商品簡介
"In every matter, a lesson; in every step, a chance to grow."
The Many Matters of Life is a collection of heartfelt reflections on how to live with wisdom, kindness, and purpose. Drawn from the teachings of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, each short article explores the choices we make, the relationships we build, and the values that shape our lives.
More than just inspiration, this book serves as a practical guide to applying the spirit of Buddhism in everyday life. Through stories, examples, and thoughtful reminders, it shows how the Dharma can be lived, not only in temples, but in our homes, workplaces, and communities.
A book to keep close. Read a page, reflect a little, and practice a little every day.
作者簡介
作者簡介
About Venerable Master Hsing Yun
Venerable Master Hsing Yun (1927–2023) was born in Jiangsu Province, China. He studied at various renowned Buddhist institutions such as Qixia Vinaya College and Jiaoshan Buddhist College.
Soon after his arrival in Taiwan in 1949, he became the chief editor of Human Life, a Buddhist magazine. In 1952, his efforts in establishing Buddhist Chanting Association strengthened the foundation for his subsequent endeavors in the promotion of the Dharma. Venerable Master founded Fo Guang Shan Monastery in 1967, with the primary goal of promoting Humanistic Buddhism through Buddhist education, culture, charity, and propagation of the Dharma. Since then, over two hundred branch temples have been established in major cities around the world. He has also set up art galleries, libraries, publishing houses, bookstores, mobile clinics, Buddhist colleges, and universities including: University of the West, Fo Guang University, Nanhua University, Nan Tien Institute, and Guang Ming College. In 1977, the Fo Guang Tripitaka Editorial Board was formed to compile the Fo Guang Buddhist Canon and the Fo Guang Dictionary of Buddhism. Many other works on Buddhism have also been published.
Venerable Master Hsing Yun has dedicated his life to propagating Humanistic Buddhism. As a global citizen, he fostered “joy and harmony,” “oneness and coexistence,” “respect and tolerance,” and “equality and peace” throughout the world. When he founded the Buddha’s Light International Association in 1991 and was elected president of its world headquarters, he was closer to realizing the ideal of having “the Buddha’s light shining throughout the three thousand realms, and the Dharma water flowing across the five continents.”
譯者簡介
About the Fo Guang Shan London Translation Team
Established in 2018 following translation training conducted in London by Venerable Miao Guang, the Fo Guang Shan London Translation Team has continued to grow under her guidance. Its development has also been made possible through the support of Head Abbess Venerable Miao Shiang and the many monastics who have encouraged and assisted the team over the years.
Based primarily in London, the team brings together members from diverse cultural, linguistic, and professional backgrounds. Some who first joined the team in London now live in different parts of the world, yet continue to contribute remotely.
The team meets weekly to deepen its understanding of Humanistic Buddhism, refine its use of language, and discuss how its teachings may best be expressed in clear, natural, and meaningful English. These meetings also provide an opportunity for members to learn from one another and consider how Humanistic Buddhism can be communicated across different cultural contexts.
The team supports publications, Dharma teachings, educational programs, retreats, conferences, and other activities in the United Kingdom, Europe, and beyond. Through this continuing collaboration, it seeks to make the teachings of Venerable Master Hsing Yun and Humanistic Buddhism more accessible to contemporary readers and practitioners.
名人推薦
Translator’s Introduction
This second volume continues our translation of The Many Matters of Life, a collection of short reflections by Venerable Master Hsing Yun that brings Buddhist wisdom into the circumstances of everyday life. Originally written in Chinese as 《人間萬事》, these essays first appeared as daily columns in the Merit Times. Through familiar experiences, practical observations, stories, and examples, the Venerable Master invites readers to examine how they think, speak, choose, work, and relate to others.
Rooted in the spirit of Humanistic Buddhism, these writings show that wisdom is not separate from daily life. It can be found in the way we respond to failure, approach our responsibilities, understand other people, manage our desires, and determine what truly matters.
1. Continuing the journey
The first volume introduced English-speaking readers to the breadth, warmth, and accessibility of these reflections. This second volume continues that journey by turning particular attention to the choices, habits, relationships, and attitudes through which character is formed.
The essays begin with subjects that may seem ordinary: falling down, preparing a résumé, going to work, asking for instructions, hosting guests, pursuing a goal, or dealing with a misunderstanding. Yet beneath these familiar situations are deeper questions. By beginning with everyday matters, the Venerable Master leads readers naturally toward reflection on responsibility, sincerity, balance, causes and conditions, and the cultivation of goodness.
2. Our translation approach
Our aim has been to remain faithful to the meaning and spirit of the original while presenting each essay in natural and accessible English. Wherever possible, we have retained the original structure, progression of ideas, illustrative examples, and direct teaching style.
Chinese idioms, historical references, and culturally specific expressions do not always transfer directly into English. Where a literal rendering might obscure the intended meaning, we have used concise explanatory wording or an English expression that conveys the same idea. Because these essays arose from a particular linguistic, cultural, and social context, some expressions may be understood differently by contemporary English-speaking readers. In such cases, we have sought to preserve the Venerable Master’s central message while conveying it with clarity, sensitivity, and respect.
Each essay also has a short subtitle beginning with “A reflection on.” These subtitles were added by the team to show the main theme and help readers enter the essay.
3. Translation as a collective endeavor
At the heart of this project is Venerable Miao Guang, whose vision, encouragement, and steadfast commitment have guided the translation from its beginning. As a longtime translator and interpreter of Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s teachings, she has continually inspired the team, provided direction throughout the process, and encouraged us to persevere in bringing this volume to completion.
This volume is the result of an ongoing collaboration among translators, editors, and reviewers from the Fo Guang Shan London Translation Team members who brought different linguistic abilities, cultural perspectives, and experiences of Buddhist practice to the work.
Translation required more than finding equivalent words. Each essay called for careful consideration of tone, context, implied meaning, and the needs of an English-speaking readership. Questions were discussed collectively, passages were revised through multiple
rounds of review, and terminology was considered in relation to both the individual essay and the wider series.
Every member of the team has been nourished by the teachings of Venerable Master Hsing Yun. We regard this translation not only as literary work, but also as an offering of gratitude and a way of helping these teachings reach new readers.
4. An invitation to the reader
These essays may be read in sequence or approached individually according to one’s circumstances and need for reflection. Readers may choose to spend time with one essay at a time, allowing its message to settle before moving to the next.
The reflections may also be used for personal contemplation, family discussion, workplace learning, or group study. Their deepest value, however, lies not only in being read or understood, but in being practiced.
Taken together, the essays remind us that our lives are shaped by the people we choose to see, the explanations we give, the goals we pursue, the responsibilities we accept, and the goodness we gradually accumulate. We offer this second volume in the hope that it will encourage readers to look more deeply, choose more wisely, and live with greater sincerity, balance, and purpose.
目次
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.....................................................................iv
About Venerable Master Hsing Yun..........................................vii
Translator’s Introduction...........................................................ix
Foreword: The Kaleidoscope of Life.........................................xiii
1. Falling Down.............................................................................1
2. Personal Brand...........................................................................5
3. Knowing Oneself.......................................................................9
4. Learning.....................................................................................15
5. Gaps...........................................................................................19
6. Better Choices...........................................................................23
7. One’s Stage in Life....................................................................27
8. Persuading Others......................................................................31
9. Exaggeration..............................................................................35
10. Misunderstandings.....................................................................39
11. The Troubles Women Face........................................................43
12. Seeking Instructions..................................................................47
13. The Perils of Accumulated Wrongdoing...................................51
14. Résumé......................................................................................55
15. What Should We Learn?............................................................59
16. Limits.........................................................................................63
17. Trusted Aides.............................................................................67
18. A Life That Truly Stands Out....................................................71
19. Earnestness................................................................................75
20. The Art of Hosting a Meal.........................................................79
21. Tunes and Tones........................................................................83
22. The Benefits of Accumulating Goodness..................................87
23. The Choices We Make...............................................................91
24. Excuses......................................................................................95
25. Those We Call “Bad People”.....................................................99
26. Learning from People................................................................103
27. How to Be Accepted by Others.................................................107
28. A Woman's Sources of Strength................................................111
29. The People We Choose to See...................................................115
30. Causes and Conditions..............................................................119
31. Going to Work...........................................................................123
32. Greatness and Smallness...........................................................127
33. The Great and the Small............................................................131
34. Balance......................................................................................135
35. Talent and Wealth......................................................................139
36. Keep It Simple...........................................................................143
37. Status.........................................................................................147
38. Not to Be Taken Lightly............................................................151
39. Women’s Priorities....................................................................155
40. The Value of the Middle............................................................159
41. What Comes First?....................................................................163
42. What Do We Lack?....................................................................167
43. The Fences of the Mind.............................................................171
44. A Different Kind of Wealth.......................................................175
45. Goals..........................................................................................179
