與世界接軌，快樂廚房裡的總廚
Aligning with the
world, the chef in the happy kitchen
Devapriya，二十九歲，美國
Devapriya, 29, USA
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Devapriya於二十一歲時便已成為了一名Renunciate。Devapriya had become a renunciate when she was 21.
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雖然Shakti沒有打算成為Ashram裡的長期住客，不過在西餐廳廚房裡當總廚的美國人Devapriya卻早於十八歲時放棄俗世的一切，居住於Ashram裡，並於二十一歲時成為了Renunciate（放棄世俗生活，於廟宇或Ashram裡生活者，有如佛教中出家的尼姑／僧侶），一轉眼，現年二十九歲的她已在這裡住了逾十年。
Although Shakti
doesn’t consider being a resident in the ashram, the chef in the Western
canteen, Devapriya, 29, from the US had long renunciated everything in the
world at the age of 21 and lived in the ashram since she was 18.
我從零九年第一次來到Ashram，便對Devapriya有深刻印象，因為當年聖誕節時上演的歌舞劇Gospel中，她便是領舞的一員。當時她靈巧和優美地在台上踏步和轉圈的情景，至今我仍歷歷在目。她有著一股看透世情和專注的神情，但她的雙眼也令我想起了柔和的水。
Ever since I came
to the ashram for the first time in 2009, I had a strong impression of
Devapriya. Being the leading dancer in the Christmas opera, Gospel. I still
remember very well of her skillful and elegant steps and turns on the stage. She also had this piercing, focused look. She
reminded me of water too. Her eyes.
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Devapriya曾於Ashram的聖誕歌劇Gospel裡演出。Devapriya had once played a role in the Christmas opera, Gospel.
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自小習舞的Devapriya可算是Ashram裡所有舞蹈表演的主要排舞師。Devapriya started to learn dancing since she was young, so she is basically the main choreographer.
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| Ashram裡的Renunciates、住客和訪客也會一同參與Ashram歌劇的表演。The renunciates, residents and visitors in the ashram all participated in the opera performed in the ashram. |
這天她邀請我到她在主廟頂層的房間進行訪問，我從來沒有來過這個供女性Renunciate居住的區域，拐了一個又一個彎後，我已在那如迷陣般的間隔裡迷路。當我找到她的房間時，已較預約的時間遲了十五分鐘，我不好意思地道歉連連，心裡則十分驚訝這個房間的簡陋和細小。原來在這不足一百呎的房間裡，共住了兩名Renunciate！不過我心裡面十分明白，要能當上一個Renunciate，她／他要過著簡樸的生活，也要慢慢但穩定地切斷塵世的綑綁。
She invited me to
her room at the top floor of the temple to do the interview. As I had never
been to the female renunciate quarters before, making one wrong turn after
another I was lost in this maze. When I finally located her room, I had already
been late by 15minutes. As I repeatedly apologized to her, I realized how
small and bare this room was. I also
found that there were two renunciates living in this smaller than 100 sq
feet room! However, it did dawn on me that in order to be a renunciate, one
has to live a simple life, slowly slowly and steadfastly cutting off one's ties
with the world.
我最好奇的，當然是Devapriya為何在青春少艾之年便決定住在Ashram裡。外表溫柔但眼神堅定的她，聽罷我的問題微微一笑，並向我娓娓道來她十二歲時與Amma相識的有趣一幕。「當時，我母親在一年前便認識了Amma，其後的暑假她便決定帶我前往西雅圖的靜修營中見Amma。在漠視我的反對下，我的母親仍堅持要我去見Amma，故於整段車程裡，我均在哭鬧及憤怒地踢著母親的司機座位。」
The thing which
interested me most was why Devapriya decided to stay in the ashram at such a
young age. After hearing my question, with a gentle but determined look, she
smiled at me and started to tell me the funny story about how she met Amma when
she was 12, ‘My mother had already known Amma for one year, so she decided to
bring me to the retreat in Seattle to see Amma. Regardless of my opposition, my
mother insisted that I come, however, and I ended up spending the entire car
ride to Seattle crying and kicking the back of my mother’s seat.’
她莞爾道：「到達那靜修營後，我已經平靜下來。我從遠處觀看著Amma輪流擁抱著每一個人，心想：『嗯，她似乎是一個友善的女士……還有點點像聖誕老人。』當Amma對我微笑並給予我兩顆Hershey’s kisses朱古力時，我決定她正常的表現已符合我的標準。」
She added with a
smile, ‘Upon arriving at the retreat site, however, I calmed down and began to
observe Amma from afar. “She seemed like a nice enough lady… kind of like Santa
Claus.” When Amma smiled at me and gave me two Hershey’s kisses, I decided that
she was normal enough to pass even my standards.’
之後，Devapriya看了Amma的自傳，由於讀過了Amma的一生，明白到她奉獻了那麼多來幫助他人，故當Amma於同年十一月再來美國時，Devapriay已十分高興能再見到她。她形容這是令她一身難忘的經歷：「我當時在人龍裡，距離Amma只有幾呎之遙，剛巧看到一個年老的女士投進Amma的懷抱。我甫看到她，便將其聯繫上我當時頻繁不止的噩夢中之受害人。她有著我印像中從集中營倖存者的外表，十分瘦弱，要人扶助才能將其搖晃的身體投入Amma懷裡。Amma一看到她，便立即對她傾進無盡的愛──憐愛地掃著她的背和心口，以及輕觸她的頭髮。而這女士則情不自禁地在Amma懷裡嚎啕大哭，當身旁的人要把她從Amma懷裡帶走時，她更捉著Amma的莎麗（印度女性傳統服飾）不放。」
Hereafter,
Devapriya read the biography of Amma and aquainted herself with her life. She
slowly began to see how much she was doing to help others in the world. So by
the time Amma came to America in November, she was more than happy to see her
again. She described this unforgettable experience, ‘When I was just a few feet
away from my own hug, an elderly woman was brought to Amma from the side. As
soon as I saw the woman, I immediately connected her to the victims from my own
nightmares. She had the same appearance I would expect from a
concentration-camp survivor. Thin and frail, she needed several people to help
her shaking body into Amma’s arms. As soon as Amma saw her, she began to pour
love onto the woman: stroking her arms, rubbing her chest, caressing her hair,
the woman began weeping and murmuring to Amma. When Amma finally turned to hug
the next person, the woman caught hold of Amma’s sari and refused to let it
go.’
雖然當時Devapriya只有十二歲，但看到此情此景的她卻忍不住落下淚來。那一刻，她明白到Amma就是那一位能為世人治癒心靈傷痛的人。到Amma把她擁入懷裡時，Amma如出一轍地以那股相同的愛為她抹去面上的淚水。
Although Devapriya
was only 12, witnessing this entire scene, she burst into tears. In that moment
she realized that Amma was someone who could truly heal such wounds. A few
minutes later, when she received her own hug, and with equal love, Amma wiped
away Devapriya’s tears just as she had the elderly woman’s.
從此而後，Devapriya的生命已變得不一樣。她說：「此次經歷之前，我也只不過是一個普通的年青人，關心的只是逛街購物、朋友、學校和化妝等。可是慢慢地Amma的照片便取代了李安納度迪卡比奧的海報；Amma的Bhajans亦取代了Backstreet
Boys的流行曲。」她亦開始時常心唸Mantra（經文或祈禱文）及於睡前打坐。
From that point
on, Devapriya had a transformation. She said, ‘Before this experience, I
was just a usual teenager who only cared about shopping, friends, schools and
make up etc. Gradually, Amma’s photos replaced the posters of Leonardo Dicaprio
on my wall, my music changed from “Backstreet Boys” to bhajans.’ She then also
started to chant her mantra and do meditation before bed.
因此高中畢業後，Devapriya很自然地搬到了印度的Ashram居住，並於三年後成為了Renunciate。
Naturally after
high school graduation, Devapriya moved to the ashram in India and she became a
renunciate after three years.
這逾十年的Ashram生活在她的修行路上帶來了甚麼轉變呢？她認真地考慮了一遍後說：「最初來Ashram生活，是為了更接近Amma，以獲得更多她的愛。但漸漸地，我希望能夠如她一樣，跟隨她的教導，更多為他人著想。在Ashram裡除了能訓練我內在的力量，我也希望能為這裡的慈善服務出一分力，在做Seva的同時，我也希望能發展我的慈悲心，奉獻自己更多，並為世人去除痛苦。」
What kind of
transformation did she get on her spiritual journey after these 10 years of
ashram’s life? She thought deeply and said, ‘First, we came to the ashram
because we wanted to get love from Amma. But gradually, I become wanting to be
like her, follow her example, and thinking of other people first. Ashram is
like a training of my inner strength. I would like to help the charitable
projects here. While I am doing Seva, I try to develop qualities like
compassion, give more about myself, and to remove the suffering of the world.’
當然在Ashram裡生活會面對很多挑戰，Devapriya表示，之前會覺得自己很好人、有耐性、有紀律和謙卑。但甫住進Ashram裡，自己的缺點便顯露無遺，她舉例說：「打坐令我更加煩躁、祈禱減底我的虔誠、與其他人工作時令我更懶惰、更沒有耐性和更急躁。」
There are certainly
lots of challenges in the ashram, Devapriya said at first she thought of
herself as a nice, patient, disciplined and humble person. But once she started
to live in the ashram, all her negativities were effortlessly pouring out, she said, ‘Meditation made me more restless;
prayers reduced my devotion; working with others made me lazier, more impatient
and more restless.’
在廚房工作的她，敍述了數年前一件令她印象十分深刻的事件：「某年十二月的某天，一切也像出軌的火車一樣一塌湖塗：我與切菜的人發生爭吵、第一次煮的米粉卻因時間和油均用罄而變成了『薯蓉』、廚房的人也各自因不同事件而在爭執。到晚上十時半我終於完成工作，癱瘓地坐在廚房裡，我當時極度毛躁，更不禁罵：『這些人怎麼吃得那麼多！』我完全忘記了自己身處Ashram，而把廚食一職當作是一項苦差。」
She recalled an
incident when she was working in the kitchen a few years ago, ‘One day in
December while working in the kitchen, everything seemed to go wrong. I started
out by getting into a huge argument with the veggie choppers. I then tried to
cook rice noodles for the very first time, but ran out of both time and oil and
it became like “Mashed potatoes”. Everyone else seemed to feel the same way,
for as I looked around the kitchen, I saw several arguments going on
simultaneously. At 10:30pm, I sat down, exhausted. I was fed up and so
irritated, “Why people had to eat so much food!” In my mind, I was barely even
aware that I was in Amma’s ashram. I only saw the kitchen as a place of duty,
and the cooking as a difficult job.
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| 由於Ashram住客和訪客眾多，因此Devapriya每日煮的也是「大穫飯」。As there are many residents and visitors in the ashram, so Devapriay has to cook a very big pot of food everyday. |
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身為西餐廳的總廚，Devapriya經常需要與切菜者合作。As a chef in the Western canteen, Devapriay always has to work with veggie choppers.
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就在她暗自埋怨的當下，突然有人喊：「Amma!」原來Amma在旁邊的醫院探訪完病人後，順道來廚房視察。只見Amma笑意盈盈地出現在門口，她徐徐走進廚房走走看看，一把拿了放在桌上的花生吃，戲弄了數個人便離去。
Suddenly, someone
shouted, “Amma!” In fact, Amma had left her room to visit someone in the
hospital, and on her way back, stopped in the kitchen. I looked up and saw Amma
standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She walked inside, smiled at everyone,
and began to look around. On the table there was a bowl of peanuts, so Amma
grabbed a handful, teased a few people, and then walked out the other door.
頃刻間，廚房的氣氛來了一個一百八十度轉變，本來在爭吵的人早已不計前嫌，興奮地討論著剛才發生的事，更把Amma剛剛吃剩的花生傳遞分享。Devapriya亦突然醒悟：「這不是單純的一份工作，我住在Amma的Ashram裡，服務的對象均是Amma來自全球各地的兒女！」翌日，她以前所未有的精力和熱誠在廚房裡工作，她深深感受到，雖然外在的環境沒有改變，但Amma一個小小的舉動卻完全改變了她的內在態度。
In that brief
moment, everything inside the kitchen changed. The people who had been fighting
just a moment before began laughing and talking excitedly, sharing the
remaining peanuts with each other. My gratitude caused me to remember that, ‘I
was living with Amma, and feeding her children from all over the world.’ The
next day she felt so much energy and enthusiasm while cooking, and continually
reflected that although externally the situation was exactly the same, in that
brief moment Amma had helped her shift her inner attitude.
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| Devapriya在Ashram裡學懂裡以愛烹調。Devapriya learnt to cook with love in the ashram. |
有人可能會覺得成為Renunciate的人自私，因為他們只顧自己修行和進度。不過Devapriya引述Amma的教導指：「Amma曾說，若一個人能持續其修行並獲得進步，他已令世界受惠。再者，Amma從來不容許我們只顧自己修行，相反地，她總要求我們要面對世界，並與Ashram外的人一樣努力工作，為世界作出最大貢獻。」
Some people may
hold an attitude that being a renunciate is selfish, because they only care
about their own spiritual practices and progress. On the contrary, Devapriya
replied, ‘Amma says, if a person do their practices and advance, they have
already benefited the world. Moreover, Amma taught us that we should not only
care about our own spiritual practices, we should also face the world, work
hard like everyone outside the ashram, so as to serve the world.’
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Devapriya 和Chaitanya同樣也是Ashram裡的Renunciates，她負責西餐廳，後者則負責西式café。 Devapriya and Chaitanya are both renunicates in the ashram, while she responsibles for the Western canteen, Chaitanya responsible for the Westen café.
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事實上，這世上雖然有人住在靈性的社區，但他們的行為卻與靈修的本質背道而馳；相反，有人生活在俗世裡，卻在對身邊人給予愛和慈悲心。所以，其實「入世」或「出世」也無關重要。最重要是無論我們在哪裡，我們的心也能朝著那團代表最高真理和愛的永恆火焰。
There are people
living in a spiritual community, but behaving quite contrary to the essence of
spirituality; there are also people living in the world, but practicing love
and compassion with people around them. Actually, living in or out of the world
doesn’t matter, but wherever we are, our hearts should turn towards the supreme,
that eternal flame of truth and love.
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Amma曾著Devapriya在美國的擁抱大會中演講，讓她與所有人分享修行的經驗。Amma sometimes asked Devapriya to deliver speeches in hugging programs in the US, so as to share her experiences in spirituality.
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