纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 041无量寿佛坐像(5)

Our sculpture, one of the earliest known, probably dates to the third century AD, when Gandhara was ruled by the Kushan kings of northern India, whose empire stretched from Kabul to Islamabad. It was a wealthy region, thanks to its position on the Silk Road - the trade routes linking China, India and the Mediterranean¹. From Gandhara the main route ran west through Iran to Alexandria in Egypt. Gandhara's prosperity and political stability allowed the construction of a great landscape of Buddhist² shrines³, monuments and sculpture, and further missionary⁴ expansion. It's something that will be a recurring⁵ feature through this week - the religions that survive today are the ones that were spread and sustained by trade and power. It's profoundly paradoxical: Buddhism⁶, the religion founded by an ascetic⁷ who spurned⁸ all comfort and riches, flourished thanks to the international trade in luxury goods. With the luxury goods like silk went the monks¹⁰ and the missionaries¹¹, and with them went the Buddha¹², in human form, perhaps because such an image helps when you're teaching across a language barrier.

这尊佛像大约雕刻于公元三世纪，是已知最古老的佛像之一。当时犍陀罗在北印度贵霜王朝的统治之下，该王国的领土从喀布尔一直延伸到伊斯坦布尔。其时，丝绸之路连接着中国、印度与地中海地区，贵霜王朝位于这条路线的节点上，因而国力强盛。始于犍陀罗的主干道向西穿过伊朗，一直通往埃及的亚历山大港。国家经济繁荣,政治稳定，因而可以修建大量寺庙和佛像，并能派出僧侣，四处传扬佛法。能够流传至今的宗教，起初都是靠着贸易与国家实力发展起来的。佛教的创始人当年拋弃了荣华富贵，过着苦行僧的生活，但矛盾的是，佛教的繁荣靠的却是奢侈品贸易。僧侣们与丝绸等贵重物品一起踏上旅途，随身携带佛像。也许在语言不通的时候，用人类形象表现的佛像更能体现佛法的深意。

There are four standard poses for the Buddha that we know today. He can be shown lying, sitting, standing¹³ and walking; and each pose reflects a particular aspect of his life and activity, rather than a moment or an event. Our sculpture shows him in his enlightened state. He's robed as a monk⁹, as might be expected, but unlike a monk his head is not shaved. He's dispensed¹⁴ with finery and removed his princely jewellery. His ears are no longer weighted down with gold - but the elongated¹⁵ lobes¹⁶ still have the empty holes that show that this man was once a prince.

我们今天所熟悉的佛像有四种标准姿势：卧姿、坐姿、站姿及行姿。 这些姿势所表现的与其说是某一时刻，不如说是佛陀生活中的某一侧面。本文中的佛像表现的就是佛陀开悟时的形象。他身着袈裟，但蓄有头发，与普通僧人不同。他已脱掉了华丽的衣饰，摘掉了珠宝。他的耳朵上不 再坠有沉甸甸的金饰，但长耳垂上的耳洞仍显露了他的王子身份。

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 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。

3 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。

4 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

5 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。

6 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。

7 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。

8 spurned   

v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Eve spurned Mark's invitation. 伊夫一口回绝了马克的邀请。
• With Mrs. Reed, I remember my best was always spurned with scorn. 对里德太太呢，我记得我的最大努力总是遭到唾弃。 来自辞典例句

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 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 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。

13 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

14 dispensed   

v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药）

参考例句：

• Not a single one of these conditions can be dispensed with. 这些条件缺一不可。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage. 他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 elongated   

v.延长，加长( elongate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Modigliani's women have strangely elongated faces. 莫迪里阿尼画中的妇女都长着奇长无比的脸。
• A piece of rubber can be elongated by streching. 一块橡皮可以拉长。 来自《用法词典》

16 lobes   

n.耳垂( lobe的名词复数 )；（器官的）叶；肺叶；脑叶

参考例句：

• The rotor has recesses in its three faces between the lobes. 转子在其凸角之间的三个面上有凹槽。 来自辞典例句
• The chalazal parts of the endosperm containing free nuclei forms several lobes. 包含游离核的合点端胚乳部分形成几个裂片。 来自辞典例句