加入太谷青年禪學會的體驗
文／美國太谷精舍禪修班學員 Laura Tran
A little over a year ago, I found out about the Chung Tai Zen Center through internet. When I first came to Dharma Youth, I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know how the class was going to be taught, what would be taught, or what my fellow classmates would be like. It turns out, I learned and am still learning about many different but very valuable things and that all of my fellow students are all very kind, welcoming, and genuine people.
Regarding the class itself, the semesters are never the same. My first semester with Dharma Youth, the first half of class consisted mostly of lecture material with discussion while the second half consisted of meditation. This was a good introduction for me to Buddhism. I learned about the many, many different types of acts that one can do to create good karma. That simply trying to help someone along their path to enlightenment, though it can potentially be a small act of kindness, can even help you accumulate your own good karma. I've learned about different types of meditation, this which I really value since I now have a way to really calm down and relax before bedtime. Meditation gives me time to reflect upon my day, that which I didn't do a lot of before I came to the Chung Tai Zen Center. I especially like Loving Kindness Meditation because it forces me to think about the smallest things that someone has done for me and to really appreciate that.
Compassion and appreciation are two things that I extremely value and I've learned so much about each since having come to Dharma Youth. I've learned to show appreciate for many things I didn't really appreciation before. For example, I used to really dislike bugs and couldn't stand them even just being in the same room as I but Dharma Youth has changed that a bit. Once, we had a tiny little bug crawl into the room and a fellow TA kindly let the bug crawl up into his palm and walked outside to release the bug. Just a small act of kindness like that speaks volumes about the person. I've learned to think hard and contemplate where my daily food comes from and to really thank those who have taken the time out of their day to prepare food for me. I used to just take the food that my mom prepared for me for granted. Now I say thank you to her on a daily basis. I think this has really helped me to understand and have more compassion for those around me. Dharma Youth hasn't just taught me things but it has also given me things. I've met some of the most amazing students, people, and friends and Dharma Youth has paved the way. These friendships that I've been able to build because of the Chung Tai Zen Center and Dharma Youth are really valuable to me because we don't just study the sutras and contemplate in class but we also meet up out of class and have these discussions. I think this helps to further our understanding of Buddhism and how we can apply it to our lives to which is a really good thing for the current class demographic to contemplate.
Dharma Youth is still changing though. Earlier this year, we decided to scrap the previous lecture and meditation plan and introduce journals so that amidst the students' busy daily lives, they can be given some time to contemplate, think creatively, and just freely write. Activities like this really make my time at Dharma Youth very enjoyable.
（一年多前，我在搜尋網站時發現了太谷精舍。來到青年禪學會上課的第一天，完全不知道要期待什麼，也不知道這堂課教些什麼、同學都是些什麼樣的人。結果，我學習到許多不同且非常寶貴的事情，並且正在繼續學習當中。我的同學們都非常親切、熱情且真誠。
每期的課程內容都會有所變動。第一個學期，課堂的前半段是開示和討論，後半段是靜坐。對我而言，這是一個認識佛教非常好的入門方式。我了解到許多成就善業的行為。即使是一個幫助他人走向開悟之道的小小善行，也能累積自己的善業。我還學會各種靜坐方法，獲益良多。現在每晚睡前，我可以完全地平靜和放鬆。靜坐讓我有機會反省當天的所作所為，這是我到太谷精舍前很少做的。我特別喜歡慈悲觀，因為它教會我真心感謝他人為我所做的一切，甚至是些微不足道的小事。
加入青年禪學會，我學到兩件最可貴的事：慈悲、感恩。我學會對過去不以為意的事情充滿感激。舉例來說，我一向討厭蟲類，無法忍受和牠們共處一室，但禪學會令我有所改變。有一次，教室裡有一隻小蟲爬進來，一位助教伸手讓牠爬到手心，然後帶出教室放生。這樣慈悲的一個小動作，蘊藏著極深的涵養！此外，我還學會思惟日常食物的來源，並真心感謝那些花時間為我們準備飯菜的人。我一直認為母親為我準備餐點是理所當然的，現在我每天都會對她說：「謝謝！」我更能同理周遭的人事物，並進而長養了慈悲心。青年禪學會不只教導我，也給予我許多東西。在這裡，我遇到一些很出色的人，並交了許多朋友。我很珍惜在這兒建立起來的友誼，除了上課時學習與思惟佛法，下了課我們也會一起討論，這樣能幫助我們進一步認識佛教，也讓我們了解如何把佛法運用到日常生活當中。
禪學會的課程不斷更新。年初，我們決定重整以往僅是上課及靜坐的模式，加入日記寫作。這麼一來，學生在繁忙的日常生活之中，可以挪出一些時間來進行思惟與創造性的思考，然後提筆自由寫作。這樣的活動，使我在禪學會度過非常愉快的時光。） |
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