Imagine a great web （一張大網） stretched across the whole world. At every knot of the web there is a person, an animal, a tree. The threads connect them all. When one thread is pulled, every other thread feels the gentle tug. Nothing in the web is truly alone.
想像有一張巨大的「網（web）」（一張大網）橫跨整個世界。在網的每一個結點上，都有一個人、一隻動物、一棵樹。線把他們全部連在一起。當一條線被拉動時，其他每一條線都會感受到那輕輕的牽動。網中沒有任何東西是真正孤單的。
One day a child was unkind to another child — she said mean words and made him cry. But the web was connected, so the unkindness traveled along the threads. The first child felt heavy and unhappy too, because hurting others is hurting ourselves （傷害他人就是傷害自己）.
有一天，一個孩子對另一個孩子不友善——她說了「刻薄（mean）」的話，把他弄哭了。但因為這張網是相連的，所以這份不友善沿著線傳了出去。第一個孩子也覺得心裡沉甸甸、不開心，因為「傷害他人就是傷害自己」（傷害他人就是傷害自己）。
The next day she chose differently. She helped her friend, shared her food, and was gentle with the class cat. This time kindness traveled along the threads, and warmth came back to her own heart. We all eat, sleep, and wish to be happy — we are made of the same needs. When we care for any being, we care for the whole web, and for ourselves. That is the meaning of interconnectedness.
隔天她做了不一樣的選擇。她幫助朋友、分享食物，並溫柔地對待班上的貓。這一次，「善意（kindness）」沿著線傳了出去，溫暖也回到了她自己的心裡。我們都會吃飯、睡覺，都希望快樂——我們是由同樣的需求組成的。當我們關懷任何一個眾生時，我們就是在關懷整張網，也是在關懷自己。這就是「緣起（interconnectedness）」的意義。