My Spiritual Growth This Year Part Ⅱ

My Spiritual Growth This Year Part Ⅱ
這一年的心靈成長之二

By Brenda

First of all, Thanks to the Grace of God and to the virtue of all our predecessors and to all the Dian Chuan Shi for giving me the opportunity today to share with everyone. I am Brenda Entote from Ming Hwa Temple in Toronto. I am grateful to have been invited by May to join this English Spiritual Growth Class.

首先感謝　天恩師德，感謝前人輩及各位點傳師慈悲，給後學這個機會與大家分享。後學是許欣然，來自明華道院多倫多講堂。很感謝May學長的邀約，能夠來參加這個英文心靈成長班。

I am from Cebu, Philippines and have just arrived this November. I have joined this class once. Yet, for all the other classes I watched the videos sent by May to me. When I started going to the temple in Cebu, our Tao lectures were all in Hokkien dialect. So most of the time I did not understand what they were explaining about Tao. I knew that they had Zhong Shu Classes in Taiwan. My impression was that their classes were a level-by-level explanation about Tao starting from the simple. And I hope we could have one in Cebu that is in English. Now Our Tao Classes in the Philippines through Zoom are explained in Hokkien and English at the same time, since some can only understand Hokkien and others can only understand English. From one of our recent Tao classes in the Philippines, the message I got from one of the stories was ‟God does not make miracles, but God creates opportunities.”

後學來自菲律賓宿務，西元2024年11月剛抵達加拿大多倫多，所以後學在多倫多佛堂實體參加過一次英文心靈成長班；而對於之前的課程，後學則是觀看了May學長發給我的影片補課學習。當後學剛開始去宿務的佛堂時，佛堂的道學課程都是以閩南語（福建話）講述，所以大多數時間，後學沒辦法明白講師們解釋的道學內容。我知道台灣有忠恕學院班程，後學的印象是，忠恕學院的課程是從簡單的道義開始，再逐漸深入道的義理，後學希望在宿務也能夠有一個英語的忠恕學院課程。現在，菲律賓的佛堂也透過Zoom 開設道義課程，同時用閩南語和英語講解，因為有些道親只能聽懂閩南語，而另一些道親只能聽懂英語。在最近一次的菲律賓道義課程中，其中一個故事給我的啟示是：「上帝不會創造奇蹟，但上帝會創造機會。」

Joining this English Spiritual Growth Class was an opportunity given by God to me through May which I took. I knew that joining this class would help me broaden my understanding about Tao because it gives me the opportunity after listening to every lecture to think, reflect, realize and then put into action what I have learned. Of all the spiritual growth classes, the one that had the greatest impact on me was the first class because it gave me an outline on how I could go through with my Tao Cultivation. It also gave me directions on how to achieve it.

上天慈悲讓後學透過May學長而有機會參加英語心靈成長班，有助於後學對道的理解，因為在每一堂課程後，引導我們思考、反省及體會，然後將所學付諸實踐。在所有的心靈成長班課程中，對後學影響最大的就是第一堂課，因為它給了後學一個如何修道的綱要，也指引後學如何去達到這個目標。

▲  Brenda於明華道院。

They kept saying in our lectures there in Cebu that we must get rid of our bad habits and do merits, but I never knew where to start or what to do to achieve this goal. Joining this class, I learned that to achieve it I had to carry out the virturs of Zhong and Shu together. Now, I realize why they say that Tao cultivation is developing your inner and outer qualities together or they must go hand in hand.

在宿務的道義班中，一直談到我們必須去除壞習慣並行功立德，但後學從來不知道該從哪裡做或該做什麼。參加了英語心靈成長班後，後學了解到要實現這一目標，必須同時力行「忠」和「恕」。現在也明白了：為什麼修道要內外兼修或內外兼備。

I realized that through the years I have developed my outer qualities by continuously helping in the temple. But I should reflect more on how I could improve change my inner qualities. This is one of the benefits I got from attending this class: I have found the direction to take to fulfill my Tao Cultivation to carry out the virtues of Zhong and Shu together. The next thing I have learned is to know the difference between a Tao cultivator and a non Tao cultivator. A Tao Cultivator always does things according to his conscience.

後學意識到這些年來，透過不斷在堂裡幫辦而增長了後學的外在品德。但後學也應該多反思觀照：如何涵養自己的內在心性。後學參加心靈成長班的收穫之一：知道了修道的方向，即力行「忠」、「恕」之道。接下來後學學到的則是：修道者和非修道者的不同之處在於，修道者始終都是憑良心來做事。

Like there was a time when our customer paid twice her account. Listening to my conscience, I knew that the right thing to do was to return back the money. And I did it. And with that, I had a clear conscience and could sleep well every night. Besides, I gained our customer’s trust. Even if I do not send her receipt, she will just ask from me how much she owes me. And I will just text her the amount. Then, she will pay me right away without waiting for me to send her receipts to check if everything is correct. This is how I gained her trust. Now that I know a Tao Cultivator does everything according to his conscience, I will try my best before I do anything to listen to my conscience.

▲  Brenda與先生一起在佛堂服務。

就像有一次，後學的客戶重複支付了兩次貨款。聽從良心，後學知道正確的做法就是把錢退還給客戶。後學就去做了，因而問心無愧，每晚都能睡個好覺；此外，後學也贏得了客戶的信任。往後即使後學還未發送請款單給她，她問欠多少貨款時，後學先發簡訊告知金額，她即會先付貨款，而無須等收到後學的請款單並確認一切無誤。這就是我獲得她的信任的經過。既然我已知道修道人都是憑良心做事，我在做任何事情之前都會盡力聽從自己的良心。

Next, I learned that to be the best of ourselves we need to cherish ourselves first our good and bad points before we can cherish others. Each one of us has his or her own abilities, we cannot be good at everything. I have to try to be more confident with what abilities I have, and yet always remain humble about my abilities. I also believe that sometimes even if you do not know you have that ability, as long as you are sincerely willing to help, you will discover that you have that ability in you, just like Heather who was able to write Tao stories for the kids. It also happened to me when our Tao Transmitting Master told me to hold a children’s class during Covid pandemic. I had no teaching background and my Mandarin was not so good, but I had to teach ‟Di Zi Gui” in a children’s class through Zoom. What I did was to tell myself that I would sincerely do my best with my ability. And I actually was able to make it.

再來，後學也學到了「要做最好的自己」，我們必須先珍惜覺察自己的優點和缺點，然後才能接納別人的。每個人的能力都不同，我們也不可能樣樣都很擅長。我必須嘗試對自己的能力更有自信，但始終對自己的能力保持謙虛。我也相信，有時候即使你不知道自己有哪些能力，但如果你真誠地願意幫忙，你會發現你有這樣的能力；就像Heather學長一樣，能夠為孩子們寫關於「道」的故事。後學也遇到了同樣的情況，在新冠疫情期間，點傳師讓後學負責兒童班，後學沒有老師背景，普通話也不太好，而後學必須透過Zoom在兒童班教《弟子規》。我能做的就是告訴自己，我會誠心地盡我所能去做，而且我真的辦到了！

Finally, what we have learned should be put into practice in our daily life. I realized from the first sharing I attended in this Spiritual Growth Class here in Canada that the best place we could practice Tao is within our family, since they are people whom we always encounter every day. From one of our classes, I learned that to be happy we had to practice being grateful. So, what I do today is every little thing I think that I can be thankful for. I say to myself that I am thankful for that. Once, my son called me. And he said in the phone, ‟Mommy, I am in Shoppers Drug Mart. Do you need anything?” I said to myself that I really had a thoughtful son. And I am grateful for that. Also, I am not really good at technical stuff like using computer. But I need to do things for our temple in Cebu. So whenever I ask for help from my sons, they are very willing and do not hesitate to help me. I say to myself I am so lucky that I have 2 good sons. And sometimes when my husband helps me with the house chores, I will say to myself that I am grateful that my husband is caring and loving. So, this is what I start to do within our family to grow gratefulness inside me.

▲  Brenda與先生一起在佛堂服務。

最後就是，我們應該將所學到的，運用到我們的日常生活中。後學在抵加拿大後參與課堂上的第一次分享開始，就意識到我們修道的最佳場所就是我們的家庭，因為家人是我們每天都會遇到的人。從其中的一堂課後學也學習到，若是想要快樂，我們必須學習感恩。我今天所要做的是我認為每一件小事都值得感恩。後學對自己說：要感恩每一件事。就像有一次，兒子打電話給我，他說：「媽媽，我在藥妝店。妳需要什麼嗎？」後學對自己說：後學兒子真體貼，我對此很感恩。另外，後學不太會用科技產品，例如電腦，但又需要幫宿務的佛堂做一些事情，每當我向兒子們尋求幫助時，他們都非常願意並且毫不猶豫地協助。後學對自己說，我很幸運，有兩個好兒子。有時我先生也會幫我做家事。後學會對自己說：很感恩後學丈夫的關心和愛。這就是後學從家裡開始，培養感恩的心。

I will end my sharing here for today. If ever I said anything wrong, I would like to ask forgiveness from God and all the Saints and Buddhas. And I also ask Dian Chuan Shi to correct me for my mistakes and I would like to ask everyone for their forgiveness. Thank you and wishing everybody good health and everything will go smoothly in your life.

後學的分享就到這裡。如果後學說錯了什麼，請求　上天老母和諸天仙佛的寬恕，也請點傳師指正，請大家原諒。並祝福大家身體健康、生活一切順利。