纪录片《佛教世界的七大奇观》 斯里兰卡佛牙寺（1）

Sri Lankan Buddhists² believe that the tooth relic³ was brought to their country around 300 BC.

斯里兰卡的佛教徒相信佛牙舍利是大约公元前300年被带到这里的。

Safeguarding the relic became the responsibility of kings and over the years, the custodianship⁴ of the relic came to symbolize⁵ the right to rule.

守卫舍利成为历任国王的责任。多年以后，对佛牙的守护权成为王权的象征。

The Buddha⁶ is said to have given two legacies⁷ to future generations:

据说佛陀对后人有两大遗赠。

The body of his teachings, the Dharma, and also relics⁸ of his physical body itself, which are now scattered⁹ in shrines¹¹ right across the globe.

他的教诲本身，即“法”。还有他自己的肉体遗骸（舍利），现在分散在全球各处，供奉在各地的神坛庙宇中。

And one of the most precious is kept in here, in the Temple of the Tooth.

其中最为宝贵的一件，就保存在这佛牙寺里。

That relic makes the presence of the Buddha more graphic¹² to people, so it gives them a power.

舍利使佛陀在世人面前的形象更加生动，因此它能给人们带来力量。

Actually, many Buddhist¹ temples around the world have relics, a piece of bone or something.

实际上，世界上许多佛寺都供奉有舍利，譬如遗骨或是别的东西。

Just as in Europe, you have relics of saints, so it's a way of making the person's presence feel more immediate¹³.

就像在欧洲，也保有圣徒的遗骨。由此看出，这是使一个人的存在显现得更直接的方式。

That gives the temple more power, as a magnet to draw the worshipper.

舍利的存在给予寺庙更多的神圣感，宛如磁石一般吸引朝圣者。

The shrine¹⁰ stands right at the centre of a paved courtyard.

神庙矗立在一座铺砖庭院的正中央。

The ceiling is decorated with moonstones and floral designs.

天花板缀饰着月长石以及花卉图案。

There are ivory reliefs on the doorways¹⁴.

门径两侧是象牙浮雕。

The inner chamber¹⁵ contains the tooth relic and other sacred objects and all around there is a brightly painted corridor.

内厅中供奉着佛牙舍利及其他圣物，环绕四周的则是涂上鲜亮色彩的走廊。

Monks¹⁶ conduct daily worship in the inner chamber of the temple.

僧侣们在内厅进行日常的敬拜。

Rituals are performed at dawn, at noon and in the evening.

仪式在每天黎明、正午和晚上举行。

The tooth is in this upper chamber in a casket of gold and is only revealed to a chosen few.

佛牙就供奉在这个金盒子的上层里，只有有限的几个人才有幸目睹真容。

The sacred relic is symbolically¹⁷ bathed with an herbal preparation made from scented¹⁸ water and fragrant¹⁹ flowers.

僧侣们用花草香水和芳香花朵配制的药草制剂，用它来清洁这件圣物，颇具象征意义。

This holy water is believed to contain healing properties and is distributed among those present.

人们相信这圣水有治愈疾病的功效，圣水会和其它贡品一起分发给在场的信徒。

Once a week, mothers gather at the temple with their babies.

每个星期，母亲们都会带着孩子到庙里聚会一次。

All these little babies are waiting to be taken in to be blessed by the priests so that they have Buddha's power with them for the rest of their lives.

所有这些小婴儿都在等待接受僧人的加持，这样佛陀的法力就会护持他们的一生。

They're given a white piece of string to wrap around their wrist which shows that the Buddha is with them from now until they die.

他们的手腕上会被系上一条白绳，这表示从现在起，佛陀会伴随他们一生。

And It's thought incredibly important that they get the blessing²⁰ at this early stage.

人们认为在婴儿时期就得到祝福极其重要。

Because everything that they do from now on, all their intentional²¹ actions, what they think, what they say and what they do, their karma,

因为从此以后，他们所作的任何事，他们所有有意的行为，他们的想法，他们的言行，他们的“业”，

will affect how they are then reborn in the next life.

都将影响到他们将以何种方式进入来世。

1 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。

2 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

3 relic   

n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物

参考例句：

• This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
• He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。

4 custodianship   

n.管理人的职务或地位

参考例句：

5 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

6 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。

7 legacies   

n.遗产( legacy的名词复数 )；遗留之物；遗留问题；后遗症

参考例句：

• Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind. 书是伟大的天才留给人类的精神财富。 来自辞典例句
• General legacies are subject to the same principles as demonstrative legacies. 一般的遗赠要与指定数目的遗赠遵循同样的原则。 来自辞典例句

8 relics   

[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸

参考例句：

• The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
• Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。

9 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

10 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

11 shrines   

圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。
• Their palaces and their shrines are tombs. 它们的宫殿和神殿成了墓穴。

12 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

13 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

14 doorways   

n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The houses belched people; the doorways spewed out children. 从各家茅屋里涌出一堆一堆的人群，从门口蹦出一群一群小孩。 来自辞典例句
• He rambled under the walls and doorways. 他就顺着墙根和门楼遛跶。 来自辞典例句

15 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

16 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》

17 symbolically   

ad.象征地，象征性地

参考例句：

• By wearing the ring on the third finger of the left hand, a married couple symbolically declares their eternal love for each other. 将婚戒戴在左手的第三只手指上，意味着夫妻双方象征性地宣告他们的爱情天长地久，他们定能白头偕老。
• Symbolically, he coughed to clear his throat. 周经理象征地咳一声无谓的嗽，清清嗓子。

18 scented   

adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词)

参考例句：

• I let my lungs fill with the scented air. 我呼吸着芬芳的空气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The police dog scented about till he found the trail. 警犬嗅来嗅去，终于找到了踪迹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

20 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

21 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。