我的雨傘課 (My Umbrella Lesson)

有件事讓我退避三舍，說出來可能有點好笑，我很好奇有沒有人跟我一樣，就是—我很怕動手折疊雨傘！

我在某個下雨天要出門，便用了很久沒用，折得像一團鹹菜的折疊傘，回到家後將它隨手置於一角晾乾，數日後，我突然良心發現，想讓它回復到像新傘的最美原貌，便咬起牙關，唉聲嘆氣的折起傘，折得我痛不欲生，折得手指快骨折，傘還是像一團鹹菜。

我喃喃自語：「傘啊！傘啊！為什麼您不能自動整理好您自己呢？」這就像我常癡心妄想，為什麼沒有人發明「自動洗頭洗澡機」，來幫我省事呢？

坐在一旁的朋友又好氣又好笑，不可置信的說：「拿來啦！我幫你折！」

只見她妙手回春把一片片的傘面順理好，她還不忘一針見血的指點迷津：「你一定在第一次用完這把傘後，沒有做到一個細節，就是你沒有耐心順著折痕把傘折好，只亂折一通，時間一久，雨傘被塑型，產生新的折痕，當然難折了，一開始一步細節錯，就全盤都錯！還要多花很多時間去改正，知道嗎？要一開始就把細節做好！」

我感激涕零的接過傘，連說：「是是是！對對對！」

「要一開始就把細節做好」！我想佛光山開山祖師星雲大師一定會讚賞我朋友「孺子可教」也！因為大師在《佛光菜根譚》一書寫到：

往好處看，往大處想，往細處察，往深處解。

大師說一個人若能做到這四點，心胸便寬大，樂觀開朗，容易滿足，容易獲得快樂，做事也容易成功。

這「往細處察」就是我的雨傘教會我的功課吧？

我進一步思索，「往細處察」並不跟「不拘小節」相違背，前者強調仔細觀察和注意事物的細節，著重於深入瞭解情況；後者則強調不要被瑣碎的事物困擾並影響整體，這也是「往大處想」。

這把難折、將我「折」磨到欲哭無淚的傘沒多久就意外身亡了，我沒有多大悲傷，還有點喜孜孜地想，可以買新傘重頭開始了，正所謂舊的不去新的不來咩！我要「往好處看」，而且雨傘的離去只是「小節」，人要不拘小節，是吧！

等等！會不會「折雨傘」本身就是一個微不足道的「小節」？是我自己從頭到尾想太多了？哈哈！

再等等！「想太多」與「往深處解」的不同又是在哪呢？

看來我的「雨傘課」未完待續啊！

My Umbrella Lesson

There’s something that makes me take a step back, and it might sound a bit amusing. I’m curious if anyone else feels the same way I do— I’m afraid of manually folding umbrellas!

On a rainy day, I had to go out, so I retrieved one that hadn’t been used for quite some time, folded into a tangled mess resembling pickled vegetables. Upon returning home, I casually placed it in a corner to air dry. However, after several days had passed, a sudden twinge of conscience hit me. Wanting to restore it to its pristine, new umbrella appearance, I gritted my teeth and, with sighs, began the challenging task of folding the umbrella. It folded with such difficulty that it felt like my fingers were on the verge of breaking, yet the umbrella stubbornly retained its resemblance to a tangled bunch of pickled vegetables.

Muttering to myself, I said, “Oh, umbrella! Why can’t you just tidy yourself up automatically?” It’s similar to my frequent daydreams about why no one has invented an “automatic hair-washing shower machine” to make things easier for me.

My friend sitting beside me, both amused and annoyed, exclaimed, “Give it here! I’ll fold it for you!”

She skillfully restored each section of the umbrella canopy, offering insightful guidance without hesitation: “You must have missed a crucial detail from the beginning when you used this umbrella. You didn’t patiently follow the folds to fold it properly; instead, you just folded it carelessly. Over time, the umbrella took on a new shape, creating new folds, and making folding even more challenging. When you go wrong in the initial steps, everything else goes wrong too! Understand? Pay attention to the details! You need to get the details right from the beginning! Otherwise, it will take a lot of extra time to correct it.”

Gratefully taking the umbrella, I said, “Yes, yes, yes!”

“Pay attention to the details! You need to get the details right from the beginning! ” I believe Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founder of Fo Guang Shan (FGS), would surely commend my friend for being a good student. In his book “Humble table, Wise Fare,” Venerable Master Hsing Yun wrote:

“Look on the bright side, think on a larger scale, observe the details, and explore deep for understanding.”  

Venerable Master said that if a person can achieve these four points, their heart will be broad, optimistic, easily satisfied, and prone to happiness, and they will find success in their endeavors.

“Observing the details” seems to be the lesson my umbrella taught me. Upon further reflection, “observing the details” is not contradictory to “not being concerned with trivial matters.” The former emphasizes carefully observing and paying attention to the details, focusing on a deep understanding of the situation. The latter emphasizes not letting trivial matters bother you and affect the overall situation, which is also synonymous with “thinking on a larger scale.”

This hard-to-fold umbrella, which almost “folded” me to tears, didn’t last long before it broke. I wasn’t too saddened by it; in fact, I was somewhat gleeful, thinking I could buy a new umbrella and start afresh. Out with the old, in with the new! Always look on the bright side, and the departure of the umbrella is just a trivial matter that I shouldn’t overly concern myself with, right?

Hold on! Could folding an umbrella itself be a trivial matter? Have I been overthinking it all along? Haha!

And wait again! What’s the difference between “overthinking” and “exploring deep”?

It seems my “umbrella lesson” is to be continued!