「髮」爾如是　法爾如是 (English version included)

【羅蘭第一分會　潘青霞撰文】孔子說他四十而不惑，我年過四十好幾歲，對人生還是有好多疑惑，例如為什麼每天我都在掃落髮，落髮都是黑髮，頭上日益增多的白髮卻如如不動？「三千煩惱絲」日漸稀疏不應是好事嗎？但這漸由青絲變白髮的過程，看來還是讓我煩惱，一想到此，我不禁笑了，「三千煩惱絲」果真名副其實。
有句話說「哀樂中年」，我想這是指人在中年這個分水嶺，會檢視前半生，然後產生滿意、遺憾、不甘，對未來更有目標或茫然等情緒吧？如果我有機會請佛光山開山祖師星雲大師釋疑，他會怎麼回答我呢？
其實我已經在大師的一筆字作品「法爾如是」找到答案了，我想他會跟我說：「法爾如是」。
大師在《佛法滿人間》節目解釋何謂「法爾如是」（中英文字幕），他說這一句話在佛門裡面很通俗，但在社會上平常很少用到， 法爾如是其實很容易 ，就是一切真理、道理，就是這樣，都是如是。如是因、如是果，因緣就是「法爾如是」，一切都必然有其因緣與果報，一切都不是沒有原因的。
我的感想是，「法」此字除了指佛法，也作為「現象」一解，以此延伸，「法爾如是」代表一切本應如此，要能全盤接受，不對抗生活中的種種變化，不對好壞境遇起分別心，而是以平和的心態面對。
為什麼大師說的「法爾如是」，讓我願意信受奉行？在順境中，「法爾如是」不難，但對於逆境呢？有多少人能做到呢？
大師在大陸幼年喪父，經歷中日抗戰、國共內戰、在流浪逃亡時曾睡在死人堆裡，可謂九死一生；來到台灣後，在戒嚴及白色恐怖的政治氛圍下，還被監禁入獄差點遭槍斃。
大師說他這一生「與病為友」，在70歲時，他因為眼睛看不清楚，不能看書報，他想到一些讀者、朋友、團體常請他簽名、寫字，「那就寫字吧！」因為視覺不佳，只能在心裡衡量字與字之間的距離，一沾墨就要一揮而就，所以叫「一筆字」，大師自謙自己字寫得不好，他說：「不要看我的字，可以看我的心。」
心在哪裡？我特別喜歡佛光山佛陀紀念館館長如常法師寫的這段話—
「心」在哪裡？大師又說：「字裡有乾坤，心中無一物。」既無一物，又如何看？此中的智慧值得我們用心體會。
2016年開始，一筆字又被稱為「病後字」，那年，大師歷經腦部開刀，在休養期間，他仍然持續書寫，將一筆字義賣收入做為助學基金，幫助優秀的貧困青年學子。
了解大師生平及一筆字緣起後，當我讀到星雲大師以「生於憂患，長於困難，喜悅一生」總結此生，「喜悅」兩字讓我無比感動；聽大師說「法爾如是」，我也無比動容。
以後我每天掃落髮時，會學著不呼天嗆地，而是淡然以對，「髮」爾如是，法爾如是啊！
《聽星雲大師說：法爾如是》 中英文字幕
《佛光山開山祖師星雲大師一筆字的緣起》中英文字幕
圖說：
星雲大師寫一筆字（左）Venerable Master Hsing Yun writes One-Stroke Calligraphy.(Left)
「法爾如是」及它的解釋（右）“The Dharma is Just This Way” (fa er ru shi 法爾如是 in Chinese) and its explanations. (Right)
（來源：佛光山；Source：FGS）
English version
Title: Hair is Just This Way, the Dharma is Just This Way
Confucius said he was unconfused at forty, but I am well past forty by several years and still have many questions in life. For instance, why is it that every day I find myself sweeping away fallen black hair, while the white hair on my head continues to increase without fail? The gradual thinning of these “three thousand strands of worry” should be a good thing, shouldn’t it? However, my graying hair seems to still frazzle me. Just thinking about it, I chuckled. These “three thousand strands of worry” are truly living up to their name.
The term “midlife crisis” implies that at the midpoint of life, individuals tend to reflect on the first half of their lives, giving rise to emotions like contentment, regret, dissatisfaction, and bewilderment. If I had the opportunity to inquire about this doubt with Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founding master of Fo Guang Shan, how would he respond? 
In truth, I found the answer in one of his One-Stroke Calligraphy pieces. I believe he would respond, “The Dharma is Just This Way” (fa er ru shi 法爾如是 in Chinese).
Venerable Master explained “The Dharma is Just This Way” on the program “A Human World Replete with the Buddha Dharma” (with Chinese and English subtitles). He said this term is quite common in Buddhist teachings but is less frequently used in everyday society. It is actually quite straightforward, signifying that all truths and principles are just as they are, with no exceptions. Everything, be it a cause, an effect, or anything else, has its reasons and nothing happens without causes.
This is my afterthoughts; the character fa 法 can mean Dharma in Buddhism, but also refers to phenomena. Extending from this, it represents that everything should be as it is, and one should be able to fully accept it without resisting the various changes in life, without harboring judgment towards favorable or unfavorable circumstances, but instead facing them with equanimity.  
Why does Venerable Master’s saying “The Dharma is Just This Way” inspire me to accept the teachings? It’s relatively easy to embrace it in favorable circumstances, but what about in adversity? How many people can truly achieve that?
Venerable Master had a challenging life, growing up in mainland China without his father, experiencing the Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese Civil War, and even sleeping among corpses while escaping. His life was marked by countless close encounters with death. Upon coming to Taiwan, he faced the strict martial law and the political climate of the White Terror era, where he was imprisoned and narrowly escaped execution.
Furthermore, Venerable Master once said that he considered his life as “befriending illness.” At age of 70, when his eyesight deteriorated and he could no longer read books or newspapers, he thought of the readers, friends, and organizations that often asked for his autographs and writings. Despite his visual impairment, he decided to write words for them. Unable to see clearly, he could only gauge the spacing between characters in his mind and write with a single stroke, which he called “One-Stroke Calligraphy.” Venerable Master humbly described his less-than-perfect calligraphy by saying, “Don’t look at my words; look at my heart.”
Where is the heart? I particularly appreciate a passage written by Venerable Ru Chang, the director of Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum. She writes, “Where is the heart? As Venerable Master explained, ‘Within words, there is the universe, yet within the heart, there is nothing.’ If there is nothing, how can we see? The wisdom underlying this is worth pondering.”
“One-Stroke Calligraphy,” also known as “Calligraphy After Illness,” originated in 2016 when Venerable Master underwent brain surgery. During his recovery, he continuously wrote his calligraphy and dedicated the charitable proceeds to the scholarship fund for talented but financially challenged young students.
After learning about Venerable Master’s life and the origin of  “One-Stroke Calligraphy,” when I read that he summarized his life as “born in suffering, raised in adversity, but joyful throughout,” the word “joyful” deeply moved me. When I heard him say “The Dharma is Just This Way,” I was equally touched.
Now, when I sweep my fallen black hair every day, I try not to complain. Instead, I accept it with equanimity, thinking, “Hair is just this way, and the Dharma is just this way!”
 The Dharma is Just This Way (fa er ru shi 法爾如是 in Chinese) (Chinese and English subtitle)
The story of One Stroke Calligraphy by Venerable Master Hsing Yun (Chinese and English subtitle)

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