一九七五年秋天，金山寺為參加十一月競選 的人，舉行了一連串的候選人之夜，來 參加的人包括競選地方檢察官的西佛女士（以後數年她曾擔任三藩市參事）。在西佛女士來演說那一晚，她把收養的兒子阿輝也帶來了。阿輝當時五歲，原籍臺灣，西佛女士十分關心她這位養子能否學到他自己原有的語言及文化，我們當時談了很久關於教育上的看法，後來她答應幫我們成立一所學校。
一九七六年三月一日，育良小學成立，校址即在座落於三藩市華盛頓街三六三六號的國際譯經學院，以中英雙語教學，注重孝道、報父母師長恩、敬老。第一學期（春季班），共有男女八個學生，年齡由四歲至十一歲不等。除了中文課之外，學生學習範圍，包括加州政府規定的學校課程，打坐、梵文、中國書法，及部份佛教儀式。
秋季班開學時，學生人數增加了一倍。一九七七年暑假，第一次舉辦暑期班，班址即在剛在瑜伽市成立的萬佛城。學生在萬佛城住了六個星期，學習範圍融合了學科及佛法、太極拳及戶外活動。育良小學此後又在三藩市校址上了一年的課，之後即搬入萬佛城。在那一年中，學生有幸與于斌樞機主教見面（學生在機場曾為于樞機唱歌）。就在那個時候，學校樹立了一個重要的原則，就是一切宗教互相合作、互相尊重。（上人就在那時說，他要做佛教裡的天主教徒。于樞機也同意要做天主教裡的佛教徒。）學校學生來自許多不同宗教、國籍、背景，不論學生信仰什麼宗教，我們教導他們做自己教中的好教徒，做他們自己國家的好公民。在創校頭幾年中，學生演了幾齣話劇，及第一齣佛教音樂劇「孫陀羅難陀找到了道」，這齣劇講佛陀的弟弟孫陀羅難陀怎樣出家。
一九七八年秋，學校遷至萬佛城。剛開始時，校中學生大部分都是原在三藩市時的舊生，週一至週五，在萬佛城住校；週六及週日，回三藩市家中。慢慢地，當地居民也開始知道了育良小學，當地學生人數也逐漸增加。
一九八一年秋天，成立培德中學，校旨注重學術及道德之並進，在傳授孝道之外，又教導學生做好公民，鼓勵學生選擇不但能利己也能對社會有所利益的職業。
一九八二年秋天，學校開始男女分校上課，以保護學生的天真及清淨無邪，也為幫助學生能專心課業。強調學生應該珍惜年少的時間，好好用功，與異性間之情感可以緩一步發展，待到年歲適當時，再論婚嫁（女子二十歲，男子三十歲）。那時城中設有難民救濟中心，其佛教家庭中的子女們也就讀本校，為本校更增加了國際性的性質。這些學生大部份是從越南、寮國，和柬埔塞來的，在本校念了三至六個月之後，再搬移至父母就業之處定居。這些學生在本校就讀時，學習範圍包括英語、本校倫理課程、西方生活方式習俗。因為這些學生大都來自佛教家庭，所以很能適應我們學校。又因為他們來自國外將他們自己的國家特色及經驗，與本校其他學生分享。本城救濟中心於一九八六年結束。
育良小學及培德中學學生人數不斷增加，並在洛杉磯、溫哥華及三藩市設立了幾處分校，辦理課後教學及週末教學。在加州西沙緬度法界聖城，今年秋天也會辦理週末教學。萬佛城的育良小學及培德中學，有學生一百三十名，其中包括住校生三十名，都是由美國各地及海外來的，畢業生約有四十名。本校繼續注重孝道仁義及做好公民，並遵守六大宗旨––不爭、不貪、不求、不自私、不自利、不打妄語。一九九二年十一月，本校招請義務老師，自願奉獻時間工作、不受薪，致力以最高道德教育學生，希望其成長後為本國及世界之領袖。 |
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In the fall of 1975 Gold Mountain Monastery held a series of Candidates Nights for local candidates running in the November election. Among them was Carol Ruth Silver, who was then running for District Attorney. (She later served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for many years.) On the evening she came to speak, her adopted son, Ah-hwei, accompanied her. Ah-hwei was then five years old and since he was originally from Taiwan, Ms. Silver was very concerned that he learn his original language and study about Chinese culture. After a long discussion of educational ideals she agreed to help us get a school started.
On March 1, 1976, Instilling Virtue Elementary School opened at the International Translation Institute, then located at 3636 Washington Street in San Franscisco. The school was to be bilingual (Mandarin Chinese and English), and to emphasize filiality (the importance of repaying the kindness of one’s parents and teachers) and respect for one’s elders. That first spring we began with eight students, both boys and girls, ranging in age from four to eleven. Besides Chinese, the students studied the required state curriculum, meditation, Sanskrit, and Chinese calligraphy, and participated in some of the daily Buddhist ceremonies.
By the next fall the number of students had doubled. The summer of 1977, the first summer program was held at the newly purchased City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Talmage. For six weeks students lived at the City and combined academics with study of the Dharma, T’ai Chi Ch’uan, and other outdoor activities. The school then completed one more full year at the San Francisco location before moving to its present location at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. During that year students were also fortunate to meet Cardinal Yubin (they sang for him at the airport). At this time another very important principle of the school was established: all religions working together and respecting one another. (The Venerable Master said he would be a Buddhist Catholic and the Cardinal agreed to be a Catholic Buddhist.) To this day the student body of the school includes students of many different religions and nationalities. We teach students to be a good member of whatever religion they believe in and to be a loyal and worthwhile citizen of their own country. During these first few years the students also put on several plays and the first Buddhist musical entitled "Sundarananda Finds the Way," the story of how the Buddha’s half brother, Sundaranada, came to leave the home life.
In the fall of 1978 the school relocated to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. At first, most of our students were former students from San Francisco who boarded during the week and went home on the weekends. Gradually, however, the school became better known in the Ukiah local community and the number of local students increased. In the fall of 1981 Developing Virtue Secondary School opened its doors. This school also was dedicated to educating students in both academic excellence and moral integrity. Added to the teaching of filiality was the concept of good citizenship and encouraging students to seek careers that will benefit society as well as themselves.
In the fall of 1982 the school decided to adopt a policy of educating girls and boys separately in order to preserve their natural innocence and purity, and make it easier for them to concentrate on their studies. Since that time there have been separate boys’ and girls’ schools. Students are strongly encouraged to treasure the precious time of their youth, to study well and postpone emotional ties with the opposite sex until they are of a proper age to marry and form permanent relationships. (At least twenty years old for girls and thirty for boys.) At that time the children of families in the Buddhist Council for Refugee Rescue and Resettlement also attended our schools, adding a distinctly international flavor to the student body. These students, mostly from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, studied with our students for three to six months before being resettled somewhere in the United States where jobs could be found for their parents. During the time they were here, they studied English, our ethics curriculum, and Western customs and lifestyle. Since many of them were Buddhist they felt very comfortable in our school and blessed the other students with contributions from their own countries and experiences. This program was discontinued by the U.S. government in 1986.
Instilling Goodness and Developing Virtue Schools have continued to grow and now have serveral branch schools, which have afterschool and weekend programs in Los Angeles, Vancouver, and also San Francisco. Another weekend program will begin this fall at the Sagely City of the Dharma Realm in West Sacramento, California. At the present time the schools at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas have over 130 students (including over 30 boarding students from the U.S. and the international community) and there have been nearly forty high school graduates. The schools continue to emphasize the same principles of filiality, humaneness, righteousness, and good citizenship as well as upholding the six principles of not fighting, not being greedy, incorruptibility, not being selfish, not seeking, and not lying. In November 1992 the school also began to seek for teachers who are willing to volunteer their time and work without pay, devoting their lives to educating students with the highest integrity who hopefully will grow up to lead our country and the world. |
