故事

今日第一次到荷兰的荷华寺做义工。这是遍布世界的台湾佛光山道场的其中一个。我的工作很简单，就是向导，还有寺院简单的维护。5个小时里看到很多有意思的人。我喜欢观察人。在此简记，言语枯燥，对不起读者了。

一起值班的有两位义工师傅，一位姓胡较年轻，一位姓温教年长。非常热心，充满正能量。我分别问他们不做义工的时候会做什么，他们都说去其他地方做义工，读书，吃饭睡觉。他们会讲中文里面的两种主要方言（你应该猜到了是广东话和闽南话）。普通话都会讲，可是胡师傅不会写字，因为他是福建裔的马来人。

往来游客络绎不绝，有很多是带着小朋友来的。看到小朋友我会发糖给他们吃。一种是有血缘关系的亲子。一位荷兰母亲抱起孩子上香，这幅画面可以融化你的心；两对父子，我双手合十向他们问好，他们也双手合十向我问好，家长貌似对佛教颇有研究。另一种是没有血缘关系的亲子，比如荷兰父母和亚洲小孩或者非洲小孩。有两个亚洲小女孩看上去像是华裔，活泼不失礼貌，很细心的帮我们擦去蒲团上的香灰。今天遇到的孩子都特别可爱，虽然他们爱糖，嗯可是你第二次发糖的时候他们都会有礼貌的示意：不要了，刚才给的还没有吃呢。

下午2点多的时候来了一个女生，应该是这里的华裔，因为她会讲广东话但是不会写字。胡师傅和她沟通，我帮她写字。她倾诉着就哭了，毫无预兆的——胡师傅解释了我才明白，原来她的父亲一年前去世了，她是来这里帮父亲做功德的，可是她不会写字，于是我帮忙。解释了半天才弄清楚名字怎么写：要写的是quan字，他们的发音听起来像qiang字。最后还是温师傅来解救我，写了一个大大的“權”,所以他是從用繁體字的地方來的。 女生一邊上香，一邊止不住的哭。我不知道該說什麼，就合掌對她講阿彌陀佛。她最後是比較安心的離開了。

一對看上去像是亞洲和中東混血的荷蘭姐妹，拿著一張紙條，上面寫“孖女”。广东话的同学一定知道这是双胞胎姐妹的意思吧，我开始不懂，她们用荷语对师傅讲，师傅又用中英文解释我才明白。然后我帮他们在纸条上注：“双胞胎姐妹”：P 刚才查了一下，对应的还有孖仔。

今天温度很低，阴晴不定。稍晴的时候，外面响起了电子音乐。噢my 阿弥陀佛，一群青少年在快闪！！！！！！！！！！！！！ 我围观了：）

不到三点钟来了一个稍胖的戴眼镜穿皮衣的中年男人。左手拎一个袋子，一进门就坐在最右边的蒲团上，低头，或者沉思，或者忏悔，或者念念有词——不想打搅人家，所以我也不知道他在做什么。一会儿他又移动到左侧护法前面的蒲团上，同样的状态。至少一小时后，他开始在殿里走动，一会儿停在左边，一会儿停在右边，望着菩萨像，眼神十分虔诚。大概两个小时以后，他上了一炷香才离开。

两个台湾女生从伦敦过来，请了两卷法语。她们说很灵啊，描述的就是她们最近的经历。她们竟然也说我讲话不像北方人，因为慢半拍：P 快要结束的时候，我也在功德箱那里请了一句法语。说的是我性格上的缺点。改之，改之。

在后堂值班的一位师姐是客家人，她做了特别好吃的一种饮品给我们吃。她还问我要不要去吃面，可是已经在家吃过了。

最后说说马来西亚滨城的一行游客，师傅帮忙解法语的时候我和一个女生聊起来，她问我从哪里来，我说西安。她又问“你说的是长安吧？”

我不写了，要吃饭了。

Surprises very common in Spring Amsterdam

I came a cross an old man when turning to the main street, and he was playing some hand-made music instruments that I never know. The big yellow box was sort of...sounds like the big piano you can see in a church, but they are not the same thing.  

Many people walked by and stopped to listen to his music. In the end he picked a fishing rod with a typical Dutch wood shoe (I don't know its real name, just call it like that) hooked over, giving wish cards to his audiences:) 

The pic below was from the day before yesterday, in the garden.

March 18-24

18 SUN
Words by Master Chow: 了凡四训.is a very good book. i have read it before. Doing good needs a wisdom not just compassion. If you help someone who later on hurts others, then you have to bear his karma. Be very careful. I had experienced this before and therefore I am still bearing some bad karma and it can be very painful and disappointing. The Ah sound can help you improve your brain cells and enlarge your horizon and outlook of life. It helps to widen the sphere of thinking. This method is hard to come back. Later on you also need to practice some other sounds when you are ready. 



21 WED

• The "staring spot&ah" practice: I can sustain a longer 'ah' with every-time breath, don't have to breath deeply but just like usual 
• studied with friends in library, it was efficient.

24 SAT

• 星期四夢到淨空老法師講課開示。而且當時只有我一個人在聆聽。老人家講的內容我已經記不清了。只記得我當時背誦了香贊的前三句，後面背不來了，老法師慈祥的笑了。這是在提醒我學業需要更加精進吧。。。

15分鐘電飯煲素餐飯15-minute-rice cooker dish for vegetarian

健康生活餐：15分鐘電飯煲素餐飯：
材料：米飯+平菇+豆腐（或素肉）+您喜愛的調味料和沙司

1.用電飯煲蒸米飯，添加油和你喜歡的調味料
2.蒸米飯5分鐘後，加入平菇和豆腐塊
3.飯熟後加入你喜愛的沙司，享受素餐吧！

Let's make healthy life: 15-minute-rice cooker dish for vegetarian:

Ingredients:rice+mushroom+tofu(or vegetarian meat)+spice and sauce that you like
1. make rice with rice cooker as usual, add some oil and flavor if you like.
2. add mushroom and tofu dices after 5 minutes you put rice in the rice cooker. 
3. enjoy with your favorite sauce :)

March 11-17

Sun,11st

• 了凡先生早年被雲谷禪師稱為“標準凡夫”，是因為了凡先生命運已被高人算定，所以沒有妄想執著。今人連“標準凡夫”都算不上啊， 人類真的是非常可憐，多數人不知天命，在一生中辛苦求索，不知不覺造下許多罪業。雲谷禪師又說“命由我做，福自己求”，凡夫的命運是可以通過斷惡修善改造的。
• 今天在超市裡買水果，拿起一個蘋果發現有些爛掉了——本想放回去，可是我想起蔡禮旭老師講到楊老師的故事，她為了幫助賣水果的老太，專門挑不好的水果。我拿起的蘋果還是可以吃的，既然都拿起來了，就隨緣買回家吧。
• Master Chow said that I'm closer to my inner self. I didn't really get it, I'm actually wondering how far is it to get to my inner self...
• 跟隨老師真的非常重要，這樣一個人在進步的過程中會更容易的消除障礙。

Mon 12nd

• was thinking of the story posted by Master Chow, it was about poverty and the hard life that a poor little girl and her family have experienced. 
• just listened to 了凡四訓講記by淨空法師，there was a saying that "what people experience in their life are all consequences of their karma. "
• when you linked those two above, what your logic has been telling you? "they suffered poverty because they deserve"? i just cannot accept this saying which is just an excuse of not lending a hand.
• but such a saying is somehow true in terms of causality...im a bit confused,however my life experience so far, doesn't allow me to think deeply, i leave this question to the future.

TUE 13rd

• 繼續昨天那個關於poverty的故事。孟子關於立命有一段“不貳”之說：夭壽不貳，夫夭與壽，至貳者也，當其不動念時，孰為天，孰為壽？細分之，豐欠不貳，然後可立貧富之命；窮通不貳，然後可立貴賤之命；夭壽不貳，然後可立生死之命。人生世間，惟死生為重，曰夭壽，則一切順逆皆該（包括）之矣。
• 法師曰何為立命？貧者安於貧，富者安於富，貴者安於貴，賤者安於賤，各得其所，彼此互助合作，此乃真知天命耳。
• 老問題：難道遇見世間人的苦難，認為他們應該如此？這絕非聖賢的道理。
• 那麼更深的意思在哪裡？我想到“無常”，這該和“不貳”之說有些關聯。

• today my italian friend showed me the way to Hehua Temple. 

WED 14th

• 前去荷華寺拜佛懺悔。可以燒香，寺廟分文未取。本打算捐一些，卻未曾見大陸寺廟普遍的功德箱。
• 進去大殿，已然覺得自己不受慣常思維的控制了。感覺有一種很神聖的氣息將我的意識托起在空中。
• 跪在蒲團上，合掌。在心中悉數曾經犯下的無明過錯。不知不覺拜了好多拜，不知何故竟潸然淚下。
• 除了參拜之前的悔過，確實在參拜的過程中什麼思維活動也沒有。
• 這樣結束之後，心裡感到很踏實。

SAT 17th

•  Dear Master, this reminds me of the story you post last week, it was about poverty, a little girl and her poor family in India. I didn't comment on that story but was thinking of it for a week.. Was what they suffered because of karma? and for example if an evil person has been punished, people's attitude is like "he deserves". People believe in cause and effect. Then we reconsider the story of poverty, many people may just show their ignorance and say it is karma. but when one can help, why not? and why is 'karma' an excuse of ignorance? i just cannot accept that. Karma exists, but it should not be an excuse for not lending help.

  
  
• 

  As i have said before the scene of proverty it could happen to you in the past and in your future rebirth. It is a reflection for you to realise. Of course you still need to help them knowing that it could their karma. We need not have to say to anyone. Only the teachers can use this incident to wake up their students to do good and accumulate merits for their practice. But to me it is a dream that I have just experienced because there is no right and no wrong. Even If i am poor or rich, i just remain as what I am. You have asked a good question and my answer may be wrong, please bear with me. Thanks.

Weekly Notes：March 4 Sun-10 Sat

Sunday

• The vegetarian food from supermarket: smelled like meat making me uncomfortable.My body is not designed for meat:) I dohave the potential to be a vegetarian.
• All that needed come to help you when you have good faith.
• Also realized it is so imp to have a master or teacher to guide you on the way,because people have laziness, and may fear of obstacles. A master is the person who probably used to have the similar problems
• Life as an exchange student could be boring sometimes since one came here alone and knew nobody before. It was bored from the outset but im getting used to it and enjoy the benefit of being alone: become conscious about "what am I doing/thinking" ; more readings done.

Monday

• Did feel like singing when saying 'ah'when I was staring at the spot.
• Generally more sober-minded the recent days.
• Couldn't stop yawning after getting up or in the afternoon. frequently when I'm studying. But when it is sth I'm interested in, not yawning anymore.

by Monday evening

Wednesday

• have just finished reading China's new revolution. I'm more focused on what I'm interested in, indeed, it's just common sense...what could you do when you have to do something.
• 15.00. was eating strawberry and thinking of things I cannot remember. It feels a bit anxiety and I told myself, when you are eating strawberry, just do it but nothing else. Then I looked at the berry at hand ,hey strawberry,I'm focusing on the strawberry...do one thing at one moment.

Thursday

• 我很开心即使在一个陌生的城市，我也能为别人指路。经常遇到被陌生人求助的情况，我很欣慰，同学的爸爸说这是因为“you look approachable”. 尽管有时我是一个对陌生人很戒备很谨慎的人（父母教育害人之心不可有，防人之心不可无），甚至可以在没有开口说话时，就能感受到自己身体里对某些陌生人的敌意，仿佛脑袋里有一个邪恶小人，有一个善良小人，有时邪恶小人说话声音比较大。然而很多情况都是假想而已。净空法师也说“害人之心不可有，防人之心也不必有”，仔细体会，这个道理真实不虚。处于戒备的心会非常疲惫。智慧的人会对周遭的一切看清楚，不去刻意的防备，而是抱着慈悲之心和众人相处，化腐朽为神奇。
• Sometimes cannot help comparing myself to other people. But happiness relying on comparison is very easy to be eliminated, because there are always better things. The good news is that I no longer avoid to observe the unhealthy thoughts. for example, at the moment I heard a friend went to a better university than I did, negative feeling came to me first, I accept that this sort of feeling is part of dark side of humanity. Then I started to think of why I would have negative thought, what was the negative effect of the thought.    
• Then the problem is stranded, I don't know what to do further with it. At least I can control over my thoughts and feelings after some minutes they exist, but I shall do more to move to a better solution.

Friday

• I did suspect that the social network like facebook, renren and mircoblog have stolen our time. The problem is true but it still benefit us a lot. e.g. I keep in touch with my family and friends; I get to know some great masters through facebook, and they use the social network to teach students;people use social network to advocate justice.
• A reasonable solution is to measure the time we spend on social network but not to abandon it; and why not send your good words and wishes to your friends? When I see people complain and post meaningless words through facebook, I do realized that the character (positive/negative) of an object depends on people's attitude.    So I just started to learn from my Master, to post words/pics of real goodness and meaningful.
• Finished watching 弟子规 vedio by 蔡礼旭老师，shall go through it later and practice, 学问在于实践just do it:)

Saturday

• 第三次讀了凡四訓。這次看看自己有沒有新的收穫。
• 抄寫了一遍弟子規。發現自己寫字有些問題，為什麼不能把筆記本放端正呢？當我把筆記本放端正，感覺態度也端正了一些