★ 本書獲美國亞馬遜 4.5顆星評價!「施予是必要的,但更要知道如何施予。」"It Is Necessary to Give. It Is More Necessary to Know How."我們常常在思考人行善或作惡的緣由,卻往往百思不得其解,儘管其中有幾個顯而易見的理由,例如罪惡感、自責、害怕杜會責難、宗教導引,甚或是對於最終審判的恐懼,但為什麼有些人就算天塌了也難有什麼慈善作為,有些人看到遊民接近時卻會主動掏出錢來?是什麼樣的施予滿足了那些施予者的需求?那樣施予的需求又是從何而來的?其間有何法則呢?將近一千年以前,偉大的哲學家及醫師麥摩尼地斯(Maimonides),亦即希伯來人所知的藍邦(Rambam),藉由思考「公義」這個問題,而從中領悟出「慈悲之梯」(The Ladder of Giving,又名 The Ladder of Charity)。【麥摩尼地斯的八級階梯】(The Ladder of Giving / Charity)麥摩尼地斯的八級階梯是由頂端最高階段的施予開始寫起,一路寫下來,從理想到現實,各階段主題為「勉強」、「比例」、「懇求」、「羞愧」、「界限」、「腐敗」、「匿名」、「責任」;最低階是屬於吝嗇的施予者,頂點則屬於能幫助窮人自給自足的施予者。◆ 第一階 勉強:吝嗇地施予(Reluctance: To give begrudgingly)◆ 第二階 比例:不是很適當地施予給窮人,但卻樂意這麼做(Proportion: To give less to the poor than is proper, but to do so cheerfully)◆ 第三階 懇求:窮人請求後才給他們錢(Solicitation: To hand money to the poor after being asked)◆ 第四階 羞愧:在窮人請求前就給他們錢,但是冒著讓接受者覺得羞愧的風險(Shame: To hand money to the poor before being asked, but risk making the recipient feel shame)◆ 第五階 界限:施予給你並不認識的人,但讓他們知道你的名字(Boundaries: To give to someone you don't know, but allo
《明心寶鑑》抄譯本收藏於西班牙馬德里國家圖書館,此書是十四世紀以來流行於東亞各地的書籍,為童蒙用書與善書,內容抄撮各種書籍中的嘉言警語,作為修身、行世之用。十六世紀下半葉閩南人至馬尼拉經商、住居,亦將此類日用書籍帶至馬尼拉。《明心寶鑑》抄譯本由西班牙道明會傳教士嗃呣𠿢(Juan Cobo)與馬尼拉唐人合作抄譯,約完成於1590年前後,具體呈現大航海時代閩南人與西班牙語世界的交流過程與成果,為人類「世界記憶」(Memory of the World)的重要資產。The translated transcription of the Beng Sim Po Cam was a collection of the Biblioteca Nacional de España in Madrid. A popular book that had been circulating in East Asia since the fourteenth century, it was used for children's enlightenment and moral guidance. It collected proverbs and warnings from various texts which were meant to cultivate moral character and advise on choices in life. When Hokkien people arrived in Manila in late sixteenth century for trade and settlement, they also brought books of daily use like this one to Manila. The translated transcription of the Beng Sim Po Cam was transcribed by Spanish Dominican missionary Juan Cobo with help from Chinese in Manila. It was completed around 1590, and it definitely presented the process and achi