Translated and Edited by True Buddha Foundation Translation Team

Among people living in Leaf Lake, you will find some neighbours greeting each other with a nod of the head and a smile when they first meet, but rarely do they engage in any conversation.

Some individuals will ask me, "Are you...?", to which I will usually reply, "I am not."

"Are you a writer?"

"I am not."

"Are you into religion?"

"I am not."

I have become a stranger in this world.

In fact, who isn't? When I first arrived in Tahiti, I knew no one and nobody there knew me.

I once stood on top of the Tokyo Tower looking down at the heavy traffic that rushed by and asked myself who really knew who I was and did I know anyone? If I was not a stranger, than what was I?

When I was standing on the beach of Hawaii looking at the crowd in their swimsuits, it made me wonder who were those people? What were their names?

When I arrived in Seoul and stared at the signboards written in Korean characters, I had no idea what any of the characters meant. When the Korean people looked at me, I would have come across as a total stranger.

I finally understand that I came into this world as a stranger, and that I will leave as a stranger, coming here empty-handed and leaving here empty-handed, that all is void.

Those who are with me in my travels are merely temporary visitors. While I do come to like these temporary companions and long to see them, the fact remains that none of these [companions] are everlasting.

When time passes, the times we share shall become a thing of the past, and what remains as memories will linger as sweet sorrow. When separated by distance, people are bound to forget each other, leaving only a shadow of their friendship behind. Our faces will reflect the tracks left behind by the trail of time.

I do really love all of you, and care for all of you, yet I find it hard to voice my feelings. I really wish that we can always stay together, yet the time of our parting has arrived so early.

I remember a verse:

Among the scattered bamboos, the wind passes silently.

The geese fly across the cold lake, and leave no trace upon it.

I come and go without a trace. I am just a traveller passing by this human world. I really wish that we can always stay together—let us all adjourn to the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds!

《本文譯自真佛報第436期頭版師尊「真佛論劍」文章「永遠都是陌生人」》