童年 - My Childhood

童年

您的童年对您有多重要？

对忙碌的都市人来说，童年只不过是个遥远的记忆。

但有些人的童年则造就了他的一生。

麦克杰旬通过 “童年 ”这首歌，倾诉了他所渴望的童年，也让我门知道了他成年的目标就是为了弥补他所谓“ 失去的童年”。

俄国作家高尔基的著作“童年 ”揭露了俄国沙皇时期的黑暗。高尔基的童年虽残酷，却没有使他懦弱，反而把他锻炼得更坚强。

其实一个人的童年美丽也好，残酷也好， 都是我们无法遗忘的过去。

心理学家也证实了，童年在一个人成长过程中扮演着举足 轻重的角色。

以下我愿与大家分享我的童年，以示证明：


我最难忘的儿童故事是 “卖火柴的小 孩”。小时候，每听一次故事，我都哭一次。它让我十分感动。故事是告诉我们世界上有许多不幸的儿童需要我们的爱与关怀。这故事所带来的感动成为了我要帮助世界不幸儿童的人生目标。我志愿成为教师，也是为了要帮助及提拔年轻的一代。


小时候，我很爱阅读，更爱讲故事。当我讲起故事来，我可以滔滔不绝。我认为这样很好娱乐自己也娱乐朋友。记得小学一年级的时候，每当下课的前十分钟，我都会自告奋勇，要求老师让我给同学们讲故事。至今，我小学同学都还记得我所讲的故事呢！

妈妈看我这样爱讲故事，就让我参加联络所主办的儿童华语讲故事比赛（那时正兴起讲华语运动）。我可高兴呢！也没让父母失望，都会捧个奖杯回家。学校老师也看到我对讲故事的热忱，都费尽心思栽培我。每当下课或休息时，同学们都去玩儿了，唯独我在学校的一个角落背故事，练故事。同学们看我这样苦练，都认为我“没有童年”，可我却一点儿都不觉得苦，反而觉得自己的童年很独特，很充实。

老师与同学们看我这样能通过讲故事来分享知识与快乐，都看好我长大成为个教师。事实证明了他们一点儿也没错！


我另一个童年的喜好是音乐。至今，我最爱的儿歌还是“小熊请客” – “欢迎你，欢迎你，老朋友我们欢迎你，看到你来真高兴，小熊，这一包点心送给你。。。”

“小熊请客” 我每天一遍又一遍地重播。我喜爱音乐的程度，说服我父母让我学钢琴。音乐，特别是钢琴，成为了我抒发情绪的管道。从小，钢琴就是我知心好友。只要有不愉快的事儿，向它倾诉以后，心情就会好了起来。我从来不会因情绪影响而用语言伤害他人，都是因为有钢琴这个良伴。我的性格交温和就和我喜爱音乐有关。


一个人的童年在他的生命中很重要。我很感谢父母给我足够的发挥空间，让我的童年多姿多彩，使我对人生充满了信心。比起卖火柴的小 孩，我的童年是天堂。同样一颗无辜幼小的心灵，就因为出生在世界不同的角落，命运就这样截然不同。在享受幸福的同时，我永远也不会忘记这个事实。

珍惜我们的童年，常在生命中保留一分童真， 也不忘了 在世界黑暗的角落里，成千上万的儿童 等待着您 散发爱 与希望的 光芒！


您可在此下摘录音

The Silent Scream

There is a silent scream

Listen with your heart (the base of consciousness)

And you shall hear

There is a silent scream

Why is it here
So fast so furious?

Today we are confronted by the gravest challenge that humanity has ever faced - the ecological consequences of our own collective kamma.

Many scientists have now concluded that anthropogenic global warming is a fact and that the survival of the entire ecology and human civilization is at stake.

Runaway global warming is not merely a problem that can be solved by a simple technological fix, but is at its base a deeply moral and even philosophical problem that challenges our ethical integrity, entrenched beliefs and habits.

There has never been a more important time in history to bring the teachings of Buddhism to bear on behalf of all living beings.

It is my belief that to fully address a problem, we have to snip it at its bud. This essay will both identify the fundamental cause of anthropogenic global warming and advocate the Buddhist attitude and lifestyle as a solution to it.

Although the ecological crisis is a problem unknown of in Buddha’s time, various accounts in the Pali Canon serve to instruct of an ideal man-environment relation:

• no spitting, throwing in water and on land (Bhikkhuni Patimokkha)
• respect and appreciate natural environment (poetry of nature in Theragatha; Buddha himself gazed gratefully at the Bodhi tree during the 2nd wk of his enlightenment)
• planting of gardens (aramaropa) and forests (vanaropa) is a meritorious act (Vanaropa sutta, SN)
• no setting fire to forests (Khuddaka Vatthukkhandhaka of Cullavagga pali, King Asoka’s royal decree in RE 5)

It is interesting to note that the Dhamma upholds environmentalism even before the word is invented!

Yet, the human’s role in today’s ecological problem is 2 fold:
• pollution
• depletion of non-renewable resources

In my view, both are manifestations of the 2nd noble truth expounded by the Buddha.


Dukkha-samudaya-ariya-sacca

Buddha expounded in Dhammacakka-pavattana sutta that Dukkha, the unsatisfactory nature of existence, stems from cravings which are further analysed as cravings, hatred and delusion (lobha, dosa, moha). Our ecological emergency is exactly a larger version of this perennial human predicament.

Because of sensual cravings, material desires, attachment to speed and convenience;
because of repulsion to consumer options and lifestyle of the opposite nature;
because of ignorance giving rise to a false sense of self, permanence and luxury, compounded by the negativities of advertising,
we create and consume things of fleeting superficial gratification values but with lasting and irreversible ecological damage.

The best example is the unchecked and excessive burning of non-renewable fossil fuels. Despite being highly inefficient, releasing more heat and pollutant gases than useful energy, humans are still addicted to oil simply because it is readily available, easy to use and to some nations, a highly valued commodity.

To put a halt to this ecological predicament, we need to start by recognizing that we have been slaves to lobha, dosa, moha. We have to make an effort, to the extent of inconveniencing ourselves, to eradicate them. The easiest way is to consciously cultivate their direct opposites: contentment, loving-kindness (metta) and wisdom. I will suggest how to do it.


Panati-pata veramani sikkha padam samadiyami - I undertake the training precept to refrain from taking a life that breathes
Adinna-dana veramani sikkha padam samadiyami - I undertake the training precept to refrain from taking what is not given

The 1st 2 Buddhists precepts serve as good guideline for our ethical integrity towards the environment. In my opinion, they are also the direct anecdotes to dosa (refrain from killing, getting rid of things not to our liking etc) and lobha (refrain from taking things we are not entitled to, taking by force, taking more than necessary etc).

In other words: the 1st 2 Buddhists precepts advise us to live and let live; co-exist in harmony; use in moderation; replenish before depletion.

In the Aganna sutta, it is recorded that greed and over-exploitation led to the depletion of resources. And yet we did not learn from history and still continue doing so. The ways earth’s resources have been exploited (deforestation, unethical rearing and slaughter of animals, depletion of natural fuels, unethical disposure of toxic wastes etc) are already violation of these 2 precepts on the largest possible scale.

The animation of Earth as Gaia, by environmentalist James Lovelock, is precisely to promote this awareness.

Eminent biologists and U.N. reports concur that if humans continue “business-as-usual”, half of all species on Earth will come to extinction within this century. The eco-system being so intricately connected, inevitably, human’s heyday will be neigh too.


Selfishness vs Anatta

When we uphold our ethical integrity well enough, we will start to gain more wisdom. We will realize anatta, non-self, and awaken from the illusion of separateness that motivates us to act against the ecology (and ultimately ourselves).

All things are interconnected and conditioned. As mentioned in the Aganna sutta, the environment changes accordingly when men rely on it for survival. In turn, when the environment becomes sick due to our selfish exploitation of it, we become sick too, because we are part of her.


“He who is skilled in doing good and who wishes to attain that state of calm should act thus… contented, easily supportable, with few burden, simple in livelihood…”- Karaniya-Metta sutta

Ultimately, contentment and simplicity is the highest bliss.

The argument that our economy needs high levels of consumption for growth is unfounded. The current climate condition provides sufficient evidence against it.

From a Buddhist perspective, a sane and sustainable economy would be governed by the principle of sufficiency rather than an ever-increasing abundance of goods that put such a hefty price on our environment. A sustainable economy is one that is in harmony with the biosphere.

As the slogan goes “Reduce, reuse, recycle” and I will add one more to it - RENEW (use renewable energy and material alternatives)!


Conclusion

I will conclude with an example of the extremely low-maintenance lifestyle of monks: turning old robes into mattress into rugs into duster and finally into fillers of wall gaps. Reducing and reusing vinaya style!

A waste is a waste not because it no longer has any use but because its potential uses are wasted!

There is a silent scream

Wise up, act now

The emergency is real!