Self-Worth, Balance, and True Wealth

本週重點

Overview

💬 English Goal

英文目標

Use comparative adjectives (richer than, more important than) to compare and judge what truly matters, and build self-affirmations with “I am…”. Learn the vocabulary of value: self-worth, freedom, balance, humility, resilience.

🪷 Spiritual Goal

佛學／心靈目標

Understand Right Thought (Sammā Saṅkappa) as choosing wholesome, kind thinking — including Self-Mettā, loving-kindness toward ourselves. Apply balance (Penhun 平衡) and the Middle Path, knowing wealth is a tool for serving others, not a goal.

單字 Vocabulary

點 🔊 聽發音

聽、跟著念、大聲說三次。

self-worth(n.)	自我價值
important(adj.)	重要的
freedom(n.)	自由
balance(n.)	平衡
material wealth(n.)	物質財富
humility(n.)	謙卑
resilience(n.)	韌性

句型 Sentence Patterns

Key Patterns

Pattern 1 · Comparing two things

A is ___-er than B.

A calm heart is richer than gold.

Friendship is happier than money.

Working hard is better than being lazy.

Pattern 2 · Comparing with “more … than”

A is more ___ than B.

Love is more important than money.

Kindness is more valuable than gold.

Pattern 3 · Self-affirmations

I am ___.

I matter. I am important.

I am worthy of kindness.

✏️ Grammar Focus · Comparative adjectives

To compare two things, we use the comparative form plus than. For short words, add -er: rich → richer · happy → happier · hard → harder. For longer words, use more before the adjective: important → more important · valuable → more valuable. A few are irregular: good → better · bad → worse. Right Thought uses comparison to see what truly matters.

故事 The Story

Story

Imagine two neighbors （兩位鄰居）. One has a large house full of gold, but he worries all night and never smiles. The other has a small house and little money, yet he sleeps in peace, shares his food, and laughs with his friends. Who is truly rich?

The Buddha taught that material wealth is only a tool — useful for helping others, but not the goal of life. The deepest wealth is a calm and kind heart. This is the Middle Path （中道） and balance (Penhun 平衡): we are not greedy, and we are not lazy. We work hard, and we also rest.

There is one more person we must remember to love — ourselves. Self-Mettā （對自己的慈悲） means turning loving-kindness inward. When a worried thought says “I am not good enough,” Right Thought answers gently: “I matter. I am more resilient than my worry. My value is greater than my mistakes.”

🤔 Check your understanding

Which neighbor is truly rich, and why? 哪位鄰居真正富有？為什麼？
What does “balance (Penhun)” mean in daily life? 「平衡」在日常生活中是什麼意思？
What is one kind thing you can say to yourself? 你可以對自己說一句什麼善意的話？

佛法小品 The Principle

Principle

🌟 Right Thought, the Middle Way 中道的正思惟

Right Thought (Sammā Saṅkappa) means choosing thoughts of kindness, generosity, and non-harming — and that kindness includes ourselves. When negative self-talk appears, we do not fight it with more cruelty; we replace it with a true, gentle thought. To know our own worth is not arrogance (傲慢), and it is not low self-esteem either. It is the balance of the Middle Path: humble, kind, and quietly sure that we matter.

練習 Practice

Homework

Write in your journal every day this week. Each day, compare two values with a comparative adjective, and write a kind affirmation to yourself. Choose the tier that fits you. 每天比較兩種價值觀，並寫下一句對自己的肯定語。

Beginner 入門

1 comparison + 1 affirmation

Ages 5–8 · new learners

Write 1 comparison using a simple comparative (better, happier) and 1 affirmation using “I am…”.

ExampleA calm heart is better than a busy mind. I am important.

Intermediate 中級

2 comparisons + 2 affirmations

Ages 9–12 · developing fluency

Write 2 comparisons with two different forms (more important, harder), comparing spiritual and material value, and 2 affirmations that say why you matter.

ExampleKindness is more important than money. Working hard is better than being lazy. I am a good person because I am honest. I am important to my family.

Advanced 進階

3–4 comparisons + 3 affirmations

Ages 13–16 · fluent speakers

Write 3–4 comparisons using complex structures to analyze the Middle Path or balance (Penhun), and 3 affirmations on how you use Right Thought to overcome anxiety or negative self-talk.

ExampleLiving in humility is wiser than showing arrogance. Finding balance is harder than going to the extremes, but it provides more peace. When I feel anxiety, I remind myself, “I am more resilient than my worry.”

小考 Mini Quiz

Check Yourself

選出最適合的答案，點選後會看到解析。

Question 1 of 10

Which word means “自我價值 / how much we value ourselves”?

Correct: C. Self-worth (自我價值) is knowing that we matter. Humility = 謙卑; freedom = 自由.

Question 2 of 10

Choose the correct comparative form of rich .

Correct: A. Short adjectives add -er: rich → richer. We never say “more rich” or “more richer.”

Question 3 of 10

Complete the comparison: “Love is ___ money.”

Correct: D. Long adjectives use more … than: “Love is more important than money.”

Question 4 of 10

Which sentence is a kind affirmation about yourself?

Correct: B. An affirmation is a true, kind “I am…” sentence. “I am worthy of kindness” practices Self-Mettā.

Question 5 of 10

In this lesson, who is truly rich ?

Correct: C. True wealth is a calm, kind heart — not gold. Material wealth is only a tool for helping others.

Question 6 of 10

“Balance (Penhun 平衡)” on the Middle Path means…

Correct: A. Balance avoids the extremes — we work hard and we rest, neither greedy nor lazy.

Question 7 of 10

Which word means “謙卑 / not arrogant or proud”?

Correct: D. Humility = 謙卑. Resilience = 韌性; freedom = 自由.

Question 8 of 10

Self-Mettā (對自己的慈悲) means…

Correct: B. Self-Mettā extends loving-kindness inward — being gentle and kind to yourself, not just others.

Question 9 of 10

Which is the correct comparative of good ?

Correct: C. Good is irregular: good → better. “Working hard is better than being lazy.”

Question 10 of 10

When a worried thought says “I am not good enough,” Right Thought answers…

Correct: A. Right Thought replaces cruel self-talk with a true, gentle thought: my value is greater than my mistakes.

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