BBC.佛教世界的七大奇观

这场生灵涂炭的
this debilitating conflict
印度教泰米尔少数民族与人口占多数的
between the Hindu Tamil minority
佛教僧伽罗民族之间的冲突中复苏
and a Buddhist Singhalese majority.
在战争期间 佛牙寺
The Temple of the Tooth was badly hit
遭遇严重破坏 并部分被毁
and partially destroyed during the war.
现在它已被完全复原
It has now been fully restored.
佛教♥徒♥相信
Buddhists believe this cycle of
这种死亡与毁灭的循环能够被打破
death and destruction can be broken.
他们主张通过遵循特定的方法 就有可能
They assert that by following a certain path, it's possible
打破生与死以及重生的无穷无尽循环
to break out of a continuous round of life and death and rebirth,
在佛教中这种循环有一个名字
which in Buddhism has a name.
轮回
Samsara.
在向佛教世界的下一个奇观进发时
And Samsara is the concept I am going to investigate now
我将要探究轮回这个概念
as I move to the next wonder of the Buddhist world.
佛教思想在斯里兰卡盛行起来后
Once Buddhist ideas had flourished in Sri Lanka,
斯里兰卡的国王们派遣使者
Sri Lankan monarchs sent emissaries to
至邻近的东南亚王国传播佛教教义
adjoining kingdoms in southeast Asia to carry the Buddhist message.
印度 孟买♥♥
斯里兰卡 康提
至十一世纪
By the 11th century,
小乘佛教在泰国已经颇具规模
Theravadin Buddhism was well established in Thailand
泰国 曼谷
柬埔寨
在曼谷几乎九♥成♥泰国人都是佛教♥徒♥
and here in Bangkok, close on 90% of Thais are now Buddhist.
佛教之所以能在这里如此蓬勃兴盛
The reason that Buddhism has thrived so vigorously
绵延不断的原因在于从最初开始
and tenaciously here is because right from its very outset,
它就得到了泰国国王的支持
it's had the support of the Thai kings.
这里的国王自身能立志成佛
A king here can aspire to be a Buddha himself
事实上有一位国王在登基前
and there is one king who was actually a monk for 25 years
做了二十五年的僧人
before he came to the throne.
每次王室为自己建造新的宫殿时
Every time the royal family builds a new palace for itself,
都会在隔壁建造一座寺院和一系列庙宇群
it will also constructs next door a monastery and a temple complex
以彰显其自身的正统地位
as a kind of outward sign of its righteousness
以及对佛事的热忱
and commitment to the Buddhist cause.
在曼谷此地
And here in Bangkok,
这座庙宇群绝对能配得上国王之尊
the temple complex is certainly fit for a king.
这里是卧佛寺
This is Wat Pho,
泰国 曼谷
卧佛寺
是我们拜访的下一个佛教奇观
our next wonder of the Buddhist world.
这里是曼谷规模最大也最古老的庙宇群
It's the largest and oldest temple complex in Bangkok.
这里陈列着超过一千座佛像
It's home to more than 1,000 Buddha images.
这座庙宇群包含一座寺庙
The complex includes a temple,
一间仍在运行的寺院和一片大型庭院
a working monastery and a large courtyard
这里坐落着许多佛塔
with a forest of stupas,
上面绘满了精美绝伦的手工莲花图案
thick with exquisite hand-made lotus motifs.
隐藏在它宏伟大殿中的
And hidden within its own palatial hall...
是黄金卧佛
the golden reclining Buddha.
金卧佛长四十三米
The gold Buddha is 141 feet long
高十五米
and 49 feet high.
它自1788年开始建造 耗时超过五年
Started in 1788, it took over five years to build.
这是我见过的最精美绝伦和令人称奇的
This is one of the most stunning, gobsmacking works
纪念性艺术作品
of monumental art I have ever seen.
我必须要说我喜欢它的大胆
I have to say I love its audacity,
我喜欢它所展现出的
I love the fact that it says,
"瞧瞧我 瞧瞧人类能利用原材料
"Look at me, look at what mankind can do
创造出多么美妙的作品"
when he manipulates raw materials to create a thing of beauty",
因为这座卧佛用到了数千片珍珠母贝
because here there are thousands of fragments of mother-of-pearl used
和一百五十三片金箔
and a 153 plates of gold.
但对我来说 它看起来
But what it doesn't seem to me to say
并不太符合中道
is that this is an incarnation of the Middle Path,
在这个极其重要的佛教概念中
that essential Buddhist notion
人们应当竭尽全力保持不偏不倚
that extremes and excesses should be avoided at all costs
而这毫无疑问是一尊奢侈的造物
because there is no doubt that this is a thing of opulence.
它气势恢宏 华丽不凡
It's enormous, it's gorgeous
并且赏心悦目
and it's very sensuous.
泰国历史上
In history of Thailand, there are a lot of
曾在中部地区各处
large-scale reclining Buddhas
迪纳尔·布尚恩博士
朱拉隆功大学
建造了许多大型卧佛像
built all over central part of Thailand,
因为建造一座卧佛像
because to build a reclining Buddha,
并不是个容易的过程
it's not a very easy process
因为大多数卧佛像
because most of the reclining Buddha
不是整体铸造而成的
is not made from casting.
它是由砖块 石膏 或水泥制成
It's made from bricks, plaster, or cement.
它被认为是尊贵无比的佛像
It's considered very respectful image,
所以必须由十分贵重的材料来装饰
so it must be decorated with very valuable materials
当然 能用来装饰佛像的
and, of course, the most valuable materials
最贵重的材料就是黄金
for decorating the image of Lord Buddha should be gold.
黄金在佛教中象征着太阳或火焰
Gold in Buddhism symbolizes the sun, or fire.
这种最贵重的金属通过它与苏里耶
The most valuable of metals, it is accorded a sacred status
即印度教诸神中的太阳神间的联♥系♥
through its association with Surya,
被赋予了神圣的地位
the sun god of the Hindu pantheon.
对于泰国和其它南亚国家的佛教♥徒♥
For Buddhists in Thailand, and other South Asian countries,
黄金是一种表示敬意的物质
gold is an element that signifies homage.
黄金的献礼是人虔心的终极体现
A gift of gold is the ultimate demonstration of one's piety.
将金箔覆盖于佛像皮肤的表面
The meritorious act of putting gold leaf
这种有功善行
on the surface of a Buddha's skin
罗伯特·瑟曼
哥伦比亚大学
佛教研究教授
是为了模拟在世神佛
is to commemorate the living Buddha,
他们相信在世佛陀周身辐射着金色佛光
who had a kind of golden-like aura, a radiance, they believe.
但泰国国王们也利用黄金
But gold and its association with wealth and might
和它与财富及权力间的联♥系♥
is also the way that Thai monarchs have used a showy form of piety
以这种华丽的礼佛方式将佛教思想
to forge a strong relationship between Buddha's ideas
与国家权威连结在一起
and the power of the state.
十九世纪中叶
It was King Rama III
国王拉玛三世在他统治的鼎盛时期
who had the statue of the reclining Buddha opulently restored
华丽重修了这尊卧佛像
at the height of his reign in the mid-19th century.
这叫做狮卧式
It's called the Lion Pose,
理查德·贡布里希
牛津大学
梵文波顿教授
当他准备死亡时 以狮卧式躺在那里
so, as he lay there in the lion pose as he was preparing to die.
据描绘的情形是他向右边躺下
It's described that he lay down on his right side
他的头枕在自己的右手上
and he rested his head on his right hand.
这座佛像拥有如此安详的微笑是有原因的
There is a reason that this Buddha has got such a serene smile.
这是因为他达到了觉悟的境界 涅槃
It's because he has achieved enlightenment, Nirvana.
意味着他脱离了佛教♥徒♥所说的轮回
It means that he has escaped what Buddhists call Samsara,
从此超脱生死循环
an endless cycle of life, of birth and death,
摆脱欲心妄念
of passion and desire and delusion,
这些只会给人带来痛苦和磨难
that can only lead to pain and suffering.
轮回实际上是出生和重生的循环
Samsara effectively constitutes a cycle of birth and re-birth,
只要我们身处轮回中 我们就会无数次重生
and as long as we are in Samsara we are re-born innumerable times
在肉身之中辗转
and moving from one existence to the next.
乌尔里奇·帕格尔博士
伦敦大学东方与非洲研究学院
我们可以重生为人或神
We can be re-born as a human being, as a divinity,
你也可能重生为动物等等
or you can be re-born as an animal, etc.
告诉我你觉得轮回是什么
Tell me what you think Samsara is?
我认为这不只是肉体上的变化
For me it's not just a physical picture
詹·芭东
在出生 成长和死去的循坏中的转化
of, you know, the circle of being born and ageing and dying,
我认为这跟我们的精神状态也有关系
for me it has something to do with the state of mind as well.
你必须要处理
That you have to deal
当你身处困境时的不良情绪
with your bad emotions if you have problems,
你在遭受苦难 感到沮丧
you're suffering, you have... feel frustrated,
你不知道该怎么办
you don't know how to deal with it,
但这只是人生苦难的冰山一角
but this is just a small sample of bad things that happen to you,
坚持不懈地前进
just keep go on and on and on,
你会找到真正的安宁或幸福
you can find a real peace or happiness.
生命之轮在佛教中是很常见的图画象征
The wheel of life is a common visual depiction in Buddhism.
佛陀开始传道时
At the time Buddha started to teach,
很多人认为生命是个永恒的循环
many understood life as a relentless cycle,
所有人都会出生 变老
where all were born, grew old,
死去 在来世中重生
died and were re-born in another life.
这是个永恒的困境 永远无法解脱