缅甸弘法行程中的“那一抹红”(中英对照图文版）

　　在整个缅甸的行程中,拜访孤儿院带给我们最真切和最温暖的感动,促使我们更多地思惟佛法在世间的意义，以及佛法不同的实践和传播方式。21世纪的缅甸，89%的人口都是佛教徒。佛教在公民社会里依然扮演着重要的角色，不仅许多寺院承担着学校的教育职能，出家人更是积极主动地关怀世间疾苦，亲自创办孤儿院，担负了许多社会福利和保障的职能，创造了佛法在世间不间断传承的美好缘起。

　　我们拜访的这家孤儿院，创立于1981年。目前从属于一家非政府机构——全缅青少年福利发展中心。地址位于孟邦嘉陀市附近，收容的孤儿来自缅甸各邦。目前有七百二十位孤儿在这里生活并接受教育。孤儿院内的生活设施极其简单。教室里也只有孩子们上课必备的桌椅。孩子们在这里衣、食、住、行，都来自于一位出家人所募集到的来自缅甸各方的捐赠。这位出家人就是这里的院长——一位年逾古稀的僧人。从创办至今,他在这里已经整整服务了三十几年。缅甸的经济非常落后，人们的生活也并不富裕。我们可以想象这位院长法师,这么多年来维持孤儿院的不易和艰辛。

　　院长法师看到我们的参访团感到非常高兴。对法师们没有教派偏见的包容胸襟也是十分地赞叹。刚才老法师说现在他很高兴看到全世界各地的人来到这个偏僻的地方，知道这里孤儿的痛苦，知道他们的困难来捐赠。他看到我们，他就特别高兴。所以他第一个赞叹说：“你看他们大乘佛教没有这个偏见，来到我们这里来帮助我们，他本着一个佛陀的这个慈悲心来帮助我们。”后来海涛法师问起来，这位院长就亲自跟大家说：“知道我们这个山的名字叫什么吗？这个山就叫 ‘师父山’。”“师父”这个词是他们缅甸人对我们汉地、对我们中国人的称呼。对中国出家人他们才称为“师父”,缅甸语并不是这个。但是这座山它就叫“师父山”，是专门以我们中国汉传佛教对出家人的称呼命名的。出家人为佛法的深入人心所做的一切利生事业,都成为佛法更长久驻世的善妙因缘。大乘佛法悲智双运的精神,在这位慈悲的南传法师身上显现无疑。

　　在现代社会里,孤苦伶仃的人最真实和迫切的需要就是生存和教育。在福利院门口的石碑上，我们看到了创办的宗旨和使命，迎接知识时代的挑战，创建一个适应于学习型社会的教育体系。在信息落后的缅甸，看到这样先进的教育理念，甚至让人感到有些吃惊，出家人顺应时世与时俱进，与社会大家庭同呼吸共命运，并努力地改创贫困与经济落后的面目，这样的入世精神让人感慨不已。孤儿院里身世孤苦的孩子们在这个新的大家庭里，在一视同仁的爱的环境下，命运得到了转化。他们从这里毕业后，在各个行业各司其职，其中不乏优秀的栋梁之才如军官、法官、医生、工程师、律师、 教师，等等。院长办公室里的墙上，还展示有不少颁发的证书，包括现任执政党主席昂山素季，所颁发的荣誉证书。法师院长一生努力所取得的成就，得到了这个佛教国家一致的认可。

　　这两位年轻的老师，也是在这所孤儿院成长的。有很多从这里毕业的孩子，在耳濡目染的相处中，与老和尚建立起内心的联结和情感的纽带。他们毕业之后，选择继续留在孤儿院里担任老师或者其它服务人员的职责以护持老和尚的事业，并将这一份深刻的感恩之情传递下去。参访团抵达后，孩子们见到有出家人到访，依次排队过来顶礼。他们主动以念诵《吉祥经》来供养出家师父。对僧宝的尊敬之情，流淌在缅甸人的血液里，孩子们单纯和虔诚的表情让人难以忘怀，也让我们在这深厚的佛法氛围的感染下真切的感受到这个特殊的大家庭里慈悲的能量。

　　在谈到老和尚创办孤儿院的初衷时，导游翻译说这是基于人类作为一个整体族群层面上的一项福利事业，它跨越民族和宗教的外在界限，这也是佛法真正的精神所在。我们朝圣的团队来到这边，并没有分说是大乘佛法也好，南传佛法也没有分。就是以一个基本的这个或者人类的一个体恤,或者是扶植的一个心理来做这件事情。他觉得这个事情是很值得尊敬，他也很感激所有的法师们。让我们吃惊的是，院长法师说他在禅观时面见了观世音菩萨，因为观世音菩萨的指引，他才建立起这所孤儿院。在整个创办和维持的过程中，他不断地祈请观音菩萨孤儿院才得以发展成今天的规模和局面。老和尚说他打坐时，有看到观音菩萨来跟他说这边孤儿院如果需要钱，就祈祷观音菩萨就可以了。我们就问了他：“您为什么会想来做这个孤儿院呢？”结果他怎么回答说？他说：“我在打坐的时候，我看到观音菩萨，观音菩萨叫我做这个孤儿院的。”所以他每天他也有供奉的观音菩萨。他说观音菩萨甚至跟他说你有什么问题，只要求我就可以了。你看,厉害不厉害?（厉害）。说明他虽然生在缅甸学的是小乘佛教，但是他这个人他本身就有大乘根基。对不对？所以观音菩萨就在他禅定当中就现身给他开示。“千处祈求千处应，苦海常作渡人舟的观音菩萨”通常被认为只有在大乘佛教的国度里才会出现。而眼前的这位人间菩萨，示现为声闻乘的出家人形象，应众生的需要守护在这里，实实在在地从事着利生的事业。这种济世救人的精神让人肃然起敬。我们所生存的世界是如此的相依而存。在这座不起眼的孤儿院里，我们感受到了人与人之间真实的共命与共情。这种悲悯之心所引发的向善的力量，两千多年来，不断地延续和传递着佛法的伟大精神。

　　在欢送朝圣团成员的仪式中，小朋友们跳起了欢乐的民族舞蹈。看着孩子们那张张微笑的面孔，流露出真挚纯朴的情感，自信平和的气质，还有举手投足间散发出。超越时代和潮流的美丽,他们精神的富足，令我们这些施主们也不禁相形见拙。谁说他们又不是菩萨的显现呢？

During the whole trip to Myanmar，the visit to a local orphanage brought usthe truest and warmest feeling.It has led us to think deeper of the purpose of Buddhism in this world and the differences in the implementation and propagation of Buddhism Dharma.Myanmar, in the 21st century 89% of its population is Buddhists.Buddhism in this civil society still plays a very important role.Not only the Buddhist temples take on the responsibility ofschools to educate people,the monks and nuns also actively bring love and care to people who are suffering.They also set up orphanages, bear many responsibilities of social welfare and security ,create humanistic Buddhism and continuously inherit such merits.

The orphanage that we visited was established in 1981.Currently, it belongs to a non-governmental organisation called Myanmar Youth Welfare Development Centre.It is located near Naypyidaw city.It houses orphans from all over Myanmar.Now, it has seven hundred and twenty orphans who live and receive education here.The facilities of the orphanage are as simple as one could imagine.There are only tables and chairs in the classroom for children.All the basic necessities of the children come from the donations that are collected by a monk who receives contributions from all sources across Myanmar.He is the director of this orphanage，a monk in his 70s.From the founding stage of the orphanage,he has served in this place for thirty years.The economy of Myanmar is very backward.The life of Burmese is not prosperous.We can imagine the struggles and hardships that this respected Buddhist master has endured to maintain this place for so many years.

When he saw us he felt very pleased，especially when the masters held no prejudice against other Buddhist sect.He also gasped in admiration.The senior master said that he was very happy to see people coming from the world to such a remote area to know the suffering of the orphans here,to understand the hardships that they had to pass through and to provide financial help.When he saw us he felt exceptionally happy.He praised and said:“Look, they are the Mahayana masters with no bias view who come all the way here to give us their helping hands.They bring a Buddha’s compassionate heart with them to help us.”After that, when Master Haitao asked a question,he unexpectedly said do you know the name of this mountain?It is called the “Mountain of Shifu”.The word ‘Shifu’ is the way Burmese people address Han people.It is also the way they address Chinese Buddhist monks but in Burmese, they use this expression in a different way.However, the mountain is called the “Mountain of Shifu”and is named after the way how we address Chinese Buddhist monks.

Buddhist monks are very devoted to Buddha’s teachings.The good deeds they do to benefit all sentient beings are the good karma which would lead to the prolong existence of Dharma in this world.The main spirit of Mahayana Buddhism: compassion and wisdom is manifested by this compassionate Theravada Buddhism master completely.

In this modern society,the true and desperate need of those who are lonely and helpless is survival and education.On the stone tablet in front of the gate of the orphanage,we saw the purpose and mission of the founder to meet the challenges of the era of knowledge,to create an education system that fits well into the learning society.In a country like Myanmar which lags far behind in terms of information to see such an advanced philosophy of education is truly surprising.The respected monk adapts with the times,keeps pace with the times,breathes with the fate of the society and strives to reform in face of poverty and economic backwardness .Such human spirit has left us sigh with great emotion.The orphans here who were abandoned by their families,now live in this new big family and grow up under an environment of love with no exception.Their fate has changed forever.After graduated from this place they work in all kinds of professions.Some of them possess great ability with tremendous potential.They become army officers, judges, doctors, engineers,lawyers, teachers and many others.On the wall in the office of the director,there was a display of many awards and certificates. Aung San Suu Kyi, the President of the current ruling party,has also issued a Certificate of Honour to the director.These awards show the life-long achievements of the respected master who has received unanimous recognition from this Buddhist country.

These two young teachers also grew up in this orphanage.Many children who graduated from this place due to living closely together have established a strong link and emotional bond with the senior master.After graduation,some of them decide to continue to stay here to take up the responsibility as teachers and other roles in order to support the career of their beloved master and to pass on such deep feeling of thanksgiving to the new generations.When the visiting delegation arrivedwith monks and nuns among them,the children queued up neatly, bowed and paid respect.They chanted the “Mangala Sutta Discourse of Great Blessings”as an offering to the monks and nuns.The deep respect to the third jewel ‘Sangha’,is in the blood of the Burmese.The innocent and devout expression on the faces of the Burmese children is unforgettable.In such a deep atmosphere of Dharma,we were truly moved by the strong compassionate energy flowing in this big family。

When introducing the original intention of setting up the orphanage the tour guide said:“It is due to the human beings as a whole ethnic group.It is a career of welfare to the society.It strides across the boundary of nations and religions.”This is also where the true spirit of Buddhism lies.Our delegation came all the way here and did not differentiate between Mahayana Buddhism or Theravada Buddhism.It is purely based on the human rights（人权）or it is due to the feelings toward other human beings or simply because a pure wish to foster good deeds.All these could be the reasons that have brought us here.The senior master thought that this was an act worth respecting.He was also very thankful to all visiting masters.What surprised us the most was when the respected master told us that he saw Bodhisattava Alokitesvara while medidating.It was due to the Bodhisattva’s guidance he decided to set up this place.During the whole process of establishing and maintaining this orphanage,he continuously prayed for the help from the Bodhisattva and this was how the place had been developed so successfully and reached the current status.The senior master said while meditating he heard the Bodhisattva saying that whenever the orphanage is in need of financial help just pray to Bodhisattva Alokitesvara.We then asked him:“Why did you decide to set up this orphanage?”He answered:"While meditating I saw Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.He asked me to set up an orphanage.”Therefore, it is the master’s daily practice to pray to the Bodhisattva.He also said that Avalokitesvara told him:"When you encounter any problem the only thing that you need to do is to pray for my help.”Isn’t this amazing? (Yes).This has proved even though the senior master was born in Myanmar and have been learning Hinayana Buddhism he possesses the quality of a Mahayana practitioner.right?That is why the Bodhisattva appeared when he was meditating and gave him instructions.‘Thousands of prayers, thousands of wishes fulfilled,we drown in the sea of suffering, Avalokitesvara sails us across it’.This phenomenon usuallyappears in the countries of Mahayana Buddhism.This respected master appeared to be a bodhisattva himself though showing a form of a practitioner of Sravakayanahe still responds to the needs of people , guards and protects this place.He also truly pursues the career of benefiting all sentient beings.Such compassionate act and spirit is highly respectable.We are living in a world of interdependence.In such an unnoticeable orphanage we felt something that bounded the human beings together.It is the shared feelings of common fate and affection.Such feeling of sympathy triggers the power of kindness.For over two thousand years,it continuously passes on the immense spirit of Buddha’s teaching.

During the farewell ceremony to the delegation,the little children were presenting folk dances happily.Looking at the smiling faces of the children,we could feel their temperament of sincerity and innocence, self-confidence and gentleness.We could also observe through their behaviour,a time- and fashion-transcending beauty.They were so rich at heart while we could not help but to reflect on our own weaknesses.Don’t you think that they are the manifestations of bodhisattvas themselves?