中文／慈惠法師

英文／佛光山人間佛教研究院

Translated into English by: FGS Institute of Humanistic Buddhism

圖／香海文化提供

所有的福報、罪惡，都是從微細開始累積。小小的撲滿都可以累積成大筆財富，做出很大的功德，我們何不每天從一件小小的善事開始著手做起，未來成就更多的美事呢？

──慈惠法師

A few years ago during Chinese New Year, a junior high school student visited Fo Guang Shan. She carried a heavy bag and asked if she could make an offering to Venerable Master Hsing Yun.

"What is this? Why is it so heavy?" Venerable Master asked.

"Money," she answered.

"You are still a student who has yet to work. You cannot make an offering of money, so you have to take it home."

"Venerable Master, this is my own money."

"How did you get so much money?" he asked.

"I saved these up everyday!" she exclaimed

As the girl explained, she opened her bag. Inside, there was a piggy bank which seemed quite heavy. She dumped out the money from the piggy bank and counted up to over ten thousand dollars. They were all ten dollar coins that were collected and saved.

Venerable Master asked, "How did you collect so much money?"

"My mom gives me an allowance every day to buy lunch at school. I would end up with ten dollars change each meal. Over time, it would accumulate. In fact, even without ten dollars I can still eat well," she said.

A small ten dollar coin may not be something in the world of adults. But, with the girl's kind heart, the coins accumulated up to more than ten thousand dollars.

"What do you want to do with this money?" Venerable Master asked again.

"Because I don't know what to do with it, I thought of asking you, Venerable Master, to help me make arrangements using your wisdom." she replied.

There is a saying, "The accumulation of sand can become a pagoda; many a little makes a mickle." Money that is accumulated can also establish a business.

The young girl in the story has a very kind heart and an aspiration of a great person. She accumulated her savings little by little and helped contribute to Buddhist enterprises. Dear children, what is the goal of your vow of compassion and goodness?

It is stated in the Dharmapada stated that we should not think that a good deed is small with little merit, and thus we do not do any goodness; nor should we think that a bad deed is small with little retribution, and thus we become negligent. A bit of water dropped into a basin will turn into a large basin of water eventually!

翻 譯

在多年前的一個春節時期，佛光山來了一位國中女生，手裡捧了一包很重的東西，說要供養星雲大師。

大師問她：「這是什麼東西啊，這麼重？」

她說：「是錢。」

大師說：「妳還是個讀書的孩子，還沒有開始工作賺錢，不可以拿錢來做功德，要把它帶回去。」

她回答說：「大師，這是我自己的錢。」

大師問：「妳哪來的錢？」

她說：「是我每天存起來的呀！」

女孩一邊說著，一邊把帶來的包包打開。

原來，包包裡面放了一個撲滿，看起來好沉重。女孩當眾把撲滿的錢倒出來，數一數居然有上萬元之多，而且都是由十塊錢的銅板，一個個累積起來的。

大師問這女孩：「妳怎麼累積了這麼多錢？」

她說：「媽媽每天都給我錢，讓我在學校吃午餐，我天天從裡面省下十塊錢，日子久了就變成這麼多。事實上，少了十塊錢，我還是一樣吃得很好啊。」

在場的人聽了女孩的話都很感動。

一枚小小的十塊錢銅板，或許在成人的世界裡，根本毫不起眼。可是，在這女孩的善心之下，一個個累積起來，卻成了上萬塊錢。

大師又問她：「妳這些錢要做什麼呢？」

她說：「因為我不知道能夠做什麼，所以才想請大師以您的智慧替我安排。」

所謂積沙成塔，集腋成裘，小錢積聚多了，也能夠成就大事業喔。

故事中的女孩有顆善良的心和偉人的胸襟，把儲蓄一點一點累積起來，以成就佛教的大事業，那麼小朋友，你慈心善願的目標會是什麼？

《法句經》提到，不要以為善小，沒什麼福報，就不行善；不要以為惡小，不會有什麼報應，就不在意。小小的水，滴在盆子裡，久了還是會成為一大盆水的喔！