Seeing True-Self Through The Mutual-Mentorship Experience

Seeing True-Self Through The Mutual-Mentorship Experience

◎ By May Tsai, Toronto Ming Hua Temple

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Grace of Heaven and the Virtue of Predecessors. Thanks to all Tao Transmitting Masters’ guidance, all the hard works and efforts behind the scenes to make this long-waited class (2024-2025 North America Spiritual Growth Tao Class) possible, especially for the English speakers in Tao community. Thank you for having me to share my humble and limited experience throughout this journey.

Learning to be a mentor is a great opportunity for me to practice what I have learned from the temple's classes. Me, myself, believes the truth about ‟When carrying out holy missions or holy tasks we need to hold a humble attitude.” That is the Chinese saying, ‟Learning by doing, awakening by learning.”

In fact, ‟English isn’t my first language.” However, I don’t want to miss this precious chance to grow in this journey. When I face a group of English speakers, what should I do? Other than being nervous, I told myself, ‟It is OK. At least, I can keep trying.” Maybe this weak point can be transformed to be ‟my superpower”. When I sincerely admit that I always have some weak points which I need to learn from everyone in our community, including children around me, everyone can be my teacher. Hence, I practice letting go of my ego and pride when I face others. Besides, being humble and being empathic with an open heart are the key ingredients to reach out to our Tao siblings. I am always grateful for having their patience to wait for me to improve my weakness and finish my sentences, either in a conversation or through text messages. 

Personally, I set a reminder to check in on our Tao siblings regularly between classes to see if they are doing well with their busy life. I also greet their family members as well.

One day, I received a message from a Tao sister. She said she was so excited about the upcoming session. I was so grateful and happy to receive her positive feedback. Most of her husband's siblings join us on this journey from Philippines. They are very happy to have this class too.

Sometimes, we share our reflection and feedback after the class. We became closer because of increasing interactions between each other. We all learn from each other through our cultivation journey.

For this mentorship task, we have a group of positive team members to achieve our small Geese project goals together, like keeping sharing vegetarian foods to those who are non-vegetarians, or those who deal with inconvenience of having a vegetarian diet at home. 

For example, we have a very young Tao sister who came to Canada in 2017 with a working holiday visa. In the first year, she was alone so we invited her to join our cottage outing and told her, ‟Always remember: The temple is your home. Welcome back anytime whenever you are free.” We share vegetarian foods with her when we prepare extra foods and deliver them to her house even during the pandemic. We never gave up on greeting her, even though she was busy on weekends because of their business pattern. Although she couldn’t attend temple’s classes on weekends, we’ve been connecting her with the temple anytime when she is available. Till now, we still keep contacting them through social media or visit them to their own house by driving about three hours in a single trip. We always share plenty of potluck foods and extra prep foods for their family. When the young couple are too busy to take care of themselves and their daughter, they could relax a bit to enjoy a meal packed by love. We also bring some English Tao books, some toys and stuff for their daughter from Tao sisters who couldn't go with us. Through teamwork's effort, her husband told her, ‟I feel the temple is really like a family.” With her family's encouragement from Taiwan, they set up a family temple in 2023. The young couple join our Spiritual Growth Tao Class together too. Tian En Shi De, it’s a great blessing that we can all go on this journey together like a real big family. It makes everybody feel loved and unconditional caring around our community.

I’ve learned a lot since this journey started. Actually I am the one who benefits the most through this holy task. In order to be a mentor, a bridge between our team and the temple (and Tao) has been built up. I keep advancing myself with an open heart, using polite words, praising others when I see others doing good deeds. With these superpowers, we all walk on the path striving to be a better version of ourselves and be others’ benefactors at the same time.

In the end, I would like to say, I deeply believe that ‟teamwork makes dream works” and every move we made with a genuine heart will never be in vain. And that's the way of living in a purposeful life. The beauty of seeing true-self, throughout the mutual-mentorship experience on the spiritual growth cultivation journey always shines there. Let us just simply dive in and keep enjoying the Tao joy together.

從輔導與被輔導經驗中見真我

◎ 多倫多明華道院 May Tsai

首先，感謝　天恩師德、老前人和前人輩們的德澤庇蔭。感謝所有點傳師們慈悲帶領，以及所有在幕後付出心血和努力的前賢大德們，使這個期待已久的課程（2024-2025北美英文心靈成長班）成為可能──特別是在英文人（使用英語）的國度。非常感恩後學有機會經由這個心靈成長之旅，分享後學粗淺的學習心得和體驗。

學習擔任輔導學長是一個提升自我的好機會，讓後學可以實踐佛堂課程中所學到的真理。後學深信：「在承擔與學習道務天職時，我們須懷著謙虛的態度。」這正如諺語所述「做中學，學中覺」；透過實踐來學習，透過學習來覺醒。

事實上，「英文不是後學的母語」。然而，後學不想與這個寶貴機會失之交臂。當我面對一群英文人時，後學該怎麼做？除了感到緊張之外，後學告訴自己：「至少，我可以嘗試、再嘗試。」也許這個弱點可以轉化成後學的「超能力」，因為當後學真誠地承認自己總是有一些弱點需要向身邊的人學習時──包括我周圍的孩子們──實際上每個人都可成為後學的老師。因此，當後學與他人交流時，後學能夠學習放下自尊和自我的優越感。再者，懷著謙虛態度和同理心，更是與道場兄弟姐妹間聯繫的基本要素。後學非常感激學長們的耐心，他們耐心陪伴後學逐步改進自己的弱點，在後學使用英文與大家溝通交流時，耐心等著後學在對談中或發文字訊息時說完一段話。

就個人而言，後學設定了提醒功能，定期在課間問候學長們在紛亂忙碌的生活中過得好嗎，同時問候他們的家人安好。

有一天，後學收到一位坤道學長的信息，她說她非常期待即將到來的課程；收到她的積極回饋，後學感到非常感恩和喜悅。她先生的姐弟也從菲律賓一起參與學習，他們十分高興有這個英文心靈成長課程可以參與學習。

有時候，我們在課後分享我們的反思和回饋。由於我們之間的互動增加了，使得我們變得更加親近。因此，我們都在修行的旅程中互相學習。

對於輔導成全這個任務，我們有一群積極的團隊成員，共同完成我們的小雁群組目標，例如：不斷地與非素食者或是家中難以素食的學長們分享素食食物。

舉例來說，我們有一位非常年輕的坤道學長，她在西元2017年以打工度假簽證來到加拿大。第一年，她孤單一人，我們邀請她參加佛堂舉辦的小木屋度假旅遊。當她回到佛堂，我們讓她知道佛堂是她在這裡的家。並請她永遠記得：「佛堂就是娘家。只要妳有空，歡迎隨時回來！」有時我們準備食物時，會多準備一份她的素食餐點，甚至在疫情期間將餐點送到她的住處。即便她因為週末工作繁忙而沒有時間參加佛堂的課程，我們也從未放棄和她保持聯繫。每當我們聯繫上她時，她與佛堂連結的線就更緊密了（她後來在加拿大成家，並有了一個可愛的女兒）。直到今天，我們仍然通過社交媒體與這位坤道學長一家人保持聯繫，偶爾幾個家庭相約，一同開車前往車程需時約3個小時的地方去他們家拜訪。也常常和他們一家人分享大家自己準備的豐盛食物，還額外打包食物，好讓他們偶爾在忙得不可開交而疏於照顧自己和女兒時，得以輕鬆地享用一頓充滿愛的餐點。同時，我們也會帶一些英文道書，以及幾位無法一同前去的坤道學長慈悲分享的一些玩具和衣物童書等。通過團隊的努力，她的丈夫告訴她：「我感覺佛堂真的像一個家。」這位坤道學長在台灣家人的鼓勵下，他們於西元2023年設立了家庭佛堂。這對年輕夫妻也一同參加這一期的北美英文心靈成長課程。感謝　天恩師德，我們能夠像一個真正的大家庭一起踏上這個旅程，真是很殊勝的福報因緣。一期一會的殊勝因緣，讓我們每個人都深刻感受到佛堂大家庭的愛和關懷。

自從這個心靈成長課程開展以來，後學收穫匪淺，實際上後學是在這個學習旅程中受益最多的人。為了成為一位輔導學長，成為我們團隊與佛堂和道之間的橋梁，後學會保持開放的心態，常常說禮貌用語，當後學見到學長們行善時，也會欣賞、讚歎他們的慈心善行。憑藉這些「超能力」，我們都努力成為更好的自己，同時也成為他人生命中的貴人。

最後，後學想說，後學深信「團隊合作，才能成就夢想」，只要懷著真誠的心，我們每一步的付出和行動都有其價值。這就是所謂活出有目的、有意義的人生真實義。通過相互輔導與學習的經驗，在同修共辦的路上，看到真我的光芒總是閃耀著，讓我們單純地投入其中，並繼續一起感受這份道的法喜。