我是經由母親的介紹而認識海天禪寺。剛開始時，母親幾乎是勉強我去精舍，因此，雖然能完成初級和中級禪修班，卻不明白上課的內容。大學畢業後，一切有了變化，雖然心中依然存著一些疑問，但是我告訴自己：「好，就姑且一試吧！我將以開放的胸懷，不帶任何既定的想法，和母親一起到精舍。」記得我是在海天兒童夏令營的圓滿日來到精舍，剛開始仍感覺有些生疏，因為這對我而言是新環境。但令人驚訝的是，當包括我妹妹身邊的義工們跟我說話的口吻，好似我已經到精舍發心一段時間了，他們對待我就像對當義工的母親、弟弟、妹妹一樣親切。這樣溫暖的感受徹底改變了我對海天禪寺的看法，也是從那一天開始，我有了許多奇妙的轉變。

　　儘管只是單純地使他人感受到歡迎之意，就讓像我這般的新學員，對海天禪寺的印象有很大的影響。他們的慈悲和溫暖，點亮了我的心燈。

　　擔任義工對我而言，是一種回饋與表達「感謝」的方式，並且能夠與大眾分享在精舍所學。每次發心都會遇到不同的坡務和不同的人，這對我的個性與修行都是一種挑戰，但是這並不困擾我。每種坡務都能讓我學到一些新的東西。法師所教的道理不是在聽聞佛法開示後就結束了，而是需要在日常中應用。

　　「熱愛你的工作，並且視其為生活中的一部分，這樣可以使工作更容易、心情更快樂。」這是我最相應的其中一個法門。它改變了我對工作的態度。假使以錯誤的觀念去工作，工作則變得不容易，而且對自己也不會有任何助益。不管什麼理由，如果每天醒來只為等待這一天儘快結束，那麼無論是在工作中、或與人相處、甚至在你的生活裡，絕對無法獲得真正的快樂。但是，當你把工作當作自己的生活，而且樂在其中，那麼無論身心多麼疲憊，總是會沉浸在喜悅及成就感中。每當看到人們因為我的幫助而快樂，這就是我最大的喜悅。

　　然而，有時我們不僅僅只是帶給其他人快樂而已。我知道我並不完美，也不可能讓所有的人滿意。但這不會影響我繼續幫助他人，就像我也從助人中獲得相同的利益；儘管我曾經幫助的人，可能不知道他們已經在我的生活中，產生正面或負面的影響。但我仍然想以我做得到的方式，向他們感恩或說聲抱歉。身為一位修行人，還有很多事情需要學習，可以肯定的是，這是一條無止盡的學習之路。

　　現在，我心中的想法是——「布施慈悲，點亮心燈」。因為個人的心光不足以驅散我們遭逢的黑暗，但是如果你分享光明，你周圍的光也愈發顯得更大、更加明亮。這不僅幫助自己，同時也能夠利益他人。

Pay it forward

By Domingo, Roychelle Camilah

　　Ocean Sky Chan Monastery was introduced to me by my mother. At the beginning, my mother would literally force me to go. Despite this, I was still able to finish beginners' and intermediate meditation classes without understanding what was being taught. Everything changed after I graduated from college. There were questions lingering in my mind. I told myself, “Okay, I'll give it a shot. I'll go with my Mom to Ocean Sky with an open mind and I will not have any thought or judgment.” And I did go. I remember I came during the last day of summer camp. At first, it still felt weird because it was all new to me. Surprisingly, when some volunteers and my sister's co-volunteers talked to me, it felt different. They talked to me as if I'd been coming to the monastery for as long as my Mom, sister, and brother did. The experience changed my perception of Ocean Sky. From that day onwards, many wonderful things have changed in me.

　　With that simple gesture of making others feel welcomed, it definitely had a big effect on newcomers like me and our perception of Ocean Sky. A lamp was lighted through that act of kindness and warmth that I received from the people.

　　Volunteering for me is a way of giving back, to say “thank you,” and to share and spread the teachings that I learned in the monastery. I encountered different tasks and different people every time I do volunteer work. It challenges me as a person and in my practice. But it doesn't bother me. In everything that I do, I definitely learn something new. The teachings don't end after listening to the Dharma talks, the lessons also need to be applied.

　　“To love all that you do and consider it as part of your life can make work easier and happier for you.” This was one of the many teachings that struck me the most. It changed how I feel towards my work. There is no easy job if you are just there for the wrong reasons and it will not help you in any way. Every day you wake up just to wait for the day to end because for some reason, you did not find complete happiness in your work, from the people around you, and even in your life. But when you do things because it is your life and you enjoy every bit of it, no matter how tired you are, whether physically or emotionally, you will always find joy and fulfillment in it. There is this feeling of great joy in me whenever I see other people happy because I am able to help them.

　　However, sometimes it is not only happiness we bring to other people. I know I am not perfect nor can I please all the people; but it does not stop me from helping other people as much as I've also benefited from them. These people may not know how they’ve affected my life whether negative or positive. I still would like to thank and say sorry to them in as many ways that I possibly can. As a cultivator, there are still many things that I need to learn and for sure, my learning never ends.

　　Right now, a single thought is in my mind, “Pay it forward.” The single light that I am holding is not enough to dispel the darkness we are encountering. But if I share that light, the brightness around me would keep expanding and become even brighter. This will not only help myself, it will also benefit others.