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精彩 試閱
故事源自於那棵大樹 祂站在北方高台處，深深凝望前方大樹，那是祂成道後的第二個七日，為了感念那棵大樹的庇護恩德，祂凝望著大樹、七日七夜不曾閤眼─啊！「目不暫捨」！
悉達多太子捨棄了六年的苦行，在尼連禪河洗去一身的塵垢，來到正覺山那棵高大的畢缽羅樹下，對著大樹發下了誓願：「不證得真理不從此座起。」於是祂結跏趺坐、閉上雙眼，將身心交付樹下的金剛座。
空無一人的樹林裡，白天與黑夜默默躡手走過，悉達多太子端身正坐進入無垠時空中，畢缽羅樹在祂上頭屏息守候。風，在過去與未來間輕輕流動，天上與地下、有情與無情，全在他的一念之際──
天星悄悄出現在夜空閃耀著動人的光輝，無始以來它們就在等待著這一刻──七天後，祂睜開眼睛望著星星微笑，大千世界沐浴著祂的熠熠金光，山川大地、森羅宇宙，都在他的微笑中甦醒！
庇護祂七晝夜的畢缽羅樹，樹身歡喜得不住的顫動，葉片緩緩落在祂面前五體投地、虔誠頂禮──此刻，經歷了艱辛的苦行與長久的追尋，悉達多太子終於證得了無上正等正覺──成了四生的慈父、人與天的導師「釋迦牟尼佛」！
這棵名為無花果樹的畢缽羅樹，從此成為佛所成道的「菩提樹」。
所有人都想到它面前深深感恩、虔誠頂禮──菩提伽耶的那棵大樹，它伸著長長的枝椏，用一種只有它自己知道的溫柔面對所有人，樹下有許多仰望著它的人們，他們來自不同的國家與不同的種族。只要有幸來到此地一定會萬分珍惜，畢竟這是多麼難得的緣分！千里迢迢來到它的面前，只為了一睹它的真面目，他們萍水相逢卻彼此揖讓、素昧平生卻和諧共處。不只是為了求證畢生追求，更是為了實現此生唯一的想望──望來到此地長揖不起、對著菩提樹道一句「謝謝」！
它不是普通的樹，二千五百多年前那個夜晚，從皇宮出走、歷經千辛萬苦的悉達多太子在它的金剛座下，在滿天繁星的祝福中，終於洞澈宇宙的真理、知曉生命的答案，此後這個世界的受苦眾生，終於有了脫離輪迴、解脫苦痛的方向，人們於是擁有了生生世世得以追隨投靠的明燈──釋迦牟尼佛！
此地，是位於印度北方比哈爾省（Bihar）伽耶區（Gaya），釋迦牟尼佛成道之處「菩提伽耶」，被稱為「正覺大塔」的摩訶菩提寺，已是佛教徒心中的聖地，多少人來此朝聖，希望尋找屬於自己的「正覺」。大塔歷經二千多年的更迭、增建，呈現如今的巍巍大貌，它穩穩佇立、安靜無聲的護佑著身旁的菩提樹。
是印度的那棵菩提樹啊！樹下圍繞著來自世界各地的人，他們曲盤雙腿、低眉垂目靜靜的坐著，在佛陀座前，心中生起前所未有的誠實，他們願意將所有一切在佛面前和盤托出，也希望自己能真正了悟：二千五百年「苦、集、滅、道」不過是現前一念──風吹過，菩提樹微微搖頭、安靜無語。
它知道另一個樹下的故事正要開始在馬斯地埔村（Mastipur Village）的大樹下── 羨慕的眼神
沒想到，我們菩提伽耶這個鄉下地方還辦書展，真是令人驚喜。週六下午，全院歡天喜地出動去選購圖書，為自己也為村莊的小孩，果然滿載而歸。
三到十四歲這樣的年齡，很難抵擋住外界的誘惑，所以當外面有熱鬧可看時，總會有小孩缺課，但最終還是會回歸。有一群十歲左右的男生，總是在課堂上與老師抬槓，但這群小男生幾乎每堂必到，令人不得不佩服，他願意選擇坐在這裡而不是在外閒蕩，實在值得嘉獎。
一百多個學生坐在課堂裡，不可能全部都專心聽課，有的跟著哥哥姊姊來、有的懵懵懂懂、有的來看熱鬧、有的認真上課、有的則等待領取文具用品……目的各有不同，但是這段時間全部都會聚集在這裡──因為我們每個人都是「大樹下課堂」的成員，這是屬於我們的集會。自從改到院內上課，外圍嬉鬧干擾上課的音聲消失了，取而代之，是院外望向院內一雙雙羨慕的眼神，終於動心想要學習了。
我們漸漸凝聚了一股向上的力量，希望影響遍及法界。 That Admiring Look Who could imagine? We in the villages of Bodh Gaya would have the chance of a Book Exhibition. It was really amazing! This Saturday afternoon, all of us at the Monastery set out to buy books, for ourselves and for the children. The trip turned out to be abundantly fruitful. Children at the age of 3-14 would find it difficult to resist the temptations of the outside world. So whenever there was something fun to watch on the outside, there would be kids absent from school, but they would always eventually return. There was a group of boys aged around ten who would always be bickering with the teachers. They were the ones who chose to attend class almost every time. One had to admire their diligence for their willingness to sit there and not loiter around outside. They really deserved commendation. We could not expect all of the hundred or more children who came to class to be attentive all the time. Some came with their brothers and sisters, others did not have a clue what they came here for, others came for the fun and excitement, others were serious about learning, and still others came for the stationery free giveaways… all for different purposes. They all gathered together at this very moment anyway – just because they were all pupils of "Classes under the Big Tree", and this was their assembly. Ever since we moved our classroom inside the Monastery, the frolicking noise all around interfering with the lessons had gone, to be replaced by the admiring looks on the eyes of the kids peeping in from outside the Monastery who would eventually be moved to join in.
萌芽
時間：下午二點四十分。地點：山門口。「姊姊們！」拜託！拜託！天氣很熱，請你們先回家去。究竟是完全沒有時間概念呢？還是太過熱衷上課？
上週，佛學院的學生為了佛誕節遊行，而到路邊攤販挑選悉達多太子的花環，老闆熱情招呼，說：「我的小孩是你們大樹下的學生，謝謝你們。」四十盧比的花環只賣十盧比，真是大大的折扣。
佛學院的外聘老師說：「我學校的學生說，你們大樹下的課程上得很好！我從一九九四年起就在菩提伽耶生活，這裡一直都沒什麼進步，這麼多年過去了，仍舊是哪裡發放物資，人就往哪裡跑，你們把佛法帶給小孩，這樣做非常好！」老師的學生並不是附近村莊的小孩，是特地前來上課的。
最近佛學院正在招生，有位十八歲女孩前來應試。問她從哪裡得到的訊息？她說：「你們大樹下的學生告訴我的。」哦！看懂了張貼在公告欄的招生簡章，就主動去招生了。
希望大樹下的種子，能漸漸對當地能起大大的影響力。
Sprouting Time: 2:40 pm; place: at the hill gates. “Big sisters!” came the shouts. Please! Please! With the heat, why didn’t they just go back home first. Was it because they had no sense of time? Or, were they really that enthusiastic about class? The previous week, the students from the Buddhist College went to the vendors by the side of the road to buy Prince Siddhartha wreaths for the Buddha’s Birthday Parade. The vendor greeted them warmly and said, “My child is a pupil of your Big Tree, thanks so much.” He sold them wreaths at ten rupees instead of forty, a really big discount. The hired teachers of the College told us, “My students always speak well of your classes under the Big Tree! I have been living in Bodh Gaya since 1994, and I have never noticed any progress made here. So many years have gone by, people still flock to places where aids are distributed. You have successfully brought the Dharma to the children. You have done a fantastic job!” The pupils were not from the nearby villages. They came all the way from afar just to attend classes. Recently the Buddhist College was open to new recruitment. An eighteen-year-old girl came to enroll. When we asked her where she got the news, she replied, “A pupil from under your Big Tree told me.” Oh, she could read the recruitment brochure on the bulletin board and so she took the initiative to do the recruitment herself.
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