2015年3月13日晨，在美國就讀高中的倪聞萱同學，為全校500名師生髮表了一次主題演講。這場演講深深打動了全體師生，一位老師甚至落下了眼淚。為什麼一場關於佛教的演說，會在西方引起如此強烈的反響？以下是英文演講稿及其中文翻譯，文後附部分老師和學生的感言。
演講從一個故事開始：
A stormy nightin Hong Kong.
香港一個風雨交加的夜晚。
A young man who asked his girlfriend out on adate canceled the date and stayed at home because of the bad weather. Meanwhile, in the same apartment building, a pregnant lady who was lying in bed already, suddenly decided to drive out to grab some food. As she was driving back in the heavy rain, the lightning struck her building. And she saw the whole building collapsing in front of her in the storm.
公寓中的一名男孩，本已約了女友外出，出門時因風雨太大，就臨時取消了約會而逗留家中。而公寓中另一位有孕在身、本已臥床休息的少婦，因想吃點東西而獨自駕車外出。當她冒著風雨駕車返回時，發現整棟公寓竟然在風雨中倒塌了……
All the residents of that building, including the young man, lost their lives in that accident. Yet the pregnant lady survived.
包括那名男孩在內的公寓中其他居民都喪身在倒塌的公寓與山泥之中，而孕婦卻倖免於難。
This is a story of fate by author, Kuang Ni from Hong Kong. Dead oralive, all depended on that one thought. Is this a made-up story, or a true reflection of our lives?
這是香港作家倪匡筆下一個耐人尋味的命運故事。一念之間，生死兩重天。這到底只是作家的藝術創作，還是生活的真實寫照？
You have probably also experienced how one decision potentially leads to adramatic and different result. So is it accidental, or inevitable? Does destiny exist? If so, how is it formed? Can it be changed? How do we change it?
你可能也經歷過這種事情，因為一個決定而產生了截然不同的結果。那麼，這是偶然還是必然？命運真的存在嗎？如果存在，它又是怎樣形成的？可以被改變嗎？如何才能改變？
My dad published a book titled Enlightenment in 2012. It’s a book about Buddhism and its wisdom that may help you in life. I say “A life-changing book” here because first of all, it is what the Chinese characters on the cover mean; secondly it is my own father’s book and of course I want to sell it; but thirdly, it indeed is “Alife-changing book.”
我父親於2012年出版了《覺悟》一書。這是一本關於用佛教智慧改變我們生命的書。我說“This is a life-changing book（一本足以改寫你生命的書）”，因為首先，這本書的封面上的確寫著這些中文字；其次，這是我父親的書，我當然想推銷它；（笑聲）第三，這的確是一本足以改寫你生命的書。
Ever since he published book, he has wanted me to translate his book when I grow more proficient in English. I doubt that I have the ability to translate his book yet, but I’d like to take this opportunity to share some bits and parts of his insights on Buddhism; especially those on Zen Buddhism that have helped me in my life. This speech will partially be a rough translation of the first chapter of his book, as he wishes, and partially my personal experience with Zen.
自從他出版這本書以後，我父親就希望我能幫他翻譯成英語。當然，我不覺得我現在的英語水平夠去翻譯這整本書，但是我希望借這個機會，能分享一些他對佛法的見解，尤其是在我成長的過程中對我有很大幫助的禪學。這次演講的一部分內容會是《覺悟》一書部分章節的簡單翻譯（算是如我父親所願），還有一部分是我自己的修心、修行經歷。
Since the day we’re born, we’ve stepped into a huge maze with only one exit. The exit leads to the tranquil middle path that Buddhism is looking for. And only by finding the right road can we exit the maze that is full of suffering. Different thing shappen to different people in our lives, but you should know that every hardship or impasse you face comes from the seeds of your past ignorance and presumptuous acts. There’s nothing we could do with things that already happened, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop searching for the way out. In fact, according to Buddhist teaching, if we wake up from the ignorance, we can definitely leave the maze.
從出生之日起，我們就像步入了一個只有唯一出口的巨大迷宮。佛教正是要幫助你找到這個給你帶來解脫的唯一出口。唯有找到這個出口，我們才能從滿是痛苦的迷宮中走出來。每個人在生命中都經歷著不同的事情。但不管在你的生命中發生了什麼，要知道，現在你所遇到的每一個障礙或絕境，都來自過去的無知和妄行埋下的種子。已經發生的結果，我們無力改變，但並不意味著我們必須停下探索的腳步。事實上，佛教認為，只要我們從無知中醒來，就一定能走出迷宮。
There is a kind of dandelion in Canada that cangrow out of the ground again even if it’s been pulled out by its roots. Some specialists latter found out that this kind of dandelion has roots that are eight meters down into the earth, and at the end of the roots, there’s a seed. Even if the roots are taken out, the dandelion can grow out again because of its seed.
加拿大有一種生命力特別旺盛的蒲公英，即便你將它連根拔起，不久它還會從地下長出新的來。後來，經過專家的深入研究發現，它的根鬚特別長，竟然頑強地扎入地下八米的深處，並且鬚根的盡頭有一粒種子，就算鬚根斷了，蒲公英也照樣會因這粒種子而再次破土重生。
Deep down in our hearts, there’s aseed as well. Without us noticing, the seed has been developing roots, blooming flowers, and even bearing bitter fruits. Although we hate these bitter fruits, we have no idea where they come from. So after trying and failing every time,the fruits remain. They remain because we have only tried to solve the problems on the surface, like taking out the roots of the dandelion but not the seed.
在我們內心深處，也深埋著一顆種子。不知不覺間，這顆潛伏著的種子在不斷地發芽開花，並結滿了各式各樣苦澀的果子。雖然我們討厭那些苦澀的果子，但由於並不知道它們究竟來自何方，所以就算用盡了各種方法，卻總是失望地發現無法根除它。因為，我們總是治標而不治本。就像人們只是剷除地上的蒲公英，或者雖然拔出了蒲公英的根鬚，卻將那顆種子留在了地下一樣。
The seed that is deep down in our hearts is called “ego,” – the source of all ofour troubles and pain. Our hearts should be spacious and open, capable of taking in anything. We are the universe, and the universe is us. We are allone. But when the “ego” starts to develop, we start to separate ourselves from the whole.
深埋於我們內心深處的那顆種子叫“自我”，它是我們人生一切煩惱和痛苦的源頭。我們的心，本來應該像虛空一樣，可以容納一切。一切和我們沒有對立，一切就是我們，我們就是一切。我們和整體沒有分割。當我們有了自我，我們就開始分割和比較，“我”從整體中獨立了出來。
Then based on our preferences and experience, our hearts start to have limited capacity. Our hearts are no longer big enough to accommodate everything.The more specific preferences we develop, the smaller our hearts become. After a certain time, we start to hang on to the ego and develop different feelings because of it. We experience love and happiness, but also pain and suffering.The ego is a doubled-edged-sword. Is there a way to use it only for good without any bad effects?
接著，因著我們的喜好、經驗，心的大小容量就顯露出來了，我們的心不再可以容納一切了。隨著我們分割的東西越來越多，心的容量也就隨之變得越來越小。自我變成了一道過濾外界事物的屏障，將我們和整體分割了開來。 接著，我們就慢慢執著於這個自我，經過一定階段的熏習和積累，因“我”而產生了愛和幸福，但也帶來了相應的痛苦和煩惱。它是一把雙刃劍。那麼有沒有辦法把這把雙刃劍用好，只使其發揮有益的作用而不產生負面作用呢？
The ultimate goal is to get rid of the separation between us and thewhole. And to do that, Buddhism divides the cultivation of this life style into three steps: Discipline, Meditation, and Wisdom. Our hearts are like candles, swaying in the breeze of desire. Discipline is like adding a glass jar around the candle, separating the breeze so it no longer affects the candle light. Meditation is the process the flame takes to stop swaying. And Wisdom is the growing light as the flame comes to stillness.
佛教的最終目的是助你回本歸真。為此，佛教將修行分為“戒、定、慧”三個步驟。若把我們的心比喻成蠟燭，那麼蠟燭會在風中搖曳（各種利益誘惑或逆境打擊），很容易熄滅，如果給蠟燭加上個玻璃罩（就是“戒”），它就慢慢從搖曳中靜下來（就是“定”）。於是燭光會越來越明亮（就是“慧”）。
I’ve been going to boarding schools since I was seven. Once after a stressful week, I went home with a grumpy look. Noticing my anxiousness, my dad asked me to take a walk with him. Along the narrow path were numerous streetlights; some were luminous and some were dusky. He pointed at one tha twas covered in dust and asked me, “Remember your happiest moments? Right now your brightness is covered by the dust of doubts and fears just like this streetlight. But the light is in you, you just need clear the dust off.” I realized that any situation is controllable with the right attitude.
七歲起，我就讀住宿學校。有次週末回家時我滿心煩惱。父親注意到後要我和他出去散散步。那是一條滿是路燈的小道，有的明亮而有的昏暗。父親指著一盞滿是灰塵的路燈問我：“記得你最開心的時候嗎？現在你內心的光亮被憂慮和恐懼的灰塵遮蓋住了，就像這盞燈一樣。但是光就在你心中，你只需清除你心燈上的塵埃。”我意識到，只要保持正確的心態，我能戰勝任何困難。
That led to my Emotional Flow Chart. The X-axisindicates the date of the week. The Y-axis has a scale of 1-5, one meaning extreme negative emotion and five meaning extreme positive emotion.
此後父親為我設計了一張情緒記錄表。X軸為日期，在Y軸上標上1-5分的分值（1分表示極其低落的情緒，5分表示非常興奮的情緒）。
（上圖為倪聞萱小時候的心情日記截圖）
In the beginning, the lines are shaky like astock market graph. I noticed that I might have a day of 1 right after a day of5. But as I pay more attention to my feelings, the lines start to get flatter,and tend to settle at 3 and 4. I’m not saying that I’m totally incontrol of my emotion now, but this chart has definitely helped me to be more aware of myself, and thus remain more logical when facing any situation.
起初，這張表就像動盪的股票市場圖。有時我會前一天是5分，第二天卻僅得到1分。但當我開始觀照起自己的情緒時，它就變得慢慢平穩下來，經常徘徊在3和4之間。我並不是說現在我能完全控制自己的情緒了，但是這張表對我的情緒控制起了很大的作用，面對問題時也變得更加理性。
An easier way to make yourself more aware of your emotional flow without this chart, is talking to yourself. When you’re lying in bed ready to go to sleep, instead of grabbing your phone, consider taking that half an hour, or even just five minutes, to have a conversation with yourself. Ask yourself, “How are you?” and let your subconscious talk to you.
還有一個更簡單的，不用填寫任何表格的方法——和自己對話。當你晚上躺在床上準備入睡前，試試放下手機，用那半小時，甚至僅僅五分鐘，和自己對話。問問自己，“你感覺怎麼樣？”讓你的潛意識和你說說話。
Let’s try this. Please close your eyes, and go through everything that happened to you yesterday. How was your day? Where would you mark your day on a scale of 1-5? Obviously the fluctuations of a day’s emotion will be like a heart beat. But try to average out thehighs and lows and mark your dot. Did something or someone make you really happy? Did you make someone else’s day better? Was there a time when you could have been more kind? Or was there a time you lost control? And what caused your emotional flows? What do you want your day to be like today? I hope this mini meditation helps you recollect yourself on the anxious last day of school before break.
讓我們現在就試試。請閉上你的眼睛，想想昨天一天發生的所有事情。你昨天一天怎麼樣？（大家閉上了眼睛，在回憶）1-5分，你會給自己打幾分？當然，你的一天不可能保持同樣情緒。嘗試把開心與不開心的時候平均一下，你會給自己打幾分？（停頓了幾秒）是什麼事或什麼人讓你開心了？（停頓了幾秒）有沒有因為你的緣故讓別人過得更好？（停頓了幾秒）有沒有某個瞬間，你的情緒失控了？（停頓了幾秒）是什麼造成了你的情緒波動？（停頓了幾秒）你希望今天一天怎樣度過？（停頓了幾秒）我希望這個短短的自我對話，能幫助你在春假前的最後一天沉靜下來。
Now I’ll leave you with a formula–
1 *(past) + 2* (now) = variable (future)
You could not change your past circumstances, but by adjusting your present mindset, you have the capacity to dramatically alter your future.
最後我想給你們一個公式——
1*（過去）+ 2*（現在）= 未知（未來）
你無法改變過去已經發生的事，但如果你能調整好你當下的狀態，你就能收穫一個意想不到的未來。
The End（完）
–Audience reaction –
以下摘錄部分老師、學生的熱烈反饋
Ms. C (Religion teacher): Wen, you nailed it! Your speech—the delivery, the message was flawless. Several teachers mentioned to me how fine they thought your speech and poised presentation was! I noticed it was super quiet in the theatre—that kind of quiet when people are really paying attention. You’re helping turn the wheel of dharma in Dobbs!
宗教老師Ms. C：太成功了！你的演講及講稿非常完美。好幾位老師和我提到你的演講有多泰然自若。我意識到你演講的時候全場非常安靜——那種全神貫注的安靜。你為這個小鎮轉起了法輪！
Ms. R (Advisor): (tears streaming down her face) Wen, I just want to thank you for your speech. It reminded meth at the singing bowl in my house hasn’t chanted in so long. I’ll pick it up again. Thank you! You’re so special. Please tell your dad thanks for his wonderful work too.
Ms. R（顧問老師， 在我下臺後拉住我，潸然落淚）：我想感謝你的演講。你讓我想起我家裡的磬好久沒被奏響過了。我會重新開始做早課的。謝謝你！你是如此特別。也請轉告你父親，感謝他的著作。
Mr. W (Administrator): Thank you for sharing! Please let me know when you have actually translated your dad’s book! I’ll definitely go buy it. Both my wife and I are pretty into Buddhism. My wife is actually going to a --- conference on Buddhism this weekend. Can you send me a copy of your speech? I want to share it with her.
校行政官Mr. W：感謝你的分享！如果你翻譯好了你父親的書請一定告訴我！我一定會去買的。我和我的妻子都很喜歡佛教思想。我的妻子這週末正準備去參加一個佛教峰會。你能給我發一份你的講稿嗎？我想與她分享。
Several students I don’t know: Thank you for sharing! Great Speech! Among all Matters of Spirit speeches, your speech was the one that I actually stayed awake for.
我的朋友包括幾個我不認識的同學在我演講後感謝我的分享，他們說：“可能是每週Matters of Spirit系列主題演講中我唯一全程醒著的一次演講。”
Student friend: That was amazing. I wish I had recorded it so I could see it again. But probably everyone was so transfixed that no one recorded anything... So proud of you!
同學：剛才你太棒了！真希望我剛才有錄下來以便現在再看一遍。不過我覺得大家都太全神貫注了，沒人想到要拿出手機拍照錄像……為你驕傲！
Ms. N (Dean of Students): Thanks for sharing! You’ve definitely helped me to “clean the dustoff” of my mind. It’s very inspiring.
學生主任Ms. N：感謝分享！你幫助我“清除了心燈上的塵埃”。對我非常有啟發的演講！
Mr. N (Language teacher): I really like your speech! Is that your dad’s book? I love it. I love reading spiritual book, and I don’t know when this book will come out in English, but I really want to read it! Please do your best to translate it!
語言老師Mr. N：我非常喜歡你的演講！這就是你父親的書嗎？我太喜歡了。我喜歡讀精神教導方面的書。不知道這本書的英文版什麼時候會出，但是我非常想讀！請你一定好好翻譯！也請轉告你父親感謝他的著作。
Mr. B (History teacher, formerlawyer) emailed me: I just wanted to take a moment to say how thoughtful your speech was this morning. I always enjoy learning something new or gaining new insight. I look forward to sharing some of what I learned with my daughter, whom I think will really appreciate it. And I look forward to buying your father's book when you translate it into English. Send me the Amazon link whenit's on the market!
歷史老師Mr. B（曾是律師）給我發郵件：“我想感謝你今早那令人深思的演說。我一向喜歡學習新知識或是找到一種新的見解。我準備今晚將我從你的演講裡學到的東西分享給我的女兒（他的女兒正在就讀大學），她一定會非常感激你的。等你翻譯完你父親的書請一定給我發一個亞馬遜鏈接，我期待著買到這本書的時刻！”
Ms. G (English teacher) emailedme: I wanted to tell you how much I loved your presentation on Buddhism this morning. I found it very inspiring!
英語老師Ms. G給我發郵件道：“我想告訴你我多愛你早上關於佛教的演講。非常令我深思！”
Dr. D (Class Dean of Seniors,Science teacher) emailed me: I just wanted to express my gratitude for sharing your Matters of Spirit talk this morning. Your thoughtful and mindful approach to your days is an example we all can learn from.
十二年級年級組主任Dr. D給我發郵件道：“我想告訴你我非常感謝你今早Matters of Spirit的演講。你講到的那種警醒、自知的生活方式是我們每個人都該學習的。”
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