自從回到萬佛城以後，師父安排我們緊湊的課程，從清晨四點四十分到夜晚十點：有打坐、戒律、英、數、三字經、論語、詩偈、演說、出坡、打拳...。早飯後，我們有四十五分鐘自習時間可背經典。起初我們都在教室裡背誦，老師發現有的同學感到昏沈，於是改在戶外，一方面背經，一方面活動筋骨。
清晨的氣溫是多變的。剛起床並不太冷，就在太陽快出來的時候，大約是五點四十五分吸進鼻腔的都是冰涼的，由於人少地方大，所以空氣很清新，沒有一點染污。
七點十分左右，我站在空曠的綠地上握緊拳頭，想要用自己身體內的熱能使得全身暖和起來。可惜，捏了半天，一點也不發生效用。一陣一陣抖哆嗦......很難用心背經。我開始快步走，想因此而能抵擋越來越冷的空氣；我不敢停下腳步來，因為氣溫下降得很快......，我開始慢跑一直跑到太陽整個出來了，我要背的「永嘉大師證道歌」，終於順口了。
此時，差不多已經是七點四十五分了。剩下十幾分鐘的光景，老師要我們脫了鞋襪，光著腳跑在碎石子上，每走一步就痛一下。路程約八十公尺，等我走完三回合以後，精神為之一振，全身整個暖和了。我覺得這真是一段珍貴的經驗。 |
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When I returned to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, the Venerable Master had already set up a tight schedule for us from 4:40 in the morning until 10:00 at night. We had meditation and classes in the precepts, English, math, the Three-Character Classic, and the Analects. We also learned to compose verses and poems, and to give oral presentations. We did outdoor work, practiced Chinese martial arts, and so on. After breakfast, we had a 45-minute period for self-cultivation. This was the time for memorizing the Sutras. In the beginning, we all studied in the classroom. However, some of us were very sleepy and dozing off, so the teacher had us go outside to study. Then we got to exercise our bodies while we were memorizing the Sutras.
The temperature in the morning goes through a myriad changes. It is not too cold when I first wake up. When the sun is almost out, about 5:45 A.M., the air that I breathe in is freezing. Nevertheless, this place is vast and there aren't many people around here, so the air is always fresh and clean, without any pollution.
At about 7:00 A.M., I stand on the spacious lawn, and I clench my fists so that the heat of my body can warm me up. However, after trying it for quite a long time, it still doesn't work; my body is trembling...and it's hard to concentrate on what I'm trying to memorize. Then I start to walk fast in order to ward off the cold. I dare not stop running because the temperature is dropping rapidly.... After a while, I start to jog. I keep jogging until the sun comes out. I do this every day while memorizing the Sutra. Finally I'm able to recite out loud the Song of Enlightenment of Great Master Yong Jia from memory.
When it's almost 7:45 A.M., there's about ten minutes left until our next activity. The teacher wants us to take off our shoes and socks and run bare-foot on the path, which is full of gravel making it quite painful for every step I take. The path is approximately eighty meters long. After running back and forth three times, I feel refreshed and my body becomes warm. I think this is really a precious experience. |
