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陳秋平 文(5歲柏羽之父)
短短九個月在般若觀音聖寺幼學苑，柏羽不僅有機會接觸佛法的教導，我們做家長的也深深體會佛的教誨。不爭、不貪、不求、不自私、不自利、不打妄語，對我們來說總是學佛的第一入門之道。
每當柏羽誦大悲咒，他的大姐及二姐，也跟著學會背了；此外也學會了弟子規、心經、大學、常禮舉要、楞嚴咒等。
入睡之前，他們姐弟三人擺陣似的「靜坐」，那端嚴像個有修行人的神情……身為家長看了非常欣慰，我們很感激幼學苑的每位老師，很盡力的教導我們的孩子。阿彌陀佛！
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他們全家吃素，孩子都是胎裏素。因為通過馬來西亞教育部學齡前資優兒評審，陳柏羽就要入一年級了（早讀一年）。他是班上的活寶，有很多意見、笑話和點子，老師都會想念他。
朱素芬 文(5歲陳柏羽的姨媽)
一天早上，我和明芬從窗外欣賞自己的孩子在課室內靜坐，心中歡喜不已，覺得這一班十二個小孩真的很幸福，小小年紀就有機會親近佛法，有這麼好的學習環境，以及出發點只為教好孩子的老師。
源澤今年五歲，她是第一次上學，自從上〈幼學苑〉後，人活潑也多話了，知道我要寫這篇感言，忙在一旁督促：「記得要寫我喜歡紫雲洞，還有幼學苑……。」
跟一般幼稚園不一樣的，這裡教的不止是知識上的東西，更注重孩子們的身心品德，比如他們每天都禮佛、靜坐、讀經，在不知不覺中接受著禮義廉恥的熏陶，自然而然地應用在生活中。我和源澤的爸爸從來沒法想像她會背誦經典如弟子規、常禮舉要、大悲咒、心經等。有一次她在我們夫婦爭執時突然冒出一句:「媽，開罪於人須求解，開罪于我應加恕。」使我們好笑又好生氣，結果不得不趕快收兵言和。
上了幼學苑，源澤也瞭解更多佛理，她會因自己是胎裏素而感到開心，拿到紅包會帶妹妹一同去放進福田箱而不是去買糖果。雖然孩子依然頑皮愛搗蛋，可是卻因學校環境的影響而增長了慈悲心，有一天柏羽（源澤的表哥兼同學）在草地上發現一隻死了的蚱蜢，他竟然把一些花放在蚱蜢旁邊，叫我的小女兒子淳 (3歲)一起為它念誦大悲咒，真是一個莊嚴的小葬禮。一次她看到戰爭的電視新聞，不解地問:「我們有這麼多佛菩薩，怎麼不請一些去幫他們呢？」他們的善根在〈幼學苑〉得以堅固成長，全靠法師與老師們給予愛心和耐心的教導，這是我們所有家長最感激不盡的。阿彌陀佛!
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文中3個小孩都是胎裡素，完全不碰肉的。午餐第一次吃素糕時，他們說裡面有蛋都不敢碰；只有家裡做的才是無蛋素糕—對小朋友來說這真是有定力！
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Tan Chew Peng
(father of 5 year old Bo Yi):
Studying at the Young Learners’ Meadow for the past nine months, not only did Bo Yi have a chance to receive a Buddhist education, but we as his parents also experienced the Buddha’s teaching profoundly: Not fighting, not being greedy, not seeking, not being selfish, not seeking personal benefits and not lying are the first gateway on our path to Buddhism.
Whenever Bo Yi was memorizing the Great Compassion Mantra, his two sisters would naturally pick up the memorization; similarly for other materials like
Standards for Students, the Heart Sutra, the
Great Learning, the Book of Common Essential Manners, the Shurangama Mantra, and so on.
Before going to sleep, the three siblings sit in meditation, looking as beautiful and awesome as if they were really cultivators… As their parents, we feel so pleased. We are grateful to all the teachers who have done their best to teach our children. Amitofo!
Note: Their whole family are complete vegetarians and the children have been vegetarians from birth.Bo Yi will be joining Standard One next year (one year ahead of his age group) as he sat for an assessment by the Malaysian Education Board which promotes bright children to primary school before they are 7 years old. Tan Bo Yi is the live wire of the class. He is never stingy with his comments, jokes and ideas. We will all miss him.
Chu Soo Fang
(Aunt of Bo Yi):
One morning, Alice and I were watching our children sitting in meditation, through the classroom window; I felt great joy for them. The twelve children are really lucky to have a chance to learn the Dharma while so young, in such a good place, and to have teachers who take the children’s benefit as their only concern. Yuan Ze is five, and this is her first time at school. She has become much more lively and talkative. Knowing that I’m going to write this essay, she urged me, “Remember to write that I love the temple and the Young Learners’ Meadow….”
 The Young Learners’ Meadow is different from ordinary kindergartens. The children are not only taught knowledge, but virtue which is emphasized even more. For example, every day they bow to the Buddhas, sit in meditation and recite the Sutras. Propriety, righteousness, incorruptibility and a sense of shame are gradually imprinted in their minds and naturally applied in their daily lives. Yuan Ze’s father and I never imagined that she could memorize the
Standards for Students, the Book of Common Essential Manners, the Great Compassion Mantra, the
Heart Sutra…etc. Once, when my husband and I were arguing, suddenly Yuan Ze said, “Mom, we have to reconcile after we have offended others; when offended, we should practice forgiveness.” Feeling embarrassed and silly, both of us ended up making peace right away.
After attending the Young Learners’ Meadow, Yuan Ze understands more Buddhist principles. She is happy that she has been a vegetarian since she was in the womb. When she receives red packets, she and her sister put the money in the donation box, instead of going to buy candies. Even though she can still be naughty, under the school’s influence her compassion has developed. One day Bo Yi (Yuan Ze’s cousin and classmate) found a dead grasshopper in the grass; he put some flowers by the grasshopper and with my three-year-old daughter, Zi Zhun, recited the Great Compassion Mantra—it was an elaborate funeral. Once when we were watching the TV news about a war, she asked, “There are so many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; how come people don’t request some of them to go help?” Their good roots are growing bigger and firmer at the Young Learners’ Meadow, which relies on the love and patient guidance of the Dharma Masters and teachers. All the parents feel very grateful.
Note: All three children are vegetarian from birth and have never touched meat. The first time they were offered cake for lunch, they dared not touch it, saying that cakes have eggs—only the ones at home have no eggs. It takes real “samadhi” for young children to say that!
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