今年的新春活動東初禪寺因為疫情的關係，依然是採用線上的方式與信眾們一起為新的一年祈福。而第一場新春活動在1/30/2022早上開始，分成了兩部分。第一部分是由東初禪寺法師帶領著大家禮讚八十八佛及懺悔文。常華法師先祝福大家新年快樂，並解釋在新年期間，寺院裡僧俗四眾會一起禮佛懺悔，反省過去一年自己身口意的造作是否有需要改善的地方，並期許自己在新的一年有更好的身口意。
法師也提到當我們需要懺悔的時候，首先要先了解自己，才能在日常生活中，更容易觀察自己身口意的狀況。
佛陀曾說過：我們修行人有好多種，然而最明顯的有三種人：貪行者、嗔行者、以及痴行者。貪行者通常是比較感性的，非常重視人與人之間的互動與感覺；無論做事是對與否，更注重人與人之間的和諧度。嗔行者則是另外一種表現，他們比較直接，務實，重邏輯，遵循規則；然而因為一切都以理性為主，注重流程，比較不能與人廣結善緣。而痴行者通常很不敏感，對很多事情都不清楚，也常常自我感覺良好；因為什麼都不知道，跟著大家做什麼他就做什麼，但對事情的來龍去脈通通都不清楚。知道了這些，我們也許會問我們怎麼互動？這就是我們可以著力的地方！
就像面對新冠病情一樣，一開始大家在感染的過程當中，並不清楚有哪些藥物或者偏方，可以做治療。我們在面對外境的時候，就像生病的過程會讓我們升起種種煩惱，所以當我們知道我們是怎樣的修行者，以及他人是怎麼樣的修行者，我們就可以用佛法修行的方式去對治。因為有佛法就有方法！
第二部分則是由果元法師為大眾分享了幾則老虎與佛法相關的小故事。因為老虎在大眾的心中是一種很勇猛兇狠的角色，靠近他的人很容易受到傷害；然而在法師提到了一則虛雲老和尚與山虎皈依的故事，除了感到佛法不可思議，也可以感受到佛性是沒有差別的，都是光明的。法師也提到，在人性中那些所謂的比較野性的那一塊其實都是可以轉換的；一念惡，就會去做壞事造惡業，然而一念善，則開始往修行的方向前進了。
傳統上大年時刻，人們都會到寺院禮佛，跟著法師們懺悔過去以及發願讓自己有更精進的未來。所以法師期許我們能夠像老虎一樣勇猛，精進自己的修行、學法、修法，及護法，別讓自己的心放逸了，時時能反省，讓自己所做的所想的都能夠與佛法相應。今年的年度主題是大菩提心，期許大家能夠有新的好年。
2022也許也是一個挑戰的一年，但在未來的一年裡我們可以繼續利用這樣子的挑戰來觀察自己以及平衡我們跟外境之間的關係。如虎般發勇猛心，亦如2022年度主題所示：「大菩提心——發大菩提心，利人即利己；學菩薩萬行，福慧滿人間。」，希望大家共同發菩提願心，精進修行、自利也利他，一起為成就人間淨土而努力，以此與大家共勉。
The first day of the Lunar new year celebration starts on January 30. Participants joined the online celebration with CMC Sanghas. Venerables led all the participants to chant and repent what we have done from the past year. To reflect on ourselves if we did anything wrong and then to wish ourselves can do better for this coming year.
Ven. Chang Hwa mentioned when we think about repent, the first thing we need to do is to understand ourselves so that in our daily life, we will be easier to observe what we do through our body, speech, and mind. The venerable also mentioned that there are various practitioners, but there are three kinds of practitioners whom we can easily tell in our daily life. They are bonds of desires, hatred, and ignorance.
For the bond of desires participants, they usually look very elegant and the way how they interact with others is soft and gentle, but on the other hand, this kind of participant also cares about the feeling of the interaction with others, no matter whether the things are done correctly or not. To feel harmonic is more important.
The bond of hatred participants is quite the opposite of the first kind of participants. These kinds of participants might not pay much attention to how the setting would be, but they are more straightforward, more practical, logical, and focus on following rules. To make a good affinity with people is not too much in their concern.
For the bond of ignorance participants, they usually are not sensitive enough. They cannot sense others’ feelings and cannot understand others’ personalities and needs. They are usually unclear about issues and also usually feel good about themselves. Since they are not aware of anything, they follow folks, they do whatever others ask them to do.
To know all of these, maybe we want to ask how we can interact with each other. Yes, this is exactly where we can practice!
Just like at the very beginning of COVID-19, when people were infected and didn’t know what kind of treatments can be applied. So the patients need to keep trying different ways to see which ways worked. When we need to interact the situations, just like the process of being recovering from sickness, we may face a lot of different vexations, so when we are able to know what kind of participants of ourselves and others, then we can use the Dharma away to cease vexations.
This year might be also another tough year, but we can make our own wish to keep practicing by using this way to observe ourselves and to balance ourselves with the outside environment. Last but not least, CMC Sanghas really appreciate all the help and care from all of you in the past year.
◎文: 郭俐岑 Doris Kuo 20220202
◎圖: Mina Tang 20220202
