those who like to be alone, and they are often a little neurotic. However, in China, I found that hermits are often the elite of society and play an important role.
When Americans asked me to compare China's hermit tradition with some phenomena in American society, I told them that hermits are very much like graduate students. They are studying for their spiritual awakening doctors in China. Many people get their spiritual awakening "bachelor's degree" in Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, Confucian academies, universities and even at home, but not all people have the desire, ability and energy to study for "doctor's degree". However, "China society has benefited a lot from those who have obtained the awakened" doctor ". This was the case in the past and it is still the case now.
I'm not going to write a book about it, I'm just a translator. However, when I lived in Taiwan Province, the works I translated were precisely the poems of the greatest hermits in China-Hanshan Poetry and Shiwushan Poetry. I just want to know whether this lifestyle still exists in China. When someone in Taiwan Province told me that not only no one practiced in Chinese mainland, but also the hermit tradition no longer existed, I decided to find out for myself. Soon after, I found that the hermit tradition not only existed well, but also was a very dynamic part of China society. I felt I had to introduce this situation to westerners.。
That's why I wrote this book. I want western practitioners of various religions to know that despite the wars and revolutions in Chinese mainland, practitioners still insist on practicing, and I hope this will give encouragement to western practitioners. How can they be indifferent?
”After the book was published, I was surprised to find that it can be seen in many universities in the United States. No matter where I give a speech, the audience is both scholars from the college and ordinary residents from the community. I have never met anyone who is not interested in it in America. I think this is because we envy these hermits. What they do is our dream, hope, and something we will do one day.
I feel honored that, although there are still some shortcomings, The Lonely Valley has been translated into Chinese and published. I hope it can encourage China readers to pursue and find the pleasure of "solitude" in life, just as it encourages western readers-not to live in solitude, but to live in harmony with everyone because of deeper awareness and benevolence. "
It is hard for me to think that such an American scholar will come to Zhongnanshan not far from Wan Li to explore whether there is a real hermit in Zhongnanshan. I am very encouraged by such a spirit! In my life, I thought I was a very persistent person, but after reading this preface, I found that my persistence needs to work harder!It i
Reading an article, just like knowing a person, is worth it. I am deeply grateful that I can read this book, and I am deeply grateful that I can live in the same era as the author of this book, even though the two of us will never meet, but I know that there is such a soul in this world who has been to Zhongnanshan, which is enough to encourage me!
Zhongnanshan is a good medicine that can cure everything. Life is to dilute the bitterness of eight or nine points with one or two points of sweetness. For me, Zhongnanshan is the sweetness of one or two points! About all the books related to Zhongnanshan, for me, it is the representative of the sweetness! I want to read this sweetness slowly! Then live rationally and calmly!
Reading Bill Porter's "The Lonely Valley" —— Talking about the preface.
I often think about a question, what kind of person am I? Who am I? I am an optimistic and cheerful person? Or an introverted and shy person? Sometimes I chat with my friends enthusiastically, and sometimes I stay quietly by myself. I like to play a light music, such as high mountains and flowing water. After lighting a Zen incense, I start reading books, flowers or letters written by my friends. In short, I enjoy this silence!
I don't know Bill Porter, but Mr. Davis and Bill Porter are very good friends. After Mr. Davis told me many things about Bill Porter's coming to China, Xi 'an and Zhongnanshan, I had a very good impression on Potter. I want to read his book "A Lonely Valley"!
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