世界小史 第97期:摆脱苦难

 　　Suddenly he realized what he had been seeking all those years.

　　他突然意识到他在这些年里寻找的是什么。

　　It was as if an inner light had made everything clear.

　　这就像一种内心的光亮，使一切清晰起来。

　　Now, as the 'Enlightened One', the Buddha¹, he went out to proclaim his discovery to all men.

　　所以他现在便是“觉者”，是释迦牟尼，于是他去向所有人宣告他的重大发现。

　　It wasn't long before he found like-minded people who were soon convinced that he had found a way out of human suffering.

　　不多久他发现有相同想法的人马上就相信他找到了人类摆脱苦难的方法。

　　And because these followers² admired the Buddha, they formed what we would call an 'order' of monks³ and nuns⁴.

　　因为这些人信徒尊崇释迦摩尼，他们形成了我们称为“圣职”的和尚和尼姑。

　　This order lived on after his death, and still exists today in many Eastern countries.

　　在他死后这一圣职延续下来，今天在许多东方国家仍然存在。

　　You can recognize its members by their yellow robes and their austere⁵ way of life.

　　你可以从黄色的僧袍和他们苦行的生活方式上认出他们。

　　I imagine that you'd like to know exactly what happened to Gautama,我想你一定会很想知道，在乔答摩坐在那棵无花果树下时他到底发生了什么,as he sat under that fig⁶ tree – the Tree of Enlightenment, as it became known – that took away his doubts and brought him inner peace.

　　觉者的树，它被人所知——这个树让他摆脱了疑惑，带给他内心的平静。

　　But if you want me to try and explain it, you will have to do some hard thinking too.

　　但如果你要我给你解释一下，那么你也得花一番功夫思考，After all, Gautama spent six whole years thinking about this and nothing else.

　　毕竟乔答摩整整六年只思考了这一个问题。

 

1 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。

2 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

3 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》

4 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句

5 austere   

adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的

参考例句：

• His way of life is rather austere.他的生活方式相当简朴。
• The room was furnished in austere style.这间屋子的陈设都很简单朴素。

6 fig   

n.无花果(树)

参考例句：

• The doctor finished the fig he had been eating and selected another.这位医生吃完了嘴里的无花果，又挑了一个。
• You can't find a person who doesn't know fig in the United States.你找不到任何一个在美国的人不知道无花果的。