小小的我 大大的他

他是我的同班同學，也是我相識已久的好朋友。那天，我翻著毛襪的目錄，忍不住問一旁的他：「我看你的襪子都越穿越薄了，聽說這款襪子很溫暖，要不要一雙？」其實，他還沒回答，我就已經可以猜到答案了。

認識他的人都知道，他從不願意在自己身上多花一毛錢。即便身上的衣服早已被大大小小的補丁覆蓋，他依然堅持不買新衣服，並且小心翼翼地珍惜著。對他來說，花錢買新衣服，哪怕只是一雙毛襪，都是難以想像地奢侈。

「不用，多穿幾雙襪子也可以達到同樣的效果。」這個回答太像他了。

「但那樣不是會很不舒服嗎？我可以買給你！」他還是搖了搖頭。

別以為他只是個不願意花錢的人，幾年前的一個小故事，一定會讓你大吃一驚。

待過大寮的法師們都知道，為了避免小蟲在洗菜的過程中喪命，我們會在洗菜前，小心翼翼地用刷子將菜葉上的毛毛蟲和蚜蟲刷進蟲盒，再規劃牠們的去處。無論是夏季時的放生或是冬季時的暫時養護，目的都是希望每一個與僧團有緣的小生命，都能安樂無憂。但由於原有的刷子是監修組退下來的油漆刷，上面難免沾了些乾漆，他擔心刷子的硬毛會間接傷害到那些小蟲，於是決定買新的刷子來替換── 於是他供養了一批昂貴的水彩筆。

這件事在我心中烙下很深的印子。他不介意那些舊衣服帶來的不適，卻非常在意這些比他小很多的生命即將感受到的痛苦；他不為自己多花一分錢，卻毫不猶豫地為他人掏出鈔票。雖然聽不到那些小生命的呼喊，但他似乎能感受到牠們的痛苦。他生命的焦點和我的形成了鮮明的對比，我真心高興著身邊有這樣出色的修行人，讓我再次體會到，沒有什麼比為這個世界獻出自己的溫暖和力量更珍貴的事情。

從他身上，我看到了上師三寶傳遞給他「無緣大慈，同體大悲」的精神，願自己也能如是！

She is my classmate and a good friend I had known for a long time. That day, I was flipping through the catalogue of wool socks and couldn’t help asking, “I’ve noticed your socks are getting thinner and thinner. I heard these are really warm. Do you want to get one?”

I asked, already predicting her answer. Those who know her all know that she’s the kind who seldom spent money on herself. Even though her clothes were already covered in patches, she still refused to buy new ones and carefully cherished she had. For her, spending money on new clothes, even just a pair of wool socks, felt like an extravagant luxury.

“Nah, wearing a few more pairs of other socks together should have the same effect”, was her typical reply. “But that would be uncomfortable”, I said…. “I could buy one for you.” I offered.

Still, she shook her head.

Don’t assume she’s the kind who doesn’t like to spend money. A little story from a few years back will surely surprise you.

Those who’ve been to the kitchen all know that to prevent little critters like caterpillar and bugs from drowning, we usually try to brush them off of vegetable leaves before washing. After that, we decide where they’ll go next. Whether in the summer or during the winter, we hope to ensure that every little life we encounter can live in peace and free of worry. But the brushes we used were old ones that were coated with dry paint — She noticed that the hard bristles of those brushes would hurt the little critters and bought new watercolor brushes ones to replace them.

That left a deep impression on me. She didn’t mind if those old clothes caused her discomfort, but she cared so much about the pain of these life forms so many times smaller than herself might feel. She wouldn’t spend an extra dollar on herself, but she never hesitated when it comes to others. And though she couldn’t hear their cry for help, it’s as if she felt them. Her priorities were a striking contrast to that of mine. I’m glad to have a friend like her who constantly reminds me there’s nothing more valuable than sharing your warmth and strength with the world.

From her, I also see the essence of unconditional kindness and compassion for all beings, passed down from our Teachers, and I really wish I could embody that!

英文作者：法端
英文編輯：聞挈
攝影：法和、聞鎮