编辑室 Editorial -- .

佛法应体现在生活中

若是把佛法看作是专门的学问来学习，佛法就会脱离佛陀弘扬佛法的原意，成为一种空谈的东西。其实，佛法不仅仅是精神上的，同时也能在现实生活中体现出来；不论是在文化、音乐、美术领域上，还是精神上的信仰都可看到佛法的痕迹。

许多人在第一次接触佛法时，总会感觉到佛法是十分玄妙难懂的东西，有点虚无飘渺，天马行空的感觉，让人难以理解，甚至有些人还认为佛法与现实生活完全扯不上关系。但是，如果我们能深入研究，客观地去理解，不难发现佛法中的每一个环节，都与现实生活有着息息相关的关系。不论是在生活上、工作上，甚至是在休闲时，都会发现佛法中的某些环节，确实地浮现生活中，与我们有着密切的关系。

在佛家的经典里，我们经常会读到一句话，就是“人人都有佛性”，这不是一句恭维他人的话语，而是实实在在地体现出佛家精神格言。我们学习佛法，就是要发掘自己的佛性，圆满自己的人格，提升生活质量。在提升对佛法的认识时，以佛的精神解决在生活中出现的种种烦恼，寻求生命中的快乐方法。

其实，我们学佛的目的就是要解决生活中的迷惑，重新找回人生的价值，生活里的种种烦恼、痛苦，在学佛的过程中都能找到解脱方法，当我们能去除当下的无明与烦恼，再把迷惑转为觉悟，把爱转为慈悲，把利己转化到利人过程，再把学佛与修行和实际生活挂钩，如此一来，我们就能达到以佛法净化人生、净化社会，使佛法的精神具体化，把思想言行与信仰原则融为一体，体现出佛法的人格化；这样，我们便能在生活中修行，同时也是修行中生活。

A Salute To

Singapore’s 113 Year-Old Bodhisattva

This month’s issue celebrates the triumph of the human spirit and we hope it will inspire you to reach for your dreams too. We bring to you Singapore supercentenarian and prominent social worker Teresa Hsu, whose life’s work speaks volumes about the strength of her character and the goodness of her heart.

Teresa Hsu Chih, or commonly known as Teresa Hsu (Chinese: 许哲; pinyin: Xǔ Zhe) is a Chinese-born Singaporean known affectionately as “Singapore’s Mother Teresa”, in recognition for her active life-long devotion in helping the aged sick and destitutes locally.

It was a truly enriching and inspiring experience for us to be in Teresa Hsu’s company and listen to her words of humour and wisdom.

Teresa Hsu’s life story not only makes for fascinating reading, it is a true life inspiration to one and all. While we are still searching frantically for meaning and purpose in life, we have here a 113-year old woman who had already found her calling early in life. Born in 1898 in Guangdong, China, Teresa has lived in three different centuries and seen more than anyone else of the horrors of war, hunger, sickness, poverty and suffering. till to day.

A keen practitioner of life-long learning, Teresa continues to expand her knowledge by reading and learning new skills. At 69, she learned yoga and has incorporated it into her daily rituals. At 90, she embraced Buddhism. At 100, she picked up Mandarin and now speaks it fluently. She also speaks Malay, French, German, Spanish, four Chinese dialects, and learning Sanskrit.

Over the years, Teresa has received numerous accolades in recognition of her humanitarian work. But she remains humble, preferring to shift focus from herself to her work at Heart-to-Heart Service.

“When asked about her longevity, Teresa attributes it to a spartan lifestyle, a vegetarian diet, healthy habits, and a positive outlook on life.”

Teresa is proof that it really doesn’t take much to live a long, happy, healthy and fulfilling life. As for Teresa herself, she says, “I hope to live till 250! In this world, there are still many poor people who need help from others. I can’t leave too soon!”

(Reference: http://seniorsaloud.blogspot.com/search/label/supercentenarian)