A Glass Of Milk … A True Story

For Reflection

一杯牛奶
一个真实的故事

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 A nice poor boy once sold
goods from door to door
To pay his way through school
to learn more and more.
有个穷男孩，
挨家挨户卖东西
来赚取求学费用以追求更多的学识.

Reflections
* Wealth and Poverty may have a kammic cause ( MN 135 ).
- practice and non-practice of generosity/charity in past lives.
* One born in poverty can rise and be successful through
understanding, hard work and good attitudes.
* Kamma is NOT Fatalism. One’s Destiny is in his hands. 2
 One day, he found he had
got only one dime.
And he was hungry,
suffering a tough time.
有一天，他已身无分文，
必须挨饿度日.
Reflections
* Patience and Endurance are strong qualities
to develop.
* Complaining and grumbling weakens the
mind. One should find ways to solve a problem.
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He decided he would, at the next
house, ask for some simple food.
But he panicked when a lady
opened the door –
looking so good.

他决定向一户人家讨食物充饥。
门打开时,一位漂亮的妇女
走了出来，他感到害怕.
Reflections
* Hunger indeed brings much suffering to a person.
We must appreciate the many Blessings we have.
* For all that we are Blessed with, we should be
grateful and help the needy. 4
 Instead of a meal, he
asked for a drink of
water – his hands shook.
The kind lady was so very
moved by the boy’s
pathetic look.
原本要讨一些食物充饥，他手颤抖着，战
战兢兢地只要求一杯水.
慈祥的妇女被可怜的孩子感动了.
Reflections
* Kindness, Love and Compassion are important
qualities to develop in Dhamma Practice.
* Help, serve and reach out to the unfortunate ones. 5
 The lady thought he
looked so very hungry.
She brought him a large
glass of milk happily.
那妇女见他饿得可怜，就很愉
快地给了他一大杯牛奶.

Reflections
* The practice of Dana or Generosity/Charity is a truly a
meritorious deed.
* One should be happy before, during and after an act
of Dana.
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 The poor boy drank
the milk slowly.
“How much do I owe
you, Lady ?”
可怜的男孩慢慢地喝牛奶,
说道:
“太太，我欠了你多少钱呢?”
Reflections
* Politeness and being well-mannered are important
virtues to practice. This is so lacking in the world today.
* One should not take things for granted.
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 “You don’t owe me anything,” she
replied with happiness.
“Mother has taught us never to accept
pay for kindness.”
Reflections
* In a materialistic
“你没亏欠我什么，” world, for many
她高兴地回答。 ‘MONEY IS KING’.
Beware! This will
“我妈妈常教导我们 lead to much
行善不望回报。” suffering later on.
* Parents and
teachers must
inculcate good
virtues and values
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in the young.
“I thank you from my heart,”
the boy said gratefully.
He wiped a tear; he was
touched emotionally.
”我非常感激你。
“
那小孩感激地说，
同时抹掉眼泪。
Reflections
* Gratitude and Appreciation are very important in
Dhamma practice. The Buddha taught this.
* One who is not grateful can become selfish, self-
centred, greedy and always wanting more and more.
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 Years later, that kind lady
became critically sick.
The local doctors were
lost – they could not
understand it.
很多年后，那好心的妇女病重，当地的医
生都束手无策。
Reflections
* Birth, Ageing, Sickness and Death are inevitable.
* Sickness can come at anytime to every person. This
is inescapable.
* With Dhamma, one can embrace the Dukkha of
Sickness more patiently and peacefully. 10
 They finally sent her
to the big city.
Her rare disease was
studied so carefully.

终于，他们把她送到大城市的医院。医生详细
的检验她那罕见的病情。
Reflections
* What can befall us … when and how … no one knows
* What will be the outcome … no one can be sure. There
may be various factors, one of which, a very important
one, is our Kamma. 11
 For consultation, they called in
Dr. Howard Kelly.
Learning the name of the patient’s
town, his heart beat strangely.
医生们向Dr. H. Kelly 征询医
疗意见。当他听到了病者所
来自的地方时，他有个莫名
其妙的感觉。
Reflections
* With whom we meet, how and why has a cause –
an important one being a Kammic Link.
* A person’s supportive Kamma can help him out of
a precarious situation. 12
Immediately he went to her
room to check and see.
He recognized her at once
as that kind lady.
他即刻赶到她的病房。
一瞧，他便認出了她就
是那个心地善良的妇女。
Reflections
* Unexpected things can happen due to a cause – for
example a Kammic reason.
* The Law of Kamma is basically this: “Good Begets
Good; Bad Begets Bad.”
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 He was determined
to do his best to
save her life.
From that day he
他决定给她最优良的治疗。 tended to her to
自从那一日，他每天照顾 keep her alive.
她以挽救她的生命。
Reflections
* No happening or effect is due to luck or
chance. For every effect there is a cause.
* Good intentional actions bring good effects.
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 After a long struggle, the
battle was won.
Without the Doctor, it could
not have been done .

进过一场长期的奋斗，她终
于战胜病魔。若没有Dr. H.
Kelly,相信这是不可能的事。
Reflections
* Buddhists do not believe that divine saviors come to
resolve our problems.
* It is our good Kamma that bears fruit either in this life
or future lives. 15
 Dr. Kelly asked for the
medical bill
That was meant for the lady
who had been ill.

Dr. Kelly 叫人把女病人

的医药费账單送到他那边。

Reflections
* A person with virtuous character remembers a kindness
shown to him. He is appreciative and grateful. He strives
to repay the kindness he received from another.
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He wrote something on the edge of the bill.
To the lady the bill was then sent, sealed.
他在账单的边缘写了一些字，
然后把账单寄给那妇女。 17
 The lady feared opening the bill to read it.
It’d take the rest of her life to pay every bit.
那妇女很害怕打开账单来看，
她心想一辈子她才能还清医药费。 18
Finally she looked and
something caught her
eye invitingly.
She read, ‘Paid in full
with One Glass Of
Milk’ ….Signed,
Dr. Kelly.
最后她看看账单，看到有几个字特别引起她
的注意力。她跟着字读道，“全部费用已经
以一杯牛奶付清。” 签名， Dr. Kelly.
Reflection
Good mental, verbal or bodily actions will bear their
fruits one day, in this very life or future lives.
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 Tears of joy flooded
her eyes and her
happy heart was
really touched.
她感到万分感动，
双眼流溢着喜悦的泪。

Reflection
Kamma is intentional action. Vipaka is the fruit.
Wise ones build up their storehouse of good
kamma by doing wholesome things. 20
 Kindness, love,
compassion and 我们的确须要
gratitude are values 广行慈爱。
that we must 也懂得有恩必报。
practice much. 21
 The END 结束
May we strive on with
great attention 愿大家勇猛精进
To grow in Wisdom 慈悲为怀，智慧增长
and Compassion !

中文翻译：
With Metta,
Bro. Oh Teik Bin Bro. Lau Bain Sin
Bro. Teh Kee Keang

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