加入太谷青年禅学会的体验
文／美国太谷精舍禅修班学员 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，我在搜寻网站时发现了太谷精舍。来到青年禅学会上课的第一天，完全不知道要期待什么，也不知道这堂课教些什么、同学都是些什么样的人。结果，我学习到许多不同且非常宝贵的事情，并且正在继续学习当中。我的同学们都非常亲切、热情且真诚。
每期的课程内容都会有所变动。第一个学期，课堂的前半段是开示和讨论，后半段是静坐。对我而言，这是一个认识佛教非常好的入门方式。我了解到许多成就善业的行为。即使是一个帮助他人走向开悟之道的小小善行，也能累积自己的善业。我还学会各种静坐方法，获益良多。现在每晚睡前，我可以完全地平静和放松。静坐让我有机会反省当天的所作所为，这是我到太谷精舍前很少做的。我特别喜欢慈悲观，因为它教会我真心感谢他人为我所做的一切，甚至是些微不足道的小事。
加入青年禅学会，我学到两件最可贵的事：慈悲、感恩。我学会对过去不以为意的事情充满感激。举例来说，我一向讨厌虫类，无法忍受和它们共处一室，但禅学会令我有所改变。有一次，教室里有一只小虫爬进来，一位助教伸手让它爬到手心，然后带出教室放生。这样慈悲的一个小动作，蕴藏着极深的涵养！此外，我还学会思惟日常食物的来源，并真心感谢那些花时间为我们准备饭菜的人。我一直认为母亲为我准备餐点是理所当然的，现在我每天都会对她说：“谢谢！”我更能同理周遭的人事物，并进而长养了慈悲心。青年禅学会不只教导我，也给予我许多东西。在这里，我遇到一些很出色的人，并交了许多朋友。我很珍惜在这儿建立起来的友谊，除了上课时学习与思惟佛法，下了课我们也会一起讨论，这样能帮助我们进一步认识佛教，也让我们了解如何把佛法运用到日常生活当中。
禅学会的课程不断更新。年初，我们决定重整以往仅是上课及静坐的模式，加入日记写作。这么一来，学生在繁忙的日常生活之中，可以挪出一些时间来进行思惟与创造性的思考，然后提笔自由写作。这样的活动，使我在禅学会度过非常愉快的时光。） |
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