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二、心在哪裡─忠恕篇
「朋友在哪裡？朋友在哪裡？」「在這裡，在這裡。」「你今天好嗎？」「我今天很好！」「再見了！」「再見了！」安安豎著兩隻大拇指，拉開嗓門，裝出兩種不同的聲音，左顧右盼地唱，一下揚右拇指，一下按左拇指的，忙得不亦樂乎，清亮的童音，響徹屋宇。
唱完歌，媽媽問安安：「你喜歡交朋友嗎？」「喜歡！」「那你知道怎麼交朋友嗎？」「知道！要對朋友好！」「對了！」媽媽嘉許地摸摸安安的頭說：「問朋友在哪裡以前，要先問問自己的心在哪裡？對朋友好，就是常常把朋友放在心的中間；常常問一問自己：是不是不自私呀？是不是不自利呀？因為自私和自利，就是只把自己放在心的正中央，再沒空的地方放別人了！你若心中容不下別人，就是心中沒有朋友的存在。」媽媽一面說，一面在紙上先寫了個「心」字，然後在「心」字上，再加上個「中」字。安安興奮地叫：「這字我認得，是個『忠』字！」媽媽點點頭：「對！所以，把朋友放在心的正中央，你就會事事替他著想，願意盡你最大的能力去幫助他，這就是『忠』的意思。你對人忠，人家也會對你忠，你還怕找不到朋友嗎？相反地，你不把朋友放在心中，處處只想到自己，那你就唱破了喉嚨，朋友還是不在那裡！」
就在這時，哥哥平平回來了，一臉的不高興，原來是和大華吵翻了，大華還駡他是個「沒有心」的人。媽媽問明白了，就說：「你有沒有想過：你不想要做的事情或不想要受的難堪，別人是不是也不想做，也不想受？把自己放在別人的立場，設身處地去為他人著想，你會發現，別人也和你一樣，會傷心，生氣或難堪的。」媽媽看著低頭不語的平平，又接著說：「你的心在哪裡呢？如果你交朋友，不能將心比心，你永遠得不到真正的朋友，也得不到真正的解脫，因為你會一直把別人的垃圾堆在你自己的心上。」「垃圾？」平平疑惑地抬起頭來。「垃圾就是髒的，沒有用的東西，對不對？你不能體諒別人，專看別人的缺點和錯誤，而且還記得牢牢的，那不等於把一些又髒又沒用處的垃圾往心上堆的嗎！這樣子你又怎麼能輕安快樂呢？」
媽媽一面說，一面在「心」字上，又寫了個「如」字：「就像這個『恕』字，交朋友要懂得寬恕之道，只要能常常將心比心，去體察別人的難處，凡是自己不願意的，都不要加在別人身上；這樣，別人也不會把你不願意的，加在你身上，那天下不是太平了！」平平若有所悟地瞪著紙上的「恕」字終於毅然站起來：「我明白了！是我的不對，我該去找大華向他道歉！」
就在這當口，門鈴響了，一看，站在門外的可不是大華嗎！一下子，兩個人又有說有笑的了。媽媽忍不住，笑著問：「平平！你現在找到心了？」平平大笑：「找到了！在這裡！」他拍拍自己胸口，又指指大華的胸口。「什麼心？」大華莫名其妙。平平拿起了寫著「恕」字的字條，笑著說：「如心！」
朋友！當你看完這一則故事，是不是也會摸摸自己的心，問一問自己：
一、忠－待人接物，是否真誠，盡責？永遠把他人放在心的正中央，一點也不自私、自利？
二、恕－待人處世，是否寬厚，體諒？永遠把別人的心比如自己的一樣，一點也不刻薄、狹窄？ |
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II. Where Is the Mind? --- A Story of Loyalty and Forgiveness
"Where are you friend? Where are you friend?" "Here I am! Here I am!" "How are you today?" "Very well." "So long!" "Goodbye now!" Annie mimicked two different voices as she looked at her left and right thumbs. Now raising her right thumb and now bending her left thumb, she was happily engrossed in her play, and her clear, bright voice resounded throughout the house.
When Annie finished singing, her mother asked her, "Do you like making friends?" "Yes, I do!" "Do you know how?" "Yes, I must treat them well." "Right!" Mom patted Annie's head approvingly and said, "Before you ask where your friends are, you have to ask where your mind is. To treat your friends well is to keep them in mind. Always ask yourself, 'Am I selfish? Do I only want to benefit myself?' If so, there's no room in your mind for anyone but yourself! If you cannot bear others in mind, you will not have any friends." As she talked, Mother wrote the character "mind" (心) and another character "in" (中) above it. Excitedly Annie cried out, "I know that word--it's "loyalty" (忠)." Mother nodded,"Yes! So when you keep a friend in mind, you will be considerate of him, and willing to do your best to help hint. That is the meaning of loyalty. When you are devoted to others, they will be devoted to you. Are you still afraid you won't have any friends? On the other hand, if you do not keep friends in mind, and think only about yourself, then even if you shouted yourself hoarse, you still wouldn't have any friends!"
Just then, Annie's brother Peter came back looking upset. It turned out he had just had a fight with Dave, who had scolded him for "having no heart." When Mother found out about it, she said, "Has it occurred to you that if you dislike or cannot stand something, other people may also dislike it or not be able to stand it? If you put yourself in their shoes and imagine how they feel, you'll find that they are just like you -- they can also feel hurt, angry, and uncomfortable."
Looking at Peter, who had lowered his head in silence, Mother continued, "Where is your mind? In making friends, you will never have a true friend if you are not heart-to-heart. And you will never have true freedom because you keep piling other people's garbage in your mind." "Garbage?" Peter looked up, puzzled. "Garbage is dirty and useless, right? Instead of being considerate of others, if you only pick out their faults and shortcomings and remember those, isn't that just like heaping up dirty, useless garbage in your heart? How could you ever feel comfortable and happy that way?"
Mother then wrote the character "like" (如) above the character "mind" (心) and said, "Consider this word forgiveness (恕) : we should always be magnanimous in forgiving our friends. Constantly put yourself in another's shoes and observe people's difficulties. Don't give others anything you yourself wouldn't take. Then others will not give you anything against your will. In that case, wouldn't the world be at peace?" Peter stared at the word "forgiveness" on the paper as if he had just been enlightened, and stood up resolutely saying, "I understand now. It was my fault, and I owe Dave an apology!"
Just then the doorbell rang, and it was none other than Dave himself! In a while, the two boys were talking and laughing. Mother could not help but smile, and asked, "Peter, have you found your mind now?" Peter laughed and said,"I've found it. It's right here!" He patted his chest and then pointed to Dave's. "What mind?" asked Dave who did not know what it was all about. Peter picked up the slip paper with the character "forgiveness" and said with a smile, "Like mind."
Friends, upon reading this story, won't you reflect within and ask yourself:
A. Loyalty: Do you deal with people and things in a sincere and responsible way? Do you always keep others in the very center of your mind without being the least bit selfish and self-benefitting?
B. Forgiveness: When you deal with people and the world, are you generous and considerate? Do you always put yourself in the other person's shoes, without ever being mean and narrow-minded? |
