Open Heart – A Bright Young Life 寬心 - 光明的新生命

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- Veronica  Ye- Having an open heart means we have an open mind; a mind that isn't criticizing everything around you - including yourself. You see the beauty in things and you can even treat people with respect.  Having an open heart is similar to having a bright light inside. Having a light allows us to see the things around us like seeing other possibilities to reach a goal.  I feel like learning about Tao has made me aware of my surroundings and me.  It has pointed out things, like the above that makes sense. I think as well as making me aware of things, it's made me think. Like whenever I'm feeling sad or bitter I question where it's coming from. Depending on the situation I can decide whether I let the feeling take over and let it live or I can try and change the feeling. Being aware of our feelings is good and helpful because how we feel is due to our thoughts and influences our behaviour - how we act to our self and to others. If we are feeling mean and bitter, we will just spread it around to others. So if we are feeling happy, we will spread our happiness to others. In our lives we don't spend that much time reflecting on what we have done or how we are feeling right now. I’m telling you this because I want you keep this in my mind as you read my story. I was catching the train home. As the train arrived, I looked through the windows to see where there were empty seats. Arriving at an empty seat I noticed there was something there. It was a pair of black heeled shoes. Ignoring it, I began reading a book on the train. However while I was reading I couldn’t help but stare at the shoes. In my mind I was debating on what to do with the shoes. I was thinking why not just leave it alone for someone will pick it up. Surely once this train reached its final destination there would be someone to check on the seats and clean it up.  But then I remembered that there was a sign on the buses that said that if you find anything - like a bag - to bring it up to the driver. Following that thought, I remembered I was talking to one of the transport officers (why is another story) asking what she does. Besides keeping an update on what time the buses arrive, on that day she also managed to get someone reconnected with something that she lost. Then I was imagining if I were the one that lost a pair of shoes. I would like to get it back somehow. So when the train arrived at my stop, I got up thinking about the shoes. Telling myself who cares what people think about me holding a pair of shoes, I grabbed the pair of shoes in one hand. Then I handed it over to an officer. I think the point I want to make from all of that is Tao maybe just a set of beliefs but throughout my thinking I didn't think about Tao directly. I think the learning of Tao is natural and common sense. I doubt it led me to the decision on that day, but I believe Tao values compassion; thinking of others. When I picked the shoes up, I pushed the thoughts of what others think a girl with a pair of shoes is doing and instead thought about, what am I going to do with the shoes and just did it. I had an open heart leading to the open mind to consider handing the shoes over. However I’m an everyday person that can be affected by other people’s emotions. I work at a restaurant. One night I greeted a customer who came to collect their phone order. I read out their order to make sure that it was the right order. But it turned out she was misheard and a wrong food item was put down. I asked if she wanted that to be changed, and she said yes. I immediately alerted the cooks the mistake and told them the dish. Coming back to the counter I told her the price and that the food would be there soon. But she didn’t want to pay for it. She wanted a discount because this has happened before. I tried to explain to her that tonight was a busy night; we had lots of people dining in tonight and sometimes it’s loud in the restaurant that we can’t hear properly what’s being said on the phone. But she said she wanted a discount.  I repeated what I said, adding it could’ve happened to anyone. She said that now I have to wait. And I said that it would be done quickly and since it’s only one dish you should be lucky, it’s better than the whole order being wrong. But she really wanted a discount saying this has happened before. She wanted to talk to someone to get a discount. So I complied. My boss gave her the discount. He commented that she was a regular customer. At the time I felt I can’t believe it she got what she wanted. But upon reflection the customer and I had one thing in common; we had a closed heart. Once she was told that one of her food was wrong she wanted a discount for waiting, and I’m thinking she doesn’t deserve a discount – it was only one dish and it could’ve happened to anyone. But my boss, I guess he had an open mind, solving this mild dispute with giving her what she wanted. I guess, in the end it wasn’t hurting anyone to give her a discount, because she still paid for the meal, rather than leave the restaurant and bad mouth it. So I guess now upon reflection that was like the best and simplest option. 譯文 「寬心」意味著我們有個開闊的思維，一個不會批評一切周遭事物的開闊思維 – 包括我們自己。你可以看到世間上事物的美麗同時尊重待人。 有一顆「寬心」，就像內心擁有光亮，這光讓我們清楚地看清周遭的一切，也看到事物的無限可能，並且達到追求的目標。 我覺得學習「道」讓我察覺到我自己和我的周遭，衪指出事物的重點，如上陳述，那是有道理的。我認為衪除了讓我察覺到事物的本質，也使我思考，每當我感到悲傷或痛苦的時候，我問自己這種心情來自何處？根據不同的情況，我可以決定讓這不愉快的情緒繼續駕馭我，或是嘗試著改變它。 能察覺到自己的感受是件好事，它對自己有幫助。因為感受來自於思維，並且牽動著我們如何對待自己與他人的行為及態度。假使我們感覺痛苦，這股氛圍將會傳導給周邊其他人，所以如果我們能夠常保開心，也自然會把快樂傳播給其他人。在我們的生活中，很少花時間去反省自己的所作所為或當下的感受，這樣說，是希望您能以此觀點來理解我的故事。 有一天，我準備搭火車回家，當火車進站時，我就察看車廂內哪裡還有空位可以坐，就當我走到我選定的空位時，我發現一雙黑色的高跟鞋，但我並不理會它，我選擇開始閱讀我的書，但閱讀的目光總不由自主的飄往高跟鞋，我的內心充滿矛盾，不知如何處理這雙鞋。 我心想，不如就任由他人撿去，或者，當火車到終點站時，也會有工作人員檢查車箱，然後把它清理掉。 但是，我又想起在公車上看到的一個標語：「當你發現有人把東西遺放在公車上時 – 比如包包，請 把它交給司機先生。」記得我曾經與一位公車作員聊過天，問及她的職務是什麼，她說她除了記錄公車到站的時間之外，有天她還幫助了一位失主找回他遺留在車上的物品。因而我想像，如果我是鞋子的主人，我也希望能將儘速將它找回。 因此當我要下車時，我就告訴自己，不要在乎別人怎麼想我為何要提著那雙鞋，我的目的就是把它交給車站人員處理。 我想告訴大家的是，『 道』或許是一種信仰，但就整個過程而言，我並非想到『道』才選擇這麼做。我想我從『道』所學習到的是「自然」與「基本常識」。我不確定是「道」幫我決定那天的事情與否，但我相信「道」的核心價值是為他人設想。當我把那雙鞋帶下車時，我拋開別人可能對我的各種想像，我只想做我應該做的事情，我擁有一顆寬宏的心，這一顆心讓我擁有開闊的思維去完成對的事情。 不過我的情緒偶爾也會像一般人一樣，被他人左右。 在餐廳裡打工時，有一天晚上我正在招呼一位來電訂購外賣的客人，當她來到餐廳領餐時，我確認餐點內容是否正確，結果發現其中一道菜出錯了。我問客人是否替換？她說好。我立刻通知廚房另煮一道新菜給她並請她稍等一會兒，當我回到櫃台並欲與她進行結帳時，她說因為那不是她的錯所以她不想付全額，她要求折扣。我試圖跟她解釋因為用餐的客人很多，有時餐廳太吵難免我們服務人員聽不清楚電話的訂單而會些微出點錯，希望她能諒解，但她還是堅持折扣，我不斷重複地向她解釋，這樣的事情或許也會發生在其他客人的身上，但她還是堅持要留在餐廳等新菜出來，我說廚師很快就會煮好，因為只是一道菜，妳應該慶幸不是整個訂單都重來。但不管如何，她還是堅持折扣，她的理由是，之前也發生過同樣的事情但都能折扣，所以她想問問此次是否還是可以，最後我遵循老闆的意思折扣給她，因為老闆說她是店裡的常客。不過當時我並不能諒解為何她能得到她想要的。 後來經過反思，我發現我自己與那客人都有一個共同點：我們都有一顆封閉的心與固著的思維。當她知道訂單出錯時，她要求以折扣來補償她的等待； 而我卻認為她沒有資格得到這項優惠 ，理由是這樣的一道菜的問題，也有可能發生在任何人身上。 我讚嘆老闆有著開闊的思維，他選擇讓客人得到她想要的以圓滿這微不足道的小糾紛。於是我了解，讓客人得到折扣基本上並不會對任何人造成傷害，因為她還是得付錢，並且不會因為不愉快的結果而在離開後選擇毀謗餐廳，想想，這真是既簡單又充滿智慧的一項決定。 By  九達文德長老院  皓彰組  澳洲單位 葉宇華 – Veronica  Ye (1994年次) 譯  傳拓、周如真