纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 041无量寿佛坐像(2)

All religions have to confront the key question-how can the infinite, the boundless¹, be apprehended²? How can we, humans, draw near to the other, God? Some aim to achieve it through chanting, some through words alone, but most faiths have found images useful to focus human attention on the divine. In this week's programmes, I'll be looking at how, a little under two thousand years ago, great religions used the visual as a route to prayer. Is it more than an extraordinary coincidence that at about the same moment Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism³ all start showing Christ, Hindu gods and the Buddha⁴ in human form? Coincidence or not, all three religions established then artistic⁵ conventions which are still very much alive today.

所有宗教都需要面对一个关键问题，即如何理解永恒与无限，人类又如何亲近神？有的宗教采用了吟诵的方式，有的则完全依赖文字，大部分宗教都认识到，神像能让凡人感受神的力量。本期节目当中，我会带领大家了解了解2000多年前伟大宗教对朝圣者的意义所在。在大约两千年前，几大宗教都开始用神像来传道。基督教、佛教和印度教几乎在同一时期采用人类的形象来表现本教神灵。这难道仅仅是巧合？不管真相如何，三大宗教都在这一时期创造出了流传至今神的形象。

Around 1,800 years ago, Buddhism had already been in existence for centuries. The historical Buddha was a prince of the Ganges region in North India in the fifth century BC, who abandoned his royal life to become a wandering ascetic⁶, wanting to comprehend and therefore to overcome the roots of human suffering. After many experiences he finally sat under a pipal tree and meditated⁷ without moving for 49 days until, at last, he achieved enlightenment-freedom from greed, hate, and delusion⁸. At this moment, he became the Buddha-the "Enlightened" or the "Awakened⁹ One". He passed on his dharma (his way, his teaching) to monks¹⁰ and to missionaries¹¹ who eventually travelled across the vast expanses of Asia. As the Buddhist¹² message spread north, it passed into the region known as Gandhara, the area in what is now north-eastern Pakistan, around Peshawar, in the foothills of the Himalayas.

188年前，彼时佛教已经存在了数百年。据佛教文献记载，佛陀曾是公元前15世纪北印度迦毗罗卫国的一位王子，他放弃了王族生活，成为一名苦行僧，想参透人生的苦痛与无常，助人脱离苦海。在漫长的苦行生活之后，他在一棵菩提树下打坐，悟道49天后终于开悟，脱离了人生的贪、嗔、痴。从那一刻起，他便成了佛陀，意为“觉者”或“悟者”。 他向僧侣传授自己的佛法，僧侣们再将其传向亚洲各地。佛法在向北传播的途中来到了今巴基斯坦东北部的犍陀罗，即喜马拉雅山山脚的白沙瓦附近。

1 boundless   

adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的

参考例句：

• The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。
• His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。

2 apprehended   

逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解

参考例句：

• She apprehended the complicated law very quickly. 她很快理解了复杂的法律。
• The police apprehended the criminal. 警察逮捕了罪犯。

3 Buddhism   

n.佛教（教义）

参考例句：

• Buddhism was introduced into China about 67 AD.佛教是在公元67年左右传入中国的。
• Many people willingly converted to Buddhism.很多人情愿皈依佛教。

4 Buddha   

n.佛；佛像；佛陀

参考例句：

• Several women knelt down before the statue of Buddha and prayed.几个妇女跪在佛像前祈祷。
• He has kept the figure of Buddha for luck.为了图吉利他一直保存着这尊佛像。

5 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

6 ascetic   

adj.禁欲的；严肃的

参考例句：

• The hermit followed an ascetic life-style.这个隐士过的是苦行生活。
• This is achieved by strict celibacy and ascetic practices.这要通过严厉的独身生活和禁欲修行而达到。

7 meditated   

深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑

参考例句：

• He meditated for two days before giving his answer. 他在作出答复之前考虑了两天。
• She meditated for 2 days before giving her answer. 她考虑了两天才答复。

8 delusion   

n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑

参考例句：

• He is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.他患了妄想症，认为自己是拿破仑。
• I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.我误认为他要娶我。

9 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 missionaries   

n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时，从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。