|
「一切都是最好的安排！」可以最貼切的形容在萬佛聖城所發生的一切事情。
去年（2002）的暑假，男校面臨一個大問題--宿舍老師荒。開學之前，在最後關頭鄭老師，適時出現了。剛從加州大學柏克萊分校經濟系畢業的他，深怕自己就業後，迷失在花花綠綠的世界裡，於是想到萬佛聖城來幫忙。但是也不知道自己能做什麼，和男校凱樂門老師會談後，建議他來幫忙照顧宿舍。
鄭老師從表弟錢大維身上的觀察，他相信有能力可以勝任這份工作。於是投入一個全新的歷練--從學生變成老師--擔任舍監和中文老師的工作。這時培德中學的校友，也是剛從大學畢業的Nakula，發心回饋母校，也加入舍監的工作，兩個人攜手合作，在去年九月開學之際，終於讓學校鬆了一口氣，這一切不正是最好的安排嗎？
小學五年級時，鄭老師舉家移民美國。幾年後，外婆和表弟也來美國，就寄住在鄭老師家裡。這個表弟任性，好吃懶做，常惹外婆生氣，要他幫忙倒倒垃圾，他會說：「我是客人耶！」五年前，表弟到萬佛聖城就讀，住在宿舍，一開始他總是嫌學校這裡不好，那裡不好，老師也不好；沒想到三年後，表弟回到家裡，居然會幫忙做家事，也聽話了許多。以前表弟喜歡吃肉，長得又高又壯的他，看來滿臉橫肉，在聖城經過幾年教化，變得斯文詳和多了。那時正開始學佛的鄭老師，覺得表弟讀的這所佛教學校很特別，能讓學生有這麼大的轉變，也讓他對佛法更有信心。
鄭老師生長在佛教家庭，外婆是慈濟功德會的委員。但是對佛法有興趣是在高中的時候，常到聖荷西的聞思修居士林請些上人開示來讀。他沒吃過苦，也不知道苦是什麼滋味。所以看到上人講人生有很多苦，修行還要日中一食，他不以為然。因此也就沒有再深入研讀。
少年的他一直存著一個美夢--念大學會是人生中最快樂的事情，在大學裡也可以交到很多朋友。可是一連串的不如意與挫折，反而使他覺得大學生活像個沒有盡頭的馬拉松賽跑，無止盡的追求，目標只在虛無飄渺間，沒有什麼意思。
此時他也觀察到世人都在追逐金錢，社會上的人事都是那麼不真實，變幻無常。加上從小成長環境不是很美滿，讓他對人生有很多迷茫，到底什麼才是真實的東西？外在的一切都不能給予他滿意的答案。於是他反觀自己，才發現對自己也不是很瞭解，不知道自己到底要什麼？正因感受到一點苦的味道了，他逐漸能體驗出上人開示中的義理，於是他到柏克萊法界宗教研究院去共修。
2001年，在培德女校任教的姊姊鄭田，主辦法界佛青會的年會，他加入佛青，並到聖城參加「楞嚴經研習班」。2002年他和親羅等三人，挑起大樑，在長堤福祿壽聖寺主辦佛青的會議與研習。兩次到聖城參與活動的因緣，覺得自己也是聖城的一份子，這是他來當一年義工的主要動機之一。
在將近一年的宿舍老師生涯中，他發現學生不太理解學校和老師對他們的期望以及自己真正的理想是什麼？因此，當老師者，有時需退一步想，反倒可使一些僵局成為轉機，使事情更圓融。
聖城是他踏出校園後，第一個最好的生活體驗和安排。鄭老師覺得這裡的環境很清淨，日常生活起居的每一個細節，都很自然地融入於佛法中，舉手投足間就能感受它的教化與力量。雖然自己設訂一年義務老師的期限已屆，臨別前夕，他表示有機會的話，他願意再回來，貢獻自己的力量；身為萬佛聖城的一份子，他永遠懷有一份責任與使命。
|
|
“Everything works out for the best!” is the best way to describe whatever happens in the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB).
Last summer, Developing Virtue Boys’ School (DVBS) faced a big challenge – a shortage of dorm counselors! At the last minute, right before school was about to start, Upasaka Victor Cheng showed up. Having just graduated from UC Berkeley with a major in Economics, he was concerned about the possibility of getting lost in worldly illusions once he landed himself a job. Thus he decided to volunteer at CTTB. But he had no idea what he could do. After an interview with the Boys’ School teacher Mr. Kellerman, he accepted his suggestion of taking care of dormitory students.
Based on his observation of his cousin David, Victor believed that he would be capable of handling this job; so he embarked on a brand new experience. Exchanging the role of student for that of teacher, he became a dormitory counselor and Chinese teacher. At the same time, a DVBS alumnus, Nakula Hertz, who had also just graduated from UC Berkeley, wanted to contribute something to his alma mater and took on the job of dorm counselor as well. With these two young men’s help, the school faculty felt greatly relieved when the school started in September. Didn’t everything work out for the best?
When Victor was a fifth grader, his whole family immigrated to the U.S. A few years later, his grandmother and his cousin also moved to the U.S. and lived in his home. This cousin was spoiled and lazy, often making his grandmother angry. When he was asked to take out the garbage, he would say: “I’m a guest here!”
Five years ago, this cousin came to CTTB and became a boarding student. At first, he complained about the school, saying that this was no good, that was no good, the teachers were no good. Three years later, when he came home, to everyone’s surprise he offered to help with chores and became more compliant. This cousin, who is tall and strong, used to eat meat a lot and looked rather fierce. After several years at CTTB, he has transformed into a more peaceful and gentle person. At that time, Victor, who had just begun studying Buddhism, realized that his cousin’s Buddhist school was quite special in being able cause such a significant change in its students. His confidence in Buddhism grew.
Victor grew up in a Buddhist family. His grandmother is a member of the Tzu Chi Buddhist charity organization. He became interested in Buddhism in high school. He often went to the Bodhi Way Association in San Jose to read the Venerable Master Hua’s Dharma talks. Since he had never experienced hardship in his life, he did not know what suffering was. Reading the Venerable Master’s lectures about the many sufferings of life and about the practice of eating one meal a day, he could not relate to them and did not study further.
As a teenager, he cherished the dream of going to college! That would be the happiest thing in his life, and he could make many friends there. However, a series of frustrations and discouragements made him feel that college life was meaningless, like a marathon without a finish line, an endless pursuit and an ephemeral goal.
He also realized that people were all after money, and that the happenings in society were all unreal, illusory and impermanent. Since the environment in which he grew up was not ideal, he felt very confused about life. What was the actual truth? Since all the external phenomena could not provide answers to his satisfaction, he tried to look within himself. He thus realized that he did not understand himself and did not know what he wanted. Because he had tasted some suffering, he could gradually comprehend the concepts in the Ven. Master’s lectures, so he began attending practices at the Institute of World Religions in Berkeley.
In 2001, his sister Estee, who was also a volunteer teacher at Developing Virtue Girls School last year, was in charge of organizing the annual conference of Dharma Realm Buddhist Youth (DRBY). Victor joined DRBY and came to CTTB for the Shurangama Sutra Study Session. In 2002, he, Chin Luo and another friend volunteered to coordinate the DRBY Conference at Blessings, Wealth, & Longevity Monastery in Long Beach. One of his major motivations for volunteering for a year at CTTB was that after participating in two activities here, he felt he was a member of this community.
Being a dorm counselor for nearly a year, he has discovered that the students do not understand the school’s and teachers’ expectation very well, nor do they know what their true dreams are! Therefore he feels that teachers should sometimes take a step back, thus creating some space for issues to be resolved more satisfactorily.
CTTB has been Upasaka Cheng’s very first life experience after graduation, and it has also been an ideal arrangement. He feels that the environment is very wholesome, that every single daily activity is naturally infused with the Buddhadharma. In every move and gesture, one can sense the Dharma’s influence and power. Although the term he set up for himself as one year volunteer teacher has come to an end, he would like to come back to contribute his efforts when the opportunity arises. As a member of CTTB, he will always carry a sense of responsibility and mission.
|
