編註：2017年佛學班第一堂課由紐約東初禪寺監院常華法師講授「慧思禪師的禪觀思想、修行體證及一生行誼 」。慧思禪師一生艱苦多難，弘化期間飽受災難與毒害， 但屢屢在危難之中，用禪觀化險為夷。所以，慧思禪師認為每天的起居作息，乃至大小便等日常生活，都是般若觀照的最佳場所。
佛學班小組討論現代生活中有關於背叛、陷害的問題：1）印象最深刻的案例，2）超脫的成功案例。汪師姐以友人丈夫外遇的案例做大堂分享，從發現時的震驚、否認、憤怒，到面對、接受、處理、放下的全然轉變過程，友人因為持誦大悲咒的安定力量，對佛法的堅定信心，而成功超越困境並且提昇成長自我。就在友人看淡放下之時，先生卻決定回到她身邊。
This is a story of an ordinary woman’s path to find her faith from a devastating life event. She is a wife, the mother of a wonderful child, a neighbor, and a friend. And until the day she found out her husband of twelve years had for many years, been having an affair with another woman, she had a wonderful marriage.
Her life turned upside down over night. In her mind, she went through the initial shock, followed by denial and anger until fear and insecurity ultimately set in. Even during the unprecedented turmoil, deep inside, she knew she had to re-orient her life quickly. Being a very private person, she wanted to work it out on her own. She became lost and spent days in tears. In time, she began to open her heart to the Infinite Wisdom and for the first time in a long time, she prayed for the courage to move on.
The universe may have prepared her for this day already. Not too long ago, she came across the Great Compassion Sutra. While she was not particularly religious, reciting the sutra always calmed her mind when she felt stressed. Mechanically at first, she started to recite the words. Although she didn’t understand the meaning of the words, she felt at peace for the first time. She was able to think objectively, even if only briefly before sadness fill her heart again. But in those brief windows of objectivity, she realized Buddha would always provide for her. Empowered by her new-found faith, she accepted that her role was to make the best of this new reality.
Over the next three months, through the power of the Sutra, anger and fear were quietly replaced by strength and hope. She was ready to embrace a new life as a newly divorced single mother if necessary. It may have been the affection she still displayed for him, or perhaps the words she said or intentionally omitted, but he was moved by her transformation . He realized the person he was married to is, in fact, an indispensable part of him. What he was searching for had been with him all along. Rather than tear their family apart, her husband chose to seek reconciliation.
In uncertainty, with faith in the wisdom of Buddhism to lead her to courage and through the power of the Great Compassion Sutra, she found her inner strength to overcome adversity. Life’s worst calamity brought the greatest opportunity for her spiritual and personal growth.
◎文：汪演旺
◎圖：法鼓山舊金山道場