時間過得真快,轉眼已經六年,我卻感覺好像昨天才來似的‧‧‧。
師父上人、校長、老師、家長和同學們、大家晚安;一九九一年,我的父 母為了培育我的良知和品德,帶我
到萬佛聖城就讀本校。當時我只是個十一歲的男孩,並不明白為什麼我得來萬佛聖城?這所學校與一般公立學校非常不同。在我來此之前,我並不十分用功,一有機會就看電視或遊玩。在萬佛聖城,我不能看電視,除了讀書外,只能和其他同學在操場玩;但萬佛聖城的日常作息表,卻讓我很忙。時間過得真快,轉眼已經六年,我卻感覺好像昨天才來似的。
雖然我也上英文和數學,但我們學校還有道德課、佛學課及打坐。光是學道德和佛學是不夠的
,我們還必須把這些概念付諸實踐。我學著將誠實、忠信、羞恥心和恭敬心帶進教室裡,也確實受益於其中。從老師和同學中,我所學到最重要的信念就是
:人際關係和溝通是很要緊的。人們應當試著去和諧相處,並互相學習;我們不但在學校跟老師學習,也自周遭的同學中學習。我們很容易就會被朋友的好壞所影響;因此本校的創辦人宣公上人就曾說過,人應見賢思齊,見不賢而內自省,來改正過錯。這種偉大的教誨,引導我試著去接納別的同學的長處,並改正我的缺點
。許多學長都是我的好榜樣,我努力學習他們幹練而友善的優點。在外界已經很難找到有這種好品格的朋友了,這就是為什麼我們的學校會如此與眾不同。
有一首發人深省的詩,我想在此與大家分享:
少年聽雨歌樓上,紅燭昏羅帳;
壯年聽雨客舟中,江闊雲低,斷雁叫西風;
而今聽雨僧廬下,鬢已星星矣!
悲歡離合總無情,一任階前點滴到天明。
我之所以提出這首詩,因為它點出了萬事萬物的無常。這位詩人把它年輕的生浪費在享受上;壯年時又因流離而沉酒於哀傷中;終於他領悟到隨緣不變的道理,但他已垂垂老矣!而我不須要等到老,就已經明白了。這就是為什麼我覺得自己是如此地幸運,能來萬佛聖城就讀於育良小學和培德中學,並跟從宣公上人學習。
我不僅感謝所有的老師,還要感謝所有的同學
,來幫助我成為一個更好的人。我更感謝我的父母,給我這個機會到萬佛聖城就讀,我終於深深地暸解到為什麼我必須來萬佛聖城了。父母總是知道什麼對我們有益,這是千真萬確的!最後,我願再次感謝師父上人、所有的老師、家長和同學們,感謝大家的教導和支持!
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Time passed by so quickly. It has been
six years already, but I feel as if I only arrived here
yesterday ...
Venerable Master, the Principal, Dharma
Masters, teachers, parents, and fellow students, good
evening! I came to this school in 1991 because my parents
wanted to instill goodness in me and help me develop virtue.
As a eleven-year-old boy, I did not understand why I had to
come to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. This school was
definitely different from public schools. Before I came up
to this school, I didn't study hard; I watched TV and played
whenever I could. At the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, I
wasn't allowed to watch television; besides studying, I
would play on the grounds with other students. But the daily
schedule at the City of Ten Thousand Buddha kept me busy.
Time passed by so quickly. It has been six years already,
but I feel as if I only arrived here yesterday.
In addition to English and math, our
school taught Virtue Studies, Buddhist Studies, and
meditation. Just learning about virtues and Buddhism wasn't
enough. We had to put these concepts into action. I learned
to apply virtues such as honesty, loyalty, a sense of shame,
and respect in the classroom and benefited greatly from it.
The most important thing I learned from teachers and fellow
students was that human relations and communication are very
important. People should get along and try to learn from
each other. We can learn many things in school and from
teachers, as well as from our fellow students--the people we
hang around often. We can be easily influenced in both good
and bad ways by our friends. Venerable Master Hua, the
founder of our schools, said that people should learn what
is good from
others and be aware of what is bad of
others in order to correct ourselves. This guiding principle
has taught me to appreciate the good qualities in other
students and change my own bad habits. I must say that some
of my schoolmates have been excellent role models for me and
many others. I have striven to emulate their qualities of
being good students and friendly people. It is hard to find
friends with such qualities outside; that’s why our school
is special.
There's a thoughtful poem titled
"Listening to the Rain," which I would like to share with
everyone.
During my youth, I listened to the
rain from within a teahouse, I rested under a silken canopy
bed shadowed by dimly lit red candles.
During my adulthood, I listened to the rain from within a
boat away from home.
The clouds were thick, the river was wide, and a long wild
goose cried out against the Autumn wind.
And now I'm listing to the rain from under the eaves of a
monastery.
Silver gray speckles upon my head.
Happiness and sadness, meeting and departing, are all
meaningless.
Let the rain continuously drip just as meaninglessly until
dawn.
The reason I bring up this poem is
because it shows how everything is impermanent. The poet
wasted his young life on enjoyment and fell into sorrow and
hardship when he grew older. Finally, in his old age, he
learned accord with conditions without changing his
principle. I've already learned this at such a young age.
That is why I feel very lucky to be able to attend
Instilling Goodness and Developing Virtue Schools and to
receive Master Hua's guidance.
I want to thank all my teachers and
fellow students for helping me become a better person. Most
of all, I want to thank my parents for giving me the
opportunity to come to this school. I now have a better
understanding of why I should come to CTTB. Parents know
what is best for you; it's really true! I want to thank
Venerable Master Hua, all teachers, parents and fellow
students again for their guidance and support. |