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今天我來談談「懷少」的意義。「懷」表示關懷、慈愛、或保護。含有溫柔、蘊育的心態，就好像龍養珠似的，時時顧念著、護惜著。龍把這顆如意珠懸在眼前，免得遺失、受損。龍並不是緊緊地握著，而是每天擦亮，保持它的清淨、光潔無垢。
什麼是「少」？通常是指數字上年齡的分類。美國人被稱為年輕的崇拜者，並冀望自己容貌悅人、青春永駐。這就是對外表的一種執著。成年人想要避免老化，而時下年輕的一輩，卻興奮地拼命想快快長大。所以無論我們年齡大小，總不滿於自己的時運，徒然追尋不可得的妄想，無法從現況中獲得自他的利益。
少年也意謂著無邪清純、開懷直心、精神活潑、好奇感，以及希望。具有這些性質的人，即使年紀大，精神上還是年輕的；缺乏這些性質的，即使年紀輕，也會憔悴無光、暮氣沈沈、消極而沒有希望和好奇感。要怎樣保持這份年少氣質呢？就是要眾善奉行，諸惡莫作。
今日青少年，受到來自各方面媒體或人們負面惡劣的影響衝擊。為了保護孩童的真純，應該不要讓他們看電視、聽流行歌曲、看電影、打電玩、閱讀不正當的書籍；因為，這些都會傷害他們良善的本性。
或許有人不同意，說現在這個世界太複雜、造作了；應該讓小孩知道這些情形，要不然他們太脆弱了。事實上，諸惡莫作，眾善奉行，保持身語意的清淨無邪；無形中，於任何大災小難，我們都會受到最好的保護。
為什麼？當我們心胸還是開闊充滿好奇感時，才可以看到或感覺事物，否則他們就變成視而不見了。佛法說如果持戒清淨，每一條戒有五位護法善神會日夜時時護持我們。如果破戒，他們就離開我們。有人以為要了解現實，應該求取世間的知識與經驗。事實上，當我們有「經驗」時，我們的敏感就消失了，現實裡的絕大部分也看不見。失去清淨，我們的感官也變得不靈敏，因此對現實環境也看不清楚了。
眾善奉行，諸惡莫作，珍惜我們每個人和各位青年朋友內裡年少的氣質––無邪、清純、開懷、直心、好奇感，可以永保精神年輕；同時希望之光得以照耀長存於世。
□ 恆良 文
培德中學、育良小學已經起步很久了。十八年前學校剛開辦時，只有八名學生，從四歲半到十一歲不等。現在學生人數超過一百二十名，由幼稚園到十二年級，各級具足無缺。雖然如此，我們仍有很長的路要走。
我們生活在一個對兒童極危險的時代裡。每個時代都曾抱怨「年輕人」不如以往的水準，不過我認為這些孩子面對的未來變動更大、危害更深。雖然他們都會碰到自己要行得正，而別人卻做得不對的困境，（這使得錯的，看來好像不怎麼錯了。）在今天這種壓力越來越厲害。他們周圍環境，如媒體、電視、錄影帶、電影、和廣告，常常鼓勵或迫使兒童，去做一些我們認為有危害或不道德的事。
身為老師的處境很為難。對學生來說，我們好像管束得很嚴格，要求他們比一般小朋友行為更好、道德標準更高。要想逆轉流俗，改變惡劣社會風氣，必須教養孩童超乎群倫，堪做領袖，因為他們確是未來世界的主人翁。這是我對「懷少」的看法。懷惜他們，以便他們有朝一日能成精英，長大成人後，足堪改善世界重任，乃至世世代代，維護未來。
□ 易果參 文
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Today I would like to share my thoughts about what Cherishing Youth means. To cherish means to have kind fondness for, to care and protect someone or some thing. It implies a gentle, nurturing attitude. To illustrate this we may consider the analogy of the dragon cherishing its pearl. The dragon is constantly mindful and protective of his pearl. He keeps his "wish-fulfilling pearl" suspended before him so it will not be lost or come to harm. He does not grasp it too tightly, but daily polishes it, so it remains pure, bright, and free from any blemish.
What is meant by youth? Usually we think of it as a numerical age category. Americans are said to be worshipers of youth, and to prefer to remain young and attractive and not grow old. That is simply an attachment to outer appearances. While adults wish to avoid the aging process, it seems the young generation today is in a feverish hurry to grow up as quickly as possible, so that whatever age we are, we are dissatisfied with our lot, and vainly seeking for what is impossible to attain; we fail to derive any benefit from the present reality for ourselves and for others.
But youth also implies the qualities of innocence and purity, openness and straightforwardness, spiritual vitality and a sense of wonder--and of hope. Anyone with these qualities, though he may be old in years, will be young in spirit; lacking these qualities, though one may be young in years, one will be lusterless, haggard, dull, and negative, without any hope and without a sense of wonder. How does one cherish and preserve those qualities of youth? Simply by offering up all good conduct, and refraining from all evil.
Today's youth is bombarded from all sides with negative and evil influences from various kinds of media and people. In order to protect their innocence and purity, children must be discouraged from watching television, listening to popular music, viewing films, playing video games, and reading unwholesome literature--all those influences which will destroy their inherent wholesome qualities.
Some people might disagree and say that this modern world is too complicated and sophisticated, and that children must be kept informed, otherwise they would be too vulnerable. But actually, by not doing any evil and offering up all good conduct, by keeping our minds, bodies, and mouths pure and innocent, we invisibly receive the greatest protection from any disaster, great or small.
Why is that? When our minds are still open and full of wonder, we can still see, or at least sense, that which is otherwise invisible. We learn in Buddhism that for every precept we uphold purely, there are five Dharma Protecting Spirits who surround and protect us every moment of the day and night; when we break the precepts, those Dharma Protecting spirits leave us. Some people believe that to understand reality, one must pursue worldly knowledge and experience. But, in fact, as we gain "experience," we lose our sensitivity, and a vast dimension of reality becomes invisible to us, with the loss of purity, our faculties become dull, and we are no longer able to discern reality clearly.
By offering up all good, refraining from any evil, and cherishing the qualities of youth--innocence, purity, open-mindedness, straightforwardness, and a sense of wonder--in ourselves, as well as our young friends, we will all remain forever youthful in spirit, and the flame of hope will remain in this world, shining brightly.
□ By Heng Liang
As I stand here today I am reminded of how far Instilling Goodness Elementary School and Developing Virtue High School have come. Eighteen years ago our school began with only eight students, ages four and a half to eleven. Now we have over 120 students and a full kindergarten through twelfth grade program. However, we still have a long way to go.
We live in a time that is particularly dangerous for children. Although one could say that every generation has complained that the "younger generation" has not reached the standards of the past, it seems to me that these children face an even more precarious and dangerous future. Although all children have had to face the problem of doing what's right when everyone else seems to be doing what's wrong (which makes the wrong seem not so wrong), there is even more pressure now. Everything around them: the media, television, videos, movies, and advertising are constantly encouraging and pressuring our children to do the very things we consider dangerous and immoral.
As teachers, we are in a very difficult position. It seems to our students that we are very hard on them in demanding that they be better and have higher moral standards than "ordinary kids." But if we are to turn the tide and change the negative direction our society has taken, we must raise children who are better than the rest, who can become leaders, because they truly do hold the future of our world in their hands. This, I believe, is what we mean when we say "cherishing youth." Cherishing them so that they can become the very best, so that they can grow up to be special enough to change our world for the better and preserve it for future generations.
□ By Terri Nicholson
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