〖果实〗

    当微风吹过一棵正开著花的果树时，有些花朵会散落在地，有一些花苞则仍留滞在树上，长成小小的青色果子；当风再一次吹来，一些青色果子也会随之掉落，在它们掉落之前，有些已接近成熟，有些则已经熟透。

    人，就像在风中的花朵和果实，也在生命的不同阶段中“堕落”。有的在胎中就夭折；有的仅在出世几天后就死了；有的在世几年还未成年便去世；有的男女英年早逝；而有的人却寿终正寝。当我们想到人的时候，应该连带想起风中的果实——两者都是非常不稳定的。

    我们的心也一样，当法尘生起，在心中纠缠和“吹”一阵子后，心於是“堕落”了——就跟风中的果实一样。

    佛陀了解除一切事物不稳定的性质，他观察果实在风中的情形，以此反观他的弟子——比丘及沙弥们，他发现：基本上，他们也是一样不稳定！怎么可能有例外呢？这就是一切事物的本然。

Fruit Tree

When a fruit tree is in bloom, a strong gust of wind will blow some of its blossoms to the ground. Those that don't fall will eventually grow into small green fruit. But then another gust comes and some of them will fall, too. As for the rest, they will grow to become fruit nearly ripe, or even fully ripe, before they fall. And so it is with people. Like flowers and fruit in the wind, they, too, fall in different stages of life. Some people die while still in the womb, others within only a few days after birth. Some people live for a few years, then die, never having reached maturity. Some die in their youth. Still others reach a ripe old age before they die. When reflecting upon people, consider the nature of fruit in the wind - both are uncertain. Our minds are also uncertain. A mental impression arises, draws and blows at the mind, and then the mind falls - just like fruit.

The Buddha understood this uncertain nature of things. He observed the phenomena of fruit in the wind and reflected upon the monks and novices who were his disciples. He found that they, too, were essentially of the same nature - uncertain! How could it be otherwise? This is just the way of all things.