VOA标准英语2010年-For Buddhists, San Francisco Offers Ma

Situated¹ on the West Coast of the United States, the city of San Francisco has long been home to many generations of Asians who immigrated² to the United States.  In a lot of cases, they are Buddhists⁴, but since they are from a variety of cultures and countries, the way they practice Buddhism⁵ also varies. 

At an intersection⁶ in San Francisco, not far from the city's Japantown, two buildings provide an interesting contrast. One is a Catholic church designed in a Japanese style to attract Japanese-American worshippers.  Across the road sits a Western-style building that appears inside and out much like a church but is actually a Buddhist³ temple. Ron Kobata, the Japanese-American resident minister, wears a robe much like a Christian⁷ minister would, but he does not pray to God.  He prays to Buddha⁸.

 

"The acculturation took place to adopt some of the customs of, perhaps you can say, the Judeo-Christian tradition," said Kobata.  "For example, the regular church services on Sundays, and introducing pews into the temple."

Kobata is a monk⁹ from the school of Shin Buddhism, which originated in Japan some 800 years ago. It arrived in San Francisco a little more than 100 years ago, in 1898, under the title Buddhist Churches of America, a name chosen so the monks¹⁰ could blend in more easily in a predominantly Christian country.

"The leadership at that time decided¹¹ to adopt that term so as to become less alien," he added.  "So there was an effort to become more cultivated to this country."

During World War II many Japanese-Americans were rounded up into detention¹² camps and nearly all San Francisco's Shin Buddhist temples were abandoned. Today, however, this school of Buddhism is rapidly expanding and has a presence in many parts of the United States.

From Japantown to Chinatown and the Tien Hau Temple, Chinese immigrants in San Francisco first established this Temple in 1852.  It was moved to its present location, also in Chinatown, in 1910.  It is dedicated¹³ to the Goddess of Heaven and Sea, Tien Hau, also referred to as Mazu.

"Mazu is the goddess of the sea. Since the Chinese came here on boats, they wanted to be blessed and protected by her.  So they invited her to San Francisco," said temple volunteer Susan Lau.

This is the oldest Buddhist temple in all of San Francisco. It has no monks or nuns¹⁴: it only has Susan, who keeps up its day-to-day operations.

"We all love this very old, traditional temple," she added.  "I always feel comfortable here because I love the temple so much."

The temple has become one of San Francisco's tourist attractions.

One French Catholic family came with a purpose.

"We want to [have] good fortune," said the father. "That's why we came here."

They have come to visit the God of Fortune, whose statue sits in one corner of the temple. He seems to have a lot more incense¹⁵ sticks offered in front of him than the other gods. In Buddhism, incense sticks are burned as offerings to gods.

More recent Asian immigrants, such as those from Thailand, have brought their own versions of Buddhism.  A building near San Francisco's Golden Gate Park has been converted into a temple named Wat San Fran Dhammaram.  The temple was established in 2002, and today has more than 600 worshippers, most of whom are ethnic¹⁶ Thai.  Seven monks and five nuns live here.

"I enjoy it a lot. If I had known that the life of a monk is like this, I would want to be ordained¹⁷ a long time ago," said Phra Anandapanyo who has been a monk at the temple for less than a year.

For many Thai immigrants in San Francisco, their form of Buddhism, called Dhamma Buddhism, gives them a sense of home.  Everyone shares a common bond.  Other schools of Buddhism also give their followers¹⁸ a feeling of family. Matthew has been a Buddhist for 30 years.

"We have our problems in our board meetings," he said.  "And our financial concerns, but through that we find deeply spiritual unity¹⁹ here. We enjoy each other's company pretty much. It's like a family."

Tibetan Buddhism is another school of Buddhism increasingly popular in the United States.  Ron Kobata says one of the reasons for this is that the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, is such a revered²⁰ figure in the United States, as well as around the world.

"In terms of interest in Buddhism in America, that's definitely growing," he said. "But I attributed that to the attraction the Dalai Lama has brought to Buddhism internationally."

"I think he has been like the superstar of all those schools of Buddhism in the United States," said Matthew.  "He really helped to define the concepts that were hard to describe like Nirvana and Karma. These words are becoming part of the American lexicon²¹."

Tibetan Buddhism has enriched an already very vibrant²² Buddhist community San Francisco.  Matthew happily accepts such diversity. He can pray using Japanese, Mandarin²³ and Vietnamese.

"And so to define yourself as a Buddhist is one thing but to refine yourself as a human being is something else," he added.  "Any religion can help you do that.  I think all different schools of Buddhism have slightly different techniques to accomplish that worldview."

Buddhists in San Francisco consider themselves very fortunate.  They live in one of the most beautiful cities in America and have an abundance of choices to satisfy their spiritual needs.

1 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

2 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 Buddhists   

n.佛教徒( Buddhist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Jesuits in a phase of ascendancy, persecuted and insulted the Buddhists with great acrimony. 处于地位上升阶段的耶稣会修士迫害佛教徒，用尖刻的语言辱骂他们。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The return of Saivite rule to central Java had brought no antagonism between Buddhists and Hindus. 湿婆教在中爪哇恢复统治后，并没有导致佛教徒与印度教徒之间的对立。 来自辞典例句

5 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。

6 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 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。

9 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

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 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

13 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

14 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

15 incense   

v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气

参考例句：

• This proposal will incense conservation campaigners.这项提议会激怒环保人士。
• In summer,they usually burn some coil incense to keep away the mosquitoes.夏天他们通常点香驱蚊。

16 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

17 ordained   

v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定

参考例句：

• He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句

18 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。

19 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

20 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

21 lexicon   

n.字典，专门词汇

参考例句：

• Chocolate equals sin in most people's lexicon.巧克力在大多数人的字典里等同于罪恶。
• Silent earthquakes are only just beginning to enter the public lexicon.无声地震才刚开始要成为众所周知的语汇。

22 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

23 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。