Gentle words to ponder 靜思語

Arriving back in Taichung台中 from a weekend trip Taipei台北 I was not to happy to discover that my bike had been stolen from the bike rack outside Taiyuan train station太原火車站. I ended up having to take a taxi to work. Now, many taxis in Taiwan have books or magazines to read in the front seat pouches. This taxi happened to have a book on Buddhism佛教 called 靜思語, or, in my humble translation, Gentle Words to Ponder. I took a quick look and to my surprise, I could actually comprehend some of it. I asked the driver about the book and he told me it's published by the largest Buddhist organization in Taiwan. He offered me the book and would not take no for an answer. So, in honor of his generosity I have started to decipher this book. I'll post updates as I get through each chapter.