Essay: 無言的控诉

Scanned article published in mum's school alumni newsletter. She writes occasionally to share her views. I will be putting up a couple more in the next few days.

It would take me forever to digitise the articles since my Chinese s***s and my input means are limited. Anyone more capable is welcomed to do so, though. Thanks.

Lightly Exploring Gratitude (Translation)

(See entry below for the original article)

My topic of inquiry for the fellow students of 8^th graduation class of Yuk Choy High School, in its 50^th anniversary newsletter, is gratitude – to cherish is gratitude and is somewhat emotional.

It emotional because, in half a century of life, filled with love, anger, sadness and happiness, how many names can we still remember? How many faces can we still recall? In the ephemeral and changing impermanent world, 50 years in the context of a short lifespan, can be seen as a long river.

At the anniversary celebration hall, meeting friends and classmates who I have not seen for 50 years, is a happy event. It invoked “we thought we would never see one another again” happiness in us (indeed, some of our classmates have already passed away). We are very grateful to the organizing committee who brought us this historic event, creating for us this opportunity to meet.

Recently in the 2^nd edition of the alumni newsletter, I read about the thankgiving story of schoolmate Kwang Yen. The noble bare-foot monk helped her sickness and yet never asked anything for himself, is deeply touching.

Gratitude, expressing from the bottom of our hearts what we most sincerely cherish and respect as well as our blessings; Gratitude, makes our spirit graceful; Gratitude, is friendship and brotherhood.

I encourage everyone to live with the attitude of gratitude. Deal with your family, life partner, siblings, relatives and friends with heartfelt gratitude. It is a privilege to have them in your life. Buddhists said ten years of cultivation brings shared journeys; hundreds years, shared lives as spouse; and thousands years, blood relationships. Therefore we should cherish the relationships that fate brought us. Live with each other with the attitude that start from tolerance, temperance, forgiveness… … to letting go, acceptance and contentment, (see notes below) otherwise know as the attitude of gratitude.

Due to the lack of gratitude, families strife leads to the loss of harmony and tenderness; couples became estranged or divorced; siblings cannot get along and became strangers to each other; relatives and friends turned into bitter enemies and hurt one another…

Gratitude – nurture and inform our lives. In expressing gratitude with our daily words and actions, we elevate our inner spirit.

When you awake in the morning, and find that you can move, walk, take care of yourself… be happy. That attitude is nurturing, it is also of gratitude.

Let us cultivate that attitude!

Klang, 2 September 2009

Notes (Only a short description for mutual exploration)

Tolerance: Tolerate even in difficult situations, learn to accept defeat, accept being number two, and you will be rewarded well. As the saying goes – holding back momentary leads to long term peacefulness.

Temperance: In any matters which you are not happy with, do not anger, blame or betray.

Forgiveness: Don’t be harsh and petty. Go easy on others when they made mistakes. Some said, forgiving others is an act of self-love.

Letting go: Once it is settled, let it be. A heart without lingering resentments is the freest.

Acceptance: For events that have happened and things that you can’t change, accept them.

Contentment: Cherish the moment. In all matters, step back to reconsider, happiness will follow.

淺谈感恩 (Gratitude)

我对育才高中第八届毕业同学，庆祝５０周年通讯录主题：恩－怀念就是恩，有所感触。

感触半个世纪的岁月里， 在喜怒哀乐交替的生活中，还能记得多少同窗的姓名? 多少同窗的面孔? 瞬间可变的无常，５０年对短暂的人生，可是一条长河。

５０周年金禧庆典里，跟某些隔别了５０年的师长或同窗重逢，虽不至说 “宛如隔世” ，卻多多少少兴起了 “以为此生不能再见” 的情怀。(不是吗? 有好多同窗已不在世了) 不禁对筹办这历史性聚会的諸多学长，给我们造就的机会，感恩有加。

近日收到通讯简报第二期，拜读光燕同学那篇感恩的故事，敘述她对赤脚和尚救渡病患的博大神通，施惠不受报的高风亮节，感恩不已。

感恩，表达了内心衷誠的怀念，敬意和祝福; 感恩，美化了心靈; 感恩，有情有義。

我祝愿人们把感恩心融入生活。用感恩心来和家人, 配偶, 兄弟姊妹, 亲戚朋友… … 相处。感恩今生具有如此关系, 如此因缘, 是前生修来的缘份。佛家有说: 十年修得同船渡，百年修得共枕眠，千年修得血脉缘。可见缘份殊胜应珍惜。相处由忍让, 包容, 宽恕 … … 到放下, 接受, 知足 … [P.S. 註:] 即是感恩的生活态度。

由于不感恩, 许多家庭纷争失了和谐，失了亲情; 许多夫妻成了怨偶或离异; 许多兄弟姊妹水火不相容，情同陌路 ; 亲友反目成仇，互相攻击…。

感恩，是生活的涵养，生活的智慧。表现在日常对人对事的言行上，提升了生活的素质。

每早醒来，能动，能走，能自理… … 便很开心满足了。如此心境，是养生，也是感恩。

大家一起来修吧!

2009年9月2日于吧生寒舍

P.S. 註: 只简释，大家可以发表见解。

忍让: 艰忍要忍。学吃亏，认第二，总有好收获。谁不知 “忍一时风平浪静” 的道理?
包容: 对不满意的事情，不要动辄指责或变脸。
宽恕: 不苛求。别人犯错时也自省。有说: 原谅别人，就是等于善待自己。
放下: 看开就是了。心无挂碍最自在。
接受: 对已发生的事，不可能改变的事… … 要接受。
知足: 珍惜当下。凡事退一步想，幸福感随即涌现。