友朋之慈与分享

The Kindness and Sharing of Friends
Dean’s Talk at the 112-1 Semester Opening Assembly
By Dean Prof. Chao-Shun Kuo

112-1期初全院集合

文 / 云水书院郭朝顺山长勉励话语
2023/ 09 /20

慈悲在汉语是一组词语，梵文可拆在慈与悲两个概念。慈的梵文是maitrī，意思是对朋友（mitra）要亲爱对待；悲karuṇā，对不幸者，要温柔地怜悯。慈悲两字合起来便被解释为：拔苦与乐。
不过，慈这个字，在中文更常被强调的是「慈孝」：父母对子女之慈，相对的则是子女对父母之孝，这一点与原本梵文偏重朋友之间的亲爱关系，有一些微细的区别。
Compassion in Chinese is expressed as a compound word, whereas in Sanskrit, it can be broken down into two concepts: "maitrī" for kindness towards friends (mitra) and "karuṇā" for gentle compassion towards those who are unfortunate. When combined, the two words "慈" and "悲" are interpreted as "removing suffering and bestowing happiness."

However, in Chinese, the term "慈" is often emphasized in the context of "慈孝" (filial piety), referring to the kindness parents show to their children, and the corresponding virtue of children showing filial piety to their parents. This differs slightly from the original Sanskrit focus on affectionate relationships among friends.

本学期云水书院的教育主题是「分享」，分享即是将美好的事物传递给别人，有一句有名的咖啡广告词：「好东西要和好朋友分享」，因而特别值得由朋友之间的慈来阐释这点，。
大家都知道，我们书院中，同学年纪分布遍及老中青，因此学长却可能会比学弟妹年轻许多。同学之间碰到这种情况，有时不好意思，便会互称对方学长。虽然这样看来，会有点乱了原本入学先后的长幼关系，但从另个角度来看，倒也不失为可发展出平等校园伦理的契机。毕竟学长对学弟妹的照顾，完全不应该变成一种上下的权力关系。
The educational theme for this semester at Yunshui Residential College is "Sharing." Sharing means passing on the goodness to others, as famously expressed in a coffee advertisement slogan: "Good things are meant to be shared with good friends." Therefore, it's particularly relevant to elaborate on this concept through the lens of kindness among friends.

As you all know, in our college, students come from various age groups, with both older and younger peers. Consequently, senior students may actually be much younger in age than their junior counterparts. In situations like this, students may sometimes feel awkward, leading to mutual address as "seniors (xue zhang) " 学长out of respect. While this might seem to disrupt the traditional hierarchy based on age, it could also serve as an opportunity to foster a sense of equality in our campus ethics. After all, the care provided by senior students to their junior peers should never be turned into a hierarchical power dynamic.

所谓「闻道有先后，术业有专攻」，我们系上许多同学，在进入佛教学系之前，可能早就有许多专业能力，只是因为向往佛学，想要专研佛法，因此才前来就读。这些同学或许在佛学知识的学习经验是资浅的，但人生的阅历或者其他专业能力，比起许多学长却是深厚的。因此，彼此尊重互相学习，是书院生活的重要态度。
The saying goes, "There is a sequence to hearing the Way, and each profession has its specialization." Many of our fellow students in the department may have had various professional skills before entering the Buddhist Studies program. It's just that they were drawn to the study of Buddhism and chose to specialize in it. These students may have relatively limited experience in Buddhist studies, but their life experiences or other professional abilities may be profound compared to many senior students. Therefore, showing mutual respect and learning from each other is an important attitude in our academic community.

我期待每一位同学们，都可以不吝分享自己的知识与经验，将自己擅长的部分来与人分享。而知识、经验与能力的分享，既不会损减你原本所具有的，反而是当你越分享就越能深化、精练原本所拥有的。当人人都能分享，每个人都是学长，人人互相成就，书院生活也就会越来越具有善意与互相尊重的平等氛围。我们与其高谈布施之功德，倒不如由友朋之慈的分享做起，这也是我们的佛教行持课程中，何以会有「服务实作」这个部分的原因。

I look forward to each and every one of our students for not hesitating to share their knowledge and experiences, and to contribute what they excel in with other fields. Sharing knowledge, experiences, and abilities does not diminish what you already possess; instead, it deepens and refines your existing skills and knowledge. When everyone can share, everyone becomes a senior, and as we mutually uplift each other, our academic community will foster an atmosphere of goodwill and mutual respect.

Rather than just discussing the merits of generosity, let us start with the kindness of sharing among friends. This is also the reason why we have the "Service Practicum" component in our practice course.