上半部/大樹下的課堂/作者印度佛學院
大樹下的課堂 Under the Big Tree
1 決定做一件事 The Decision to Make Something Happen
2 能不能上課? Can we have class?
3 「姐姐好!」 “Hi, Big Sisters!”
4 繫上承諾 To tie up a Commitment
5 幸福課題 The Lesson on Happiness
6 快樂學習 Happy Learning
7 GOOD AFTERNOON Good Afternoon
8 抱著妹妹來上課 Coming to class with her baby sister in her arms
9 老媽媽的投訴 The Old Mother’s Complaint
10 上課時間 Time for Class
11 我們在播種 The seeds we sow
12 有制服了 We now have our uniform!
13 「指月的手」 The Finger pointing to the Moon
14 落實本土化 Localization implemented
15 羨慕的眼神 That Admiring Look
16 奶奶識字 Granny wants to learn to read and write
17 逃課 Truancy
18 準備好了再來! Come back when you are ready!
19 絕不輕言停課 Never say stop once started
20 他會回來的 He will be back
21 遠道而來 People coming in from afar
22 互助 Helping each other out
23 熱浪 The Heat Wave
24 精進日 Diligence Day
25 時間因緣 Assimilation
26 安然生活 Living at ease
27 地震的省思 Reflections on the Earthquake
28 同體共生 Oneness and Coexistence
29 萌芽 Sprouting
30 暑期進修 Summer School
31 讀報 Newspaper Reading
32 歸隊的男孩 The boy who had come back
33 檢測自己 Give yourself tests
34 雨季的考驗 The Rainy Season Ordeal
35 誰說他只會搗蛋? Who said he would only make trouble?
36 本土夏令營 Local Summer Camp
37 善的回應 A Virtuous Response
38 滿一年了 Our First Anniversary
39 新增菩提幼苗 New Bodhi Seedlings
40 絕不可以退票 Our Vow to Never Give Up
41 衛教課程 The Lesson on Health Education
42 誠實舉手 An Honest Show of Hands
43 與學生在一起 Always with his students
44 熏習的力量 The Power of Repeated Learning and Practice
45 三好生活營 The Three Acts of Goodness Camp
46 自我管理 Self-governance
47 教師節 The Teachers’ Day
48 知道不等於做到 Understanding something does not mean you can do it
49 「是的,姐姐!」 “Yes, Big Sisters!”
50 畫「三好」 Drawing “The Three Acts of Goodness”
51 不可小覷 Not to be overlooked
52 全始全終 From beginning to end
The Buddhist College of India, Fo Guang Shan, was established in 1999 under very difficult circumstances in the beginning when it had to move about. Nonetheless, it insisted on Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s concept of ‘cultivating talents through education’ in its efforts of educating the young. Through years of hard work by previous headmasters, Venerables Hui Xing, Jue Ming, Hui Si, and Miao Ru, we finally secured a plot of land in Bodh Gaya, the place where Sakyamuni Buddha obtained enlightenment, in 2004. In June, 2005, the College moved from Calcutta to Bodh Gaya in a rented house to start courses, so that we could supervise the construction of the College nearby. By the end of the same year, the Gaya Nursery of India, Fo Guang Shan, was set up to look after underprivileged children from financially challenged families and provide learning opportunities for them. The construction works began in 2007. In May, 2010 the entire College moved into the present premises still under construction. All construction works were completed by the end of 2013.
While on the completion of all the construction works, what could we do for Buddhism? What function could we bring into play locally?
In India, charitable work allows considerable room for development. However, I think it should adhere to the principle of “emergency relief comes before alleviating the poor” by helping them to solve problems with existing resources so that the local people could get back on their feet with self-confidence. Otherwise, all efforts will be of no avail no matter how hard we try. Self-confidence can only come from education. Only through education can we solve the problems from their very roots. It was in this light that we started from late June, 2014 when the rainy season began, to promote our educational project-“Under the Big Tree”’ by going into the villages every Sunday afternoon after class. Besides teaching the children their mother tongue, Hindi, we also incorporated the Three Acts of Goodness into the main curriculum as a way to cultivate a proper perspective in them from an early age.
During preparations for the “Under the Big Tree” project, we went into the villages to explore prospective venues. In negotiating with an owner for the open space under the Big Tree in front of his house, he was happily agree immediately upon hearing that we were using it for education, saying: “The monasteries in Bodh Gaya have being distributing things without achieving any real effect afterwards. You are holding classes for the children, well, that’s great.” In the beginning, the villagers crowded around the lessons, making it a weekly event for everybody. The villagers discovered that besides learning Hindi, the children were also learning how to “do good deeds, speak good words, and think good thoughts”. They entrusted their children to the Monastery and were able to work in the fields feeling assured they would be well taken care of. Subsequently, despite having to move our classes back inside the Monastery, parents still supported their children in coming here for their learning. middle-aged villagers did not know how to express their appreciation, and so simply put down their work to join us in support, helping with disciplining the children to be attentive as well as with general classroom management. What we saw in the villagers was the power of kindness.
The “Under the Big Tree”, taken literally, is a place where courses were organized for students. The “Big Tree” means the Bodhi Tree, a symbol of Sakyamuni Buddha’s Dharma teachings. On another plane, it represents the heritage from Fo Guang Shan in the Dashu (meaning “Big Tree”) District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, inherited to the Buddhist College of India, bringing the Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s idea of “Humanistic Buddhism” to India.
In these lessons, we never casually gave out stationery; each item of notebook, pencil or rubber was given only to the needy, and we never gave out candy to attract children. We have been holding classes for nearly two years, and every week there were around 120-150 children who attended, not for candy or pencils, but for the knowledge. We witnessed the gradual transformation and improvement in moral behavior in them, with fewer and fewer instances of misbehavior. The children took up household chores out of their own will, and stepped up to advise others who were not behaving according to the Three Acts of Goodness. They also underwent a change in temperament. The teaching assistants also benefited from these classes, learning to reflect on themselves through teaching, to think and solve problems, and to be resourceful in planning the curriculum, time management and organizing activities. Not only did they cultivate tolerance and perseverance, they also aspired to be of service to others. When the number of students rose dramatically, they willingly offered to take everyone in by shouting out, “Let’s bring them in! We will teach them!” No one had ever objected to this initiation.
In June, 2015, the Venerables from the Royal Thai Monastery Buddhagaya came for a visit. At the end, a Venerable remarked, “It is a great idea to let children teach children. We should follow suit.” What we were doing had an influence on others. What can a group of do for society at ages nine to eighteen-year-old girls? We reached out to serve others and started lessons under the Big Tree. While a single water droplet will vaporize quickly, constant dripping can wear away a stone. They have joined together to form rivers and oceans. It is a force not to be underestimated. Every little promise when gathered together can become something great. Each participant of “Under the Big Tree” is a seed that has endless potentials that can bring great hopes. Never underestimate anything thing that begins small.